DOTH Volume 3 Chapter 11.5

“Team Leader.”

Shim Soocheon, who had just been checking the time, flinched in surprise, as if he hadn’t expected Jung Heeyeon to wake up at all.

“Heeyeon-ssi. Are you up already?”

“Yes. Are you going somewhere?”

“I’m going to pick up the Director.”

Jung Heeyeon’s eyes widened.

“Is he coming back now?”

“Uh… did you read the article?”

“Yes.”

Shim Soocheon scratched his head.

“I just got a call from Secretary Kim Chulwoo. He said their talk has ended. The article was released with coordination from both sides.”

“Yes.”

“As the Director probably told you, this is all about public perception… The journalist who published the initial article about the firearms incident will issue a correction, and that’s when the director will come out. It’s easier to bait the media that way. The follow-up article will go out in about two hours.”

“Two hours?”

“The Director moved things up from the original plan… Apparently, Executive Director Kang’s side asked for just a little more time.”

Jung Heeyeon listened carefully and nodded. He had suspected it, and it was true. Director Yeon had acted fast on purpose. Feeling a ticklish joy, he fiddled with the jacket still in his arms. A faint trace of pheromones lingered.

“Team Leader. Can I come with you?”

Shim Soocheon, who had been getting ready to head out, quickly began turning things over in his head at the unexpected request. There had been no mention of bringing Jung Heeyeon along. It was early morning and the press would be swarming, so no one had mentioned anything deliberately.

There hadn’t been any explicit instruction not to bring him either, but having worked under Director Yeon for a long time, Shim Soocheon could easily read between the lines. Which meant he should be turning down Jung Heeyeon’s request.

“Please…”

The real problem was that innocent face, it was impossible to refuse.

“Uhhhh…”

Shim Soocheon groaned and rubbed his face hard. A shallow sigh slipped through his lips.

“Alright. Then why don’t you get ready? It’ll take some time before the director comes out anyway, so no need to rush.”

“Thank you. I’ll get ready quickly.”

“Alright.”

As he watched Jung Heeyeon disappear into the room, Shim Soocheon was left to seriously question whether he’d made the right decision.

Though Jung Heeyeon didn’t know it, the alphas of Jiwoo were doing everything they could to protect him. The precautions had started the moment Chairman Jung arrived in Korea, and with Director Yeon temporarily absent, security was now tighter than ever.

That was why they had urgently stopped the omega from heading out to get breakfast yesterday morning. If Jung Heeyeon had opened the door as he intended, he would have come face to face with all the Jiwoo alphas guarding the entrance.

“If he just walks out like this, he’s going to be shocked.”

Shim Soocheon had always been good at self-awareness. He knew exactly how intimidating those black-suited alphas could look. Of course, Jung Heeyeon had seen them often enough to be somewhat used to it.

Keeping an ear out for movement from inside the room, Shim Soocheon made a call.

– Yes, Team Leader.

“I’ll be heading out in about ten minutes, so get moving ahead of me.”

– Pardon? What about you, Team Leader?

“I need to pick up the director’s lover. He caught me just as I was leaving. He said he wanted to come along, how am I supposed to say no to a face like that?”

– Wait, but why do we…? Ah, because he might get startled?

“There are guys who look like gangsters standing at the door, you think he wouldn’t be startled?”

Shim Soocheon criticized his colleague, though he was no different himself.

– You look the same as us, Team Leader.

“Tsk.”

– Honestly, it’s better that Heeyeon-ssi comes along. If the director gets furious, one look at Heeyeon-ssi and he’ll probably calm down.

“That’s true.”

– Then we’ll move out first. Please call us if anything comes up.

“Will do.”

After hanging up, Shim Soocheon checked the weather outside the window. It was winter, so the days were short and it was still dark out. Heavy snowflakes were falling from the gray, damp sky. He brushed his lips and muttered to himself, he better be careful while driving.

–

Jung Heeyeon, fiddling with his phone, glanced at Shim Soocheon behind the wheel. He’d been taught that it was polite to sit in the passenger seat, but Shim Soocheon had adamantly refused, so he was now feeling sorry sitting alone in the back. He gripped his phone so tightly that his pale fingertips had turned white.

“Heeyeon-ssi. Do you want to say something?”

Noticing the gaze, Shim Soocheon met his eyes in the rearview mirror and asked. Jung Heeyeon opened his lips hesitantly.

“Team Leader.”

“Yes.”

“I looked something up…”

Shim Soocheon kept glancing at the mirror to observe him. The omega’s brows were slightly furrowed, giving him a serious look.

“It says you’re supposed to buy tofu at times like this.”

“Say that again, tofu?”

Tofu, suddenly? What tofu? Faced with the abrupt, contextless subject, Shim Soocheon began seriously wondering if tofu had some meaning he wasn’t aware of.

“Yes. I just searched for it. Apparently, after someone gets out of prison, you’re supposed to give them tofu. ‘Gambbang’ means prison, right?”

Receiving the naive question, Shim Soocheon had to fight back laughter. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, causing the car to wobble slightly. Eventually, he couldn’t hold it in.

“Pfft…! Uh, yes, ‘gambbang’ means prison.”

Strictly speaking, a detention center and a prison are different, but he chose not to correct the other. He was genuinely curious how Director Yeon would react if Jung Heeyeon handed him tofu.

Shim Soocheon barely suppressed another laugh.

“Heeyeon-ssi, pfft, do you really want to buy tofu?”

“Pardon? Yes. But why are you laughing? Is that information wrong? Please be honest with me.”

“No, it’s not wrong. Pfft, really.”

“…Are you teasing me?”

“Ah, I’m not.”

Wiping the tears that had formed at the corner of his eyes, Shim Soocheon cleared his throat and took a deep breath to calm himself from laughing further.

“Then should we go buy some tofu? The traditional market should be open by now.”

“Oh, but I don’t want to be late…”

“We won’t be.”

Shim Soocheon answered calmly as he turned the car around.

“Then can I also stop by the ATM on the way?”

“Most places take cards these days. Didn’t the director give you one?”

Jung Heeyeon reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a thin card. His own name was engraved on it.

“He did… but I want to use mine.”

“Alright. Then we’ll stop by quickly. It’s a bit out of the way, but we won’t be late. The director won’t be out for a little while anyway.”

Relieved to hear they wouldn’t be late, Jung Heeyeon nodded quietly. The hand that came out of his coat gently fiddled with the suit jacket he still held in his arms.

“That’s Director Yeon’s suit, right?”

“Yes. He gave it to me before he left… I thought he might be cold, so I brought it with me.”

Shim Soocheon replied nonchalantly as he kept his eyes on the road. That man would hardly be cold—he was probably being treated like a guest of honor. 

This was all scripted anyway. With every piece of evidence prepared in advance, it wasn’t like Yeon Woobeom of all people would suffer.

“Maybe I should give the director a heads-up…”

Shim Soocheon tapped the steering wheel absentmindedly as he muttered to himself. Knowing Director Yeon, he’d probably come out looking impeccably sharp. He’d likely changed into the suit Kim Chulwoo had brought. But if he found out that Jung Heeyeon had brought his jacket, he might very well shrug off the new suit just for the act.

Like the other alphas of Jiwoo, Shim Soocheon was starting to get used to Director Yeon putting on a completely different act when Jung Heeyeon was around.

Well, it’s good to go with the flow. Humming to himself, Shim Soocheon turned the wheel. He couldn’t help but wonder how Director Yeon would react when that pale, petite omega handed him a block of tofu.

–

Jung Heeyeon gently pressed down on the black plastic bag he had carefully set on his lap. A soft, warm sensation greeted his fingertips. He hadn’t expected to find fresh tofu so early in the morning, but thanks to the team leader, he’d gotten his hands on a freshly-made batch.

‘That was fascinating.’

He hadn’t known there were markets open at this hour. Even in the snowy winter, quite a few people were moving busily through the space.

It was also the first time he used a card in his own name. The tofu didn’t even cost ten thousand won, and he hesitated, wondering if it was appropriate to give something so cheap to the director. But if people really gave tofu to those getting out of prison, maybe it was okay.

“Looks like the director will be out in about thirty minutes.”

Shim Soocheon checked the time as the car stopped at a red light. Their route had changed due to the altered schedule, but it wouldn’t take much time to turn around. A quick mental calculation of the distance told him they’d arrive just in time.

“I’m sorry. You probably needed to hurry…”

Jung Heeyeon glanced down at his wrist to check the time. The watch that Director Yeon had gifted him sat snugly there. Quite a bit of time had passed since they’d left home.

“It’s fine. The director will probably be even happier seeing you. Just make sure you hand him the tofu the moment you see him.”

“Pardom? Yes.”

Though there was a faint trace of amusement in the team leader’s voice, Jung Heeyeon didn’t think much of it and turned to look out the window. The snowy early morning had left the roads empty. White flakes drifted through the air and fell silently onto the cold asphalt below.

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