By Zephyria 
“When did you… get here? I thought you hadn’t left work yet.”
“You seemed angry, so I wrapped things up a bit early and came out.”
“I wasn’t angry. Really.”
“I was planning to come secretly and surprise you.”
“……”
“Though I ended up being the one who was surprised.”
He continued to answer every word, yet he still wouldn’t look this way.
Choi Hong-seo had seen Lee Hae-sung several times when he was cold and sunken with anger.
Back when he was ‘Yoon Hye-an,’ he had felt a sorrow for the first time in his life while being hated by him. However, Lee Hae-sung’s anger had never once been directed toward ‘Choi Hong-seo.’
But something was strange.
Why didn’t he feel as sorrowful as he did when he was ‘Yoon Hye-an’?
Listening to the stiff voice of the man walking ahead, showing only a firmly hardened profile, Choi Hong-seo was sensing a new feeling.
It was sorrowful, but at the same time, something was tingling, a sharp pull in his lower abdomen. It was a contradictorily confusing emotion.
Regardless, since he was angry, it felt like he should make an excuse for the previous situation. He spoke while stealthily pulling on the man’s hand.
“I just ran into him on my way back from the restroom. By chance.”
“Right.”
“I had already asked for someone to be called… a security guard was coming soon.”
“After Kim Jae-won kissed you?”
“……”
Choi Hong-seo stopped walking, and because his hand was pulled, Lee Hae-sung stopped as well. They were in the VIP area, where there were fewer people after leaving the stage. Lee Hae-sung passed through without needing to show a VIP bracelet or anything of the sort. His companion, Choi Hong-seo, naturally came along.
Lee Hae-sung let out a long sigh, rubbing his face with his palm. Then, he finally turned around. The face he showed Choi Hong-seo had lost much of its sharpness and already bore a look of regret.
A large hand reached out and broadly cupped his cheek. As expected, he didn’t care who was watching. Even if Choi Hong-seo nagged him, he would only pretend to care for a moment.
“Sorry. I was too harsh.”
Even as he apologized and soothed him, he still seemed to be amidst his anger.
“Even if Kim Jae-won actually kissed you, I wouldn’t blame you. It’s that bastard’s fault; what fault could you have for being the victim?”
“You’re really not angry at me, right?”
His gaze, which had been fixed only on Choi Hong-seo’s cheek as he stroked it, slowly met his eyes. And for a very brief moment, he smiled. While lightly pinching the cheek he had been stroking.
“Well. It might be that I’m not entirely without anger.”
It’s a joke, right? As he carefully observed his expression, the man suddenly narrowed his brow. As he leaned his upper body in, their faces grew closer. It was a distance where the breath of him sniffing the air could be felt directly on the cheek.
“You’ve even been drinking.”
“…A little.”
“That’s not ‘a little.’”
Startled, Hong-seo leaned his waist back and covered his mouth with his hand, but the man grabbed his wrist and pulled the hand down. There was more strength in his grip than usual.
“Are you drunk?”
“I’m not to the point of being drunk.”
In truth, it felt like he had emptied at least one bottle of champagne from the flagship store until now. Because he had been sipping it little by little, glass by glass, he hadn’t been able to gauge the amount he’d consumed.
However, it was also true that he didn’t feel the effects of intoxication right now. No matter how much of a party it was, the tension wasn’t low enough to get drunk while working.
Lee Hae-sung’s expression, which seemed to be softening, hardened again.
“Haesung! Haesung! Come over here!”
Just then, someone called out to Lee Hae-sung loudly in a welcoming voice. A group of people were gathered in front of the bar in the VIP area, and among them, Mr. Ribas, the branch manager of Brand L, was raising his hand high toward Lee Hae-sung.
“We’ll talk at home.”
The hard-won atmosphere of reconciliation collapsed. He had issued a warning to talk at home. Whether it was disappointment or sorrow… once again, he didn’t feel those emotions.
Finding it strange himself, Choi Hong-seo placed his hand over the left side of his chest. It wasn’t as if the shape of his emotions would be caught in his hand. What is this? Am I actually drunk?
Touching his face, it did feel hotter than usual. He had noticed it was reddish when he looked in the mirror in the restroom. Still, he thought it wouldn’t show because it was dark and due to the lighting… how did he know I drank a lot?
Cooling the heat of his cheek with the back of his hand, he followed behind Lee Hae-sung.
“Haesung!”
Mr. Ribas welcomed Lee Hae-sung with open arms. Even after sharing a light hug, he expressed his intense pleasure by patting Lee Hae-sung’s shoulder a couple of times.
“I heard you came and have been looking for you. Where were you that I couldn’t see you, hmm?”
“You’ve been well, right? The party is wonderful, as expected. I was just talking with our actor for a moment.”
Lee Hae-sung escorted Choi Hong-seo, who had followed a step behind, so that he could stand by his side.
The branch manager’s expression became subtly awkward upon confirming the face of Choi Hong-seo appearing from behind Lee Hae-sung. Giving a short nod to acknowledge Choi Hong-seo, he asked Lee Hae-sung in a voice tinged with curiosity.
“He’s the actor I was introduced to earlier. Are you and Haesung well-acquainted?”
“Ah, that’s great. You’ve already been introduced. Mr. Hyeon-seo is the lead actor in Director Kang Woo-hyun’s <Cream Mansion>, and that’s how I became connected, as I participated as an investor in that film.”
“I heard he was an actor in Director Kang’s film. I didn’t know Haesung invested in it.”
“I’m just grateful that he’s willing to hang out with an ‘ajusshi’ like me despite the age difference. You remember I taught you what ‘ajusshi’ means last time, right?”
Lee Hae-sung used the Korean word ‘ajusshi’ as it was. Mr. Ribas nodded vigorously and repeated ‘ajusshi’ with stumbling pronunciation.
“Ajusshi! Of course, I remember. My employees love it whenever I say I’m an ajusshi. Thanks to that, I’ve gained some points. But someone like me is an ajusshi, while Haesung is not.”
While continuing the pleasant conversation with Lee Hae-sung, Mr. Ribas kept glancing at Choi Hong-seo standing beside him.
The branch manager seemed somewhat anxious. To think this young actor was close with ARA’s Lee Hae-sung… close enough for him to bring him along and introduce him personally.
His expression looked concerned, as if wondering if his attitude toward ‘Hyeon-seo’ at the flagship store had been a mistake.
But that wasn’t all.
If that were the only thing, his attitude toward Choi Hong-seo would have become very soft by now. At the same time, a sharp gaze was felt, as if probing, as if trying to find something.
“I heard the film was submitted to Cannes. If it’s invited, the two of you might be able to go to Cannes together.”
Mr. Ribas was proactive in leading the conversation. He immediately ordered champagne from the bartender and handed a glass to both Lee Hae-sung and Choi Hong-seo.
“Awards don’t always come into one’s arms based on skill alone. But even if you don’t win an award, you will surely be invited to the competition section.”
Lee Hae-sung took the champagne, speaking confidently.
“Actually, the suggestion came up that we should sponsor a tuxedo from our brand when Mr. Hyeon-seo stands on the Cannes red carpet.”
“Is that so?”
Lee Hae-sung showed great pleasure openly.
Regarding the marketing director’s proposal to designate Hyeon-seo as an ambassador and have him wear their brand’s tuxedo at Cannes, the branch manager had clearly shown a skeptical and indifferent reaction. But now, he was changing his tune, speaking as if he were considering it very positively.
Not every actor visiting Cannes received sponsorship from luxury brands. It was common even for very famous actors to wear tuxedos or dresses they purchased themselves. Lee Hae-sung seemed very satisfied that Brand L had stepped forward to sponsor Hyeon-seo’s tuxedo.
“You won’t regret choosing Hyeon-seo. There is no better backdrop than the Cannes red carpet to promote to a young consumer base without damaging the dignity the brand already possesses.”
Lee Hae-sung’s hand, which had been lightly wrapped around Choi Hong-seo’s back, moved to his shoulder. It could look like a proud pat, but depending on the perspective, it was skinship that allowed for other interpretations. After wrapping around the edge of the shoulder, the touch of rubbing the upper arm up and down a couple of times exuded special affection.
Mr. Ribas’s eyes were tracing every detail of that movement.
Smiling bitterly and dropping his gaze, the branch manager nodded to himself as if conceding something.
“By the way, Haesung. Your taste has changed a lot in the meantime.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The tie, the hairstyle… well, it seems several things have subtly changed from before.”
Mr. Ribas’s gaze lingered for a moment on Lee Hae-sung’s hand resting on Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder.
Only then did Choi Hong-seo think he understood the identity of the dissonance he felt in the branch manager’s expression. He wasn’t talking about Lee Hae-sung’s tie or hairstyle.
Your taste in men has changed.
That was what Mr. Ribas had wanted to say to Lee Hae-sung.
“I picked them for him.”
Choi Hong-seo didn’t know where such courage had suddenly sprung from. Not only Mr. Ribas, but Lee Hae-sung’s gaze was also directed toward him.
“Since he’s taken care of me in many ways, so, as a token of gratitude…”
He couldn’t keep the champagne glass still, twisting it with both hands. As if squeezing it would make his voice come out.
Compared to the provocative display of possessiveness by claiming he was ‘my man,’ a timid excuse followed. Still, it was a considerably bold action for Choi Hong-seo. His heart raced wildly after he had done it.
Lee Hae-sung’s gaze wouldn’t leave Choi Hong-seo’s profile. He didn’t have the courage to turn his head and meet that gaze.
Mr. Ribas said to Choi Hong-seo with an intrigued smile.
“You speak English.”
“A little.”
“He’s been taking private lessons consistently for half a year.”
Lee Hae-sung stepped in to answer. Choi Hong-seo’s face grew even redder at the proud tone.
“Though my skills aren’t improving much.”
“Why do you say that? Even the teacher praised you.”
“That’s because…”
‘That’s because the student’s guardian is ARA’s Lee Hae-sung.’ He couldn’t honestly say that in this place. Cutting himself off, Choi Hong-seo instead gulped down the champagne.
“You two seem to be very close.”
Mr. Ribas nodded, saying he now clearly understood how things stood. In Choi Hong-seo’s eyes, the end of that smile looked bitter. It didn’t seem to be his imagination.
“That’s right.”
Lee Hae-sung agreed. And then he drove the point home.
“To the extent that he’s completely changed even my tastes.”