By Zephyria 
“Why? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Mr. Hwan, you really never stop causing trouble, do you?”
Choi Hwan snorted upon hearing those words.
“This is unbelievable, seriously. Why don’t you focus on managing your own believers? I only got angry because that guy was unilaterally picking a fight with me.”
“Ah, regarding the incident with believer Kim Hyeon-seo last time, I handled it by dismissing him immediately. I am not talking about that. I had no intention of blaming you for it.”
Choi Hwan flinched under Yeom Cheon-ho’s stern gaze. He had naturally assumed Cheon-ho was talking about the time he almost got into a fistfight with some nobodies—Kim Hyeon-seo or Hyeon-su, whatever—who had been ignoring Yeon-rok. Choi Hwan stammered slightly as he recalled the troubles he’d caused.
“Th-then what is it?”
“I am talking about the fact that you caused a scene instead of leaving immediately, even after knowing it was a psychological cafe operated by the Heavenly Truth Ming Cult.”
Caught completely off guard, Choi Hwan looked flustered. To him, that matter was already in the past.
“Nothing happened. I only went in because I didn’t know it was that kind of place in the first place.”
“Don’t you think it’s only because you were lucky that nothing happened? The believers of the Heavenly Truth Ming Cult tend to be extreme; you never know what they might do. You should have left the premises immediately.”
“No, you’re the one who told me to pretend we weren’t on good terms, Yeom Cheon-ho!”
Though he tried to make a pathetic excuse, Choi Hwan knew deep down that Yeom Cheon-ho was right. It was then that Moon Gyeon-woo, who had been listening to the conversation in silence, sneered.
“One cultist and another. It’s hilarious seeing you two try to establish a hierarchy among yourselves when you’re basically the same.”
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant. Normally, Yeom Cheon-ho would have laughed off such a jab, but a flicker of displeasure crossed his face. Come to think of it, Yeom Cheon-ho, who usually called him Mr. Gyeon-woo, had recently started using his full name. That is… it started from the moment Moon Gyeon-woo kidnapped Yeon-rok.
“Even so, isn’t it still better than being a criminal?”
“A criminal?”
Moon Gyeon-woo’s voice sharpened instantly. He had immediately caught the meaning behind Yeom Cheon-ho’s words.
“Drugging someone to kidnap and confine them is a serious crime that is severely punished under criminal law. If you were tolerated only because of one person’s generosity, shouldn’t you at least know your place and reflect on your actions?”
It was the first time Yeon-rok had heard such a scathing criticism from Yeom Cheon-ho.
“…….”
His face flushing red, Moon Gyeon-woo couldn’t find a retort and stole a glance at Yeon-rok. As for how Yeon-rok felt, he didn’t really care about the kidnapping and confinement since it was already in the past. He was simply regretting bringing the two of them along.
The atmosphere became so chilly it was practically murderous; Yeon-rok felt like he was going to get indigestion before he even put food in his mouth. The believers, who had been enjoying themselves, noticed the strange current and were glancing over. Trying to mediate somehow, Yeon-rok stood up with a forced, bright voice.
“I’m hungry, shall we eat first?”
Choi Hwan quickly followed close behind Yeon-rok. Perhaps feeling guilty toward Yeon-rok, Moon Gyeon-woo also immediately came over to help with the utensils and plates. However, Yeom Cheon-ho suddenly acted as if he were being considerate, placing fishy, raw seafood on Moon Gyeon-woo’s plate and a salad—which they had eaten until they were sick of it—on Choi Hwan’s.
“I recommend these menus for the two of you.”
Moon Gyeon-woo and Choi Hwan froze. Yeon-rok stared at Yeom Cheon-ho with his mouth wide open. Why on earth is he doing this? Why is he acting so out of character?
Then, it suddenly hit him. Could this be proof that his emotions had recovered to some extent? It was a relief, but not really. It seemed Yeom Cheon-ho had started feeling the unpleasant kind of emotions. To think that even Yeom Cheon-ho, who had been dealing with things rationally and maturely, was starting to act like this. Yeon-rok broke into a cold sweat at the sudden surge of foreboding.
Please, I beg you, let today pass without any incidents.
Offering a desperate prayer to an unknown entity, Yeon-rok picked up the tongs. He quickly placed the foods Moon Gyeon-woo and Choi Hwan actually liked on their plates, their faces having turned sour. It was a silent plea for them to please just stay quiet.
To make matters worse, there were many believers nearby. They were watching their Leader’s romantic behavior in taking care of his flower name bearer with heartwarming expressions.
While Moon Gyeon-woo exercised patience, Choi Hwan recovered relatively quickly. Even during a hiatus, he couldn’t completely abandon his diet, so he humbly accepted the salad he had to eat anyway. Then, he piled plenty of meat onto Yeon-rok’s still-empty plate. It was Choi Hwan’s own way of expressing affection.
“Yeon-rok-ah, eat a lot.”
“Thanks.”
Before Yeon-rok could feel relieved, Choi Hwan launched an attack on both Yeom Cheon-ho and Moon Gyeon-woo at once.
“Looking at it now, you two really suit each other. Don’t you think?”
“No way. Actor Choi Hwan suits the Leader much better than I do.”
Moon Gyeon-woo, whose toxicity was beginning to rise, fired back with a sarcastic tone. Just as Yeon-rok was staring at the two of them like bombs that could explode at any moment, a believer nearby, who had been listening with pricked ears, chimed in with a clueless voice.
“Of course. Both of you are truly heavenly matches who suit the Leader perfectly. You are pairs sent from heaven.”
“…….”
After instantly crushing the mood and expressions of the two men, the believer praised Yeon-rok with equal fairness.
“Of course, flower name bearer Lee Yeon-rok also suits the Leader very well.”
Yeom Cheon-ho, who had been listening quietly with a painted-on smile, immediately expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you for your kind words, believer Kim Chan-yang.”
The four of them returned to the table. A silence more murderous than before flowed between them. With his nerves on edge, Yeon-rok began moving his utensils rapidly. He planned to finish eating quickly and get the two of them out of here as fast as possible. He would absolutely never gather these three in one place again…
While others were eating and enjoying themselves excitedly, a freezing air lingered only at this table. For Moon Gyeon-woo, who disliked people to begin with, the whole situation seemed stressful. Nevertheless, he sat beside Yeon-rok and endured it with great patience.
As always when his manager wasn’t around, Choi Hwan’s mouth ran wild. After polishing off one or two plates of delicious food, he stealthily brought over some alcohol. Perhaps trying to lighten the mood in his own way, he started mixing somaek.
“I’ll mix you a delicious glass.”
Perhaps because he had a history of partying, he knew how to craft a decent mixed drink. Yeon-rok also sipped the alcohol, feeling a pleasant buzz. The taste of drinking in broad daylight was wonderful. However, it seemed the alcohol tasted even better to Choi Hwan.
Every time his eyes met Yeon-rok’s, his face grew redder, and after downing one, two, three glasses, he became flushed and drunk in an instant. Since nothing good ever happened when Choi Hwan got drunk, Yeon-rok tried to stop him.
“Stop drinking now. What are you going to do if you’re this drunk already? Drink some water.”
“Yeah, yeah… but I want some ice cream. I saw an ice cream machine over there earlier.”
Usually, people who are heavily intoxicated crave sweets, and Choi Hwan was exactly that type. Before Yeon-rok could stop him, Choi Hwan stood up unsteadily. He already looked unstable, and the hand he reached out to balance himself landed on Moon Gyeon-woo’s shoulder. The thin thread of patience that had been maintained until now snapped instantly at this contact.
“Where do you think you’re touching?!”
Moon Gyeon-woo, looking extremely displeased, shoved Choi Hwan away. Because of that, the drunken Choi Hwan stumbled backward with a crash, knocking over a heap of utensils on the table. Everyone’s eyes turned toward them. Startled, Yeon-rok rushed to Choi Hwan.
“Hey, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Ah, damn it, this guy really…!”
Snapping back to his senses at Yeon-rok’s question, Choi Hwan lunged at Moon Gyeon-woo and threw a punch. Moon Gyeon-woo’s pale face whipped to the side. Yeon-rok’s vision went dark. They’re actually fighting! Finally! The believers murmured in shock.
With a murderous expression, Moon Gyeon-woo licked his split lip and threw a punch back at Choi Hwan. It landed squarely with a thud. Yeon-rok looked desperately toward the security guards, but they were busy in their own way.
“Turn off the cameras over there and stop people from coming closer!”
Yeon-rok hesitated to step in and stop them. In the meantime, Moon Gyeon-woo and Choi Hwan traded two or three more punches. They were fighting so fiercely that there seemed to be no gap to intervene. It was then that Yeom Cheon-ho, who had slowly set down his utensils, stood up. He let out a tired sigh and pushed his way into the brawl that Yeon-rok hadn’t dared to enter.
First, he used his raw strength to tear the two apart in one go. However, the two immediately lunged at each other again to trade blows. In the chaos, a blind punch struck the left side of Yeom Cheon-ho’s face. No, looking closer, Choi Hwan was grinning, so it didn’t seem to be a blind punch.
“Leader!”
The believers screamed at the scene that had turned into a complete shambles in an instant. Having been hit squarely, Yeom Cheon-ho spat out blood. The gaze he cast upon the two men was so chilling that Yeon-rok finally stepped in, prepared to get hit himself.
“Stop fighting already!”
If there was one thing Yeon-rok overlooked, it was his extraordinary bad luck.