By Zephyria 
“Date me. I really like you. I can treat you so well. I’ll always make you my first priority.”
However, Yeon-rok shook his head resolutely, without even a moment’s hesitation. Moon Gyeon-woo’s eyes drooped slightly, looking disappointed. With a sigh, he anxiously picked at a hangnail on his finger. Yeon-rok caught his hand to stop him and spoke.
“I told you last time, I have no intention of dating anyone. I like things exactly as they are right now. Just because people date doesn’t mean they last.”
Yeon-rok thought back to his breakup with his ex-girlfriend. They had been so affectionate, and because they were young, they were pure; neither had betrayed the other, and there was no malice, but in the end, they broke up. Would it be any different with Moon Gyeon-woo? Especially since he was someone with such an extensive dating history.
No, it wasn’t that he didn’t trust Moon Gyeon-woo’s words. In truth, it wasn’t a matter of distrust. It was a matter of anxiety.
“If we were to break up and I were to be treated coldly afterward, I don’t have the confidence to endure that.”
Yeon-rok knew all too well how easily the emotion of love could flip like a palm to turn into resentment and hatred. Above all, he hated the high probability that the moment he started dating one person, his relationship with the other two would be severed. That was why he wanted to maintain this ambiguous relationship.
“……I won’t be like that with you.”
Yeon-rok blinked as Moon Gyeon-woo spoke in a firm voice.
“Even if we break up, I’ll still only like you. I won’t hate you or treat you coldly; I’ll keep liking you until we eventually date again. Forget about my exes. You are completely different. This is the first time I’ve liked someone this much.”
The way he spoke made it sound as if those many exes only existed because he hadn’t blocked anyone who approached him. Yeon-rok’s heart wavered at the promise of unconditional affection. However, he shook his head firmly once more.
“No, Gyeon-woo Hyung. I know how it is. This is all because I’m a primary manifestation. That’s why you pushed me away at first, too.”
Every time he received affection from the three of them, Yeon-rok couldn’t help but think about the concept of ‘primary manifestation.’ According to that concept, Yeon-rok’s touch was more effective, and the three of them became emotionally more vulnerable to him. Thus, Yeon-rok did not grow arrogant. He tried not to forget that there was a reason why the three of them treated him so well. Moon Gyeon-woo hurriedly denied it.
“No, Yeon-rok-ah. It’s different from that.”
“I’ve read all the papers you wrote, Hyung….”
How could one dare to quantify human emotions into numbers or cut them as if with scissors, but even so, Moon Gyeon-woo’s thesis was a narrative that couldn’t be ignored. It was a statistic on the difference in average lifespan and the severity of depression experienced when one person passes away first between a primary manifestation and a secondary manifestation. The results were usually more fatal for the secondary manifestation.
“Hyung, I think I’m fine as I am. And I’m sorry to say this, but I can’t help but worry about Choi Hwan and CEO Yeom Cheon-ho. You wouldn’t be able to tolerate your partner having contact with other people.”
Moon Gyeon-woo couldn’t bring himself to deny it. In his request for Yeon-rok to be his lover, there was a desire to monopolize him.
“Thank you for liking me. I truly mean that. I like you too, Hyung, really.”
Even after saying that, Yeon-rok hesitated, still concerned for the other man.
“And… if your physical condition isn’t good in the future, please tell me anytime, just like now. It makes me feel bad knowing you’re hurting.”
“Thank you for worrying about me, Yeon-rok-ah. I understand how you feel.”
A small smile finally appeared on his stiff face. Yeon-rok took this as a sign that the other had accepted his words. His excitement had subsided during the serious conversation, and he could now stand up. Before leaving, Yeon-rok made one last request.
“And in the future, could you please fight with Choi Hwan a bit less? I mean, you’re the elder here. I’m asking you.”
“Fine, I get it. I’ll try my best.”
Only then could Yeon-rok be completely at ease. However, after he left, Moon Gyeon-woo’s expression became terrifyingly rigid. Anxiety seeped through his expressionless face as he forcibly bit down on his neatly trimmed nails, click-clack. After pondering deeply for a long while, Moon Gyeon-woo muttered with dark, shadowed eyes.
“No matter how I think about it, that’s the only way….”
Despite the promise to fight as little as possible, there was no sign of improvement in the relationship between Moon Gyeon-woo and Choi Hwan. For some reason, Choi Hwan had become noticeably more gloomy, and perhaps because of that, he picked fights every time he ran into Moon Gyeon-woo. Moon Gyeon-woo was also more on edge than usual and poured out vitriol without holding back. If anything, it seemed worse than before.
While Yeon-rok suffered between the two, Yeom Cheon-ho made a subtle suggestion.
“Yeon-rok-ssi, I’m quite busy, but if you don’t mind, would you help me with some work?”
At that, Yeon-rok beamed and followed him into the study, where simple documents to browse through as a pastime and delicious snacks were prepared.
Another day, while Yeon-rok was feeling troubled between the two arguing over whether he should go somewhere with them or not, Yeom Cheon-ho quietly suggested.
“If you’re okay with it, how about going to see the auction items we purchased last time? I heard the gallery is ready for the exhibition.”
Tempted by the offer, Yeon-rok would slip away to tour Yeom Cheon-ho’s gallery and enjoy a delicious meal out. Besides this, Yeom Cheon-ho stepped in appropriately whenever Yeon-rok was in a predicament, rescuing him multiple times. As this repeated, the glares Moon Gyeon-woo and Choi Hwan shot at Yeom Cheon-ho grew sharper by the day. Once, Choi Hwan couldn’t take it anymore and confronted Yeom Cheon-ho.
“I mean, are you really going to keep doing this? Since when is it okay to just sneakily snatch him away like a cheat?”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
Yeom Cheon-ho played innocent, acting as if he had no idea what was being discussed, and said:
“I was simply helping someone in distress.”
At first, Yeon-rok thought Yeom Cheon-ho was personally becoming a common enemy for his sake. This was because the frequency of the other two’s fights decreased as they focused on guarding against and antagonizing Yeom Cheon-ho. However, he wasn’t entirely oblivious, and as more time passed, he realized the truth.
‘Wait? Isn’t the CEO actually the one profiting from this chaos?’
Thinking it over carefully, the only person gaining from this total disaster was Yeom Cheon-ho. He was the only one who was not only gaining favor but also increasing the amount of time spent with him. Yeon-rok’s eyes wavered.
It wasn’t that he had noticed Yeom Cheon-ho’s cunning and sly nature. Rather, if this assumption was true, he had an ominous feeling that what had been a fight between two people might now evolve into a three-way war.
In the midst of this, an incident occurred.
The security team came to find Yeon-rok again. During the once-a-week dinner time, after finishing an uncomfortable meal sandwiched between three people who only spoke to him, Yeon-rok was eating dessert when he welcomed the arrival of the third party.
“Hyungs, what’s going on?”
“Young master, well….”
Jeong Bo Eun, who was hesitating, held a delivery box in his hand. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Yeon-rok frowned. No way? The other three seemed to have similar suspicions, as their expressions were similar.
“A strange package arrived for the young master.”
“Again?”
When Yeon-rok opened the package, there were several photos inside. They were photos of the three men taken at cafes, amusement parks, and various other situations. Upon seeing them, Moon Gyeon-woo criticized Choi Hwan.
“Why don’t you manage your fans better?”
Choi Hwan bit his lip, unable to say anything. The fact that his passionate malicious fans slandered and defamed Yeon-rok was the thing that bothered and distressed him the most. While flipping through the photos without much thought and picking out the best one, Yeon-rok defended Choi Hwan.
“Still, how can you perfectly manage things like this? It’s not just one or two people, and they say they don’t stop even if they’re sued.”
“That’s why you should have behaved properly in the first place. Who told you to carelessly cause a scandal?”
While he was pouring out such sharp vitriol, Park Chung-seong spoke hesitantly.
“Um, well… it doesn’t seem like this came from Young Master Choi Hwan’s fan this time. Looking at the content of the letter, it seems to have been sent by Young Master Moon Gyeon-woo’s stalker.”
Moon Gyeon-woo’s lips snapped shut instantly, as if glued. While he broke into a cold sweat, Yeom Cheon-ho took the letter, read it, and nodded.
“It certainly doesn’t seem to have come from Mr. Hwan’s fan.”
To summarize the content of the letter: ‘liar, two-timer, fake name manipulator, fraud, adultery, cheating,’ and things of that sort. The last line was fatal. Written in harsh profanity was a demand that if he had any conscience, he should leave the poor person alone and keep screwing around with Choi Hwan for a long time. To anyone, the ‘poor person’ mentioned in the letter was Moon Gyeon-woo.
Unlike Moon Gyeon-woo, who turned pale instantly, Yeon-rok wasn’t that surprised. And for good reason….
‘It’s already been announced everywhere that we’re name partners.’