Bad Guy My Boss (ENG)

Chapter 09

As night fell, his plans to return home early fell apart. Mark found himself sitting down to dinner with his boss, who showed no signs of being easily satisfied with his meal. To make matters worse, the boss was calmly drinking beer despite complaining of fatigue the entire trip.

"Go ahead and eat. You're not going to finish it just by looking at it." His boss urged.

"I'm not that hungry." Mark replied, pushing his steak around his plate.

"Isn't this good? You normally like this place. Why don't you try the pasta?" Vee suggested, reaching for the menu to order again, but his nonchalant demeanor only served to further sour Mark's mood.

"Vee, pretending like you see what's going on isn't helping." Mark said.

"Being stubborn isn't helping either." Vee retorted.

"You already have Kimhan and you just went to Japan together. Let's not make things any more complicated."

"We need to separate these issues. Kim has his place and you have yours."

"That's selfish. It's not good for anyone."

"Kim and I aren't that serious. We both know where we stand. If you're worried, I'll tell you not to overthink it. Kim and I have made things clear. He knows you." Mark was taken aback, not expecting Vee to discuss his personal matters with someone he was casually dating. Even if they weren't officially lovers, if he was Kimhan, he'd be speechless too.

"You shouldn't have done this." Vee's shrugged, his indifference only adding to Mark's headache.

"I already told Kim that I need some space. He understands. As you know, I'm not the type to get seriously involved to the point of ownership. With Kim, we set boundaries from the start. We understand each other. He's not in love or possessive of me like you think. If you're worried about Kim and I, you can stop."

"I'm not worried at all. You've made a mistake."

"Your words say one thing, but your face says another. Why? I'm not stopping you from being jealous. You can have them if you want. I allow it."

"Don't give me permission. I'm not asking for it."

"You're not asking, but I'm willing to give it."

He talked to Vee as if they were rowing a boat in a bathtub, going around in circles endlessly.

"Let's get this over with. I'll be gone at the end of the month. By then, you might even forget I exist."

"Do you really think I could forget you?" Vee moved closer, his eyes shining with charm. "I won't forget how adorable you are, especially when we..."

"I've scheduled an interview for tomorrow with a candidate who graduated from the University of C. He has no work experience..." Mark quickly changed the subject to work, his face flushing red at the mention of...

"Enough. Let's not talk about work over dinner." Vee cut him off abruptly, taking a leisurely sip of his cold beer.

"We always talk about work. Why can't we do it now?"

"Tm tired today. I don't want to talk about work. But if it's personal, we can talk. About you and me..."

Mark could only roll his eyes and stay quiet as Vee deftly deflected the conversation out of where he could follow it.

"Vee." Mark called out his name in frustration.

"What's wrong, hmm?" Vee's piercing gaze met his. "If you have something to say, say it."

Truthfully, Patt didn't dare say anything. The words were stuck on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to tell Vee directly how much he loved him, how jealous and worried hewas and how sleepless he became knowing that Vee went to Japan with Kimhan. His heart felt trampled on again and again. It hurt, but all he could do was let it be.