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Special Side Story: Come Back To Its Original Owner Episode 2

While exchanging jokes with the editor, Choi Hong-seo approached the table.

As everyone had said, the desserts were beautiful, and he couldn’t help but gasp in admiration the moment he saw them.

Colorful cookies and cupcakes shaped like Santa, Christmas trees, snowmen, and gingerbread men were on display with lovely decorations, along with Bûche de Noël, sliced for easy eating, and Stollen for those who didn’t care much for sweets.

“The catering company came and set everything up. Feels like a party, right?”

Hong-seo’s personal stylist told him in an excited voice.

In the center of the table, a small Christmas tree made of stacked green cookies served as a centerpiece, enhancing the atmosphere. Everyone was taking photos with the tree in the background.

What should I try first?

Everything looked so delicious that it was hard to choose.

Choi Hong-seo felt like a child standing in front of a gingerbread house.

“Hyun-seo, these gingerbread man cookies are delicious.”

The editor, who had approached him before he knew it, recommended a cookie to the stolen contenthesitating Choi Hong-seo. She stolen contentwas drinking a beverage visit our sitewith a red-and-white striped straw reminiscent of Christmas.

“Your company must have someone with great taste.”

“Pardon?”

“The sense they have in providing snacks and lunch boxes every time is incredible. Look at this.”

The editor pointed to the straw she was using.

“Even the straws are Christmas-themed.”

Even she, who was strict and meticulous while working, seemed as excited as a student. Choi Hong-seo also began to feel the reality of Christmas approaching.

“Please make sure to tell your company that we’re truly grateful, Hyun-seo.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Thanks to them, it’s so nice to feel the Christmas spirit even while working at the end of the year.”

After placing a few desserts on a plate, Choi Hong-seo took a cup of coffee with a red-and-white striped straw and returned to the waiting room.

He took several photos from different angles to send to Lee Hae-sung. Hmm… he might be good at selfies, but he didn’t seem to have a knack for this kind of photography. If it were Lee Hae-sung, he would have made even a mundane daily scene look special.

Sitting in his chair, he took visit our sitea sip of coffee and bit into a snowman cookie while [Read on Read BL Novels]looking at his phone.

A new message from Lee Hae-sung had arrived during the shoot.

《I never thought I’d see Hong-seo wearing a Nambawi.》

《I should thank the production team again this time.》

《It suits you so well.》

《And since you don’t look twenty-nine no matter what, let’s stop talking about age.》

《If you’re an idol, you should wear Kuromi headbands and flower crowns at fan signs even after you turn thirty.》

Choi Hong-seo almost spat out his coffee. Doubting his eyes, he checked the message again. Then, he hurriedly typed a reply.

《Kuromi?? Hyung, you know Kuromi?》

Just as he thought the response time was fast, Lee Hae-sung called him immediately.

[Is it your break?]

“Yes. What about you, Hyung? Can you talk?”

[Yeah. I’m on my way back after a meal.]

“Lunch was a bit late.”

[It was a business lunch. It took a while because we discussed a few things.]

“Ah! The snacks! Everyone loved the snacks. They told me to make sure to tell the company how grateful they are.”

[Hmm…]

It was a long, drawn-out groan, as if something was displeasing.

“Why, why?”

[Why didn’t you tell them your boyfriend sent them instead of the company?]

“Should I try that next time?”

[You think I’m joking, don’t you?]

“……”

Choi Hong-seo’s hand, which was bringing the straw to his lips, stopped.

Was it… not a joke?

[Ah… maybe next time I’ll change the sender from ‘Hieutsiut’ to ‘Lee Hae-sung’.]

“Hyung, you’re joking, right?”

[Hmm…]

“You know I’m not good at playing along with those kinds of jokes.”

Over the phone, Lee Hae-sung neither confirmed nor denied it.

He was always overflowing with kindness, but very occasionally, he would be mischievous toward Choi Hong-seo like this. He seemed to enjoy watching Hong-seo struggle, not knowing how to react.

Since Hong-seo considered himself to have a boring personality, he didn’t mind as long as Hae-sung was happy…

“But, Hyung.”

[Yes?]

“Kuromi. We were talking about Kuromi. How do you know about Kuromi?”

[Is it that strange for me to know that?]

When they first met, he was in his late thirties. In terms of appearance, he looked like someone in his early to mid-thirties who took [Read on Read BL Novels]very good care of himself, but he exuded an stolen contentoverwhelming aura that ordinary men of that age didn’t possess.

A person who had never spent time wasting away while lying on a sofa watching Shorts; a person who had never had a break to exchange casual jokes with workplace ‘colleagues’; a person who had been subjected to strict guidance and forced into excessive duties and responsibilities his entire life.

Through meeting Lee Hae-sung, Hong-seo naturally learned that someone who lived that way would have a language and attitude toward life that differed from ordinary people.

That a thirty-nine-year-old Team leader and a thirty-nine-year-old Vice President trained to be the successor and head of a conglomerate were bound to be different. It wasn’t a matter of superiority or inferiority.

To put it simply, it was as if they were two people existing in different time zones.

Time seemed to flow differently for Lee Hae-sung.

Choi Hong-seo sometimes felt that he was like an elegant person from the past.

It was in his way of speaking, his demeanor, the manners and etiquette ingrained in him, and even his insensitivity to trends or new slang.

For such a man to know Kuromi… it was bound to be a shock.

“It’s not that it’s strange, I’m just surprised. It feels like finding a cell phone in a genre painting from the Joseon Dynasty.”

Hahaha. Lee Hae-sung burst into loud laughter over the phone. Such laughter wasn’t common, so Choi Hong-seo was slightly surprised, but he found himself laughing along.

With a voice still laced with amusement, Lee Hae-sung spoke playfully.

[As the owner of ‘Hieutsiut’, I mustn’t Read on Read BL Novelsneglect Read on Read BL Novelsresearching industry trends. Especially for the sake of my only signed artist.]

Suddenly, Hong-seo wondered what Lee Hae-sung would look like in a Hanbok.

He thought it would suit him very well. He had a side to him that felt like a person from the past.

Not because he seemed outdated, but because he seemed like someone slightly different from people of the same era.

[How is the shoot?]

“It’s going smoothly. I think it might end sooner than expected. What about you, Hyung?”

[It’s hard to say for sure yet. I think I’ll know after I go into a meeting this afternoon.]

“Don’t push yourself too hard to make the time. I can go to the airport by myself.”

[It’s an important event for you, Hong-seo. I want to be there with you if possible.]

“You’ve been working so hard to clear your schedule starting tomorrow. You’ve only been able to rest one day a week… that alone is enough.”

[I’m just excited too. I haven’t had a reason to take such a long break at the end of the year in a long time.]

“You know I’m very grateful, right?”

[Why is Hong-seo grateful?]

A tender voice tinged with a smile.

“Because you’re pushing yourself to make time for me.”

[It’s for my own happiness, so I don’t think you need to feel that way.]

“I really won’t be disappointed even if you can’t come to pick me up today. I get to spend ten days with you starting tomorrow.”

[The secretary’s office seems happy that I’m taking time off at the end of the year, too. Many people have become happy thanks to Hong-seo.]

Some bustling noise reached him over the phone. His car had likely arrived at its destination.

“Hyung, you have to go in now, right?”

[Yes, I think so.]

“I’m about to start shooting again soon. I probably won’t be able to contact you until I’m finished.”

[Hong-seo.]

Just as he was about to end the call, Lee Hae-sung called his name with a nuance that suggested he wanted to start a new topic. His tone seemed somewhat meaningful.

“Yes?”

[About the photos you sent today.]

“The ones in the Hanbok?”

[Yes. Especially the one wearing the Nambawi. Looking at it, I feel strange for some reason.]

“Is it not good?”

[Of course not. Rather… how should I put it, you suit it too well. Or perhaps, it doesn’t feel unfamiliar. I feel a sense of longing, as if I already knew Hong-seo looked like this.]

Perhaps feeling that what he had just said was absurd, Lee Hae-sung let out an awkward laugh.