Me and Thee: English translation.

Wake up call #37

 

It was the second time Peach found himself walking down this long hallway. He glanced around quietly, taking in the pristine white walls and polished marble floors that gleamed under the soft lighting. Meeting rooms and office doors lined the corridor on either side, slightly offset from one another, and at the very end stood a grand wooden door, imposing yet inviting.

 

Pushing it open, Peach stepped into a modest-sized room. To the right was a secretary's desk, while the left side held a small break area complete with a coffee machine and snacks. On the far wall was yet another door—one leading to the CEO's office. The last time he'd been here, he'd stopped right in front of this very door.

 

Now, Peach offered Mok, the secretary, a polite smile in silent acknowledgement before drawing in a deep breath. Then, he stepped through. The room beyond was vast and tastefully intimidating. A plush black carpet covered the floor, muffling his footsteps as he entered. The decor leaned heavily into dark tones of black and deep red, exuding power and sophistication. In the centre stood an imposing desk, while on the opposite side, a set of luxurious leather sofas was arranged neatly for receiving guests.

 

Mr Thee was seated on one of those sofas. As soon as he noticed Peach walk in, the tall man shot to his feet, his smoke-grey eyes locking onto him. There was a flicker of unease in his gaze, almost as if he feared Peach might turn around and bolt. Peach approached slowly, his steps faltering when he noticed something odd on the table in front of the sofas, which held not one but three glasses of water. He arched a brow, glancing at Thee with mild confusion.

 

"Do you have a guest? If so, I can come back later."

 

"No! I don't have any guests. I cleared my entire schedule for you." The mafia blurted out, his voice alarmed, almost panicked.

 

"Then why are there extra glasses of water?"

 

"They're not for anyone else. I have prepared it for you." He paused, his usual confidence faltering as he struggled to explain himself. 

 

"I thought maybe you'd want to throw one at me first. You know, to vent or something. And then you'd still have another one to drink afterwards just in case you got tired."

 

Peach's jaw dropped. He felt like he'd just heard something so absurd it gave him a slight headache. Watching Thee puff out his chest and brace himself like a martyr ready to be doused with water made Peach raise his hands in surrender.

 

"I'm not going to throw water at you, Thee. It'll make a mess."

 

"The floor is carpeted. If you throw it, the water will just soak in. It won't be messy." 

 

Thee explained, entirely too seriously. Peach couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why anyone needed this kind of explanation.

 

"That's exactly why it'll be messy! The carpet would be a nightmare to clean. At least think of the poor cleaning staff."

 

"Water won't stain. And if it does, I'll just replace the entire carpet. Problem solved Thee replied, deadpan as if he were talking about buying something as trivial as a pack of gum. "I'll take care of the rest."

 

Peach opened his mouth, trying to come up with a response, but ended up closing it again, completely at a loss. His head was starting to hurt from the sheer absurdity of the conversation. It felt like they were stuck in a bizarre loop, and he didn't even know where to begin to untangle it. In the end, he gave up and changed tactics entirely.

 

"I don't want to throw water at you," he said firmly.

 

Thee nodded as if he finally understood. Peach exhaled a long, quiet sigh of relief and sat down on the sofa next to him. Despite avoiding Thee in person lately, Peach had still been replying to his messages regularly. They'd kept in touch. But now that they were face-to-face, the air between them felt strangely awkward, heavy in a way that was hard to explain.

 

Peach snuck a glance at the man beside him. Thee's brows were furrowed, his expression tense and serious, as if he were thinking about some major company crisis. Peach observed him quietly, trying to piece together what was going on. Thee's sharp, handsome face, which usually exuded confidence and control, now showed unmistakable signs of exhaustion. Dark circles hung under his eyes, his temples were visibly tense, and there was a faint stubble along his jawline like he hadn't bothered shaving in a while. Even his usually piercing smoke-grey eyes had dimmed, their brilliance dulled by fatigue. He looked as worn out as he had said he was.

 

"Mr Thee, have you been really busy with work lately?" Peach asked, his voice gentle as he unconsciously reached out to touch Thee's slightly sunken cheek. 

 

"You look like you've lost a bit of weight."

 

Thee froze for a moment, his gaze locking onto Peach's hand resting on his face. Peach immediately realised what he'd done and flinched, quickly pulling his hand back while muttering an apology. But Thee's hand was faster. He placed his palm over Peach's, loosely holding it in place just firm enough to stop him from pulling away.

 

Instead of letting go, Thee leaned into the touch, allowing his scruffy cheek, dusted with faint stubble, to press against Peach's warm palm.

 

"Thank you for worrying about me," Thee murmured, his voice low and tired. His eyes fluttered shut, and for a moment, he looked utterly vulnerable, almost fragile. 

 

"I've just had a few things weighing on my mind lately."

 

"Your work must be really stressful. I'm sorry if I've added to it by delaying the Winter project because of me."

 

"Not at all, that project doesn't trouble me in the slightest", Thee replied softly, his tone soothing. He turned his head slightly and pressed a light kiss onto Peach's palm, causing the younger man to freeze in shock. 

 

"What drives me crazy is when you disappear like that. Please, if something's bothering you, tell me. Just don't vanish without a word again, okay?'

 

Heat flooded Peach's face, burning all the way up to the tips of his ears. He stammered incoherently, looking left and right in a flustered panic, unsure of how to respond. Yet, for some reason, he didn't try to pull his hand away. The warmth of Thee's touch and his gentle hold were strangely comforting. Peach found himself unwilling to break the connection.

 

Thee, however, was the one to pull back, albeit reluctantly. He let Peach's hand go for a brief moment, though he quickly reached for it again, his fingers softly trailing over the back of Peach's hand in a tender, almost absentminded motion.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Thee admitted quietly, his voice tinged with guilt. His gaze lowered slightly, as though ashamed. "I was so angry. Just the thought of something happening to you-I couldn't keep my emotions in check. If you'd been hurt worse, or if you'd fallen and hit something, or even if that punch had landed in the wrong place with too much force... You could've been seriously injured. Or worse. Just imagining that possibility, it was unbearable."

 

Thee hesitated for a moment, his stormy grey eyes lifting to meet Peach's gaze. But instead of holding it, his focus shifted, lingering on the corner of Peach's lips. The scar had long since healed, yet the memory of the blood from that day seemed to remain etched in Thee's mind. Gently, his rough fingertips reached out, brushing lightly against the corner of Peach's mouth, as if wiping away something only he could still see.

 

"I'm really sorry," Thee murmured, his voice low and solemn.

 

"But I don't regret what I did to that actor. If I had to choose again, I'd do it all over."

 

...Though this time, I wouldn't let you find out about it.

 

Peach let out a deep breath, trying to steady the erratic rhythm of his heart. It wasn't fear this time—not the kind he'd felt before. Instead, it was a strange warmth spreading through him, shaking him to his core in a way that was almost more terrifying. He was afraid... but if it was Thee, maybe that was okay.

 

"I don't blame you. I understand. You're a mafia boss. Stuff like this must be second nature to you." Peach said softly, his lips curving into a faint, tentative smile. His voice was warm, his eyes soft. He added, "if anything, I should be thanking you. Without you, I'd probably have been hurt for nothing, unable to fight back at all."

 

In this messed-up world, no matter how hard he struggled, some things simply couldn't be changed.

 

"But I still made you uncomfortable," Thee muttered, his voice dropping again. His expression clouded with guilt, his usual commanding demeanour slipping away entirely.

 

This time, it was Peach who tightened his hold on Thee's hand, offering a gentle squeeze in an unspoken attempt to comfort him.

"At first," Peach admitted, his voice quieter, 

 

"I did think it was a bit too much. I didn't expect it to go as far as someone ending up in the hospital."

 

"You ended up in the hospital too," Thee countered sharply, his tone taking on a scolding edge. But before Peach could respond, Thee shook his head quickly, cutting the conversation short. 

 

"Forget it. Let's not talk about this anymore. It'll only make you feel worse."

 

Peach nodded silently, letting the topic drop as Thee wished. His gaze fell to their hands still clasped tightly together, with no sign that Thee intended to let him go anytime soon. But he should have asked. If not, it would only continue to gnaw at him.

 

"Mr Thee, do you still like Aran?"

 

"No, I never liked Aran. Before, it was just lust. I've never had even a shred of genuine feelings for that model," Thee stated firmly, his tone carrying an air of finality far more serious than any previous conversation.

 

"But you invited Aran into your bed."

 

"I was being petty. I hate people who try to use my feelings to their advantage." Thee frowned, realising how his words could be misunderstood, and quickly elaborated, 

 

"But I didn't have feelings for him. That was all in his head. I've taken care of all those rumours. They won't surface again."

 

The faint smile tugging at his companion's lips grew wider, so much so that he had to duck his head to hide it. Oddly enough, hearing Thee's emphatic denial filled his chest with an inexplicable warmth. It was ridiculous how glad he felt at such a simple declaration. He didn't even want to know how much weight this mafia boss held in his heart now.

 

"I thought you were into Aran," he murmured, testing the waters.

 

"I'm into you."

 

The blunt confession was so out of left field it startled him, and his head snapped up to meet Thee's gaze. Smoky grey eyes he had admired since their first meeting, locked with his, unflinching and intense. They carried a seriousness that made his heart skip a beat.

 

Thee's lips pressed together as if bracing himself, his large hand trembling ever so slightly as it cradled his own. The man who ruled with an iron fist, a paragon of confidence and pride, now stood before him with his defences stripped away, baring his soul as if begging for his feelings to be seen.

 

"I've never cared about anyone," Thee began, his voice low but steady. "Not anyone outside my family. Everyone else has always been insignificant. Until the day I met you." He lowered his head, pressing a soft kiss to the back of his companion's hand, his sharp gaze unwavering and pleading. "You're the only one who matters. The only one I've ever truly felt something for. Without you, there's no one else."

 

He froze, his mouth slightly ajar as words caught in his throat. A fierce heat flushed his cheeks, making his eyes sting as if tears threatened to fall. And when he caught sight of the faint red creeping up Thee's ears, his own embarrassment soared to an entirely new level. What just happened? What did he just hear?

 

He froze in place like a robot that had run out of power. Thee, clearly getting nervous, edged closer bit by bit until he rested his chin on his shoulder. That finally snapped him out of his daze. He startled slightly, but the weight on his shoulder and the firm grip on his hand kept him rooted in place.

 

"I don't know," he stammered, his voice shaky. Thee's gaze, sweet and unrelenting, made him feel even more flustered. His hands fidgeted awkwardly, as if they didn't know where to go. "I've never dated a guy before. Never even liked a guy."

 

"But you're not pushing me away. You're not trying to run," Thee countered smoothly, shifting to sit on the same sofa, his larger frame pressing closer inch by inch. He wasn't even touching him, not really, but the way Thee leaned in felt overwhelming, like he was being swallowed whole. How was he supposed to escape from this?

 

He screamed internally, wanting to yell it out loud but too frazzled to do anything but sit there stiffly. His lips pressed into a thin line, his cheeks burning hot enough to make him worry he might actually be running a fever.

 

"I don't hate you, okay?" he mumbled, turning his head away as far as he could. Why did Thee have to lean so close? It wasn't fair! Even if he didn't push him away, it was still embarrassing!

 

"So, if you don't hate me, that means you like me, right?"

 

"What kind of logic is that?!" he shot back instantly, his frustration bubbling over. He turned sharply to glare at Thee, only to freeze in place again. Their faces were so close their noses almost touched. He could feel Thee's warmth, every breath shared in the sliver of space between them.

 

Thee held his gaze for a long moment before slowly pulling back. His retreat was careful, deliberate, and tinged with reluctance. He looked like he was forcing himself to let go, telling himself over and over that it wasn't the right time. Even though it was just one kiss, he was willing to wait until the day he'd hear the words, I'm ready. For him, even just one kiss felt so precious; he wanted to treasure it forever.

 

"Peach," he said softly, his voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions. "If you feel something, anything for me, then maybe... we should try dating."

 

Peach shifted slightly, giving him space to sit properly. Yet, his large hand still played with his smaller one, his touch gentle but persistent. His gaze, however, was more serious than ever. He blinked in confusion, completely lost as to how their conversation had spiralled into this. Seeing his bewilderment, Thee straightened his back and spoke again, his tone resolute.

 

"I know my work keeps me busy, but I promise I'll take care of you. Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do, just tell me, and I'll handle it. I can take you to eat in Japan. You've only been to two of those 'Ten Restaurants to Try Before You Die,' right? I'll take you to the other eight, no problem. If anyone dares to mess with you, I'll take care of it. I'll be your strongest ally, no questions asked.

 

"And if you want to work, I'd never stop you. But if there's ever a day you just want to rest, you can. I'll take care of everything for you."

 

At that, he couldn't hold it in anymore. Raising his free hand, he waved at Thee as if to say stop. The embarrassment that had clouded his mind started to fade, replaced by bubbling laughter. Even so, his cheeks were still burning red.

 

"What is this? You're really selling yourself hard, aren't you? This is way too much of a hard sell!"

 

Thee's smile widened, his eyes sparkling with delight. Just seeing his laughter made Thee's chest swell with warmth. He reached out, taking the hand he had raised to stop him, and lifted it gently to his lips, pressing a soft, reverent kiss on Peach's knuckles. The entire time, his sharp gaze never left his face, not even for a second.

 

"I haven't even told you the most important part yet," Thee said softly, his voice now tender. "If you date me, I'll be your family. I swear I'll love, care for, and protect our family for the rest of my life." 

 

He froze, his wide eyes locking onto Thee's. The words struck a chord so deep it felt like they echoed in his very soul. Slowly, a tear slipped down his cheek, unbidden, while his lips curved into the widest smile he'd ever worn.

 

"Is this promotion a limited-time offer?"

 

Thee gently wiped away the stray tear with care, his touch as delicate as if he feared breaking something precious. His smile widened, matching the warmth in his eyes.

 

"Until my very last breath."