Chapter 17: The Unveiling

Yoonseo, letting out a weak sigh, was at a loss as to what to reply next.

Was there a secret place in the building where they could be alone?

The editing room he used came to mind, but that might actually attract the attention of someone he knew.

Just as his fingertips were growing cold with anxiety, Taekyung’s reply arrived.

[Then shall we meet at the cafe we went to before? I’m coming up right now.]

Yoonseo flinched as if burned at the words that he was coming straight up to the company cafe.

It was lunchtime, so there would be many people and many eyes, but Taekyung didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Yoonseo, who had squeezed and then released his phone, had no choice but to send an affirmative reply.

[I’m on my way up too.]

If he went to the 12th floor, at least he wouldn’t run into his team members who had gone to another cafe.

He didn’t know what he had to say, but he decided to end the conversation as quickly as possible and return to the office.

Yoonseo got on the elevator, which had just emptied out, by himself and pressed the 12th-floor button.

As he was taking a deep breath, the elevator, which had arrived on the 1st floor, picked up a few more people and continued its ascent.

It stopped a few times in between, but it quickly reached the top floor, the 12th.

The moment Yoonseo stepped out, the doors of another elevator opened with a slight time lag.

As he completely exited the elevator and casually glanced to the side, the first thing that caught his eye was the tip of a sleek shoe.

“Long time no see, PD-nim.”

Next, he heard a gentle voice, followed by the sight of Taekyyung’s face with a charming smile.

The fact that his face had become familiar after seeing him just a few times was not at all welcome.

“…Hello.”

Unsure of what kind of expression he was making, Yoonseo briefly lowered his head as if to hide his face.

Next to Taekyung was his manager, Seo Jinhyung, whom he had been introduced to before.

Seo Jinhyung also gave Yoonseo a slightly awkward nod.

“Hyung, I’ll be at the cafe on the 1st floor. Let me know when you’re done.”

Jinhyung, afraid the elevator would leave, quickly pressed the button and rattled off his words.

As Taekyung nodded obediently, Jinhyung gave Yoonseo another nod and quickly got on the elevator.

Only after confirming that the elevator carrying Jinhyung was going down did Taekyung turn his full attention to Yoonseo.

“Have you been well?”

“…Yes.”

“Nothing unusual?”

“…Yes.”

Yoonseo almost snapped back at Taekyung’s question about his well-being.

‘Why are you curious? We’re not close enough to ask about each other’s well-being, are we?’

Yoonseo barely managed to swallow the stinging words that were on the tip of his tongue and held his employee ID up to the security device.

He chided himself for constantly losing his composure whenever he faced Han Taekyung.

The boisterous noise that greeted him as soon as the glass door opened was unusual.

It seemed there were more people than he had expected.

He thought it might be better to move to another place even now, but Taekyyung strode forward without hesitation, and Yoonseo had no choice but to follow.

As he entered the cafe, he saw quite a few people.

Yoonseo was deliberately walking at a distance from Taekyung, but it was all in vain as Taekyung turned around, strode up to him, and spoke.

“It’s my treat today.”

The atmosphere had definitely changed since Taekyung’s arrival.

The boisterous laughter and conversation had subsided, and a hushed whispering filled the spacious area.

Yoonseo, in deep dismay, rubbed his face with his cold hands and then stood in front of the counter with Taekyung.

He didn’t think he could swallow a single sip of anything, but he wanted to shorten his conversation with Taekyung as much as possible, so he answered without much thought.

“…I’ll have an iced Americano.”

“It’s really cold outside. You too, PD-nim? Iced even if you freeze to death?”

Taekyung, who had asked in a light tone, ordered an iced Americano and a hot Americano and then handed his card to the cashier.

The cashier’s hand trembled as she took it.

He glanced at her face and saw that her cheeks and ears were flushed red.

She had obviously recognized Han Taekyung.

“Shall we sit over there?”

“Yes.”

Taekyung gestured to an empty table with his chin.

It was a bit open, but no matter where they sat, they wouldn’t be able to escape people’s gazes.

The one saving grace was that this was a cafe inside the broadcasting station, not on the street.

It was a place where the joke about maintaining one’s dignity as a broadcasting station employee and not making a fuss even when seeing a celebrity held some power.

Perhaps that’s why, even though there were more people than when they had come together last time, everyone just stared, unable to approach, and only whispered from a distance.

It was the first time he had felt so uncomfortable with the gazes of others.

The pressure, on a different level from being in front of a camera, felt like it was suffocating him.

Yoonseo resolved to quickly ask Taekyung what he had to say, get his answer, and then return to the office.

As soon as he sat down facing Taekyung, Yoonseo got straight to the point.

“Go ahead. You said you had something to say.”

“Already? The coffee isn’t even out yet.”

Taekyung replied in a tone similar to when he had said, ‘Anyone would think we’re fighting, relax your face,’ and smiled brightly.

Yoonseo was momentarily speechless and could only sigh inwardly.

That was clearly his mistake.

Anyone would have felt that he was being unnecessarily sharp with Taekyung.

Yoonseo closed and opened his eyes deeply and finally managed to relax his facial muscles.

Just then, the vibrating pager that Taekyung was fiddling with in his hand buzzed loudly.

As Taekyung got up and walked away, Yoonseo pressed his palms against his eyes.

As if to suppress the uncomfortable feelings that kept welling up.

“Here you go.”

“…Thank you.”

When Taekyung returned, Yoonseo had calmed down a little and regained some of his composure.

But he had no intention of drinking the coffee in front of him and just held the cold cup with both hands.

Unaware that Taekyung’s gaze was persistently tracing each of his long, straight fingers.

“PD-nim.”

“…Yes.”

Taekyung, who had leisurely taken a sip of his coffee, called out to him.

Yoonseo raised his gaze a beat later and barely managed to squeeze out a suppressed reply.

Contrary to his own tense expression, a clear smile was on Taekyung’s face.

A sense of tension crept over him, as he couldn’t discern the hidden meaning behind that smile.

“It’s still valid, right?”

“…”

“The words that you would help me if I ever needed it.”

Taekyung’s smiling eyes curved even more gently, as if seeking his consent.

Yoonseo met his eyes and expressed his affirmation by not answering.

He remembered it because it was an empty promise he had made with the intention of completely severing his short connection with him.

But why was Taekyung suddenly bringing it up now?

He couldn’t understand why.

“As it happens, something came up where I need your help, PD-nim. You’ll help me, of course, right?”

The moment he saw Taekyung, who had pulled the corners of his mouth up even tighter into a smile, his lips went dry and the tip of his tongue felt stiff.

In the empty promise he had made, thinking they would never get involved again, Taekyyung was trying to satisfy his own desires.

Taekyung, who had leaned in slightly as if to share a secret, let out a small laugh.

The already close distance narrowed even more.

“I’m starting to film my next project soon. It’ll start in March, so it’ll probably air around early October… and it should be all wrapped up by early December at the latest.”

‘What does that have to do with me?’

Yoonseo thought to himself, but he could only maintain his silence and focus on Taekyung’s low voice.

He felt his nerves instinctively tensing at every word he uttered.

Even though he couldn’t sense any of his Alpha pheromones right now.

Taekyung looked directly at his prim yet firm, expressionless face and whispered even more subtly than before.

“So, I need a lover for image management.”

“…What, does that mean…”

Yoonseo, who hadn’t understood at first, muttered in a daze.

Taekyung, unable to hide the breathy laugh that had escaped him, carefully placed his hand over Yoonseo’s.

He was momentarily startled by the sudden warmth, but Taekyung’s face was so close that Yoonseo ended up squeezing his eyes shut.

He knew he should pull away, but the sudden contact had frozen his body stiff, and he couldn’t move.

Even with his eyes closed, he could feel how close he was.

Soon, a voice that was infinitely soft yet firm landed in his ear.

“It means, let’s date.”

“…”

“Me and you.”

His eyes flew open.

Taekyung had already pulled back and was wearing an innocent smile.

Yoonseo glared at him with eyes filled with a mixture of bewilderment, confusion, anger, and fear.

Taekyung, however, had a calm expression, completely unaffected.

‘Yoonseo, shall we date now?’

A confession from a day in the past rang in his ears like tinnitus.

It was an old event that should have faded from memory, but the voice was still vivid.

Yoonseo gritted his teeth before the memories that would follow could be revived.

After barely regaining his composure, Yoonseo took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you just said. I don’t think this is something I can help you with.”