Chapter 4.
“There is going to be an office dinner tonight.”
“Where did you hear that?”
It was a long 8-hour day. Shin Kim asked Minjae who was packing his bag.
Shin stretched, making loud cracking noises. They had been working as interns for a month together, so they had become fairly close, but Shin was still formal with the other interns.
Except for Minjae, the other six interns assigned to the headquarters in Seoul were all women. A few of them were his type, but he made sure to keep his distance from all of them. Office romance was a bad idea, especially as an intern. He didn’t want to lose his job, so Shin made sure to behave himself.
“Yeonwoo told me, Shin.”
“Oh, that little one?”
“She is cute, isn’t she?”
“Minjae, I thought you said you had a girlfriend.”
“… I hear we will be assigned to our official departments tomorrow.”
Minjae purposely didn’t answer Shin’s question. Shin looked at him quietly before putting on his suit jacket. Finally, his life as an intern was going to be over.
Shin was hoping to be assigned to the marketing department. Usually, this department consisted mostly of women and Shin worked better with females. He knew he was attractive, and he used it to his advantage. The marketing department also heavily involved meeting people, which Shin enjoyed.
Shin added, “An office dinner… I’m so tired though.”
“Really? You don’t wanna go? I’m excited about it! Free booze!”
Minjae was a solidly-built man, and it seemed like he loved to drink. For the last month during their internship, Shin often saw Minjae going out with others for drinks.
Whenever the female interns and Minjae decided to go for drinks, the girls would always glance at Shin, who made up excuses to not go himself. He was tired of it. These were the people he was going to see every working day for a very long time. He didn’t feel like spending more time with them than he already had to.
Shin and Minjae walked the hallway slowly. Minjae asked, “You look like you probably drink a lot, so why is it that we never went out for drinks together?”
“What do you mean I look like I drink a lot?”
It was true Shin enjoyed alcohol, but what he liked even more was sex. It was the best way to relieve his stress. He craved it constantly and he never lacked willing sex partners. At least Shin considered them partners while those people probably thought they were dating Shin.
After he quit swimming, there was a period of time when he was obsessed with sex. He was an early bloomer and his first time was much earlier than most.
Recently, however, it seemed like he was getting bored with having sex. Shin also felt like his stamina had declined, which was why he was hitting the gym more regularly. Unlike in his 20’s, Shin found that he now felt breathless during sex sometimes.
Minjae asked suddenly, “Hey, why don’t you have a girlfriend? I mean, you are pretty good looking and all.”
They were in the elevator with other interns, and this question piqued the girls’ interest. Yeonwoo asked, “Shin oppa, do you really not have a girlfriend?”
That stupid Minjae. Why did he have to ask him a question like that?
When Yeonwoo looked at Shin with an adorable smile, Minjae pouted in annoyance. What an idiot.
Yeonwoo added, “It must be because you are so gorgeous, oppa.”
Shin smiled blandly and replied, “You’re kidding, right?”
“Haha, oppa, you are so good at evading questions you don’t want to answer. Very sneaky.”
Yeonwoo was a smart girl. She got this position immediately after graduating, and there were many times when she seemed to know exactly what Shin was thinking. She scared him a little, but she was the type that he could get along with very well.
Even when he was younger, he always was attracted to people who were straightforward.
People who were the same inside and out.
Shin liked those who were straight shooters and could look at him in the eyes.
But ironically, Shin never figured out about himself. His outer demeanor and his true inner self. When he looked in the mirror, he could see in his expressions what he wanted and what he searched for in life, yet inside, he always felt uncertain emptiness.
Perhaps that was why he liked people who seemed to be able to guess what he was thinking. Shin preferred those who approached him before he did.
Was it because he craved affection?
“Oppa, you really are very handsome. I really mean it.”
“Thanks.”
Shin could see Minjae’s face crumpling. Shin smiled secretly.
Yeonwoo was definitely Shin’s type. She had a puppy-like face and an amazing body. Shin was certainly interested in her.
The elevator stopped on the 9th floor and suddenly, Shin could smell freshly cut grass. When he looked up, Shin saw him.
Pale skin, narrow eyes, slim body.
… It was Woojin Choi.
Woojin was looking down, revealing his fragile neck covered partly with his light brown hair. Shin wondered what it would feel like to touch him when suddenly, another man’s hand appeared to grab Woojin’s shoulder and push him in. The man walked into the elevator with Woojin and introduced himself.
“Hey, you guys are the interns, right? I am Assistant Manager Jihoon Kang from the policy department.”
The girls greeted him happily.
“Hello!”
“We are going to the office dinner right now. You should join us!”
Jihoon wasn’t as good looking as him, but Shin had to admit that Assistant Manager Kang was still a very handsome man. He seemed to be about the same height as Woojin, but because he was much wider, Jihoon looked much taller. He had a wide chest and broad shoulders, and his hair was dark and curly. Overall, he was a very masculine guy.
Jihoon lowered his face to whisper to Woojin, “It’s so strange that you are willingly going to this office dinner. I mean, you never go to these things.”
“…”
Woojin didn’t even turn around to look at Jihoon. He continued to look straight ahead, and Shin Kim stared at him curiously.
“…”
Woojin looked relaxed, even bored. Jihoon was chatting to him familiarly, yet Woojin refused to participate. He stayed motionless, and it almost looked like he was ignoring Jihoon. But oddly enough, Jihoon didn’t seem to care or even notice.
It must’ve meant that Jihoon was just used to Woojin being this way. They probably had known each other for a long time.
Probably because they were very close.
Shin Kim suddenly felt strange for having such thoughts.
Jihoon asked Woojin, “Are you going to drink today?”
“… We are here. We need to get off the elevator now.”
“Oh, of course, sir. Whatever you say, sir!”
Jihoon replied teasingly at Woojin’s quiet words. Shin continued to watch Woojin and suddenly, it felt to him like what happened at the auditorium was just a dream. Maybe Shin just imagined it. The way Woojin looked at him…. But the Woojin here right now didn’t even seem like the same person as the one from earlier.
Shin was deep in his own confused thoughts. He wasn’t paying attention, and suddenly, he bumped into Woojin who was walking slowly in front of him.
Shin apologized, “Oh, I’m sorry.”
Woojin wasn’t a short guy, but Shin was over 185 cm. Shin had to look down to see Woojin, who froze.
“…”
Without turning around or saying anything, Woojin began to walk again. Shin frowned and thought in annoyance, ‘What a cold guy. Does he have no basic social skills?’
Just then…
Shin saw Woojin’s pale neck slowly turning pink.