“Wow… You’re married?”
Manager Kim kept firing questions at him. He still seemed not to have noticed Yoon Haegang standing by the door.
“Then your spouse must be a beta too, right? How old is the kid?”
Manager Kim had always been talkative to begin with, and now that he had learned something new about Seojin, he seemed excited, rambling on without pause.
“Uh… No. I’m not married.”
“You’re not? Ah, then are you living together?”
“No. It’s just the child……”
Why is he saying things like that!
Seojin was horrified and was just about to explain that it wasn’t like that when—
“Move. How long are you planning to block the doorway?”
Yoon Haegang cut into their conversation. His tone was still gentle, but Seojin’s shoulders hunched before he even realized it.
“Huh? Ah! Boss, you’re back!”
Only then did Manager Kim notice him and greet him. Seojin hurriedly stepped aside as well, but for some reason, Yoon Haegang remained standing in the doorway without moving an inch.
‘What’s with him now?’
With Haegang’s gaze fixed on him, Seojin had no idea what he was supposed to do and could only dart his eyes around awkwardly.
“Where are you two going?”
“Ah, well… Manager Kim said we should get off work for the day, so we were just leaving.”
At Yoon Haegang’s question, Seojin, who had been frozen stiff as if playing freeze tag, hurriedly spoke up.
“That’s right. There aren’t any particularly important requests today, so I told him we should go. I redirected the calls to my phone too.”
Manager Kim backed him up as well. But Yoon Haegang said nothing and merely stared at Seojin.
His gaze slowly swept from the crown of Seojin’s head down to the back of his neck, clinging to him almost painfully. Only after a long moment did Yoon Haegang slowly turn away.
‘What the hell was that just now……?’
Seojin could only stare blankly at his back as he silently walked farther inside.
“Boss, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Manager Kim left only that farewell before hurrying out of the office. He waved at Seojin, urging him to come quickly too.
Seojin edged sideways while watching Yoon Haegang’s reaction. In the meantime, Haegang had sat down on the sofa and was lounging there like a well-fed beast, idly tapping at his phone.
He had already called the daycare too, so there was no reason to hesitate any longer. Holding even his breath in, Seojin quickly scuttled sideways out of the office.
“How old is your kid?”
“Five.”
Manager Kim continued talking to him even as they went down the stairs.
“Aigoo, that’s such a cute age. A daughter? Or a son?”
“A daughter.”
“Oh… Do you have a picture?”
Manager Kim’s eyes were practically sparkling with interest, making Seojin turn to look at him curiously.
“Do you like kids?”
“Is there anyone who doesn’t?”
Seojin’s gaze unconsciously drifted up the stairs toward the office. Manager Kim seemed to notice and burst out laughing.
“Puhaha. Our boss might like them too, you know.”
“……Really?”
“Our boss may not look it, but he donates to childcare institutions every month. He even visits twice a year.”
“……Really?”
The first time, Seojin narrowed his eyes as he asked, but the second time, his voice rose without him realizing it.
Yoon Haegang, who suited the title of sub yandere top far better than merely sub top, did something that virtuous?
The two images just didn’t match at all!
“Our boss needs to see that expression!”
Manager Kim grinned with the kind of face that would have had “ㅋㅋㅋ” attached to it if this were KakaoTalk. But there was nothing Seojin could do about it. Watching the man clutch his stomach as if laughing hurt, Seojin pouted.
How was he supposed to connect Yoon Haegang with charitable donations?
“Stop laughing….”
“Well, our boss does kind of look like the son of some chaebol family, all aloof and refined. Right?”
Seojin readily nodded. Just looking at him in a navy shirt and ivory slacks, anyone would think he was an urbane city man.
If he walked around on the street, he could probably claim to be a model or an actor and everyone would believe him.
‘When you look at things like that, I guess some people really are just meant for each other.’
Honestly, purely in terms of looks, Yoon Haegang did not fall behind the main top.
They were both dominant alphas, and there was barely any difference in their wealth either.
Of course, there was a slight difference in standing between the fourth-generation chaebol main top and Yoon Haegang, who had quit being a gangster and opened an information office.
‘But in terms of ability, they’re pretty similar, aren’t they?’
They just used those abilities in different directions.
“Yes, judging by appearances.”
“Haha…. This is exactly why I like you, Seojin. You really don’t hold back when you talk!”
Manager Kim’s questions did not stop after that, but strangely enough, the smile never quite left Seojin’s lips. Even his steps on the way home felt noticeably lighter than before.
* * *
“Euni, should we eat out today?”
It was a rare evening when they had time to relax. Seojin thought they could spend it eating out together, but unexpectedly, Euni shook her head from side to side.
“No.”
“No?”
“Mm-hm.”
“Why?”
“My teacher said you have to eat at home to be healthy!”
Seojin barely managed to hold back his laughter. Euni’s eyes sparkled as she nodded, as though she were imparting something extremely important.
“……Really? Your teacher said that?”
“Mm-hm! She said if I want to grow tall and strong, I just have to eat the food my parents make for me!”
Seeing the child even lift her chin as though daring him to say she was wrong, laughter finally slipped through Seojin’s lips. He gently stroked Euni’s cheek as she smiled along with him.
“All right. Then Dad will make you something extra delicious today. What do you want to eat, Euni?”
“Hmm……”
Where had she learned that pose now?
Euni pressed her index finger beneath her chin and thought very seriously.
“Stir-fried sausage and vegetables!”
If they were trying to eat healthily, something other than sausage would probably have been better. Still, it was commendable that she had asked for vegetables with it, so there was no reason to refuse. Seojin readily accepted his daughter’s request.
“Okay. We’ll use Euni’s favorite sausages. Want to stop by the supermarket on the way home?”
“Yes!”
Holding the hand of Euni, who answered energetically, Seojin headed toward a nearby large supermarket. The moment they entered, Euni cried out excitedly.
“Euni wants to push it!”
She meant that she wanted to use one of the child-sized shopping carts the supermarket provided.
“Want to?”
They were not buying much today anyway, so Seojin did not refuse this time either. An excited Euni quickly returned, pushing a children’s cart.
“Shall we look around, then?”
“Yeees!”
Seojin grinned as he spoke, and Euni’s face lit up as well. Without any trouble, the child soon found the processed-food section.
“Dad, that one!”
The only problem was that she was still too short to take the product she wanted from the shelf herself. Euni pointed directly at the sausages she wanted.
“This one?”
“No, the one next to it.”
“This one?”
“Nooo. Next to that one! The pink one!”
After several failed attempts to pick the correct one, the child started bouncing on her heels. Of course, Seojin did not really misunderstand.
“This is confusing. Euni, tell Dad the name. I taught you before, remember?”
Realizing what Seojin was trying to do, the child pouted.
“Soft-Soft Sausages!”
Even though the answer came out sulkily, Seojin looked at her with approval. Only then did he pick up the product she wanted and hold it out to her.
“Here. Euni’s favorite Soft-Soft Sausages.”
“Thank you.”
The child’s expression brightened instantly once she got what she wanted. Even the way she placed it into her tiny cart showed how excited she was.
But then she stole another glance to the side.
Unlike the long sausages she had just chosen, these were small and round. She clearly wanted those too, but seemed to be wondering whether she was allowed to ask for another kind after already picking one.
“You know, Dad….”
Just from the hesitant way she looked up at him, Seojin already knew what she wanted, but he pretended not to.
“Mm? What is it?”
“You said you’d buy everything Euni wanted today.”
Instead of pointing out the sly way she had slipped her own wishes into his words, he simply waited for her to continue.
Sure enough, taking that as approval, Euni immediately pointed at the other sausages. Seojin finally burst out laughing and picked up the ones she wanted too.
Euni gripped the handle of her little cart firmly with both hands as though she had accomplished her mission. She pushed it forward bravely while staring straight ahead, but when she nearly bumped into the corner of a display shelf, Seojin quickly reached over and corrected her course.
“You have to go slowly.”
“Euni is doing well.”
“Mm. You are doing well, but you have to look in front of you and to the sides too.”
Euni nodded with a serious expression. This time, she moved carefully, one step at a time. Then, when she happened to make eye contact with a passerby, she even bowed politely.
The stranger smiled as though finding her adorable, and Seojin found himself feeling strangely proud too.
Swallowing a smile, Seojin lightly stroked the child’s hair.
Even these small, ordinary exchanges filled a corner of his heart with warmth.