CHAPTER XIII:

“Let me pour you a drink...” Jongdae offered kindly, tipping the bottle of beer on the rim of her glass.

Yongguk eyed the action, contemplating whether he should interrupt or not. He didn’t really want another episode of drunken Rahyun.

“It’s okay,” she politely declined, “I have a very low tolerance for alcohol.”

Jongdae shrugged it off and smiled as he offered ‘Jongup’ a drink.

Yongguk drank his liquor with Jongdae, a much needed relief from lying to the guy. He closed his eyes as he let the bitter aftertaste of the drink dwell on his tongue.

Rahyun watched him in curiosity, surprised at the high tolerance he had developed for alcohol. She could see that he was still thinking clearly, even after his 5th glass. Although, she did wonder why he was drinking so much.

As the night grew darker, Jongdae became more and more vibrant.

He started talking about random things that happened in his life and Rahyun listened to it intently, getting to know her old crush all over again.

Meanwhile Yongguk was on his 6.5th glass. He eyed the woman sitting next to him and saw her eyes focused onto Jongdae. It made him feel a bit uncomfortable, so he downed the rest of his glass.

“So, Rahyun.” The other man said giddily, “How was the Busan branch opening?”

She nodded, unsure if she should answer a drunk man with a serious answer. “It’s doing fine. I checked over everything and they’re running smoothly.”

“But... I thought you went with Jongup?” Jongdae asked, pointing at the man next to her.

Rahyun blinked, shocked at how sharp the other’s memory was, even if he was drunk. “Well, yeah, Jongup went with me too. He even drove me there.”

Yongguk was filling in his next glass of beer.

“How was it Jongup?” Jongdae smiled, “’Tis a boring job, ain’t it?”

“It’s not that bad,” he answered, “sir.”

The MD nodded his head, “Aye- of course it’s not that bad... You’ve got Rahyun as a boss.” He gave him a wink. “How is she by the way? Is she good to you?”

Yongguk tried to remember whatever detail Rahyun told him about Jongup and replied, “Well, she does over work me a lot,” he chuckled when the said woman glared at him, “but she worries about me too, sir. She’s very driven to her work... and I think that trait of her is really commendable.”

Jongdae hiccupped, “Prithee. I sort of think she’s cool when she does her job, doesn’t she?”

Rahyun began to wonder whether it was normal of Jongdae’s speech to turn archaic once he’s drunk.

“Very cool, sir,” Yongguk didn’t miss a beat.

“And I bet she’s smart.” His speech slurred.

The other smiled, “You bet.”

“And you like her.”

“Yes.” Yongguk blurted out, resulting in the table’s silence. Realising what he did, he panicked, “She’s a wonderful boss.”

Jongdae’s expression turned dark, “I knew it.” He scoffed, his head bobbing up and down, “I totally saw it in you.”

“I... have no idea what you’re talking about, sir.” He played dumb, aware that Rahyun was still staring at him in bewilderment.

The drunk man stared at Yongguk blankly, “We’re both men. We would know if a man is in love.” His words weren’t as drawled as before. It was rather clear now.

“L-love?” Yongguk almost choked, “Sir, I think you’ve drunk a little too much.”

Rahyun hadn’t moved an inch ever since the topic was brought up. She stared at Yongguk, who was trying his best to play the part as Jongup... who said that he liked her...

She was entirely sober and yet her head was still spinning from the impact and her heart was racing in her chest.

Her eyes witnessed the bizarre situation, on how he was pretending as her assistant in front of her old crush. If it had been someone else they would’ve left her already (enter Luhan) but here he still was, lying through his teeth just because she asked him to.

Because he liked her.

It was wrong.

Rahyun felt being suffocated by all the lies and the pretences. It was suddenly hard to breathe and everything else was blurring out of her vision. Jongdae’s loud laughter echoed in her head with all of the other noises in the restaurant. They were amplified in her mind and it hurt her ears.

She saw Yongguk’s silhouette and blinked her vision back to focus on him.

She had to set it right.

“Yongguk...” she tugged on his shirt, “Bang Yongguk.” Her voice sounded raspy.

Jongdae’s ears perked up, “Who?”

Rahyun pointed a finger at the guy beside her, “Him.” She voiced out with more confidence, “I called him Yongguk.”

Hearing his real name, the other froze in alarm. Was Rahyun drunk? But she clearly didn’t drink any alcohol?

“Kim Jongdae-“ she announced, “Meet my friend- Bang Yongguk.” Rahyun saw the man’s puzzled expression. “He’s not my assistant Jongup. He’s just a friend that is too nice for his own good. He... helps me out whenever I need him to. Yongguk... I owe him a lot.”

“Then... why did you say he was your assistant?” The MD blinked his eyes to make himself more awake.

“I... I just thought you would be insulted if I ate dinner with another person when I cancelled our blind date.” She sighed, “I didn’t want to ruin business ties like that... I’m terribly sorry.”

Jongdae scoffed, “I’d be more insulted if I was being lied to.”

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