Omega Complex Novel (Completed) - Chapter 95

Still, there was no contact from Lee Yoonwoo. I thought he would wake up by 10 at the latest since he went to bed early yesterday. A part of me kept feeling anxious, wondering if something had happened.

Even while eating, I couldn’t take my eyes off my phone. When it vibrated, I quickly checked it, and I constantly doubted if the signal wasn’t working. It would be good if I could even call him. But even that was difficult, fearing I might wake him up while he was sleeping soundly.

“Are you expecting a call from somewhere?”

Finally, Yeona, who had been watching me, subtly asked. Assistant Manager Yu also glanced at me, observing my mood.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m waiting for someone.”

“No, there’s no need to apologize…”

Yeona exchanged glances with Assistant Manager Yu and swallowed hard. She put down her spoon and hardened her expression, seemingly intending to start a serious conversation.

“Did something happen?”

I slowly lowered my eyes. Unlike their almost empty bowls, the food I had barely eaten remained untouched in front of me. At this rate, it was no different from a hunger strike.

“Yeona-ssi… how many years have you been with your lover?”

“Huh?”

Yeona’s eyes widened at the sudden question. When I said she didn’t have to answer if it was rude, she waved her hands, saying it wasn’t. She scratched her cheek slightly and rolled her eyes.

“We’re 7 years… and about half? It’s been a long time.”

“If you’ve been together that long…”

My face naturally frowned. Half of it was the discomfort of asking about someone else’s private life, half was the burden of having to talk about my own story pointlessly. And a little bit of anxiety towards Lee Yoonwoo, who still hadn’t contacted me.

“You’ve fought, right?”

“Assistant Manager Choi, did you fight with your lover?”

As expected, Yeona asked back in a surprised voice. Fortunately, her voice didn’t get louder; instead, it subtly lowered.

“Did this happen after you met us yesterday?”

“Because of Lee Junseok?”

Was it the perceptiveness that came with experience? Assistant Manager Yu subtly checked. He let out a dry laugh after confirming that I didn’t deny it.

“Didn’t you say he wasn’t very jealous?”

“…It’s not jealousy.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t such a sweet emotion. It was just the betrayal of not knowing and a slight disappointment. If it had been jealousy, I could have comforted him with a smile, like before.

“Well…”

I put down my chopsticks and furrowed my brows. The two silently waited for my story. The fact that I hadn’t told them about Lee Junseok. The fact that Lee Yoonwoo immediately noticed Lee Junseok’s interest. And even the fact that he was upset about why I hadn’t told him. While telling the short story, I even mentioned that we lived together, but the point that surprised the two wasn’t ‘cohabitation.’

“No, you’re saying you fought for the first time after dating for five years?”

Yeona looked even more surprised than when I said I had fought. She mumbled, “No way,” and made a dumbfounded expression.

“…Is that so surprising?”

“Of course! We seem to have fought for five out of seven years.”

Yeona was unusually excited, saying that Assistant Manager Choi was truly a pure romantic, and that she felt it at the company dinner yesterday, but only today did she realize such a relationship was possible.

“That’s not what’s important right now…”

“Oh, of course. I know. You’re saying Assistant Manager Choi’s lover is angry, and you don’t know what to do.”

Yeona’s cheek twitched, and she pointed at me with her spoon. When I quietly nodded, she soon smiled brightly. Immediately after, a clear solution popped out of Yeona’s mouth.

“Just leave him alone.”

It was an incredibly simple solution. It was too easy for something I had worried about all night and all day. Except for the fact that I absolutely couldn’t put it into practice.

“He’ll get over it eventually.”

“Right, that’s the answer then.”

Unlike me, who was frowning, Assistant Manager Yu also nodded in agreement this time. Yeona put down her spoon again and calmly added.

“If you really want to, you can ask him what he wants to eat when you leave work and buy it for him. But you know that if you poke at it wrong, you’ll just fight more, right?”

A buzz, a vibration. On the phone I blankly checked, a familiar name appeared. ‘I’m awake now.’ That short message melted away the lump in my chest. Nothing bad happened, that sense of relief came with it.

“It’s Assistant Manager Choi’s fault for not telling you, but… it wasn’t intentional, and your partner will understand. They know you didn’t do anything wrong, and they’ll know you feel sorry for me,”

Yeon-ah said, shrugging her shoulders. ‘Everyone’s like that. You know it in your head, but…’ The rest of her words trailed off like a sigh.

“Emotions don’t get resolved just because the situation does.”

The sky, covered in sheep-like clouds, was as blue as if paint had been spilled across it. Lee Yoonwoo once said that smoking on a day like this felt incredibly good.

I didn’t like him smoking, but the scene of him exhaling smoke was still vivid in my memory. The moment his long eyelashes gently lowered, I wanted to become scattered smoke and seep into Lee Yoonwoo

‘Only bad feelings keep lingering.’

Even while calling Lee Yoonwoo, Yeon-ah’s words echoed in my mind. She gave me calm, experienced advice, as if our seven-year relationship wasn’t for naught. Assistant Manager Yoo listened silently, but seemed to agree wholeheartedly with Yeon-ah’s words.

‘Since you’ve received an apology, you can’t even get annoyed, and if you talk about it, you’ll just seem petty. If you just bottle it up alone like that, your mood will fluctuate.’

‘But then, at some point, you’ll be okay.’

‘To be precise, you forget… If you forget it like that, you’ll talk normally again.’

‘How can a person’s head and emotions go together? Especially love, which is done with emotion, not reason.’

‘So don’t worry and just give them a call.’

Ring, ring, the dial tone rang. Usually, I’d hear his voice by now, but Lee Yoonwoo didn’t pick up until the voicemail message came on. Should I try calling again, just once? As I thought that, my phone immediately rang.

“Hello?”

—Oh, Taegyeom…

Lee Yoonwoo responded with a drawn-out voice. A faint sleepiness, not yet erased, seeped out from his low tone. It seemed he had sent the message saying he was awake a moment ago and then dozed off again.

“Were you sleeping?”

—Yeah, after I contacted you… I don’t even know when I fell asleep.

A rustling sound came from the other end of the line. I also heard his soft yawn. Even without seeing them, I could vividly imagine the tears that would have welled up in the corners of his drooping eyes.

“Have you eaten?”

—Not yet. You?

“I ate with my colleagues.”

I wanted to ask if he was still angry, but I lacked the courage. Saying “I’m sorry about yesterday” also felt like stirring up trouble, so I couldn’t. All I could do was nag him out of concern.

“I made breakfast this morning, so don’t eat anything weird and have a proper meal. Don’t fill your stomach with drinks. You’ll get sick again.”

—When did I ever eat anything weird…? That’s the nagging I used to hear back in my student days.

I never knew his grumbling rebuttal could feel so good. The coldness of last night had vanished; Lee Yoonwoo was calm and languid as usual. Had he forgotten his upset, as Yeon-ah said? If so, nothing could be better.

—Are you going to be late today?

“No, I plan to leave early.”

Since we had a company dinner yesterday, nothing should happen today. It had already been over a month since I’d been vaguely working overtime, and holding me back today made no sense. Overtime pay or not, I genuinely felt like reporting them to the labor board now.

“Let’s eat something delicious tonight.”

I’d eat and then talk slowly again. If Lee Yoonwoo really seemed okay, it would be fine to let it go. Maybe I was just overly worried about something minor.

—Work hard.

“Yeah, see you later.”

The call ended in a peaceful atmosphere. Although the call ended before I could say “I love you,” it was a decent save. If we could spend time alone after work like this, I could surely shake off this lingering uneasiness.

Until then, I thought this refreshing feeling would continue. Even the sky, cleared of clouds, seemed to cheer on my time with Lee Yoonwoo, and there were no obstacles until quitting time.

Yes, until Assistant Manager Min, who returned to the office ten minutes before lunch break ended, said this:

“Everyone, no plans today, right? Shall we go eat some meat?”

My carefully laid plans turned to dust in an instant. For the first time since joining the company, I genuinely wanted to resign.

A company dinner, by definition, was a malicious event that no one welcomed, only those who pushed for it. Lonely superiors, usually not welcomed at home, orchestrated it, and powerless, pitiful employees were forcibly recruited. Occasionally, there were company dinners that everyone enjoyed, but that possibility was inversely proportional to the number of participants and frequency.

“…Shall we kill Assistant Manager Min?”

A gloomy voice pierced my ears. It wasn’t me who said it, but it perfectly expressed my feelings. Assistant Manager Yoo retorted sharply to Yeon-ah, who was putting out a cigarette with a haggard look.

“As soon as possible, please.”

Three days. The company dinner pushed by Assistant Manager Min was already on its third consecutive day. Even the department members, who initially pretended to be happy, couldn’t hide their exhaustion from the continuous dinners. It was called a company dinner, but drinking with Assistant Manager Min was so tedious that working overtime would have been better.

“Haa.”

I silently held the paper cup in my hand. The miserably crumpled paper cup looked similar to my face, Assistant Manager Yoo’s, and Yeon-ah’s. I didn’t know for sure, but the department members probably weren’t much different.

“Assistant Manager Choi, you don’t like company dinners either, do you?”

Yeon-ah said, pulling out another cigarette. She wasn’t usually a chain smoker, but she seemed quite troubled today.

“Not really. I thought I’d finally leave on time after the project ended, but…”

Before I could finish my sentence, irritation surged. It was an emotion I had been deliberately avoiding, feeling it would explode the moment I faced it. Assistant Manager Yoo narrowed his eyes at my agitated raking through my hair.

“Taegyeom, are you…?”

His sharp gaze seemed to see right through me. It was too annoying to try to control my expression now, and awkward to cut him off. As I silently put my hands in my pockets, the expected question popped out.

“Haven’t you made up with your partner?”

Three days ago, after Assistant Manager Min announced the company dinner, I immediately called Lee Yoonwoo and explained the situation. He said it was fine, as he always did, and joked around, asking about the dinner menu.

The problem was the one thing he said in a terrifying voice just before hanging up.

“…That person too?”

It was something I had once said to Lee Yoonwoo. That time, when he said he was eating with club members, I asked if Kim Dohyun was also coming. That time, when my stomach churned, and blinded by jealousy, I immediately went to the club room.

‘He’ll come, but anyway, there’s no chance of me running into him.’

Feelings are emotions that easily seep out if even a tiny crack appears. Whether buried in memory or hidden behind reason. In similar situations, they suddenly rush in.

‘…’

The silence over the phone perfectly conveyed the emotions he was feeling. In that brief moment, Yeon-ah’s words about only bad feelings lingering came to mind. As expected, he ended the call in a slightly stiff tone.

‘Have a good time.’

After that, it was a series of inexplicable missed connections. Lee Yoonwoo would fall asleep before I got home and wake up after I left for work. Even the occasional messages we exchanged significantly decreased from that day on.

“There’s nothing to make up for. We can’t even talk.”

It couldn’t be explained unless he was angry. The fact that he, who usually waited for me, would fall asleep without a word, and that when I called during the day, he’d always answer a beat late. And crucially, what he said when we hung up the phone just now.

‘…You have company dinners often.’

I felt so upset, it was like my insides were rotting away. Not being able to talk was frustrating enough, but the last face I saw was that cold one in the car a few days ago.

Anxiety, impatience, and even Lee Yoonwoo withdrawal symptoms. Messy emotions were all mixed up, like a ticking time bomb about to explode.

“You live together, but you don’t have time to talk?”

Assistant Manager Yoo flicked his cigarette, asking lightly. ‘If he’s sleeping, just wake him up.’ Those words made my insides even more complicated.

“He’s someone who can’t sleep well once he’s woken up… And it feels bad to wake him when I’m already late.”

For Lee Yoonwoo, who worked as a freelancer, his sleep pattern was more important than anything. While I forced myself into a regular routine, his habits would be ruined in an instant if he made a mistake. If I woke him up wrongly and he ended up staying up all night, his health would collapse in a flash.

“What about calls?”

“He’s also working, so it’s a bit hard to disturb him. He hangs up quickly even if he answers.”

“…Is he really angry?”

I unconsciously frowned. Assistant Manager Yoo waved both hands as if to calm me down.

“No, think about it. If you’re this anxious, do you think he’d be perfectly fine? At that point, it’s like he’s deliberately avoiding you.”

“Oh, Assistant Manager Choi, don’t make me anxious. The other person might not be thinking much of it.”

“Is that so?”

Assistant Manager Yoo rubbed his cheek, narrowing his brows. Lost in thought, he put an unlit cigarette in his mouth. His gaze was still on me.

“What do you think, Taegyeom?”

The clock already pointed to quitting time. I could feel the employees exchanging glances as if playing a game of chicken. Just as everyone was about to grab their bags if one person stood up, Assistant Manager Min was the first to speak.

“Alright, everyone…”

Ugh, damn it. Assistant Manager Yoo cursed under his breath. His voice was so low that only I, standing next to him, could hear it. Assistant Manager Min, with an excited face, grabbed his jacket and stood up.

“Let’s go for the company dinner!”

The employees shuffled up like zombies. Everyone had an awkward smile on their faces. Yeon-ah, in particular, was so sharp-eyed she could have burned Assistant Manager Min to death with her gaze alone.

“I’m not forcing anyone, so feel free to think about it, okay? How about it, Junseok? Do you have plans?”

“…Oh, plans? I cleared everything for the company dinner.”

Lee Junseok’s face trembled. It looked like he was trying to slip away but got caught by Assistant Manager Min, so he was definitely today’s target.

‘What do you think, Taegyeom?’

I recalled Assistant Manager Yoo’s words from earlier in the day and stood up from my seat. Assistant Manager Min’s eyes sparkled as he looked my way. From his confident expression, he seemed to think I would naturally join the company dinner.

“Oh, Assistant Manager Choi, today too…”

“I’ll be heading out first.”

A heavy silence fell. Lee Junseok, who had been flattering him, Assistant Manager Yoo, who was grumbling and packing his bag, and Yeon-ah, who had taken out her phone to contact someone, all turned to look at me with surprised eyes. Assistant Manager Min’s face, in particular, was a sight to behold.

“I have a prior engagement.”

I thought three days was enough patience. If he had any conscience, he wouldn’t say anything about this.

“See you on Monday.”

F***, fire me if you want.

Of course, Lee Yoonwoo wasn’t sleeping. As soon as I pressed the door lock and entered, the face I longed to see came into view. His lips, parted in surprise, his slowly blinking eyelids, his jet-black eyes—everything felt like it had been a long time.

“You’re home from work? What about the company dinner?”

I immediately hugged him, right there in front of me. Lee Yoonwoo, awkwardly standing, took a step closer. As I buried my nose in his hair, I was filled with Lee Yoonwoo’s unique pheromones.

“…I skipped dinner.”

Ah, it’s Lee Yoonwoo Not sleeping, the kind Lee Yoonwoo who hugs me back. It was only three days, but to me, it felt like a whole three days of that Lee Yoonwoo

“If I get fired, you’ll have to support me.”

I rubbed my cheek against his soft hair, nuzzling. I inhaled deeply until my chest swelled, and hugged him tightly as if to crush him. Lee Yoonwoo let out a small groan, then chuckled lightly.

“I guess I’ll have to try harder.”

He slowly wrapped his arms around my waist. The warmth that embraced me refreshed my damp mood of the past few days. I gently caressed his neck and ears, then pressed my lips firmly against the top of his head.

“Let’s eat. I’ll be out after I wash up.”