The CEO and his Appointed Secretary
.
Chapter 8:
.
The elevator finally stops and they get out with Jaehyun heading to the front entrance but Jihwan heading another direction.
Jaehyun stopped calling to him. "Secretary Park? Where are you going ?."
"Uh to t-the ... ." Jihwan stuttered a little bit confused before turning around to meet his boss. "I thought we were heading to the company canteen. What changed?."
"Oh .. ." Jaehyun realizes he never told the other where he was going. "When I meant we should have lunch together, I didn't mean in here."
"Like a date?." Jihwan speaks out of hand.
Jaehyun widens his eyes and becomes flustered already debunking his thoughts. "No, no, I don't mean a date. It's just us spending our lunch time together."
"Outside ." Jihwan completed the sentence for me.
"Yes, exactly .. ." After a silence of two seconds, he reluctantly asks. "If that's okay with you, of course."
Jihwan still has that look on his face but quickly clears it up with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Sure sure."
Jaehyun is already heading towards the door. He hears Jihwan say goodbye to the securities by the exit.
Jihwan is silent until they get to the car. He opens the front passenger door to have a seat beside the driver.
"Sit in the back," Jaehyun says.
"Um...is that..."
"It's fine, just sit here," Jaehyun repeats. "So what are you hungry for? Do you want to grab a bite or we should have a full meal?"
"S-sure."
"Do you like steak, hyung?" Jaehyun mentally pats himself on the back for not stuttering for two whole sentences.
"If you don't mind...I know this place. The food is really good but I don't know if it's to your taste..." Jihwan trails off. He looks at his boss and bites at his bottom lip, and Jaehyun's eyes drop to his lips before he can stop himself.
What if he just went for it and kissed him?
Nothing would go wrong, right?
Other than Secretary Park filing for sexual assault.
Jaehyun clears his suddenly parched throat as he looks away to avoid the temptation. "O-okay."
Jihwan leans towards the driver to presumably tell him the directions but Jaehyun can only hear loud ringing in his ears. Jihwan leans back in his seat to look out the window on the other side of the car, it's starting to get sunny so the sun lights dance across Jihwan's profile. Jaehyun moves his eyes down to his sharp jawline, then down to his collar where his tie is loosened. His eyes sweep down Jihwan's torso then trail further down to Jihwan's thick, strong thighs. There's an armrest pulled down between them but Jihwan still feels impossibly close. Jaehyun can smell his cologne, a woodsy smell—maybe cedarwood or bergamot with a hint of citrus and it's teasingly faint, making him want to scoot closer and bury his nose in Jihwan's neck.
Jaehyun tears his gaze away and tugs at his suddenly stifling collar with a gulp.
The car finally comes to a stop in front of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and it's kind of...rundown, actually. One of the letters in the storefront sign has burnt-out lights. It looks tired if that's an appropriate way to describe restaurants.
"Come on," Jihwan says, gesturing towards the door.
"Okay," Jaehyun says reluctantly before following Jimin.
"Ahjumma!" Jihwan calls out towards the kitchen as he shrugs out of his jacket. "Come on, sit down." He says to him with a laugh. It's that eye smile again. The Eye Smile.
Jaehyun is so screwed.
"Jihwan! You are here." She says with a smile, giving him a tight hug. "I haven't seen you in a while."
Jihwan's smile falters a little before he forces a bigger smile. "I missed you."
"I'm so glad you're here now," She rests her hands on her hips and turns to Jaehyun, looking at him from behind her red-rimmed glasses. "Who is your friend?"
"Jeon Jaehyun, nice to meet you, ma'am," He says politely with a bow.
"Wow, you're so handsome and tall. What do you do?"
"I'm uhh..." He is honestly a bit shocked. His face has been plastered all over newspapers and magazines in the past couple of weeks but apparently, this lady has no clue who he is. He doesn't know if he should be offended or not but he actually kind of...really likes it—like not having his name follow him everywhere. Maybe this lady even sees him as an average office worker?
"Please don't interrogate him." Secretary Park pleads as if sensing his boss's sudden awkwardness.
"Fine, fine. I'm going to make you your favourites, dear. Jaehyun, dear, what do you like?"
"I'll eat anything. Really," He says, tugging at his hair, a habit when he's feeling out of his element. It's been a long time since he had Korean food. If he thinks back, he's been having mostly Western food since he was a child, it's what their personal chef always cooked up.
"Don't you worry, I'm not letting you go until your belly is stuffed. I make a mean pork and rice soup." She says with a laugh, going back into the kitchen.
Jaehyun doesn't have the heart to tell her he doesn't even remember the taste of dwaeji gukbap.
"Hyung...how do you know this place?"
"My-I used to come here back when I was a kid," Jihwan says, folding and unfolding the napkin in front of him.
"That sounds nice, hyung," Jaehyun says quietly.
"Jihwan-oppa!" Someone very nearly shrieks and Jaehyun turns to see a girl who looks to be around sixteen, hopping towards their table.
"Soojin!" Jihwan says excitedly. Jaehyun hasn't seen him happier during the time they've known each other.
He's practically glowing, smile never faltering. It's...nice.
"Oppa! You didn't say you were coming over! Mom and I miss you so much!" Soojin says with an exaggerated pout, before throwing her arms around Jihwan's neck.
"I know, I know. I'm working so..." Jihwan trails off, patting her on the back gently.
"It's okay! Just come here more often!" Soojin says excitedly.
"Okay," Jihwan says with a soft, fond smile.
"Oh my god! Are you Jeon Jaehyun? You're even hotter in real life! Why didn't Mom say anything?" She turns to Jaehyun and quickly asks with a huge grin. Her energy levels are off the charts.
"U-uh. Thank y-you?"
"I'll bring your food right out!" Soojin skips away as she hums to herself. Literally skipping away.
When their food is brought to the table, Jaehyun quickly stuffs some soup in his mouth and he has to admit it might be the most delicious thing he's ever tasted in his life. "Why does it taste so good?" He asks, surprised, before he slurps some more.
"Because I put a lot of love in it." The lady says with a laugh when she passes by their table. "I'm sure your mother makes it way better." She says with a pat on his shoulder, turning to leave once again.
Jaehyun looks down at the soup. His mother never made him any food before.
Jihwan seems to notice his change in demeanor. "CEO Jeon, what's wrong?"
"N-nothing. It's just...it's so delicious, hyung!" Jaehyun says with forced cheer, looking down at his bowl of rice and stuffing his mouth with kimchi to will away the stinging in his eyes and the sudden lump in his throat.
Jihwan opens his mouth to reply when they are interrupted once again. "Jihwan."
"Jaebum-hyung?" He looks up, seemingly shocked before his eyes curve as he smiles.
Jaehyun turns his head to regard the person who's joined them. "What are you doing here?" Jihwan asks the newcomer.
"I thought I'd drop by." He says to him with a smile.
Jaehyun has to (reluctantly) admit that this Jaebum guy is well...hot. About his height, well built and wearing a leather jacket, with a very attractive smile. He finally turns to him. "Is this the Jeon Jaehyun? I'm Jaebum."
"Nice to meet you." Jaehyun awkwardly gestures toward his hands. "I'm sorry, my hands are a bit dirty."
"I bet they are..."
Jaehyun thinks he hears Jaebum mutter under his breath. What the hell?
"Excuse me?"
"Jaebum-hyung!" Jihwan interrupts too loudly. "Maybe now's not the time?" He continues, and they exchange looks that Jaehyun has no idea how to decipher.
"I'll see you tonight then."
He'll see Jihwan. Tonight.
Jaehyun turns back to his soup after Jaebum leaves, trying to push those thoughts out of his head. It's none of my business.
He thinks to himself (quite unconvincingly).
He focuses back on his food. Everything he ate here has been top notch and it's better than all the Michelin star restaurants he's been to, but the restaurant is almost completely empty save for a lone man slurping noodles in one corner.
"Maybe this place needs a facelift." Jaehyun muses out loud.
"What?"
"I mean, the food is really good, but the place is..." Jaehyun trails off, gesturing towards the restaurant.
"The place is what?" Jihwan asks him slowly.
"It's a bit...rundown?" Jaehyun suggests, looking around. The butter yellow paint is peeling, the wood panelling underneath it needs a desperate coat of paint and all the furniture looks straight out of the 90s.
"Is it now?"
"I think some renovations here would be great." Jaehyun nods to himself. This restaurant has a ton of potential.
"Do you really?" Jihwan asks shortly.
"Yeah, I mean it would cost practically nothing. It's not that big of a space—" Jaehyun looks around thoughtfully, already thinking of things that could be done to improve the look.
"Money really is nothing to you Jeons." Jihwan states, his knuckles are white around his chopsticks, he doesn't look at him, gaze fixed on the table in front of him.
TBC