Chapter 15: Unexpected Confessions and Future Plans

Soon enough, Jung-hyun stood beside him, picking up a shirt.

“You’re quite skilled now. At first, it took you over a minute per shirt.”

“…It wasn’t that bad,”

Everyone stifled their laughter at his hesitant denial. Jung-hyun chuckled, but his hand, holding the shirt, moved swiftly as he continued.

“You heard about the company dinner on Friday, right? We’re going for meat, so don’t make any other plans and make sure to keep your schedule clear.”

“I don’t have any other plans to make.”

“Do you still like staying home?”

“Yes.”

“You’re full of surprises, as always.”

During his school days, Yoon Tae-yeol was what people called a homebody. If Jung-hyun texted him, asking, ‘Where are you now?’, nine times out of ten, the reply would be that he was at home.

However, he wasn’t averse to going out, just found it bothersome, so he would often join Jung-hyun whenever called. Thanks to this, they had wandered around quite a bit.

As they worked and chatted, time invariably flew by. Without realizing it, Jung-hyun glanced at the clock and saw that lunchtime was almost upon them.

Now that the intense heat had subsided, they ventured out for lunch. During the remaining time, everyone enjoyed a short break in their own way, whether by eating cake for dessert or scrolling on their phones.

Jung-hyun, too, finished a slice of cake, then grabbed his e-cigarette and toothbrush before leaving the office. He leisurely enjoyed his post-meal smoke before heading to the restroom, where he found someone already present.

Yoon Tae-yeol stood before the sink, his large upper body bent as he rinsed the toothpaste foam from his mouth.

One might expect him to look up upon hearing someone enter, but Yoon Tae-yeol simply continued his task in silence. Jung-hyun diligently brushed his teeth beside him, and it was only then that their eyes met in the mirror.

‘That guy, he’s radiating a halo again today.’ Grinning, Jung-hyun was about to rinse his mouth when an unexpected question caught him off guard.

“Are you dating Director Chae?”

“Cough!”

The toothpaste foam Jung-hyun had been about to spit out flowed out ahead of his will. Roughly tidying himself, Jung-hyun looked up at Yoon Tae-yeol with a bewildered expression and retorted,

“You’re not talking to me, are you?”

‘Surely not?’ The unspoken question was clear in his eyes, but Yoon Tae-yeol seemed oblivious.

“Yes.”

‘…Good heavens.’

Jung-hyun readily admitted that there were plenty of reasons for such a misunderstanding. They had grown up together since they were in diapers, one an Alpha and the other an Omega, and their families were incredibly close.

Because of this, it was common for friends to tease them, saying, ‘They’re dating!’ or to jump to conclusions when they were children. Yet, Jung-hyun swore they were nothing more than the closest of friends, like siblings.

In other words, they could never be romantic partners. No one in their right mind would date a family member.

There was another reason as well. Despite their different secondary genders, both shared a commonality: they were more attracted to their own gender than the opposite.

Chae Song-hwa, in particular, had been happily ‘grinding sesame seeds’ with her Omega girlfriend for several years now.

Regardless, Jung-hyun hadn’t heard such talk recently, and the fact that Yoon Tae-yeol was the one to bring it up left him utterly dumbfounded.

He wondered why this guy, who had shown no interest, treating her like a ‘cow watching a chicken’ during their school days when he and Chae Song-hwa were even more inseparable, was suddenly asking this.

Jung-hyun belatedly collected himself and denied it.

“Absolutely not.”

“Really?”

To drop such a bombshell on someone and remain so utterly serene himself felt almost unfair. Jung-hyun finally rinsed his mouth, grumbling,

“What made you think that, exactly?”

Yoon Tae-yeol slowly spoke, stroking his chin.

“…You two get along well. And you give the director a separate birthday gift.”

“I always give separate gifts to other employees on their birthdays too. I’m the boss, after all; it wouldn’t look good if I just split the cost equally with the staff.”

Yoon Tae-yeol seemed to ponder this, then nodded with an expression of understanding. Looking up at him, Jung-hyun suddenly grinned slyly.

“You can look forward to your birthday too. I’ll make sure to celebrate it spectacularly.”

Yoon Tae-yeol’s birthday was the most unique and easiest to remember among all the people Jung-hyun knew.

With the added ‘first love’ bonus, it would always come to mind simply by looking at the calendar at the end of the year, without him even consciously trying to remember it.

However, due to the distance, all he could do was send a congratulatory text and a small sum of money. There were times he couldn’t even manage that, having to attend multiple year-end parties and drink continuously.

He felt relieved that he could see him more often now. More importantly, there was something Jung-hyun needed to discuss with Yoon Tae-yeol. As they walked back to the office side by side, Jung-hyun began.

“How long can you keep working for me?”

Yoon Tae-yeol, who had been walking in silence, quickly caught on and asked in return,

“Is that person coming back?”

“No, it’s the opposite. They contacted me to say they’re quitting. …So, if you don’t have any urgent plans right now, could you help out a little longer? I’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”

“I don’t mind. I was planning to take it easy this year anyway.”

“Really? As expected, when it comes to loyalty, it’s Yoon Tae-yeol!”

Praise flowed naturally from him. Yoon Tae-yeol was now getting along well with the other employees, had improved significantly, even taking initiative in his work, and most importantly, Jung-hyun was relieved that he could take his time finding a replacement.

As he had mentioned, rushing a hire always led to problems, making him dread even posting job advertisements.

“I’ll be relying on you for a while. Thanks, buddy.”

After patting Yoon Tae-yeol’s broad back, Jung-hyun expressed his delight with his whole body as he returned to the office.

***

Jung-hyun’s reason for deciding to try his hand at a shopping mall was both simple and clear: he had been deeply interested in fashion since childhood.

In his early years, even before starting school, whenever his mother sat in front of the mirror to put on makeup, Jung-hyun, no matter what he was doing, would scamper over and stay by her side.

Seeing his mother with sparkling eyes, his mother, sensing his ardent gaze, would smile and offer him a choice. ‘Son, which one should I put on?’

‘This one. This one’s better.’

Though he knew nothing, he would pick any random one, and when his mother applied that lipstick, his young heart would swell with such pride and satisfaction. He would choose his mother’s lipstick, her earrings, and if he woke up early, even his father’s tie.

At some point, picking out his grandmother’s scarf for outings also became Jung-hyun’s task. There was no need to even mention his own clothes.

Typically, parents often dressed twins in identical outfits, and Jung-hyun experienced this in his early childhood.

However, as he grew a little older, or more precisely, once he could clearly express his opinions and stubbornly insist, he wouldn’t be satisfied unless he wore exactly what he liked, down to his underwear and a single sock.

Looking back now, he found it remarkable that his grandmother and parents hadn’t disciplined him more severely. His interest in fashion did not wane as he grew up.

In middle school, even after playing soccer and sweating profusely, he would come home and pore over lookbooks like textbooks. If he found clothes he liked, he would mark them down and save his allowance to buy them.

He would even recommend outfits to his close friends, taking into account their body types and physical features. At that time, he simply enjoyed dressing fashionably and hadn’t considered it as a career path.

However, not long after he entered high school, a casual remark from Chae Song-hwa served as a guiding light. ‘Hey, want to go into business together after graduation?’

‘Business together?’

‘We’re both really interested in clothes, right? And we like coordinating outfits for other people. You and I are clearly not going to good universities anyway, so let’s just make money quickly doing what we’re good at.’

‘Not me? I can go to a good university!’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, I know you’re right behind me. Anyway, no thoughts?’

What he had thought was a fleeting, casual remark turned out to be surprisingly serious from Chae Song-hwa. She diligently researched and shared information about online shopping malls and even looked into part-time jobs as a fitting model.

Such dedication from his closest friend naturally influenced Jung-hyun. It became the first time he seriously contemplated his future, which he had previously given little thought to.

First, as someone said, studying wasn’t his path, so going to university would just be a waste of money and time. (Was there even a university he could get into with his grades? Perhaps, but it would still be a waste.)

Second, being unemployed was not an option. (As someone said, it’s better to earn money early.)

Third, as someone said, if possible, it’s better to earn money doing something you love.

That night, having reached a conclusion with his flawed three-step logic, Jung-hyun chewed his gum loudly and spoke to Chae Song-hwa as they walked home together.

‘What do I need to do? That thing you talked about.’

As he expressed his intention to be a future business partner, Chae Song-hwa was overjoyed. When she suggested they start by saving capital, Jung-hyun nodded and solemnly presented his life plan to his grandmother, his guardian.

Unlike his grandmother, who trusted her grandson, his intelligent younger sibling expressed concern.

However, there was no stopping Jung-hyun, whose mind was already made up. Just having decided on a direction made it feel as if a rosy future was unfolding before him.

Chae Song-hwa was equally excited. Towards a goal that still felt distant, the two worked diligently.

They continued to save money for about a year after graduating high school, and during that time, Chae Song-hwa brought back good news.

It was a big revelation for two twenty-year-olds, naive to the ways of the world: there was a way to take over an already operating shopping mall.