The Past, Seoul

After I got injured, Yun Seo gave me several days off even though I was perfectly capable of performing my duties. I suspected that he didn’t want to be reminded that I had gotten hurt on his behalf. 

I used the time to catch up with Chan Wook. Dad was out of the country again, this time in Spain, but Chan Wook had just finished midterms and was eager for a break. I was relieved to hear that he actually had plans with friends Saturday night, but we spent most of the day together, starting with a morning run like we used to do when Chan Wook was on the track team in high school. He was still faster than me, but I could go further, keeping a steady pace for hours if I got myself in the groove. I hadn’t done any long-distance races in a long time, but I was relieved to find that my body remembered how to settle into the rhythm even if my muscles weren’t up for the endurance anymore.

“Let’s stop for a minute,” Chan Wook suggested breathlessly, “and take in the view.” We were running along one of the many trails that followed the Han river on its curving route through the city, and we’d both seen the sights countless times so I knew that Chan Wook was making an excuse. I didn’t mind, smiling as we slowed to a jog and walked up to the railing overlooking the river and the towering buildings beyond, my legs twitching with overuse as I slowed to a jerky walk. 

I stretched out my legs as I leaned against the railing, massaging the muscles to prevent any lactic acid from building up. My wound was burning a little now so I knew that sweat must have finally leaked into the bandage. I would need to clean it thoroughly when I got home. I inspected it to make sure no blood had seeped through, wishing I could reach beneath and scratch the itch inside even though the itch was the healing process and couldn’t be relieved that way anyway.

“Did you really get that riding your bike?” Chan Wook asked, frowning at the bandage as he leaned back against the railing, his pale legs stretched out in front of him in the sun. 

I tried not to show how much it bothered me that he was questioning my lie. I had hated to lie in the first place, but I knew how he would react if he found out I’d gotten hurt working for Yun Seo. I hadn’t wanted to give him one more reason to think my job wasn’t worth the money, so I’d lied, something I wasn’t accustomed to doing with Chan Wook, and the lie was like a rock in my shoe, digging uncomfortably into my skin every time I thought about it and causing friction between us every time it came up. “Why?” I asked, keeping my reaction as vague as possible.

“It’s just weird,” Chan Wook replied, stretching his arms over his head with a yawn. “You’re such a careful driver. You haven’t gotten hurt like that in a long time.”

“Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. All it takes is a moment of distraction.” That much was true. I’d been distracted worrying about Yun Seo and my assailant had taken advantage as soon as my guard dropped. “So, who are these friends you’re hanging out with tonight?”

Chan Wook shrugged. “Just a group I met in one of my classes. They’ve all known each other since they were young.”

“Are they older than you?” I asked, alarm bells going off in my head even though I was trying not to be an overprotective brother. Chan Wook was in a lot of advanced classes and I worried that older students might take advantage of his innocence.

Eyes narrowing, Chan Wook asked, “Yes, but they’re nerds. I met them in my math class. We’re getting together to play video games.”

A laugh escaped my lips. “Oh.”

“I’m not like you,” Chan Wook added, turning to face the view again with a little smirk. “We’re not going out to clubs to pick up girls.”

I swallowed, thinking about the clubs I’d frequented and the fact that most of the girls there were looking for other girls. My interest in both genders wasn’t exactly a secret, but Chan Wook seemed to feel more comfortable assuming the default when it came to my love life even though I hadn’t dated a girl in many years. Chan Wook was as straight as they came, however, so I supposed he was simply applying his own filter to the world. “Does that mean you’re not looking for girls anywhere?” I asked, leaning an elbow on the railing beside him. 

Chan Wook smiled. “There are plenty of girls in the gardening club.”

“You joined a gardening club?” I asked, incredulous even though I shouldn’t have been. Chan Wook had loved plants ever since mom taught him how to care for her own garden. 

“We’re propagating succulents.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fun.” 

Grinning, Chan Wook nudged my elbow teasingly. “It is fun.”

Even though I couldn’t resist teasing him, I was happy he was starting to enjoy the parts of college I had been worried he was ignoring and finally developing a social life outside of our family. “Should we start heading back?” I asked, noticing how high the sun was getting in the sky. “I’ll be ready for breakfast soon.”

Pushing away from the railing, Chan Wook said, “Race you to the next trailhead,” and took off at a speed I had no hope of matching for long, but I did my best. 

He still won.

A few days later, I went to the Jang estate to pick up Na Rae for our trip to the art museum. Yun Seo invited me inside first to remove my stitches. He was dressed casually in a gray Henley and jeans, his hair unstyled and falling into his eyes, and I wondered if he had decided to take the day off. 

“It’s healing well,” he observed as he unwrapped the bandage. 

“Maybe you should have become a doctor instead of an entrepreneur,” I replied, watching with curiosity as he arranged everything he needed to begin removing my stitches. 

“I almost became a nurse,” he said without inflection, catching me off guard.

“Really?” 

His eyes were smiling as he peered up at me from beneath the shadow of his hair. “No. But I did take enough classes to get certified as an EMT. I figured the skills would be useful.”

I chuckled and then winced as he snipped a knot and began the uncomfortable process of removing the stitches from my healing skin. “You’re full of surprises,” I mumbled.

“I’m practical.”

I watched him work for a while and then asked, “Are you taking the day off?”

“I’m working from home. We are finally planning to launch our app by the end of the week. All that’s left to do right now is logistics.”

“You’re ready to launch?” I asked in shock. “I thought that was still months away.”

“Na Rae made a breakthrough recently and everything else fell into place. The app will be in beta for a few months while we test with a select group of users, but it’s still a significant milestone.”

I nodded, surprised to realize that he was already done and had moved on to replacing my bandage with a fresh one. “What are you going to do about Ye Kwang?”

He glanced up at me, pausing in his work with a frown. “There’s nothing to do. Now that I know what he wants, I’ll be much more careful, but he won’t make a move on me in public. He cares about his reputation too much.” Pressing the medical tape down against my skin firmly, he let his fingers linger a little longer than necessary, tracing over my wrist before retreating in a way that sent goosebumps tingling over my skin. “Na Rae is very excited about your date today,” he said with a teasing look as he packed up his first aid kit.

“It isn’t a date,” I said automatically, rubbing over my skin to soothe it back into good behavior and erase the memory of his touch. 

“Are you really going to disappoint her like that?” His expression was guarded but his gaze sparkled with humor.

Trying to contain my annoyance, I snapped, “If you’re trying to set me up with your sister, you’re wasting your time.”

He pursed his lips, feigning offense, but his gaze was still too playful to be believed. “Are you saying you’re too good for her?”

Releasing a breath in a frustrated huff, I stood up as I retorted, “I’m saying that she’s not my type.”

He blinked slowly and nodded as he rose to his feet as well. “What is your type, then, Sang Kyu?”

“I think you already know.” I swallowed hard and turned away, but he caught my wrist and pulled me close enough for me to feel his body heat. 

“Come back to work tomorrow,” he murmured. “I have an appointment in the afternoon.” 

Then he released me and walked off down the hall, leaving me feeling lightheaded and breathless in a way that I knew would be a problem if I couldn’t get these reactions under control. I was playing a dangerous game, I knew, but a few days away from Yun Seo had made my addiction to his presence all too obvious. I still knew that getting romantically – or even just sexually – involved with my boss was a horrible idea, but there was a growing part of me that simply didn’t care anymore.

I’d tried to silence this part of me by going out clubbing on the weekend, but as much as I wanted to find a partner to release the pressure, no one caught my eye. They were all too young and foolish and I was craving someone older and a bit more restrained, someone who knew what he wanted and was willing to wait in order to get it, the waiting making the resolution that much sweeter.