By Zephyria 
“You say he looks younger than his age, but you call Hyung ‘Ahjussi’ when you talk about the Vice Chairman. You still call him that, right?”
“That’s… just because I started calling him that at first… It’s not because he’s actually an old man, it’s just… like a nickname for us.”
“I’m not sure if the Vice Chairman looks young, but doesn’t the word ‘Ahjussi’ really not suit him? Where in the world is there an Ahjussi like that? Look, over there—that guy is an Ahjussi.”
Sipping his champagne, Park Dong-ha gave a subtle nod toward someone in the distance. It was an ordinary man in his 40s whose hair had noticeably thinned and whose belly had begun to protrude. Or perhaps he was a man in his 30s who looked like he was in his 40s. Although Choi Hong-seo was looking in that direction, his mind was elsewhere.
Having worked in the entertainment industry, perhaps he had come to take it for granted that there were people who remained young and handsome even in their 40s. Lee Hae-sung was certainly a far cry from an ‘Ahjussi’ in the negative sense of the word.
That was why he felt no hesitation in calling him Ahjussi.
Just as calling a sculpturally handsome person ‘ugly’ couldn’t be an insult, he could call him Ahjussi precisely because he wasn’t one.
“Does the Vi… does the Vice Chairman like it when Hyung calls him Ahjussi?”
“He’s never said he disliked it.”
“The Vice Chairman is the type of person who’d be happy regardless of what Hyung calls him. Still, isn’t ‘Ahjussi’ a bit much for a lover?”
“……”
Occasionally, Lee Hae-sung did urge him to call him ‘Hyung.’
He seemed satisfied with just that once in a while. But what were his true feelings?
While he was thinking about Lee Hae-sung, the agency team leader, who had been walking ahead of them, stopped at a certain section on the upper floor.
“The products in this area are great items for gifting. Belts, hats, ties… accessories like these are generally better for presents. Even if they’re slightly off from the person’s taste, it’s not a big problem.”
He had given ties as gifts frequently. To the point where most of the ties filling Hae-sung’s closet were gifts from Choi Hong-seo.
It started with gifting only striped patterns, and later he expanded the range to various designs.
It had been a long time since Lee Hae-sung’s jinx had shifted from ‘striped pattern ties’ to ‘ties gifted by Choi Hong-seo.’
A person who had been surrounded by the finest luxury goods since the moment of birth, a person who already possessed everything the moment he desired it, to the point where he rarely felt the greed of wanting something. Giving a gift to such a person was not easy.
Since he didn’t have the sense to fully penetrate the man’s tastes, he had simply worked hard at buying ties. But he wanted to give something different. A gift that was mature yet romantic, and one that perfectly aligned with his tastes.
Something that could make him happy, even for a moment, during a busy time like this…
“But since he has almost everything, I’m not sure what would be good to give him.”
“He must be very wealthy. Gifting someone like that is indeed the hardest. Do you know anyone who knows his tastes well, Hyun-seo? It’s safest to ask someone in his inner circle.”
“Isn’t Hyung the closest person to him?”
Dong-ha whispered in his ear from the side.
It wasn’t wrong, but the first person who came to mind upon hearing the team leader’s question was Manager Kang. He felt that Manager Kang could certainly recommend a gift that would suit Lee Hae-sung’s taste.
“There is… someone…”
Of course, Manager Kang’s number was saved in his phone. However, he didn’t have the courage to call and ask.
Manager Kang treated Choi Hong-seo professionally, without showing any emotion like liking or disliking him, but to Choi Hong-seo, Manager Kang was still an intimidating figure.
While he hesitated, a manager approached to inform them that it was time to move to the after-party venue.
“I’m sorry, Team Leader, after all your help. I’ll think about it a bit more and purchase something next time.”
“It was nothing. I want to keep working with you, Hyun-seo, so feel free to contact me whenever you need help.”
The team leader didn’t forget to remind them one last time that both he and Dong-ha absolutely had to attend the after-party.
As Choi Hong-seo’s figure became visible through the front window of the first-floor store entrance, cheers already erupted from outside. Flashes exploded everywhere like popcorn.
“Hyun-seo! Hyun-seo, look over here!”
A sea of people holding phones crowded behind the barricades. The crowd seemed to have grown even larger than when he first arrived.
Even while moving quickly toward the waiting van, Choi Hong-seo looked around in all directions and greeted them.
Just as Choi Hong-seo almost reached his van, a piercing scream, entirely different from those before, erupted. All the cameras simultaneously pointed in one direction.
“Please step back! It’s dangerous! Please maintain order!”
The security guards became frantic. The barrage of flashes lit up the area like broad daylight.
“Kim Jae-won! You’re so fucking hot! Jae-won! Kim Jae-won!”
The man jumping out of a van with pitch-black tinting, wearing a bucket hat that covered half his face, was the top idol Kim Jae-won.
“You were my first man. You were the one who taught me how to have anal sex.”
The sex partner of ‘Yoon Hye-an,’ who had suddenly kissed him at ‘Yoon Hye-an’s’ birthday party.
The guest who had made the PR agency team leader and marketing director fret because he hadn’t arrived yet was, as expected, Kim Jae-won.
They had been invited together to a few events like this before, but nothing significant had happened. Far from it, the incredibly busy Kim Jae-won usually just made a brief appearance at the venue and moved on to his next schedule. He almost never attended the after-parties.
He had assumed it would be the same this time, so Choi Hong-seo hadn’t paid much attention to his presence.
■
Carrot Seller: The event articles are already popping up in real-time.
Carrot Seller: I saw the photos.
Carrot Seller: My lover is too handsome.
Carrot Seller: He looks cute at a glance, but sexy when you look closely.
Carrot Seller: His charm is excessive 😑 (10:03 PM)
The last message was accompanied by a dissatisfied, expressionless emoji.
Choi Hong-seo pretended to touch his mouth, covering it with his hand, and let out a small chuckle.
Park Dong-ha called it ‘love-blindness,’ but in Choi Hong-seo’s eyes, Lee Hae-sung’s case was far more severe.
Was it… break time? He must be… tired, just… rest…
“Hyung! What are you doing here by yourself?”
Just as he felt someone wrap their arms around his neck from behind the sofa, it was Dong-ha.
Choi Hong-seo, who had been typing a reply, quickly locked the screen.
“Looking at your phone again? Ah… that person?”
In places where others could hear, Park Dong-ha often referred to Lee Hae-sung as ‘that person.’
Choi Hong-seo stealthily flipped his phone over on the table and brought his glass to his lips.
“You guys even live together, do you still have that much to say when you’re out?”
“No, it’s nothing. He just said he saw the articles. He was just monitoring them.”
Park Dong-ha, who flopped down in the seat next to him, grinned with a face flushed red from the alcohol.
“You could just let it slide naturally, but Hyung, you always make such a hard effort to make excuses, don’t you?”
The after-party venue was a luxury lounge bar near the L brand flagship store.
In a place filled with glamorous interiors, strong beats of music, and colorful drinks, the invitees enjoyed the party. The purpose was to naturally encourage them to update their social media with the L brand hashtag for promotion.
There were no mandatory requirements at the after-party, such as photo calls or interviews. However, promoting it on their own SNS or actively responding to photo requests from non-celebrity attendees were obviously plus factors from the employer’s perspective. Therefore, Choi Hong-seo always attended the after-party to make his presence known, and he had advised Park Dong-ha to do the same.
After arriving at the party, taking a lap around and diligently responding to photo requests, he felt completely drained. He was taking a moment to catch his breath on an assigned corner sofa. And as always while catching his breath, he was checking if there were any new messages from Lee Hae-sung.
It was already past 10, but there was no word that he had left work. Is he late again today… Ahjussi has been lacking sleep for several days now…
While he was sipping champagne and thinking these thoughts, Park Dong-ha continued to tease Choi Hong-seo with a playful expression.
“If you act like that in front of other people, you’ll be caught 100%.”
“……”
“Well, the people who filmed movies with you already know to some extent.”
“Know what?”
“That the Vi… that person favors Hyun-seo.”
“Don’t call it favoritism. It sounds bad.”
“Then what should I call it? Love?”
“……”
With a look as if he had been struck, Choi Hong-seo couldn’t even respond. Park Dong-ha tapped the sofa, delighted.
“Hyung, you’re really capable in every other aspect, but you get so flustered whenever it comes to that person.”
“You’re getting cocky, Park Dong-ha?”
“Your reaction is so funny that I keep wanting to tease you.”
Lee Hae-sung was Choi Hong-seo’s first lover. And unfortunately, Choi Hong-seo was not the type of person who could naturally mention his lover or their relationship, or show affection, in front of others.
He wanted to change his attitude of becoming restless the moment someone mentioned Lee Hae-sung’s name, but it wasn’t easy.
With a face flushed red from a mix of alcohol and embarrassment, Choi Hong-seo made a gesture as if lightly punching Park Dong-ha in the stomach.
“What about you? You think you won’t be like that? Just wait until you start dating later.”
“Wow, does that person know Hyung is this violent?”
“Violent?”
“Yeah, this is strictly violence. I’ll tell him next time I see him.”
And so, they spent a while tangled together, giggling and joking like friends or brothers. Just as he used to with Song Hyun-soo.
No, that’s not right. That is a fabricated memory.
In the past, he had never been able to get along like this with Song Hyun-soo or Jeong Ji-in.