SRSYT C5

Chapter 5

“Did you know, President?”

“Know what?”

“That the little client’s house was Shin Seyeong-ssi’s.”

Seojin chattered on the way back after returning Kkokko to the child.

“I saw the road name and thought maybe, but…”

“Who is that?”

“Yes?”

“Who is Shin Seyeong.”

“Huh? The person we met for a moment just now.”

Seojin stopped walking, startled. Haegang kept moving, so Seojin could not see his face.

Does he really not know, or is he pretending.

“You gave me Shin Seyeong’s file to look into.”

“I did?”

Well, Manager Kim had given it to him.

Seojin knew their relationship in the original, so he had assumed Haegang had ordered it.

Then why did he stare like that earlier.

Wasn’t it because he recognized him?

“No… Manager Kim gave it to me.”

“So who is that person.”

“Uh… well.”

He had only been told to get familiar with it. He had not asked why. More precisely, he had not felt the need. Then it hit him.

“Ah! Right! The timing is different!”

“What?”

Haegang looked back. Only when their eyes met head-on did Seojin realize he had misspoken.

“No, I mean… the time. It’s late. Haha… it’s already past lunch!”

He scrambled to change the subject.

“President, since it turned out this way, should we eat before we go back? I’ll pay, I will! Let’s go! What would you like?”

Haegang looked down at him steadily. The gaze was sharp enough to draw a cold sweat.

“How about snack food? Or jajangmyeon…”

Seojin wriggled his toes hard, listing menus in a desperate attempt to beat back the fear.

“Let’s get sundae-guk.”

“Yes? Yes, yes. That’s good too.”

A yandere alpha who looked like he would order steak rare at a fancy restaurant and cut it with elegant knife work… wanted blood sausage soup.

He wondered for a second if that fit the character.

Whatever.

As long as he got through this crisis, he would eat anything.

That was how Seojin unexpectedly ended up sharing a table with Yoon Haegang at a packed sundae-guk place.

“You’re here? Manager Kim isn’t with you today? Same as usual?”

The owner in an apron came over in a familiar way. Before Seojin could answer, Haegang finished the order with a nod, and the owner turned right around.

“Uh…”

The confusion was all Seojin’s. Same as usual? What did they even order? The question was answered as soon as the owner brought the food.

In front of them sat bright red sundae-guk that looked like it was boiling like lava.

“…”

Seojin stared blankly at the earthen pot, then lifted his eyes. Across from him, Haegang dumped a bowl of rice into the soup, added perilla powder and salted shrimp, and put a big spoonful in his mouth.

He chewed with so much force it looked like a mukbang that could easily pass tens of thousands of views.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

Haegang, scooping soup again, finally noticed Seojin sitting quietly and asked. His voice was as unhurried as usual.

“It’s hot.”

“You can’t eat hot food?”

“Yes. And it looks spicy too.”

“You can’t eat spicy food either?”

The more they talked, the more embarrassed Seojin got. This time he only nodded. A sound came out, somewhere between a scoff and a snort.

He looked at Haegang, half expecting it, and the corner of the man’s mouth was faintly lifted.

“Like a kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“How old are you?”

“You hired me and didn’t even look at my resume?”

“Well. That wasn’t my department.”

A president, saying that so shamelessly. Whether Seojin stared in disbelief or not, Haegang went back to eating. He ate so heartily it made a watcher hungry.

Why was a pointless competitive spirit flaring up here.

Seojin dunked his spoon in the soup. What he actually lifted out was a single piece of sundae.

“Hoo… hoo…”

Haegang glanced over as Seojin blew on it. His mouth twitched again, almost a smile.

Seojin, face deadly serious as he put the sundae in his mouth, missed it.

“Eu…”

The sharp heat spread over his tongue the moment it went in. He could not even chew and swallowed, but the spice did not fade.

“Owner, one sundae-guk that isn’t spicy.”

Seojin was holding cold water in his mouth to soothe his numb tongue when Haegang suddenly ordered.

Before he could even think don’t tell me, a long arm snatched the pot in front of Seojin.

“Hm? Why the regular one today?”

“This guest has a child’s palate and can’t eat spicy food.”

“Ah, is that so? You should’ve said so earlier. I’ll take one off the bill.”

“It’s fine. I’ll eat it, so leave it.”

“Then I’ll take that kindly.”

In front of Seojin now sat sundae-guk with a milky broth instead of lava. The bowl he had not dared take another bite from became Haegang’s.

“What are you doing? Eat.”

When Seojin only stared, Haegang urged him, then seemed to remember something and huffed a laugh.

“Ah! You said you can’t eat hot food either. You really are something.”

Strange. The tone sounded like mockery, but the face looked amused. What was he supposed to call this. Caught in a mood he could not name, Seojin stirred the broth for no reason.

It really was a strange meal.

“Huh? Shin Seyeong? Yes, that’s a managed client.”

Manager Kim said it while flapping his shirt. He had just returned to the office, swapping places with Haegang, who had gone out saying he had work.

“Client management? Then you’re saying they’re acquaintances?”

And he pretended not to know so smoothly?

“Not so much that as… an omega the president’s been interested in lately?”

“Aha…”

Seojin looked hollowly at Shin Seyeong’s face on the screen. He had checked just in case. It was the same person they had met.

This is ridiculous.

Remembering Haegang’s teasing smile as he took the pot, Seojin shook his head.

“No, uh… I’m saying this so you don’t misunderstand, Seojin-ssi. That’s just material I looked into ahead of time, just in case.”

Seeing Seojin’s what-are-you-talking-about look, Manager Kim quickly added more.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen our president show that kind of interest in someone. So I wanted to get a handle on it early.”

“Then why give it to me.”

“I thought something might come up with the president soon?”

“Aha…”

Maybe the lukewarm reaction bothered him. Manager Kim sat up properly, ready to explain more. Seojin spoke first.

“So the president hasn’t actually started working on Shin Seyeong-ssi yet.”

“Huh? Well, if you put it that way, no.”

“When did the two of them meet?”

“Not long ago. Last Thursday.”

Seojin looked at the calendar. Today was Tuesday. So the day he transmigrated was the fifth day after they met.

“Where?”

“Uh… the president and I had a bowl of sundae-guk each for lunch and were on the way back to the office.”

Manager Kim launched into a long account of the scene.

“He was carrying so much he couldn’t see in front of him, and then a delivery bike from behind…”

Seojin had no intention of hearing all of it and cut him off.

“And in that crisis the president saved him?”

Moments like that often started a relationship when the protagonist helped. He assumed it would be the same here.

“No? The startled Shin Seyeong dropped everything he was holding.”

“The president didn’t help?”

“He just looked at him like he was pathetic?”

Manager Kim caught Seojin’s incredulous look and added one more thing.

“Later he told me to go pick it up.”

“The president did?”

“Yeah. So I ran over and that was when I knew. Ah, an omega!”

And from that alone he thought Haegang was interested? Manager Kim read the question in Seojin’s eyes and spoke again.

“He’s an omega. I figured if the president needed someone later, I’d introduce them.”

“Introduce them?”

“Yeah. A face you’ve seen once is better than a stranger, right?”

So Yoon Haegang had not regarded Shin Seyeong as special. This was the product of Manager Kim’s excessive loyalty.