Chapter 112: Corners and Confessions

“You… are you okay?”

“What about?”

“…….”

Sunghyuk, who came toward him, replied as if nothing had happened.

Was he really okay?

Even though they were loudly bad-mouthing him inside the pantry?

Hyunwoo looked at him suspiciously, then moved away from the pantry.

Sunghyuk followed behind.

“You heard it earlier.
They were talking about you.”

“Well… things like that happen.”

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes.
I heard that sort of thing a lot in school too.”

“Hmm….”

True, there must have been plenty of people jealous of him.

He won awards in university competitions,
and large companies showed interest in him early on.

Even Cha Kwon-oh, who once lectured at Korea University,
approached Sunghyuk openly.

The other students must have hated that.

“If it bothers you, tell me.
I’ll warn them.”

“No need.
It’s fine.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

He was almost too calm.

As if he’d expected this.

As if he were someone living his second life as well.

His relaxed attitude made Hyunwoo stare at him in exasperation.

“But why are you still here anyway?
You didn’t go home?”

“I was waiting for you.”

“…Why?”

“To go home together.”

“Why go out of your way….”

Hyunwoo shook his head and checked his phone.

He’d put it on silent during the forum.

As soon as he turned it on,
dozens of missed calls and messages appeared—
all from Sunghyuk.

“Why the hell did you call this many times…”

“I was worried.”

“What is there to worry about.”

Feeling oddly embarrassed, Hyunwoo cleared his throat and turned away.

Without realizing it, he had walked into a corner of the office.

Now Sunghyuk was standing too close.

“What’s with this pheromone smell?”

“Hm?”

“Did you meet Cha Kwon-oh today?”

“……!”

How the hell did he know that?

Did he pick it up from the faint pheromone scent?

Was he some kind of bloodhound?

Hyunwoo stared at him in disbelief.

Sunghyuk’s expression only grew darker.

“What did he say to you?
He didn’t pull anything weird, did he?”

“It’s not like he could.
It was at the forum.”

“That crazy bastard doesn’t care about the place.”

“Well, that’s true but—
Hey, seriously, watch how you talk in public.”

Hyunwoo scolded him lightly.

They were alone, but still inside the company.
Someone could overhear.

For an intern to swear about an executive—even from another company—
was not a good look.

He glanced around nervously.

“Be careful of him.
I feel like he’s going to cause trouble for you.”

“Well… he would.”

Cha had enough resentment toward Hyunwoo to fill a warehouse.

Not that Hyunwoo felt any differently toward him.

But for now, neither had crossed the line too far.

“You should be careful at work too.
People are already talking.
That’s not good.”

“…I know.”

“At least you answer well.”

Hyunwoo grumbled and looked away.

Right now he was more concerned about Sunghyuk’s reputation than Cha Kwon-oh.

When the internship ended,Sunghyuk would be joining the company officially.

If he entered with rumors already attached to his name, it would be troublesome.

Maybe he should talk to Jung-hoon about toning down the gossip…
But would that look like favoritism?

People were already whispering that Hyunwoo was sheltering him.

Hyunwoo’s expression grew somber.

“Hyung.”

“…What?”

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“……!”

Sunghyuk moved closer, staring straight into Hyunwoo’s eyes.

He was standing uncomfortably near.

Behind Hyunwoo was a wall—
nowhere to escape.

Ever since the weekend trapped together at the inn,
Sunghyuk’s sense of distance had felt… off.

Hyunwoo’s face stiffened awkwardly.

“It’s nothing… Ah, did you want to eat chicken?
There’s chicken in the office.”

“Chicken?”

“Well… I bought some earlier.
For the people working overtime.”

“Hmm…”

Even at the mention of chicken,
Sunghyuk didn’t react much.

Come to think of it,
he didn’t have any particular foods he liked.

His tastes were annoyingly picky.

Still—
who doesn’t like chicken?

Hyunwoo clicked his tongue.

“If you don’t go now, they’ll finish it all.”

“I don’t care.”

“But still—”

“I’d rather stay here with you.”

“……!”

His face moved even closer.
Hyunwoo swallowed hard.

Was this what they called a “face attack”?

He tried to stay composed, but it was impossible.
Because Sunghyuk’s face was—
tragically—
exactly Hyunwoo’s type.

He quickly turned his head away.

Sunghyuk’s pheromone scent felt dangerously sweet, almost like an Omega’s.
Probably because of that damned beautiful face.

“If you don’t want to eat then don’t.”

“Hyung.”

“I have work to do.”

“…….”

His heart thudded violently.
Hyunwoo clenched his teeth—

—just as Sunghyuk reached out.

“You’ll hurt your lip.”

“Don’t.
Leave it.”

“How can I leave it like this.”

“Ugh…”

Every time Hyunwoo bit his lip out of stress,
Sunghyuk fussed over him.

This time too, the younger man pressed his finger gently onto Hyunwoo’s lips to stop him.

Hyunwoo couldn’t bring himself to push him away.

The air between them grew thick.

Why the hell did Sunghyuk’s pheromones smell so good today?
Hyunwoo felt trapped, unable to shove him off.

“Director, are you here somewhere?”

“……!”

A staff member’s voice sounded down the hall.

Hyunwoo jolted.

The employee had been looking for him,
probably feeling guilty for eating chicken without him.

It snapped Hyunwoo back to reality.

He quickly pushed Sunghyuk away.

The employee soon spotted them and approached.

“Oh?
Sunghyuk, you’re still here too.”

“Ah… yes.”

“Would you like some chicken?
The Director brought some.”

“No, it’s fine.
Please enjoy.”

“Really?”

“Ahem.”

Hyunwoo cleared his throat awkwardly.

“I’m fine too.
Eat plenty.
I have work to finish, so I’ll go ahead…”

“Ah, yes!
Thank you, Director!”

“Mm….”

He walked quickly toward the office.

Thankfully, he didn’t hear footsteps following him.

“Phew…”

He had almost done something inappropriate at work.

And the worst part—
was that the person he almost did it with was Sunghyuk.

He’d been trying so hard to push him away,
yet nothing was going as planned.

Is it because of his face…?

Whenever that face leaned in seriously,
Hyunwoo’s mind went blank.

This couldn’t continue.
He had to find a way to resist—
to neutralize—
Sunghyuk’s face.

Lost in thought,
he walked back toward the office.

That night, Hyunwoo dreamed.

After days of stress and complicated emotions because of Sunghyuk,
perhaps a dream was inevitable.

And of course—
the dream was about him.

No, to be exact—
it was about the past life,
before Hyunwoo regressed.

“…Ah.”

As soon as he opened his eyes, he recognized the place.

It was the apartment he had shared with Sunghyuk before regression.

Bright wallpaper, unlike his current dull home.

It had been a long time since he’d dreamed of this period.

And none of these memories were pleasant.

Hyunwoo felt his muscles tense.

Click.

“……!”

The front door opened.

Footsteps approached.

Step, step.

“…….”

It was unmistakable.

The pre-regression Sunghyuk was back home.

Hyunwoo’s heart pounded nervously.

He knew exactly how cold, indifferent, and harsh that Sunghyuk had been.

He would glare at Hyunwoo like looking at a bug,
turn his head away,and walk past without a word.

Even preparing himself,
Hyunwoo’s hands trembled slightly.

Why was he dreaming of this again?

Unable to face him,
he tried to turn his head—

“Hyung, you’re home early today.”

“…What?”

“Were you waiting for me?”

“……!”

Instead of cold hostility,
Sunghyuk smiled brightly
and spoke kindly.

Hyunwoo froze.

This made no sense.

The past Sunghyuk would never have spoken to him like this.

Hyunwoo stood stiff, unable to reply,
staring blankly at him.