Minjae POV:
"I can't believe he would turn down such a great opportunity." Bongseon shook her head in disapproval and added, "I thought he would jump at the chance to work with us." Her eyes were full of incredulity.
Sungmin Hyung sighed deeply, holding his head in his hands as if he already knew this would not go as planned. Since our return from the meal, Junwoo has yet to leave his cabin.
After Joohwan Hyung abruptly declined our offer, he remained silent. I still find it unbelievable that Joohwan rejected us in that manner.
At the restaurant a few days ago
****
Everything was alright. I didn't believe Junwoo would be able to convince him because every time we have a chef, he usually says, "That doesn't remind me of home." The food was brought on time and tasted amazing. However, he appears to be having fun this time.
The silence at our table had been comfortable, almost hopeful, as we finished the last bites. Junwoo's face had lit up with contentment, and I thought, "This is it." We finally found one without any further questioning.
The content smile on my face slightly dropped when I keenly looked at Sungmin hyung. His eyes held something I couldn't put into words; the smile on his face that always reached brightly was dropping and rising like our company stocks. Quite nervous, maybe I can say that he has a feeling that this could not turn out well. Maybe we should have guessed it already.
"Would it be possible to speak with the chef?" Junwoo softly and politely asked Taekwang's mother, who was refilling water.
Sungmin Hyung almost choked when Junwoo asked, but Junwoo was busy waiting for Taekwang's mother to answer. Bongseon noona, always a friend of Sungmin hyung, patted Sungmin hyung's shoulder, quietly whispering, "You okay?" to which He just gave a nod.
My eye turned back to Taekwang's mother; she had that soft smile, but it looked quite tight at the edges. "Of course, I'll call him." She said her voice is still kind, yet there is an edge of cautiousness that hangs.
When Joohwan hyung came out of the kitchen, he didn't approach our table first; he stood at the counter, where his aunt was talking to him, gesturing towards us. I could see him closing his eyes for a moment. I should have, and we should have, guessed it beforehand.
Before Hyung could come to us, Junwoo stood up and walked over, pulling his suit button. Sungmin hyung shook his head, rubbing his forehead while Boengseong noona and I exchanged a glance with an unknown smile that was wobbling over our lips.
We couldn't hear the exact words from where we sat, but we saw Junwoo's calm presentation, his gestures toward the restaurant and then back to us, and Joohwan hyung looking at us and then back to listening to Junwoo. It looked as if he were explaining the whole package of pros and cons of joining or collaborating with our company, the growth, prestige, and all.
Joohwan Hyung listened. He didn't interrupt, didn't nod, and didn't smile; all he did was listen. His face was a blank page, as if he had to decide if he was interested or not.
Then, when Junwoo finished, Joohwan hyung stayed quiet for a matter of time that felt too long. We all held our breaths, hoping the answer would be yes.
BUT!
"No," he said. There was no rudeness behind his voice, but it was devoid of any need for explanation. The single word was so clean, clear, and final.
Junwoo, to his credit, didn't flinch, but well, I didn't miss the way his smile slowly dropped. Well, he just inclined his head slightly. "I see. Thank you for your time."
"That's it, that's all," Junwoo, our young, dynamic manager who was good with words, told us. There was no sweetening the offer. Well, what can I expect? He was just good with words that could offer no conviction.
****
"I know that's what he would say," Sungmin hyung whispered, his voice barely audible above the hum of the office. He ran a hand down his face, looking more tired than disappointed. "But, well, it's my fault in the first place for taking you all there."
I looked at Sungmin hyung with pity, but it's indeed his fault, yet I couldn't say it out loud, not if I wanted to be alive. I pressed my lips into a pouty line, letting out a disappointed sigh. I turned my gaze toward the manager's office. I wonder what this kid is going to do now or is thinking about.
The 'no' that Hyung said was too straight; come to think of it, he still hadn't changed. Still maintaining the same empty eyes, short talks, and replies. He looks more depressed and has a soulless body.
Buzz buzz buzz
My phone vibrated insistently in my pocket; I wondered who would call me at this time like this. But then it clicked. "Excuse me," I muttered, stepping away to find a more private corner.
"Hey—"
"Minjae-ya, I am so sorry about hyung! Really, truly sorry. I had no idea he would say no right to your manager's face like that. Please, please convey my apologies on his behalf. I hope he isn't taking it out on you or Sungmin-ssi." The words rushed out in a single, anxious breath.
"For the sake of Buddha, sweetheart, calm down, calm down, Taekwang," I said, lowering my voice.
A shaky exhale came through the line. "I am."
"Good."
I leaned against the cool concrete wall, a tired smile touching my lips. I don't even understand how I'd fall for this man in the first place. His brother's actions were not his responsibility, yet here he is, already panicking for a situation he didn't create. And despite it all, or maybe because of it, I couldn't help falling for him even more.
Yes, all those leaves I'd taken, all the excuses I'd made, forcing Sungmin hyung to cover for my absences under the guise of "meeting my girlfriend…" it had all been for him. All this time, it's HIM I've been in love with.
It wasn't that I was ashamed to tell the world I loved a man. It was just that I was afraid of losing him if anyone found out. The world we live in is still narrow and judgmental. It's not that I couldn't handle the stares or the whispers—I could. But he isn't just any guy. He is a teacher, and that changed everything. One rumor, one suspicion, could cost him the career he worked so hard for, the respect of his students, and the trust of their parents. My love couldn't be the reason his world fell apart. So, I hid. We hid.
"Minjae-ya? Are you still there?" his voice was softer now, laced with worry.
"Yea-Yeah, I'm there," I said, my own voice softening. "And stop apologizing. Your hyung made his choice. It's not your fault."
He hadn't said anything, so I continued, "See, you didn't know that we would go to your restaurant in the first place, and neither did I think that the restaurant that Sungmin hyung mentioned was yours." I paused, standing straight, looking into space.
"But Tae, hyung is still the same as ever; now that concerns me," I said, the words feeling heavy as I spoke them. "It's like he's still stuck there. In that place."
The line went quiet again. I felt like I crossed the boundary until I heard Taekwang's voice. "Yeah, I know," he breathed out, the sound more than a sigh.
I could picture him now, his face down, his dark brown eyes moist, the pain of his throat clenching him not to let out tears like the crybaby he is. His nose tip turned cute and pink while biting his bottom lip, as if he were holding all the emotions inside.
I wish I could hold him and tell him it's okay to cry; I wish I could comfort him and make him feel better. But all I could do was listen, silently wishing I could do more to help him through his pain.
"I don't understand how many years he still needs to move on from that trauma, Minjae-ya."
His voice was a raw whisper, breaking under the weight of a helplessness I knew all too well. It was the sound of watching someone drown from the shore, your lifeline always a few feet too short.
"I know, Tae," I murmured, the words feeling useless to my own ears. I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the cold floor, the professional world feeling galaxies away. "He's carrying something… I don't think time alone can fix it."
On the other end, I heard a shaky inhale, the obvious sniff he tried to mask. The image of him, trying so hard to be strong, shattered my chest. He loves his brother so much and has always admired him, praising his cooking skills and saying that Taekwang could not have done it with his hands, because if he chose to cook, it would either be a disaster or set fire to the whole house.
I couldn't call him a burden to his brother, but the depression he was having and the guilt and grief he was surely carrying do.
"He needs help," Taekwang spoke again, breaking the moment's silence, "Real help. Not just…not just cooking in that quiet restaurant and pretending the rest of the world doesn't exist. But every time I even suggest it, he shuts down. Completely. It's like talking to a wall."
He let out a wet, frustrated laugh. "Maybe your manager's offer, as blunt as it was…maybe it was a kind of shake-up. Something different. And he just…rejected the entire concept."
The irony wasn't lost on me. Junwoo, in his own ruthless way, might have been offering a form of escape, a new world. And Hyung had looked at that door and bolted it shut.
"I wish I knew what to say," I confessed, my forehead resting against my knees. "I wish I could make it better for him. For you."
"You're listening," he said softly, and that softness in his velvety voice made my throat tight. "That's …that's more than enough for now."
Damn, Kwon Taekwang, do you even know what you are doing to me with just a few soft words? You could just shatter the careful composure I'd spent all day building. "You're listening," he said, as if it were a simple thing. He said it as if hearing his pain and holding space for his helplessness didn't feel like the most important thing I could do. It was both a gift and a torment.
Gift that I am the one he could easily slip his bright, cheerful side to and let out all his vulnerable side. And Torment is that he was letting out his pain, saying that my listening was enough, while here I am, dying to hold him tight in my arms and stay by his side until he lets out all his tears.
We sat in that shared silence for a moment longer, two people holding onto an invisible thread of care, one holding the love that the world never knew and the other holding the pain that had been hidden for far too long.
"I should go," he said finally, the teacher in him waking up. "My next class starts soon."
"Okay. Go mold those young minds." I infused my tone with a forced cheer, a stark contrast to the heavy ache in my chest. "I'll…see you later. We'll figure something out. Even if it's just…being there."
"Okay," he agreed, a faint warmth finally getting back.
"Oh wait," I said, the shift in topic a welcome, if clumsy, lifeline. "You haven't told me how the bouquet was yesterday. The one I sent."
A soft laugh came through the phone, and the sound was like sunlight breaking through clouds. "Ah, that. It was beautiful. The lilies and eustomas…they're on my desk right now. The kids are asking if I am going to give it to my girlfriend or if I received it."
"They are too nosy about their teacher's personal life; isn't that a bit over the top?" I said, huffing at the part about the girlfriend.
I hear him chuckle softly. "Come on, Minjae-ya, they are kids; you know we were the same when we were their age, so now stop getting worked up over students."
His teasing landed with a familiar affection and precision, melting the last of the tension from my shoulders. "I'm not. It's Just…protective of your privacy," I grumbled; the protest was weak to my own ears."
"If so, stop sending flowers on even things like parent meetings for cheering; my privacy is so fine here."
"I don't promise to, but since you have asked me nicely, maybe I will give it a thought, kwon seonsegnim," I said, putting my hand down on the floor and standing up in support with a low groan.
"Fine, fine, do whatever you like, but don't say a word about my kids. Now, I am off," he said, sounding quite cute. I could imagine the pout and huff of his cheeks already, so I couldn't help but smile to myself. "And I am sorry again, Minjae-ya. For all of this. For Hyung, for putting you in this position—
"Yeah, Kwon Taekwang," I immediately cut him off, growing tired of his apologies for the nth time. "I have already told you to stop apologizing. I am not going to repeat it, unless you want to wear your mask on your pretty face to cover or… maybe wear a turtleneck for your neck, too."
"Sh-shut up, I am just being nice to you. I am off now; see you again."
I could practically hear him blushing through the phone. The way his voice stumbled, the sudden rush to end the call, was so unmistakably Taekwang that my heart ached in the best possible way.
"See you again," I said softly, letting the warmth linger in my voice.
The line went dead, but I didn't move right away. I stayed there, phone still pressed to my ear, a stupid smile probably plastered across my face. "You've got it bad, Park Minjae," I thought to myself. Really, really bad.