Istg seo-in's doing this on purpose so he can get mc's consent ugh what a player

We know it

Not just his consent, he wants to force him to admit his feelings, since the mc can't keep using the excuse that he keeps offering himself up to the ml just to protect the ml's reputation (as that makes the mc seem as if he was not above wh**ring himself out just for work). Sooner or later, he's going to have to admit it.