RFT 12

At those words, Do Ye-jun shifted his gaze to the phone he had placed on the table. Just as Han Si-yeon said, the three characters of the name ‘Cheon Sa-hyun’ were displayed on the screen.

“Ah….”

“It’s okay. Just take it here.”

Han Si-yeon grabbed the arm of Do Ye-jun, who had stood up awkwardly to move away, and pulled him back down. Do Ye-jun glanced at her tentatively before answering the call.

If the ringing continued for too long, Cheon Sa-hyun would throw a fit.

“Yeah, what is it?”

-What are you doing?

For some reason, having Han Si-yeon in front of him made him self-conscious, so he answered the phone more bluntly than usual. Fortunately, Cheon Sa-hyun didn’t nitpick about it.

“I’m at a cafe with a friend.”

-A friend? What friend?

The moment he mentioned being with a friend, the dissatisfaction in Cheon Sa-hyun’s returning voice was glaringly obvious.

“Someone you know.”

-Ah, Ms. Han Si-yeon?

“Yeah.”

Once he mentioned he was with Han Si-yeon, his voice softened again.

-Hmm…. Then you must be too preoccupied playing with your friend to have time to see me, right?

There it was. Cheon Sa-hyun’s signature way of speaking that made people feel pressured. Do Ye-jun stared at the distant mountains outside the window. In the middle of downtown Seoul, it was practically impossible to see any mountains.

Han Si-yeon had said her boyfriend, Baek Gang-hyeok, would be picking her up soon. So, objectively speaking, time to meet Cheon Sa-hyun? He had plenty.

He knew that lying here would only work against him. Do Ye-jun forced the words out.

“……No, I’m leaving now.”

-Is that so? That’s great.

Cheon Sa-hyun’s bright voice rang out. Soon after, there was the sound of him getting into a car.

-I’m on my way. Where are you?

Do Ye-jun named the subway station that first caught his eye through the window. After he mentioned it was the franchise cafe in front of it, the reply came that he would arrive in about 30 minutes.

“Take your time.”

He ended the call with words that secretly hoped the man would arrive as late as possible. Han Si-yeon gave him an intrigued look.

“What? You didn’t fight with Sa-hyun?”

“How could I possibly fight with him?”

The difference in combat power was too extreme. Someone like Baek Gang-hyeok might be able to hold his own, but he would be a one-second knockout. He’d be lucky if he wasn’t buried somewhere without a soul knowing.

“Wow, you like him enough that the great Do Ye-jun would let him win everything? Then why did you mak[unauthorized [Read on Read BL Novels]copy]style="position:relative;display:inline;">[stolen content]e that kind of request?”

“……Forget it. Just forget about that. Let’s pretend it never happened. I just said whatever came to mind in the heat of the moment.”

Do Ye-jun withdrew all the expectations he had held for Han Si-yeon. He decided to keep the behind-the-scenes story of the novel, which the female lead didn’t know, to himself.

From then on, Do Ye-jun kept checking the time.

“By the way, when is your Mr. Baek Gang-hyeok coming?”

“I don’t know…. He messaged me earlier saying he’d be a bit late…. But shouldn’t he be here soon?”

He was anxious that Cheon Sa-hyun and Baek Gang-hyeok’s paths might overlap. Although it seemed like something had been settled for now, it still felt strange for the two of them to run into each other.

In romance novels, the rule was that once a second male lead or a villain was dealt with, they weren’t even mentioned by name.

Since Han Si-yeon was naturally a bit airheaded, she might not mind meeting Cheon Sa-hyun, but…

The male lead, Baek Gang-hyeok, would likely be different. He felt like he would hate Cheon Sa-hyun. Because that’s what male leads do.

Just as he was worrying about getting caught visit our sitestyle="font-size:0;color:transparent;display:inline;">visit our siteup in unnecessary trouble, a man approached their table.

“Did you wait long? I’m a bit late, aren’t I?”

It was Cheon Sa-hyun.

Barely 20 minutes had passed since the time he said he was leaving. He had expected Baek Gang-hyeok to arrive first, but that prediction had been spectacularly wrong.

Cheon Sa-hyun looked down at Do Ye-jun with a gentle smile and proceeded to take the seat right next to him.

“Ah, hello!”

“Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in a private setting.”

As Han Si-yeon hurriedly greeted him, Cheon Sa-hyun accepted the greeting with a relaxed expression. Even his voice had become somewhat more greasy than usual.

Do Ye-jun looked at Cheon Sa-hyun as if he were strange.

“You, why are you talking like that?”

“What? Like what?”

Cheon Sa-hyun played innocent as if he had no idea. Han Si-yeon didn’t seem to notice anything strange either.

Only Do Ye-jun, with a disgruntled face, pulled his chair aside to distance himself from Cheon Sa-hyun. Of course, Cheon Sa-hyun just leaned in closer, making the effort useless.

“May I ask what the two of you were discussing?”

Cheon Sa-hyun maintained a very polite and courteous demeanor. It was a side of him that felt utterly foreign to Do Ye-jun.

While cursing him as a lunatic in his head, Do Ye-jun poured ice cubes into his mouth, unable to say what he actually wanted to say.

Crunch, crunch. As he chewed the ice, Cheon Sa-hyun turned his head.

“Shall I order you a new drink?”

With that, he naturally took Do Ye-jun’s glass. Do Ye-jun smacked his lips and shook his head.

“No, I’m leaving soon anyway….”

“Alright then. Is there anything you want for dinner?”

Cheon Sa-hyun reached out and tidied Do Ye-jun’s stray bangs. The gesture was as natural as if it were a daily routine.

Han Si-yeon was somewhat surprised to see this. Because Cheon Sa-hyun had never once touched her so casually.

To the point where it was hard to see them as adult men and women meeting, Cheon Sa-hyun had avoided skinship. He wasn’t the type who was skilled at taking care of others, either.

He had manners and a kind, gentle nature, but for some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all well-learned.

She had vaguely thought it was because of his background as a chaebol….

But seeing this, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“I don’t know. I’m a bit full from the coffee.”

Cheon Sa-hyun’s hand moved toward Do Ye-jun’s stomach. Do Ye-jun recoiled in horror and pushed him away.

“What are you doing?”

“I wanted to see how full you were.”

Cheon Sa-hyun was joking. That Cheon Sa-hyun was initiating a joke.

Han Si-yeon couldn’t suppress her shock and let her mouth hang open.

He had always been so businesslike and refined that it was hard to believe he was younger than her….

Only now did he look his actual age. No, he looked even younger. Like a child who couldn’t stop teasing the person he liked, a smile never left Cheon Sa-hyun’s face.

So that’s the face Cheon Sa-hyun makes in front of someone he truly likes.

Han Si-yeon realized this for the first time. And she felt relieved. That Cheon Sa-hyun had successfully met Do Ye-jun.

She could never have made him make such an expression.

“Ms. Si-yeon.”

Just then, another man appeared from behind. It was Baek Gang-hyeok.

Do Ye-jun, who had completely forgotten that Baek Gang-hyeok was coming [Read on Read BL Novels]unauthorized copystyle="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[visit our site]while bickering with Cheon Sa-hyun, turned pale.

“Uh… uh….”

“Hello, it’s been a while.”

Baek Gang-hyeok smiled and reached out his hand to the startled Do Ye-jun. The moment he tried to take the hand, Cheon Sa-hyun intercepted it and gave a casual handshake.

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

“I feel like I saw you yesterday, Director…. Haha.”

Baek Gang-hyeok laughed awkwardly and pulled his hand back. Regardless, Cheon Sa-hyun responded with a consistent, faint smile.

That expression seemed to be saying, ‘So what?’ Fortunately, it seemed only he had noticed that.

Do Ye-jun prayed fervently that the sparks wouldn’t fly his way.

He felt like a pitiful creature caught between a tiger and a dragon. Even being an animal like a rabbit or a deer was a luxury.

Rather, the innocent and oblivious Han Si-yeon was closer to a rabbit or a deer.

Compared to them, he was merely a mouse.

And a field mouse, famous for its small size, at that.

“Are the two of you officially seeing each other since then?”

By ‘since then,’ he clearly meant the day Cheon Sa-hyun had abruptly told him to live his life well.

Strictly speaking, they had kissed before that…. but they hadn’t explicitly concluded to start dating.

“Yes, as you can see.”

However, Cheon Sa-hyun answered in the affirmative without a moment’s hesitation. Of course, Do Ye-jun couldn’t utter a peep.

“Ah, I see. Congratulations. You two look good together.”

He felt bad. For some reason, he felt bad.

He and Cheon Sa-hyun looked good together? Do Ye-jun couldn’t control [unauthorized Read on Read BL Novelscopy]his expression. No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem like a compliment.

But Cheon Sa-hyun nodded as if it were obvious. He even added this:

“Thank you. You two look good together as well.”

Do Ye-jun’s expression became even more disgruntled.

‘What are these two… doing…? Is this right? Is this how a conversation between the male lead and the villain goes? And why is the female lead in front of them looking on so warmly?’

Regardless, Baek Gang-hyeok and Cheon Sa-hyun continued their small talk nonchalantly.

“Ah, I heard a rumor at the company that the two of you are preparing for a wedding.”

To think that talk of the main couple’s wedding would come out of Cheon Sa-hyun’s mouth.

“You heard about that. I didn’t intend to spread rumors…. Well, we aren’t exactly preparing it in secret, so it’s no wonder the word is getting around. Haha.”

Baek Gang-hyeok rubbed the back of his neck shyly. Do Ye-jun glanced sideways, observing Cheon Sa-hyun’s expression.