A Rudolph-Nosed Intruder

The person standing outside the front door was someone entirely unexpected. A well-dressed Cha Gye-won pulled the slightly ajar door wide open.

“Why did it take you so long to open up? What, are you hiding a lover in there?”

Bringing the full chill of the outside air with him, Cha Gye-won stepped into the entryway without permission. Having burst in, he quickly scanned Yi-seo’s home.

“Gye-won-ssi, what about your schedule…?”

Today was the day to finish the pictorial shoot from the other day. A two-shot with Lee Jin-kang had been scheduled. Worried that he might have bailed on the shoot, Yi-seo asked in surprise, only for Cha Gye-won to wave his hand dismissively.

“It’s finished. In the morning.”

After his brief answer, Gye-won threw a blunt gaze at Yi-seo’s feet. He was wearing a dark brown sock on only one foot.

“Ah! I was just in the middle of putting on my socks….”

Feeling embarrassed, Yi-seo hid his bare foot and busily pulled on the other sock.

“You’re not wearing them today? The cat socks.”

“Yes… I’m not planning to wear them anymore.”

He had thrown those socks away the moment he got home. Just thinking about them made him want to kick his blankets in shame.

“They suited you well. What a shame,” Cha Gye-won said in a tone of genuine regret.

“……But why are you here? Rather, how did you get here?”

Yi-seo had no memory of telling Cha Gye-won his unit number. A look of wariness clouded Yi-seo’s face as he realized Gye-won had known where he lived all along.

“The house is cozy.”

Lightly ignoring Yi-seo’s question, Gye-won drawled out his appraisal. The two-room apartment with one small bedroom was cramped but well-organized. The scent that clung to Baek Yi-seo was even more concentrated here.

“Aren’t you going to offer me some coffee? Your hospitality is terrible.”

“I don’t have any coffee….”

In truth, while Yi-seo didn’t eat much, he loved his drinks. As long as it wasn’t sweet—teas, coffees, anything—he was all for it. Ignoring the tea collection and the coffee extractor visible in the kitchen, Yi-seo told a sly lie.

“Aren’t you even going to ask me to come in for a second? There’s something called basic etiquette.”

Yi-seo furrowed his brow slightly. It was not for someone who had already stepped inside without permission to lecture him on etiquette.

“I’m about to go out right now….”

“Where are you going?”

“To the office.”

“That’s perfect. That’s why I came. We can go out together.”

Yi-seo had said he was leaving just to kick Cha Gye-won out, but it was a classic case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. His plan to leisurely have a cup of coffee before heading out had vanished into thin air.

“Why the office?”

“The interior design is almost finished. I told you we were moving the office.”

“Ah….”

Yi-seo’s mouth hung open slightly as he realized he’d forgotten Gye-won’s words.

“Hup.”

As Gye-won’s gloved finger tried to reach in, Yi-seo quickly shut his open mouth. Gye-won pulled his hand back as if dissatisfied.

“……Your reflexes have improved. Unnecessarily.”

Rolling his eyes to avoid Gye-won’s grumbling, Yi-seo picked out his outerwear. It was a loose-fitting, oatmeal-colored long coat.

“You aren’t wearing that one today?”

“Which one?”

“The one that makes you look plump whenever you walk, CEO.”

Gye-won, who had approached his side before he knew it, pulled out the ivory-colored short puffer jacket Yi-seo had worn yesterday.

“……No. I’m not wearing it,” Yi-seo replied sulkily. Since Cha Gye-won was recommending it, he wanted to wear it even less.

“You promised to listen to me, and now you’re doing this? I really feel like I’ve been scammed.”

Cha Gye-won grumbled like the victim of a crime.

“When did I ever make such a promise…?”

He had spoken coolly in front of Hwi-jun yesterday, but strictly speaking, the one who had been scammed was Yi-seo, not Cha Gye-won. When signing the contract, Gye-won had said all he had to do was listen and not do anything foolish. If he had known this was what those words meant, he never would have signed.

Yi-seo tightened his coat even more on purpose. Gye-won shook the short puffer jacket with a look of lingering regret.

Thud.

“Hm? What’s this?”

It was a heat pack he had put in the pocket when going to the shoot. The unopened heat pack popped out of the puffer jacket pocket and fell to the floor. Since the set hadn’t been cold, he hadn’t used it and forgot it was there.

“Ah…. It’s a heat pack.”

“I thought you said you don’t feel the cold, CEO.”

“I originally intended to give it to you during the shoot, Gye-won-ssi…. But the set wasn’t cold.”

“…….”

Gye-won picked up the heat pack from the floor. The packaging had a drawing of a plump penguin wearing earmuffs.

“It’s mine, then.”

Slipping the heat pack into his own coat pocket, Gye-won set Yi-seo’s jacket down. Having finished dressing, Yi-seo went to the shoe rack.

“Aren’t you leaving?”

Yi-seo turned and called to Gye-won. It was uncomfortable having Cha Gye-won linger in his home. He wanted him out as soon as possible.

“Let’s go.”

Seeing Cha Gye-won follow, Yi-seo picked out a pair of clean loafers and put them on.

“CEO, do you not wear long puffer coats?”

Gye-won asked out of the blue while putting on his shoes. No matter how cold it got, Yi-seo never wore long puffers. He rarely wore scarves or gloves, either. He didn’t feel the cold easily, and he hated the feeling of his movements being restricted. He’d only recently started wearing short puffers.

“It feels too suffocating.”

“I’ll buy you one, so try it on sometime.”

“……Why?”

“Because I think you’d look even stupider in it. Like a penguin.”

Gye-won smirked. He could already imagine Baek Yi-seo waddling around. If he zipped the jacket up to his chin, his running speed would decrease, making him easy to catch even if he tried to run away.

“……I won’t wear it.”

Turning his head away with a huff, Yi-seo opened the door and walked out.

************************************

The office where the interior was supposedly “almost finished” was excessively luxurious. He had imagined a single-room office like their previous one, but an entire building had become the company’s headquarters. Sunlight reflected off the sleek, glass-like exterior walls.

“Excuse me…. We’re using this entire thing as an office…?”

Baek Yi-seo’s eyes wavered as he lightly gripped the edge of Gye-won’s coat. Gye-won chuckled as he watched the hand that wasn’t even clutching the fabric, but merely holding it with two fingers. He looked like a small child anxious that his mother might leave him behind.

“Haven’t you seen other agencies? This is normal.”

That might be true for a few top-tier agencies, but not for his company. However, no matter how many times he rubbed his eyes and looked again, the name ‘K New’ was clearly emblazoned at the top of the building.

“Are you going to spend the night out here? Get inside, quickly.”

Grabbing the wrist whose hand was limply holding his coat, Gye-won led Baek Yi-seo into the building.

***************************************

The more he toured the interior, the more Yi-seo felt intimidated. The inside was even more spacious than it looked from the outside, complete with a cafeteria. The paintings and ornaments decorating the halls seemed to boast that they existed solely for aesthetic appeal, rather than any practical necessity.

He didn’t know how many staff members Cha Gye-won would bring on, but officially, the current employees were himself, Hwi-jun, and Kim Gun. Including Cha Gye-won, there were only four of them. No matter how he looked at it, this was excessive.

“Let’s go to the CEO’s office first.”

When Yi-seo offered no significant reaction, Cha Gye-won led him to a door with a plaque that read CEO’s Office. He was almost afraid to open it, but Cha Gye-won walked right in and placed him in the center of the room.

“……It’s larger than my house.”

“Your house is just small.”

Cha Gye-won truly never had a kind word to say. The CEO’s office wasn’t just large; it felt like it could fit his entire house twice over. Though Gye-won had said the furniture wasn’t in yet, bookshelves and sofas were already in place. The bright lighting felt overwhelming.

This place didn’t feel like somewhere he belonged. It didn’t suit him at all. Yi-seo stole a glance at Cha Gye-won. Wearing his long black coat, Gye-won’s proportions were so good he looked like he was there to shoot an apartment commercial.

“……Do you not like it?”

Cha Gye-won’s narrow eyes searched for Yi-seo’s true thoughts. His forehead was smooth where his hair was swept back, and his straight nose was sleek.

“N-no….”

“Then why are you so quiet?”

Cha Gye-won grabbed Yi-seo’s jaw and turned it this way and that. The texture of his leather gloves was stiff.

“Are you hungry?”

“No. I’m not hungry.”

“Then why? What is it you don’t like?”

Cha Gye-won’s tone sharpened. Yi-seo forced an awkward smile. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it. He was the CEO in name only; this was Cha Gye-won’s building with Cha Gye-won’s choice of interior. It wasn’t his place to like or dislike anything.

“It’s just unfamiliar. I’m not used to it….”

He had a feeling that the day he would finally get used to this place would never come.

********

Yi-seo stretched his body out on the sofa. Apparently having heard somewhere that you should eat Chinese food on moving day, Cha Gye-won had ordered a massive variety of dishes. Then, with a “suggestion” that felt more like a command, he had proceeded to feed Yi-seo a mountain of food.

Originally a small eater, Yi-seo felt bloated after eating so much greasy food. To help his digestion, he began to walk around the CEO’s office, inspecting every detail.

“This wall is all glass.”

It didn’t seem to be the case elsewhere, but in the CEO’s office, one entire wall was floor-to-ceiling glass.

“Sometimes it’s good to have a bit of a thrill, isn’t it?”

“A thrill for what…?”

“If you don’t get it, forget it. The room next door is mine. You can come over if you’re bored later.”

The tone was as innocent as an elementary schooler asking someone to come play at his house.

“Why have a room at the office…?”

For a moment, Yi-seo doubted his ears, wondering if he had misheard. He’d been to Gye-won’s house and knew it was so large it was hard to take in at a glance. It had so many rooms he couldn’t even guess what they were all for—so why have a private room at the office? Especially when this building was so close to Cha Gye-won’s house.

“I happened to need a study. If I set it up here, I can come often, and it’ll be great.”