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Chapter 34 - Approach
Yoonshin had simply wanted to have a more personal conversation, starting with the existence of a girlfriend. This was his solution. Yoonshin knew what school Sehun graduated from, they lived in the same building, and he knew that his own father was a mutual connection. From the conversation, Yoonshin hoped that Sehun would bring up his teacher’s name and expected the conversation to flow in a more heartfelt direction.
But perhaps it could have been a mistake, depending on the point of view. Yoonshin corrected himself, “Please excuse me. I just thought my father was a mutual topic for conversation. I just wanted to chat with you a bit longer.”
The other was increasing the distance between the two but stopped suddenly. Yoonshin also stopped.
They were standing in a secluded corner of an alley. There were no streetlights here.
It seemed like Sehun enjoyed pushing others into both psychological and physical corners. Although he hadn’t laid a finger on Yoonshin, just walking toward him steered Yoonshin toward the wall. Yoonshin felt anxious and stepped back; eventually, his skinny frame hit the wall with a thud. At that moment, Sehun stood before him like a looming shadow.
Just as before, he grabbed Yoonshin’s chin and leaned toward him, tilting his face. His obstinate eyes were determined to probe the face of the other despite the poor lighting. Yoonshin felt uneasy and swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
The way Sehun’s red lips slowly opened was quite sensual.
“So, you’re saying you found a common topic between us and decided to chat me up?”
It wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t quite right either.
“Isn’t there another way you can phrase that? Other people could misunderstand if they heard that,” Yoonshin replied. He recalled a question that he constantly yet unwittingly carried these days. Sehun didn’t give him a special reason, but for some reason, Yoonshin’s thoughts somehow kept flowing in a suggestive direction, so he wanted to address it at some point.
Just a few months ago, he had no idea that he would ask this kind of question to the other man. With the back of his hand, he brushed his pink-tinged cheeks and asked, “Senior Attorney, are you interested in me by any chance?”
Sehun looked bemused and simpered. “You’re the one who keeps making advances at someone who wants to leave.”
Yoonshin humbly conceded—Sehun said nothing false. Not only did he hold Sehun back, who left after ignoring him, but he also disrupted the other’s personal time by following him. It wasn’t like Yoonshin particularly liked Sehun, but for some reason, he kept chasing after the other.
“But you’re the one who made us stand like this. I’ve only seen this position in movies.”
“So you think that this position is a proceeding for a writ of habeas corpus that shows that I’m interested in you. You know, I hate being indebted. Think about what Soohan Group could do to me if I laid hands on you recklessly. I’m not interested in finding out.”
“You keep grabbing my face and taking me apart with your eyes. Why do you do that?”
“I just feel like observing you thoroughly when I see you. That’s all.”
That was what made it weirder. They didn’t have positive feelings for each other, but sometimes, an oddly heated air hung between the two. It was quite confusing.
But it seemed like Sehun couldn’t figure out the exact reason either, so Yoonshin gave up on his interrogation. The chilly air of the night felt like it got warmer, so the best he could do was wrap things up. “I get it. I won’t take it the wrong way. I only asked just in case.”
The expressionless older man stared at Yoonshin’s clear face. As his heated gaze continued to linger, Yoonshin, who was trying to calm down, became nervous yet again.
It was because of these moments. Sehun, who seemed uninterested in his surroundings, kept behaving in a way that flustered Yoonshin. Yoonshin silently watched Sehun for two months at the firm, but never saw Sehun behave like this with anyone else. Therefore, he felt more nervous and more conscious of the other. It was all Sehun’s fault.
Despite acknowledging that he reacted more sensitively to Yoonshin, Sehun also said he wasn’t particularly interested in Yoonshin—Yoonshin had to accept this as it was now. Honestly, it was better for Yoonshin that the older man was disinterested in him.
“Um, Attorney Kang,” Yoonshin called the other.
The other didn’t answer. Instead, he slowly backed away, retracting his looming shadow, then resumed his walk. Barely releasing his tension, Yoonshin chased after him again. The two were slightly further apart than before as they walked beside each other in the darkened alley.
“So, you know the case you gave me today. This is your second test, right?” Yoonshin carefully asked.
“It’s something like that. You’ve never done a s*xual assault case before, correct?”
“Yes, it’s my first.”
“Formally accepting you into the team is one thing, but I also need to figure out how to use you the most efficiently and what tasks to assign you. Solve it the way you want. I’m just looking at the basics, like what you pay the most attention to, how you interview the client, and how you plan your strategy.”
“While we’re on that, could I ask you for some advice? More than anything, I also want to learn how you work.”
Sehun shot a displeased glare at Yoonshin in disbelief and looked away. “Do you know how much I charge per 10 minutes of advice? Ask after you pay.”
‘Not only does he have a bad temper, but he’s also mean.’