By Zephyria Dealing with other VVIPs was much easier than this. While he couldn’t be overtly affectionate or fawning, he could generally match their moods and engage in pleasant conversation. But last time, and even now, he often found himself speechless when he was with Lee Hae-sung.
The questions he asked were mostly ones he’d never heard before, making it difficult to come up with an immediate answer. Moreover, most of the topics he brought up were about Choi Hong-seo himself, not himself. No VVIP had ever been like this.
Rather than difficult, he was peculiar.
“Whatever answer you give, I will never get angry or cause you any disadvantage, so please answer honestly.”
“……”
“Will you do that for me?”
Choi Hong-seo nodded, and the man smiled as if praising him for doing well.
In that moment, he didn’t feel scared. His words that he wouldn’t get angry or face repercussions felt sincere.
He took a sip of coffee and set the cup down. Then, with a somewhat determined gaze, he looked at Choi Hong-seo.
“You said something last time, right? About the movie, asking for my favor.”
“……”
“The movie investment has already been decided, and no matter what answer you give me, I won’t revoke the investment. So, the suspicion that I was trying to win your heart by holding the movie hostage is gone, right?”
“Ah…”
“Last time, there seemed to be a misunderstanding, so I’ll make my position clear.”
He pursed his lips and took a deep breath. The root of his neck was exposed between the collar of his shirt, unbuttoned two buttons without a tie, and as he swallowed dryly, the inside of his collarbone seemed to deepen.
Choi Hong-seo also tensed up. He placed the half-eaten second macaron back on the plate.
“Does your romantic interest include men?”
“…What?”
It wasn’t a question because he hadn’t heard; it was a reflexive response born of surprise.
“If men are not part of your romantic interests…”
“……”
“I want to start, knowing it will be difficult.”
Even in his rigid state, he didn’t avoid Choi Hong-seo’s gaze. Rather, Choi Hong-seo was the one flustered, finding it hard to maintain eye contact. Just like last time.
Did I hear that right?
Romantic interest.
Some VVIPs did refer to the ‘entertainments’ arranged through CEO Myeong as ‘dating.’ What surprised Choi Hong-seo was what Lee Hae-sung added afterward.
The statement that if men were not part of Choi Hong-seo’s romantic interests, he wanted to start, knowing it would be difficult.
That meant he would try to become Choi Hong-seo’s romantic interest. It also implied that the choice would be Choi Hong-seo’s.
It was an unnecessary condition for meetings arranged by offering money or other compensation.
“It must be burdensome that a much older, much larger man keeps saying he likes you, right?”
Choi Hong-seo, who had been looking down at the half-eaten macaron, raised his head.
Is this… a matter of age or physique?
He’s Lee Hae-sung from ARA Electronics, and I’m… just Choi Hong-seo from ‘Layered’?
“Even if it’s burdensome, it must be more burdensome because you can’t easily say it is.”
As if he understood completely, he looked down at the table and nodded. Then, with a gaze that was gentle but filled with conviction, he looked back at Choi Hong-seo.
“Will you meet me five times?”
Mentioning a specific number suddenly made the situation feel real. Although the room was cool enough to enjoy warm coffee, he felt sweat trickling down his back.
Lee Hae-sung took out a small rectangular piece of paper from a thin case on the table.
“Here, this is my personal business card. A card with my private contact information.”
“……”
“If, after meeting five times, I still haven’t impressed you, Hong-seo-ssi… you just need to mail this back to me. Without needing to give a difficult refusal.”
Choi Hong-seo, who had only been gazing at the business card, slowly extended his hand. The paper felt slightly thick and smooth to the touch.
“You mean… return it?”
He burst into laughter at Choi Hong-seo’s question and nodded.
“That’s right, return it.”
“……”
“If you send it back, I’ll take that as your answer and step aside. Of course, it will have no impact on the movie investment.”
Is it true? Is he sincere? Or is he just going through the trouble of playing with me?
That seemed like a more plausible explanation.
CEO Myeong had called him a ‘distinguished VVVVVIP.’ Not five stars, but five Vs. He was a bigger figure than anyone he had dealt with before. Such a person could treat him more carelessly than anyone else he had dealt with.
Is it possible for a lion or an eagle to treat a grasshopper or a frog with such consideration? Isn’t that something out of a fairy tale?
“Instead, for these five meetings, please open your heart to me. Without prejudice. Don’t be defensive.”
“……”
“Will you promise me?”
He slowly, deliberately, nodded.
He held out his palm. As if asking for proof, if he truly trusted him and promised.
Choi Hong-seo’s palm overlapped his large, long, and shapely palm.
Lee Hae-sung looked down at it and smiled, bowing his head. He seemed to be trying to hide that he was smiling, but his broad shoulders shook.
Feeling embarrassed and shy, Choi Hong-seo tried to pull his hand away, but the man’s hand held it firmly, preventing him from doing so. They weren’t just overlapping palms; he was holding his hand tightly. It was their first physical contact.
His hand was warm and slightly damp, revealing his nervousness.
He relaxed his grip and gently placed Choi Hong-seo’s hand on the table, patting the back of his hand as if to lull him to sleep.
After a light cough, he said,
“Last time, you told me to contact the company, Hong-seo-ssi. So, I contacted the company today.”
“Ah… yes.”
“But if it’s not inconvenient for you, Hong-seo-ssi, could I contact you directly to meet from now on?”
“……”
“It feels awkward and… embarrassing to go through the company for a private meeting…”
He had told him to contact the company because he thought the man wanted an ‘entertainment’ session. But the man seemed to have interpreted it as needing company permission for an idol’s dating life.
Choi Hong-seo, looking down at his long fingers tapping gently on his hand, replied as if entranced,
“Yes.”
“……”
“From next time, you can contact me directly, not the company.”
He smiled softly, as if relieved.
The man who had seemed like a figure in an inorganic painting in Director Kang’s drawing room had now become a person with warmth and expression in Choi Hong-seo’s eyes.
A man who commanded the entire city as his backdrop over his shoulder. Such a man was so careful about holding Choi Hong-seo’s hand that he only tapped his fingers. Then, gently holding his fingertips, he asked cautiously,
“So, I’m at least a candidate for boyfriend now, right?”
“……”
“I’ll have to do a good job so you don’t return me.”
Looking at the playful smile that appeared on his perfect face, Choi Hong-seo thought.
Perhaps this person wasn’t peculiar, but special.
■
Mid-July, summer.
At the studio, a photoshoot for the September issue of a magazine was in full swing, featuring autumn attire.
Wearing a cozy-colored knit and wide wool pants, Choi Hong-seo posed using a chair as a prop. It was already his fifth outfit of the day.
Although he was wearing autumn clothes in the middle of summer, it wasn’t too difficult as the indoor shoot allowed for air conditioning. Compared to outdoor shoots where he had to sweat and have his makeup retouched every five minutes, this was a luxury.
“CEO Myeong of UB has prepared snacks! Let’s take a short break.”
At the editor in charge of today’s shoot’s announcement, the photographer put down his camera.
“Hong-seo-ya, let’s take a little break before the next outfit.”
“Thank you for your hard work, General Manager.”
Choi Hong-seo, who had been posing loosely on the chair, also stood up and bowed deeply.
He saw CEO Myeong, who was talking with the editor behind him, approach the photographer immediately. Identifying who to greet first and who to impress the most was CEO Myeong’s specialty.
“General Manager, it’s been a while. How is our Hong-seo? Is he following along well?”
“What is there to say? Hong-seo is now a master of photoshoots. His expressions have become richer while acting, and he always researches diverse poses, making it so easy to work with him. Is it because the CEO of UB is a former model?”
“Oh, my… Thank you for saying so. I’d be embarrassed to be called a doting parent, but it’s rare to find someone in this industry who works as hard as Hong-seo.”