Chapter 78

“So please keep talking.” suggested Si-Jin in an absolutely non-suggestive tone along with a shrug. Seung-Jae’s head was already filled with the wronged-and-disgusted unique expression Na-Yool would make on occasion. He vehemently protested.

“We, office dating… that kind of thing, we really do not have the time for it, and we are only working diligently. Please believe me.”

“Hey, Lee Seung-Jae. He may not look like it, but our President doesn’t particularly have any prejudices towards office couples. So there’s no need for you to deny it so hard. You know the saying, right? ‘A strong denial is the same as a strong acknowledgment’.”

“Kim PD, Ms. Na-Yool truly hates things like this. At this rate, I will really get ditched by my senior.  After all, she is the kind to reject it even if a coworker follows her around to confess. She said countless times until my ears rang that she would never date a coworker.”

“Honestly she should have got rid of someone like you way sooner. Look at her now, always covering for you because she made the mistake to keep you around.  If it’s not love, what is it? True love it is!”

“Ahh, you are driving me crazy!”

“The more I hear, it’s quite funny. Who was it who didn’t clearly deny it until now?”

A surprise attack landed from an unexpected mouth. Seung-Jae was struck dumb on the spot as his lips twitched without a sound, while the bewildered Kim PD turned towards Si-Jin.

“Indeed, this kid, Mr. President… right from the start, he didn’t even speak for himself properly. No matter how much we teased him in his face… Right, for example, Lee Seung-Jae, what if I were you? What if I have no relationship whatsoever with Na-Yool, that not only is dating not on the table, but that we don’t even have a shred of interest for each other? Wouldn’t I feel wrong?… What would you do, Mr. President?”

Kim PD addressed Si-Jin, then shifted to Seung-Jae as his interlocutor, only to come back to Si-Jin. An incomparable confusion ongoing. Si-Jin looked at Kim PD with an apathetic look ‒ he did not seem to be listening very seriously ‒ while Seung-Jae’s eyes revealed a great restlessness.

“Normally, wouldn’t it feel unpleasant? Well, Kim Na-Yool is quite pretty so Seung-Jae potentially would not dislike the idea. But even so, how could he be happy with the rumors when it’s not true? Even if they really were dating, he would have strongly denied it for the sake of covering it up!”

“No, Kim PD, wait a minute, that…”

“If you can’t confidently act your age, shouldn’t you deny it right away and feign displeasure if someone teases you about you and her dating?”

Pressured by Kim PD’s insistence on the matter, there was no room to fundamentally contest the unending flow of his absurd reasoning. Seung-Jae gulped dryly. His throat burned as he felt like his heart got exposed bare in the open. Right, maybe that kind of misunderstanding, for a moment…

… No, for more than a moment, it might have made him happy. He did not protest like Na-Yool, who clearly denied it… but it is not like he had admitted it either! Feeling wrongly accused, Seung-Jae narrowed his eyes.

The rumor just was not worth arguing, nor was it serious enough for him to deny it, which is why he did not bother earnestly defending himself. Because a denial would hype people even more. Just like right now.

As for the rumor, the very man himself did not even initiate it. It was solely the fruit of others’ fervent gossiping, these same people hell-bent on teasing him despite knowing they were the origin of the rumor. They were just too excited that something worth gossiping finally happened in the eventless company. That’s why, while Seung-Jae admitted his tiny mistake to have simply let the matter slide with an awkward smile, he could not erase the feeling that he was being slandered.

“But you didn’t do it, did you?” continued Kim PD. “Only Kim Na-Yool refuted the rumor to each person she met while stamping her feet, till her mouth bled and her legs were sore. But you, you just kept giggling stupidly by her side.”

“……”

“Why could that be? I don’t know if you meant for people to misunderstand or wanted to state the facts, but in any case, you seem in favor of letting rumors run.”

Seung-Jae’s rebuttal did not pass his lips. He simply could not believe that he would ever get stabbed in the right spot by an old geezer who acts as he pleases and never listens to others.

After all, it was true that he had deliberately let the rumors spread. Because even if it was fake, it had shortly felt good. Like being intoxicated by the childish feeling of having the privilege to have your name written next to your crush’s… Seung-Jae silently cursed in his heart. He wished he could dig himself a hole to disappear in.

“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or a rumor, isn’t it a pretext to see your name associated with Kim Na-Yool’s? If nothing else, it’s what it looks to me. You’re saving yourself a seat.”

“……”

“Else, why would you want this seat so much? Because you at least think of her as something else than a coworker. At a slightly different level than Na-Yool thinks of you. Yes, something more.”

Kim PD was still relentlessly hitting the bull’s eye with his uselessly sharp tongue. One could only be amazed at his flagrant ineptitude to read the room.

“Really, it is not like that.”

“Whatever, I know you really like her… Aren’t I right, Mr. President?”

As Kim PD spurted with an interrogative tone, Si-Jin and Seung-Jae’s eyes collided in mid-air. Si-Jin slowly smiled and answered in a flat voice.

“To some extent.”

He was clearly smiling, yet his eyes were like glaring at someone that was worthless than a human. Seung-Jae immediately imputed this glare to Kim PD’s rambling. If it was not for Si-Jin, maybe, disregarding his age and position, he would have rushed to urge Kim PD to shut up.

“See. Even Mr. President thinks so.”

“…See what…” Seung-Jae started muttering to himself, when he noticed Kim PD’s thick-skinned ‘Did I take it too far?’ expression. To make this face after attacking his sore spots again and again… So spiteful! And above all, in front of President Kwon…

“It reaaally is not like that. I swear!”

Unlike when he shallowly contested the rumor by Na-Yool’s side while she was losing her mind denying it, this time Seung-Jae was brimming with sincerity.

“You should have fervently denied it like this from the start! What a fool.”

“…Kim PD, pwease stap.” begged Seung-Jae between clenched teeth, causing Kim PD to finally realize the seriousness of the situation. He tried to study Seung-Jae’s face. Seung-Jae, on the other hand, studied Si-Jin’s. His smile when he had said ‘to some extent’ was still the same. Yet, Seung-Jae instinctively could not let go of the impression that he was fucked.

Si-Jin unhurriedly spoke up.

“A good conduct causes no harm, but a poor conduct rarely results in any gain. Especially men.”

“……”

“Such as, this case, in which Mr. Lee Seung-Jae, regardless of the other party’s will, unilaterally kept his mouth shut with the aim to take advantage of the aftereffect.”

Si-Jin was still smiling dashingly. Smiling, while striking down Seung-Jae with a final ‘men ought to conduct themselves at work’ blow.

“……”

“So make sure to behave, Mr. Lee-Seung-Jae.”

It sounded like a joke, but never would the listener take it as such. Si-Jin had articulated Seung-Jae’s name as if reading it out from his employee badge for the first time, giving off a full sense of distance. The conviction that he was fucked was now absolute. The oblivious Kim PD playfully nodded his head next to him while dropping some “He means you should be careful~” lines, worthy of a eunuch counselor resonating to the King he serves. But then.

“Well, speaking of the devil. It goes for our Ms. Kim Na-Yool here too.” mumbled Kim PD as he turned his head halfway. At these words, Si-Jin and Seung-Jae looked in sync through the smoking room’s glass.

And after 2 seconds, only Seung-Jae’s stiff eyes moved back to Si-Jin.

…What the heck?