By Zephyria 
‘Figures I was so unlucky today…’
Yeon-rok closed his eyes tightly, recalling a dark history he had forgotten for a while. If he had known that the worst misfortune of an unlucky day would be encountering his ex-girlfriend, whom he had broken up with in a pathetic way, at a meeting with his Name partner, he would have gone straight home. He should have just gone home. Yeon-rok regretted it belatedly.
On the other hand, the other party was a little more professional than Yeon-rok. Min So-yul quickly composed herself and said politely with a smiling face.
“If you’re ready, I’ll take you both right away.”
“Yeon-rok-ssi, how is it?”
Yeom Cheon-ho asked, not knowing anything, and Yeon-rok also quickly composed himself. He smiled brightly and answered Yeom Cheon-ho. The corners of his lips twitched slightly.
“But my clothes aren’t really suitable for going anywhere right now! If I had known, I would have stopped by the salon. It’s a little difficult to take off my hat. Ah, I did wash my hair, but it’s too flattened and the length is a bit…”
Yeon-rok was rambling, wanting to get out of his ex-girlfriend’s sight somehow. Fortunately, Yeom Cheon-ho smiled, not noticing anything strange because of Yeon-rok’s usual stammering in front of him. Then, he quickly took off Yeon-rok’s hat. Yeon-rok’s eyes widened. Long, firm fingers delicately stroked his hair.
“The length is a bit long. But this kind of hair is actually easier to style. Secretary Min?”
“Yes, Yeom Cheon-ho-nim. I’ll get it right away.”
Min So-yul soon brought tools such as wax, hairspray, and a comb. Yeom Cheon-ho pressed his finger to his chin to close his slightly open mouth. Then, he ran his fingers through Yeon-rok’s hair.
“No…”
Spritz, spritz. He sprayed something unknown on his hair. Yeon-rok’s hands moved meaninglessly in the air. Now, all he could see was Yeom Cheon-ho’s broad chest.
“CEO-nim, that…”
Then, he delicately combed his hair back and forth to shape it. Yeon-rok now realized that even touching his fingers to his scalp was valid as physical contact with his Name partner. A unique feeling, as if a warm warmth was spreading, made his spine tingle.
“My hair…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it look good.”
A low voice brushed past his ear, and then something was smeared on his hair. He sprayed something again. Yeon-rok half gave up. He felt strange, but not bad. If he had a family, that is… maybe if he had an older Hyung, would he have taken care of him like this? Yeon-rok, who didn’t have an older brother, had a vague fantasy.
“Okay, done. Let’s look in the mirror.”
Yeom Cheon-ho, who had finished styling, turned Yeon-rok around. Yeon-rok, standing in front of the mirror in the reception room as he was pushed, widened his eyes. Yeom Cheon-ho, with a satisfied expression, praised him, holding both shoulders.
“You have a pretty face. I like it.”
With his hair neatly fixed with hair styling products, Yeon-rok’s face was clearly revealed. Oh? This style isn’t bad either? He was momentarily tempted by his appearance in the mirror, but Yeon-rok came to his senses and shook his head wildly, feeling his ex-girlfriend’s gaze. Yeom Cheon-ho brushed the stray hairs from that movement. Yeon-rok said awkwardly.
“But my clothes aren’t really suitable for going to a fancy place to eat…”
He shot a desperate look, begging to be sent home, but Yeom Cheon-ho only smiled kindly again. Perhaps because he had grown up as a well-bred golden spoon, he was oblivious.
“Yeon-rok-ssi is right. People definitely need to dress appropriately for the time and place.”
“That’s right, as expected…”
Yeon-rok nodded quickly, his face brightening, but Yeom Cheon-ho gave his answer.
“It’s not that big of a problem. We can just buy clothes. Let’s go buy them right away.”
“Yes? CEO-nim?”
When he came to his senses, Yeon-rok was in the car with Yeom Cheon-ho. Min So-yul was sitting in the passenger seat in a straight posture. Yeon-rok was sweating and couldn’t fix his gaze anywhere. Yeom Cheon-ho, who was working on his tablet, smiled.
“Yeon-rok-ssi.”
“Yes?”
Yeon-rok answered, trying not to be too surprised. Yeom Cheon-ho moved his hand, which had been tapping on the tablet, and placed it on the armrest between Yeon-rok and himself. He turned his palm up and asked politely.
“Would you hold my hand?”
Wow. Really. Wow. Please. Of all places. Really? CEO Yeom, really?
He screamed inwardly without saying a word. If there was a god somewhere, he wanted to ask why they were doing this to him. Shedding tears inwardly, Yeon-rok raised his trembling hand. And he slowly placed it on Yeom Cheon-ho’s hand. The ends of Yeom Cheon-ho’s thick eyebrows slowly turned downwards.
“Hmm, as expected… Good.”
“Haha, that’s, right.”
Yeon-rok, his face flushed red, answered awkwardly. He barely fixed his wandering gaze on the scenery outside the window. Text messages he had sent to Min So-yul in the past came to mind.
‘So-yul, are you asleep?’, ‘I’ll do better in the future’, ‘I really don’t think I can forget you, how am I going to live’ and other things he didn’t even want to think about…
Yeon-rok and Min So-yul had been quite close. They met in high school, graduated together, and were happy for about half a year after that. It was no exaggeration to say that it was the best time of Yeon-rok’s life. They were faithful to each other, shared difficult and happy things, and had similar tastes and minds.
That was probably why. The happier he was, the more desperate Yeon-rok became. He couldn’t imagine how unhappy he would be if he lost this love and warmth that was given to him. His ex-girlfriend gradually found it burdensome. Then, they eventually broke up, and Yeon-rok didn’t want to let go of her, so he acted pathetically and grew even further apart…
Breaking up when he had just turned twenty was an incredibly difficult thing for the young Yeon-rok. He was able to barely pull himself together thanks to the fact that his Name had manifested at that time. Of course, his bad luck hadn’t gone anywhere, so he still wasn’t very happy.
He didn’t still have feelings for Min So-yul. However, even so, doing this in front of his ex-girlfriend made him feel a sense of shame and embarrassment for reasons he couldn’t quite grasp. Especially since the other person was a man. While Yeon-rok was sweating bullets, the car stopped in front of a department store. It didn’t even park in the parking lot. The structure was such that valet parking was provided as soon as you got out of the car.
The closest thing to a department store that Yeon-rok had ever been to was an outlet. To be precise, it was a place where they usually sold discounted clothes, socks, or hair ties from the entrance, and the employees would organize the inventory with somewhat soulless eyes or offer a perfunctory “Please, look around comfortably.”
In fact, he could count on one hand the number of times he had even been there. For him, who usually worked busily and rested at home on holidays, clothes were just a necessity that he could throw on and be done with. That’s why he couldn’t adapt and just stood there awkwardly. His face was flushed. It wasn’t just because he was unfamiliar with this place.
Even after getting out of the car, Yeom Cheon-ho was still holding his hand!
There are several laws related to Name Awakened, one of which is same-sex marriage. Unlike ordinary people, they die if they don’t cohabit and have contact with their Name partner. Name Awakening doesn’t discriminate based on gender, so the right to marry is legally guaranteed. That’s why same-sex marriage and same-sex relationships are socially accepted everywhere in the world.
But even so, Yeon-rok couldn’t get used to this situation. He was conscious of the gazes of not only his ex-girlfriend but also everyone nearby. He tried to subtly pull his hand away, but Yeom Cheon-ho was holding it quite tightly, so it was difficult. Not even a few minutes after entering the department store hand-in-hand, someone approached with a brisk pace.
“CEO Yeom! It’s been a long time. How have you been?”
A man in a neatly tailored suit smiled brightly and bowed at a 90-degree angle. When Yeom Cheon-ho accepted the greeting, his expression became even brighter. Yeon-rok, feeling even more burdened, wanted to run away from this place even more desperately than before. While he was half out of it, the man quickly scanned their joined hands and bowed deeply again.
“Hello, I’m Park Seong-ho, the General manager in charge of serving VIP customers. I will do my best to assist you both today. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to offer you some refreshments first.”
Following General manager Park, who was acting as if he would give him his liver, they went to a secluded VIP room on the upper floor of the department store. It was supposed to be a simple refreshment, but refreshing fruit ades and various desserts were neatly arranged on a three-tiered tray.