By Zephyria 
“……Huh?”
Choi Hwan, whose mood had been exceptionally fickle today, let out a bewildered sound. Yeon-rok looked at him with a questioning gaze before speaking casually.
“Honestly, how chaotic was it back then? Dating, breaking up, dating again, and breaking up again……. Even for name partners, it was a bit much. Especially you—thinking about when you were dating those two, ugh. I don’t think that was right…….”
He didn’t mind them dating each other. But thinking back on why Yeon-rok was always the one suffering in the middle made him feel irritated all over again.
“Uh, uh-huh…….”
Choi Hwan looked extremely flustered, stammering in a small voice.
“I don’t think it was that bad…….”
Yeon-rok felt a pang of regret, wondering if he had been too blunt. He figured Choi Hwan must have liked those people enough to date them at the time, so fearing he had shown too much distaste, he added:
“Hey, I’m just talking, so don’t mind me even if you end up dating those two again later.”
Having fallen completely silent, Choi Hwan began to eat his neglected ice cream fervently. His face looked somewhat dark. However, after a moment, he cheered up again. His mood swung so wildly that it was impossible to pin down.
“Let’s go buy clothes! I’ll pick out things that look good on you. There are so many killer new spring arrivals these days.”
“I already bought a ton last time.”
“Yeom Cheon-ho bought them for you, not me.”
Since the clothes Choi Hwan picked out did indeed suit him well, Yeon-rok nodded as if giving in. The two headed to the department store. Because Choi Hwan was such a famous figure, he couldn’t just walk through the front door openly as he had when accompanied by Yeom Cheon-ho. Thus, following the bodyguards’ advice, they decided to enter through the parking lot to avoid the public eye.
It was just as the two stepped out of the car and headed toward the elevator. Someone called out to Choi Hwan in a piercing voice.
“Choi Hwan! You little shit, I caught you! I knew you’d come here eventually!”
Choi Hwan’s body stiffened, long accustomed to that menacing shout. Perhaps because Yeon-rok had befriended the asset manager Yeom Cheon-ho had assigned and reduced the amount of money sent every month, Choi Hwan’s father charged at him like an angry wasp, full of bravado. Yeon-rok quickly stepped in front of Choi Hwan. Fortunately, the bodyguards acted promptly this time.
“Please step back!”
Naturally, Choi Hwan and Yeon-rok had been accompanied by bodyguards throughout the day’s schedule. Having heard the security protocols until his ears rang, Yeon-rok hadn’t even stepped out of the car until the bodyguards did. Even at the restaurant, the bodyguards had eaten at a table right nearby. Choi Hwan’s father screamed and pointed a finger.
“Name partner or whatever the hell it is, do you not even see your parents anymore! You’re living and stuffing your face while your family starves to death!”
Knowing full well how much money these exploiters wearing the mask of family had extorted from Choi Hwan, Yeon-rok flared up in anger.
“Listening to this is just absurd. Your family members are all perfectly healthy! Then earn your own living! Stop leeching off your child!”
“What, you son of a bitch!”
All sorts of menacing and foul insults, the kind one would hardly expect even from an abuser, poured out. Suddenly noticing that Choi Hwan’s body was trembling, Yeon-rok took his hand. Startled, Choi Hwan tore his gaze away from his father and looked only at Yeon-rok’s face. The gaze that had been wavering with fear, anger, and habitual submission gradually settled.
Gaining courage, he lifted his head for the first time and looked his abuser straight in the eye. The father, meeting his son’s gaze properly, paused for a moment before reacting with his usual rage.
“This homo brat, blinded by some male whore…….”
At the insult that was nearly impossible to bear, a vein popped on Choi Hwan’s forehead. He was reasonably used to being insulted himself, but this was something he absolutely could not let slide. Before his father could pour more insulting slurs toward Yeon-rok, he shouted fiercely.
“Stop it and just leave!”
“Wha—what?”
“I said leave! Fuck, this is seriously embarrassing every single time!”
Though his voice trembled slightly, Choi Hwan stood his ground. Just then, the department store’s security staff rushed over. The father, who had been stunned to see the son who always obediently handed over money finally talking back, snapped back to his senses. He let out a scoffing laugh and then gnashed his teeth.
“You little shit, so that’s how you want to play it? You’re going to regret this someday.”
The malice in those eyes was so despicable that it was impossible to believe it was being sent from a parent to a child.
“I’ll make sure you regret it, you unfilial piece of trash!”
Choi Hwan didn’t even blink, quietly listening to the insults raining down on him. However, standing close by, Yeon-rok could tell that the other man’s eyes and ears had turned violently red. Yeon-rok took Choi Hwan’s hand and led him away.
“Let’s just go buy clothes now.”
Choi Hwan, who had been stiff as a board, looked once at his father who was receding while still hurling insults, and then once at Yeon-rok, who was holding his hand.
“Yeah…….”
Only then did Choi Hwan obediently move his feet. Throughout the walk, his gaze remained fixed on Yeon-rok.
As soon as they entered the department store, Manager Park came running out to greet them again. This time, although he looked like he was dying of curiosity upon seeing Yeon-rok’s hand clasped with Choi Hwan’s, he smiled brightly like a professional.
“I am truly delighted to see our VIP customers! I will do my absolute best to serve you today as well!”
However, despite buying the clothes he loved so much, Choi Hwan remained gloomy throughout. He barely looked at his own clothes, and only showed vitality when picking out clothes for Yeon-rok. Perhaps because today’s sales were low compared to usual, Manager Park seemed slightly disappointed.
On the way back after finishing the shopping, Yeon-rok looked at Choi Hwan, who was silently driving beside him, and thought. Though Choi Hwan had longed for a family his entire life, seeing this made him wonder what ‘family’ even meant.
After encountering his father at the department store, Choi Hwan’s energy didn’t return at all. Far from struggling with the diet plan, he barely ate, making his jawline artistically sharp. He spent his days so melancholically that Yeom Cheon-ho even tried to strike up a conversation during dinner.
“I heard that Manager Kim successfully purchased the Romare flap strap bag you requested before.”
Yeon-rok hadn’t known, but some luxury items were extremely limited in quantity, so you couldn’t just buy them even if you wanted to. There were qualification requirements, such as having a history of high sales or a personal relationship with the seller. The Romare-whatever bag was one that Choi Hwan had sung about wanting so much that Yeon-rok had memorized the name. However, Choi Hwan’s reaction was utterly lukewarm.
“Really? That’s good…….”
Then, claiming he had no appetite, Choi Hwan left the table early. Gasp. He must be really struggling. Naturally, the Manager was the first to notice Choi Hwan’s low spirits.
The next day, after breakfast, as Choi Hwan left to wash up, Jo Jun-ho, who was sipping coffee, asked Yeon-rok secretly.
“By any chance, did Hwan’s family visit again?”
“Yes. Last time, the man who is his father came all the way to the department store to curse at him.”
“Sigh.”
The Manager sighed, not particularly surprised as if he had experienced this many times. Yeon-rok lowered his voice and asked cautiously.
“Um, shouldn’t he get some kind of counseling?”
“He’s already had it. He has separate medication he takes. But the fundamental problem needs to be solved……. I’ll have to reduce his schedule as much as possible for a while. We have been pushing him a bit hard lately.”
While clicking his tongue in pity, Jo Jun-ho also seemed to be in a position where there wasn’t much he could do. That was because Choi Hwan was a grown adult. With personal issues like this, there was no way around it unless the person had the will themselves. After confirming once more that Choi Hwan was still washing up, Jo Jun-ho cursed Choi Hwan’s family.
“They’ve been such nightmares since he was a child actor. According to the CEO, when he was young, he couldn’t even breathe properly in front of his family. They are truly wicked people.”
The CEO of the agency Choi Hwan was currently contracted with was said to have been the manager who cared for him during his child actor days. As such, he was someone who knew exactly how abhorrent Choi Hwan’s family was. While telling this story, Jo Jun-ho said:
“Still, I’m glad Hwan seems to be pulling himself together thanks to Yeon-rok-ssi. I guess there’s a reason you’re name partners. Haha.”
Hearing Jo Jun-ho say that made Yeon-rok feel good. A sense of belonging, which hadn’t existed toward the three of them at the beginning of the year, had been growing stronger lately. As expected, time solves everything.
‘Come to think of it, has it already been this long?’