Chapter 28
“Noona, Isu-hyung! How do I look? Does it suit me?”
Dressed in sky-blue pajamas covered in little teddy bear characters, Woo-jin came out beaming with excitement.
Before Seung-eon could even stop him, Woo-jin spun around in front of him and Seo Isu, proudly showing off the pajamas.
“Kang Woo-jin, this isn’t our house—”
“It suits you.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve got to show Ji-won too!”
Looking pleased with Seo Isu’s reaction, Woo-jin grinned widely. Then he asked, “Hyung, can I use the computer?” Seo Isu nodded.
“Oh, right! Isu-hyung, I’m hungry!”
“Kang Woo—”
“Alright. I’ll make you something to eat.”
“Thanks!”
Seung-eon was being completely ignored.
He let out a disbelieving sigh when Woo-jin, having exchanged words only with Seo Isu, turned and disappeared perfectly into the study.
Before he could even process the sudden turn of events, he heard Seo Isu—who had been sitting next to him—stand up.
“I don’t have any new clothes… This was only worn once, but if you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to wear it.”
After handing Woo-jin a set of pajamas that belonged to his nephew, Seo Ji-won—currently in America—Seo Isu had given Seung-eon a black T-shirt easily one and a half times his size and a pair of loose shorts.
He expects me to wear this?
It was true, as he said, that the clothes still had the stiffness of something barely worn.
But putting on clothes worn by a stranger—especially ones given to him by a man—felt somehow unpleasant, so he still hadn’t changed.
That was why he couldn’t understand how Woo-jin could so happily change into Seo Ji-won’s pajamas without a second thought.
Maybe it was because he was still young.
Even if he seemed mature at times, Woo-jin was still just a ten-year-old child.
Seung-eon looked between Woo-jin, who seemed to know Seo Isu far better than he did, and Seo Isu himself, before his gaze followed the man now in the kitchen.
“Why don’t you stay at my place until things are sorted out?”
Of all people, he never expected Team Leader Seo to say something like that first.
Seo Isu—who normally only cared about the Eco project and paid no attention to anything else in the world—was now saying this.
Do I look pitiful to him?
Back when he had gone downstairs to the first floor because of the loud noise, he’d stood among shouting residents and stared blankly at his 33rd-floor penthouse going up in flames. He probably looked dazed enough to inspire pity.
As if it wasn’t enough that a sudden car accident had left him bedridden for half a year, and that his so-called family had tried to steal his company in his absence—now his home had burned down.
Yeah… I guess that’s worth pitying.
A bitter laugh slipped out. Unlike the other residents stamping their feet and begging for the fire to be put out, Seo Isu had simply stood there, watching without much change in expression, quietly aware of Seung-eon’s circumstances.
That might have made him feel even sorrier for him.
Well, whatever.
This actually worked in his favor.
Seo Isu was, admittedly, the least likely candidate on Secretary Chu’s list of “possible secret boyfriends” for Seung-eon.
If we live together, I’ll have more chances to check for the mole.
He’d failed to confirm Jeong Hee-do’s mole, but there would be other chances soon.
Yoo Hyun-jun might make up all sorts of excuses, but if pressed sincerely, he might eventually show him.
But Seo Isu was different.
He was the kind of man who, once he built a wall, never even thought about tearing it down. No matter how much you pushed, pleaded, or threatened, he wouldn’t even blink. Seung-eon had thought to leave him for last as a candidate to test.
Who knew the opportunity would come like this.
Granted, it took his entire fortune literally going up in flames for it to happen, but he couldn’t let this chance slip by.
“What are you doing?”
Approaching him in the kitchen, Seung-eon watched Seo Isu pour olive oil into a frying pan on the induction stove.
Seo Isu paused at the voice right next to him and glanced down at him.
“Woo-jin said he’s hungry…”
“You’re cooking yourself?”
Not ordering someone else to do it?
“Is that a problem?”
“You know how to cook?”
“Yes.”
“You do?”
“Is it… wrong if I do?”
The way he asked, as if he couldn’t understand Seung-eon’s reaction, brought a certain memory to mind.
“Wife, come here for a second.”
“Why did you call me—oh! Husband, what are you doing?!”
“Huh?”
“Why are you suddenly lighting a fire in the stove?”
“Why do you think? You said you were hungry earlier…”
“For me? Husband, do you know how to cook?”
“…”
“Husband?”
“…No. But I know how it’s done. I watched Kang Cheol do it over his shoulder.”
“Kang Cheol? Oh, that friend you carried the cauldron with?”
“Yes.”
“But, husband… don’t you smell something burning?”
“Burning?”
“Husband.”
“Yes.”
“When you put the rice in the pot, did you add water?”
“…”
“…”
“…No.”
When Seung-eon had been married to the cauldron-bearer Tae-oh in Eco, they’d lived together right up until their wedding night.
Though he’d been eager, Tae-oh was hopeless at housework—burning rice more times than Seung-eon could count.
When he’d timidly asked, “You’re supposed to add water?” Seung-eon had been both dumbfounded and utterly charmed. He’d ended up laughing instead of getting mad.
This memory resurfaced now because the man in front of him was so completely different from Tae-oh.
See?
Definitely not him.
There was no need to check for a mole under his T-shirt.
Seung-eon smiled brightly.
“If you can cook, that’s great. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
*
[Chu Yeong-eun: At Team Leader Seo’s place?]
Surprised by Secretary Chu’s KakaoTalk message, Seung-eon typed back.
[Yeah]
[Chu Yeong-eun: I’m amazed. How did things progress that far?]
Could this even be called “progress”?
“Isu-hyung! This is so good! Even better than the fried rice Auntie Jangsan makes!”
“Then have some more.”
“Yes!”
It wasn’t anything fancy, but Seo Isu’s fried rice with a sunny-side-up egg was delicious enough to have Woo-jin floating in the clouds.
Even the fiery red kimchi—which he usually couldn’t eat—was devoured with relish, a complete departure from the Woo-jin Seung-eon knew.
Are you really Kang Woo-jin?
It felt weird—like his only little brother, who had always focused on him alone, had been stolen away by another man.
Still listening to Woo-jin and Seo Isu’s conversation from the kitchen, Seung-eon glanced back at his phone.
[It’s not really progress, it just happened. By the way, did you know Team Leader Seo lives in our apartment building?]
He’d been stunned when Seo Isu had stepped out of Unit 1704.
“Isu-hyung has lived here for ages! Since back when Ji-won was still in Korea!”
Woo-jin had replied so casually when asked when he’d met Seo Isu.
How did we never bump into each other?
Aside from the erased memories of his “secret boyfriend,” Seung-eon’s recollection of other things was patchy but still surfaced often enough.
He clearly remembered that Seo Isu had come to Lukin to head Development Team 3 for the launch of Eco.
“No need to provide company housing. My home’s reasonably close to the office.”
That was what Seo Isu had told him at the scouting meeting.
But from Songpa-gu to Lukin’s office in Han-gyo, Gyeonggi Province, the commute was long enough to be torture.
And I’ve never heard of him being late.
Even at the weekly Monday morning meetings, he was either there first or never arrived late.
[Chu Yeong-eun: Team Leader Seo lives in the same apartment as you, CEO?]
[So you didn’t know either.]
[Chu Yeong-eun: I thought he lived near the company.]
[Apparently not.]
Or maybe this was the home of the older brother’s family that had supposedly moved to America?
Seung-eon let the thought drop.
[Anyway, keep it a secret for now that I’m staying at Team Leader Seo’s place.]
[Chu Yeong-eun: Won’t it be uncomfortable? I can arrange accommodations.]
Seung-eon hesitated for a moment, then replied:
[Woo-jin seems to really like him. I’ll check on my place tomorrow and stay here for now. It won’t take long, right?]
He didn’t know then.
“Oh my, CEO Kang. Your place is completely burned down? Restoring it will take at least half a year!”
That those words would come true.
