That day, Jaegyeom asked Yoon Taehee if he was feeling unwell, and Yoon Taehee replied, 'No, I'm not sick.'
However, the next day, Yoon Taehee took sick leave and did not come to the office. As a result, the atmosphere in Team 1's office was gloomy all day. Everyone was united in their concern for Chief Yoon. It was understandable, as this was the first time Yoon Taehee had ever said he was "sick and would rest at home."
Of course, Yoon Taehee was often late, frequently changed his schedule on a whim, and wasn't known for his dedication to his duties. But this was the first time he had taken leave due to health reasons.
Yoon Taehee, who had substituted for Kang Yibin at the site, had to endure a harsh fever. He had already been feeling unwell, drank strong alcohol, and to make matters worse, got soaked in the rain, which naturally worsened his condition. So he took another sick leave the following day.
On the second day of Yoon Taehee's absence, Jaegyeom came home after work and paced around the living room.
He was debating whether to contact Yoon Taehee.
He had promised himself not to engage with the other man unless absolutely necessary. He had decided to stay distant and maintain a casual relationship. But despite this, Jaegyeom couldn't help but be worried about him.
If he hadn't gone to the site with him that day, he wouldn't have cared if Yoon Taehee was sick or not. Or, even if he was concerned, he wouldn't have shown it. This was because, after a few clashes with Yoon Taehee, Jaegyeom thought they would never be able to go back to the way they were before.
However, when they set off the silver battery inside the building and ran away together, it felt like, for a moment, they had gone back to how they used to be. To be honest, his heart had softened a little.
So Jaegyeom couldn't bring himself to harshly push away Yoon Taehee, who had been resting his forehead on the back of his hand.
That day, Yoon Taehee looked fragile and precarious, as if he might shatter at any moment. Moreover, seeing him crouched, soaked from the rain, looking like a drenched rat, his heart softened a bit,
too.
And... he was still a little attached, wanting to see if they could go back to how things were.
"Eating with me. Sometimes having tea with me. When I tell silly jokes, even if they're not funny, laughing at them. And, occasionally, getting in the car I drive, like today. That should be enough..."
However, aside from that, Jaegyeom was confused because he couldn't understand what Yoon Taehee really wanted from him.
Sometimes, when they met face to face, he'd say things like, "You're just a piece in my game," or "Do as you're told," always sharp-tongued. But now, his behavior was so inconsistent that jaegyeom had no idea how to respond. After hesitating for a moment, he took out his phone and called Yoon Taehee.
[The person you are trying to reach is unavailable... You will be connected to voicemail....]
But Yoon Taehee didn't answer the phone. Jaegyeom, still in his thought, began typing a text message.
[Hyearuok.howsidyuogetsoweek.]
Hey, Yoon Taehee. How's your body? How did you get so weak?
[Comtomyhuose.gettretedbymesani.ubgood.]
I'm worried you're sick. Come to my house, Mesani can treat you and you'll be good in no time.
[Orrelsewhresuhouse..givmeidicnalwater.]
If it's hard to come because you're unwell, tell me where you live. I'll bring you some medicinal water from Mesani. Even if you don't get treated directly, drinking it will make you feel better quickly.
... Feeling satisfied with the caring undertones in his message, Jaegyeom pressed send and then headed to the kitchen to grab a bowl.
"Hey, Mesan ah."
Mesan, who had been sitting at the table writing in a diary, looked up with wide, bright eyes. Jaegyeom scratched his nose and held out the bowl.
"Throw up a nice one in here."
"Eh?"
Jaegyeom hesitated for a moment before explaining. He said that Yoon Taehee was sick, the medicinal water from the Purification Department didn't work, and that he seemed to be on his last legs...
In short, he needed some medicinal water for Yoon Taehee.
"What? Young master Yoon is sick? Oh no!"
Mesani looked worried and gladly took the bowl. He meditated for about five minutes before vomiting into the bowl. jaegyeom transferred his vomit—no, the beautiful dew of medicinal water— into a water bottle rolling around on the floor, then sat down on the sofa, waiting for Yoon Taehee to reply.
However, in the end, no message came from Yoon Taehee.
***
The next evening, as Jaegyeom was getting ready for work, his phone rang.
[Yoon Taehee]
"..."
As soon as Jaegyeom saw who was calling, he quickly answered the phone.
[Hello.]
"..."
Hearing the voice on the other end made him oddly relieved. It was the same as usual. The fact that the man's voice sounded normal—
did that mean he was all better? Jaegyeom quickly ran through what he wanted to say in his head. How are you feeling? By the way, really, you rude bastard, I sent you a message out of concern, and you didn't even bother replying. You always were like this. I was a fool to think we could get along again. Fine, remember that you mean nothing to me...
[My lord.]
Fortunately, before Jaegyeom could organize his thoughts, Yoon Taehee spoke first. The term "my lord," which they had used before their relationship soured, immediately softened the harsh words Jaegyeom had been ready to unleash.
"What."
Where are you?]
"Why?"
[If you haven't left yet, should we go to work together? I'm outside your gate right now.]
Surprised, Jaegyeom hung up and went outside. When he opened the gate and walked to the street, there was indeed Yoon Taehee's sedan. He walked briskly toward the passenger seat, and with a hum, the window rolled down. Yoon Taehee, sitting in the driver's seat, leaned over slightly and waved his hand at him.
"Hi, long time no see. It's been three days."
"..."
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah."
Jaegyeom, with a nonchalant face, climbed into the passenger seat.
His earlier vow never to ride in her car again was now forgotten.
Yoon Taehee started driving, and the car smoothly exited the alley.
Sneaking a glance, Jaegyeom noticed that his face looked a little haggard, as if he'd been through a rough time.
"..."
After fidgeting with his fingers for a moment, Jaegyeom asked casually.
"...How's your health?"
During the two days he'd been bedridden, Yoon Taehee had spent time organizing his thoughts.
"I'm fine now. I've recovered."
Controlling his emotions and hiding his true feelings was something Yoon Taehee was very familiar with. He had been doing it for the past ten years, so he didn't think this time would be any different.
However, the emotions he thought he'd buried had stacked up inside him, growing into a fever. The biggest problem was that Yoon Taehee himself didn't even know exactly what he wanted from Jaegyeom.
While he was proficient in everything else, he was inexperienced when it came to his own emotions. So, he decided to take a step
back. For the strict Yoon Taehee, this was his first defeat. Taking a step back, he asked himself, "In this moment, what do I want, and what should I do?"
What I want from you right now...
Is to sit across from you and eat a meal together, to exchange silly jokes once in a while, to pick you up or drop you off sometimes. And what I should do is...
Be satisfied with just this much, and by succeeding in my revenge, I want to see you fail.
Will that really be enough for me? Will that really be enough...? But to this question, Yoon Taehee couldn't find an answer. No, he didn't want to answer. He wanted to believe that it would be enough.
Because when he looked back, he had always failed when it came to him.
"Have you eaten?"
With that mindset, Yoon Taehee asked quietly.
"No, I haven't."
"Then, would you like to have a meal with me?"
As the car briefly came to a stop, Yoon Taehee turned his head to look at jaegyeom.
"..."
And the moment their eyes met, Jaegyeom knew for sure.
The words Yoon Taehee had just spoken were his way of offering a truce. He had a vague sense of it from the moment he drove up to pick him up. Yoon Taehee, too, must want to go back to how things were. They had been distant for a while, but had something changed in his mind? Had he reconsidered, or perhaps, had he matured in the meantime...?
Either way, it was better to get along than to keep butting heads.
That had been Jaegyeom's stance from the beginning.
"Do as you like."
Jaegyeom finally responded after a long pause.
***
Yoon Taehee parked the car and stood in front of the restaurant, looking up at the sign.
'Dolsoe's Baekban'
Earlier, he had asked Jaegyeom if he had any cravings. Jaegyeom had suggested a place near the office that he'd been to with his team a few times. In truth, Yoon Taehee had expected Jaegyeom to say he was fine with anything and was already heading toward a restaurant he had picked out; an Italian place with pasta and wood-fired pizza. But when Jaegyeom expressed a clear preference for a particular restaurant, he readily changed course.
The restaurant jaegyeom had suggested turned out to be a rundown baekban (rice with side dish) joint tucked into a corner of Jongno 2-ga.
"..."
The place looked quite shabby at first glance, clearly showing its age. "Dolsoe's Baekban" was a favorite spot of the team 1 members, but Taehee had rarely joined them for meals, so this was his first visit. As they entered through the sliding door, they saw a few patrons already drinking soju in the early evening.
Jaegyeom, evidently familiar with the place, easily found a seat.
Yoon Taehee followed and sat down. The menu on the wall was simple, mostly featuring grilled fish.
"What'll you have?"
The elderly owner, with a hunched back, brought over a water jug and utensils as he asked. Jaegyeom, having gotten used to ordering at various restaurants since joining the office, was now able to order quite well.
"One set of grilled yellow croaker baekban and one set of grilled mackerel baekban, please."
Yoon Taehee, staring at the menu, hesitated and glanced at Jaegyeom. He usually disliked fishy smells and never put fish in his mouth. He was about to say that he would have something else when,
"What are you getting?"
Jaegyeom looked at him and asked.
Oh... He hadn't ordered for me. Both of those are his...
Knowing Jaegyeom's appetite, Yoon Taehee didn't bother asking questions like, "Can you really eat all that?" or, "You're going to eat two sets of baekban by yourself?"
"Then I'll have one beef stew, please."
After ordering, Yoon Taehee poured some water into a cup and placed it in front of Jaegyeom. Jaegyeom drank the water and turned his attention to a TV on the wall. The evening drama that aired at this time was on. Noticing his focus, Yoon Taehee also glanced over his shoulder and asked,
"Do you like watching dramas?"
"Mm."
"What's the title?"
Yoon Taehee asked. With a casual expression, Jaegyeom replied,
"Precious My Love."
"..."
He then began explaining the plot of the drama. It was one he'd watched every day before entering the office. Yoon Taehee quietly listened to him. In the meantime, Jaegyeom's grilled fish baekban sets arrived with various side dishes. Yoon Taehee slid the bowl of
rice toward him.
"Eat first."
"Okay."
Jaegyeom opened the rice bowl and scooped up a large spoonful.
Then, he tore off the head of the yellow croaker and placed it on top of the rice. The other person, sipping water and watching him eat, suddenly froze in shock.
"Wait, wait..."
Yoon Taehee, looking bewildered, stopped Jaegyeom mid-bite.
"What?"
Jaegyeom paused, holding his spoon, confused
"Why are you eating... the fish head?"
Yoon Taehee's eyes wavered slightly.
"You're supposed to eat it. Haven't you heard of 'meat head fish tail?"
"..."
There's an old saying that the fish head is the tastiest part, and for meat, the tail is the best. It wasn't completely untrue, but still... It was a bold choice. Yoon Taehee was momentarily speechless. Sure, eating the head was one thing, but didn't most people just pick the meat off the head instead of eating the whole thing?
"You're just... chewing and eating the whole thing like that?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"...Can you even chew that?"
Jaegyeom nodded indifferently.
"If you chew it thoroughly, you can eat it all."
*..*
In the past, fish were rare, so people would eat the head too. Fish was harder to come by than meat. After giving this brief lesson, Jaegyeom resumed eating. He carefully pulled out the larger bones, but didn't bother with the small ones, cutting the fish into bite-sized pieces and generously piling them onto his rice to eat in big bites.
Watching him curiously, Yoon Taehee rested his chin on his hand, as if fascinated.
"Are you a cat?"
"What?"
"Just kidding."
Soon after, the beef stew arrived, and Yoon Taehee started his meal as well.