The Smell of Something Fishy Chapter 9.2

“Not a mistress. Not a customer. A lover.”

“What is… the difference?”

The preemptive strike had an effect. While confused, Yeonseo showed interest in Tae Shinju’s proposal.

“Ah…!”

A broad palm suddenly seized one of his soft breasts. The body, caught off guard, flinched and stiffened.

“A mistress is someone you hide away and just fuck for her body.”

The next moment, he took off his own shirt and draped it over Yeonseo. It was ridiculously loose, but it was enough to roughly cover his naked body.

“A lover is… someone you eat delicious food with, go out to have fun with, and share trivial stories with, and then have sex with.”

“……”

“Someone who, even in the middle of sex, pulls out his dick and puts your clothes on.”

That is probably right.

Park Yeonseo watching a movie. Park Yeonseo eating a meal. Park Yeonseo sharing trivial stories with a smiling face…. Because he liked holding him and fiddling with him while he was like that.

While telling himself every day that this was unlike him.

“That is….”

Consciousness returned to the eyes that had been staring blankly.

As far as Yeonseo could tell, Tae Shinju’s description was already the daily life they were spending together.

‘I see…. It was something lovers do.’

So that must be why it felt good. That must be why he came to like this man even more, and why the small bit of tenderness amidst the teasing remained in his heart.

He does not know what made Tae Shinju decide to change their relationship. Of course, Yeonseo had no reason to refuse. Even if it was for a very short while, it would become a memory that would last a lifetime for him.

‘Like this, again….’

This makes it the second time. The only person who had been kind to him in his twenty-some years of life pulls Yeonseo up from the bottom again.

He makes him live steadfastly.

Although he said, ‘let’s become lovers,’ Yeonseo was certain. That his heart and his own were of a slightly different texture. Tae Shinju would not like him the way Yeonseo liked him.

A difference in feelings.

‘…But I still like it.’

Yeonseo gave a slight nod in acceptance.

“I will. Mr. Tae Shinju’s… lover.”

Tae Shinju, who had been unconsciously holding his breath, let it out with a puff.

He swears he has never acted so foolishly in his life. Was he actually weak to the stray cat type? It was a newly discovered preference.

“Really…. Mr. Park Yeonseo, I did not see you that way, but you have a bad habit of playing with people’s hearts, do you not?”

“I-I am sorry.”

“Do not apologize. From now on, we are….”

Lovers.

Whispering, Tae Shinju lifted Yeonseo and sat him on his lap. He held the body that fit perfectly in his arms to the side and peppered kisses on his fair cheeks, below his ears, and on his straight nape. It was a sweet kiss, as if his insults from just moments ago were a lie.

“Hmm…. Did it hurt when I put my balls in just now?”

With a deep, low voice, his middle finger touched his lower hole. Rub, rub. He gently presses on the place he had forced open and slowly circles it. It is a soothing touch, like staunching the bleeding after an injection.

Yeonseo, out of habit, was about to say no, but he stared intently at Tae Shinju.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“……”

“Hmm?”

“…Yes. It… hurt a little.”

A tender face. The expression he likes.

It is awkward to intentionally reveal pain. Because his was a life where he had to hide it even if it hurt. Because revealing it would not change reality, he had naturally made it a habit to hide it.

Yeonseo opened his mouth, which was hard to part, and confessed.

It hurts. …It hurt.

In a place out of Yeonseo’s line of sight, Tae Shinju gripped the armrest of the chair tightly. It was half unconscious.

He says it hurts… Park Yeonseo says it hurts.

The man who had become his lover held Yeonseo closer. He pressed on the back of his head and the small of his back, trapping him in his embrace, and apologized.

“I am sorry. I hurt you.”

Just as Yeonseo was not used to revealing his pain, Tae Shinju was also awkward with apologizing. But it was not an act he could not do, just unfamiliar because he did not do it often. Now that he had said it to Yeonseo, it did not feel particularly bad or difficult.

“Ye-es… It is, it is okay.”

“No. I did wrong, so if Mr. Yeonseo wants to scold me, you may do so.”

It is still awkward.

Making his hard-won courage seem pointless, Yeonseo tried to wrap up the situation by saying it was enough at this point. To be honest, there was also the reason that he was surprised that Tae Shinju would apologize so readily. As soon as he heard his apology, the pain had vanished without a trace.

Tae Shinju whispered, his lips against Yeonseo’s cheek.

“Do you want to hit me until your anger subsides?”

“Of course not….”

“Then how about asking me to buy you everything you want?”

“Things I want…?”

The face, picturesque as always, was right in front of him. The man’s eyes sparkled with mischief. That too was a part of him that Yeonseo loved. The face that teased him, laughed, was in a good mood, and whispered lowly.

I want to confess that I love you. I hope the relationship does not end even if I confess. I want to be openly greedy for you. I hope you would allow me… to be greedy for you.

Not anyone else but Tae Shinju,

You.

It occurred to him that this might be a chance. Since they had just become lovers, Tae Shinju’s mood might be at its most generous now, throughout the entire period of their relationship.

“If you promise not to get angry….”

“Not a chance. You might as well ask me to buy you something big and expensive.”

Yeonseo smiled faintly.

“It is not a thing. Um… it is just something I want to say, and you can just let it go in one ear and out the other.”

“What is it that you are hesitating so much about. I will not get angry. What must I do to prove it so you will believe me?”

Perhaps it was just a feeling, but it seemed like he wanted him to ask for anything, so Yeonseo pondered along with him.

“…This house?”

“The house?”

“Ah, no. Mr. Tae Shinju’s bedroom. I will take that. If you get angry… that room will be mine from now on.”

“Did you like that room?”

Tae Shinju shot him a somewhat burdensome gaze. It was a strange expression, as if he were both satisfied and crestfallen.

Yeonseo sat up straight and observed him. The words he was about to say were something he had no memory of ever saying in his life. He might have said them in his distant childhood, but at least as far as he could remember, he had not said them even to his parents. It would be more accurate to say he had no occasion to say them to his mother, who distanced herself from him, or his father, whose face was hard to see.

Love.

Nevertheless, Yeonseo knows what love is.

Love was something incredibly precious. The only valuable thing a penniless pauper possessed.

Yeonseo loved this man. The body that became breathless at a single light word and boiled with desire at a single gesture made him realize that a precious love had come to him too.

He does not expect to be reciprocated. He was just glad that he could at least give his heart.

The first love of his entire life. He is glad that he can give ‘love,’ a word he is pronouncing for the first time, to Tae Shinju, to hyung, to the only kindness in his life.

‘You really have all my firsts….’

Body, heart, and even love.

In his heart, he hopes he will remember. That you are my first. The fact that you are the person who took the most precious thing from me.

Park Yeonseo loves Tae Shinju. Yeonseo liked that sentence. It was so precious that he had only cherished it in his heart, but just once, for now, he decides to let it out.

“…I like you.”

I hope you will see this heart of mine, which is as precious to me as you are.

Is it selfish? It probably is.

“I, love—,”

The confession of love could not be completed.

Tae Shinju lunged at Yeonseo. As if anxious about the volume that did not quite fill his arms, he hugged Yeonseo, hugged him again, and pressed him into his embrace, frantically pressing their lips together.

“Haha….”

The corners of his mouth, as he kissed, were stretched long.

Thud.

Their foreheads met. It is so close that the focus is blurry. In the midst of that, the image of hyung, his eyes curved into a deep smile, was clear.

“Do you love me?”

“Hnngh… ye-es….”

“Again. Say it again.”

“I, love, you, mph!”

The man kissed Yeonseo again and again as he got up. He securely supported the body that was clinging to him like a koala and strode forward.

Quickly. To the bedroom, even a moment faster.

He had never had a complaint about the floors being separated until now, but today it feels particularly far.

When they finally dived into the familiar bed, Yeonseo let out a short scream. Tae Shinju swallowed even the scream with his lips and laughed happily.

A silly grin spreads across his face like an idiot.

Yeonseo panted for breath, pinned beneath the man. To Tae Shinju, even that looked cute.

“…First love, huh.”

First love.

The taste of savoring it is good.

“So it is your first love.”

“Hnngh….”

“Alright, first love. Mr. Yeonseo’s first love… shall I buy it for the entire remaining debt.”

Then he is no longer a ‘mistress’ or anything of the sort. Park Yeonseo officially becomes ‘Park Yeonseo,’ who has paid off all his debt.

Yeonseo’s gaze blurred hazily.

The man who says he will cancel all his debt just for hearing his confession.

How generous he is….

However, more than that, his voice mixed with laughter and his smiling face were so good it brought tears to his eyes, so Yeonseo could not hold back anymore and stole his lips.

He is lovely.

He liked the man who was happy to hear his confession. He was grateful to him for recognizing something precious.

More and more. His love swelled more than it had a second ago.

So much that if it were a dream, he would wish never to wake up….

🕷️

A lover.

“A lover….”

‘And to think he would even confess his love.’

“He is just so adorable.”

Stamp. Stamp and sign.

The day after they became lovers, Tae Shinju went to work early and processed Yeonseo’s debt documents. Before, he had been so leisurely that it had taken quite some time just to draw up a simple additional contract. It was not that he could not do it, but that he had not done it.

‘Because I was so engrossed in fucking him.’

Looking back on it now, it was foolish, but there was definitely a time like that. Perhaps that remained in a corner of his heart, because as soon as he opened his eyes at dawn, the documents were the first thing that came to mind.

Honestly, he desperately did not want to go to work.

All night yesterday, they had caressed each other, losing track of time. They touched and touched again, and it was still not enough. Yeonseo was also excited to the tips of his hair for the first time in a long time and gushed like a fountain….

“Executive Director, it is time for you to depart.”

Recalling the taste of the pussy that had gushed like a fountain, Tae Shinju left the office. He quietly instructed the secretary standing beside him.

“Handle it as an outside duty and take care of things. I will go alone.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The secretary handed over the car keys with a respectful posture. He was not from a gangster background, but perhaps because he was excessively rigid, he had a strangely similar smell.

He was on his way to see Tae Hyunwoong. To completely wipe Yeonseo’s debt documents clean, there was, annoyingly, a final step left.

He took the opportunity to resolve everything today and contacted Baek Heon-jae early in the morning.

—Two o’clock. Have Tae Hyunwoong ready.

—Yes, young master.

Even though he had spoken with the unlucky gangster bastard, he was in a reasonably good mood. It was the ‘first love’ effect.

Geumwoong Loan.

The goddamn sign greeted Tae Shinju.

“We, welcome.”

The youngest member, or whatever he was, with the fierce-looking face, was also the same.

Tae Shinju tucked the document envelope under his arm and strode forward. Bang, as he kicked open the president’s office door, Tae Hyunwoong was sitting there with a face like he had chewed on shit.

“Fuck, what. Who the hell are you to tell people to come and go.”

“Hmm. Two o’clock. Punctual. Hyunwoong knows how to tell time, huh?”

The dark-suited gangsters slowly backed away. Baek Heon-jae, who gave Tae Shinju a silent nod, was the last to close the president’s office door and leave.

Tae Shinju sat down on the sofa opposite him and tossed the document envelope. The envelope that fell on the glass table slid to a stop in front of Tae Hyunwoong.

“Park Yeonseo’s debt. We will settle it today.”

“What?”

A tilt of the head.

“Little brother, are you deaf? Why do you keep making me say things twice? The thing I fucked up was your dick.”

“You, you bastard….”

At the personality flaw that he did not even try to hide, Tae Hyunwoong’s face flushed red and blue. Of course, Tae Shinju could not care less about his half-brother’s feelings.

“We both hate looking at each other, so let’s get this over with quickly. Huh?”

While Tae Hyunwoong snatched the document envelope with a rough hand and checked it, he was lost in thought for a moment.

Park Yeonseo’s debt.

With the additional contract, Yeonseo would think that Tae Shinju was managing his debt, but in fact, that was only half true. While Tae Shinju was managing it, the debt itself still belonged to ‘Geumwoong Loan.’

To put it simply, Tae Shinju and Geumwoong Capital were playing the role of gangsters collecting money. Although it would be a mischaracterization to dismiss Tae Shinju as a simple collector.

That is not to say that what he had explained to Yeonseo on the day of the funeral was wrong. It was all true. Tae Shinju genuinely despised Tae Hyunwoong and would intentionally interfere and occasionally sabotage Tae Hyunwoong’s work. Just because he felt like it.

However, on the other hand, he understood why he had to keep such a useless child alive. To be precise, his father, Chairman Tae’s, will.

Why did Chairman Tae not just dispose of that unsocialized mutt? And why, of all places, did he stick him in Geumwoong Loan? Because Tae Hyunwoong was good at fighting? Because he had some degree of leadership to lead the gangster bastards?

Wrong.

‘Guilt.’

It was to stimulate guilt. Not in Chairman Tae himself, but in the remaining gangster bastards. Because ‘guilt’ would become the new focal point for them, who had lost their leader.

For instance, to people like Baek Heon-jae and those who had buried their bones in the organization for over a decade.

Although most had scattered, they were the ones who knew Geumwoong’s roots. From Chairman Tae’s perspective, he must have judged that if he could not handle them for Geumwoong’s sake, whether they were reformed or not, there was a high possibility they would become dangerous elements. He would have also entrusted them with the dirty work necessary to lay the foundation of Geumwoong.

Coincidentally, ‘Geumwoong Loan’ was a business that Chairman Tae had put considerable effort into when he was just starting to build the foundation of Geumwoong. Now, it had grown to a scale where the capital and other financial groups were separated, but its predecessor was a loan company. So much so that even after Chairman Tae became the chairman of the Geumwoong Group, he did not get rid of Geumwoong Loan and passed on the president position to his right-hand man, Yoon Cheol-gon.

As it was the foundation of Geumwoong and the chairman himself was from a gangster background, it was, in a way, the real deal. The spirit of Geumwoong. The continuation of its soul, or something like that.

Until about… fifteen years ago.

At least twenty years ago, Tae Shinju would have believed it with all his heart.

However, aside from that, for Tae Shinju, who had everything else, Geumwoong Loan was an unnecessary appendage. His father’s intention was probably to give him something that looked like the real deal, but to be satisfied with that. Setting aside whether Tae Hyunwoong understood that.

Tae Shinju only learned of Tae Hyunwoong’s existence when he was a teenager. Before that, he did not even know his father was a gangster. His father was a person who had purposefully had Tae Shinju, managed him thoroughly, and cultivated him as a ‘chaebol’s son.’ He had him associate closely with his maternal family, never even mentioning the main family in jest, lest the gangster influence rub off on him.

Early teens. Tae Shinju was kidnapped by a man who was his uncle and came to know the hidden side of his father.

At that time, the power of organized crime syndicates was still very strong. The crimes they committed were often of a rather direct and crude nature, such as murder, drugs, kidnapping, and gambling.

Starting with his uncle, who was originally the heir to the organization, attempts to kidnap Tae Shinju began to boil over in earnest. His crime was being the only son of a gangster-turned-entrepreneur.

Perhaps naturally, Tae Shinju remembered his uncle as the worst kind of kidnapper. The ironic thing is that among the kidnappers, only he had never used any violence, threats, or profanity towards Tae Shinju, but instead, he did something the other kidnappers had not even thought of.

Making him confirm the existence of his father’s mistress and her bloodline.

Trying to shatter the trust in his father, which had been like a sturdy castle, in a still young child.

While others wanted his father’s money, his uncle wanted the downfall of the ‘heir.’ Since he was no match for his brother who had grown too powerful, he went after his son.

It was the tantrum of a loser.

Whether it was a misfortune or a blessing, Tae Shinju was not daunted by such a kidnapping. He also did not feel the need to associate with the likes of gangsters. If he had to pick one thing that bothered him, it was the bodyguards he lost every time he was kidnapped.

At that time, all his bodyguards were from elite backgrounds with no criminal records. But even they would suffer fatal injuries time and again from knife attacks that were aimed indiscriminately at vital spots.

Starting from around the age of twelve until he became an adult, kidnapping attempts would occur whenever he was about to forget them. People often lost their lives.

Whether it was because his reputation was so bad that there were no applicants, or because he judged that things could not go on like this, his father one day brought in gangsters from the main family and made them his new bodyguards. It was then that he became acquainted with Baek Heon-jae, as well as Shin Dong-woo and Yoo Hyungsik.

Under their protection, he spent a peaceful school life for a while. His father’s solution of using gangsters to deal with gangsters was correct.

—Say hello. This is your younger brother and new mother.

Although that moronic decision ended up ruining his entire evaluation.

His half-brother, whom he saw again after several years, resembled his uncle. Tae Shinju, who took after his mother, was a handsome man with strong facial features. This meant that the half-brothers, who shared half their blood, did not resemble each other at all.

Even at that time, a sense of inferiority was already boiling in his eyes, which had been spoiled from the start. He looked resentful, as if wondering why he was not treated like ‘Tae Shinju’ when they had received the same seed.

For having made such a moronic decision, it seemed Chairman Tae had treated him quite strictly. It was understandable. Although he had sired a child and eventually put him on the family register, he would not have allowed his stepmother and Tae Hyunwoong to covet ‘Geumwoong,’ that is, Tae Shinju’s position.

Impurities. His stepmother and Tae Hyunwoong would have been nothing more and nothing less than that.

The proof was that when they were caught making moves behind his back, he beat both his stepmother and Tae Hyunwoong like a dog and threw them in the hospital. Tae Shinju was certain that they had played a part in the Chairman leaving behind a ‘syndicate hospital.’

At least his stepmother was the better of the two. She grew more cautious as time went on, not wanting to get on the Chairman’s bad side. In contrast, Tae Hyunwoong was a tamed dog only in front of the Chairman. A son of a bitch who could not even bark himself and took his anger out on the wrong places.

From the beginning, Tae Shinju had felt little interest in what Tae Hyunwoong possessed. That did not mean he hesitated to reach out his hand.

So when ‘Park Yeonseo’ coincidentally came into his sight.

He snatched him up without hesitation. He did think he was being particularly bitchy, but a dog’s bark is just a dog’s bark.

Still, it seemed the time had come to remind him of the existence of the leash, so he mentioned Park Yeonseo at a rare family dinner.

—You remember my mother’s caregiver, do you not, Chairman.

—Yes.

The Chairman replied, pretending to be respectable. As if there was no history of him trying to swing his dick at his wife’s caregiver.

—It seems that caregiver’s son has a debt with Geumwoong Loan.

—So?

—If I did not know his situation, it would be one thing, but now that I know, I was thinking of trying to provide some support. The caregiver looked after my mother for fifteen years in our stead, so we cannot just treat it as someone else’s problem, can we.

—Ahem… yes. That is a good idea. It would also help the company’s image.

When he mentioned his mother, the Chairman showed his discomfort. Tae Shinju sneered inwardly.

Idiot.

What is the point of a gangster bastard wearing a respectable suit and pretending to be a chairman. The fact that, in reality, his wife had run away because she could not stand him trying to possess her, obsessing over her, and testing her like a bottom-feeder thug, was known to everyone who needed to know.

His mother had succeeded in going through the divorce proceedings by giving up all rights to her son. His father seemed to have believed that the woman would return if he held onto the child he had sired.

When in fact, he just wanted to control the woman who was in a high place.

It is laughable, but he cannot be criticized. Because Tae Shinju had also inherited that disposition. Along with his mother’s tenderness, cunning, and coldness.

Even in his own opinion, ‘Tae Shinju’ was a well-made work of art.

—As the complaints from Geumwoong Loan’s customers are growing and the number of lawsuits is on the rise, it would be necessary to press down on them moderately.

—…Lawsuits?

The situation afterward flowed as Tae Shinju had expected.

—Tae Hyunwoong. How long are you going to keep being a mess and clinging to human trafficking. Those people are all Geumwoong’s customers too.

—Father, why only to me—,

—Do you want to go back to the bottom?

The silence was heavy. One way or another, if Tae Hyunwoong wanted to at least maintain his title as the president of the loan company, he had to grovel.

Before the foolish fellow forgot his place again, Tae Shinju readily proposed.

—Park Yeonseo. Let us make a deal, shall we?

—What kind of deal, my great hyung-nim.

—If you do not answer properly, I will just take him?

—Argh, fuck. What.

Tae Hyunwoong seemed to consider it a notification, but he did not care. In any case, it was true that he was the one doing a favor.

—I have no intention of ignoring the ways of the loan business. I will pay the money, so do not touch Park Yeonseo. Do not show up around him, and do not touch anything.

—Why should I do that?

—Because you and your mother will lose that position as well?

—Fuck! You unlucky bastard.

Tae Hyunwoong shuddered and glared.

—Just you dare forget even a single won.

—So let us see how much this debtor’s debt is….

The debt he checked on the screen amounted to several billion. Tae Shinju paid half of it on the spot. It would not have been difficult to pay it all off right away, but he wanted to decide on the rest after meeting Park Yeonseo in person.

Because unlike his appearance, he might not like his personality.

—…Then I will just have to think of it as a mistake.

Is it not what they often call a ‘stupid tax’? It would not be wrong to call it alms, either.

The assumption was a groundless fear. He swears, the fact that he started to fuck him diligently afterward was a bit impulsive.

And at dawn today, Tae Shinju paid off all the remaining balance.

He is going to be a mommy now, so I should at least take off his shackles.

“Fuck.”

With the vulgar curse as a signal, Tae Shinju ended his reminiscence.

Tae Hyunwoong ground his teeth and issued a certificate of full payment. Tae Shinju took the document with a satisfied face and then paused.

It is the last time, should I do him a favor?

“My, my… you are quite an uneducated dog yourself.”

“What? If you are done with your business, get lost.”

“It is just that I feel sorry for my little brother who does not even know his own feelings. If you want, you can consider it a tip.”

“What a beggar-like,”

“Have you never once thought about it? That you do not want to bully that person, but that you have a crush on him.”

Tae Hyunwoong’s face crumpled.

“What the fuck kind of bullshit is this now?”

“4.3 billion. Considering the principal, it would not have become this scale overnight…. It must have taken at least a few years, so it was quite strange that you, who are crazy about human trafficking, had let him off.”

“……”

“Was it not your way to cut off their limbs and sell them off early if it seemed they could not pay? In Park Yeonseo’s situation, you would have caught him and thrown him into a room salon even for just 1 or 2 billion… but strangely enough, that person knew ‘nothing’ at all. What was our President Tae doing while the debt was slowly increasing? From the looks of it, he was not in a situation to pay the interest properly either.”

Tae Hyunwoong, as if at a loss for words, just spewed curses instead of a proper answer.

“You son of a bitch, did you come here to say that kind of….”

At the continuing curses, Tae Shinju’s gaze changed. The gaze of someone looking at something pathetic and disgusting.

He did not particularly like anything, but he fiercely detested what he disliked. And he did not hesitate to show such feelings.

“I do not want to exchange words with a moron any longer, so I must be going. That person is waiting for me.”

Tae Shinju turned and walked out abruptly. As if he did not even want to share the air with the dumbfounded fool.

🕷️

“I am back.”

Tae Shinju went straight home from work and headed to Yeonseo’s side. Yeonseo was standing in front of the elevator as usual.

A hug and a kiss.

It is definitely the same face as yesterday, but….

“Why are you so pretty.”

Only after saying it does he realize he had muttered it out loud.

“Pardon? Ah….”

Yeonseo’s cheeks flushed. Judging by his reaction, it seemed it was not a bad attempt. Even his slightly dull and foolish side was cute.

“You were just up. Is there anything you want to eat?”

He took care of Yeonseo like a male bringing food to a female.

Yeonseo shook his head.

“Not yet. My stomach feels… ah, no, actually I just woke up not long ago.”

An awkward laugh.

Tae Shinju skillfully hid his displeasure and composed his expression.

“This is a problem. Your meal times have been irregular lately, right? There might be something wrong with your stomach, so it might be good to get a check-up. I am saying this because I am worried.”

“Ye-es….”

Apart from the fact that his shy cheeks are pretty, he feels a little anxious.

‘Should I just reveal it on this occasion?’

There is a limit to secretly calling a doctor and having him examined. Once he passes 5 weeks, an ultrasound will soon be possible, and Tae Shinju wanted to see the screen and talk with Yeonseo as early as possible.

But is not the one who is supposed to be the mother being too, too dull?

The deadline he had set was 5 weeks. He had hoped Yeonseo would realize it himself within that time, but he had no intention of dragging it out for longer just to see his surprised expression.

‘There is still time.’

Just a little. Shall I wait just a little longer?

Having made a quick decision, he smiled brightly.

“Oh. I have something to give you.”

“Something to give me?”

“Open it. It is a gift.”

Tae Shinju held out the document envelope. He does not even blink his eyelids carelessly, his gaze fixed on Yeonseo’s face.

“What is th—.”

The face that was looking through the documents with a curious gaze.

The face, which had been blank for a moment, slowly colors with astonishment and then changes to joy. Moisture gathers in his large eyes, making them shine brightly.

“Mr. Tae, Mr. Tae Shinju. Th-this is….”

Even the fingers holding the documents tremble faintly. Joy and shock. The feeling of the other person being so happy it is shocking comes across.

It is sweet.

“I told you, did I not. Mr. Park Yeonseo’s first love, I would buy it with the remaining debt.”

“Ah, ah ah….”

“Do you like it?”

“Hnngh, yes, yes.”

Pitter-patter, the tears that fell unexpectedly are a waste.

Tae Shinju cannot stand it and presses his lips to the wet corners of his eyes. He looks like he would cry if you poked him, but he had endured so well that he had wanted to see him cry, but now he just wants to soothe him.

‘Is this the feeling of liking someone?’

Probably so, Tae Shinju secretly guessed.

In fact, when Yeonseo confessed that he liked him, he was satisfied on the one hand, but inwardly anxious on the other.

What does it mean to like someone? If he knew, he wanted to give him an answer too. But because he did not know exactly what the feeling Yeonseo called ‘liking’ was, his throat had unknowingly clogged up.

Then suddenly, he guessed that the feeling of his jaw tightening, his fists clenching, and his chest fluttering when he thought of the other person. That such an excited and happy feeling must be ‘love.’

In that sense, Tae Shinju also liked and loved Park Yeonseo.

No, it did not matter if it was different. Because Park Yeonseo loves Tae Shinju. And Tae Shinju was an adult who knew how to very skillfully hide his empty parts.

Just as he had always done until now.

“If you like it, tell me.”

He demands confidently. Yeonseo, shedding thick tears, finally lets out a small laugh. His cheeks rise in a round shape and his lips form a curve.

“…I like you.”

“Me too.”

Therefore, he was perfectly happy.