By Zephyria Hmm. Even though he had asked, Yoon Joo-ho didn’t seem particularly interested.
“I heard your drama is doing well these days.”
“It’s thanks to meeting a good company.”
“Well, I suppose so.”
Haha. Jeong Seong-won chuckled awkwardly and brought the cocktail glass to his lips. Song Hyun-soo, watching, felt equally awkward. But Yoon Joo-ho, with his indifferent expression, simply tossed macadamia nuts from the bar into his mouth.
Putting down his glass, Jeong Seong-won said in a calm voice,
“Come back to the company, Senior. The employees are waiting.”
“Come back? You want me to crawl back with a white flag?”
Yoon Joo-ho’s previously listless gaze sharpened for a moment.
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not just coming back; I’m going to take it all back.”
Yoon Joo-ho straightened his posture, put his hands in his pants pockets, and asked Song Hyun-soo from across the bar,
“Isn’t the event over?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Come out. I’m here to pick you up.”
To pick him up?
“Wait a moment.”
As he turned to leave, he narrowed his eyes and examined Song Hyun-soo for a moment. Then he beckoned him closer. Song Hyun-soo, bewildered, leaned his upper body over the bar.
“Why? Is something on my face?”
At an unexpected moment, Yoon Joo-ho’s hand reached for his face. His thumb gently pressed against Song Hyun-soo’s lower lip.
“Your lipstick is all smudged. You need to fix your makeup.”
Song Hyun-soo had no time to flinch or pull away. He simply froze.
His entire body tingled as if he had been electrocuted. He forgot about the nearly two hundred guests filling the venue, and Jeong Seong-won watching right beside him. They all seemed to have vanished into thin air.
He couldn’t perceive any sensation other than the man before him and the feel of the lips he was touching.
In a frozen black-and-white frame, only Yoon Joo-ho breathed vividly, imbued with his unique color. His gaze was fixed on those moist eyes, unable to break away.
So this is what it’s like.
Everything else fades away, leaving only the man before him and himself, as if they are the only two people in the world. Those worn-out lines people confessed with flushed faces in countless movies, dramas, and anecdotes. Surprisingly, that experience was actually possible.
And the moment Yoon Joo-ho’s hand withdrew from his lips, the sounds of the world rushed back into his ears, which had felt muffled as if submerged deep underwater.
It felt like Yoon Joo-ho had been touching his lips for about five minutes, but in reality, it was only a fleeting moment.
Regaining his senses, Song Hyun-soo first glanced at Jeong Seong-won. As expected, he had a look of stunned disbelief at the unnecessary and excessive physical contact that had just occurred before his eyes. When their eyes met, Jeong Seong-won averted his gaze. Then, with fumbling hands, he picked up and ate a macadamia nut. It seemed like an unconscious action to avoid the awkwardness.
Song Hyun-soo also flustered, needlessly wiping the empty counter with a towel.
“Um, but what about you, Senior? It’s your birthday. I want to make you a cocktail too. If there’s anything you want… please tell me anything.”
Yoon Joo-ho glanced at Jeong Seong-won, who was sitting on a stool. Then, from beneath his lowered eyelids, he looked at Jeong Seong-won, not Song Hyun-soo, and replied,
“I’d like you to make it at home.”
“What?”
“Make me a cocktail, at my house.”
“Ah… yes.”
They have pretty much everything there too. If he asks me to make it there, I can’t refuse. Especially since it’s his birthday.
Even while talking to Song Hyun-soo, Yoon Joo-ho’s gaze remained fixed on Jeong Seong-won for some reason. After hearing Song Hyun-soo’s reply, he finally smiled with satisfaction and placed a hand on Jeong Seong-won’s shoulder. Jeong Seong-won was putting his third macadamia nut into his mouth.
“It’s the bartender’s break time. So, I’ll be going.”
Jeong Seong-won shook his head, laughing bitterly as if he couldn’t be stopped. Yoon Joo-ho added, pressing down firmly on his shoulder.
“Don’t eat too many macadamia nuts. 100g is 700Kcal.”
Yoon Joo-ho, who even provided useful information, signaled Song Hyun-soo to come out of the Bar. Song Hyun-soo, who had neatly organized the towel he was using to wipe the counter, bowed to Jeong Seong-won.
“Senior, please enjoy your cocktail.”
“Hyun-soo-ssi. Just a moment. This is my business card.”
“…”
“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other often, if only because of Joo-ho Sunbae.”
“To receive a business card from Jeong Seong-won Senior. It’s such an honor. I don’t have a business card, though…”
Looking down at the business card he had received, Song Hyun-soo rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Jeong Seong-won smiled gently, his dimples deepening.
“It’s okay. But you must contact me first, okay?”
“What are you doing?”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been waiting at the end of the Bar, urged him on, so Song Hyun-soo bowed again and quickly left the Bar. Yoon Joo-ho, who had been waiting, wrapped an arm around Song Hyun-soo’s neck as soon as he came within reach, as if snatching him. It was closer to a headlock than a friendly arm around the shoulder.
“Ah, what are you doing! You’ll mess up my hair.”
While outwardly chiding him, Song Hyun-soo’s breathing faltered, intoxicated by Yoon Joo-ho’s scent that filled his senses.
Yoon Joo-ho led Song Hyun-soo to a private room upstairs. A security guard stood at the entrance to the stairs to prevent others from entering. When Song Hyun-soo had arrived early for rehearsal, he had stored his coat and belongings here with Yoon Joo-ho. In other words, it served as a waiting room for the day’s main guest to rest comfortably.
The space, large enough for about ten people to drink together, was decorated in a calm and luxurious manner. Like the downstairs area, it offered a view of the night cityscape through floor-to-ceiling windows, and was equipped with comfortable sofas and tables. Finger foods were available for light snacks, and champagne was even prepared in an ice bucket.
Yoon Joo-ho, who immediately took off his jacket upon entering, began to open the champagne. Song Hyun-soo, unable to hide his excitement, rummaged through his tuxedo pockets.
“Senior, wow, it was really amazing!”
“What was?”
“This, look at this. I got this many business cards?”
Song Hyun-soo, who had approached Yoon Joo-ho, fanned out the business cards he had received from famous PDs, writers, and editors. Yoon Joo-ho, pouring champagne into a glass, observed the cards while drinking. Then, he picked out a few and crumpled them in his hand.
“Wh-what are you doing? What is this?”
“They might be good at their jobs, but they’re shady people.”
“Shady? Do you mean their smell?”
“People who try to hook up with every new actor, regardless of gender. There’s no benefit in working with them when you’re new.”
“Whoa… That PD seemed like a complete gentleman.”
“That guy is the worst.”
Yoon Joo-ho finally pulled out Jeong Seong-won’s business card. It seemed like more than just a feeling that he crumpled it several times more intensely than the other cards.
“Why Jeong Seong-won Senior?”
“I dislike him.”
He was so brazenly stubborn that there was nothing to say.
“If you dislike him, why did you invite him to your birthday party?”
“Do you think I invited everyone outside because I like them?”
“…”
That was true.
Yoon Joo-ho poured champagne into another glass and handed it to Song Hyun-soo. Accepting it, Song Hyun-soo asked with a hint of confusion.
“Didn’t you also work together as child actors, Jeong Seong-won Senior?”
“We did.”
Yoon Joo-ho continued his acting career, transitioning from child actor to teen actor, but Jeong Seong-won went abroad before middle school. He returned to the broadcasting industry after becoming an adult. While he was welcomed by those who remembered him as a child actor, his career didn’t take off. He only started to become successful about five years ago after signing with Look Planning.
“Though he appeared almost as my understudy.”
Yoon Joo-ho flopped onto the spacious five-person sofa. Perhaps due to childhood memories, or perhaps because they were now under the same company, he didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about talking about Jeong Seong-won.
Just then, Song Hyun-soo thought of a good topic. He had been itching to tell Yoon Joo-ho, and had forgotten about it.
“Ah, Senior, do you know what the editor-in-chief said after you left?”
Yoon Joo-ho, whose eye level was lowered because he was sitting on the sofa, tilted his head, showing interest.
“He said we should do a photoshoot when the movie wraps up! He even said it would be great to do it with you, Senior.”
“Did he?”
Yoon Joo-ho smiled lightly and brought the champagne glass to his lips.
“But he was probably just saying that, so I shouldn’t get my hopes up too much, right?”
“That person has been the editor-in-chief of
Song Hyun-soo walked towards Yoon Joo-ho. He intended to walk. But he felt pain in his little toe again. He hadn’t even realized it was hurting while making cocktails.
Song Hyun-soo, who had stopped, sat down on the nearest single-person sofa. He leaned forward deeply towards Yoon Joo-ho, his eyes shining.
“So, is there a real possibility that you and I could do a photoshoot together?”
“It hasn’t even cranked in yet, let alone cranked up.”
Yoon Joo-ho, resting his elbow on the back of the sofa and propping his temple, shook his head and smiled. It wasn’t a scornful or mocking laugh, but something a little different.
It was the most joyful smile he had shown since his birthday party began.
“Still! If we really do end up shooting together, what about my face? Ah, it will be too much of a contrast with you, Senior. Should I get something done too? Please tell me, Senior, that we should avoid taking two-shots as much as possible…”
Song Hyun-soo’s voice, which had been chattering excitedly, gradually lowered. Yoon Joo-ho, sitting with his legs crossed and propping his temple, looked at him with a gaze that made him feel strange. It wasn’t a laugh of exasperation, nor one of amusement. He wasn’t so foolish as to not realize he was being looked at as if he were cute.
Ahem, Song Hyun-soo covered his mouth with his fist and coughed twice, then downed half the champagne in his glass in one go.
“The night view, I need to see the night view. I didn’t really get to see the night view properly earlier.”
He put down his champagne glass and stood up from the sofa. As he took a few steps towards the window, Yoon Joo-ho called out to him from behind.
“Why are you walking like that since earlier?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re limping strangely.”
The more I get to know him, the more perceptive he is than I thought.
But Song Hyun-soo brushed it off.
“I haven’t. It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? Come here and take off your shoes.”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been leaning back loosely, straightened his upper body and beckoned with his index finger, putting down his champagne glass.
“It’s just that they’re new shoes, so I’m not used to them.”
“Do you want to argue more, or come now?”