By Zephyria 
“I don’t mean to interrupt you right now, but I was wondering if you might be available for an interview with our magazine tomorrow.”
“Ah… I would really love to, but unfortunately, I’m leaving Cannes tomorrow.”
Choi Hong-seo’s regret was not mere politeness. Lee Hae-sung could tell that much.
“Is that so? That’s such a shame. Regardless of whether <Cream Mansion> wins an award, your own story is so intriguing that I really wanted to cover it.”
The possessiveness that made him not want to share Choi Hong-seo with the public always lost out to the desire to make him happier. Fortunately, that had been the case so far. This time, too, it seemed he would have to choose supporting Choi Hong-seo over his own possessiveness.
Looking back and forth between Choi Hong-seo and the editor, Lee Hae-sung let out a low sigh and held up the business card she had handed him.
“If it’s ‘Heterotopia,’ the headquarters are definitely in Paris, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then let’s conduct Hong-seo’s interview in Paris.”
“In Paris?”
“Ah, I’m late with my introduction. I am Lee Hae-sung, an investor in <Cream Mansion>.”
“I know who you are. You are also the Vice Chairman of ARA Group.”
Grinning behind the lenses of her horn-rimmed glasses, she pushed them up her nose and continued.
“But there’s no need for you to come all the way to Paris for our interview… We could conduct the interview online and have you work with a photographer of your choice there to send us the photos.”
“No, it’s not that. Actually, we are planning to leave for Paris tomorrow.”
“We…?”
The editor tilted her head with a puzzled expression, looking back and forth between the two. Lee Hae-sung pulled Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder close in a hug as if to show her, and repeated:
“Yes, we.”
■
The closest airport to Cannes was Nice Côte d’Azur Airport. Since Nice is a popular European resort destination and a world-class film festival is held nearby every year, the airport was quite large for a provincial city.
The inside and outside of the airport were crowded with people preparing to leave Cannes after the festival. A peculiar impression, felt from those returning to their daily lives after the festivities, lingered on their faces like an afterimage. Excitement, or regret, travel fatigue, the thrill of new inspiration…
Lee Hae-sung and Choi Hong-seo blended into that bustle and heat, allowing them to hide themselves more easily than usual. This was partly because the attention of the press and the public was dispersed, as it was a time when many celebrities visited.
Since their private trip would begin in earnest after the festival, Lee Hae-sung chose a private jet to secure as much time for just the two of them as possible. Because the number of private jets an airport can accommodate per day is limited, Manager Kang had put a great deal of effort into finalizing the takeoff schedule.
As soon as they stepped out of the car, Lee Hae-sung reached for and grasped Choi Hong-seo’s hand. Feeling a slight flinch as he tried to pull away, Lee Hae-sung tightened his grip.
“It’s okay. Everyone is busy with their own things. No one thinks it’s strange.”
“We’re even wearing the same clothes right now.”
Choi Hong-seo and Lee Hae-sung were wearing the same hooded sweatshirt. It was the very couple t-shirt Choi Hong-seo had gifted him last month. While the attendants unloaded the suitcases from the van and placed them on a cart, Lee Hae-sung slung Choi Hong-seo’s personal backpack over one shoulder. Then, he spoke nonchalantly.
“We’re probably the only ones paying attention to that.”
Choi Hong-seo had the large hood pulled over his head, and Lee Hae-sung was wearing a leather jacket over his. Moreover, the hood wasn’t a flashy color. No one would notice they were wearing the same shirt, but since it was the first time they had worn these clothes simultaneously outside of their home in Seoul, even Lee Hae-sung felt strangely fluttery.
He hurried into the airport, holding the hand of his anxious lover. Choi Hong-seo pulled the mask, which had been resting on his chin, up under his eyes and followed diligently with his head bowed low.
The two went straight to the lounge reserved for private jet customers. The lounge was smaller than those in typical airports, but it was relatively quiet, allowing them to catch their breath.
Lee Hae-sung and Choi Hong-seo sat side by side in single sofas, separated by a low side table. As soon as they sat down, Lee Hae-sung let out a silent sigh while watching Choi Hong-seo’s profile as he clung to his phone.
Choi Hong-seo had been in that state all day.
At breakfast in Lee Hae-sung’s room, in the van on the way to the airport, he hardly made eye contact with Lee Hae-sung.
What could be the reason? Lee Hae-sung rested his chin on his hand and stared intently at his lover’s profile. Even though he must have felt the gaze, Choi Hong-seo didn’t budge.
“Want to eat something?”
“No. I’m okay.”
“Then a drink?”
“I’m not thirsty…”
Something was definitely wrong. However, he wasn’t sure whether he should press for answers right here or approach him more cautiously. After staring a bit longer at his motionless lover’s profile, Lee Hae-sung quietly stood up. Getting him to eat something was the priority.
At the bar in the center of the lounge, there were a few simple snacks, alcohol, coffee, and drinks. Without asking the attendants, he picked out the food himself. A few bite-sized sandwiches and individually wrapped macarons. Things Choi Hong-seo liked.
While slowly scanning the area around the bar, Lee Hae-sung felt a gaze. Choi Hong-seo, who had been avoiding eye contact, was stealing glances at him. Lee Hae-sung sensed the gaze clearly but pretended not to notice.
Choi Hong-seo even subtly lifted his phone toward him. Judging by the angle, he was clearly taking photos of him.
At least it seems he’s not angry with me. He wouldn’t be taking photos of the guy who made him angry.
Then what is it? What on earth is it?
His lover’s behavior made Lee Hae-sung even more confused.
After pouring a warm latte for Choi Hong-seo, Lee Hae-sung returned to their seats. Even as he placed the plate and cup on the side table and sat down beside him, Choi Hong-seo only gave a fleeting side-glance.
You were staring so hard when I wasn’t here?
Lee Hae-sung patiently pushed the plate toward Choi Hong-seo.
“Ham and egg sandwiches. You like them.”
“I’m really okay… I’m not hungry.”
“You barely touched your breakfast, too.”
The worried tone worked. Placing the phone on his lap, Choi Hong-seo picked up a sandwich. Even then, he still didn’t try to meet Lee Hae-sung’s eyes.
Was I too persistent in bed last night?
No. If that were the problem, he wouldn’t have burrowed into my arms like that before falling asleep. He seemed no different from usual when we woke up this morning…
Even while eating the macarons after the sandwich and drinking the latte, Choi Hong-seo only fiddled with his phone. Meanwhile, Lee Hae-sung sat with his legs crossed and chin resting on his hand, staring only at his lover’s profile.
His lover, twelve years his junior, rarely acted spoiled. He almost never acted childishly. Lee Hae-sung had rarely thought that the twelve-year age gap made it difficult to understand Choi Hong-seo.
But in this moment, Lee Hae-sung felt the age difference acutely.
The lover right beside him felt like a new species whose inner thoughts were completely inscrutable. He really didn’t want to use such a metaphor, but he wondered if this is how it feels to have a son entering puberty.
He reached the conclusion that he could never find the answer on his own. Lee Hae-sung decided to pester his lover. He placed his palm on top of Choi Hong-seo’s head, which was covered by the large hood, and moved his fingertips in a massaging motion.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“Just… my phone.”
“You’ve been looking at your phone all day, even though you’re with me.”
“I wasn’t doing it the whole time.”
“You were. In the car, and since we got here.”
“I’m looking at the messages I exchanged with Hyung.”
It was Choi Hong-seo’s habit to scroll back through his message history with Lee Hae-sung and review them whenever he had a spare moment.
“The real thing is right in front of you, so can’t you focus on me now? Hmm?”
Lee Hae-sung used the hand on the hood to gently turn Choi Hong-seo’s head. However, Choi Hong-seo stubbornly resisted and even tightened the hood strings.
Seeing him act defensively, Lee Hae-sung’s mischievous streak was triggered. He didn’t know where this playfulness—the desire to dig deeper the more someone tried to hide—had been hidden in him. He had never felt the urge to forcibly dig into anyone’s inner self before. But he couldn’t deny that he became persistent specifically when it came to Choi Hong-seo.
Taking the phone from the hand of Choi Hong-seo, who was hiding his head deep in the hood, was a piece of cake.
“Ah, why are you doing this! Stop it!”
As soon as the phone left his hand, Choi Hong-seo lunged at Lee Hae-sung. Lee Hae-sung blocked him with one arm and opened the photo gallery. As expected, there were photos of himself picking out food at the bar a moment ago. Quite a few of them, from various angles. Even zoomed in. Huh? There were even videos?
“You won’t even meet my eyes, but you’re taking photos of me?”
“Don’t just look through it! Give it back!”
With his face turning bright red, Choi Hong-seo had an expression that, for once, looked as if he might burst into tears at any moment. But from the moment he confiscated the phone, Lee Hae-sung had no intention of letting him off, even if he cried.
Lee Hae-sung held the phone high, while Choi Hong-seo struggled to get it back.
“Hmm… this situation, I feel a sense of déjà vu?”
Lee Hae-sung narrowed his eyes, trying to recall. Actually, it was a scene that remained vivid without needing to search his memory. The day he first discovered that Lee Hae-sung was saved as ‘Carrot Seller’ in Choi Hong-seo’s phone. A similar scene had played out that day.
Knowing well that he couldn’t win by strength, Choi Hong-seo soon changed his tactics. He began to pester him, tugging violently at Lee Hae-sung’s leather jacket.
“Give it back. My phone.”
“Are you going to cry if I don’t?”
“……”
Choi Hong-seo’s hands stopped. Inside the hood, where the strings were tightened so only his features were barely visible, he went quiet.
“Are you going to cry if I don’t?”
Because Lee Hae-sung had said the exact same words as back then.
The face swallowing hard and blinking slowly looked like nothing but Choi Hong-seo to Lee Hae-sung. It had been that way for a long time.
Memories shared only by the two of them. Just mentioning that moment caused moisture to well up in his eyes and a heat to rise in his throat. Even if one searched the entire universe, only Lee Hae-sung and Choi Hong-seo, the two parties involved, could react this way.
This time, while crumpling the edge of the jacket he had been pulling in his hand, Choi Hong-seo’s lips trembled.
“I won’t cry… but I might get angry.”
He repeated the same words. Over and over.
Moisture lingered in his slightly trembling voice. Lee Hae-sung reached his hand through the tightly closed hood strings and stroked his lover’s cheek. He gently brushed the lips that were trembling from the sudden surge of intense emotion with his thumb.
“Even if you make such a cute face, I’m not giving it back.”
“I didn’t make a cute face.”
“You did.”
“I did not make a cute face.”
The conversation repeated itself. It felt as if he had returned to the party held to celebrate the confirmed production of <Cream Mansion>.