Chapter 31

Gyu-yeon entered the Cafe in front of the company and sat Naru down.

On the way he asked what color phone he wanted, and Naru said he wanted light sky blue.

Gyu-yeon drove without hesitation to the YK Electronics headquarters.

It just so happened the limited edition color of the unreleased latest phone was exactly light sky blue, so he planned to get one from his older brother.

Naru held his fork with a bewildered look.

His eyes seemed to say he had just been at the Cafe and wondered why he’d brought him here again.

Gyu-yeon couldn’t explain the details and kept repeating that he should just stay here for a moment.

Naru, thinking of dramas where kids are abandoned like this, felt a rising unease in his heart.

“I don’t want to. I want to go with you.”

“No, something bad will happen if you go in there. I’ll be back soon, so wait.”

“You won’t be back soon.”

“Please just trust me.”

Naru nodded with a face that showed he didn’t believe him at all.

Believing him was out of the question; he was actually suspicious.

Gyu-yeon felt unbearably wronged that while trying to do something nice he only received suspicion.

If he brought Naru into the YK Electronics building, there was a chance photos would be taken first.

If rumors spread among employees it would surely reach his older brother or father, and then he might be hassled and interrogated.

Gyu-yeon, who hated anyone interfering in his affairs, planned to hide Naru in the Cafe so his brother wouldn’t notice and go in alone.

But Naru wouldn’t listen.

“Here, eat this.”

“When will you be back? What time? What minute?”

“I-I’ll be back by three o’clock.”

“What if you don’t come back?”

“Ah, I will.”

When Gyu-yeon frowned, Naru copied him and scowled as well.

He was showing he wasn’t the only one who could make a face; he could too.

In any case, the little one had quite a temper.

Half resigned, Gyu-yeon promised he’d definitely come back and even hooked his finger in promise.

Naru, who couldn’t trust promises to begin with, continued to look at Gyu-yeon suspiciously.

“I’ll come. And you—don’t move from where you are.”

“I won’t move.”

“If anyone talks to you, don’t answer them, okay?”

“……”

“Hey, not answering?”

“I’ll think about it……”

Maybe I shouldn’t have brought him out.

Maybe I should’ve left him at my Cafe and gone alone.

Gyu-yeon, pounding his chest at the troublesome answer, let out a long sigh.

No matter what he tried to say, he couldn’t open his mouth because of those pitiful eyes.

In the end, instead of nagging he gently stroked Naru’s head.

Startled by Gyu-yeon’s touch, Naru stiffened and blushed.

He had just glared deadly, but apparently he liked being touched.

“If you want something else to eat, order it with this. I’ll be right back.”

“…Okay.”

Gyu-yeon handed his card into Naru’s hand and left the Cafe full of anxiety.

Naru waved energetically with the hand holding the card.

Leaving the bright-eyed Naru behind, Gyu-yeon headed to the neighboring YK Electronics headquarters.

It had been a while since he’d seen his brother, and it was obvious he’d nag him about what he’d been doing.

Somehow his brother seemed to care about him more than their father did.

With a relaxed stride, Gyu-yeon entered the headquarters, passed through the employee entrance, and pressed the elevator button.

As soon as Gyu-yeon appeared, the surroundings began to buzz.

Employees passing through the lobby recognized Gyu-yeon and busied themselves whispering, and a few greeted him.

Arriving at the top floor, Gyu-yeon flung open his brother’s office door before the secretary could say anything.

Since Gyu-yeon did this more than once, everyone, seeming used to it, returned to their work.

“Hyung, long time.”

“Yu Gyu-yeon. I told you to call before barging in.”

“The phone coming out this time is looking pretty.”

Gyu-yeon’s older brother, Yu Gyu-seong, was the ten-years-older firstborn and vice president of YK Electronics.

Though much like Gyu-yeon, Gyu-seong had weightier, calmer features and a straightforward nature and clean image that always put him on lists of top husband material.

Gyu-seong, who sighed as if he’d expected Gyu-yeon’s arrival, pushed up his glasses.

Though he seemed obsessively strict about work, he was endlessly kind to his youngest brother.

Gyu-yeon knew this and acted shamelessly because of it.

Sitting on the sofa with a sly smile, Gyu-yeon sweet-talked his brother.

Whether buying a car or a house, if he came like this and coaxed his brother, Gyu-seong would buy it for him as if handing over allowance.

“What now.”

“The unreleased one. Give it to me, hyung.”

“Last time you said it wasn’t your style.”

“Ah, ah, thinking it over, it’s actually okay.”

Now that he thought about it, a few months ago he’d visited Gyu-seong’s office.

Back then Gyu-seong had handed Gyu-yeon a test unit of the phone to be released.

Giving it to Gyu-yeon first was for promotion.

If Gyu-yeon, who had many SNS followers, subtly showed the new product in a photo, it would become a big issue.

People would talk about what the new phone was like, but when it released they’d rush to buy it first.

Gyu-yeon was a very good promotional medium.

Yes, promotion was good, but there was a catch.

Last time when he saw the model he said the color wasn’t great and he wouldn’t use it, yet now, for some reason, he came straight to ask for the phone, which was odd.

Gyu-seong misunderstood and thought Gyu-yeon had gotten a girlfriend.

“You didn’t get a girl, did you?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Post it on SNS. Do it subtly.”

“Sometimes hyung seems crazy only about work.”

Gyu-yeon shook his head as if fed up and boldly held out his hand.

It meant he didn’t want to hear nagging, so just hand over the phone.

Gyu-seong took a small box from a drawer and handed it to Gyu-yeon.

Opening the box right there, Gyu-yeon nodded in satisfaction at the pastel light sky blue phone.

Its slightly rounded edges made it look plump and cute, exactly fitting for Naru.

“Thanks, hyung. I’ll go then.”

“Hold on a second, Yu Gyu-yeon.”

As Gyu-yeon turned to leave after thanking him, Gyu-seong grabbed him.

He tried to bolt before being grabbed, but quick-witted Gyu-seong caught him so he wouldn’t get away.

Turning back with an irritated face, Gyu-yeon forced a smile.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

“What have you been up to these days? Rumor has it you don’t even go to the club anymore.”

“Isn’t it better not to go? I’m busy running my Cafe these days.”

“…Right. Everything comes to my ears, so don’t do useless things and live your life.”

Gyu-seong waved his hand, saying that was enough of forcing him to stop doing useless things.

Gyu-yeon left the office with an uneasy look.

He always heard similar words when he came, but today there was a peculiar feeling.

Gyu-seong stared fixedly at Gyu-yeon’s face until the door fully closed.

Feeling burdened by that persistent gaze, Gyu-yeon quickly shut the door.

No matter it was his brother, when he gave that look it chilled his spine.

Wow, no way. He didn’t notice that he let Song Naru into my place, did he?

Gyu-yeon quickened his pace, trying to calm his startled heart.

He’s the youngest son of YK Electronics, but being in the headquarters building felt suffocating.

Having left the building in just three minutes, Gyu-yeon hurried toward the Cafe where Naru was.

He grew anxious, worried he might run off alone like at the department store.

Ding.

With the chime, the Cafe door opened.

Gyu-yeon immediately looked toward the spot where Naru had been sitting.

But what was this? Naru was not sitting there.

For a moment Gyu-yeon felt his heart drop.

Cold sweat ran down in an instant and his hands trembled.

On one hand he felt betrayed.

I told him to stay put, so where on earth did he disappear to…!

“Gyu-yeon?”

“You, you……”

“I wanted cream, so I bought this to eat.”

“Haa……”

He panicked thinking he’d disappeared, when suddenly Naru’s voice came from nearby.

Naru appeared from the counter holding a frappuccino topped with whipped cream in one hand.

Gyu-yeon almost collapsed on the spot.

Naru stared quietly at Gyu-yeon with a clear face.

It was because he found it strange he appeared with a serious look and let out a deep sigh.

Ah, is it because I spent money without permission?

Misreading it, Naru scratched his neck with an embarrassed expression.

The drink alone cost over seven thousand won, and he felt embarrassed to say that outright.

“Um, sorry for using your card without permission,”

“It’s fine, I gave it to you to buy things with, what’s there to be sorry about. I thought you’d disappeared……”

“Me, disappear?”

“No, don’t mind what I just said. For now go sit down.”

Back at his seat, Naru glanced to gauge Gyu-yeon.

From the nuance it seemed he was worried he might have disappeared.

Could that be true?

Naru, enjoying that pleasant suspicion, giggled and smiled.

Embarrassed at having his feelings exposed, Gyu-yeon scolded him not to laugh on purpose.

Naru nodded but couldn’t wipe the smile off.

Gyu-yeon placed the phone box he had brought on the table to change the subject.

Curious Naru immediately reached out and tapped the box.

The white box had only a clean logo, making it hard to guess what it contained.

“Open it.”

“Is it mine?”

“Yeah. You said you wanted a phone.”

“…A phone!”

At the word phone Naru’s eyes lit up and he opened the box without hesitation.

He peeled off the outer sticker and opened the lid to reveal the light sky blue phone.

Naru, who hadn’t even touched it, asked as if he couldn’t believe it.

A rich kid staring at a phone with such amazed eyes.

How harshly must his parents have raised him to be like that.

Looking closely, the house might be fine, but they raised the child almost abusively.

Gyu-yeon felt pity for such a Naru.

“Is it really mine?”

“I told you it’s yours.”

“Gyu-yeon, I have something to say. Whisper!”

Before properly admiring the phone, Naru tugged Gyu-yeon’s upper body toward him and fluttered his hand.

It meant for him to come closer.

Pretending he couldn’t refuse, Gyu-yeon leaned in, anticipating what would happen next.

He would probably whisper a thank you in his ear.

Well, that might be cute in its own way.

Smooch.

…Huh?

Gyu-yeon’s expectation was completely off.

Naru pretended to whisper but kissed Gyu-yeon on the cheek and then stepped back.

Luckily he covered it with his hand so no one noticed anything odd.

Gyu-yeon stared at Naru, frozen stiff.

In the past he would have been furious and yelled, but now he was just dazed as if bewitched.

Brazenly kissing and stepping back, Naru began to explore the phone.

Casually taking it out, she touched it, exclaimed in admiration, and pressed buttons to learn how to use it.

Someone felt like his heart might explode, while the cause of it acted nonchalantly.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

What the—why is my heart beating like this. Crazy. Yu Gyu-yeon, what are you doing right now…?

Swallowing dryly, Gyu-yeon looked straight into Naru’s eyes.

Stopping his phone browsing and meeting his gaze, Naru smiled the most beautiful smile in the world.

So radiant, so pretty.

Gyu-yeon couldn’t take his eyes off Naru.

That simple smile looked dazzlingly beautiful, making his head feel muddled.

Ah, I’m screwed……

Finally realizing his feelings, Gyu-yeon muttered a curse in disbelief.