By Zephyria As soon as he entered the room, Choi Hong-seo practically ran straight to his bedroom. On previous overseas trips, they had always shared a standard room, with two members and one manager forming a team. This time, however, a suite with two bedrooms and a living room had been prepared, for some reason.
Even so, a suite alone wasn’t enough, so they had to book an additional room separately, but the comfortable environment of two people per room satisfied all the members and managers.
Choi Hong-seo locked his bedroom door and walked far from the door to the window, then called Lee Hae-sung. The call connected quickly.
[Worrywart, you must be pacing back and forth again.]
As soon as he answered, he said in a voice mixed with laughter instead of a greeting.
“What should I do? Should I delete it now?”
[No, there’s no need.]
“People are finding it strange that I have a phone that hasn’t been officially released yet and are speculating wildly. Is it really okay? Aren’t you going to get in trouble at the company, Ajussi?”
[I get in trouble? With whom?]
He asked back in a bewildered voice.
“You said last time that you don’t always do whatever you want at the company, like people assume.”
[Ah… well… that’s true, but it’s also true that no one scolds me.]
“……”
[And at the company, they seem to like it. They said the reaction is much more immediate than providing products to IT influencers and having them write reviews. In our team’s casual discussions, they even talked about producing another CF with Hong-seo-ssi as the model.]
“Is it… really okay?”
[Of course. If it was supposed to be kept secret, I would have told Hong-seo-ssi to be careful beforehand.]
“If that’s the case, then I’m relieved…”
A sense of relief was palpable in Choi Hong-seo’s voice. Only then did the view outside the window catch his eye. Not too far away, a winding river flowed. It was a small tributary flowing into the Saigon River.
[Were you that worried I’d get in trouble?]
“……No.”
[No, you were.]
He tried to deny that he had been worried, pretending to be calm belatedly, but he didn’t fall for it. He could vividly picture his face, wearing a look of affection and a cute expression. Even though he could picture it so vividly, he wanted to see him in person.
He slumped onto the sofa by the window, resting his head against the high backrest. Now, he wanted to enjoy their conversation with a little more leisure.
“The phone. The members were incredibly envious.”
They had exclaimed that if it were released on the market now, wealthy early adopters would buy it for more than double the price. But he didn’t feel the need to mention that. Because he wasn’t going to sell it.
[Really? When it’s officially released, I should gift it to the members too.]
“You don’t have to. The dorm is enough.”
[How about the phone? Is it inconvenient to use?]
“I usually only use my phone for calls and messages… but even considering that, I adapted to it quickly right after switching.”
[That’s a relief. You must have been used to your old one, so I worried if I had gifted it unnecessarily.]
“It’s very easy to use.”
“……”
“From now on… I’ll only use ARA phones.”
A brief silence fell between them. The silence felt ticklish, so Choi Hong-seo idly rubbed his hands on his knees. Just as he was about to say something first, he murmured in a serious voice.
[He’s so cute I could die.]
“What part of what I just said is cute?”
[It’s cute. So cute it makes me angry.]
“It’s not because of you, Ajussi, it’s because the ARA phone is convenient… that’s why I’m saying I’ll use it?”
The term ‘Ajussi’ had become quite natural for him now. Words have a strange power; just by changing the title from Vice President to Ajussi, he felt much closer to him afterward.
Expressing his emotions became easier, and acting spoiled like he was doing now also became easier.
The term ‘Ajussi’ between them had become a special pet name, unrelated to its dictionary meaning.
[Choi Hong-seo-ssi of ‘Layered’ saying he’ll only use our phone is very reassuring. Thanks to my popular boyfriend, we’ll get a lot of promotional effect, won’t we?]
“Earlier you said it seemed like Choi Hong-seo already had a very possessive boyfriend. But now, are you Choi Hong-seo’s boyfriend? That sounds like a plot hole in the universe.”
He laughed with great amusement even at Choi Hong-seo’s blunt joke.
[Can we talk for a little longer? I have about 10 minutes before my next meeting.]
“Yes, that’s fine.”
[I got the gift I told you about last time. The original poster for
“It was acquired faster than I expected.”
[I think I got it from an auction in Mexico or Brazil… anyway, I was lucky. The poster should arrive around the time Hong-seo-ssi returns to Korea. Even though it’s a more recent movie,
Seeing him happy talking about movies, Choi Hong-seo completely forgot about his phone worries and smiled silently.
After they watched a movie together for the first time, Lee Hae-sung had said he wanted to collect original posters of the movies they would watch together in the future.
‘We’ll watch dozens, hundreds of movies together, so I can’t collect them all… but shall we try to collect as many as we can?’
More than the suggestion itself to commemorate their memories by collecting posters, it was his confidence in saying they would watch dozens, hundreds of movies together, as if it were a given, that he liked more.
After
[Hong-seo-ssi, do you have any new news?]
“We talk every day and message each other, so new news… there… is…”
[Your voice is slowing down, which means there is.]
“Actually, I’m writing new lyrics these days.”
[That’s welcome news. I like Hong-seo-ssi’s lyrics.]
He even checked who the lyricist and composer were. He really should be appointed an honorary Casper.
“Even so, it’s only two songs.”
[Does the number of songs matter? I especially like the song ‘Becoming an Adult’ and listen to it often in the car.]
“In the car?”
[Yes. Listening to that song makes me smile. I listen to it when I want to relax or when I feel unpleasant, to purify my emotions. The fact that it’s a solo song and I can hear Hong-seo-ssi’s voice for the entire track is also an important healing point.]
Every time he said things that sounded like he was one of the Caspers, it still felt strange and amusing.
[When we could first open our eyes while washing our hair… when we pressed the bus stop button ourselves… when we could do our own laundry… in those moments, we were becoming adults little by little… Ah… I can’t help but agree.]
“Ajussi, I don’t think you’ve ever even taken a bus, or done laundry, have you? Or am I wrong?”
[I have taken a bus, though not frequently, and similarly, though I haven’t touched a washing machine many times, I’ve used one two or three times.]
Choi Hong-seo pulled his legs up onto the sofa. He shifted into a more comfortable position, holding the phone closer to his ear.
“Wow… our Ajussi has taken the bus! That’s amazing. I should praise you.”
Sip. He made a sound like he was coaxing a child, but Choi Hong-seo just laughed. He wasn’t scared at all.
[When I think about it, the pride and satisfaction I felt in those moments were much greater than when I became the Vice President of ARA Electronics… I had forgotten that for a very long time. As if I had been an adult from the start, and as if I had been responsible for something heavy from the beginning.]
“……”
[Your lyrics are good because they bring back those feelings. They don’t boast, they don’t pretend to be cool, and they don’t try to look pretty on purpose… the lyrics resemble their owner.]
“It’s because you only see me in a good light…”
There were many people who liked him, but there were just as many who didn’t. He remembered those words, which still felt vivid even after time had passed: ‘Childish lyrics at the level of agitation,’ ‘Shows how uneducated they are,’ ‘Trying to imitate an artist, huh…’ Choi Hong-seo’s voice naturally lowered as he recalled them.
“I got a lot of criticism for being childish, too.”
[It’s not childish, it’s pure. Please don’t disregard my taste.]
“……”
[You’re someone who looks at small things with purity and warmth… I fell for you all over again. And I fall for you again every time I listen.]
He was amazing.
He could heal wounds inflicted by hundreds, thousands of people with a single word. Hundreds, thousands of burning malice couldn’t touch him in front of his shield. It seemed like there was nothing he couldn’t do.
[When you finish the lyrics you’re working on now, will you show them to me first?]
“……”
[Are you nodding your head right now?]
“…Yes.”
[Then that’s enough.]
He said with a laugh, as if he had received an answer.
He was truly a mysterious person.
Thump, thump, thump.
Choi Hong-seo craned his neck and looked towards the door. A sound like knocking with a fist, louder than a normal knock, could be heard. The manager was calling him from outside the door, “Choi Hong-seo, Hong-seo-ya, you punk!”
[Is someone looking for Hong-seo-ssi outside?]
“Yes… I think so.”
[Contact me again. Don’t get hurt, don’t get sick.]
“Yes, I will.”
He quickly walked towards the door and ended the call. Standing in front of the door, the manager, holding his phone, looked Choi Hong-seo up and down with a displeased expression.
“What kind of call are you taking like that?”
“Is it my turn for makeup already?”
The manager shoved the phone into the chest of Choi Hong-seo, who was peeking into the living room.
“The CEO kept calling you, but you were on the phone, so he called me instead. Take it.”
“The CEO?”