CNC 33

This time, his hand gently massaged his entire neck. It was an affectionate touch, not sexual at all, just a tender caress.

“I want to spend time together and get to know each other better.”

His voice was also soft, as if coaxing and soothing. Without any coercion.

He was truly a peculiar person.

“I don’t often get this feeling. So I’m quite desperate right now.”

“……”

“I told you, didn’t I? That I’m greedy.”

Curiosity and interest, wanting to know more. These were probably among the ordinary reasons people start a relationship with someone. It’s not like you have to fall deeply in love before dating. He also knew that what Lee Hae-sung was asking of him wasn’t a marriage proposal or a vow of eternal love.

However, he found it difficult to shake off the pessimism that this unbalanced relationship couldn’t be maintained. He couldn’t ignore his own complicated situation.

In his anxious state, feeling cornered, Choi Hong-seo brought up the words he had intended to say to him today but had kept holding back.

“Today, I heard from CEO Myeong. The new dorm we’re moving into, you prepared it for us…”

“Ah… um…”

He looked up at the ceiling, narrowing his eyes. Then, with a bitter smile, he lightly tapped the skin with his fingers around Choi Hong-seo’s neck.

“So that’s why you wanted to meet.”

He was trying to pass it off as a joke, but he couldn’t completely hide his disappointment. His hand withdrew from Choi Hong-seo’s nape.

“I thought… I thought you wanted to see me.”

Choi Hong-seo’s heart felt heavy in front of his awkward smile. He regretted not saying those words.

“It is my property, yes. But I only rented it out at a price lower than market value. I hope Hong-seo-ssi doesn’t misunderstand.”

“……”

“Hong-seo-ssi is also the lead actor in the movie I’m investing in. It’s good for an investor if you can focus on the movie in a more comfortable environment.”

Seeing that Choi Hong-seo didn’t seem entirely convinced, Lee Hae-sung sighed.

“Alright. I’ll be honest.”

“……”

“I felt very bad when I saw your current dorm.”

He was a strange person.

Around him, there must be countless beautiful, handsome, well-born, and intelligent people. For someone like him, being a plaything for curiosity a couple of times because his face was known would be enough. Why was he making such a pained expression just because he lived in a cramped, shabby house? He was truly a strange person.

Looking at Lee Hae-sung’s serious face, Choi Hong-seo dropped his gaze as if to avoid it.

“I know that you wanted to help me… with pure intentions.”

“Hong-seo-ssi, it wasn’t with pure intentions.”

“……”

“It was simply because I wanted to feel at ease.”

Lee Hae-sung grabbed Choi Hong-seo’s shoulders. His grip was firm, as if asking him to look at him, to listen to him.

“Nothing has changed. I didn’t do this to pressure you. If after meeting five times, you decide it’s not right, you can return my business card. The villa contract is a contract, and our promise is our promise.”

When he heard from CEO Myeong that the villa belonged to Lee Hae-sung. Choi Hong-seo’s anger wasn’t directed at Lee Hae-sung. It was at CEO Myeong, who had tried to extract something from Lee Hae-sung.

Whether he trusted Lee Hae-sung completely or not, he had treated him well so far. No VIP had ever treated him this way. Just for that, he disliked CEO Myeong getting something from him.

“It’s not that… I wasn’t trying to confront you, Vice President, I wanted to apologize.”

“Apologize? For what?”

“Just… the fact that our CEO made such a request, and in any case, from your perspective, you entered into a losing contract.”

His voice grew softer. His chin almost touched his collarbone as he bowed his head.

“Hong-seo-ssi, are you crying?”

“No.”

He shook his head vigorously. If he had cried over such matters, he would have been drowned in tears long ago. Crying or laughing based on emotional fluctuations would ultimately lead back to reality. It was better to feel nothing at all.

“If you’re not crying, can you look at me?”

But when he talked with this man, his emotions kept fluctuating.

He wanted to maintain a straight line, without being swayed by positive or negative emotions. That was the only way he knew to protect himself.

“I was actually grateful to CEO Myeong for telling me you were planning to move dorms?”

“……”

“I couldn’t sleep after seeing Hong-seo-ssi’s dorm.”

So, why are you like this, sir?

“I have a lot of money. Ah, to that man, think of it as just a gift like a scarf or gloves, can you?”

Even in Vice President’s closet, there probably aren’t scarves or gloves that expensive.

“If you’re going to apologize so much for giving a scarf or gloves as a gift, then I’ll be too embarrassed. Ah… should I have given you a bigger house?”

“……”

Only then did Choi Hong-seo look up at Lee Hae-sung. Lee Hae-sung looked down and smiled. His smile was warmer than any he had received from his parents. He lightly held and released Choi Hong-seo’s chin between his thumb and index finger.

“Can you tell me it’s okay? That you’ll overlook the dorm situation.”

“……”

“If Hong-seo-ssi keeps making that face… I’ll want to hug you so much?”

He could touch if he wanted to touch, hug if he wanted to hug, and take him to bed if he wanted to. That’s how VIPs he had met saw the world.

As he imagined him embracing him with both arms, he felt his ears heat up instantly, strangely. He could feel the heat spreading to his face. Wiping his face with the back of his hand, Choi Hong-seo slowly nodded.

“Thank you for your concern about the dorm.”

He found himself strange for reacting like this just from imagining a hug. Even though he wasn’t naive.

With a relieved smile, Lee Hae-sung rested his arm on the showcase and leaned forward.

“I thought I was the slow and cautious type when it came to relationships. But I don’t know. Why do I become so desperate, like an overzealous fan wanting to do everything for Hong-seo-ssi?”

“……”

“Even though we’re not even boyfriends yet.”

He gazed at Choi Hong-seo’s blank face, then chuckled again, finding something amusing.

“Is it because of the age difference…”

He muttered to himself, then straightened up and stroked Choi Hong-seo’s hair.

“Shall we go up?”

■

After leaving the secret room, the two went up to the rooftop.

Lee Hae-sung’s penthouse was a space used exclusively by him. A garden with various trees planted had been created, making it feel like they were in the yard of a detached house rather than on a building’s rooftop.

Just behind them was a gentle hill, and in the distance, the skyscrapers of tall buildings could be seen. A cool breeze occasionally blew, so the heat wasn’t noticeable.

Without a grand spread, they sat at a round table with a can of beer each and talked.

They talked about the interview and photoshoot from today, about Lee Hae-sung’s stressful trip to the factory site in Pyeongtaek with elders… it was just everyday chatter, but they didn’t find it boring, filled with mutual interest and curiosity. Like how he would smile when rereading their messenger chats.

In that moment, when his consciousness focused on every small detail—each other’s gazes, voices, the timing of their laughter…—it was clearly a date.

It was as nerve-wracking as the first broadcast of a new song, but it was a different kind of tension than wanting to run away or feeling burdened. It was a new feeling, so instead of focusing on the unseen emotions, he kept looking at his face with wonder.

Perhaps he was thinking similarly, as their gazes met more frequently.

Every time their eyes met, Lee Hae-sung would always smile without saying much, while Choi Hong-seo would pretend to drink his beer or pretend not to be looking.

After taking a sip of the cold beer and setting it down, Choi Hong-seo asked first.

“Where are you traveling tomorrow?”

“To Europe. The plan is for about a week.”

“I also have an overseas schedule for about three days in a few days. I’ll probably move in right after I return on Saturday.”

“Where are you going, Hong-seo-ssi?”

“Bangkok, Thailand. We have the most overseas schedules in Bangkok. Have you been, Vice President?”

“There’s an ARA brand experience center in a large shopping mall in Bangkok. It was the first ARA experience center in Thailand, and a lot of investment went into the project, so I attended the opening event for promotion.”

“Did you go to Chatuchak Market too?”

“There’s an ARA home appliance factory in an industrial complex near Bangkok, so after the experience center opening event, I visited the factory and returned immediately. I didn’t get to do any sightseeing.”

“And Khao San Road?”

“Hmm… I haven’t been.”

Choi Hong-seo, who had been fiddling with his beer can, widened his eyes and asked again.

“What about the Sky Bar? I heard it’s a very famous rooftop bar. Everyone who goes to Bangkok seems to go there once.”

“I think I only had one Thai meal there. Hong-seo-ssi seems to have found Bangkok very fun.”

Lee Hae-sung smiled as if finding him cute, and Choi Hong-seo realized he had been talking much more chattily than usual. He was clearly changing from the beginning, when he had only given perfunctory answers.

“It’s not that it was fun… it’s just the place I’ve been to the most overseas.”

“Why is your voice getting quieter again? I enjoyed hearing an excited Hong-seo-ssi.”