By Zephyria 
As Yeon-rok was quickly averting his gaze, feeling tempted by the handsome features that seemed to get better the more he looked, something flew toward his face. Thanks to a keen, instinctive dodge, he wasn’t hit.
“What was that?”
Choi Hwan shouted in surprise a moment too late. The object that had hit the wall, emitting a pungent odor, was a plastic bag containing spoiled milk. Had it hit his face, his entire body would have certainly been covered in a disgusting smell. As the bodyguard rushed to find the culprit, someone screamed at the top of their lungs.
“Who do you think you are! What right do you have to cling to Hwan-ie! I know it’s a manipulated name! Get lost! xxx! xxxx!”
The pronunciation was slurred as they shouted while running away, but it was clearly profanity. Choi Hwan’s face turned pale as he confirmed the identity of the object thrown at Yeon-rok. Jo Jun-ho, who had witnessed the entire scene, cursed in disbelief.
“What kind of crazy bastard is that? Yeon-rok-ah, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. My clothes are clean, too.”
He was a bit startled, but he was alright. He simply found it fascinating that this was what a malicious celebrity fan was like. However, Choi Hwan could not easily recover from the shock. All the way home, he silently and diligently searched through internet articles on his phone. Fortunately, it seemed the agency had blocked them well, as no additional articles were posted. Still, Choi Hwan’s mood did not improve.
“……I’m sorry.”
Choi Hwan, who had been gloomy throughout dinner, apologized to Yeon-rok again after returning home.
“It’s not like you told them to do it, so why are you apologizing?”
Yeon-rok spoke nonchalantly, but Choi Hwan looked as if he were dying of anxiety. If the dodge had been just a fraction slower, the entire day would have been ruined. Since he wouldn’t cheer up despite the comforting, Yeon-rok placed his attachment doll in his arms. While softly kneading Yeondu, who had become sturdier than before after visiting the doll hospital, Choi Hwan spoke.
“I know that person.”
“You know them? You mean it’s someone you know?”
Yeon-rok couldn’t fathom what kind of grudge Choi Hwan’s acquaintance could possibly hold against him to carry out a spoiled milk terror attack. Choi Hwan let out a deep sigh and explained to the bewildered Yeon-rok.
“Not an acquaintance. A fan who had always followed my schedule and cheered me on since I first debuted. No, to be precise, someone who was a fan. I hate to even treat someone like that as a fan.”
His expression was dark as he spoke. It seemed quite shocking that a once-pure fan would do such a thing. However, Yeon-rok wasn’t particularly surprised. Since Choi Hwan was such a famous celebrity, it was only natural that there would be malicious fans whose love crossed over into obsession.
“Well, it was fully expected.”
“Expected?”
“I figured something like this might happen from the moment you caused a scandal.”
A name partner who suddenly appeared alongside a loud scandal—Yeon-rok’s existence was likely enough to irritate Choi Hwan’s fans. However, Choi Hwan seemed not to have expected this at all. He appeared to be regretting his impulsive actions, driven by anger toward the reporters and a desire to monopolize Yeon-rok.
“I was too…… reckless back then.”
“You’re only realizing that now?”
Yeon-rok spoke playfully, as he truly didn’t mind, but Choi Hwan only seemed more disheartened. As he bit his lip and acted miserable, Yeon-rok pressed down on his lip with a finger to stop him. It was too wasteful for him to make such a face on a day when he looked exceptionally handsome.
“Forget it. It’s already over……. Just don’t do the same thing again. You always have bodyguards with you anyway, so what’s the worst that could happen?”
He patted Choi Hwan’s shoulder without a hint of annoyance. One of Yeon-rok’s strengths was that he didn’t hold grudges. He knew well that dwelling on bad things was only a loss to oneself. Yeon-rok gave a bright smile. Choi Hwan looked up at him blankly, as if possessed.
‘……Why do I like Lee Yeon-rok so much?’
His chest was filled with a fluttering heartbeat, making it hard to breathe. Far from diminishing, his feelings only grew stronger every day. The strange part was that despite liking him this much, it felt more agonizing than happy. Unaware of these feelings and assuming Choi Hwan’s mood had simply improved, Yeon-rok yawned with relief.
“I’m tired. I’m going to head in and sleep. See you tomorrow.”
“Huh? Oh, right……. See you tomorrow. Sleep well.”
Even after Yeon-rok left, Choi Hwan remained sitting there in a daze. This feeling—somewhere between excitement and melancholy—lasted for a very long time.
A few mornings later, as soon as Yeon-rok finished his meal, he received a call from the security team. He asked in a surprised voice.
“……This came for me?”
“Yes, sir. Ah, please do not touch it. We don’t know what might be on it.”
The object Park Chung-seong was discouraging him from touching was an opened delivery box. Inside were printed photos from Choi Hwan’s scandal, accompanied by a letter filled with brutal threats and profanity.
“Wow, they must really have nothing to do.”
The long letter consisted of some handwritten parts and some where letters had been cut out and pasted. In a different sense, it was full of effort. The content of the letter was truly raw condemnation, but Yeon-rok wasn’t particularly hurt. Instead, Choi Hwan stood beside him, fidgeting and shaking his legs anxiously. Jeong Bo Eun spoke with a grim face.
“I thought you should be aware of this, so I showed it to you. We will handle things like this ourselves from now on. Please let us know at any time if you wish to press charges.”
“Hmm……. I’ll think about that after talking with Hyung the Secretary.”
He wasn’t sure if suing such a malicious fan would be advantageous or disadvantageous for Choi Hwan. No, before that, it was strange that a malicious fan had suddenly found out the address of this house to send a letter terror attack. ……Of course, there was one suspected mastermind. It was Yeom Cheon-ryul.
‘Since Choi Hwan is famous, it must be easier to harass him.’
How many times had they suffered already? Just as Yeon-rok clenched his fist in resentment toward Yeom Cheon-ryul, a voice—not just cool, but freezing—criticized Choi Hwan.
“The person involved should have handled this in advance. This is the result of acting without thinking.”
Startled, Choi Hwan looked back, his eyes narrowing sharply. Moon Gyeon-woo, who had finished preparing for work, looked at the delivery box with a face twisted in disgust. The corner of his mouth curled up crookedly.
“I don’t understand why Yeon-rok has to suffer because of your immature behavior. He’s truly generous.”
Unable to find a rebuttal, Choi Hwan only bit his lip. Judging by the reaction, Moon Gyeon-woo had clearly heard about the incident from a few days ago, whether through the bodyguards or Secretary Kim Jeong-seong. Moon Gyeon-woo spoke to Yeon-rok in an infinitely soft voice.
“Are you okay, Yeon-rok-ah? If you’re struggling mentally, I know a good counseling center.”
“No, I’m fine…….”
“You can’t be sure about that. You can be emotionally scarred without even realizing it. This is no different from reading malicious comments.”
Every single word from Moon Gyeon-woo was aimed at Choi Hwan. It seemed he was quite displeased that Choi Hwan had gone on a premiere date with Yeon-rok as his lover. Choi Hwan trembled, but again, he couldn’t argue back. Instead, he hurriedly snatched the delivery box and shoved it away.
However, Moon Gyeon-woo’s attack wasn’t aimed only at Choi Hwan. As soon as Yeom Cheon-ho returned from work, he protested.
“How is the security managed that Yeon-rok receives something like this? I’m sure that bastard Yeom Cheon-ryul was involved; am I wrong? Since anyone and everyone can find their way here, this address is practically a public good.”
Unlike Choi Hwan, who only trembled, Yeom Cheon-ho was not shaken in the slightest. With a calm face, he readily acknowledged Moon Gyeon-woo’s sharp protest.
“I am sorry, Yeon-rok-ssi. I will compensate you separately for this.”
“No, I’m really, really okay…….”
In the end, only Yeon-rok’s safe grew wealthier.
The series of criticisms and protests weren’t necessarily something Moon Gyeon-woo did to keep a competitor in check. He seemed genuinely worried and displeased that Yeon-rok had been terrorized by Choi Hwan’s malicious fan and had received threats because Yeom Cheon-ryul leaked the address.
Or, perhaps something wasn’t going well for him, and he was sticking out his spines in all directions like an angry hedgehog…. Out of concern, Yeon-rok brewed some decaf coffee and tested the waters with Moon Gyeon-woo.
“Is something not going well lately?”