Chapter 21: The Proposition

When he arrived on the 7th floor of the Younghyeon Hotel, his destination, Yoonseo hunched his shoulders slightly at the unfamiliar atmosphere.

Even though his job involved meeting strangers and going to new places every week, this was his first time in a place like this, and his palms were sweating with nervousness.

On one side of the elegant lobby was a front desk, and next to it was a lounge area with sofas and tables.

Yoonseo, unable to go anywhere, stood awkwardly like a stranger and checked the time.

It was almost 1 o’clock.

But Taekyung was still nowhere to be seen.

Just as he was debating whether to go and sit on a sofa, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“Have you been waiting long?”

When he turned around, he saw Taekyung in a gray sweater.

He wasn’t wearing his black coat but had it draped over his arm.

In that moment, he felt a faint sense of relief at seeing him.

Yoonseo faced Taekyung with a much more relaxed expression.

“…No, I just got here.”

“Shall we go up then?”

Taekyung, who had smiled gently, gestured with his eyes as if to say, “Follow me,” and turned around first.

In that moment, a refreshing scent subtly brushed past his nose.

It was the scent of Taekyung’s pheromones, which he had smelled once before.

It wasn’t strong and dissipated quickly, so it seemed the scent was lightly embedded in his clothes.

As he moved away, the scent also naturally disappeared.

In the moment he had hesitated, Taekyung was already far ahead.

Yoonseo hurried to follow him.

Past the front desk and deeper inside, he found an elevator.

Unlike the one he had taken up to the 7th floor, this one seemed to connect to the upper floors of the hotel.

When Taekyung pressed the up button, the elevator, which had been stopped on the 7th floor, opened.

As soon as they got on, Taekyung pressed the button for the top floor, the 30th, and then the close button.

As the doors closed and the elevator began to move, Taekyung turned to Yoonseo and asked,

“Are there any foods you can’t eat? Like allergies. I should have asked beforehand, but I just remembered.”

“It’s fine. There’s nothing I can’t eat, in particular.”

He had answered immediately, as it wasn’t a question that required much thought, but it was Taekyung who seemed to be lost in thought.

Taekyung, with his lips pressed together, made a “hmm” sound and then suddenly burst out laughing.

“Don’t you hate carrots? Some grandmother scolded you for being a picky eater.”

Yoonseo, who had been blinking slowly, belatedly blushed.

On the day Taekyung had texted to ask when his segment was on, the scene where he was scolded by Grandma Park for being a picky eater and picking out the carrots had been broadcast.

It seemed Taekyung had even watched it and remembered.

It was nothing, but he felt as embarrassed as if his secret had been exposed.

“As far as I remember, there’s no dish where carrots are the main ingredient. It should be fine.”

Yoonseo, at the words thrown by Taekyung with a playful smile, couldn’t say anything and just bit his lips.

In the meantime, the elevator had arrived at their destination, and the doors opened. The two of them got off one by one and headed for their real destination for the day.

It was a Korean dining restaurant with a sign that read ‘Sodam.’

The staff member who was waiting at the entrance brightened up as soon as he saw Taekyung, saying it had been a while.

Taekyung responded with a silent smile.

“I’ll show you to your table.”

To Yoonseo, the kindness felt burdensome, but Taekyung seemed used to it.

Trying his best to act nonchalant, he followed the staff member, who led them to a private room.

However, a large window allowed them to see the view outside, giving it an open rather than a stuffy feeling.

After entrusting his coat to the staff and taking a seat, the staff member soon returned and filled his glass with water.

“We’ll bring your food right away.”

“Don’t bring out the appetizers separately, just bring everything at once. After that, we’ll ring the bell when we need something, so you can just bring it without checking.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After the staff member who had taken Taekyung’s order left, only the two of them remained in the spacious room.

As the lingering scent of the pheromones he had smelled earlier was no longer there, he felt a little more relaxed.

Yoonseo just turned his head slightly and looked at the scenery outside the window.

Under a clear sky without even a cloud, the city, packed with skyscraper-like buildings, came into view.

It was his first time looking down on the city from such a high place, and it felt strange.

As he was fixing his gaze on the scene beyond the window, he suddenly heard a laugh whose meaning he couldn’t understand.

He quickly turned his head and saw Taekyung, who had been watching him the whole time, smiling with his chin propped on his hand.

The air inside suddenly felt stuffy, and at the same time, his throat felt dry, so he just chugged down the water.

Taekyung, still with his eyes fixed on Yoonseo, spoke nonchalantly.

“You usually rest on the weekends, I see.”

“…Not necessarily. I take breaks at my own discretion, depending on the filming schedule.”

Taekyung, who had nodded leisurely as if he understood, also took a sip of water.

The dense air seemed to have loosened a little.

Every time he had met Taekyung before, the uncomfortable feeling had pricked at his skin, but today, thinking that they were in a space cut off from the outside world without any prying eyes, he felt much more at ease.

However, he was eager to finish their conversation and go home.

As if he had read Yoonseo’s mind, someone knocked on the closed door and then entered.

The staff member who had brought the food explained the dishes, which were unfamiliar to Yoonseo, and then left with a polite nod.

The dish in the center of the plate looked too small compared to the size of the plate.

“I hope it’s to your liking.”

Taekyung, who had picked up his fork, gestured with his chin as if to say, “Go on, eat.”

He hadn’t had breakfast, but he had no appetite, probably because the person sitting opposite him was Han Taekyung.

Yoonseo, trying to act nonchalant, followed Taekyung and tasted the unfamiliar food that could be eaten in one bite.

He couldn’t really taste it, whether it was because he was eating it for the first time in his life or because of the faint tension that still lingered like a residue.

Yoonseo quickly finished his share of the food, then wiped his mouth with a napkin.

He had eaten something, so it seemed he could now say the words that had been on the tip of his tongue.

“That senior’s matter… please tell me now. What happened?”

Just then, Taekyung had also put down his spoon.

He had thought that Taekyung might chide him, as he had before, asking if he was going to bring everything up when they had only just had the appetizer, but fortunately, there was no playfulness on his face.

Taekyung, who had leisurely drunk his water, put down his glass and opened his mouth.

“If you’re asking if I did it… well, to some extent, yes. He didn’t seem like the type of person who would be helpful to our relationship anyway.”

Our’ relationship?

Yoonseo, who had been listening silently to Taekyung’s words, frowned slightly.

Taekyung continued, unfazed.

“All I did was call a friend and say this much. I happened to meet your cousin, and it turns out his conduct is not very good. It seems it hasn’t been known until now, fortunately, but I have a feeling rumors will start to spread soon. Then it might be a big blow to your family, are you okay with that?”

“…”

“I didn’t mention you, so don’t worry. Even if Kim Injun suspects, he won’t be able to do anything to you. It seems there was a similar incident before, and his parents went to great lengths to cover it up. But since he’s caused trouble again, it’ll be hard to just let it slide this time.”

“…”

“It seems that even his family barely knew about it. My friend seemed surprised to find out for the first time. Anyway, what I mean is, you don’t have to worry. He’s already being treated like a nuisance in the family.”

Taekyung even added the backstory, as if he knew what Yoonseo would be worried about.

Yoonseo bit his now-dry lips and slowly mulled over what Taekyung had said.

He had wondered if they knew each other when they had met, but it seemed Kim Injun was his friend’s cousin.

The words Taekyung had conveyed over the phone must have been a blow to Kim Injun, who, despite his actions, was conscious of others’ gazes.

Especially if he had a history of covering up similar incidents.

Yoonseo let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh.

To think this whole thing could be resolved so easily.

All he could do was run away from Kim Injun.

He had nothing, nothing to show for himself, so he couldn’t even think of any other way but to avoid him.

For Kim Injun to disappear with just one phone call, one word.

It was rather empty and futile.

It seemed that for Han Taekyung, all of this wasn’t even a trouble.

At the same time, he felt a sense of doubt.

In any case, Kim Injun was gone, so it was a good thing for him not to have to worry at work anymore.

But it had nothing to do with Han Taekyung.

Helping him once was enough, and there was no need for him to step in.

“That’s not the reaction I was expecting. I thought you’d be really grateful, PD-nim.”

It was a remark made by Taekyung, who had been watching him silently.

When he snapped back to reality and looked at Taekyung, he had tilted his head and shrugged.