By Zephyria 
Trying his best to endure, he bit down hard on his lower lip and chewed, then cleared his throat.
“Hyung, this isn’t something to be handled emotionally.”
“…”
“Or, you don’t trust me?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that I don’t trust him.”
Song Hyun-soo moved closer to Yoon Joo-ho, who was stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray, and wrapped his arms around his bare waist.
“I’ll go have a meal with him and test the waters.”
“…”
“And if it still doesn’t feel right, I won’t contact him again. Really.”
Yoon Joo-ho looked back at Song Hyun-soo over his shoulder. His gaze was still unconvinced.
“I’ll delete his contact information entirely. Delete, block.”
“You don’t have to go that far. Whatever happens, I’ll stop it.”
“I know, but. I want to try everything I can.”
“…”
“Someone is trying to ruin someone precious to me, and I don’t want to just stand by and tremble anymore.”
Yoon Joo-ho looked at Song Hyun-soo with a complex expression for a moment.
He was now gazing at the wound left on his lover by the process of losing a friend. He was doing this not only to overcome that wound, but also for Yoon Joo-ho.
“There’s a potential risk. There’s no harm in checking.”
With a sigh of resignation, Yoon Joo-ho dropped his head, then looked up sharply.
“Just once. Did you say that?”
He nodded several times to Yoon Joo-ho, who was seeking reassurance.
Song Hyun-soo sent a message to Jeong Seong-won right in front of Yoon Joo-ho.
《Hyung, hello.》
《Actually, I had a difficult time yesterday.》
《You said I could contact you when I just wanted to talk, so I thought of you.》
《It’s not something I can talk about carelessly anywhere…》
Yoon Joo-ho, watching from the side, let out a distressed sigh and rubbed his face vigorously with both hands. Then he slumped back against the seat and covered his face with his discarded knit sweater.
He’s so cute I could die.
Song Hyun-soo stealthily pulled the edge of the knit sweater down. Yoon Joo-ho, with a defiant expression, looked down at Song Hyun-soo with narrowed eyes, his head resting on the headrest.
“Do you hate it so much that I eat and drink with other men?”
“Do you like it?”
“You said before that even if I slept with someone else, there was nothing you could do.”
“When was that? That was before we started dating.”
“You liked me back then too. You said that even though you liked me.”
Yoon Joo-ho reached out and stroked Song Hyun-soo’s cheek with his thumb.
“That’s right.”
“…”
“I was desperately trying not to fall deeper back then. I was trying to maintain only that much distance, the same distance as with the others.”
He sat up and picked up the cigarette pack, muttering,
“It didn’t have much effect, though.”
At that time, Yoon Joo-ho was a bundle of contradictions. His actions, his gaze, his touch all screamed that he liked Song Hyun-soo, yet he insisted with his words that he didn’t, that he didn’t date men.
“What if I had slept with someone else out of spite back then?”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been about to put the filter in his mouth and light it, immediately scowled. As if he had lost all desire to smoke, he crumpled the cigarette in his hand and flicked it into the ashtray, saying,
“Let’s not talk about scary things like that, okay?”
“…”
“You wouldn’t want to see me on the news as a criminal, would you?”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had left for Paris after a loud argument, had returned from his business trip and immediately visited Song Hyun-soo’s home laden with gifts. That alone made it clear how futile his resistance had been.
“Anyway, we have to live like Gyeonu and Jingnyeo for a while.”
“Gyeonu and Jingnyeo?”
“Let’s be careful about meeting.”
“Why?”
“Your parents are suspicious, aren’t they? What if they catch us in a decisive moment and use it to bargain for the evidence you have?”
“…”
Yoon Joo-ho, avoiding his gaze and pretending not to hear, had his chin held by Song Hyun-soo and was made to look at him. Then, Song Hyun-soo kissed his lips.
“There’s no harm in being careful.”
Yoon Joo-ho’s eyes narrowed.
“You think it’s unfair that I’m coaxing you with kisses?”
“You don’t hate it, do you? Being coaxed with kisses.”
With one hand cupping Yoon Joo-ho’s jaw widely, Song Hyun-soo playfully pressed and moved his fingertips on his cheek. Yoon Joo-ho let him do as he pleased.
“If it comes to it, let’s just declare ourselves a couple. Someone has to pave the way. It’s not bad to be a pioneer.”
“If we do, let’s do it when we want to. I don’t want to be pushed into it by others.”
“Alright, then…”
“Then?”
“I think I need more coaxing with kisses. This isn’t enough.”
Song Hyun-soo burst out laughing, finding it absurd. Yoon Joo-ho, leaning his head back against the headrest, laughed along and looked down. His face clearly showed he wanted a kiss.
Leaning forward, he kissed Yoon Joo-ho, starting from his chin and moving up, jjok, jjok. With his chin tilted up and eyelids lowered, Yoon Joo-ho looked sexy. Their lips met deeply, and Song Hyun-soo sat on Yoon Joo-ho’s thighs, facing him.
“Mmm.”
Yoon Joo-ho’s hands slid backward from the waistband of Song Hyun-soo’s jeans and gripped his buttocks.
The thought that he had changed his underwear for nothing crossed his mind, but even that thought soon melted into Yoon Joo-ho’s saliva and blurred away.
■■■
The place Jeong Seong-won chose for their meeting was a Korean restaurant.
Upon prior investigation, it was a fine dining establishment run by a famous chef whose face Song Hyun-soo recognized from TV and popular YouTube channels.
As if he had a prior acquaintance with Jeong Seong-won, the chef personally came to their private room to greet them.
While the two briefly chatted about recent events, Song Hyun-soo took a moment to look around the room.
The interior, decorated with modern interpretations of traditional Korean furniture and minimalist folk paintings, was simple yet luxurious. The dining table was set with cutlery and wine glasses.
Having learned a few basic manners from Yoon Joo-ho, Song Hyun-soo wasn’t particularly flustered.
Such as placing the napkin on the chair when leaving the table during a meal, and placing it to the left of the cutlery when rising after the meal is completely finished. And to indicate that the meal is finished, the utensils should be placed side-by-side at the 4 o’clock position to the right of the plate.
But even as he taught me kindly, Yoon Joo-ho would grumble intermittently with an unwilling expression. He complained about why he had to coach me on how to look pretty when I was going on a date with another man.
Thinking back to his displeased expression with furrowed brows, I felt like I might let out a suppressed giggle when I wasn’t paying attention.
“How would you like your meal today? A course? Or if you have any special requests, you don’t have to stick to the course.”
“Today, I’ll be having white wine. It’s a Chardonnay from Prosper Mopho. I’d like to leave the food to the chef.”
“Is something good happening?”
At the chef’s question, Jeong Seong-won looked at Song Hyun-soo across from him.
“No, nothing like that. It’s just a place to talk through some worries.”
Even as he answered with a shy expression, a sense of anticipation flickered across Jeong Seong-won’s face.
“You even help your junior with their worries. You’re a kind senior, Seong-won-ssi.”
The chef, who had only exchanged brief greetings with Song Hyun-soo, scrutinized his face again.
“Our junior is filming a movie with actor Yoon Joo-ho, right? What was the title again… I heard the kids in our kitchen talking about it.”
Song Hyun-soo, who had been lost in thought about Yoon Joo-ho, collected himself at the sudden question directed at him.
“It’s
“Once the movie is released, you’ll become a star soon too, junior. Your look is very fresh.”
“Right, Chef?”
Jeong Seong-won chimed in with more enthusiasm than Song Hyun-soo at the compliment.
“Yes. He’s handsome, and his eyes are particularly good. Clear and dark. At times they look like those of a gentle puppy, but at other times they look challenging. They’re exactly the eyes of an actor.”
The chef, a woman in her mid-fifties with a distinguished career, looked at Song Hyun-soo with a sharp gaze. Song Hyun-soo bowed his head in thanks for her compliment.
“Thank you.”
“I may not be in the industry, but I have my life experience. Junior, please visit us again after you become a star.”
After the chef left the private room, saying to let them know if he needed anything, Song Hyun-soo looked around the room again and asked Jeong Seong-won.
“You come here often, Senior?”
“I did a broadcast with the chef once. We became a little close then.”
“Ah…”
“Have you been here before, Hyun-soo-ssi? Did you not like it or…”
“No, no!”
Song Hyun-soo waved his hands and continued.
“I’ve seen it on social media, but this is my first time here.”
Given the price point, it wasn’t the kind of place you’d go with friends for a casual drink.
Precisely because it was a prime date spot, Yoon Joo-ho had disliked the meeting place from the start. Recalling his grumbling, I had to suppress a laugh by clearing my throat.
*Daily double updates until 12/9 (Mon).