By Zephyria ■
Although it was a party at Director Kang’s residence, just like last time, its nature was entirely different. All attendees were dressed in formal evening wear, and there was no sign of a crowded swimming pool or DJ booth filled with young men and women. Since all the attendees knew each other at least casually, the atmosphere was that of a typical high-society social gathering, but with added comfort.
The party began as the sun started to set, and the heat of the day had already subsided in the spacious garden.
Lee Hae-sung, dressed in a tuxedo for the party and with his hair styled more elegantly than usual, had a different aura than when he wore a business suit. He possessed a splendor and restrained elegance that surpassed any actor or model he had seen during his entertainment career, and he maintained a relaxed demeanor while naturally exuding a weighty leadership in the spotlight.
It was different from their first meeting in Director Kang Woo-hyun’s drawing room, and different from his appearance in news articles wearing a business suit.
As he led the early part of the party with Director Kang and the production company’s CEO, skillfully giving speeches and proposing toasts as the core of the film’s production, Choi Hong-seo couldn’t take his eyes off him.
He seemed like the center of the world.
At least, that’s how it appeared to Choi Hong-seo.
Even when he was called to the front as one of the four lead actors to be introduced, he felt more nervous than usual because of his gaze, which he could feel nearby. It felt like he had returned to his rookie days when he trembled even during brief interviews before performances.
After the opening remarks, he had to follow Director Kang around, making his presence known to important guests. Even though he was in the same space as Lee Hae-sung after only a few days, he didn’t even have time for a quiet greeting.
After repeating greetings, handshakes, and commemorative photos about ten times, a voice with a gentle laugh was heard from behind him.
“Director, may I borrow Hong-seo for a moment?”
It was Lee Hae-sung, who had placed his hand lightly on Director Kang’s shoulder. Upon seeing him, Choi Hong-seo swallowed hard. He suddenly didn’t know what expression to put on.
“Ah, Vice President!”
“I’d like to introduce him to my guests briefly.”
“Of course, of course. Take him. I was getting a bit carried away boasting about our lead actor. Seeing Hong-seo in a tuxedo today made me fall for him all over again. He looks exactly like Hwang Ji-woo from my imagination!”
He gave a brief bow to Director Kang’s guests, who seemed more interested in him, the Vice President of ARA, than in the film’s lead actor. Then, placing a hand lightly on Choi Hong-seo’s lower back, he led him towards the building.
When they had moved a certain distance away from the crowd a little while later, he leaned in close, as if whispering.
“I’ve finished introducing myself to most people now, so I’ve come to join you.”
“……”
“If I waited any longer, I don’t think I’d get to talk to Hong-seo at all today, so I was looking for an opportunity.”
The folding doors of the living room, which connected to the garden, were wide open, and inside the building, there was a bar and spaces for guests to relax. As they entered the living room, Lee Hae-sung walked towards the bar and took Choi Hong-seo’s wrist over his suit jacket.
Holding a glass of refreshing champagne with bubbling carbonation, the two moved to a spot. They sat side-by-side on a long sofa placed in a hallway. It was a place that wouldn’t be easily noticed by people unless someone specifically sought it out.
“We finally get to be alone. We haven’t even properly greeted each other.”
He tilted his head, looked into Choi Hong-seo’s face, and smiled.
“Have you been well?”
Choi Hong-seo nodded and replied.
“Yes. Have you been well too, Vice President?”
“It’s been the most enjoyable business trip I’ve ever had. Thanks to someone.”
Lee Hae-sung’s gaze, which had briefly lowered, met Choi Hong-seo’s again.
“However, it’s also been the longest-feeling business trip, all because of that someone.”
I felt the same way. I never really paid attention to the passage of time, but it felt like time was passing very slowly while the Vice President was away on his business trip.
Such words only swirled in Choi Hong-seo’s mind.
“Just as the Director said, Hong-seo, you look so handsome today. Is it because I haven’t seen you in person for a while? You look even more handsome.”
His tone and expression were full of affection. It was a tone that seemed to be coaxing a child, yet there was no sense of condescension. There was only the happiness and joy of looking at someone precious and adorable.
Even before the business trip, and now, looking at Lee Hae-sung’s face as he looked at him, he understood what it meant for eyes to “drip honey.” It was a gaze he had never received from anyone, not even his parents.
Yet, he couldn’t say a single warm word and just fiddled with his champagne glass with a blank, expressionless face… He felt frustrated, even resentful, of his own unexpressive personality.
“Ah! I took a selfie before leaving home. I think I took a really good one this time.”
Lee Hae-sung, who suddenly remembered, reached into his jacket pocket to find his phone. As Lee Hae-sung tapped the screen a few times, a vibration came from Choi Hong-seo’s jacket pocket. He thought he would show it to him directly, but it seemed he had sent it via messenger.
To check the photo, Choi Hong-seo casually took out his phone and opened the messenger app.
“Thanks to Hong-seo’s training, my selfie skills seem to have improved… What the.”
Lee Hae-sung, who had leaned his upper body forward to look at the photo together, suddenly doubted his eyes and leaned his face even deeper over the screen. And the next moment, the phone was no longer in Choi Hong-seo’s hand.
“Why is this saved as ‘Carrot Seller’?”
“Give it back.”
He gently pressed Choi Hong-seo’s body, which was lunging to retrieve the phone, with one arm. Then, he turned his body to the other side and confirmed the chat name in the messenger one more time.
Turning back to Choi Hong-seo behind him, his face was smiling.
“What is Carrot? Did I sell you carrots, Hong-seo?”
He could feel his earlobes, neck, and entire face turning red. Choi Hong-seo raised his bent arm and buried half his face in the crook of his elbow. Then, he stretched his other arm towards the phone.
“Give me the phone.”
“Are you going to cry if I don’t?”
“I won’t cry, but I might get angry.”
He hadn’t opened a chat with someone else; it was a chat with him. Yet, he couldn’t understand why he was so embarrassed. It seemed embarrassing because he was being teased. It was nothing, really…
At the mention of potentially getting angry, Lee Hae-sung’s eyes widened. But his expression seemed to brighten.
“Even your threat of getting angry is just great. This is weird, right?”
“……”
“If I say I want to see you get angry, you’ll really get angry, won’t you?”
“……”
Choi Hong-seo withdrew his arm, which had been reaching for the phone, and looked at Lee Hae-sung calmly. Only then did he hand the phone back to Choi Hong-seo.
“I’m giving it back, but tell me, what is a Carrot Seller?”
Fearing it would be snatched away again, Choi Hong-seo quickly put the phone back in his pocket.
“It’s password-protected, but you never know. Someone might see it and think it’s strange…”
He couldn’t save him as ‘Vice President’ or ‘Lee Hae-sung.’ It was the same when meeting other VIPs. His thoughts reached that point, and Choi Hong-seo’s heart skipped a beat. He was completely different from any VIP he had met before, yet the need to hide things was the same, and that bothered him. It felt like his heart sank, similar to how it felt when he heard about the apartment Go Ji-woon received from his sponsor.
“But why Carrot of all things?”
“It’s an app called Carrot Market, where people living in the same area can trade used goods. They meet in person to buy and sell.”
“Ah… so that’s what it is. Do you trade used goods on that app too, Hong-seo?”
“Sometimes.”
He had experience trading clothes, shoes, and comic books that he no longer used. Lee Hae-sung looked surprised.
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
“If you trade at night, some people don’t even recognize you.”
“Hmm… Then should I change mine too? To ‘Carrot Buyer’.”
He muttered as if to himself, crossed his long legs, and drank his champagne. Glancing at his profile, Choi Hong-seo asked,
“What is it saved as now?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“……”
“Even if you make that cute face, I won’t tell you.”
“I wasn’t making a cute face.”
“You were.”
“I did not make a cute face.”
“Does speaking so stiffly make something cute not cute anymore?”
With a voice full of laughter, he reached out and touched Choi Hong-seo’s hair.
“Ah… I’m happy.”
The face gazing at him was filled with smiles down to every corner.
Happiness.
He was happy in this moment, even though I hadn’t done anything for him. I don’t know if I can even call it happiness… but Choi Hong-seo also wished this time would pass slowly.
He fiddled with a strand of his styled hair, then said, rubbing Choi Hong-seo’s cheek with his thumb.
“Can I lean on your shoulder for a moment?”