The room was silent. Yoonshin recalled that, when he was younger, he couldnât come up with questions when asked for them. He was watching the children fondly when one girl pushed up her glasses and asked somberly, âDo you have a girlfriend?â
Sehunâs face came to mind, causing a warm smile to form. Not too long ago, when he was asked the same by his sister, he had denied it since they werenât going out back then. Now he was contemplating a different answer. He wasnât hesitant anymore. âYeah, well, I have something like that.â
âSo do you have someone youâre going out with or not?â
âI have someone I like. Iâm saying that I do have a significant other.â After answering more firmly, he checked his watch. The girls whose eyes were gleaming before looked somewhat disappointed, and they started whispering amongst themselves, which he ignored.
âAll right, shall we head out for lunch now? I have a prior appointment, so I canât accompany you, but Iâll pay for anything you want. You can eat however much you like.â
The youths acted their age. As if they had never been disappointed, the girls became excited, and the boysâwho had looked bored of waiting for the lecture to endâsimply showed their satisfaction and picked up their jackets. Yoonshin chuckled as he watched the students put on their unofficial uniformâthe generic, black puffer coatsâand then called over the president of their club, instructing him to contact Yoonshin after ordering their food at the restaurant.
The teen nodded, and Yoonshin ruffled his hair. Yoonshin then waved to each student as they left. The pitter-patter of their feet grew further. Yoonshin grabbed his coat and suitcase last and also left the room.
âItâs chilly.â He hunched his shoulders. Looking out the window in the hallway, he saw that the sun was still hanging high.
âWhat was Sehun Kang doing right now?â he wondered.
Sehun didnât give Yoonshin time on Christmas Eve nor the day of, but Yoonshin wasnât greatly frustrated by it. After all, Yoonshin knew what the other man was doing and where he was.
On the eve of the day, Sehun couldnât leave the office due to a series of meetings starting in the morning and stretching out to the evening. On Christmas, despite it being a holiday, he met a client with a foreign-licensed lawyer at Miheeâs request. Yoonshin left a text message past midnight but fell asleep while waiting for a reply. He remembered waking up the next day to check for the older manâs reply.
Yoonshin had patiently overlooked these absences, but neglecting him even on this day made him quite frustrated.
âIs there no concept of an anniversary in his head?â Yoonshin sulked.
Yoonshin took out his phone and momentarily lapsed into thought. Just what was the significance of today? Sehun normally didnât use vacation days and instead immersed himself in work. Yoonshin had never seen him resting other than on dedicated rest days such as the weekend. Sehun didnât use additional vacation days other than the week that all the firmâs lawyers were given.
The curiosity that he was suppressing rose to the tip of his tongue. He ended up calling Sehun.
âThis is Sehun of Doguk speakingâŠâ Sehun said.
Fortunately, the other man picked up quickly. However, Yoonshin didnât have high expectations, so he had yet to organize his thoughts. Thanks to that, he ended up asking the question that he had been holding in thus far. âWhat day is December 31?â
Sehun must have been astonished that he was cut off by such a direct question. After some silence, he laughed in incredulity. âWhereâs your phone call etiquette gone? Tell me if youâve been ripped off somewhere. You know our firm has an internal remedial service.â