Chapter 23

The sunlight pierced the ground sharply. Was it said to be the hottest day of the year? After a short early summer, the sweltering heat had already arrived. Woo Hyun, dressed in a thin t-shirt, closed the window he had opened for ventilation. The clock already pointed to 5 o'clock. As the intense heat began to rage, Woo Hyun's café visiting hours became later than before. He usually went after dinner, or on days he had business dinner appointments, he would go before dinner was over. Even if they didn't have sex, the two of them would meet as if by unspoken agreement. However, no one questioned it or expected the relationship to change.

Just then, the door opened, and Seong Tae unexpectedly came in. Seong Tae stared blankly at Woo Hyun, who was getting up from his seat and grabbing his keys.

"Hyung, are you going?"

By now, Seong Tae no longer asked where he was going at this hour. He just looked at him with an expression that suggested he knew it would be 'there.'

"Yeah."

Woo Hyun replied indifferently, as if suggesting why bothered asking when he already knew. Woo Hyun, who had put his keys in his pants pocket, walked around the desk.

"Hyung, I'm just curious. When are you going to give those to her?"

Seong Tae pointed to the neatly placed paper bags in one corner of the office and asked. They were the bags Woo Hyun had bought a month ago at the duty-free shop. Even after that, whenever Woo Byun went to a department store, he would always buy women's handbags or clothes. Yet, he never actually gave them as gifts.

"Well..."

Woo Hyun replied indifferently, as if it were someone else's business.

"If you're going to give a gift, either give it or don't buy it. Are you perhaps going to wear them, Hyung? When I'm not here, wearing those... no way, you wouldn't possibly..."

Woo Hyun stared at Seong Tae, who was starting to jump to conclusions, with dry eyes. With a look that conveyed his intent to kick Seong Tae out of the company if he uttered one more word, Seong Tae quickly shut his mouth.

"I'll be back."

"Hyung."

"Now what?"

"Actually, I've been debating for a week whether or not to ask this question. It's just..."

"Then don't."

Woo Hyun cut him off sharply and turned away. That was the kind of person Seong Tae knew Ma Woo Hyun to be. Cold, stern, and never listening to people's stories to the end. However, recently, Woo Hyun, who was coincidentally with a young woman presumed to be the café owner, seemed like a different person. It was shocking enough that he, who never touched Italian food, was at a restaurant famous for Italian cuisine. But, Woo Hyun was sitting across from the woman, laughing and talking. He wasn't laughing out loud, but Woo Hyun, who let out a small chuckle and meticulously took care of the woman, was kindness itself. At first, Seong Tae thought it might be a ghost, but it was definitely Ma Woo Hyun.

Seong Tae shouted after Woo Hyun, who was walking away.

"Hyung, with that woman..."

"I'm not dating."

It was when Woo Hyun, as if asking if this was the first or second time Seong Tae had asked, coldly snapped and turned around.

"No. Do you like her?"

"..."

"I wanted to ask if you like that woman."

Woo Hyun's neck turned precariously, as if it might creak.

"...What?"

Woo Hyun asked again briefly, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

Seong Tae inhaled and looked at Woo Hyun.

"Hyung, you look happiest when you go to the café during the day."

"..."

"So, what I mean is, you look exactly like a high schooler in love."

At Seong Tae's words, Woo Hyun had a dumbfounded expression. A moment passed.

"No."

Finally, Woo Hyun denied it.

"It's not, is it?"

"Right, it's not. I'm going now."

Woo Hyun turned and walked away. Pushing open the office door, Woo Hyun stopped halfway down the stairs. Even as the sun set, the suffocating heat persisted. Breathing in the humid, damp air, Woo Hyun mumbled.

"Looks like a high schooler in love, huh..."

It was what the twenty-something Ma Woo Hyun had desperately wanted to hear. He had wished he could passionately love any woman, but despite his earnest longing, it was a wish that was never granted.

"Hmph."

Woo Hyun swallowed hard. Even without Seong Tae mentioning it, he was realizing that he was slowly changing. He found himself checking his watch frequently during work, and buying gifts for Da Hee at department stores, even though he wouldn't give them to her. Instead of fitting Da Hee into his empty schedule, he was now scheduling his work around the time he would meet Da Hee.

Something unsettling quickly flashed through his mind. Woo Hyun furrowed his brow, forcefully pushing the burgeoning thought away.

No way.

Woo Hyun shook his head. The sweltering wind rustled his blue T-shirt before disappearing.

~~~~~

Miel's Translations