...Rumors had long circulated that there was some magic ritual that could grant an immortal body, but it was always false. In reality, these were nothing more than baseless tales meant to deceive the people...
Yoon Taehee, as usual, visited the library at the Naryecheong archives today. After swapping out several books and skimming through pages, he glanced at his wristwatch to check the time. It was later than he'd realized, and today was the day of the second quarter budget presentation.
After slipping on his mask again, he left the archive.
"Chief, good morning!"
As he walked down the corridor, staff members greeted him, recognizing the Chief Yoon instantly. Yoon Taehee nodded in acknowledgment as he continued his brisk pace, his long legs striding confidently forward.
When he reached the annex and turned the corner towards
Conference Room 2, he saw Seok Juryeon and her assistant Han Juyoung coming from the opposite direction.
"Oh, Chief Yoon."
Han Juyoung greeted him first. Yoon Taehee, who had been walking slouching with his hands behind his back, stopped and tilted his head slightly towards Seok Juryeon.
"You're here."
Seok Juryeon nodded without saying much, and Yoon Taehee naturally joined him, taking his place on her left, essentially adding a second aide beside him.
"I heard you were sick."
Seok Juryeon spoke up without turning her head. Yoon Taehee, who had been walking half a step behind with his hands behind his back, glanced at her. It seemed she was aware of his recent trips to the Purification Department for care due to internal injuries and fever.
"Yes. It was just a cold.
"...And now?" Seok Juryeon asked in a nonchalant voice.
"I'm all better."
She didn't say anything more. When they reached the door of conference room 2, Yoon Taehee stepped forward and held the door open for Seok Juryeon. His superior entered without even blinking.
"Department head, welcome!"
"Welcome, department head!"
"Welcome, department head!"
The exorcists exclaimed, rising in unison as soon as Seok Juryeon entered. Dozens of people bowed to welcome her, creating a striking scene. The mere sight of her entering brought an immediate hush to the room, her presence commanding respect.
Yoon Taehee took his position near the podium, surveying the room.
The conference room was lined with several long tables in rows, each with a copy of a document distributed in advance at each seat.
As usual, people sat in groups by team. Since it was a meeting hosted by the Ceremonial Instruments Department, there were many exorcists from that department, and there were also a few from other departments, including the Exorcism Department.
"Chief, over here!"
A voice rang out from afar, and he saw Kang Yibin raising her hand high. The members of Team 1 were gathered around Kang Yibin's table, with Jaegyeom seated in a quiet, hidden spot in the back row.
Although they were at a considerable distance, at some point, Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee's eyes met clearly. Jaegyeom, who had been resting his chin on his hand, looked at Yoon Taehee with a blank expression before his gaze slipped away.
Jaegyeom felt his heart thump the moment he saw him. It was their first meeting since the day at the cave. Fortunately, they weren't alone, because if they were, the situation would have been far more awkward and uncomfortable.
Yoon Taehee slowly made his way toward him from near the podium. The only vacant seats were next to Jaegyeom and Kang Yibin, who was sitting in the front row. Jaegyeom expected him to sit next to Kang Yibin, as that was the more ideal spot to view the presentation. However, when the faint scent of cologne wafted over, he realized his assumption was wrong.
Yoon Taehee had intentionally come to sit beside him in the far corner. After taking his seat next to Jaegyeom, he exchanged a few words with the team members, then leaned slightly and gazed intently at Jaegyeom's face.
"Hi."
"..."
Jaegyeom barely moved his lips, struggling to keep his composure.
"...Uh."
Somewhere between "yeah" and "mhm," his response came out awkward and tense.
"Have you eaten?"
"...Ye.s."
Another empty question followed.
"What did you eat?"
Reluctantly, Jaegyeom glanced at Yoon Taehee out of the corner of his eye.
"...Pork stir-fry rice."
"Was it good?"
Instead of answering, he gave a stiff nod.
"I didn't eat," Yoon Taehee added unprompted, as if explaining himself. "There was no one to eat with."
Jaegyeom found himself wondering, What's the point of saying that?
"..."
With nothing else to say, he glanced at Yoon Taehee again. Thanks to the mask covering his face, he couldn't read his expression. The lower half of his face was visible through an open part of the mask, revealing his sharp jawline and lips.
After the small talk about eating, the conversation between them abruptly ended. Pretending to flip through the documents, Jaegyeom felt uncomfortably conscious of Yoon Taehee's presence right beside him. The suffocating tension was discomforting and awkward.
He tried to regain his calm. Just as Yoon Taehee appeared unaffected in Jaegyeom's eyes, he hoped he looked the same in his.
The room, which had quieted when Seok Juryeon entered, was starting to buzz again. Staff from the Ceremonial Instruments Division were bustling around near the podium with microphones, preparing for the upcoming presentation, and the low murmur of waiting exorcists filled the room.
Suddenly, Yoon Taehee mumbled to himself in a daze.
"I like you."
Jaegyeom's hand, which had been turning a page, froze.
...What?
Doubting his ears, he whipped his head to look at Yoon Taehee, but the latter simply sat there, gazing at the documents, twirling a pen casually, his face expressionless. He looked so nonchalant that Jaegyeom wondered if he'd misheard.
Just then, the pen in Yoon Taehee's hand dropped to the floor.
Jaegyeom glanced down at it, hesitant. Yoon Taehee spoke in a flat tone.
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to pick it up?"
The pen had fallen between them.
"..."
He drops it, then tells me to pick it up...
Dumbfounded by his matter-of-fact tone of the ridiculous command, Jaegyeom reluctantly leaned down, conscious of the many eyes around them. But had he really just said...? Did I mishear?
As he bent to pick up the pen, Yoon Taehee leaned in close, and whispered quietly into his temple.
"I like you."
Jaegyeom froze in that position, pen in hand. Though the whisper barely loud enough for the person next to him to hear, the words were unmistakably clear to him. He hadn't misheard. His face flushed as he straightened up, bewildered, and saw Yoon Taehee gazing straight ahead, then muttering softly to himself again.
"I like you..."
"I like you." It spilled out, as if he could no longer hold it back, a confession masked as a mumble. At the confession disguised as a soliloquy, Jaegyeom's eye twitch. They were in the office, nearly a hundred people filled the space, and team members were sitting in front and behind them. His heart raced, and a cold sweat broke out.
He lowered his hand under the table, grabbing the hem of Yoon Taehee's suit jacket and pulling it sharply.
"E- Everyone can hear... you- you damn lunatic..."
As he quietly hissed the words, signaling him to stop, Yoon Taehee shot a sideways glance at him. Then, he reached for Jaegyeom's papers, and, holding the pen Jaegyeom had handed him, began to write something on the page.
Fidgeting, Jaegyeom's eyes darted nervously around the room, worried someone might have overheard. Fortunately, it seemed that no one had heard him. After checking his surroundings with relief, he looked down at what Yoon Taehee had written. When he saw the
neatly penned words, his eyes widened.
[l like you.]
"..."
Staring at the letters as if caught in a trap, jaegyeom slowly lifted his gaze. Their eyes met, mere inches apart, locking in a silent clash.
"The second quarter budget presentation will now begin."
At that moment, the room lights dimmed.