By Zephyria At that table, there were about two or three familiar faces mixed in. Even though he knew them, they were celebrities he had only known by face and name from his past as Choi Hong-seo. The group of about ten people, men and women, seemed quite drunk already.
One of them spotted ‘Yoon Hye-an’ and jumped up from his seat.
“Look who it is, Yoon Hye-an! We always said this bastard wouldn’t die even if you killed him. Look at this. He really came back alive?”
Stumbling, he approached Choi Hong-seo and practically clung to him, draping himself over Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder. He was a member of a top idol group enjoying immense popularity, known in the industry for his hot temper and promiscuous private life.
“Bring champagne, not the free drinks. Fuck, my slut is back alive, we have to pop champagne!”
Choi Hong-seo pushed away the man’s arm, who was ordering a bottle of champagne. Oohs and aahs, not cheers or boos, but strange exclamations, erupted from the surroundings.
The man, not at all intimidated or offended, wrapped his arms more tightly around Choi Hong-seo’s neck. Hot lips pressed against his temple. With a warm breath, his low, rough voice, which his fans adored, panted in his ear.
“What? Did it piss you off when I called you a slut in front of everyone? You used to writhe with pleasure when I did it in bed?”
Choi Hong-seo struggled to break free from his arms, but it was difficult due to the difference in physique. Even when he twisted his head to avoid his lips and clawed at the arm around his neck, the man didn’t budge.
“Ah… I really missed this temper of yours.”
“Let go. Let go and talk. You heard he lost his memory, right? What are you doing to someone who doesn’t even remember?”
Only then did the man’s body detach from Choi Hong-seo. He grabbed any glass rolling on the table, took a drink, and looked down at Choi Hong-seo from the corner of his eye.
“Losing your memory, wasn’t that all a show?”
“On what grounds…”
“Given your temper, you can’t pretend to be someone else for long. Not everyone can leave their past behind, you know? How long do you think you can suppress your temper and last? Huh?”
Not just that man, but everyone at the table had faces that seemed to think the same.
“No matter what you think, it’s true that I’ve lost my past memories. If you intend to keep treating me like this, then from now on… I’d prefer if we just pretended not to know each other.”
“What, are you serious?”
Holding the newly served champagne bottle, the man looked at Choi Hong-seo askance. Then, he said with a grin.
“Then, we can test it today, right? To see if your memory doesn’t come back even while we’re fucking like crazy.”
As the champagne was opened with a loud pop, the people around the table, as well as others nearby, cheered. As if the cheers were a starting signal, the music volume increased, and the lights began to flash dazzlingly.
Choi Hong-seo refused the empty wine glass the man offered.
“I haven’t been discharged from the hospital for long. I’ll have to refuse alcohol. You were invited, so please have fun today, and I hope we don’t see each other again.”
The man, with his arm around Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder, bent down and stared intently at his face.
“Yoon Hye-an, didn’t you always say alcohol and sex were panaceas? Who was it that brought you alcohol and barged in, stripping down and jumping on me when you were depressed about not being able to get on stage due to your ankle injury?”
“I don’t know what kind of relationship you and I had before, but to someone who claims to have no memory…!”
It was instantaneous.
His wrist was roughly grabbed, his body tilted forward sharply, and he was pulled into the man’s embrace. As his head and back were held, his lips were swallowed. Choi Hong-seo, who had flinched for a moment at the rude kiss that unceremoniously thrust his tongue in first, bit down hard on the man’s tongue.
Before he could apply much force, the man pulled his tongue back and grinned at Choi Hong-seo with glistening eyes.
“Remember now?”
“……”
“This was the kind of relationship we had.”
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, the man pulled Choi Hong-seo’s waist even tighter.
“You were my first. You were the one who taught me how to fuck anally.”
“Stop it.”
Choi Hong-seo twisted his shoulder hard, trying to escape the man’s grip. The more he struggled, the tighter the man’s hold became.
“Stop it? What kind of polite words are coming out of Yoon Hye-an’s mouth? Haha… You said those old sponsors’ flabby dicks were disgusting. You said you’d purify yourself with my dick, and you were the one who jumped on me first even at a place like this.”
“Stop it! No, no!”
Choi Hong-seo screamed, struggling desperately. A hot dampness suddenly welled up in his eyes. The gazes of the people around them were turning towards them one by one. As Choi Hong-seo tried to break free and turn away from the man’s embrace, the man’s rough hand grabbed him again.
“Where are you going? Did you think you could just wash away all that dirty past with the excuse of not remembering? Whether you remember or not, it was all you.”
“I don’t remember! I don’t remember!”
Whether you remember or not, it was all you.
The man’s words wrapped around his entire body like an ominous prophecy, tightening their grip. Everything Choi Hong-seo had done, Yoon Hye-an’s past, all of it had to be taken responsibility for. It felt as if reality was being shoved right in front of his eyes.
Choi Hong-seo shook his head wildly as if tormented by hallucinations. The man grabbed the arm covering his face and pulled it down, not wanting him to show tears.
“Seeing Yoon Hye-an’s face tremble at such words is new. This is also fucking hot, isn’t it? Huh?”
He raised his elbow to strike the face that was coming closer, and just as that was also blocked by the man. Amidst all the surrounding noise, a voice cut through clearly.
“Mr. Yoon Hye-an.”
“……”
“Are you busy?”
Right behind him? At most, two or three steps away?
A deep voice with a strong presence that commanded attention without needing to shout. He knew who it was without looking back. The man standing in front of him, his gaze contorting, supported Choi Hong-seo’s guess.
Choi Hong-seo swallowed dryly and turned around. As expected, Lee Hae-sung was standing almost directly behind him.
“I arrived a little late. I was going to say hello, but… it seems there’s some commotion.”
The man was still gripping Choi Hong-seo’s arm and wrist. Lee Hae-sung’s gaze fell on the man’s hands. He then deliberately scowled. It was a clear sign that he didn’t like it and wanted it removed.
“Am I interrupting?”
His voice, deliberately drawn out, conveyed his displeasure. Only then did the man release his hands and step back hesitantly.
Choi Hong-seo quickly wiped away the tears that had stained his face and turned towards Lee Hae-sung.
“No… no.”
Shaking his head, he pulled on Lee Hae-sung’s arm. He couldn’t even afford to worry about touching his body and potentially being rejected. He forcefully pushed Lee Hae-sung’s back, who was stubbornly refusing to turn away and kept his eyes fixed on the man.
“Vice President, over there, let’s go over there.”
He could feel the agitated murmurs of everyone reacting to Lee Hae-sung’s appearance.
Lee Hae-sung appearing at Yoon Hye-an’s birthday party. Of course, with Director Kang and other film industry people attending, it wasn’t entirely strange. Lee Hae-sung appearing at Yoon Hye-an’s birthday party and taking his side. If it stopped there, it might become a topic of conversation. He knew it would likely remain within industry gossip. Not all chaebols who have celebrities as sponsors or lovers become gossip fodder.
Even so, it didn’t seem like it would be good for the current Yoon Hye-an and him to be mentioned together. He wanted to get away from the situation before it escalated.
He caught a glimpse of Park Dong-ha, frozen and looking this way, amidst the crowd, but he didn’t have the luxury to pay attention to such things.
“There’s a members-only lounge, let’s go there.”
After parting the crowd, Lee Hae-sung suggested it first.
He followed him into the inner corridor. The lounge they entered was completely different from the one he had been guided to when he came here before, to make a report call to CEO Myeong. That previous place was likely for guests. The lounge Lee Hae-sung entered with him was decorated like a small drawing room.
It was equipped with a long, deep sofa that could easily be used as a bed if needed, a minibar, and a private bathroom. Closing the door completely blocked out the noise from the hall.
“Sit down.”
He glanced briefly at Choi Hong-seo, who had turned to the side and was still wiping his tears, and pointed to the long sofa.
Walking over to the minibar, he heated water in an electric kettle and filled a crystal glass with ice, creating a calm, ambient noise. Choi Hong-seo, sitting awkwardly on a chair, stole glances at his back.
He was still agitated from what had just happened. He had shown an unpleasant scene, and it was his first meeting since collapsing, so he was tense. His heart felt uneasy, like a child called in knowing they would be scolded.
“Drink this.”
A moment later, what he brought was fragrant tea served in an elegant cup.
“Thank you.”
Choi Hong-seo managed to reply with a hoarse voice. He felt the presence of the man sitting down next to him after circling the table, and Choi Hong-seo unconsciously shifted his body to the opposite side. The single sofa was quite long, so he could maintain a sufficient distance from him.
He was slowly drinking whiskey with ice.
“I’m sorry for showing you something strange earlier.”
“You seem to know those people from before.”