By Zephyria 
“Hey.”
“Stop eating so much ramen. You’re going to get puffy and cranky again.”
“It’s not about ramen!”
Choi Hwan, who was furious, blocked Yeon-rok, who was about to pass by him without much thought. Yeon-rok sent him a suspicious look, wondering why he was doing this, and Choi Hwan was silent for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Are you free tomorrow?”
“I’m not.”
“What busy things does a jobless person who does nothing at home have?”
Yeon-rok, who was stabbed in a sore spot, flinched. But Choi Hwan hesitated again as he showed that he was unemployed, so what, by crossing his arms.
“Ah, why! If you have something to say, say it quickly!”
Yeon-rok, who wasn’t feeling well these days, got annoyed. It had been two weeks since his last contact with his Name partner, which was holding hands with Yeom Cheon-ho, and a week since he brushed hands with Choi Hwan, so he had no energy in his body. He had a nosebleed again this morning. On the other hand, Choi Hwan’s face was smooth and shiny. He must have had plenty of contact with Yeom Cheon-ho.
“I’m going on a date with Cheon-ho Hyung tomorrow.”
So what? Yeon-rok was about to ignore him and pass by, looking at him with eyes that seemed to say that he didn’t care about their date schedule at all, when Choi Hwan threw it out.
“You come with me tomorrow too.”
“……What?”
Yeon-rok, who thought this was nonsense, was about to ignore him and pass by when Choi Hwan blocked him again. Then he started acting like a spoiled child.
“Ah, it’s awkward and hard to be alone with him! That Hyung is too difficult!”
Regardless of how absurd Choi Hwan’s suggestion was, he deeply sympathized with this. No matter how affectionate and kind he is, he is really a difficult person to deal with. Especially since Yeon-rok had suspicious questions recently, it was even more so.
“The CEO is a bit difficult to deal with.”
“Yeah! Right!”
Choi Hwan’s face lit up at the other person’s sympathy. But Yeon-rok soon retorted coldly.
“But that’s that, and why do I have to go with you?”
What benefit could he possibly gain from suffering between a couple? Yeon-rok’s mood hadn’t been great for the past few days already.
There’s a saying that Name partners are destined soulmates, and most become lovers. However, with three Name partners, and one already having a lover, Yeon-rok had completely given up on the possibility of romance after Yeom Cheon-ho started dating Choi Hwan.
To put it bluntly, the dream of becoming a family with his Name partner, which he had so desperately wanted, had vanished, leaving him with three roommates who were worse than acquaintances.
And now, there were two couples again. It wasn’t for nothing that he wrote “Couple Hell” in his diary. Moon Kyeon-woo was one thing, but Choi Hwan and Yeom Cheon-ho lived in the same house, so Yeon-rok had unintentionally witnessed their romance several times. His honest feelings upon seeing them were as follows:
‘They look good together.’
Choi Hwan was an overwhelmingly top actor among his generation. Even though Yeon-rok called him an idiot or a moron, he had a natural aura about him. Sometimes, when he stared blankly, it sent chills down his spine.
Meanwhile, Yeom Cheon-ho also had an aura that was by no means inferior to Choi Hwan. A solid and large physique that naturally intimidated others, an innate sense of ease, and an atmosphere that wore power and wealth like clothing. Unlike the flamboyant Choi Hwan, his handsome face and gentle gaze were enough to make anyone feel docile.
So, when these two were together, they looked so good together that it was like a scene from a drama or movie, or a pictorial. Every time he encountered them sitting side by side on the sofa watching a movie or one leaning on the other, he felt envious.
So, he naturally felt inferior. Of course, he also felt alienated. They seemed like people from another world, so he didn’t even feel jealous.
A secret romance between a third-generation chaebol and a famous actor. With the addition of first love, first romance, and first kiss, it was almost a story that could be said to be the main character of the world.
He had been feeling restless and disturbed lately watching such a great couple, so why would he be crazy enough to follow them on their date? But Choi Hwan shouted at the sulking Yeon-rok.
“One million won!”
Yeon-rok, who was about to leave the exercise room, pushing Choi Hwan away, stopped. As he slowly turned around, Choi Hwan started throwing money around.
“I’ll give you one million won if you come with us.”
…One million won a day? It was a daily wage that Yeon-rok had never earned before. Yeon-rok frowned, and Choi Hwan, understanding it as a sign of refusal, raised the amount.
“Two million won?”
Yeon-rok crossed his arms, his mouth shut tight. Then Choi Hwan took the initiative to advance the negotiation.
“Ah! I’m going all out! Three million!”
He really didn’t want to be stuck between them, but? He was getting three million won a day, so wouldn’t it be crazy not to go? He hadn’t been feeling well lately, and maybe he could even hold hands with Yeom Cheon-ho?
He had been excited even when Choi Hwan gave him tens of thousands of won for doing odd jobs like fetching water and making ramen, but three million won made his heart flutter with joy. However, without showing it, Yeon-rok nodded as if reluctantly agreeing. As the negotiation was concluded, Choi Hwan laid down the law.
“But you have to intervene immediately if things get awkward.”
“What do you mean by things getting awkward?”
“You can’t have more than a few seconds of silence between conversations.”
It must be some kind of broadcasting term. Yeon-rok nodded at the instruction to make it as less awkward as possible, but the conditions Choi Hwan presented didn’t end there. He pointed at Yeon-rok’s shabby T-shirt and headband and shouted.
“And dress like a normal person!”
“I told you to dress like a normal person.”
The next morning, Choi Hwan glared at Yeon-rok and said. Yeon-rok retorted, dumbfounded.
“I’m dressed pretty well, aren’t I!”
He had made an effort, not even looking at the clothes he had worn before he came to this house.
…Of course, when Yeom Cheon-ho bought him clothes, the personal shoppers seemed to have told him how to match them, but he couldn’t remember, so he just grabbed some chinos and a sweatshirt. And he had tried to style his hair like Yeom Cheon-ho had done for him, but it didn’t work out, so he wore a cap, but he was confident that he was dressed casually enough. But Choi Hwan grumbled, dissatisfied with something.
“You’re dressed like a manager, so it looks like you’re going to work.”
“Managers are people too, you know?”
“People? Look at what Jun-ho Hyung does. He’s just a slave to the company.”
“Where did you sell your manners?”
As Yeom Cheon-ho came out of the study, Choi Hwan smiled brightly as if he had never bickered with Yeon-rok. Yeom Cheon-ho apologized with a sorry expression.
“I’m sorry, the work took longer than I thought. Have you two been waiting long?”
Today, unlike usual, Yeom Cheon-ho was dressed in comfortable casual clothes. With a dark blue coat falling straight down, classic denim pants, a dress shirt, and a knit, he was the epitome of a classic handsome man.
“We didn’t wait that long!”
Choi Hwan showed a face that he liked the other person’s outfit very much and acted a little pretentious. Yeon-rok looked at Yeom Cheon-ho with fresh eyes. He must hate having an uninvited guest on his first date with his lover, but he didn’t show any signs of disliking Yeon-rok’s company. He didn’t know if he was generous or if it was okay because he was a Name partner.
Yeon-rok was secretly concerned about what Yeom Cheon-ho was thinking. He wanted to get out of here right now, but he remembered the three million won instead…….
As he got into the sedan waiting in front of the house, the driver greeted him. His voice was familiar, and when he looked to see who it was, it was Secretary Kim Jeong-seong. As Yeon-rok sat in the passenger seat, he asked with his eyes.
‘Yeon-rok, why are you coming with us……?’
Yeon-rok pretended not to see and fiddled with the passenger seat here and there. It was nice and warm. He was already sleepy, but he held back, thinking about the 1.5 million won he hadn’t received yet. He could hear the two of them talking in the back.
“Hyung, you’re dressed really nicely today. Everyone at the club will try to pick you up.”
It was okay up to that point, but the compliment became cheap because of the words that followed. Yeom Cheon-ho was silent for a moment before continuing the compliment.
“Well, Hwan is much more handsome than usual today too.”
“Haha! Of course I have to dress well when I’m hanging out with Hyung. I put a lot of thought into it today. I went to the shop this morning. But calling me Hwan all the time makes me feel distant. Call me comfortably!”
“I’ll drop the formalities little by little as we get closer.”
Listening to such meaningless conversations made Yeon-rok’s eyes droop. It was warm and nice……. Then, as if someone had kicked him, he suddenly felt an impact on his back and opened his eyes wide. He had only dozed off for a moment, but in the meantime, silence had fallen. He glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Choi Hwan glaring at him, telling him to earn his money’s worth. Yeon-rok, remembering the remaining 1.5 million won, forced his heavy eyelids open and said.
“Can I play some music?”
“Of course. There’s a song I usually listen to…….”
Kim Jeong-seong quickly played the song before he could even finish speaking. Yeon-rok thought that a third-generation chaebol like Yeom Cheon-ho would listen to elegant classical music, but unexpectedly, a fairly familiar pop song came on. But then Choi Hwan said this.
“Wow, that’s a really old pop song. It’s a song of memories, isn’t it?”
Kim Jeong-seong and Yeon-rok, who had been listening to the conversation, were taken aback and involuntarily glanced at the rearview mirror.