NLFSD Chapter 36

Chapter 36

He was the director? The one secretly taking care of me—the Myeongsgas fairy—was actually Seo Taecheon?

While Lee Jiwoon trembled in shock, Seo Taecheon, without a moment’s hesitation, placed the drink on Jiwoon’s desk. Just then, his phone rang; he pulled it from his pocket, answered the call, and leisurely exited the office.

“Yes. I’m on my way. Yes, I’ll see you at the lobby.”

As Seo Taecheon’s voice faded further and further away, Jiwoon finally emerged from the pantry, wiping cold sweat from his brow.

“…Holy crap…”

He couldn’t even string a sentence together, barely able to remain standing upright. Stumbling toward his seat, Jiwoon collapsed into his chair.

“Myeongsgas… The person who kept buying you… was BBG himself.”

Jiwoon muttered in an excited voice. His chest churned so violently he felt like he might vomit.

The culprit was BBG!

Hugging the Myeongsgas bottle to his chest, Jiwoon stamped his foot. Somehow, the drink felt as though it were radiating blazing heat. His heart pounded—thump, thump—making an obnoxious racket.

The rest of that afternoon passed in a daze. Jiwoon, floating somewhere between exhilaration and blank disbelief, had no memory of how the hours slipped by.

“Assistant Manager Lee Jiwoon. What’s going on with you? What are you doing?”

His team leader seemed to keep nagging, throwing jabs at him repeatedly, but Jiwoon was far too distracted to care. He responded listlessly, soul absent from his body.

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“What were you doing that you couldn’t hear me calling you?”

“I’m sorry.”

“…Did something good happen to you or something?”

Even as the team leader frowned at him, Jiwoon grinned sheepishly.

“No, nothing at all.”

I feel like I could fly. Maybe I’ll just soar right out that window and head home. He almost blurted it out but managed to hold it back.

I have to ask him after work. Were you the one behind the Myeongsgas all along? Why on earth did you take care of me in such a ridiculously adorable way?

Jiwoon wiggled his cheeks in glee, half-heartedly doing his work as he waited impatiently for quitting time.

Finally, when the clock’s hands pointed to six, Jiwoon sprang from his seat like a coiled spring, grabbed his briefcase, and shouted his farewell in a booming voice.

“I’m heading out! Have a great weekend, everyone!”

He practically flew into the elevator at light speed, then hurried down to the parking lot to lie in wait. Soon enough, Seo Taecheon descended and walked to his car.

“Whoa—you startled me. What are you doing down here so early?”

“Ah, well… it’s Friday, so I wanted to leave on the dot.”

“I see. Get in.”

“Yes.”

Wary of prying eyes, Jiwoon quickly hopped into the car. Sneaking glances at Seo Taecheon, he found him inexplicably even more dashing and handsome than usual.

A guy this good-looking has been giving me Myeongsgas every day? That’s… adorable. They say once someone looks cute to you, you’re doomed. Guess I’m completely done for now.

While Jiwoon quietly reveled in his private amusement, the car came to a stop at a red light. Ah—this is my chance. He blurted out the line he had rehearsed all day.

“Director, when you hear ‘gas,’ you think Myeongsgas, right?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Ah—no, what am I even saying? I mean… Myeongsgas! You know it, right?”

What came out of Jiwoon’s mouth was none other than the tagline from the recent Myeongsgas commercial: ‘When you think gas, think Myeongsgas. Beware of imitations.’

The witty commercial, with its catchy visuals and music, had recently become a trending topic—but of all times, did he really need to quote it now…?

Mortified, Jiwoon clamped his hands over his mouth. A brief silence filled the car.

“Gas… isn’t that an antacid?”

“Well… yes, but that’s not what I meant.”

Seo Taecheon chuckled softly, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

“No, wait—! What I meant to say was—”

“You want some Myeongsgas? You still look unwell.”

“…Huh?”

“Yesterday, the day before that too—I know you’ve been going to bed with stomachaches every night. And because of office politics or whatever, you skip dinner but force yourself to eat lunch with your teammates so they won’t think you’re weird.”

“…Ah.”

Seo Taecheon gazed at him gently.

“Drink one Myeongsgas a day. Got it?”

“…Y-yes.”

He’d been itching to dramatically accuse him with ‘The culprit… is you!’ but the opportunity evaporated. Jiwoon could only duck his head, cheeks blazing red.

…He’s so handsome and caring. I’m going insane.

“Gas, gas, Myeongsgas~”

Singing the jingle in an off-key do-re-mi version, Jiwoon brushed the dust off the window frames. It was a leisurely weekend, and he had taken it upon himself to clean the master bedroom. Normally, a housekeeper came by to help, but today, with his mood bright and buoyant, Jiwoon decided to do the cleaning himself—showing off the domestic skills he had honed during his years of living alone.

Sure, I can’t cook for my life, but I’m not bad at cleaning. Dusting, wiping things down—I’m pretty decent.

“Gas, gas!”

The more vigorously he dusted, the louder his singing grew, his face beaming with delight.

Ever since the Myeongsgas incident, Jiwoon had undergone a major shift in his heart. He still admired and loved Seo Taecheon as before, but now there was a subtle layer of confidence mixed in—leading him to constantly imagine positive possibilities.

Could it be that Seo Taecheon might actually like me too? The thought refused to leave his mind.

After all, from what Jiwoon had observed during their time living together, Seo Taecheon wasn’t the type to take care of people so attentively. A cold, aloof man who drew clear boundaries with others—yet he had been personally stocking Myeongsgas for Jiwoon’s sake. Surely, this was a good sign.

Of course, every now and then, rational Jiwoon whispered in his ear:

Hey, Jiwoon, get a grip. He might not mean anything by it. For all you know, he treated his exes even better than he treats you.

At such times, Jiwoon would snap back to reality. He didn’t want to indulge in foolish fantasies, only to humiliate and hurt himself later. But the sentimental and hopeful Jiwoon was equally stubborn.

That robotic director left Myeongsgas for me every single lunchtime. Does that seem normal to you?

With that thought, his heart would flutter again, convinced that maybe—just maybe—the director did have feelings for him. Thus, rational Jiwoon and sentimental Jiwoon constantly bickered, metaphorically grabbing each other by the hair.

“Shoo, shoo—let me clean in peace.”

But today, Jiwoon simply wanted to enjoy cleaning. He shooed both sides of himself away and happily continued dusting. Deep down, though, he’d secretly cast a vote for ‘The director likes me too.’ Why? Because it felt good to believe it. That was Jiwoon—simple and brutally honest.

“Cleaning, are you?”

The door to the master bathroom opened, and Seo Taecheon stepped out in a gray robe, towel-drying his wet hair. His broad, bare chest was on full display, and Jiwoon instinctively gulped mid-dusting.

“Ah, yes. The window frames were a bit dusty.”

“I see.”

Lately, Seo Taecheon hadn’t been wearing his usual black robe—instead opting for gray. Watching him repeatedly choose gray over black, Jiwoon couldn’t help but wonder if this too was because of him.

Should I just ask outright? Like, ‘Did you stop wearing the black robe because I said I didn’t like it?’

“Uh, Director.”

“Yes, Assistant Manager Lee.”

“Come to think of it… you haven’t been wearing the black robe lately, have you?”

Seo Taecheon paused mid-motion, turned to Jiwoon, and replied casually.

“I heard someone say black robes weren’t very appealing.”

Jiwoon nearly gasped aloud. Wait—so this man, the director himself, was swayed by my one casual comment? This is definitely because of that time in Jeju, when I said I hated black robes on alphas…!

Now that I think about it, even during our stay in Jeju, he switched to different-colored robes to avoid black. Unreal. He’s been paying attention to every little thing I say. Seo Taecheon… you do like me!

Raising and lowering his eyebrows, grimacing, grinning, biting his lip, then squeezing his eyes shut—Jiwoon’s face cycled through countless expressions. Watching this, Seo Taecheon thought, This guy really is something else. Never a dull moment.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Seo Taecheon asked, perching himself on the bed.

“Ah, nothing. It’s just…”

“What is it? Do you have something to say?”

He looked at Jiwoon, his tone sounding uncharacteristically gentle and caring—or was Jiwoon just imagining it? Either way, courage welled up within him.

“Um… Director, this is really just pure curiosity, but…”

“Yes?”

“If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer.”

“What is it?”

Truthfully, what Jiwoon most wanted to know was Seo Taecheon’s dating history. How had he treated the omegas he dated in the past? Had he been as thoughtful with them as he was with the Myeongsgas? Or perhaps even more attentive and caring? Was he the type to lead maturely, or one to get jealous and possessive? Jiwoon’s curiosity was endless.

I mean, he acts aloof with me but quietly does these thoughtful things behind the scenes… how was he with his past lovers? Honestly, I really want to know.

Yet deep down, Jiwoon also wondered, Are we even at the stage where we can share personal details like this? That hesitation left him fidgeting and unable to get straight to the point. While Jiwoon struggled to bring it up, Seo Taecheon simply waited patiently for his question.

Footnotes:

• Myeongsgas (명스까스): A carbonated drink frequently mentioned in the novel. It functions somewhat like an antacid soda—both refreshing and soothing for stomach issues.

• BBG (본부장): Literally means “division director” or “head of headquarters” in Korean corporate hierarchy; often abbreviated here as BBG in the novel for stylistic flair.