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Join the Server“Wow, Han-geon!
Welcome!”
“Han-geon, it’s been forever!”
“Team Leader, hello!”
“Director!
Hello.
Noona, hello!
Geonho, hi to you too.”
The moment Eun-gyeol and Han-geon stepped into the private room, a loud cheer erupted.
The director, Geonho, and Yujin greeted them with bright, beaming faces.
Han-geon, too, smiled broadly and cheerfully, shaking hands with each of them in turn.
It was near the broadcasting station, a place he hadn’t visited in a long while.
This venue, made up entirely of private rooms, was somewhere they had come a couple of times before for company dinners.
While everyone exchanged boisterous greetings, Eun-gyeol plopped down into his seat, pulled off the ball cap he’d been wearing low, and complained petulantly.
“On my rare day off, did you really have to be this tactless and ruin our date?”
“Ugh, Cha Eun-gyeol, seriously, that prickly personality…”
“I guess he’s got a point.
Did we steal the two of you some alone time?
Sorry about that, Han-geon.”
“Ah, no, not at all, Director.
It’s fine.”
Han-geon hurriedly waved his hands in denial.
The director looked at him with satisfaction and gestured for him to sit.
Han-geon naturally took the seat prepared beside Eun-gyeol and smiled faintly.
Even after all this time, Han-geon found the lively, noisy energy of these people deeply comforting.
“So how’s married life, Han-geon?
Is Cha-cha still treating you well these days?”
Yujin grinned mischievously as she poured a drink into Han-geon’s glass.
Han-geon returned the favor, filling her glass as his face flushed bright red.
“…Yes.
He treats me… very well.”
“Does he still do all the housework and cook and everything?
Even though I saw it myself last time, I keep wondering.
Cha Eun-gyeol being married—ha… I still can’t believe it.”
“Ah, noona.
There you go again.”
Eun-gyeol frowned and cut Yujin off.
“You’re making Han-geon uncomfortable.”
“What?
Hey, damn it—wow!
Director, did you hear that just now?
I can’t drink with that anymore!”
Yujin jumped around with a genuinely creeped-out expression, while Han-geon could only smile awkwardly.
In the lively atmosphere, the director laughed cheerfully and raised her glass.
“Thanks for coming out even though I called you so suddenly.
Alright, a toast today for Han-geon!”
“Cheers!”
Three glasses filled with icy draft beer and one glass of water were raised.
Even knowing how strict Eun-gyeol was about self-management during filming, Han-geon couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.
When Han-geon suggested that Eun-gyeol have just one drink, Eun-gyeol shook his head, saying he was fine.
The director and Yujin seemed used to this side of Eun-gyeol and said nothing, but for Han-geon, it stung his heart every time he saw it.
“Then… should I not drink either?”
He whispered the question while no one was paying attention, but Eun-gyeol shook his head instead.
“No.
I’m not drinking because I’m active right now.
You can drink as much as you want—it’s been a while since you saw everyone.
I’ll drive anyway.”
“What kind of logic is that…
I just feel bad having fun alone when you can’t drink.”
“I’m really fine.
I actually like watching you enjoy yourself and drink.”
Eun-gyeol spoke in a sweet voice and lowered his hand to gently stroke Han-geon’s thigh.
“Eat plenty.
You must be hungry.
Should I order more things you’d like?”
“No, it’s okay.
What we ordered earlier is more than enough.
You should eat what you like.”
Watching the two whisper into each other’s ears, smiling as they met each other’s eyes, Yujin’s expression gradually soured.
In the end, only after she started squawking about how they were being excessive and downright sickening in front of a single person did the distance between the two finally widen a little.
“Um… there’s something I’m curious about.”
It was around the time the third beer glass was replaced.
Han-geon spoke up, his face pleasantly warmed.
It was a question he’d been curious about for a long time.
Rather than Eun-gyeol’s foxlike smile and automatic “of course,” he wanted to hear what others thought too.
“Oh?
What is it?
Go ahead, ask!”
“Does Eun-gyeol get along well with his managers these days?”
“…..”
“…..”
Amid the previously lively chatter, a sudden silence fell.
Han-geon looked around at their tightly shut mouths, his face full of confusion.
Geonho looked awkward, Yujin was holding back laughter, and the director wore a complicated expression.
He hadn’t even heard the answer yet, but somehow, he felt like he already knew it.
“Well… Han-geon.”
“Yes?”
“Actually… he replaced one again just last week.”
The director gave a bitter smile.
Han-geon slowly turned his head, his gaze filled with reproach.
The moment their eyes met, Eun-gyeol calmly lifted his glass of water and brought it to his lips.
“It’s not my fault.
That bastard was the problem.
I told him from the start that I can’t stand people with loose lips.”
“Then what about the one before that?
The guy with glasses and messy hair?”
“He drives like shit.”
“…..”
“I rode in his car maybe twice, and I thought I was going to die from nausea all day.”
‘Still the same as ever….’
This time, Han-geon let out a bitter smile.
He’d known for a long time that if Eun-gyeol disliked something, he disliked it sharply and absolutely, and that he was too sensitive to ever accept it gently.
He didn’t have it in him to blame Eun-gyeol for that.
“Ugh, excuse me—bathroom break.”
The director stood up, saying she needed the restroom.
Seeing her deliberately pull Eun-gyeol along instead of Geonho, she seemed a bit drunk.
Though he verbally protested, Eun-gyeol still supported the unsteady director as she walked away.
Han-geon watched their backs fondly when suddenly Geonho spoke up, his eyes slightly reddened.
“Hyung… everyone on the security team says they miss you.
They still talk about it these days.
Me too.”
“Yeah?
Thanks.
I… miss everyone too.”
Han-geon lowered his gaze, smiling softly as he toyed with his glass.
Yujin chimed in from beside him.
“Honestly, since you left, Han-geon, Eun-gyeol seems even worse at getting attached to managers than before.
He was like that before too, but… these days, he really doesn’t even look at them.
He just works strictly, business-only, and leaves.”
“Ah…”
“And his personality is insanely sensitive, so if something bothers him, he can’t let it go.
There’s never been a manager who matched him as well as you did, right?
After experiencing that once, everything else probably just gets compared.”
Geonho nodded vigorously beside her.
Yujin continued without restraint.
“So the director says it all the time.
That there’s no one like Han-geon, and that she wishes you’d come back as Eun-gyeol’s manager.
We all think the same—”
Mid-sentence, Yujin, who had been lifting her glass, froze with a belated oh no expression.
“Han-geon, I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to… put pressure on you.”
“Oh, it’s okay, noona.
You can speak freely.”
A brief silence followed.
The three of them drank without speaking.
Han-geon pretended not to notice the queasy feeling slowly rising in his chest.
Then Yujin carefully spoke again.
“Um… Han-geon.
If it’s not rude to ask—are you doing anything else for work right now?”
“Ah… I’m looking into things, planning to start soon.”
“Security work?”
When he nodded, Geonho parted his lips several times before swallowing his words.
Yujin also looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t go any further.
Still, Han-geon could guess what they couldn’t bring themselves to say.
That made him feel all the more grateful—and strangely moved.
Since Eun-gyeol had an early shoot scheduled the next morning, the gathering didn’t last long.
After finishing one more round of beer, everyone got up.
Suppressing his regret, Han-geon exchanged brief goodbyes with the group in front of the smoking room.
While Eun-gyeol chatted with Yujin, the director quietly approached Han-geon.
“Han-geon, I was really happy to see you today.
And… Eun-gyeol told me.
That you’re starting to look for work again.”
“Ah… yes.”
“You remember the conversation we had before, right?
I told you to come back anytime.”
Smiling, the director patted Han-geon’s shoulder.
“Our pretty Cha Eun-gyeol went and replaced another manager last week, so we’re actually hiring right now.
The head of the security team position is still vacant too.”
“….Yes.”
“No matter who I work with, there’s really no one like you, Han-geon.
I’ve been thinking about you desperately.
To be honest… suggesting that we all meet today wasn’t entirely without ulterior motives.
Ha ha.”
The director’s firm hands reached out and clasped Han-geon’s.
“Of course, I have no intention of forcing you if you don’t want to.
We’re just in this position, so if you ever feel like it—
I wanted to tell you to please come back then.
You understand, right?
We’re all waiting for you.”
“Yes, I understand…
Thank you for thinking of me.”
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read The Moon Reflected In The Water! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : The Moon Reflected In The Water
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