By Zephyria 
Utterly shocked, Yeon-rok could only blink with his mouth agape. Meanwhile, Yeom Cheon-ho, who had been issuing work instructions via his phone, raised a thick eyebrow and stared intently at Choi Hwan. Moon Gyeon-woo’s gaze was practically burning. Just as Choi Hwan tried to say something more, Moon Gyeon-woo cut him off with a sarcastic sneer.
“Now you’re pretending to be innocent.”
Wondering what on earth that meant, Yeon-rok looked back, and Moon Gyeon-woo clicked his tongue. However, despite making his displeasure clear, he didn’t seem to want to explain the reason, speaking instead in a gentle voice.
“Yeon-rok-ah, it’s obvious he messed up and can’t clean it up, so he’s acting to try and cover it up. Is there any need to listen to him further?”
Yeon-rok hesitated. From his perspective, Choi Hwan didn’t seem to be acting much just now. It meant he felt a sense of sincerity. Regardless of what Moon Gyeon-woo said, Choi Hwan looked only at Yeon-rok and spoke earnestly.
“I’m sorry for being greedy. But I really didn’t do it because I ignore you or think you’re an easy target. How could I stay quiet when that reporter said such incredibly rude things about you? Do you know what an escort service is? He was saying that you… that you did those kinds of things for money from me…”
He couldn’t finish the sentence properly, but Yeon-rok could roughly grasp the meaning. A sigh escaped him involuntarily. He already knew from watching the video. He knew that Choi Hwan had endured everything steadfastly but had finally snapped at that specific question. After another long sigh, Yeon-rok spoke.
“Since it’s already happened, I’ll let it slide this once, but if you do it again, I really won’t let you off. If something like this happens one more time…”
As he spoke, the look he gave Choi Hwan was ice-cold. Yeon-rok slowly made a gesture of slitting his throat with his thumb.
“You get it, right?”
“…! Y-yes! I’ll never do it again.”
Choi Hwan’s face lit up when it seemed Yeon-rok would forgive him. Instead of criticizing him like before, Moon Gyeon-woo’s face simply hardened coldly. Perhaps feeling they couldn’t waste any more time, Yeom Cheon-ho announced.
“Mr. Choi Hwan, if you’re finished speaking, please go to your agency with Manager Kim. There are many things to discuss to resolve this situation. I hope you cooperate well this time.”
“I understand…”
Nodding, Choi Hwan stood up while glancing tentatively at Yeon-rok. Although he had barely tolerated him, Yeon-rok’s anger had not yet cooled, so he glared. When Yeon-rok clenched his fist, wanting to hit him a bit more, Choi Hwan hurried away in a panic.
“Haaa…”
With a sigh deep enough to sink the ground, Yeon-rok flopped onto the sofa. Moon Gyeon-woo, who had gone to the kitchen at some point, handed him a glass of cold water. As Yeon-rok clutched his head in frustration, Gyeonu comforted him by gently patting his back.
“Want some water?”
“Thanks…”
His throat was parched, so he gulped it down. Yeom Cheon-ho, waiting until Yeon-rok calmed down a bit, spoke.
“Since things have turned out this way, it would be best to refrain from going out for the time being. The paparazzi will surely be relentless.”
“Then what about the knitting club…?”
When Yeon-rok mentioned his only social gathering, Yeom Cheon-ho gave a bitter smile and shook his head. It meant he shouldn’t go. Having already seen that the knitting club’s group chat was in an uproar, Yeon-rok asked anxiously.
“What happens to me now? My face is already out there…”
“Your face probably isn’t as well-known as you think. For starters, the photos in the articles were definitely blurred, and we are steadily taking down the posts appearing in the community. Everything will be fine given time.”
“That’s right, Yeon-rok-ah. You’ve seen plenty of celebrity dating scandals break before. Unless it’s another celebrity, is there any face you still remember clearly?”
Moon Gyeon-woo’s words sounded quite plausible. Listening to the comfort of the two men, Yeon-rok steadied his heart. They were right. As time passed, people would soon find another issue to shift their interest to. Patting Yeon-rok on the shoulder, Yeom Cheon-ho put back on the suit jacket he had left on the sofa. Yeon-rok looked up in surprise. Since it was too late to be heading to work, he asked in disbelief.
“Are you going to the office now?”
Yeom Cheon-ho, who quickly tidied his hair and clothes in front of the mirror, replied.
“I came here while working, so I must return to the office. If anything else happens or if there’s something you wish to discuss, please contact me anytime. I can take calls until 3 AM.”
3 AM…? You’re a person who goes to work before 6 AM…
Yeom Cheon-ho soon disappeared with hurried steps. Watching his retreating figure, Yeon-rok thought: Is it really okay for that man to live like that…? It was certain that Choi Hwan had piled more work onto the already busy Yeom Cheon-ho. As he looked on worriedly, Moon Gyeon-woo sat beside him.
“You were really surprised today.”
Yeon-rok nodded. In his entire life, he had never dreamed he would become the protagonist of such a national scandal. Offering Yeon-rok more water, Moon Gyeon-woo sighed.
“Hearing that reporter’s comment made me really angry too.”
He nodded again. Perhaps because Choi Hwan was a young and famous actor, the reporters were truly writing fiction. It was even worse because of an interview his parents had done. Though he hadn’t seen it, Yeon-rok was certain he was currently the most hated person in Korea. Moon Gyeon-woo frowned for a moment before reluctantly saying,
“Still, revealing you’re a name partner was not a bad choice for you right now. Though he is cunning and sly…”
“Isn’t it a pretty bad choice for Choi Hwan?”
Yeon-rok recalled what Jo Jun-ho had said to Choi Hwan before. He had asserted that revealing oneself as a name manifestor was equivalent to announcing one was a married man, which would be a fatal blow to someone as young as Choi Hwan.
“It is, but that’s his own karma.”
“It’s not like Choi Hwan did it on purpose…”
“I wonder, is that really the case?”
Yeon-rok, who had personally experienced how vicious Choi Hwan’s parents were, defended him, but Moon Gyeon-woo let out a sharp snort.
“A guy who has dealt with paparazzi countless times does that outdoors? He definitely did it knowing he’d be photographed.”
“H-he didn’t actually kiss me. He just took something off my face.”
“That just means you were close enough for someone to mistake it for that.”
Moon Gyeon-woo spoke in a stiff voice, but Yeon-rok let it go in one ear and fell into deep thought.
Could that really be it…? He did that, risking a dating scandal that could be fatal to his acting career? He likes me that much?
‘If that was his intention, I should have hit him a few more times.’
Thinking about the hardship he was enduring because of this jerk made him even more furious. While grinding his teeth, Yeon-rok felt a strange sensation. On one hand, assuming that Choi Hwan had deprioritized his precious career meant that he was that desperate for him, and that was incredibly satisfying. However, not wanting to acknowledge his own deficiency in this way, Yeon-rok quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, I don’t think Choi Hwan intended it to go that far.”
At least in that moment, Yeon-rok hadn’t felt any particular sign of deception from Choi Hwan. He might have been careless about the paparazzi’s filming, but he didn’t think he had induced it. Of course, the mess he made afterward was a different story…
“That aside, I don’t know why Choi Hwan’s parents or that Yeom Cheon-ryul fellow treat their child like that. Aren’t parents supposed to cherish and care for their children? Maybe it’s because I’ve… never had a family, but I just don’t understand.”
Of course, Yeon-rok knew well that not all parents in the world cherish and love their children. But looking at the parents who abandoned him at the orphanage, as well as the situations of Choi Hwan and Yeom Cheon-ho, he simply couldn’t comprehend it. If I ever have a child, I will love and cherish them more than anyone else in the world.
“Yeom Cheon-ryul…”
Moon Gyeon-woo murmured in a voice lost in deep thought.
“What?”
“No, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but it sounds like a name I’ve definitely heard before. Where was it? No one comes up in internet searches.”
After tilting his head a few times, he eventually shrugged. Then, he spoke in a nonchalant voice.
“Anyway, let’s eat dinner and rest. Today must have been a very exhausting day for you.”
The next day, Yeon-rok came down for breakfast and ran into Choi Hwan. Choi Hwan, who had been staring at his phone with a grimace, jumped up.
“You’re awake? Did you sleep well?”
Yeon-rok snorted, and as he tried to sit, Choi Hwan even pulled out the chair for him. He personally set out Yeon-rok’s utensils and poured him water. As someone had said, he was nothing short of a lackey. It was only toward the end of the meal that Yeon-rok realized why Choi Hwan was acting so timid.
“What? I’m going where?”
As Yeon-rok’s voice rose, Choi Hwan flopped down onto his knees. Then, he began to beg fervently.
“It’s not a place where your face shows. Really. Only your voice needs to be heard…”
“How can I go on a broadcast!”
Wanting to hit him once more, Yeon-rok glared at his well-styled hair. Choi Hwan flinched but clung to Yeon-rok’s leg.
“Just this once, please…? Even that Secretary Yeom Cheon-ho, the lawyer, and our agency CEO said it would be okay. Really. Even I think this would be better for you.”
The other party begged desperately. He didn’t seem to be lying, but Yeon-rok really wasn’t in the mood.