By Zephyria So surprised, his tears stopped on their own. He turned his head to the left as naturally as possible and wiped the tears from his cheek haphazardly. Even knowing he couldn’t hide them completely, he couldn’t stay there until his tears dried.
“What are you doing here, again?”
His voice, emphasizing ‘again,’ vibrated with suppressed anger. He seemed much more emotional than when they had met at the ancestral shrine.
Choi Hong-seo stood up and clasped his hands in front of him, bowing his head. He didn’t look directly at the face standing somewhere between the entrance and the sofa.
“I’m sorry. I was looking for the restroom… I’ll leave now.”
He bowed deeply and hurried away without lifting his head. Looking only at the half-open door behind him, he moved his legs. As he brushed past him, the other man turned his head towards his shoulder and said sharply,
“I clearly warned you last time… I asked you, didn’t I?”
“……”
“Don’t imitate that kid.”
When the VVIP spoke, Choi Hong-seo had no choice but to stop.
He felt the presence of the man slowly turning around behind him.
“Are you doing this on purpose to make me angry?”
“……”
“Or do you want to get my attention?”
Even though he said it like a joke, it was merely a flimsy disguise. It was a mechanism to control himself, as if he couldn’t let his anger overflow beyond the boundaries he didn’t want.
The sound of footsteps was getting closer. He walked a few more steps past Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder, turned around, and faced Choi Hong-seo, Yoon Hye-an.
“Why did you go to Sowol-ro?”
“……”
Choi Hong-seo didn’t answer. He was too flustered by the completely unexpected question to respond.
“I asked why you went to Sowol-ro after the Monday meeting.”
“My home… is nearby. I went to see the night view and for a walk. Why is that… a problem?”
He answered timidly, intimidated, but also expressed a slight defiance. He was hostile, thinking ‘Yoon Hye-an’ was imitating Choi Hong-seo with some ulterior motive, but that wasn’t the truth. The ‘Yoon Hye-an’ standing before Lee Hae-sung now had no such motive. That’s why he felt wronged.
Clenching his clasped hands in front of his lower abdomen, he waited for the man to tell him he could leave.
He could feel the man’s unyielding gaze clearly illuminating the traces of tears that might still be on ‘Yoon Hye-an’s’ face. However, Yoon Hye-an’s tears could mean nothing to him, nor could they elicit any reaction.
Like at the ancestral shrine, the cold, interrogating voice continued.
“That day, you left Cheongdam-dong later than I did. Yet, Yoon Hye-an-ssi, you were already at Namsan before me.”
“……”
“Weren’t you expecting me to go there and waiting?”
No. It wasn’t like that. Even Choi Hong-seo himself hadn’t predicted it at all.
If it were the Lee Hae-sung he knew, he would know that what he was saying now was unreasonable.
He must be very angry right now. So angry that his usual judgment is clouded. And, that means Choi Hong-seo is very precious to him. So precious that his usual judgment is clouded when it comes to matters involving Choi Hong-seo…
“How could I know where the Vice President was going and move ahead of you…”
He tried to sound as calm as possible, but his voice trembled.
However, Yoon Hye-an’s trembling voice seemed like a disgusting act to him.
After a scoff that sounded like a sneer, his taunt followed.
“Who knows? Based on the information you have, perhaps you bet on a possible outcome?”
“Information…?”
He raised his head slightly again to look up at him. He couldn’t meet his gaze directly and stole glances. Just as Director Kang had said, he seemed like a truly frightening person now.
“Choosing Chekhov’s work, counting on your fingers to relax, Love Story, Namsan Sowol-ro… and this place today.”
“……”
“I’m not romantic enough to believe it’s all a coincidence.”
Love Story.
He must have heard about it from somewhere outside. It wasn’t that he was careless, but honestly, he hadn’t expected his wariness of Yoon Hye-an to be this high.
He straightened up, having been standing at an angle with his hands in his pants pockets.
“Where did you get what information?”
“Information… I don’t have any.”
He shook his head and actively denied it. No matter how much he hated Yoon Hye-an, he didn’t want to be hated any more than this. He just wanted to watch quietly from the sidelines.
“As the Vice President said, Choi Hong-seo-ssi and I had no connection… and I don’t know any channels to obtain information. It’s true.”
Despite ‘Yoon Hye-an’s’ earnest plea, his expression didn’t soften at all.
He wondered who this man before him was.
The leniency, the gentleness, the broad embrace that opened wide to welcome him in advance, anticipating his feelings… This man before him was truly a different person, only resembling Lee Hae-sung in appearance.
With cold eyes that seemed to say he could stir up your body and mind however he pleased to find the answer he wanted, without any hesitation or guilt, he spoke in a husky, low voice.
“There are many interesting stories about Yoon Hye-an-ssi.”
“……”
“I don’t always believe what the public says, but I’m also not someone who trusts people easily.”
Hmm. He took a deep breath through his nose, looked down at the floor, then tilted his head up askew. This time, he glared at Yoon Hye-an as if piercing him.
“I don’t know where or how you heard these stories and are acting like this, but if you’re calculating to get my attention by imitating that kid, you’re making a big mistake.”
Now he was speaking in his usual quiet voice. The voice, almost a whisper, still had the power to make the listener concentrate more.
“I’m not the type to look for a similar substitute to soothe my longing.”
“……”
“You’ve got the wrong person.”
Even now, he was captivated by him, unable to look away. Maintaining eye contact, he had no choice but to gather every strained breath between syllables, sweating profusely. Even if it was a warning voice directed at him.
“No… I had absolutely no such intention.”
“If you can prove that everything I listed was a coincidence, I’ll believe you.”
Even as he looked at him pleadingly with his face wet with sweat on his forehead and temples, the eyes looking down at Yoon Hye-an were still like cold scales.
With a further drop in temperature, he sneered.
“Why? Are you going to collapse in front of me? Again?”
Choi Hong-seo raised his arm and wiped the sweat from his shoulder area with his t-shirt. He wouldn’t collapse. He swallowed dryly and held his mind together to speak clearly.
“If you have nothing else to say, I will take my leave.”
Passing him, I hurried out of the drawing room.
Leaning on the railing to support my buckling knees, I practically tumbled down the stairs, calling Yong-jae with trembling hands.
“Yong-jae, I’m sorry. Can you come to Director Kang’s house right now? I suddenly feel very unwell…”
Returning to the dining hall drenched in sweat, I drew everyone’s attention.
Everyone readily agreed without asking any questions when I said I had to leave because I suddenly felt unwell; even from the outside, Choi Hong-seo’s condition was clearly not normal.
Director Kang kindly offered to send someone to take me, but I made an excuse about my manager arriving soon and hastily gathered my things, fleeing the dining hall like a person being chased.
“Hyung!”
It wasn’t a welcome voice. Before I could even clear the hallway, Park Dong-ha caught up to me.
“No wonder you looked unwell earlier. If it’s your manager, it’s Yong-jae Hyung, right? Give me your bag. I’ll carry it.”
Before I could reply, Park Dong-ha took my bag and attempted to support me by putting his arm around my waist.
“By the way, have you seen Vice President Lee Hae-sung, by any chance?”
“……”
“He arrived a little while ago, and when he heard you went to the restroom, he stepped out for a moment. I was wondering if you two might have met…”
“……”
Choi Hong-seo froze on the spot, breaking out in a cold sweat, and merely glared at Park Dong-ha in silence. Perhaps feeling awkward about being found out, Park Dong-ha’s lips snapped shut for a moment.
Choi Hong-seo snatched his bag back from Park Dong-ha’s hand.
“There’s no need for this. Yong-jae will be here soon. I’ll go ahead.”