By Zephyria “Then introduce me to the Vice President.”
“……”
This time, Choi Hong-seo was speechless. He had vaguely suspected Park Dong-ha’s interest in Lee Hae-sung for quite some time. He hadn’t expected to be directly asked to introduce him on a day meant to resolve their tangled emotions.
“You said you’re nothing. There’s no reason you can’t introduce me.”
“You already know the Vice President. You meet him at every script study… Why the sudden introduction?”
Facing Park Dong-ha’s expression, which held a hint of venom, Choi Hong-seo fumbled for the beer on the table. Park Dong-ha’s snort was cold.
“Your clothes and bag, your tastes have all changed?”
At Park Dong-ha’s sudden shift in conversation, Choi Hong-seo put down the beer he was drinking. Park Dong-ha’s gaze slowly scanned Choi Hong-seo’s attire. The pants and cardigan, purchased from a boutique in Beverly Hills, along with the hoodie and bag carefully selected by Lee Hae-sung’s stylist, were all slightly oversized, with simple colors and designs without flashy patterns.
“Still, they’re either luxury brands or from famous designers.”
Lee Hae-sung’s personal stylist now accurately understood the taste of the ‘anonymous VIP’ who wanted to give gifts to her client. And whenever she found a product that matched the ‘anonymous VIP’s’ taste, she sent it to Bundang. Such items, without Choi Hong-seo’s knowledge, were unpacked, tags removed, washed, and secretly infiltrated his third-floor walk-in closet. As if they had always been there.
‘Did your stylist send this again, Mister?’
Whenever Choi Hong-seo asked that, Lee Hae-sung always made an excuse.
‘Didn’t I buy it in LA? I bought so much back then. That’s why you don’t remember.’
His walk-in closet was filling up to an extent that would be impossible unless clothes, bags, and shoes reproduced on their own, but Choi Hong-seo would just sigh lightly and not probe further. It seemed to be his pleasure.
“Originally, your taste was more overtly logo-driven, wasn’t it? Something that clearly screamed ‘luxury brand.’ Ah… did you change your clothing taste to match the Vice President’s too?”
Park Dong-ha, standing inside the kitchen beyond the counter, sneered, pulling up one side of his lip.
He knew what he was thinking, but it was natural that ‘Yoon Hye-an’s’ taste had changed. Because the person in front of Park Dong-ha now was Choi Hong-seo.
“The Vice President’s taste…”
As Choi Hong-seo’s lips moved, Park Dong-ha narrowed his eyes, focusing on him with an irritable expression.
“Probably not clothes like these.”
Recalling one of Lee Hae-sung’s ex-boyfriends, whom he had seen only once, Choi Hong-seo muttered. Without a doubt, that man would have been closer to Lee Hae-sung’s original taste than he was.
Tall and slender yet with a sturdy build, exuding an elegance and ease in his demeanor and gestures that clearly indicated he had grown up in a similar environment.
There was a time when he had been consumed by a surprising jealousy because of that man. But now, he found himself more reassured by the fact that he had received Lee Hae-sung’s attention and affection even though he didn’t match his taste.
It meant Lee Hae-sung wasn’t approaching him because he fit his taste, but because he was drawn to Choi Hong-seo as a person.
“I like the Vice President.”
“…What?”
Choi Hong-seo, who had been lost in his own thoughts for a moment, suddenly lifted his head. He hit the dining table with his thigh, causing a beer can to fall and spill a yellowish, carbonated liquid. He quickly set the can upright and wiped up the spilled beer with a tissue from the table.
It wasn’t that Lee Hae-sung liked Park Dong-ha, and Park Dong-ha was just saying he unilaterally liked him. It wasn’t something entirely unexpected, and he couldn’t even tell if it was sincere. Yet, his heart pounded as if a part of him had been stolen by someone else.
“He’s cool, the Vice President. I liked him from the first time I saw him. I worked hard to get closer. But…”
“……”
“The Vice President only looked at you?”
Choi Hong-seo slowly stopped wiping after cleaning up all the spilled beer. Park Dong-ha, beyond the counter, wasn’t looking at him. Leaning against the sink, he gnawed on his fingernails, his eyes unfocused. He was just keeping his eyes open, not seeing what was in front of him.
“Even when I thought he disliked you, thinking back, the Vice President’s attention was always on you. For someone like the Vice President, disliking someone was probably a form of attention in itself.”
Could someone who dates men not feel interested in Lee Hae-sung? Even if the pressure emanating from his status, wealth, and extremely handsome, masculine appearance and imposing physique might be overwhelming, he doubted anyone would say he lacked charm. Choi Hong-seo firmly believed so.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be strange at all if Park Dong-ha liked Lee Hae-sung.
But he couldn’t be sure if it was genuine. It could be for the purpose of inconveniencing ‘Yoon Hye-an’, or perhaps to reveal his true colors.
After chewing on his lips and fingernails for a while, Park Dong-ha took out soju from the refrigerator. He poured the soju into a water glass, not a shot glass, and downed several gulps as if it were beer.
Haa, ha… Setting down the glass, the guy took a deep breath and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“When the Vice President… does that, is he gentle too?”
Park Dong-ha, who had turned to look this way, had broken blood vessels in his eyes.
“Someone like him wouldn’t make strange requests, right? He’s always gentle with actors. Seonbae Seo Jun-yeong, honestly… it’s true that seonbae was in the wrong.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Park Dong-ha let out a bitter chuckle and gulped down the remaining soju in his glass. Then, he slowly walked towards the dining table. Whether from intoxication or madness, his glistening eyes stared directly at Choi Hong-seo.
“When you do that, does he really… stroke you and cherish you like that? Like in the hallway today? ……Like a lover?”
As if regretting what he said, Park Dong-ha shook his head, trying to dismiss it, and looked at Choi Hong-seo with a grimace, as if clenching his teeth.
“Someone who lived like Hyung meeting someone like the Vice President… that’s just not right. It’s too unfair. Isn’t it?”
Tak. With a sound that grated on the ears, Park Dong-ha slammed the cup down on the table. Standing opposite Choi Hong-seo, he leaned his hunched back against the edge of the table and sneered provocatively.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you going to slap me like you used to?”
The word “slap” made Choi Hong-seo flinch.
“But what can you do? I’m not the Park Dong-ha who used to get scared and tremble every time Hyung acted like that anymore. No, I had to become that person.”
Whether it was from the alcohol he had just gulped down or from his emotions, for a moment, Park Dong-ha’s eyes seemed to well up with tears. The corners of his eyes contorted in pain. But that was very brief. Soon, he raised his bloodshot eyes filled with hostility and glared at ‘Yoon Hye-an’.
“I’m not asking for anything more from Hyung. If you genuinely want to compensate me, just arrange a meal. It’s not difficult.”
“Alright.”
“……You said alright?”
Despite being the one who made the request, Park Dong-ha frowned and instinctively stepped back. Choi Hong-seo’s reply was calm.
“You said all you needed was for me to arrange a meal with the Vice President. I’ll do it.”
Even with ‘Yoon Hye-an’ agreeing to his request, Park Dong-ha couldn’t shake off his suspicious gaze. He pierced Choi Hong-seo’s face with sharp eyes, as if wondering what ulterior motive he had.
Niya. Nyaa? A small cry made him look past Park Dong-ha’s shoulder. Romeo, who had been hiding somewhere, finally appeared from the hallway.
“I’ll contact you once the date and time are set. You’ll have to accommodate the Vice President for that. And this.”
Choi Hong-seo, who had been wearing his cross-body bag slung behind him, brought it to his chest and took out a small package from a pack, placing it on the table. Romeo, who had jumped onto the table from the chair, showed interest, bringing his nose and muzzle close.
“You didn’t take this last time. Of course, I remade it. Try feeding it to Romeo.”
Closing his bag’s zipper, Choi Hong-seo threw the tissue he had used to wipe up spilled beer into the trash and left the living room.
“You said you wanted to try being ‘Titan’ again if it wasn’t too late, right?”
Just as he was about to put on his sneakers, Park Dong-ha’s voice came from behind him. Choi Hong-seo, who had straightened his upper body, turned around. Park Dong-ha’s face, a mixture of resentment and sadness, was set in a tight expression.
“Unfortunately, it’s too late.”
The guy spat out each word as he spoke and disappeared back towards the hallway without even watching the visitor leave through the front door.
As Park Dong-ha walked almost to the end of the hallway and reached the living room, tiring, the sound of the front door closing and the door lock engaging could be heard. He stopped and listened to the sound. His tightly clenched fists turned white.
“I won’t be fooled… I’ll never be fooled. Yoon Hye-an, this time it’s your turn to be the fool.”
Park Dong-ha snatched the plastic pack that Romeo was nudging and threw it whole into the trash can. Romeo, who had jumped down from the table, scratched at the trash can with his paws and continued to cry.
Picking up the soju bottle left on the kitchen counter and pouring it into a cup, Park Dong-ha muttered to Romeo, or perhaps to himself.
“Stop it, Romeo. You can’t eat that. Don’t you know what kind of person Yoon Hye-an is? He’s the kind who would even put poison in it.”
But the cat couldn’t leave the trash can, continuing to plead. Nyaa, nyaa, nyaa.
“I said you can’t eat it?!”
Park Dong-ha, who had emptied another cup full of soju, shouted towards the trash can. The faint crying stopped. The sound of claws scratching the trash can also ceased.
Park Dong-ha’s face was quickly clouded with regret. He knelt down and held Romeo in his arms. Stroking the cat in his favorite spots, he apologized several times.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Romeo. I’m sorry… You’ll forgive me, right?”
Romeo answered with another cry. Tears flowed down Park Dong-ha’s cheeks as he rubbed his face against the cat’s small face.
“I can be forgiven, right?”
Park Dong-ha quickly wiped away the faint moisture with the back of his hand.
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