By Zephyria 
Mr. Ribas smiled with a sigh, shaking his head lightly. He then replaced Choi Hong-seo’s empty glass with a new one filled with champagne.
“Shall we toast? To the success of <Cream Mansion> in Cannes. And to the meeting between Mr. Hyun-seo and our brand.”
The trace of bitterness no longer lingered on Mr. Ribas’s face as he proposed the toast. He had chosen to shut out his feelings for the man who wouldn’t look at him and return to business.
■
Choi Hong-seo remained in the VIP area the entire time with Lee Hae-sung.
He was introduced to key figures across various fields—a famous Oriental painter, a fashion designer active in the global market, and the Asian regional director of a foreign automotive company. Each time, Mr. Ribas actively promoted ‘Hyun-seo,’ claiming he would be the new face of Brand L. There was no need for Lee Hae-sung to step in as he usually did.
And Lee Hae-sung seemed to be in a remarkably good mood for such an occasion.
Usually, he responded to people’s flattery or shallow pretenses with indifference or distance, but today he was quite pleasant, initiating jokes and playing along with others’.
He seemed to have completely forgotten that he had been angry because of Kim Jae-won, and that the issue had only been temporarily put on hold with the promise to talk about it at home.
“I think it’s time we head out. This was enjoyable.”
After spending about an hour, Lee Hae-sung set down his glass without a hint of regret. He then looked at Choi Hong-seo sitting beside him and spoke nonchalantly.
“Hyun-seo, you said you have a schedule tomorrow, right? Let’s go together.”
“Ah, yes.”
Leaving behind the disappointed guests, they left the table together. Lee Hae-sung’s attendant, who had been waiting nearby, quickly approached to ask if the car should be brought around.
“Umm… I’ll just go tell Dong-ha that I’m leaving first.”
Choi Hong-seo looked around for Park Dong-ha and took out his phone. In the vast party hall, the guy wasn’t easy to spot.
His steps faltered just from a light shoulder bump with someone passing by. He hadn’t noticed it while sitting, but once he stood up, the intoxication hit him all at once. Come to think of it, his tongue felt heavy and his speech was slow.
Lee Hae-sung caught the staggering Choi Hong-seo by the arm.
“Just leave a message. He’ll understand.”
The pull wasn’t very strong. However, looking at his expression, it didn’t seem like he intended to let him go easily. Choi Hong-seo nodded and typed a message to Park Dong-ha.
I guess he’s completely over being angry about Kim Jae-won. Thank goodness.
Was that relief a premature judgment? He sensed an atmosphere from the man again that made him feel slightly anxious.
Is he angry because I’m drunk? But I don’t think I made any mistakes back there.
Even while getting into the sedan, he didn’t seem much different from usual on the surface.
He opened the rear door to let Choi Hong-seo in first, and only after closing the door did he walk around to the other side and sit. However, he spoke less than he had at the party, and above all, his expression wasn’t soft. He wouldn’t even make eye contact…
Lee Hae-sung twisted open a bottle of mineral water prepared inside the car and handed it to Choi Hong-seo first.
“Hydrate yourself. You drank a lot.”
Because his aura was so menacing, Choi Hong-seo obeyed without question. Lee Hae-sung looked out the car window, drinking his own water slowly as if savoring it.
Barely drinking the water, Choi Hong-seo just fidgeted with the center armrest that split the back seat in half. He stole glances at the man’s profile, waiting for the right timing, before summoning his courage.
“The people you were introduced to earlier… you were already close with them, right, Mister?”
“Some of them.”
“Is that why? You stayed a bit loooong today, Mister. You usually don’t like those kinds of gatherings.”
Heh. Lee Hae-sung gave a light laugh, as if the suggestion were absurd.
Then, closing the cap of the water bottle, he turned to look at Choi Hong-seo.
“Do you think I stayed long because of those people?”
Just the fact that he looked this way gave him a bit more courage. He asked him as if it were just a passing thought, as if he weren’t particularly curious.
“You knew Mr. Ribas too, right?”
He kept clicking the small tablet attached to the end of the armrest, sliding it in and out of its slot.
“He was the Hong Kong regional director before. The people who frequent these kinds of parties in East Asia are always the same.”
It seemed clear that Mr. Ribas has a crush on you; I wonder if he’s ever expressed that to you. I wonder if he knows your sexual preferences.
In truth, there were many more things he wanted to ask. But he couldn’t because of the man’s still sunken mood. Moreover, given the Kim Jae-won incident, he didn’t have the nerve to continue with questions that seemed to focus on Mr. Ribas.
Lee Hae-sung, who had placed the water bottle in the holder, looked at him askew. Because he was leaning diagonally against the armrest with his elbow propped up, the distance between them closed.
“Why? Does it bother you?”
“No… it’s not exactly that it bothers me…”
“Kim Jae-won is bothering me to death. Is this more concerning than that?”
“……Then I have nothing to say…”
Regarding that part, no matter how much it wasn’t intentional, he had no excuse to give Lee Hae-sung. His head drooped low in apology. He continued to torment the innocent tablet, clicking it over and over.
Since the man was leaning toward the armrest, the scent of Lee Hae-sung’s perfume wafted strongly. As if trained to react the same way, Choi Hong-seo’s sexual desire suddenly stirred from deep within at that scent.
Pointing to the clicking tablet with his chin, Lee Hae-sung let out a light sigh.
“Why are you bullying that thing so much?”
“Then… hold my hand.”
“What’s so pretty about it?”
Lacking the courage to look him in the eye, he muttered in a sulky voice while glancing up. Like he was talking to himself.
“It is pretty.”
“…What?”
“He said… I’m cute and sexy. Earlier.”
Haa.
Covering his forehead and eyes with his palm, Lee Hae-sung let out a deeper sigh than before. He rubbed his temple in a circular motion with his thumb.
Then, he lowered that hand and interlaced his fingers with Choi Hong-seo’s hand, which was still fidgeting with the tablet.
Hehe. Having gotten what he wanted, Choi Hong-seo looked up with a smile, and the man lightly flicked Choi Hong-seo’s forehead with his finger.
“Drunkard.”
■
Two sinks on a large marble countertop.
The left was Lee Hae-sung’s, and the right was Choi Hong-seo’s. As usual, they stood side by side brushing their teeth.
Although his pronunciation had become a bit slurred, he wasn’t so drunk that he couldn’t steady himself, yet he still had to lean almost entirely against the sink to brush.
But he didn’t want to sleep yet.
His mouth was full of white foam, but his hand kept slowing down. Even when he stole a glance at Lee Hae-sung through the mirror, the man pretended not to notice, keeping his eyes fixed only on his own reflection.
Since he had taken off his shirt and thrown it into the laundry basket at the bathroom entrance, Lee Hae-sung was shirtless, wearing only his suit pants. Even though he was just brushing his teeth, not only his arm muscles, but also his right chest connected to his right arm and the abs below it twitched in unison.
Instead of brushing his own teeth, he was just stealing glances at those movements.
The atmosphere was flowing in a completely different direction than Choi Hong-seo had expected.
After spitting out the foam, Lee Hae-sung, still leaning over, looked up and finally saw Choi Hong-seo in the mirror.
“Why are you just holding the toothbrush in your mouth?”
“I’m bru-ushing (brushing).”
“Want me to brush for you? Can’t do it?”
Shaking his head, he moved his arm again. After glancing again at the man rinsing his mouth with water, he took out the toothbrush and asked.
“Tomorrow is Saturday. Are you going to work?”
“I am. Afternoon shift.”
He answered while rinsing his mouth. His tone remained indifferent.
“You must be very tired.”
“It can’t be helped for the time being.”
“While you shower… shall I give you a scalp massage?”
Whenever they spent relaxing time together in the bathtub, he used to give Lee Hae-sung scalp massages. It wasn’t haphazard; it was a massage he had practiced by studying several professional videos. He wanted to be of help to him, even in a small way.
When the man would lean his neck back comfortably against the edge of the tub, Choi Hong-seo would sit outside the tub and massage him with careful pressure. Every time, he would close his eyes and let out a pleasant moan. Once the massage was over, the man would reach out while still leaning back. When he wrapped his hand around Choi Hong-seo’s neck and pulled gently, they would share a kiss while looking at each other’s faces upside down. He loved the sensation of their lips overlapping at an angle different from usual.
“You’re drunk. Take a shower tomorrow when you wake up, and just brush and go to sleep today.”
“Then… are we not doing our evening shower together?”
“How can you shower when you’re this drunk? It’s dangerous. Hong-seo, you do it tomorrow.”
Having finished rinsing his mouth, Lee Hae-sung grabbed a towel and wiped his lips. As if this conversation was now over.
He had definitely held his hand on the way home. Although they hadn’t said anything after that, the fingers entwined and gripped had sent a clear message. Every time he spread his fingers and entwined them again, the slow, thick movement brushing against the skin made his mouth go dry. Choi Hong-seo was no longer ignorant of what that signal meant.
So he definitely… thought they would…
The hand that had been gripping the toothbrush tightly dropped. Suddenly, he felt embarrassed and sorrowful, as if he had tried to seduce him only to be rejected. Heat rushed to his face and earlobes in an instant.
“I want to… shower.”
“……”
“Together…”
A tremble mixed into his voice, cutting the words short.