Chapter 9.
Shin watched Woojin sitting in front of him quietly and ate his meal. During the last few weeks, Shin saw Woojin a few times during lunchtime, but it seemed that Woojin didn’t eat much. He was usually seen watching his food like a sad kitten.
But today, at this moment, Woojin was eating his bowl of rice soup without hesitation.
It was strange to see him eat this well. Perhaps the warm soup was warming him up because Woojin’s face now had a healthy pinkness to it. For some reason, this made Shin feel strangely happy.
How strange.
Woojin asked him quietly, “Why aren’t you eating?”
“Oh.”
Shin pulled his own bowl closer. The truth was, Shin rarely ate after 6 PM. When he was an athlete, he could eat all he wanted, but now, he had to be careful of his diet to maintain his ideal weight.
Other than swimming, Shin hated all sports and exercises. On top of that, he had recently become tired of sex as well.
Oh… sex…
Woojin asked, “Are you hot?”
“Pardon?”
“Your face is turning red.”
Dammit.
“Yes, it’s a bit too warm in here.”
Shin couldn’t figure out why he was thinking about sex in front of Woojin, and why he was turning red thinking about it. He looked away from Woojin uncomfortably.
Shin hadn’t been thinking of Woojin as a potential sex partner, but… Just thinking about this man made him feel strange. A kind of sexual tension…
How strange.
Woojin continued, “Well, I guess it’s still summer.”
Woojin talked quietly, and Shin was again amazed by how pale he was. Such white skin… Shin couldn’t help but study Woojin whenever they crossed paths.
Woojin also looked at Shin differently, and this fact made Shin feel eager for some reason. That was why he pushed the close button in the elevator even though he knew Jihoon Kang was right behind him.
Shin was leaving his office to go home when he saw Woojin. It was a pure coincidence.
Woojin didn’t want to be bothered by anyone and he was clear about it with his demeanor and behaviour.
But it seemed that Shin Kim was an exception to him, and this made Shin feel excited.
This made Shin… want more.
Shin started, “I think it’s too late to take the subway now.”
“…”
“Where do you live?”
“Shindorim.”
Shin expected Woojin to give him a smart reply, like “Why do you want to know where I live?” but instead, Woojin answered him without hesitation. Shin suddenly became thirsty so when he grabbed his cup, Woojin quietly poured him some water.
His fingers were long and pale. Shin felt conscious of everything; his body felt… itchy. His heart began to beat loudly.
Shin was a rather cold man when it came to dating. He dated a lot of people in his past and slept with even more. Shin always considered himself more or less heterosexual.
But sitting in front of Woojin… Shin felt something raw.
It was lust. For this man.
Shin replied, “Then Assistant Manager Woojin Choi…”
“… Yes?”
Shin was feeling impulsive again. He enjoyed drinking, but his hangovers were also horrible, so Shin tried to avoid it as much as possible. He had been working at this company for over a month now, and there were times when he couldn’t avoid going drinking with the coworkers.
But to drink with this man was… logically speaking, a waste. A waste of energy. Tomorrow was a workday and he even had an important team meeting in the morning.
It was very unlike Shin to do what he was about to do, but strangely, he felt upset at the thought of parting with Woojin. He didn’t want to go home right now.
When he looked at Woojin’s eyes, the words just tumbled out from Shin.
“Do you want to go for a drink with me?”
It was such a cliché pickup line that Shin immediately regretted saying it. It was almost midnight already, and Woojin had been very tired lately. Shin always tried to never ask when he knew had a good chance of being rejected, yet here he was. It was even more stupid of him to ask such a thing because Shin noticed how Woojin refused to drink at the last office dinner.
“…”
Just then… Woojin rubbed his cup nervously before nodding. He replied, “Yes. Let’s do that.”
Woojin grabbed his menu and looking at him, Shin felt his body becoming even hotter. He looked away uncomfortably.
Did Woojin Choi just agree to drink with him?
“Are you sure? Are you really going to drink?”
“I said yes, didn’t I?”
“…”
“We won’t stay too long. Just until 1 AM.”
Shin was unsure of how much he could expect from Woojin, but when their eyes met again, he knew.
There was no doubt Shin was going to ask much more from Woojin. Shin felt fearful of how far he could and would go.
“Assistant Manager Woojin Choi.”
“Yes?”
Pale face, long slim neck, and shockingly pink lips.
There was that unshakable feeling that they had met before somewhere, sometime in the past.
Every time Shin saw Woojin, everything seemed to stop. Only Woojin stood out to him. He seemed like such a pale and feeble being, yet the emotion Woojin projected was the fiercest Shin had ever seen.
Shin asked cautiously, “Will you ever refuse anything I ask of you?”
“…”
Shin knew for certain then that Woojin felt the same way.
The tension they felt towards each other… Shin gave him a small smile. Enjoying how Woojin’s neck began to blush again, Shin was sure there will come a day when he would get to touch that pale skin.