Crazy A Married Life

#10

“…”

For a moment, there was silence so profound that one could almost hear the dust floating in the office. Idam’s tension increased.

Soon, along with the sound of leather sofa rustling, Idam felt a hand touching his cheek. Surprised, he gently opened his eyes. Taemin’s face was close. He was softly caressing Idam’s face.

“I’m not a bad person. I understand how you feel, so you don’t need to apologize.”

Taemin’s defense made Idam feel even more sorry. He bowed his head once more to apologize.

“Yes… But I’m still sorry…”

Taemin’s eyes, looking at the top of Idam’s head, were cold enough to make the winter god cower. He then removed his hand from Idam’s cheek. Idam slowly raised his head. At the same time, Taemin once again put on the gentlest expression in the world.

“Do you have time this evening?”

“Time?”

“Yes. I had plans with my younger sister, but she suddenly had something come up, so I’m going to the theater alone.”

Of course, Idam had time. Also, having rejected Taemin’s request, he felt he should at least agree to this. It was just two or three hours for a movie, so he thought it wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“When do you finish work?”

“At 6 o’clock. Which theater is it?”

“It’s a 7 o’clock movie at the Lotte Cinema Academy in Myeongdong.”

It was about a 40-minute bus ride from here. Being rush hour, it might be tight to arrive on time, but not impossible.

“Alright. I’ll make sure not to be late.”

“Then I’ll see you later.”

He then headed towards the office exit. Idam was puzzled.

“Aren’t you going to see our boss?”

He had assumed that Taemin’s visit to the office meant he had business with Youngchun as well as himself.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Ah, I see.”

Idam felt a bit embarrassed for asking an unnecessary question given Taemin’s curt response.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Ah… Yes. Take care.”

Idam bowed 90 degrees to Taemin. Taemin also politely bowed before leaving.

It was strange. When Taemin was there, the office seemed bright, but once he left, it felt shabby again.

Idam touched the cake box Taemin had left. The handle still held his warmth. It was warm. The Taemin in his dream had been rough, but the real Taemin couldn’t have been more angelic.

* * *

After finishing work, Idam hurriedly left the office. He hadn’t been able to leave on time because he accidentally knocked over the trash can. Moreover, considering the rush hour traffic, he wanted to move quickly. He came down the stairs and exited the building. But then…

“You’re 10 minutes late?”

Taemin was standing at the entrance. Idam was surprised by his sudden appearance.

“CEO, why are you here?”

“I had some business nearby and had some time left, so I waited to go to the theater together.”

“You didn’t have to do that…”

“It’s better to go together, isn’t it?”

Taemin approached the sedan parked in front of the building and opened the passenger door. The driver’s seat was empty, so it seemed he hadn’t brought the man who drove yesterday.

“Get in.”

“Okay…”

Idam hesitated for a moment but thought there was no need to feel burdened since Taemin said he had come during a break in his work. Also, from Idam’s perspective, it was beneficial not to have to take a crowded bus. Idam carefully got into the car. Taemin walked around the hood and sat in the driver’s seat. Then the car departed.

* * *

“Wow…”

The theater Idam arrived at with Taemin was not what he had imagined. It felt like facing a part of a luxury mansion. The auditorium was small, the individual spaces were wide, and the sofas were as cozy as beds. For Idam, who had only been to cramped theaters before, it was both fascinating and awkward.

The seats they were to sit in were couple seats. As a result, there was no armrest in the middle. Idam was flustered by the unexpected seating arrangement. However, Taemin sat down nonchalantly. Feeling awkward standing, Idam took his seat. But not wanting to be too close to Taemin, he slightly moved his body to the side.

Simultaneously, Taemin’s head turned blatantly towards Idam. Idam also turned his head following Taemin’s gaze. Their eyes met. Taemin’s eyes seemed somewhat hardened. He also looked a bit upset. So Idam pondered if he had made some mistake, but couldn’t think of anything. He had also thoroughly concealed his pheromones. Maybe he had unknowingly made some mistake. Should he ask or not? As Idam was fidgeting with his fingers, pondering…

“Idam.”

Taemin’s voice broke the silence. Idam, who had been extremely tense, responded submissively.

“Yes, CEO.”

He was nervous, wondering what Taemin might say.

“Do you like popcorn and nachos?”

“What? Yes, yes…”

Idam answered dumbfoundedly, his tension dissipating. It seemed his perception of Taemin’s mood being off was just his imagination. That was a relief. Only then did he realize they hadn’t stopped by the snack bar before entering the theater. The traffic had been heavier than expected, making their arrival time tight. Checking his phone, he saw there were still about 10 minutes before the movie started.

“Would you like wine for your drink?”

What kind of wine in a movie theater? Idam shook his head. He was already frustrated about losing his memory after drinking wine when he first met Taemin, so he couldn’t risk another incident.

“No, can I have cola?”

He could have just said he’d drink cola, but feeling sorry for rejecting Taemin’s fake marriage proposal, he asked as if seeking permission.

“Of course. Then I’ll have cola too.”

Taemin smiled faintly. He didn’t seem particularly disappointed about not having wine.

“Okay. Then I’ll buy this.”

Even though he was there in place of Taemin’s sister, Idam felt awkward just receiving. He quickly stood up. He remembered the snack bar wasn’t far from the auditorium.

At that moment, Taemin grabbed Idam’s wrist and pulled. As a result, Idam lost his balance and fell back into the seat. Moreover, he realized his body was leaning against Taemin. Feeling embarrassed, Idam tried to get up, but Taemin wrapped his arm around Idam’s waist and pulled him closer.

“Oh?”

In the end, Idam ended up in Taemin’s embrace.

“We can just ask Secretary Kang. Is there anything else you want to eat?”

Taemin maintained the position while picking up his phone. He opened the theater app and showed Idam the snack bar menu. Idam wondered if this was why he had pulled him close, to see this. But he couldn’t understand why Taemin was being so close when everything was perfectly visible without such proximity. Sweat began to form on Idam’s forehead.

“Ah, no. It’s fine.”

Due to the position, Idam was too nervous to properly see the menu, and he thought popcorn and nachos would be enough.

“I suppose lighter food is better since we’ll have dinner after the movie.”

“What?”

“Isn’t this not enough for a meal?”

“Ah… Well, that’s true.”

Idam nodded and answered. He realized they would end up having dinner together like this. He felt strangely excited yet burdened, uncomfortable yet anticipating. He didn’t have any part-time work tonight anyway, and since he had come to watch the movie, he thought he might as well have dinner and part on good terms. After all, he wouldn’t be meeting Taemin again.

“Secretary Kang. Please bring caramel popcorn, nachos, and two colas.”

After giving the order over the phone, Taemin ended the call.

According to Hayun, Ji Taemin was supposed to have an eccentric personality, but the more Idam interacted with him, the less that seemed to be true. He was even polite to his employees. Perhaps Hayun had never directly experienced Taemin and was just passing on rumors he had heard.

Soon, images started appearing on the screen. Idam watched, mesmerized, but felt something was missing. Looking around, he realized there was no one else. Was this an unpopular movie? Come to think of it, Taemin hadn’t told him what movie he had booked, and Idam hadn’t checked the movie poster at the entrance. They had hurried in, worried about being late.

“What’s the title of the movie you booked, CEO?”

Seeing Taemin’s elegant appearance, Idam thought he might like romance or documentaries.

“It’s my favorite genre.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

Just as Taemin was about to answer, the auditorium door opened. Secretary Kang entered carrying a tray. It was the popcorn and cola Taemin had ordered earlier. Secretary Kang set the popcorn and drinks on the table. Idam tried to help, but Secretary Kang’s hands were quicker.

“Enjoy the movie.”

Secretary Kang then turned and left the auditorium. Idam politely bowed to his retreating back. Taemin drank his cola, and Idam followed suit, sipping his cola through the straw. Come to think of it, when was the last time he had seen a movie? Was it in high school? He couldn’t quite remember.

Soon the movie started. A rainy cemetery. A man was hiding under a tree there. His body was covered in blood, and he was breathing heavily. Feeling eerie, Idam wondered what kind of movie this was.

‘I’m it. Where are you hiding?’

A creepy voice of indeterminate gender circled around the man. The man trembled, curling up like a ball. But the sound soon stopped. After some time, the rain calmed down, and the man’s expression relaxed. Just as he was about to leave the tree, a whistle sounded from above. The man looked up cautiously with puzzled eyes.

‘Found you.’

A ghost with disheveled hair was smiling on top of the tree. Moreover, the ghost held an axe in its hand. Simultaneously, the man’s terrible scream echoed through the cemetery. Soon after, the movie title filled the screen.

It was a horror movie.

Idam’s entire body stiffened. In fact, Idam disliked horror movies. He didn’t like their inherently gloomy atmosphere or the many jump scares. Taemin also looked puzzled as Idam hunched up.

“What’s wrong?”

“No… Nothing… I…”

Just then, a long-haired ghost suddenly appeared on the screen.

“Aaaah!”

Idam screamed and grabbed Taemin’s hand. Then he realized what he had done. How pathetic must he look, a grown man scared of a horror movie? Idam tried to let go of the hand, but then a woman’s scream rang out. Startled again, Idam once more grabbed Taemin’s hand like a lifeline.

At that moment, Taemin’s eyes, looking at Idam, were very lecherous. In fact, he didn’t have a younger sister at all.