“Hello, teacher! I’m Shin Seyoung. Seojin hyung—no, Euni’s father asked me to help pick her up.”
Having rushed straight up to the teacher, Euni, and Yoon Haegang, Shin Seyoung bowed deeply in greeting. Then he hurriedly pulled his ID out of his wallet and held it out.
“Ah, hello. Yes, Euni’s father already contacted me.”
Only after confirming that the bright-looking young man who had just appeared was the person she had been waiting for did relief finally settle over the teacher’s face.
“Still, we need to verify your identity through a video call. Would that be all right?”
Since she was responsible for the child’s safety, the teacher remained cautious, and Shin Seyoung readily nodded.
“Yes, of course! You absolutely should.”
“Thank you. Then just a moment.”
The teacher smiled and took her phone out of the pocket of her apron. Meanwhile, Euni looked back and forth between the three adults with bright, curious eyes.
Then her gaze happened to meet Yoon Haegang’s. He had his arms crossed and was watching with an amused expression.
“Boss Mister! Are you going home with Euni?”
“Yeah. I was going to take you to your dad, but the procedure is pretty strict, huh?”
“Mmm, it can’t be helped. Euni is little, so I’m not allowed to follow just anyone.”
Yoon Haegang raised an eyebrow at the way Euni pointed to herself as she spoke.
“Is that so?”
“Yeees.”
“Euni, you’re a smart kid.”
“Hehe, right? I take after Dad!”
“Well, I don’t know whether you two look alike. But the way you act is cute.”
While the two chatted quietly, the ringing tone suddenly cut off and Seojin’s voice came through.
-Yes, teacher. Has Seyoung arrived at the daycare?
Seojin soon appeared on the screen as well. Even while talking to Euni, Yoon Haegang had been keeping his attention fixed on that side, and he did not miss the opportunity to abruptly cut in.
“Noh Seojin, why don’t you explain? Tell her I’m not some suspicious stranger, but the boss of the company you work for. Euni knows me too.”
The teacher’s eyes widened at the sudden interruption, while disbelief crossed Shin Seyoung’s face. Yoon Haegang paid neither of them any attention, keeping his gaze fixed on the phone screen.
Seojin, who had been wound tight with anxiety because he had no idea how to contact them, first felt relieved when he realized Euni was still at the daycare.
Then that relief immediately turned into anger.
-Why are you there, Boss?!
Seojin completely forgot that the person he was technically speaking to was the daycare teacher and burst out in anger. His voice, rough and hoarse, rang loudly across the daycare courtyard, but he did not even seem to realize it.
Only the teacher and Shin Seyoung were left staring with eyes as wide as a rabbit’s at the string of unexpected developments.
Yoon Haegang, on the other hand, merely shrugged and asked back.
“What do you mean, why am I here? I heard Noh Seojin left work early because he was sick, so I came because I was worried about who would pick the kid up. Is that really something to get so worked up and interrogate me over?”
At the utterly calm tone, Seojin’s face stiffened for a moment before he covered his mouth with his palm.
Only then had he realized just how badly he had misunderstood.
For a moment, a question crossed his mind about why Haegang had sent such an ambiguous KakaoTalk message and made him anxious in the first place, but even that quickly faded.
-No, I, um. Boss, I’m sorry, I mean. I didn’t mean to react like that. I’m grateful you looked after Euni, but….
Watching Seojin ramble incoherently from both fever and embarrassment, Yoon Haegang let out a quiet laugh.
He could not see him in much detail through the screen, but he had a feeling Seojin was making quite an entertaining expression right now.
“All right. If you understand, then explain it properly to the teacher. She’s looking at me like I’m about to kidnap the kid.”
-Ah…. Yes, yes. I’m really sorry.
Seojin’s cheeks were as red as ripe apples as he lowered his head.
Only now had he realized that he had been practically shouting into the phone the teacher was holding.
Seojin repeatedly bowed toward the screen.
-Teacher, I’m sorry. I was just so startled. That man is my company’s boss. I think he heard I was sick and assumed I wouldn’t be able to pick Euni up, so he was trying to help, but I was too flustered….
Even though his explanation still came out in a jumbled rush, the teacher managed to grasp the general situation and smiled kindly.
“No, it’s all right, Euni’s father. Of course you would be startled. I understand. You’re sick, and my call probably made you even more anxious. So who will be taking Euni home today?”
As she smoothly sorted out the situation, Seojin was able to answer a little more calmly.
-Seyoung. He’s a friend I live with, so you can trust him.
“Yes, then we’ll do that.”
The teacher looked back at Shin Seyoung as though confirming it with him. Shin Seyoung also chimed in energetically, saying she could leave everything to him.
Yoon Haegang seemed uninterested in their conversation.
Instead, he persistently studied Seojin’s complexion on the screen.
Skin left pale from fever.
Cheeks flushed strikingly red in contrast.
Hazy eyes that could not quite focus.
Lips made damp from breathing out hot air.
Objectively, he unquestionably looked like a sick person.
And yet, why did the sight strangely hold his gaze?
Just as Yoon Haegang inhaled, almost as though trying to confirm the scent he had missed—
“Euni’s father, then I’ll hang up now. Get some rest.”
With the teacher’s cheerful farewell, the call ended.
The screen went black, and Seojin disappeared from sight.
Yoon Haegang blinked once, then turned away as though shaking off lingering reluctance.
After only a few long strides of his legs, he was already far away.
Still holding Euni’s hand, Shin Seyoung could not take his eyes off Yoon Haegang for some time. Only after Haegang disappeared completely from sight did he let out a relieved sigh.
“Euni, shall we go home now?”
“Yeees!”
Having failed to notice the tension that had just passed between the adults, Euni nodded innocently.
Shin Seyoung gave the teacher one final greeting, then returned to the villa with the child.
As the two chatted on the way and opened the front door, Seojin immediately hurried over to the entrance.
Even after the call ended, he had still been too worried to relax and had been pacing near the door.
“Daaad…!”
“Ah, Euni.”
Seojin was about to hurriedly pull Euni into his arms when Shin Seyoung hesitated and drew back slightly.
Seojin looked at him as if asking what was wrong.
“Hyung, the whole house is saturated with pheromones. Did you take your medicine?”
“Yeah. It should start taking effect now, so I’ll be fine soon. If the scent is too strong, should I open the door or something?”
“Geez, hyung. What are you saying? You do that and you’ll attract every alpha in the neighborhood.”
Apparently thinking Seojin was joking, Shin Seyoung laughed lightly and stroked Euni’s hair before adding,
“Should we take care of Euni first?”
“Let’s do that.”
Seojin snapped back to attention at those words.
He had to explain that because of his current condition, he would not be able to sleep in the same room as her for a while.
“Euni, Dad has something to tell you.”
“Something to tell me?”
“Yeah. You know Dad caught a cold, right? When I went to the hospital, the doctor said I have to sleep separately from Euni for a while.”
Lately, falling asleep together with her dad had been the happiest part of Euni’s entire world, and her lips immediately pushed into a pout.
Seojin continued explaining as he looked at her adorable expression.
“They said otherwise Euni might catch it too. So I think you’ll have to sleep with Seyoung for just a few days. Can Euni understand?”
What if she felt hurt?
Perhaps realizing that he was carefully watching her reaction, Euni soon nodded bravely.
“Mm! Okay. Dad has to get better quickly instead, okay?”
As she spoke, Euni patted Seojin’s leg with her small hand, then firmly adjusted the bag on her shoulders.
“Euni can change clothes by herself and wash by herself too, so don’t worry!”
Seeing her tiny back toddle away, a faint smile spread across Seojin’s lips.
Then he turned toward Shin Seyoung.
“Hyung, get some rest. You really don’t look good. I’ll keep an eye on Euni.”
Because Shin Seyoung reassured him before he even had to ask, Seojin dropped heavily onto the sofa with a noticeably lighter expression.
All the strength had drained from his body, and he did not want to move even a finger, but he still had something left to do.
Slowly, he tapped his phone and opened his chat with Yoon Haegang.
[Me: Boss, I was too flustered earlier and behaved rudely. I want to apologize again. And thank you for looking out for Euni’s pickup too.]
After writing that much, he hesitated for a moment before continuing with another message.
[Me: Also, I think this flu has hit me pretty hard, so I’ll probably need to rest for a few days. If my being away from work for too long causes problems for the company, please feel free to tell me. 5:47 PM]
It was a message that subtly mixed in the implication that Haegang was free to let him go if he wanted.
Yoon Haegang was more than capable of doing exactly that.
Seojin sent the KakaoTalk message and was about to put his phone down when a reply arrived before the screen could even dim.
[Boss Yoon Haegang: Don’t worry about work. Rest as much as you need and come back when you’re fully recovered. 5:47 PM]
At the unexpected response, Seojin could not take his eyes off the screen for a long time.