All at once, Ji Hyun finally understood why Sung Ho was acting weirdly.
He too had struggled with his feelings.
“Sung Ho, I-” Ji Hyun stuttered but was interrupted by Sung Ho. “Wait, Not now, just… think about it alright? Think about it… and when I ask you for an answer, you can tell me then. Alright?” Sung Ho’s deep voice was emotional, unlike his usual calm self. He unconsciously held on tighter to Ji Hyun’s hand, it conveyed his insecurity and sincere wish for Ji Hyun to think things through.
“Okay.” Ji Hyun replied
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Sung Ho was nervous but felt his plan could work. His company was registered under his new name, Park Se Hun. He had changed his name three years ago, wanting to start anew and throw his past behind. Only a few people knew his previous name in the company, namely Han Yuri, Kim Seo Jun, and his Vice CEO, Ahn Hae Soo.
Even when he fucked around before meeting Ji Hyun again, he used his old name, to keep his new name clean. He was extremely low profile, when two people met for mutual benefit, the unspoken rule was not to get involved in each other's business or face the consequences. After last night, he decided to end things between himself and all his sex partners. After messaging them, he tossed his burner phone into the fireplace and watched it go up in flames.
The people who knew how he looked like though... were a little more. He hardly showed his face, and if he did, it was in important meetings. The people involved in higher management could probably recognize him if they came near.. but Sung Ho thought of a plan. 'What could go wrong.. right?'
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Ji Hyun walked into the bathroom and found that Sung Ho's hair was a mess and he was wearing black thick-framed glasses, his outfit a simple formal shirt with a dark red tie and black suit pants. "...Is this how you usually look like when you go to work?"
"..." 'I'm doing this for you...' Sung Ho thought to himself. "Yea.." he let out an awkward smile. Ji Hyun frowned and helped tidy Sung Ho's fringe a little. "Thanks"
"By the way, I have something for you" Sung Ho went into the bedroom and took out a box from the bedside drawer. "Take it, I want to be able to contact you. My number is saved inside." Ji Hyun opened the box and saw the latest model of uPhone inside. "T-this is too expensive..." he tried to push it back to Sung Ho.
"It's alright, if you feel bad then try to message me more okay?" Sung Ho took out the phone from the box and placed it in Ji Hyun's hands. "O-okay.." Ji Hyun weakly replied.
Sung Ho dropped Ji Hyun off at the company's district, giving him a lunch box and tumbler prior. The area was full of biomedical research and technology companies, truly the hub for medical advancement and innovation.
Thanks to Tae Kyung's magic and the clothes brought by Sung Ho accentuated by his tall and slender body, Ji Hyun didn't need to do much styling. He looked effortlessly handsome and neat in his formal suit, like a model.
But he had a slight slouch to his posture, and a nervous air surrounding him, Ji Hyun had a hard time trying to calm his nerves. He drank from the tumbler and was pleasantly surprised to taste iced barley.. he summoned up whatever courage he could and walked into the building. He had to go to the Human Resources department to settle the paperwork.
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Sung Ho drove into the private entrance at the back of the company. The security guard obviously recognized the car of the CEO so Sung Ho made it in without any problems. He then took the private lift to his office and sat in his chair, preparing himself mentally for what he was going to do.
"I saw your car coming in, I don't know what you are planning but I have to update you about the acquisition of-" Seo Jun came in and started rambling but became totally silent when Sung Ho swiveled around.
"You fuc-" "Shut up!!!!!" Sung Ho roared in embarrassment while facepalming, his ears were stained with a tinge of red. Only Seo Jun would dare to talk to him like this, but... if he were in Seo Jun's shoes.. he'd probably be cursing even more.
Sung Ho took a deep breath and discussed important matters with Seo Jun since he had some time. "Let the lawyers review the contract then send it to me, arrange and schedule in the contract signing, Hae Soo can handle everything else."
Seo Jun was satisfied with their meeting today, before he left he quipped in "I feel like you've returned to our internship days..." he ran away and slammed the door shut as Sung Ho threw his paperweight at him. It left a deep indentation at the bottom of the door. "Bastard..." they both mumbled to themselves at the same time.
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"He-Hello..." Ji Hyun whispered to the lady at HR (Human Resources) sitting in her cubicle. His tall presence made her look up at him "Woah... Hello! I assume you're the new recruit at administration? You're... Park-" "He-Hello! I'm Lee Ji H-Hyun!" Ji Hyun mustered the courage to speak a little louder.
"Ahh! The other one!" She exclaimed. They did the paperwork and signing to finalize his employment. 'Huh..? I don't remember the pay being this high... it's almost double... there's.. housing and overtime allowance.. medical benefits? Huh? The number of entitled leaves looks abnormally high..' Sung Ho had personally drafted the contract on the pretense that Ji Hyun was a gifted employee poached from another company. HR did not find it strange and Ji Hyun didn't complain, thinking to himself maybe he was too out of touch with the changes of full-time benefits in Korea. The lady directed him to Han Yuri's sickbay and told him to come back after he had his checkup.
"Hello, Ji Hyun, wow, you look like a different person, you remember me, right?" Yuri was eating KKCorn, a cone-shaped snack on each of her fingers. "Y-yes.. thank you, Dr. Han."
Yuri went to wash her hands, she then served Ji Hyun tea and the two of them sat comfortably across from each other on the sofa. "Ji Hyun, you can be comfortable with me, you can call me Noona" she calmly said, "Yuri.. Noona" he shyly called out.
"Today we're going to do a simple examination of your eyes and ears, and draw some blood for a simple workup and to check for infectious diseases. As the company's doctor, I naturally have access to each employee's medical records” she explained. Ji Hyun tensed up.. it meant she knew about his depression and social anxiety. "Don't worry.. except for the CEO who has access to all employee's information, only I know about it. Why would the CEO check your records? So don't worry" she smiled with a slight glint in her eyes.
Ji Hyun relaxed a little and heaved a sigh of relief. "In the future, you can collect your prescriptions from me, I took the initiative to prepare three months’ worth of medication for you", she stuffed a bag of his usual medications into his hands. "I'm a trained psychiatrist too... So if you ever want to speak to a doctor... I'm here okay?" She passed him her name card and assured him. Ji Hyun popped his pills and chugged down the tea served. "Thank you Yuri Noona... I appreciate it.. this company is really good" he flashed out an innocent toothy smile. 'Yea.. for you' she thought to herself and suppressed an eye roll at the thought of Sung Ho meticulously planning Ji Hyun's employment process.
After getting his blood drawn and his eyes and ears examined, Ji Hyun thanked Yuri again and went back to HR. The same lady guided him to the department he was assigned to. The department had an open concept workspace for their employees, Ji Hyun thought he'd be able to hide in a corner.. or a cubicle.. but...
The place was alive and buzzing with people. Ji Hyun felt his throat tighten and heartbeat quicken, cold sweat forming on his forehead. A short man who looked like he was in his fifties walked in front of Ji Hyun. The HR lady introduced the man, he was the manager of the department, Mr. Ji Han Gyeol. She told Ji Hyun to introduce himself but he was too distracted by the crowd around him, the words seemed stuck in his throat. "I-I.."
"Hello! I am Park Sung Ho! One of the new employees here! Please take care of me!" Ji Hyun swung his head around, eyes widening as he saw Sung Ho standing behind him at the side, in a respectful bow. Ji Hyun snapped out of it, "..I-I-I'm Lee Ji Hyun! Please take care of me!" he bowed as well.
"Ha ha ha..!! Two new promising staff! I'm going to lose my popularity! The both of you could be models!!" Han Gyeol heartily exclaimed and patted their backs. A flock of female employees starting coming forward to admire the two handsome additions to their department. Sung Ho noticed Ji Hyun's discomfort and quickly stood in front of him. "Mr. Han Gyeol Boo Jang! I'm so excited to get started, could you let us know where our desks are at?" Sung Ho smiled charmingly at Han Gyeol.
"Ahh..! Sure! Follow me! I'll send your preceptor over later, she's busy with an external meeting in the morning" Han Gyeol led them to a shared desk for the both of them. "As you can see.. we have an open concept for our workspace, the both of you will occupy this desk. I've put some reading materials here, your ID and password are pasted inside at the back of your staff pass. Bring it wherever you go, certain areas need clearance as we are dealing with cutting-edge technologies. But of course, there are many restrictions for your level. Here are the keys for the drawers on the desk and side tables. Get yourself familiarised with the physical materials first, you can access the shared drive for more information after logging in your computers..." after Han Gyeol finished up with his instructions, they thanked him and he then rushed off to his desk at the front.
Ji Hyun was nervously looking at Sung Ho the whole time. "Y-you didn't tell me..." he pouted. Sung Ho sighed "You never told me the name of the company you were starting work at.. isn't it a happy coincidence?" He calmly explained himself. Ji Hyun pouted.. he couldn't refute that. "T-tell me honestly.. are.. are you involved in some shady business? How can you afford your place and car by working at such a low-level job?..." Ji Hyun's eyes looked full of concern and worry.
Sung Ho smiled and ruffled Ji Hyun's hair. "Stocks!! I invested wisely and earned enough... I just want a stable job now.." he chuckled nervously. Ji Hyun contemplated.. and decided not to pressure Sung Ho anymore. "Fine.." he sighed, still pouting. "Stop pouting unless you want me to kiss you in front of everyone" Sung Ho cheekily smirked. Ji Hyun blushed and pretended not to hear Sung Ho, he opened up the materials and started focusing on them. 'Since when did he learn to be so flirty and cheeky..' Ji Hyun thought to himself.
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Ji Hyun tried to focus but he was anxious, there were people staring at both of them, Ji Hyun felt like a hamster in a pet shop. Sung Ho placed a hand on his thigh in an attempt to calm him down but his hand got smacked away. "It...It's okay... I'm fine, don't be so.. affectionate with me.. in public" Ji Hyun was sweating.
Sung Ho frowned but did not push it, he opened Ji Hyun's tumbler and told him to drink, which Ji Hyun accepted. A few hours later, their preceptor, Jeon Ri Ah, an average height elegant-looking lady arrived, they introduced themselves to her and likewise. They were given the day to explore the place and to get familiarised with their work station, the rest of the week would be spent reading up, helping their preceptor with materials, and following her to meetings.
"By the way, Han Gyeol Boo Jang wants to organize a welcome dinner party for the both of you at the end of next week, clear your schedules" She flashed them a mischievous smile. Ji Hyun looked at her blankly and froze nervously. "Sure, Ri Ah Sunbaenim" Sung Ho smiled. At lunchtime they went to eat at the staff cafeteria, Ji Hyun took out the lunch box and Sung Ho went to buy his lunch.
"Why didn't you make one for yourself?" Ji Hyun asked. "I.. forgot" Sung Ho nervously chuckled. It slipped his mind as usually, Seo Jun would buy for him lunch takeouts from the nearby restaurants. He would take this opportunity to review his company's cafeteria lunches. Ji Hyun raised an eyebrow in doubt but decided to just eat his lunch.
Ji Hyun didn't say it yet but he was thankful for Sung Ho's presence. He almost fumbled his greetings to the department head.. and Sung Ho answered for both of them when he couldn't get the words out. Just being by his side, he felt safer 'I need to... Buck up..! I can't always rely on Sung Ho..' He thought to himself, knowing he can't become dependent on Sung Ho. Sung Ho amusedly watched Ji Hyun's expressions change from happy, to sad, to determined.
After eating, the two of them decided to tour the building. Sung Ho knew the place like it was his second home, he subtly guided Ji Hyun around. Walking past the board with names and titles, a name caught his eye... "Park Se Hun.." Ji Hyun mumbled. Sung Ho froze, "That's the CEO's name... I should probably remember it hehe.. the vice CEO is Ahn Hae Soo.." Ji Hyun innocently chattered on, unbeknownst to him that his words had made Sung Ho's heart skip a beat. "Yea.. let’s get going" Sung Ho hurriedly pulled Ji Hyun away.
After touring the place, they returned to their desks and spent the rest of their working hours reading through the materials. Sung Ho then told Ji Hyun to wait at the place he dropped him off earlier, he would drive over to pick him up. "I can walk with you to the car park" Ji Hyun suggested but was flatly rejected by Sung Ho, with the reasoning that the car park was far. From that next day onwards, Sung Ho knew he had to drive another car and forgo his private back entrance and private lift privileges to keep up the facade.
At night, after tucking Ji Hyun in, Sung Ho would then work into the night, catching up with the tasks of his real job. Sung Ho was a workaholic, most of his time was invested into work, especially during the first two years of the company's conception. Nights with little sleep were not new to him, especially so now that he was doing it for Ji Hyun.
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