“I’m really thankful that you hired me back then.”

“I’m also grateful that you agreed to work for me. You’re an amazing personal assistant.”

“Frankly, I thought you wouldn’t employ me at all.”

Genkei frowned. “Why did you think that?”

“Because I was such a mess during that interview,” Haruto replied with a chuckle. “I woke up late that morning, and I had to rush to get ready. Then something went wrong with my internet connection, and I panicked like crazy. Fortunately, it worked about a minute before the interview was scheduled to begin. I was so frazzled by then, I honestly couldn’t remember how I got through the interview.”

“You did well.”

“Thanks. Anyway, I might have mentioned this during the interview, but I got laid off by my previous company about two years into the pandemic. I had some savings, but it wouldn’t last forever. Maybe the amount would be sufficient for me to survive for a year or slightly longer. After that, I would be screwed, but not in a good way.” Then Haruto’s eyes widened, and he was visibly blushing. Genkei was taken aback upon hearing that. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It was so inappropriate.”

“It’s cool.”

“No, it’s not. You’re my boss. There are boundaries that I should never cross.”

“Okay.” The atmosphere became awkward for what felt like an eternity. Genkei could feel his heart pounding fast and hard. That moment was the perfect time for him to bring up the topic he had been dying to discuss with Haruto for a while. He looked at Haruto while steeling himself up for the upcoming conversation. “Haruto, may I ask you something really personal?”

Haruto appeared to be taken aback by the question. “Yes, but I reserve the right not to answer it.”

“Fair enough.”

“Okay. Shoot.”

“Are you single right now?”

Haruto seemed surprised. “Yeah. I told you that just last week.”

Genkei clenched his fists and gulped a couple of times. His throat and lips felt dry. He was beyond nervous.

“What if ... I mean, do you ... are you interested in anyone right now?”

Haruto nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

Genkei was disappointed. “I see.”

“Sadly, he’s way out of my league.”

Genkei wished he could pull Haruto toward him and hug the man tightly, but there was no way that would end well for him. The two of them had a cordial relationship as a boss and a subordinate, and they were growing closer after spending so much time together in Tokyo, but they weren’t friends. Physical contact between them that was too intimate would be odd.

“Okay.”

Genkei realized that he sounded bitter and more than a bit jealous of that unknown person who Haruto was attracted to. However, he did his best not to react in a manner that would make his feelings for Haruto way too obvious.

“What about you?”

Genkei hesitated. He didn’t know how to answer that question without making the atmosphere even more tense between them, but he was determined to be honest because he didn’t like lying to anybody, especially not to the people he cared for.

“You.”

Haruto seemed confused. “Me what?”

Genkei inhaled deeply while gathering up the courage to confess his feelings. “I mean, I like you. A lot. When I first saw you, I was attracted to you. It was purely sexual back then, but as time passed by, I wanted…no, I desired you as more than just friends.”

Haruto stared at Genkei. His surprise was clearly displayed all over his face. Then Genkei felt really hurt when Haruto burst out laughing all of a sudden. He never knew that Haruto could be so cruel. He could accept that Haruto wasn’t romantically interested in him, but it didn’t give the man the right to make fun of him like this, trampling on his feelings like it meant nothing. Haruto must have noticed the anger on Genkei’s face because he calmed down immediately.

“I’m sorry. It’s just ... well, this is unexpectedly funny.”

Genkei was even more furious now. “Thanks for the insult.”

“No!” Haruto exclaimed, and he appeared to be panicking. “Fuck! This misunderstanding is growing bigger and worse by the second.”

“I don’t think so.”

Haruto sighed loudly. “Genkei, I like you. I really, really like you.”

Genkei was even more enraged now. “You don’t have to console me. I definitely don’t need you to tell me that you like me just because you pity me.”

“I’m not doing anything like that. I had the biggest crush on you during that interview. I’m still infatuated with you.”

Genkei’s irritation vanished in an instant. Instead, he was stunned.

“Really?”

“Really,” Haruto confirmed with a grin. “You have no idea how much I like you. I even jerked off -- oh, shit!”