It was at that moment.
Ring ring-
The office phone rang from somewhere. It had to be a call from the manufacturing room. So it came. The atmosphere froze awkwardly. The team members exchanged tense glances. Just as Kang Yibin tightly shut her eyes, Yoon Taehee unhesitatingly reached for the receiver.
"I'll get it."
He picked up the receiver on the third ring.
"Hello, this is Yoon Taehee, Chief of Exorcism Department Team 1."
As soon as he answered, a voice started speaking rapidly on the other end. Jaegyeom instinctively glanced at Yoon Taehee's expression. Although he couldn't catch the specifics, it felt like a barrage of criticism was being fired at him. Yoon Taehee massaged his forehead while listening quietly.
"Yes, we were in training, and it seems the email was sent by mistake."
After exchanging a few words, Yoon Taehee smoothly ended the call.
"It's fine. It was just a simple mistake because you weren't well-versed. These things happen. It's not a big deal."
He spoke while placing the receiver back down. It was merely a minor mishap. Once the situation settled, the team members, who had gathered near Kang Yibin's desk, returned to their seats. Jaegyeom also went back to his place and sat down. After stepping out of the senior's office, Yoon Taehee walked over to the break table and set the kettle to boil.
"..."
While tearing open a coffee mix packet and pouring it into a mug, he glanced sideways at Jaegyeom, who was sitting silently, his expression sullen and crestfallen. A shadow seemed to hang over his face. As he stirred his coffee, clinking the teaspoon against the mug, Yoon Taehee quietly curved his lips into a smile.
Holding the steaming mug, he headed back to the chief's office and said,
"Apprentice Kim Jaegyeom who's good at running from the Pursuit Department."
Startled, Jaegyeom lifted his head.
"Come here for a moment."
"..."
Reluctantly, Jaegyeom got up. As he stepped into the chief's office, he saw Yoon Taehee, who had already taken off his jacket and was sitting in just his shirt.
Hesitantly, he moved a few steps closer to his desk.
The other man, sipping from his mug while looking at the monitor, quietly spoke.
"Close the door."
Jaegyeom hesitated before turning around to shut the door.
"..."
Though he had said everything was fine in front of the team, it seemed he had called him in for a private scolding. Jaegyeom, feeling uneasy, complied with what he asked. Already feeling awkward around Yoon Taehee, this mishap only added to his tension. With evident reluctance, he stood in front of the desk.
Yoon Taehee placed his mug down and looked up. He stared at Jaegyeom for a moment before picking up a candy lying nearby. As he unwrapped the foil, he asked:
"Want one?"
"I don't eat candy."
Without insisting, Yoon Taehee nodded. Rolling the candy in his mouth, he leaned back against the chair, arms crossed, legs folded, and continued to stare at Jaegyeom without saying a word. Finally, unable to bear the silence, Jaegyeom spoke first.
"Everyone makes mistakes when they don't know something."
He glared at a random spot, his face taut with irritation. At his bold attempt to justify himself, Yoon Taehee laughed silently, a dimple forming on his cheek.
"I didn't say anything..."
"Not yet, but you called me in to say something, didn't you?"
"Nope."
"Then why did you call me?"
Without offering a clear explanation, Yoon Taehee slowly stood and approached him. The candy shifted to one side of his mouth as he reached out a hand.
Jaegyeom flinched involuntarily. The man's neat hand adjusted his crooked shirt collar.
"Who tied your tie?"
After a brief silence, he asked about his tie again.
"I tied it myself."
Yoon Taehee widened his eyes in surprise.
"You know how now?"
"Mhm."
"Who taught you?"
" just mimicked what I saw."
"Liar."
It had been a month since he started wearing formal attire. After observing how to tie a tie numerous times over the month, he eventually got the hang of it.
However, for some reason, Yoon Taehee looked unconvinced, which made Jaegyeom bristle involuntarily.
"Have you lived your whole life being tricked? I really tied it myself."
Yoon Taehee loosened the tie he had been wearing.
"Is that so? Then why don't you try tying mine?"
He undid his neatly tied tie with a deliberate gesture.
"..."
Glaring at Yoon Taehee with a sullen expression, Jaegyeom raised his arms. He always found ways to bother him. While he had tied his own tie before, tying someone else's was a first, and he struggled. Yoon Taehee, watching him focus intently on tying the tie, slowly tilted his head. His lips lightly brushed against his brow and quickly withdrew. Startled, Jaegyeom jerked his neck back in shock.
His heart nearly stopped at the unexpected kiss.
"What- what are you doing?"
Touching his brow, Jaegyeom raised his voice in outrage.
"You were taking too long... I thought you might be doing it on purpose."
What? Jaegyeom was dumbfounded. So, according to Yoon Taehee, he was intentionally taking his time tying the tie just to get a kiss from him?
"Wh-what kind of nonsense is that... I-I told you already, I'm not a sodomite like you. I've always just tied my own tie, it's my first time tying for someone else, so I got confused."
"Really? Never mind then."
Yoon Taehee shrugged nonchalantly, his face calm.
"Fuck, does it end if you just say never mind?"
"Huh? Why are you suddenly swearing..."
"Because you keep doing things that deserve it."
"Alright, just finish tying the tie."
Jaegyeom, his ears slightly red, grumbled and resumed tying. Despite it being his first time tying a tie for someone else, he managed to make it look decent.
"Oh. it's rather good."
Yoon Taehee adjusted the knot and nodded in approval. Jaegyeom, it seemed, had a good eye for detail. Having proven his competence, he straightened his shoulders. With a slightly more confident face, he spoke curtly.
"Hey. So why did you call me here?"
"Hm? Oh, right. This way, please."
Yoon Taehee moved to the other side of the desk.
Sitting in front of his computer, he clicked the mouse a few times. The printer on one corner of the desk whirred to life, and a sheet of paper emerged. He grabbed the paper and fetched a folding chair from the corner, gesturing for Jaegyeom to sit.
"Have a seat."
Oddly enough, the chair Yoon Taehee offered was the one he normally used. Jaegyeom stared blankly at him sitting in the folding chair before silently taking the empty, cushioned chair. The chair that Yoon Taehee's suit jacket was hanging on was exceptionally soft, likely a high-end leather chair reserved for executives.
Yoon Taehee spread the printed paper where
Jaegyeom could see it. As he glanced down at the paper, his expression stiffened. It was a copy of the email he had written earlier. A wave of irritation swept over him.
"What? Am I supposed to take this home and hang it up on my wall for reflection?"
At his blunt, aggressive response, Yoon Taehee burst out laughing.
"No, I'm going to teach you properly. How to write emails, grammar, and spacing."
Chuckling softly, he grabbed a red pen from the cup filled with pens after slipping on his glasses. But before he could start, Jaegyeom firmly refused.
"I don't want to. Annoying. And anyway, it's already over and done with."
"Let's learn from this so it doesn't happen again in the future."
"That's like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted."
"What's wrong with that? If you've lost a cherished horse, it's admirable to pick yourself up and fix the barn so it doesn't happen again."
"..."
Jaegyeom shot him a side-eye glare.
"Fine. Then you go fix the barn all you want. I'll be out looking for the runaway horse instead."
"..."
Spinning his pen idly, Yoon Taehee finally spoke quietly.
"I actually got scolded badly by the manufacturing room's chief earlier...."
One of the reasons Yoon Taehee was so infuriating was his exceptional ability to leave people speechless.
Jaegyeom found himself at a loss for words.
"Then, let's start from the first line."
You're full of shit. With a pouty expression, Jaegyeom pulled his chair closer. Yoon Taehee began reading through the document line by line, meticulously correcting errors.
"It's 'Exorcism,' not 'Pursuit.'
"I know. That was an honest mistake."
Nodding, Yoon Taehee gently clarified.
"Either way, it's about banishing plagues, not chasing them. 'Exorcism.'"
"I said I know."
Yoon Taehee carefully corrected each mistake. For areas requiring spacing, he marked them with small
"V" symbols, and for incorrect words, he wrote the correct ones beside them.
"And here, this isn't a report of circumstances but a request for basic medical supplies, so you don't need to explain things like Manager Go's issue."
Jaegyeom had his reasons for writing the email the way he did. The email Kang Yibin had given him as a reference was too curt and impersonal. Trying to be considerate, Jaegyeom had added explanations to provide more context.
"Wouldn't it feel too insincere otherwise?"
"Work is supposed to be done insincerely," Yoon Taehee replied while scribbling with his red pen.
"And here, instead of saying 'gone, you should use
'depleted' for a more formal tone...."
He continued to explain and annotate step by step.
"And this part absolutely needs proper spacing."
"Okay."
"Do you get it?"
Jaegyeom nodded.
"And this part..."
Despite initially brushing it off as bothersome, Jaegyeom found himself focusing intently on the paper. Yoon Taehee, glancing at Jaegyeom's face as he listened earnestly, found his gaze inexplicably fixed on him. From behind his glasses, his eyes seemed to pierce through his rounded forehead.
"..."
After silently watching him for a moment, Yoon Taehee took off his glasses and, as if drawn by a magnet, leaned in and pressed his lips against Jaegyeom's forehead. The brief kiss was as light and fleeting as a toast between glasses. Startled, Jaegyeom looked up, as if struck by a sudden hailstorm. Without thinking, he covered the spot where his lips had touched and leaned back sharply.
"..."
Still covering his forehead, Jaegyeom glared at Yoon Taehee.
This crazy lunatic did it again...!
First, it had been his brow, and now, his forehead.
What excuse would he use this time? Just as Jaegyeom's eyes narrowed in suspicion, Yoon Taehee explained without batting an eye.
"I just wanted to do it."
Caught off guard by the unexpected confession, Jaegyeom froze.
"And here, it's 'get,' not 'gett'..."
Acting as if nothing had happened, Yoon Taehee picked up his pen and resumed his explanation.
"..."
Having missed the chance to say something, Jaegyeom hesitated, lowering his gaze back to the paper.
Damn it, this is driving me crazy...
He rubbed his forehead, trying to gather his scattered focus once again.