Midday Guest Chapter 73

Yiwon opened the front door and stepped out. Hearing the sound, Cha Seokjoo looked back, his brow deeply furrowed. Flicking his fingers to shake off the cigarette ash, Cha Seokjoo dismissed the staff with a look.

As he walked in with long, brisk strides, a sharp energy radiated from him, reminiscent of the tension felt on the day they first met.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“…Because I was waiting for you, Director.”

“Why wait? I told you to sleep first.”

As Cha Seokjoo approached, the strong scent of alcohol wafted from him.

“Have you been drinking?”

“Yeah.”

Cha Seokjoo pressed his palm firmly against his temple. Closing his eyes and sighing, he clenched his teeth and steadied his breathing.

“My head is splitting after drinking crates of alcohol that isn’t even to my taste.”

If I had known, I should have bought a soup dish instead of fried noodles. Yiwon was already contemplating tomorrow’s room service menu. He tried to add a few more welcoming words, but Cha Seokjoo cut him off.

“Go inside. I’m going to finish smoking and then head in.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Did something bad happen outside? Faced with an atmosphere quite different from the previous night, Yiwon nodded quietly and turned away.

Yiwon lay in bed first. Even so, sleep wouldn’t come, and he waited for Cha Seokjoo to enter with wide-awake eyes. The front door opened, and after sitting on the sofa to rest for a while, only much later did the man enter the bedroom and take off his suit jacket.

Srrr, the sound of fabric brushing reached his ears as the tie was loosened. Every time the clothes fluttered, the scent of alcohol and perfume surged through the room. Cha Seokjoo, frowning for a moment, unbuttoned his shirt and headed toward the far side of the room.

Watching Cha Seokjoo move, Yiwon’s sleepiness vanished.

There was a scent of unfamiliar perfume.

It didn’t seem like a scent a man would typically use….

Vrrr, vrrrrrr.

Yiwon was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of vibration echoing in the quiet space. However, he decided to pretend to be asleep to avoid the gaze of Cha Seokjoo, who was looking toward him.

“Yes, CEO. Did you get back safely?”

— Yes, what about Director Cha?

“I’ve just arrived as well. Is something the matter?”

— Nothing’s the matter. I just called to check in. I was satisfied with today, and the lingering feeling remains.

“I’m glad you were satisfied.”

— What is the schedule for tomorrow?

A woman’s voice flowed out from Cha Seokjoo’s phone.

☼

Yiwon, who had been buried under the covers, slowly opened his eyes. Rubbing his cheek against the pillow and lingering, Yiwon lifted his gaze to scan the room. In front of the dressing room, Cha Seokjoo was changing into a suit.

“Did I wake you?”

“…No.”

“Sleep more. You don’t have to get up.”

“I’ve slept enough.”

I didn’t sleep a wink. Because that phone call yesterday kept weighing on my mind.

Yiwon slowly closed and opened his stiff eyes and lowered his gaze. For some unknown reason, he couldn’t look Cha Seokjoo in the eye.

“The baby doesn’t sleep in.”

“Aren’t you ever going to consider that it’s because I’m not a baby?”

“If that’s how it looks to my eyes, then that’s what it is.”

After checking his wristwatch, Cha Seokjoo approached Yiwon. Since Yiwon kept staring down at the bed sheets, Cha Seokjoo took his chin and made him look at him.

“Are you going out today, too?”

“…I’m not sure.”

With his current state of mind, even if he went out, he felt like he would spend the whole day ruminating over the conversation he accidentally overheard yesterday. He was doing it even now.

“Right, you’ve been running around for two days straight, so it’s time to rest.”

It felt like the conversation was coming to an end. The touch on his chin was also withdrawn. Somewhat impulsively, Yiwon asked Cha Seokjoo.

“What about you, Director?”

“Hmm?”

“…Will you be late today, too?”

“Probably.”

At the affirmation that dropped without hesitation, Yiwon’s voice sounded dejected.

Cha Seokjoo, who was staring down at Yiwon, ruffled his hair with his large hand. As the long, firm fingers dug into his hair, Yiwon’s shoulders hitched up.

“Don’t look at me like that. The Director is busy.”

“……”

“If things go well, I might be able to make time for one day at the very end.”

“…Yes.”

“Don’t wait up today, just sleep.”

Having said that, Cha Seokjoo turned around and walked out of the clubhouse with his long legs in brisk strides. The moment Cha Seokjoo appeared, his staff waiting outside moved in an orderly fashion to escort him away.

Somehow, his throat felt dry. Left alone, Yiwon went to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of water. After putting down the empty glass, he saw the fried noodles he bought yesterday sitting there forlornly.

The conversation he had accidentally overheard yesterday was replaying in his head.

‘What is the schedule for tomorrow?’

Is Cha Seokjoo going to meet that woman CEO again today then?

‘I was satisfied with today, and the lingering feeling remains.’

What was satisfying, and what kind of lingering feeling remained? A faint wrinkle appeared between Yiwon’s brows. The more he chewed on it, the more the conversation sounded strange. He thought the reason he was busy all day was because of work, but in fact, maybe there was another reason. Or….

“…Ah, what is wrong with me, seriously.”

Yiwon shook his head with his hands and slapped his cheeks.

Get it together.

What kind of useless thoughts am I having about a person who came here to work?

Then, he gulped down another glass of cold water with ice cubes floating in it. To snap himself out of it. And after putting the cup down with a clack, Yiwon headed to the bathroom. He considered that this was all happening because he had nothing to do, leading to useless thoughts.

The next day, Yiwon rested while enjoying the internal facilities of the clubhouse. He swam, ate breakfast, lounged on the sofa to nap, and took walks along the beach.

Trying to find a way to soothe the boredom, he also chatted on messenger. He got to see the Hong Kong pub reviews and videos from Song Junhyeok and Nam Jaehyeon, whom he had met at the famous Cha Chaan Teng restaurant.

While the lighting was flashy and the beat dropped heavily, the sight of the two swaying looked quite fun. Nam Jaehyeon had already returned to Korea, and Song Junhyeok said he was heading over to Lantau Island. It was a pity, as he had intended to spend some time together if both were staying on Hong Kong Island.

Song Junhyeok: Let’s all meet up and have a drink when we get back to Korea.

Song Junhyeok sent an emoticon of someone holding a glass and looking tipsy. After replying with a vague okay, it was already dinner time.

Cha Seokjoo looked busy today as well. There was no reply to the message asking, “Have you eaten dinner?”

I wish we could go around together on the last day….

Looking at how things were going now, it seemed entirely impossible.

Cha Seokjoo worked busily the next day, and the day after that.

He went out at dawn to meet people, and after returning past midnight, he sat on the living room sofa, opened his laptop, and looked at something intently or continued phone calls here and there.

It was speculated that he was facing some deal, but since he mostly used slang and the context was hard to grasp, the details couldn’t be understood.

Yiwon lived with his ears half-closed, but around that time, he realized that he was reacting particularly sensitively to one thing.

“Yes, CEO. This is Cha Seokjoo.”

There was a woman CEO whom Cha Seokjoo called continuously. And the conversation had some suspicious corners to think of it as simply handling work.

“I will go with the location as you decide, CEO.”

Cha Seokjoo spoke in a voice tinged with laughter while leaning loosely against the sofa.

“You’re coming all the way here? There’s no need to go through such trouble unnecessarily. Yes, we can meet at the hotel.”

Hotel?

“Of course. Anywhere is fine with me.”

Yiwon, who was pretending to sleep in the bedroom, widened his eyes upon hearing Cha Seokjoo’s voice. He didn’t know why his thoughts kept flowing in a strange direction. But….

“Is my position what matters? Making you feel good is the priority, CEO.”

Because of the way Cha Seokjoo continued the call in such a nonchalant voice, he couldn’t cut off the thoughts flowing of their own accord.

If he had known he would be bothered for such a long time, he should have just asked lightly who it was on that day, the day he first overheard the call.

He regretted it, but it was also awkward to ask now. He would have to admit he had been dwelling on it for several days, show himself thinking narrow-mindedly, bring it up seriously, and appear as if he were interfering in someone else’s business….

Yiwon pulled the blanket, which had been down to his waist, over his head and closed his eyes.

Maybe I shouldn’t have followed him here. That thought occurred to him belatedly.

After the call ended, he heard the sound of Cha Seokjoo tidying up. Yiwon steadied his breathing and quietly closed his eyes.

He heard the sound of the door opening softly, and the bed surged once. Cha Seokjoo, exhaling deeply, pulled down the blanket.

He spent time by Yiwon’s side, leaning on his hand and brushing back the messily disheveled hair. Before the affectionate touch, Yiwon’s eyelids slightly fluttered open.

“Was a one-week trip too much?”

“……”

“Is the baby hurting somewhere?”

“…No.”

As if. Yiwon was the possessor of a sturdy physical strength that wouldn’t catch a single cold even if he worked while being hit by rain all week long.

“It’s just that I’m tired and sleepy today for some reason.”

Cha Seokjoo, who had been staring at Yiwon silently for a while, pulled the limp body into his arms and held him. Yiwon was held obediently with his back against the man’s chest.

“Then you should sleep.”

A gentle voice, like during the phone call, tickled Yiwon’s ear. The touch sliding into his underwear was the same as usual.