Muyoung snorted, skimming the messages Eunwon had exchanged with his mother.
Both the claim that he ate breakfast well and that he ate dinner with Muyoung every day were blatant lies.
No matter how much Muyoung nagged and tried to take care of him, the only meal Eunwon ate on time and regularly was lunch with the secretarial staff during work hours.
Muyoung knew that the meals he ate alone at home were roughly skipped or often skipped to save living expenses. An apple, salad, a piece of bread—how much could that cost…
It was a white lie to reassure his mother in the hospital. Muyoung found that very distasteful.
There was no need to lie.
He just had to do as he’d told his mother. Just heartily accept what Muyoung gave him for breakfast and dinner and munch it deliciously.
Thinking he absolutely must not let his private closeness with the ‘CEO’ be discovered by anyone, Eunwon’s ‘distancing’ was even more strict at work.
When Muyoung tried to put him in his car to drive him home or tried to feed him dinner, Eunwon would jump up as if a gloomy old man had proposed a dirty sponsorship, waving his hands.
No matter how much he coaxed that it was fine, he was busy making all sorts of excuses and running away, minding others’ eyes needlessly. Even when he offered dinner every day, he succeeded barely once or twice a month unless he dragged him by force.
It bothered him that he’d visibly lost a lot of weight lately… From now on, he’d resolved to use the excuse ‘your mother is worried’ to seat Eunwon across his dining table whenever he tried to slip away like a loach.
But Mom The reason my discharge was postponed… did the hospital really say nothing else? Honestly, I thought they’d tell me to discharge this week for sure Mom Yeah~~ they just said they want to watch the numbers a bit more. What else would they say. They said this treatment went especially well^^~!
"…Like mother, like son."
A white lie, meant to keep his family from worrying. A kindness that endured hardship alone without a single complaint. Thinking of the mother and son, whose pale, gentle faces resembled each other so strikingly, Muyoung sighed and scrolled past.
Next to catch his eye was a conversation from two days ago with his younger brother, Yiwon, who was studying abroad in the United States.
The kid couldn’t even afford an apple in the morning or a chicken at night, yet there he was, trying his best to look after his little brother overseas, if only as the older brother.
Muyoung frowned faintly at Yiwon’s curt replies, so different from any thanks, and skimmed past to the next window.
After that came a chat with Joo Siyoung — nearly Eunwon’s only friend — whose profile picture was a selfie in a flamboyant outfit, striking a loud pose against a colorful background. Just reading the name made Muyoung’s brow knot tighter.
Seo Yiwon Did you eat dinner? Want me to send you allowance? Little brother no no im fine You’re not out of allowance? Little brother no i have some dont worry lol you spend it hyung I’ll send you some, hyung, I have a lot of money
Joo Siyoung Oh right, Seo Eunwon I meant to text, then I went on a trip and forgot. So why’d you ghost everyone the weekend before last? Cha Muyoung didn’t show up either?!?! What reason could you two possibly have for both not coming? Huh????? Wait, no way No way, did a ghost finally show up at your place???
Little brother no need, you spend it freely, hyung-nim Noㅠㅠ it’s not that… just had some stuff going on go buy some chicken or something
Joo Siyoung Stuff? What stuff? Yeah right, money.
The two of you ignored all my texts, I seriously thought you’d finally been taken by a ghost If that’s not it, it’s unforgivable__ what on earth happened that you ignored even MY texts? How could you??!?! Do you know how bored I was alone that day?!?!!?! Sorryㅠㅠ
Joo Siyoung I’m watching you, behave from now on, got it? Yeah… got itㅠㅠ
Was it really a close friendship? Was he being bullied? That faint doubt always crept in when he looked through the chats with Joo Siyoung, but knowing that Eunwon genuinely liked this friend, Muyoung set aside his suspicion and displeasure.
"Nothing special."
The other chats with the secretarial office were just more of daily life. The search history, true to Eunwon’s diligent nature, was all work-related. Looking up industry materials, studying business manners — that was all.
"You could just ask me about this stuff."
What did Seo Eunwon think Cha Muyoung had gone abroad to study for? It was to teach Seo Eunwon things like this.
Muyoung grew deeply annoyed to find that Eunwon had left his own personal one-on-one tutor sitting idle beside him, only to leave a polite "Thank you. This was a big help." in the comments of some random internet post.
"Hmph."
Snorting, he deleted the comment Eunwon had worked so hard to leave. It wasn’t exactly a grand act of spite.
Restaurants or places Eunwon had searched for, he transferred straight to the map on his own phone. He’d take him there and feed him later. Just imagining Seo Eunwon chewing away with his cheeks full was cute and satisfying enough.
He was about to set the phone down with relief after checking even the browser’s incognito mode — *hmm, nothing here either* — when an unfamiliar icon in the corner of the dimming screen caught his eye.
"Share your worries freely. PurPle is everyone’s friend!"
A deeply suspicious tagline. Muyoung’s brows drew visibly together as he launched the app.
PP: Hi, nice to meet you! Me: Hi, is this how I start…? PP: That’s right, you’re doing great lolololol I love that you reached out so casually. Is there something you want to talk about? Anything’s fine, so talk comfortably. Me: Would work stuff be okay? PP: Work stuff? Of course! I’ll listen to any worry, any story. We’re talking as friends, so don’t worry, tell me everything~ I’ll be right here for you. What should we start with?
The ID pinned at the top, "AGONE," was one Muyoung recognized at a glance as Eunwon’s. After a somewhat ticklish greeting with someone called "PurPle," Eunwon had launched straight into his troubles. It was a fresh conversation, from just a few hours ago.
Me: The thing is, lately I’ve been… having a bit of a hard time… at work.
At this completely unexpected topic, Muyoung’s expression turned grave. If Eunwon had worries right now, they obviously ought to fall under categories like "flirting, dating, marriage, boyfriend" — but a hard time at work?
He’d hired Eunwon the moment he graduated, placed him at the closest desk to the CEO’s office, and watched over him through the window, cherishing him. This was not a subject Muyoung could take lightly.
*Is Assistant Manager Kang dumping pointless errands on him again?*
Muyoung’s eyes sharpened as he glared at the screen. He skipped right past PurPle’s plump purple speech bubbles, then frowned hard at Eunwon’s next words.
Me: Everyone… hates me. Me: I think nobody likes meㅠㅠ
"That’s impossible. How could that be?"
Who in the world would dare hate Seo Eunwon?
Muyoung was genuinely dumbfounded. He had personally interviewed every member of the secretarial office, one by one. He’d chosen them to be as gentle, earnest, and easygoing as possible — all betas without an edge — so that Eunwon could get along well.
From the sound of it, Eunwon was being collectively ostracized… It made no sense. Who would bully him, and why? That kind, pretty, gentle kid?
Narrowing his eyes, Muyoung mentally pictured each member of the secretarial staff, then slowly turned his head.
He glared at Team Leader Jeong, dozing off in the seat behind him on the plane, exhausted.
*Did he know about this? Did he know and never say a word to me?*
Picturing Eunwon sniffling, hurt by his coworkers’ bullying, a film already began playing in Muyoung’s head, lit in dark tones. The genre: a romantic noir in which he tucked his lover under his arm and delivered bloody revenge on the perpetrators…
*Don’t worry, Seo Eunwon.*
*Hyung will take care of everything.*
*First, I need to find the ringleader.* With grim resolve, he read down the next bubbles listing the bullying — and his expression slowly began to crumple in a strange way.
Me: I have no work to doㅠㅠ Me: Nobody gives me anything… not copies, not odd jobs, not even really simple errands… They won’t let me clean the office or tidy the pantry, they won’t even let me wash my own cup… "…Hm?" Me: For two weeks I haven’t lifted a finger at the office. Everyone else is busy and I’m just sitting there… I can’t even run coffee errands. Everyone buys my snacks and coffee in advance for meㅠ… When I’m really bored they tell me to go out for a walk or play Minesweeper… does that make sense? How do you play games at work? How do you play? I don’t even know how to play Minesweeper
"He doesn’t know how to play Minesweeper? I’ll have to teach him later."
The sheer letdown at this utterly unexpected true nature of the "bullying" made the words slip out on their own. *Did I read that right?* He reread Eunwon’s grievances to make sure — and this time he had to let out a hollow laugh.
The genre of the film playing in his head changed in an instant. Something closer to a romantic comedy, watching in disbelief as a tiny chick, terrified, scurried away from the shade of the umbrella shielding it from the rain…
"…So I was the ringleader."
Muyoung let out a short groan, recalling what he’d said to the secretarial staff last Tuesday morning, arriving early before Eunwon.
*"As you’ve all guessed, Secretary Seo Eunwon is someone very special to me. Family, a brother… no, I could say far more important than that. So I would appreciate it if you could all look after him carefully and attentively, so that he won’t be uncomfortable, unhappy, or caught up in anything unnecessary at work. Please understand this as both a request from me as CEO, and a very earnest plea from someone who cherishes a person."*
Muyoung had lived his whole life as a fiercely biased "Seo Eunwon believer," but this much he could say with absolute certainty. What he’d endured for the past two weeks wasn’t ostracism — it was VIP treatment.
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