By Zephyria 
The party was trendier than Lee Hae-sung had expected. It had the vibe of a popular club in Berlin or Manhattan.
Most of the celebrities attending this year’s film festival seemed to have gathered here. Actor Adam Low, Gaspard Nolan, Hailey Taylor, musicians Two Heart, Caroline, and so on. The hottest people on the planet right now were flocking to the <Cream Mansion> party.
Since it was the party for this year’s Palme d’Or winner and the largest event on the closing day, it was only natural that everyone would want to upload photos of their attendance to social media.
Before the party officially began, the schedule was set for Lee Hae-sung to give a toast as the investor. Because of this, Lee Hae-sung was waiting at a VIP table below the stage for the <Cream Mansion> team to arrive after finishing their interviews and photo calls.
Though Lee Hae-sung was well-versed in attending various parties—whether for socializing or business—this kind of party, where fashionable twenty-somethings swayed their bodies to complex music and dazzling lights, still didn’t suit his personality. He felt more comfortable and familiar with a conventional evening party where a string quartet played chamber music and giant ice sculptures served as decorations.
Parties of this nature were also where the most problems occurred.
By “problems,” he meant troubles with people who approached Lee Hae-sung in distressing ways.
The younger attendees of such parties often didn’t know who Lee Hae-sung was, which made them even more aggressive. There were also plenty of cases where people approached him boldly despite knowing exactly who he was. For this reason, although he wasn’t usually one to make a fuss, he was accompanied by two bodyguards.
Thanks to them, Lee Hae-sung was able to secure some solitary time without interruption while waiting for Choi Hong-seo to appear.
“I’m told that almost all the actors we sent invitations to have attended. The attendance rate for influencers and models is also high. I believe this will have a significant effect on the film’s promotion.”
The operational manager from ‘Hieutsiut’ reported the party’s status to Lee Hae-sung. In short, it meant that this had become the hottest party in Cannes tonight.
“That’s good.”
However, Lee Hae-sung’s reaction was flat, despite having poured hundreds of millions into this party. After taking a sip of champagne and setting it down, he asked his personal assistant, as if there was something else he was more curious about.
“Are the interviews at Lumière not finished yet? It’s taking a while.”
“I believe they will arrive shortly. I’m told the vehicle is entering the hotel driveway.”
Lee Hae-sung took a few more sips of champagne and straightened his clothes. A light tension circulated pleasantly through his entire body. Facing Choi Hong-seo while maintaining the distance between investor and actor at such a public event still provided Lee Hae-sung with a thrill.
In a life surrounded by responsibilities and obligations, a ‘secret relationship’ had once seemed to him like a cumbersome accessory or a heavy, tiring coat—something not worth the inconvenience and risk. It had been that way for a long time.
But the secret relationship with Choi Hong-seo was different from the start.
Choi Hong-seo, who was so skilled at acting in front of a camera, was utterly clumsy at pretending not to be Lee Hae-sung’s lover. It was a joy to watch him use stiff honorifics with a rigid expression. Whenever Lee Hae-sung subtly crossed the line, it was hard to suppress a laugh at the sight of Hong-seo’s eyes darting around, terrified of being caught. Yet, at times, he would act provocatively enough to surprise Lee Hae-sung.
This secret relationship was different. It was like a sparkling carbonated drink.
He felt as though he would never grow tired of it, nor would he ever lose interest.
“Vice Chairman, the Director and the actors have arrived.”
At the assistant’s notification, Lee Hae-sung buttoned his tuxedo jacket and rose from his seat. He spotted a group of people approaching, cutting through the crowd under the protection of security. Phone camera flashes were firing incessantly toward them. ‘Hyeon-seo,’ who was among the younger actors, was following near the end of the line.
The boy he had fed, washed, dressed, and adorned with perfume with his own hands.
A contented smile played on Lee Hae-sung’s lips as he intently tracked Choi Hong-seo, who was barely visible in the distance.
He first offered a handshake to Director Kang, who had arrived first.
“Director, congratulations. You worked hard. Your acceptance speech was very impressive.”
“Now, Vice Chairman Lee. What is an investor doing being this handsome? Our actors will lose their confidence!”
“Are you really the person who just won the Palme d’Or? Is my attire even registering in your mind right now?”
“The award is the award, and this is this! Does winning an award make one lose their sense of aesthetics?”
Director Kang was quite a character. Lee Hae-sung shook his head and laughed heartily at the director’s attitude, which suggested he had won countless such awards.
Next, it was time to shake hands with each actor and offer congratulations and encouragement. Strictly as the lead investor.
Since there were only five or six actors attending the festival, Hyeon-seo’s turn was not far off.
“Congratulations, Hyeon-seo-ssi.”
“Thank you, Vice Chairman.”
As expected, Choi Hong-seo’s facial muscles were completely rigid today as well. While the other actors had become somewhat comfortable with Lee Hae-sung during the months they spent together preparing for the film, only Hyeon-seo remained unable to break his stiff demeanor, just as he had at the beginning.
He could just act naturally like the other actors. Did he not realize that this stiffness actually made him stand out more? Or perhaps he knew but couldn’t help it. He was especially clumsy when it came to romance.
Up to that point, it was no different from the greetings exchanged with other actors. However, as Choi Hong-seo tried to pull his hand away, Lee Hae-sung tightened his grip slightly. In an instant, Choi Hong-seo’s face was filled with bewilderment. The change in expression was so stark that one might have thought he was breaking into a cold sweat.
Lee Hae-sung lightly shook the hand he held firmly and asked affectionately.
“I heard you attended without being able to eat much. Were you alright?”
“Huh? M-meal?”
We sat together in front of the food you personally had prepared in your suite. I barely ate anything before rushing to the bathroom, and you even patted my back. Why are you acting so nonchalant? — A face reflecting that exact resentment looked up at Lee Hae-sung.
“I heard that all you’ve eaten all day are a few spoonfuls of yogurt and a few bites of a waffle.”
“Ah, I-I’m fine. I heard the others couldn’t eat much either, not just me. Because of the nerves. Th-thank you for worrying.”
“I’m particularly worried because you have a weak constitution, Hyeon-seo-ssi.”
“My body… isn’t weak…”
Denying it in a dwindling voice, Choi Hong-seo strained his hand to pull away and twisted his shoulder. Conscious of the other actors’ gazes, his face had turned noticeably red, even under the dim lighting of the party hall.
In his heart, Lee Hae-sung wanted to pull the hand and hug Choi Hong-seo tightly right then and there.
It wasn’t just because the work had won a major award. He wanted to whisper freely into his ear how wonderful and proud he was that he had smoothly completed such a global event despite being so nervous he had vomited, how deserving he was, and that he had fallen for him all over again.
Lee Hae-sung thought that he deserved praise for the sheer patience it took to resist doing so.
“Let me worry. You’re a precious actor of our film.”
Words that were sincere, yet cleverly masked.
Park Dong-ha, who knew of their relationship and Lee Hae-sung’s habit of being mischievous toward Choi Hong-seo, glanced at Hong-seo’s profile with a pitiful expression. He then glared briefly at Lee Hae-sung, as if threatening a rogue who was bullying his Hyung.
Only then did Lee Hae-sung let go of Choi Hong-seo’s hand and offer a handshake to Park Dong-ha.
“Congratulations to you too, Dong-ha-ssi. You worked hard handling such a big event.”
“Well, I just followed along frantically, that’s all.”
Though he found Lee Hae-sung difficult and even slightly frightening, Park Dong-ha maintained as blunt an attitude as possible. It was his own way of expressing dissatisfaction toward Lee Hae-sung for teasing Hyeon-seo. The corners of Lee Hae-sung’s mouth twitched as he suppressed a laugh.
After encouraging the actors, Lee Hae-sung immediately had to exchange greetings with the ‘high-ranking officials’ of the film festival. While receiving congratulations and conversing with the jury members and the chairman of the organizing committee, Lee Hae-sung searched for Choi Hong-seo over people’s shoulders in between sips of champagne. While Lee Hae-sung seemed preoccupied with being introduced to people and taking photos, Choi Hong-seo also kept glancing over.
Every time their eyes met, Lee Hae-sung hid his smile by placing a lightly clenched fist against his mouth.
A relationship where they were lovers deep enough to live together, yet in front of people, they used formal honorifics and exchanged obvious questions as if they didn’t know each other well.
Lee Hae-sung didn’t dislike this kind of roleplay. In fact, he found it enjoyable. However, whenever he saw Choi Hong-seo being overly conscious of their surroundings, a wicked desire would bloom. It was a dark impulse, acrid and black like smoke from forcing a non-flammable material to burn.
What would happen if he walked up to Hyeon-seo right here, hugged him tightly as he wished, whispered in his ear that he had been so wonderful throughout the closing ceremony, and kissed him deeply while trapping both cheeks in his hands so he couldn’t avoid it? What would happen? — Such a twisted, curious dark desire.
Of course, it would be noisy for a while.
But eventually, the public would turn their eyes to other, more interesting gossip. Gossip they could more actively intervene in and judge.
Lee Hae-sung knew better than anyone how the public reacted to scandals involving chaebols. His own life and that of his family had always been objects of interest. Marriage, childbirth, death, studying abroad, inheritance, divorce, birthday parties, vacation spots, and even attire.
However, while the public was curious about the private lives of chaebols, they didn’t try to dig to the very end. There was a tendency to give up and step back, considering it ‘their own world’ where nothing beyond a certain line could be revealed.
During his divorce, all sorts of rumors had circulated about Lee Hae-sung. Since Lee Hae-sung of ARA had a divorce that was a loss for him, the public was busy writing novels with different themes every day, claiming the fault must lie with him.
Yet, no rumor had any practical impact on Lee Hae-sung’s life. The stock price, which had faltered momentarily, soon returned to its place with a solid earnings report, and no one asked him to his face what the real reason for the divorce was. To Lee Hae-sung, they were all merely phantoms existing only online.
A scandal with Choi Hong-seo would be the same.
That’s just how chaebols are, they probably settled it with money. — The public would eventually accept Hyeon-seo’s face appearing on screens and TV. The label of being Lee Hae-sung’s same-sex partner would follow him for a while, but he would not let that label ruin his career. It might have been difficult in a world where his father and mother were still alive, but now there were no obstacles left to hinder him.