By Zephyria 
“Y-you, you, where did this beggar suddenly come from!”
“Oh my, oh my, this is outrageous! Trying to squeeze all of our Hwan’s money, is he a gangster or what!”
“Get out of here right now! You need to get beaten to come to your senses!”
Choi Hwan’s parents seemed to find the sudden appearance of a Name partner quite threatening. The parents pointed their fingers roughly, raising their fists as if they were about to strike at any moment. While Choi Hwan flinched reflexively, Yeon-rok, naked, bravely confronted the two, forgetting the cold. In vulgar terms, he was acting up.
“Oh yeah? Look at your hands. Why? Gonna hit me? Go ahead and hit me! You think I’m doing this for the first time?!”
Of course, for Yeon-rok, who had always worked diligently and faithfully, this kind of behavior was a first. He acted as if all the difficult customers he had encountered while working had possessed him, shouting in a rage.
“Hit me! I dare you! Let’s all go to the police station together!”
“What kind of crazy bastard is this!”
The two were horrified when Yeon-rok charged at them naked. His father recoiled and reflexively pushed him away as he deliberately approached them, flaunting his Name-branded chest. Yeon-rok, who had been waiting for this opportunity, rolled dramatically on the ground. It was a dive reminiscent of a soccer player’s Hollywood action.
“Aaaagh! I’m dying! Aagh! Someone save me! You’re beating me just because I said something right! Bodyguards! Bodyguard Hyungs! Yeon-rok is dying! Aaaagh!”
Screaming desperately, Yeon-rok rolled around. He picked up speed and slammed his body against the building wall, shouting, “Someone save me!” Seeing that, the two intimidated troublemakers hesitated and stepped back. Choi Hwan, still looking dazed, just watched.
Unlike Choi Hwan’s bodyguards, who couldn’t step in due to the restrictions on protecting their charge, Yeon-rok’s bodyguards rushed over as if they had been waiting for this. And they actively cooperated with Yeon-rok. Their massive physiques pressured the two.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
“Do you want to be sued for assault? Should I call a lawyer?”
With Yeon-rok’s ruckus followed by the appearance of his reliable bodyguards, Choi Hwan’s parents finally lost their momentum. They reluctantly turned away, still pointing fingers at Yeon-rok.
“I can’t believe this is happening!”
“What kind of crazy bastard is that! I won’t let you get away with this!”
“Choi Hwan! I’ll call you, so be sure to answer!”
Yeon-rok, who had been pretending to groan, finally sighed in relief after the two had completely disappeared. It was his first time making such a scene, and his heart felt like it was going to burst throughout the performance. As the excitement faded, the cold he had forgotten belatedly caught up with him, and he shivered. It was still a chilly day to be charging around naked.
“Ugh, c-cold.”
“Here’s your clothes. You’ll catch a cold. Please put them on.”
Jeong Bo-eun quickly brought Yeon-rok the top he had thrown away. As he put it on, Park Chung-seong subtly gave Yeon-rok a thumbs up, making sure only he could see it. Yeon-rok grinned. Then, dusting off the dirt, he got up and turned to look at Choi Hwan.
“Are you okay?”
Choi Hwan was still staring blankly at Yeon-rok with a dazed expression. His forehead, where his father had hit him, was red, and his cheeks and ears were also red. He still seemed embarrassed to have been caught in this state. Yeon-rok understood that feeling easily, so he called out to Choi Hwan first. And he held out his hand.
“You did a tough job, so give me the money.”
It was the same nonchalant attitude he had when asking for ramen or water. He said it expecting Choi Hwan to get annoyed or angry, naturally dispelling this strange atmosphere, just like he always had. Surprisingly, Choi Hwan didn’t even blink as he stared at Yeon-rok, then fumbled in his pocket for his wallet. And he handed it over whole.
“Here, take it all…”
Yeon-rok was taken aback by his docile attitude. …It was a joke, but he’s really giving it to me? This really feels like extortion. Before he could say anything, a grand sneeze erupted, and he was pushed into the house by a bodyguard. And Choi Hwan ran away as if he was afraid of being extorted again, so Yeon-rok couldn’t return the wallet.
Yeon-rok, who had picked up the Cherished doll that had been abandoned on the living room floor and returned to his room, fiddled with the wallet that shone like its owner. He sniffled, still feeling the cold, then grinned. It was thanks to realizing that the day hadn’t ended completely unlucky.
Choi Hwan was strange. Not just strange, but very strange.
“What are you doing?”
As soon as he returned from his schedule, Choi Hwan showed interest and plopped down on the sofa where Yeon-rok was sitting. Then he stared intently at the puzzle that Yeon-rok had half-finished.
“Should I help you with the puzzle?”
“Well, if you want to…”
Yeon-rok replied listlessly. Then Choi Hwan took off his jacket and carefully picked up a puzzle piece.
After getting rid of the troublesome parents, Choi Hwan had acted like someone who was completely absorbed in something for a while. Then, from one day on, he became unusually friendly to Yeon-rok. Yeon-rok couldn’t get used to it and struggled. How nice it would have been if he had been like this when he was trying so hard to get close to him before. Even with that thought, Yeon-rok figured good was good.
‘It’s better than continuing to have a bad relationship, I guess.’
Yeon-rok thought their current relationship was just right. Like roommates who were moderately friendly.
Anyway, there was something else strange. It was Yeom Cheon-ho and Moon Kyeon-woo. No, to be exact, it was Moon Kyeon-woo’s attitude of suddenly being very affectionate towards Yeom Cheon-ho. He would initiate conversations, stand too close, or act casually, which was very noticeable.
‘He wouldn’t have become affectionate for no reason. Definitely.’
They must be dating. Yeon-rok knew very well that Moon Kyeon-woo drew a line with ordinary people unless they were in a romantic relationship, so he tried hard to ignore it. He had no intention of getting involved in this strange, chaotic romantic relationship. However, there were times when he couldn’t help but interfere.
He and Choi Hwan were in the living room, putting their heads together to work on the puzzle, when Yeom Cheon-ho returned home. He looked at the two of them with an inexplicable pleased gaze, then took his laptop out of the study. Since the drug incident, Choi Hwan had consistently ignored Yeom Cheon-ho, so Yeon-rok was the only one who greeted him warmly with a smiling face. Then Choi Hwan glanced at Yeon-rok and suddenly spoke.
“Hey, my schedule is free, so should we go see the cherry blossoms sometime soon?”
“Cherry blossoms?”
Come to think of it, it was almost cherry blossom season. Yeon-rok was tempted because he had seen cherry blossom petals falling while walking down the street, but he had never actually gone to see them properly. However, there was a catch.
“But can you even go? Won’t people recognize you?”
“Uh…”
He knew very well how crowded cherry blossom spots were, even though he had never been there. Choi Hwan recalled his past experiences and frowned. Then he put a puzzle piece in the wrong place, took it out, and mumbled.
“We can just cover our faces well.”
He said that, but he didn’t seem confident that he wouldn’t be recognized, so he became gloomy. At that moment, Yeom Cheon-ho, who was working, said casually.
“If possible, it would be better to go to a place where there aren’t many people, wouldn’t it? Like my private property.”
“You have a place like that?”
Choi Hwan reacted actively for the first time in a while to Yeom Cheon-ho’s words. It was believable because it was being said by a chaebol, no less. He was about to continue speaking, but Yeom Cheon-ho stopped. He habitually took a handkerchief out of his pocket and covered his nose. Soon, a red stain spread on the handkerchief.
“…Ah.”
He pressed his nose bridge and lowered his head, as if he was feeling dizzy. The furrow in his brow clearly showed his endurance. Choi Hwan, not even feeling sorry for him, grumbled, not getting the answer he wanted.
“Where did you leave Moon Gyun-woo, you’re acting sickly.”
When they were dating, he called them Cheon-ho Hyung and Gyun-woo Hyung, but now that they had broken up, he coldly called them by their names, showing that his bad habits were still there.
“Gyun-woo has been busy lately, so it’s been hard to see him.”
Come to think of it, they seemed to have gotten closer recently, but he hadn’t seen Yeom Cheon-ho and Moon Kyeon-woo together for the past week. It was because both of them were working overtime like it was nothing. That meant that Moon Kyeon-woo was also in a situation where he lacked contact with his Name partner? Of course, Yeon-rok didn’t care about Moon Kyeon-woo’s condition, and he was only a little worried about Yeom Cheon-ho.
“Should I hold your hand?”
He asked for permission since he had a boyfriend, but Choi Hwan jumped up from his seat.
“I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”
Then he suddenly approached Yeom Cheon-ho and reached out his hand. He reached for Yeom Cheon-ho’s neck like he did with Yeon-rok, but Yeom Cheon-ho grabbed his wrist. Whether it was because of that contact or not, Yeom Cheon-ho lowered the blood-stained handkerchief and smiled slowly. Choi Hwan swallowed nervously, feeling like he was being looked at like a puppy trying to bite off more than it could chew.
“Don’t be rude. Holding hands is enough.”
“Yes…”
Choi Hwan, defeated, cautiously held Yeom Cheon-ho’s hand. Yeon-rok couldn’t understand what he was up to, so he stared with a bewildered expression. Was he trying to suck up to him because he still couldn’t use his card? After giving his hand to Choi Hwan, Yeom Cheon-ho replied to Yeon-rok late.
“And, yes, I would appreciate it if you held it.”