S#1

Chatter | Did you guys see Ji Hyeon’s manager?

Anonymous https:https://www.todayspring.com/jihyeon/2394366401

(Fluffy puppy.jpg)

Unrelated pic is my dog♡

Anyone see the preview for yesterday?

I won’t say much ㅇㅇ just watch it

(Man wearing a black hat.jpg)

(Image of him taking off his mask.gif)

(Image of him reversing with one hand on the steering wheel.gif)

(Image of him frowning with his arms crossed.jpg)

(Image of his profile while focused on the screen.jpg)

(Image of him smiling at the person next to him.gif)

So handsome;

328 comments

1 Wow what…?

2 Seriously so handsome

└ 22

└ 333

└ 4444

└ 55555

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└ 12121212121212121212

3 Manager. To my room.

└ To my house.

└ To my bed.

└ Next to me.

└ In my arms.

4 That profile shot in the middle… Manipulating my first love memories… Reminds me of the Sunbae who was the top of the class when I was in college, teaching me in the library…

└ Smells like fabric softener

└ Looks like he’d seriously explain it again if you got a problem wrong

└ He’d have to furrow his brow when something difficult to explain comes up

└ I want to be buried in those brows

└ Seriously crushing hard;

└ If you said you’d buy him a meal to thank him, he’d unintentionally friend-zone you by saying he has to go to his part-time job

└ You’d have to pretend to coincidentally go to the PC bang where he works, even though you don’t play games, and cry after hearing him say, ‘You must like games.’

└ What I like is you, Sunbae…!

└ Sorry, Anon… I only see you as a Hubae…

└ Excuse me, is this a role-playing situation?

└ This house writes well

5 Stop having pseudo-relationships with regular people; Our Oppa cried for two hours straight today and I had to give him medicine for his headache and comfort him for a long time. Seeing him sleeping like an angel under the blanket next to me now suddenly makes me sad and I feel like crying again. Please, think of the person involved and keep it moderate. Oppa likes me.

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ I was reading so seriously;

└ Are you Ji Hyeon?

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ What is this againㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

6 OMG he’s my high school classmate, are they still close;; They were always together in high school too

└ Fake ㄴㄴ

└ Fake ㄴㄴ222

└ He’s the same as Anon 5

└ It’s not fake, it’s real;; I went to Korea High School, he was famous there

└ Why was he famous??

└ Because he’s handsome

└ Ah ㅇㅋ

└ ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋLook at them understanding

└ ?? What’s with the comment above, it’s true he was famous for being handsome but it wasn’t just that, he was the top student in the entire school and because he was always with Ji Hyeon, there were a lot of rumors that he was going to become an actor too ㅇㅇ

└ …? Fake

└ Seriously this is fake

└ With that face, top of the school?

└ But why is the top student working as a manager?

└ These days, they hire managers based on their education..

└ They must pay a lot

└ Please say it’s fake

└ OMG then Anon 6 must have seen Ji Hyeon in person?

└ Yeah but I couldn’t see him oftenㅠㅠ He didn’t come to school often

7 What, he’s the Oppa who works at the convenience store in front of my house

└ This time it seems like the real Anon 5

└ Anon 5 22222

└ 3334444

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAh no it’s not

└ I don’t care if you’re Anon 5, please tell us some stories ㅠ Let’s eat up some pseudo-love ㅠ

└ Stories please 222

└ Please I’m so desperate

└ He was just an Oppa who worked at the convenience store in front of my house when I was in college, I remember him because he was so good-looking… You know the convenience store vest, that super hiking-wear stlye, he was still so handsome even wearing that

└ He’s been a manager for a long time, how many years ago was that?

└ About 10 years ago?

└ But… if Anon was a college student 10 years ago, isn’t Anon a Noona…?

└ Student, take down your post,,,~

└ Got hit in the bones while passing by

└ That’s why quick-witted kids…

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ OMG wait, then the manager has been working part-time since high school??

└ He was the top student while working part-time…?

8 OMG he looks exactly like the part-timer at the PC bang in front of my house, I think it’s been about 10 years for me too? For reference, the area is Seoul

└ Oh I’m Anon 7 and I’m also in Seoul

└ There are a lot of faces like that in Seoul

└ Daegu person is packing KTX ticket booked

└ Incheon person is also packing

└ Gwangju person 33

└ ?? I’m also in Seoul but I don’t see people like that; Do I live in a different world;

└ Okay KTX ticket cancelled

9 ㅋㅋㅋHow do the commenters remember the neighborhood part-timer from 10 years ago? I can’t even remember my homeroom teacher from 10 years ago;

└ But what if your homeroom teacher had that face?

└ Wouldn’t he be my husband now….

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋDamn

10 How many part-time jobs has my boyfriend done… No wonder there’s nothing he can’t do

└ What is this again ㅅㅂ

└ Hey there’s an order; Get in line behind me

11 Why isn’t he a celebrity and working as a manager?

└ Honestly, I don’t think he’s celebrity material

└ Huh, these days even ugly kids become celebrities

└ (Comment hidden)

└ (Comment hidden)

└ Stop trolling ㄴㄴ

└ Ignore him;

12 He’s handsome but next to Ji Hyeon he’s not that much… Not much in my heart…

└ (Comment deleted)

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋAh damn I commented after only reading the first sentence

└ Ji Hyeon looks like a celebrity no matter who looks at him, but the manager looks like my boyfriend no matter who looks at him

└ ㄴㄴMy husband material

13 By the way, is it real that Ji Hyeon is handsome even after waking up?

└ Seriously he’s just a born celebrity

└ Why doesn’t his face get swollen?

└ Because he’s a fairy

└ Ji Hyeon (27 years old, Occupation: Fairy)

└ Stop sexualizing adult men; (Picture of Ji Hyeon and a cat side by side.jpg) Where is Ji Hyeon in this picture?? They’re both just baby kittens;;

└ ??

└ 18.8cm baby cat vs 188cm baby cat

└ Similar

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

14 How old is Anon 1’s dog?

└ 13 years old ㅠㅠㅠ But still a Baby in my eyes…

└ The cutest age

└ ㅇㅈStill hasn’t entered middle school

└ Isn’t it about time he started talkingㅠㅠㅠ

15 The MCs’ reaction = my reaction

└ Seriously I screamed when he took off his mask

└ Seriously heart-flutteringㅠㅠㅠ

16 How am I supposed to wait until next week ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ?? I’m definitely making a thread

└ Running

└ Running 222

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104 Everyone gather!!! >>>> [♨People who will watch live♨ | https:https://www.todayspring.com/jihyeon/2394367102]

* * *

“Let’s just do one variety show.”

Everything started from that one sentence. From the moment CEO Byun called Gwak Eun-ho early in the morning and said that. From the moment Eun-ho, forgetting that the subject CEO Byun mentioned was ‘you,’ made a serious expression after hearing the following words.

“It’s an observation variety show on MBS, just stick to the minimum script and do the rest yourself. The broadcasting station bastards are going to pounce on our actor’s private life, but leaving it as a mystery is only good to a certain extent. Let’s show it a little this time. Huh?”

‘Our actor’ was someone Eun-ho also knew. How could he not know? He’s the actor he’s been directly managing for 7 years, 8 years counting the years. Name Ji Hyeon. Age twenty-nine. A veteran actor who debuted 25 years ago and the light and salt of NB Entertainment. Special skill is acting. Talent is pretending to be innocent. Picky about food, picky about taste, and even pickier about personality… Omitted below.

“Since it’s a guest appearance, we’ve only agreed to film for two days. Three days at most. I’ll cut it off at my discretion after that. Coincidentally, he doesn’t have any projects to film right now and the pay isn’t bad. You know PD Yoo is a clean person, right?”

What CEO Byun said made sense even to Eun-ho, who was the manager. PD Yoo was a PD representing MBS, who had produced more than three popular variety shows. Unlike other programs that had a lot of talk about evil editing and whatnot, he was said to have a close relationship with the cast members due to his clean work without unnecessary additions.

“Trust me and just go once. Let’s also raise Ji Hyeon’s recognition at the same time. Huh?”

“…Are you going to raise his recognition even more here?”

Eun-ho couldn’t help but ask that. CEO Byun also closed his mouth with a speechless face. Of course, even a five-year-old kid knows Ji Hyeon. To not know him, you’d have to be a natural person holed up in a mountain valley.

“The higher the recognition, the better.”

CEO Byun hurriedly added that. It wasn’t exactly wrong, but Eun-ho still didn’t take away his suspicious gaze and turned his head.

‘Scripts aren’t coming in… or not.’

The thought that came to mind changed its ending in an instant. That’s because the scripts that arrived for Ji Hyeon were piled up like a mountain in one corner of the office even now. Who said that the peak of popularity was only temporary, there was no way that love calls would stop for an actor who was renewing his prime every year.

‘There’s no reason to suddenly make him do a variety show.’

Eun-ho and CEO Byun knew better than anyone else that Ji Hyeon hated variety shows. Dramas, movies, photoshoots, and even commercials. Ji Hyeon, who was more faithful to his main job than anyone else, hated ‘variety shows where you have to be unnecessarily fake’ more than anything else (Eun-ho thought that the guy who smiled unnecessarily fake was good at talking every time he heard that.).

“I don’t want to make Ji Hyeon do something he hates.”

So, the only thing Eun-ho, as a manager, could say was this. A firm determination that would seem to others as the heart of a true manager who cherishes his actor.

Of course, the inner thoughts were not of that warm kind.

“You know Ji Hyeon’s personality. He’s clear about his likes and dislikes and disgustingly picky, so he won’t do what he doesn’t like even if a knife is held to his throat. He’ll definitely cause all sorts of dog sh-, no, all sorts of chaos from the moment the schedule is set, who’s going to handle that.”

CEO Byun also closed his mouth at the blunt words. It was common for Ji Hyeon to cause chaos, but the fact that Eun-ho would be the only one to handle all that chaos was the problem. Eun-ho narrowed his brows and added a word to CEO Byun, who was silent.

“Besides, I don’t think he’ll do it even if you tell him to…”

Yes, was Ji Hyeon someone who listened to others? If he was, the agency’s President and manager wouldn’t be racking their brains like this. So, he spat out his last plea, but CEO Byun only moved his fingers back and forth and answered confidently.

“Don’t worry about that. If Manager Gwak says okay, he’ll definitely go. Still, he listens to you well, right?”

“…Hmm.”

This time, it was Eun-ho who closed his mouth. Eun-ho also knew well that he was the only person he ‘listened to’. But wasn’t that because he didn’t make unreasonable demands?

“…What kind of variety show is it?”

“Are you going to do it? Are you planning to do it?”

“I’ll listen first. As you said, I also think it wouldn’t be bad for Ji Hyeon to appear on a variety show.”

Eun-ho first asked the name of the variety show with a positive attitude. He had to at least ask Ji Hyeon’s opinion even when he refused. The conditions weren’t bad either. What was it, PD Yoo’s show airing on MBS…

It was at that moment that Eun-ho, who had thought that far, frowned.

“It’s .”

“……”

The name of the program that came to mind came out of CEO Byun’s mouth. Eun-ho was silent for a moment with a blank face. The voice that came out of his mouth soon sounded stupid even to himself.

“……’Inmesso’?”

Introducing My Manager, commonly known as ‘Inmesso’. It was the hottest variety show these days and the viewership ratings were quite good. It was an observation variety that showed the friendly daily life of the celebrity who appeared as a guest, and could reveal behind-the-scenes stories of the filming set and the chemistry with the manager. It was very good for fan service, and if used well, it was also good for showing off ‘I’m such a friendly and virtuous person.’

The problem was that the program was about introducing the ‘manager’ as the name suggests.

“Doesn’t that mean I have to go with him?”

“That’s right. That’s why I said you.”

CEO Byun readily nodded at Eun-ho’s question. Only then did Eun-ho realize the identity of the subject ‘you’ that he had carelessly passed over. He thought it meant you go to Ji Hyeon and tell him, but it literally meant you appear.

“Would I ever send Ji Hyeon alone? That day would be the day that guy retires?”

CEO Byun shuddered as if he didn’t even want to imagine it. Ji Hyeon going on an observation variety show alone. It was no different from throwing a time bomb that could explode at any time into a crowd of people. If anything, that crazy, no, that picky personality would be revealed in detail, who would want to make him appear for their own good.

“So go with him and hold Ji Hyeon’s leash and show a good image at the same time. There are already rumors these days that Ji Hyeon’s personality is bad, but if they see him getting along well with his manager, those rumors will subside.”

It’s not a rumor but a fact, Eun-ho couldn’t bring himself to say that. However, with a more serious and serious face, he only spat out a word that was worthy of a manager who was more responsible than anyone else.

“If you’re a true manager… shouldn’t you not make your actor do what he hates?”

“Manager Gwak, your attitude is a bit different from a while ago.”

“It’s your imagination.”

Eun-ho, who answered nonchalantly, brazenly met his eyes. All he learned while working as a manager was how to be shameless, so it wasn’t difficult to manage his expression even in this situation. Of course, there were opponents that worked on and opponents that didn’t.

“It’s going to be difficult for me if you do this. If it wasn’t ‘Inmesso’ but something like or , would you have refused so quickly?”

“How can we go on ‘My Little Companion’. He can’t even raise his own body, let alone a pet.”

“That’s what I mean.”

Eun-ho, who had nothing more to say, lowered his eyes for a moment. As CEO Byun said, if it was something other than ‘Inmesso’, he would have thought about it a little more. Of course, that didn’t mean that the only reason he refused to film the variety show was because it was ‘Inmesso’.

“President.”

“Uh, yeah, talk.”

CEO Byun made a nervous expression at the serious tone. He knew that when he made this kind of voice, he would say something serious without any playfulness, since they had been working together for over 7 years.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think the reasons you mentioned are very relevant to Ji Hyeon’s variety show filming. He has enough recognition now, and there’s no need for the actor to take the risk of revealing his private life. The rumor that his personality is bad is something that every celebrity has, but last time you even liked that he could play a villain with it. Besides, he’s on a break right now, so it’s a bit much to make him film one more thing…”

“A bit?”

“…A bit pitiful.”

He gave a long list of reasons before, but in fact, the last word was Eun-ho’s true feelings. To give work to a guy who was resting well after a long time. He didn’t think it was something he could do as a manager or as an old friend. Especially if it was something Ji Hyeon hated.

“Eun-ho you…”

CEO Byun looked at Eun-ho with seemingly moist eyes. It was clear that he was deeply moved by Eun-ho’s passionate speech. It must have been admirable for a manager to work hard for the actor he was in charge of, even though it would have been difficult to express his opposition to the company’s President.

“…Does he harass you a lot?”

“……”

“Should I raise your salary a bit?”

“……No, it’s okay.”

Eun-ho barely resisted saying ‘Yes’ and shook his head. He was sure that he had just thought Ji Hyeon was pitiful, but the moment he received a pitiful look, he felt frustrated. He also felt the injustice of ‘Because of that crazy guy, I…’.

“Anyway, I can’t accept it for those reasons. I’m sure Ji Hyeon feels the same way.”

“……Hmm.”

CEO Byun, who had quietly made a sound, fiddled with his chin. Then he nodded with a determined face for some reason. He put his hands together on the table and slowly began to speak with a frown on his face.

“Actually…”

* * *

Eun-ho left the agency and headed to an apartment with strict security from the entrance. He bowed to the security guard guarding the main gate and walked familiarly past the wide landscaped flower bed. Swiping his card at the entrance of the apartment and pressing the top floor in the elevator were all as natural as if they happened every day.

Eun-ho got off the elevator and effortlessly unlocked the only front door with its digital lock. After stepping inside, he neatly placed his worn-out sneakers to one side and slipped into a pair of indoor slippers that fit his feet perfectly. Unlike his overall dark attire, the soft, light pink slippers had a cute bear design.

‘At this hour… he’s probably still in the bedroom.’

A duplex apartment. The sparsely furnished, desolate living room, with only the bare minimum of furniture, felt devoid of human presence. Eun-ho immediately set his destination and headed towards the stairs.

However, the moment he took a step, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Why are you so late?The low, deep voice was one Eun-ho knew well. To others, it might sound like a gentle tone, but the emotion it carried was clearly annoyance. Eun-ho slowly approached the sofa and spoke.

“You’re up early.”

“……”

The man lying on the sofa groggily sat up. The light gray sofa made of fabric was large enough for the man to stretch out his long legs completely. The man, looking at Eun-ho over the back of the sofa, asked in a still languid voice.

“Does it look like I got up?”

“……”

He didn’t sleep.

Thinking that, Eun-ho awkwardly took off his hat. As he ruffled his jet-black hair and avoided eye contact, the man also swept back his fallen bangs. Unlike Eun-ho’s coarse hair, his well-groomed hair looked soft, like stretched-out silk threads.

“That’s why I told you to sleep over.”

The man, Ji Hyeon, narrowed his brows in annoyance and glared at Eun-ho. The dark circles under his eyes were sunken, as if he hadn’t slept a wink. It was a face that could have looked haggard, but his unique, handsome features even made him look atmospheric.

“I let you go because you said you’d be here early…”

“……Um.”

Eun-ho quietly made a sound in response to the accusing tone. He also had a perfectly good home, so he didn’t think there was any need to sleep at Ji Hyeon’s house. Of course, that wasn’t the reason he didn’t sleep over, but anyway.

“I went to the office for a bit. The traffic was really bad.”

“You left your car.”

“I took the bus.”

“Ah… I told you to take a taxi.”

“Why bother when it’s close.”

Ji Hyeon looked at Eun-ho with a dissatisfied look once again. It was a softer look than before, but this time it was mixed with sentiments like, ‘You never listen.’ He clearly didn’t know that he was the one who never listened.

“Get some sleep. I won’t go anywhere.”

Eun-ho thought he should clean up the house a bit while Ji Hyeon slept, looking at the medicine bottles scattered on the table. Seeing them placed there without a water glass, he must have been munching on them again because he couldn’t sleep. He knew how he felt, but that didn’t mean it was the right way to do things.

Well, at least he’s not taking them with alcohol anymore, which is a relief.

“Forget it, tell me what you came here for. You look like you have something to say.”

Ji Hyeon sat up straight and ran his hand over his face. Unlike his delicate features, his large hand almost completely covered his face when it covered his eyes.

“There must be a reason why you went to the office first thing in the morning.”

In short, he was telling him to confess immediately why he had abandoned him. He was going to tell him after letting him rest a bit, since he wasn’t in good condition. But it didn’t seem like he had any intention of sleeping.

“Well…”

Eun-ho put his hat on the table and sat on the sofa diagonally across from him. While looking at Ji Hyeon’s disheveled hair, he thought he should book a hair salon appointment soon, and lightly uttered a word.

“You’re supposed to do a variety show.”

“What?”

As expected, the reaction wasn’t good. His already prickly expression contorted into a fierce scowl, as if to say, ‘What nonsense is this?’ A menacing aura flowed out, but Eun-ho didn’t care and recited the prepared lines.

“It’s called …”

“Yeah, I’m not doing it.”

“……”

Before he could even finish half of the prepared words, he was cut off. It was an observational variety show by PD Yoo, the period was at most three days, and the pay wasn’t bad. Eun-ho, who was about to say that, shut his mouth.

“I’m not a rookie struggling to raise my profile, and I’m not going on to promote a project. No, in the first place, why would I go on a variety show that I never went on to promote at this timing?”

“……President Byun said.”

“What, is it because the reporters are annoying with digging into my private life, so I should show them a bit and shut them up?”

“……”

“Or is it because I should show that I get along well with my manager who has a bad personality and try to change my image a bit?”

“……Um.”

“It seems like both.”

Ji Hyeon lightly pulled at the corner of his mouth, as if he understood. His tone had been gentle and soft throughout, but it stung his ears like thorns. Just as Eun-ho turned his gaze away, a subtle voice asked generously.

“Kwak Eun-ho, do you want to be on TV?”

“Are you crazy?”

Eun-ho reflexively retorted, then made a face as if he had made a mistake. Unlike the momentary dismay that arose, Ji Hyeon leisurely curled up the corners of his lips. His beautifully curved eyes were so bewitching that it was infuriating.

“See.”

“……”

“And yet you call yourself ‘My MaeSo’.”

It was Eun-ho’s miscalculation. He knew Ji Hyeon well, but he also knew himself well. He couldn’t possibly not know that he pursued an ordinary and peaceful life more than anyone else. He had never even had a strand of hair appear on TV in the seven years he had been a manager.

Should he give up like this? In fact, Eun-ho had no intention of persuading someone who didn’t want to do it until the end. He had told CEO Byun that he would talk to him once, but anyway, Ji Hyeon’s opinion was the top priority. It wasn’t a story he had brought up very enthusiastically from the start.

“Tell me.”

Ji Hyeon suddenly spoke to Eun-ho, who was like that. When Eun-ho replied, “What,” he leaned back on the sofa and crossed his legs.

“Take away all the unnecessary flowery language and tell me exactly how President Byun persuaded you.”

There must be a reason why the words ‘variety show’ came out of Kwak Eun-ho’s mouth, Ji Hyeon slowly closed and opened his eyes. The voice that came out, like his eyes with sleepiness stuck all over them, was also languidly relaxed.

“Do you think I’ve only known you for a day or two… That old man must have grabbed you and begged you to persuade me just once, going on and on about how he’s in a difficult situation. He’s trying to take advantage of Kwak Eun-ho’s soft heart because he knows I’ll throw a fit if he tells me directly.”

CEO Byun wasn’t exactly an old man, and he wasn’t exactly soft-hearted either, but Eun-ho didn’t miss the given opportunity.

“……You know Shin Yi-chan, right?”

At the casual question, Ji Hyeon frowned. It wasn’t because he didn’t know who he was, but because such an unexpected name had popped out.

“That idol?”

“Yeah.”

To be exact, he seemed to be trying to switch to acting, but he was still just a rookie who had just filmed one project. Eun-ho didn’t correct him, but naturally continued the story.

“He has a bit of an image overlap with you. CEO Byun seems a bit anxious because they keep doing media play saying you’re similar. He said he won’t tell you to do a project, but just show your face once.”

He still had a strong idol image, but he was clearly a promising actor. Decent acting skills, a soft and gentle mask, and a gentle way of speaking. There was a reason why the title ‘the actor who will succeed Ji Hyeon’ often followed him.

“What nonsense, he should be anxious about what he should be anxious about…”

However, Ji Hyeon reacted coldly, as if he was hearing all sorts of nonsense. That was because the public’s eyes were much more accurate, no matter how much media play they did. Skill, looks. Among the existing male actors, there was no one who could follow Ji Hyeon.

Besides, strictly speaking, the words ‘the actor who will succeed Ji Hyeon’ meant that ‘Ji Hyeon’ was the byword, not the actor.

“That’s a type of generalized anxiety disorder. It gets better if you go to the hospital, get medicine, and get counseling.”

Ji Hyeon, who had actually suffered from similar symptoms, added detailed advice based on his experience. Of course, he had taken so many of those medicines, but he hadn’t changed much, so it wasn’t very persuasive.

Eun-ho shrugged and brought up the ‘real reason’ that CEO Byun had said.

“The director of the MBS entertainment department said that if you film that, he’ll plug a rookie into a drama.”

It was a common occurrence. The same agency’s idols would appear on the same variety show, or rookie actors would be bundled with veteran actors and appear together. This time it was a bit different, but anyway, it was clearly an opportunity to raise a rookie using Ji Hyeon as bait.

“Ah… It’s not like I’m a kindergarten teacher, and I’ve only taken care of kids once or twice.”

Ji Hyeon had actually filmed projects in a similar way several times. In fact, he was sincere about his work, so he didn’t hate giving opportunities to rookies. No, to be exact, it was the composure of someone who had something, thinking that his rice bowl would never be taken away anyway.

“Who’s the rookie?”

“Why, the girl who passed the audition this time.”

“……She’s even good at acting.”

Ji Hyeon frowned in annoyance, as if he was going to refuse using a terrible guy as an excuse. On the other hand, Eun-ho was surprised that he was so carefully considering appearing on a variety show. Maybe he took the wrong medicine. Just as he was thinking that, Ji Hyeon looked straight at Eun-ho.

“What about you.”

“What?”

“What do you want me to do?”

Their eyes met in the air. The light hazel eyes were unwavering towards Eun-ho. As if to say, your opinion is the most important. It was an extremely serious look.

“Me, well…”

What would be good to answer? Eun-ho pondered for a moment. Except for the fact that the program was ‘My MaeSo’, it seemed like it would be good to go on an observational variety show. Leaving aside the benefits that CEO Byun had mentioned, the objective conditions were good. The pay was good, and the filming time was short. Eun-ho, who was more sincere about ‘actor Ji Hyeon’ than anyone else, wanted him to be exposed in more places.

“I’d like you to go.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

He didn’t even ask why. Ji Hyeon answered calmly and frowned with a dissatisfied face. As if he really didn’t want to do it, but he would listen to him just once.

“If you tell me to do it, I have to.”

“……”

A dazed gaze turned to Ji Hyeon. His unusually docile attitude was enough to cause an unidentifiable thirst. As Eun-ho moved his lips without a word, Ji Hyeon added something that was hard to tell whether it was a joke or not.

“If you listen to Kwak Eun-ho, you’ll get rice cakes even while you’re sleeping.”

“……You don’t like rice cakes.”

“What are you talking about.”

The words he said to hide his embarrassment were dismissed with one word from Ji Hyeon. Eun-ho lowered his eyes and unconsciously fiddled with the back of his neck. He had a blunt expression, but he couldn’t stop the strange feeling.

“If it’s PD Yoo’s variety show, he won’t make me laugh at stupid jokes while having terrible talks. If I think of it as acting, I can’t do it for about two days.”

Unexpectedly, Ji Hyeon seemed really okay. Certainly, ‘My MaeSo’ was different from talk shows that asked difficult questions or variety shows that required you to run around. But that didn’t mean that Ji Hyeon would readily accept the offer. He threw a word to Eun-ho, who was still silent.

“Worry about yourself, not me.”

“Worry about me?”

Eun-ho frowned and asked back. His deep eyes without double eyelids frowned together. Ji Hyeon asked Eun-ho in a very serious tone.

“Once you appear on TV, your personal information will be revealed, and there will be people who recognize you on the street. Can you handle that?”

“……I was wondering what you were talking about.”

Eun-ho knew it well too. He had been considering the fact that his personal information would be revealed since he first heard the words ‘My MaeSo’. In the first place, his personal information wasn’t anything special, and in the latter case, there was no need to worry.

“There are so many people like me, would they recognize me?”

That was the reason why he didn’t attach much meaning to appearing on TV. If he could attract attention with just that, why would there be unknown actors in the world? He would attract attention as Ji Hyeon’s manager for a while, and then naturally be forgotten before long. People were less interested in others than he thought, and Eun-ho knew that better than anyone else.

“All the common guys are dead.”

But Ji Hyeon retorted in his unique, sweet voice. He smiled sweetly, as if he was melting, and spoke a little annoyedly.

“There are guys who look like they’ve been ground into asphalt who are doing well as actors, do you think they won’t recognize you?”

Those were the words Ji Hyeon occasionally said while watching TV. When an ugly lead, especially a male lead, came out, he would exclaim in admiration, saying that even catfish were acting these days. If he was good at acting, he would nag less, but if he couldn’t even act, there was no need to say anything.

“Well… even if they recognize me, it’ll be for a while.”

Eun-ho nonchalantly answered, stroking his chin. He also knew that he wasn’t ugly, but after all, wasn’t he just a regular person? It didn’t make sense to worry about ‘becoming famous’ in front of Ji Hyeon, who had the aura of a celebrity even in his fingertips.

“……”

“……Why.”

“……”

“Why are you looking at me like that.”

“……Never mind.”

Ji Hyeon, with a sullen expression, pressed down on his sunken eyelids. He seemed to have a lot to say, but the only words that came out of his mouth were mumblings like, “Anyway, you…” Just as Eun-ho frowned, Ji Hyeon narrowed his eyes and asked.

“So, is that all you came here for?”

“Yeah, that’s all.”

It was a finish that was so anticlimactic that it was absurd. The president must be happy. Eun-ho thought to himself and nodded. He should take a moment to call and let him know that Ji Hyeon had accepted.

“Okay… then I’m going to sleep.”

Leaving only those words, Ji Hyeon lay back down on the sofa. He turned to the side without a blanket or pillow, and quietly closed his eyes, using his arm as a pillow. His beautiful lips moved slowly under his straight nose.

“I couldn’t sleep a wink because of you.”

He couldn’t ask why it was because of him. Ji Hyeon, who had an unreal appearance, looked especially innocent when he closed his eyes. His long eyelashes, the slightly curled corners of his lips, and even his disheveled hair were peaceful.

“……”

Eun-ho, captivated by that scenery, held his breath as quietly as possible. He couldn’t even blink, and he couldn’t even move a finger. He just captured Ji Hyeon in his jet-black eyes and listened to his soft breathing.

‘It’s the same as in high school.’

He felt strange at times like this. The moment when a guy with a sensitive personality and chronic insomnia fell asleep with an extremely peaceful face. The moment when he showed his unguarded side, only breaking down his guard and falling asleep when he was with him, even though he was always prickly unless he was acting.

11 years… no, maybe 8 years, excluding the short break. Even after seeing him for that long, Eun-ho was still unfamiliar with Ji Hyeon. Sometimes he listened to him so blindly that it seemed like he was looking for his parents, and he fell asleep only when he had him by his side.

No, in fact, he was just tensing up so that all of this wouldn’t become natural, so that he wouldn’t get used to it.

“Ji Hyeon-ah.”

“……”

No answer came back to the whispered words. Eun-ho confirmed that he was completely asleep and got up from his seat with the medicine bottle on the table in his hand. It was a sleeping pill that Ji Hyeon took most frequently among the many psychiatric drugs he took.

It was a drug that he had built up a tolerance to, but Ji Hyeon would occasionally put out empty bottles as if to show off. To be exact, every night when Eun-ho went back to his house, there was always a medicine bottle on the table.

‘What a personality.’

Eun-ho knew that this was a kind of protest. There must be a reason why a guy who was so meticulous about cleaning up didn’t bother to throw away the trash.

His longtime friend, Ji Hyeon, was a resentful guy who couldn’t even sleep without him.

His relationship with him goes back a whopping 11 years, to when Eun-ho was eighteen years old. Eun-ho, who was growing taller day by day, had already surpassed the 180cm mark, which was the romance of men. His friends envied Eun-ho, but he was just worried about his school uniform pants that kept getting shorter.

Anyway, at that vigorous time, Eun-ho’s biggest interests were just studying and working part-time. He didn’t have the time to do anything else, and he had to get a scholarship to go to college. That day, Eun-ho went to school earlier than others and sat at his desk, and was solving the math workbook that he had already solved once from the beginning again.

In the meantime, the back door opened. Eun-ho turned his head and looked that way without thinking. It wasn’t for any particular reason, he was just curious that there was a student coming to school at this time. It was usually the case that no one came into the classroom for about an hour after he came to school.

‘…….’

The student who came inside was unusually taller than Eun-ho, and his hair was slightly longer than the other students. Eun-ho was a little surprised the moment their eyes met, because his appearance was an unusual kind of beauty. The color of his eyes was also particularly bright, making him seem unrealistically attractive.

“Uh…”

“……”

“Hi.”

Eun-ho reflexively greeted him, but he didn’t respond to Eun-ho’s greeting and silently sat down next to him. It was a seat that had always been empty since he became a sophomore. He thought it was vacant because they didn’t even call attendance, but it seemed like it actually had an owner.

“……”

“……”

After that, the two of them didn’t have any conversation for a long time. Eun-ho wasn’t the type to talk to someone first, and the guy sitting next to him just sat still. With not a single student even coming to school, it was surprisingly the handsome guy who spoke first.

“Hey.”

“……Why?”

Eun-ho stopped solving the textbook and turned to look at him a beat late. The reason for the late reaction was that he wasn’t looking at him. Even his profile looked like it had been drawn, and his voice was gentle, unlike a high school student.

“Don’t you know me?”

Well, the question wasn’t gentle at all.

“I don’t.”

“……You don’t know me?”

“You’re coming to school for the first time.”

Only then did the other person slowly turn to Eun-ho. He frowned irritably and even lowered his voice.

“You don’t know me?”

Eun-ho thought he was crazy. It was a face that was hard to forget once you saw it, but that meant he didn’t remember it, so it was a face he had never seen before. In the first place, there weren’t just one or two students in the whole school, and he didn’t have the talent to remember even the guys who weren’t in the same class in the first grade.

“Don’t you watch TV?”

“Uh, I don’t.”

“……”

The other person looked at Eun-ho with an expression that seemed to say, “What the hell is this guy?” Eun-ho couldn’t help but add an awkward excuse to that gaze. Occasionally, there were friends who thought he lived apart from the world because he was studying.

“It’s not that I don’t watch it on purpose, there’s no TV at home.”

“……What about a computer?”

“I don’t have a computer either.”

“Don’t you have a laptop?”

“Do you think I would?”

It was like saying, “If you don’t have bread, eat cake.” The other person complained to himself, wondering how he did his homework. Eun-ho wondered if he should tell him that he finished most of it at school. While he was worrying about that, another question was asked.

“But you have a cell phone, right?”

“……”

“What the fuck… why are you carrying around such an antique?”

The last reaction came when Eun-ho took out his cell phone from his desk and held it out. It was a cell phone that Grandmother had gotten him as a high school entrance gift, but it didn’t make calls or texts, and it barely connected to the internet if it caught Wi-Fi. Still, except for some severe buffering, there was no problem watching free lectures.

“You really don’t know me?”

“What class were you in in the first grade?”

“9… no, that’s not the point.”

He had a face so beautiful that you could mistake him for an angel at first glance, but when he opened his mouth, he was full of irritation. He was full of talk about what kind of concept this was, and how could he not know him. Then he suddenly looked at Eun-ho and ordered.

“Find out who I am by tomorrow.”

“……What?”

“You have a cell phone, right? Search it on the internet or something.”

Eun-ho didn’t even have time to argue that he needed to know his name to search for it. He got up from his seat and left the classroom, leaving Eun-ho behind. It was only after the back door slammed shut that he realized that the guy had come to school without a bag.

“Is he really crazy……”

Eun-ho muttered that and suddenly realized one thing. Someone who would come up if you searched the internet, with that unusual appearance and hair that was longer than the other students.

“……”

Someone came to mind. A celebrity who he had only heard rumors about, who went to the same school. A famous person who didn’t come to school often, and when he did, he was surrounded by students and it was hard to even see his face.

“……He wasn’t a woman.”

Eun-ho awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, correcting a misunderstanding he had had for over a year. He thought he was a woman because of his name, but it seemed like he had unknowingly made a narrow-minded assumption. If he was such a famous person, it was understandable that his pride would be hurt by the fact that he didn’t recognize him.

The next day, when he saw him coming to school after lunch, Eun-ho greeted him as if he had been waiting for him. He meant that he knew his name and now knew who he was. Although he didn’t know his last name yet, he ended up speaking in a rather friendly way.

“Ji Hyeon-ah, hi.”

“……”

Eun-ho didn’t know why Ji Hyeon’s expression was strange at the time. He just thought he had made another mistake when he saw his eyebrows arching crookedly. And he clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking he was quick-witted when he heard the question that followed.

“You didn’t look it up, did you?”

“……Um.”

There was no need to search the internet. With that in mind, he closed his mouth, and Ji Hyeon looked at Eun-ho again with eyes that said, “What kind of guy is this?” It was really strange that he was the one who told him to search it up in the first place. He sighed and even turned his head away.

“Forget it, never mind.”

After that day, Ji Hyeon maintained an unusually prickly attitude towards Eun-ho. He would smile like a celebrity (because he actually was a celebrity) when other guys talked to him, but he didn’t even show any intention of managing his image when it came to Eun-ho. Eun-ho later became fond of him without realizing it, wondering why a guy who usually only skipped school was coming to school so diligently.

Eun-ho realized his mistake a long time later, after accidentally seeing the attendance book. Eun-ho belatedly realized that he was ‘Ji Hyeon’, but there was no way to change the name that had already stuck. Fortunately, Ji Hyeon was used to Eun-ho calling him that by then.

“You’re a really weird guy.”

Ji Hyeon often said that, but Eun-ho didn’t think it was something he should be saying, then or now. If you asked who was weirder, about nine out of ten people would pick Ji Hyeon. The remaining one person who would pick Eun-ho would be none other than Ji Hyeon himself.

“Anyway, he’s got a lot of pride……”

“What?”

Late in the afternoon, Ji Hyeon, who had woken up from a long nap, sat down at the island table to eat the lunch that Eun-ho had prepared. The menu was just fried rice, but he was eating almost three bowls of it by himself. Eun-ho slowly started talking while watching his hand holding the spoon.

“I was just thinking about our high school days.”

“When in high school?”

“When I first met you.”

“……”

Ji Hyeon frowned as if he was remembering that time. The way his beautiful eyebrows furrowed hadn’t changed much from high school until now. He was disheveled because he had just woken up, but Eun-ho thought even that looked like a scene from a photoshoot.

“Back then, you told me to search it up on the internet because I didn’t know you, and you were like, ‘How could you not know me?'”

“……Ah, that time.”

Ji Hyeon nodded. He touched the rice grains with his spoon with a blank face. He had been eating well until now, but it seemed like he had suddenly lost his appetite again.

“Stop eating if you’re full. I made a lot on purpose.”

“Never mind that, finish your story. Is that why you think I have a lot of pride?”

“No, it’s not because of that.”

Eun-ho brought the water bottle next to him and filled Ji Hyeon’s cup with water. Ji Hyeon indifferently turned his gaze as the water filled up.

“It’s funny how you picked a fight with me over every little thing from the next day.”

He could have just told him that ‘Ji’ was his last name and ‘Hyeon’ was his first name, but he didn’t give Eun-ho any hints until he found out on his own. Eun-ho was the one who didn’t know until then, but Ji Hyeon was just as funny.

“But you still didn’t search it up until the end.”

However, Ji Hyeon raised the corners of his mouth as he spoke in a gentle voice. It was a perfect smile that anyone could see, but the inside was as crooked as could be.

“I’m still dumbfounded. How could you not know me?”

“……It’s possible not to know.”

No matter how famous he was, it was possible not to know if you weren’t interested. Even when people around him talked about Ji Hyeon a few times, Eun-ho just thought, “Is he a popular idol these days?” He didn’t know that he was a model and actor, or even that he was a man, until he greeted him.

“I’m not interested in celebrities in the first place.”

If he hadn’t become Ji Hyeon’s Manager, he still wouldn’t be interested. He knew everything about it now because of work, but Eun-ho originally didn’t feel any interest in that kind of thing at all. No, to be exact, he didn’t live a life that was leisurely enough to have such a hobby.

“It’s not that……”

“It’s not that?”

“……Never mind, it’s nothing.”

Ji Hyeon frowned and started moving his spoon again. Eun-ho wanted to ask what he meant by that, but that thought disappeared when he saw him eating deliciously. Eun-ho just pushed the water cup towards Ji Hyeon, telling him to eat slowly.

After finishing the meal, they sat side by side on the sofa and watched TV as usual. It was Ji Hyeon who stopped Eun-ho from doing the dishes, and it was Eun-ho who chose the drama to watch together. It was a melodrama that Shin Yi-chan had recently appeared in, and it was to figure out what kind of actor he was after hearing what CEO Byun had said.

‘He said Ji Hyeon’s atmosphere overlaps with his……’

Unlike Ji Hyeon, who was bored, Eun-ho sat up straight and watched the show with a serious face. The story and directing weren’t that important, what was important was what kind of acting Shin Yi-chan, who was playing a supporting role, was doing. He was playing a college student, befitting his age of twenty, and he was said to have captured the hearts of many women with his tearful confession scene.

“……President’s worries were excessive.”

In the end, that was all Eun-ho said. Shin Yi-chan was a very passionate rookie, but he couldn’t compare to Ji Hyeon. His appearance and acting skills were a given, and even the basic atmosphere he gave off was still awkward for an actor. Maybe in about five years. As of now, it was right to say that it was an unnecessary worry.

“What did I tell you?”

Ji Hyeon replied indifferently without taking his eyes off the book he was reading. It was the novel he had silently opened around the time Eun-ho turned on episode 3. Ji Hyeon casually swept back his fallen hair and let out a relaxed laugh.

“I told you there’s no need to be anxious.”

“……”

Words that could have been annoying were heard as natural only because the other person was Ji Hyeon. Not arrogance, but confidence that came from his skills. Eun-ho couldn’t deny it and turned his eyes to the screen.

“Still, he’s a good actor for an idol. He’s also handsome. He’s young now, but when he grows up a little……”

“More than me?”

“What?”

Eun-ho, who was continuing his words, frowned and turned to look at Ji Hyeon. Ji Hyeon had already put down the book he was reading and was looking straight at Eun-ho. Slowly blinking his eyes, Ji Hyeon asked again kindly.

“Am I more handsome than him?”

“……”

Why is he being like this again? Eun-ho sometimes felt that he was acting like a child in strange ways. However, Eun-ho answered calmly without changing his expression.

“I’ve never seen anyone more handsome than you.”

That was true. From high school until now. No, in all the time Eun-ho had lived, there was no one with a more outstanding appearance than Ji Hyeon. He was loved for his angelic appearance as a child model, and he was becoming more and more mature every day as he got older. Not from a subjective point of view, but from the objective perspective that the majority of people evaluated.

“Don’t say the obvious and exercise if you’re not going to watch the drama. It’s time for you to exercise.”

Eun-ho gestured to the clock on the wall to Ji Hyeon, who was silently sitting there. The only thing that Ji Hyeon, who lived an irregular life with his meals and sleep, took care of without fail was exercise. It was because he often had to take off his clothes for his job, and he didn’t want to let go of the tension even during his break.

“……It’s so annoying.”

Even while grumbling, Ji Hyeon got up from his seat, leaving Eun-ho behind. The back view of him stretching looked like a flexible wild animal. He was born with broad shoulders, and he worked hard to exercise, so his appearance was truly excellent. So much so that if you just typed ‘Ji Hyeon’, ‘Ji Hyeon’s shoulders’ would come up as a related search term.

“Don’t watch such a boring drama and watch my work.”

With those words, Ji Hyeon moved to the room where the exercise equipment was. There was no need to say out loud that he had already watched the works he had appeared in at least three times each. Eun-ho silently operated the remote control and moved the drama to the next episode.

It took about three hours for Ji Hyeon to finish exercising. It took about 30 minutes more to organize the equipment and take a shower. During that time, Eun-ho watched about four more episodes of the drama and had the extremely doting thought that it would have been more successful if the male lead was Ji Hyeon.

“You’re still watching this.”

Around the time the male and female leads were having their first kiss, Ji Hyeon came out of the bathroom in a gown. Because he hadn’t properly fastened the front of his gown, his firm upper body was glimpsed through the gaps in the gown. Eun-ho, who had inadvertently lowered his gaze, quickly came to his senses and got up from the sofa.

“I’m leaving now that you’re done exercising.”

“……Suddenly?”

Ji Hyeon, who was drying his hair with a towel, looked at him with dissatisfied eyes. It was a gaze full of annoyance, but Eun-ho didn’t care at all and put on the hat that was on the table. When he grabbed the brim of the hat and pressed it down, Ji Hyeon’s precarious appearance was also slightly covered.

“I have to go soon. The bus will stop running in a little while.”

“You can take my car. Or take a taxi.”

“I told you there’s no place to park. And why waste money on a taxi.”

“Are you just carrying the Corporate card around for show?”

Ji Hyeon, who had strode over, plopped down on the sofa. Water droplets falling from his hair trickled down his neck. With a towel on his head, Ji Hyeon frowned and looked up at Eun-ho.

“What’s so good about that old villa…… Just come and live with me. Aren’t you tired of going back and forth every day?”

It was what he said every time. It was also a proposal that made his heart flutter every time he heard it, even though he knew it didn’t mean anything. Eun-ho deliberately frowned and said bluntly.

“If you know that, don’t call me to come over on your days off.”

Other Managers rested when the celebrity rested, but Eun-ho always went to his house regardless of whether Ji Hyeon was resting or not. He didn’t have any complaints because his salary was that high, but it was a bit difficult for him to ask him to live with him like this every time.

“Are you going to go bankrupt if you come and live here? How can you afford this house?”

“What are you talking about? Have you ever seen a company provide accommodation and receive rent?”

Ji Hyeon asked back as if he couldn’t understand, saying that it was his house in the first place, so why would he need money. This was also a pattern that he had memorized to the point of being sick of it, so Eun-ho’s words were also set.

“My employer is President, so why would you provide accommodation? If you’re going to do it, President should do it like before.”

“……”

Ji Hyeon’s beautiful eyebrows arched up. Eun-ho checked the time one last time and put his cell phone in his pocket.

“If you’re going to take sleeping pills, only take one.”

He didn’t say that he couldn’t sleep even if he took them anyway. It wasn’t that Eun-ho didn’t know that it was a very harsh thing to say. His heart was inevitably weakened by the gaze that was steadily looking at him, so he turned his back resolutely instead of making eye contact.

“Don’t leave empty pill bottles lying around.”

He knew that the pill bottles would be left out as a protest by tomorrow even if he said that. So Ji Hyeon probably didn’t answer that he understood, even as a formality. Eun-ho awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and glanced back at Ji Hyeon.

“I’ll come early tomorrow.”

“……”

Ji Hyeon didn’t say anything to that either. He just kept looking at Eun-ho with his eyes still furrowed.

That appearance even looked a little pathetic.

The house where Eun-ho lived was about 40 minutes away from Ji Hyeon’s house by bus. It was quite far from the downtown area, and he had to walk quite a long distance even after getting off the bus. The old villa with only one bedroom was the first place Eun-ho had secured when he started working as a Manager.

Ji Hyeon called it an ‘old villa’, but Eun-ho liked this house very much. First of all, it didn’t leak when it rained, there was hot water even in winter, and his head didn’t touch the ceiling even when he stood up straight. It was a house where he lived alone anyway, so wasn’t it a pretty good place to live?

Ji Hyeon had left him and returned that day. Eun-ho spent a restless night and headed to Ji Hyeon’s house early in the morning. As expected, Ji Hyeon looked like he hadn’t slept a wink, and a half-empty medicine bottle sat on the table. This time, Eun-ho had really come back “early,” so Ji Hyeon couldn’t say anything and just lay on the sofa, trying to sleep.

It was a familiar scene. Ji Hyeon grabbing him, telling him not to go, and Eun-ho turning his back without a shred of sympathy, using Ji Hyeon’s own words. Even though he was the one being so persistent, Ji Hyeon always gave Eun-ho a nasty look, calling him a persistent bastard. He stubbornly made plans for the next day without any schedule, a brazen act.

“Oh, welcome.”

Several days passed. It was the day of the preliminary interview for the ‘My MaeSo’ shoot. The location was the MBS entertainment department, and Eun-ho picked up Ji Hyeon, who hadn’t slept again, and safely headed to the meeting place. As soon as the two entered the designated conference room, a woman with a friendly impression greeted them warmly.

“I’m PD Yoo Hye-seon. Please take care of me.”

PD Yoo Hye-seon extended a hand towards Ji Hyeon. Ji Hyeon stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, then gave a natural smile and shook PD Yoo Hye-seon’s hand. The face that had been frowning in the car Eun-ho was driving now wore an incredibly soft smile.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m the one who should be asking you to take care of me.”

It was a mild attitude. Eun-ho secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Ji Hyeon, who had shown all sorts of prickly behavior while signing the contract with CEO Byun, had been firmly warned by Eun-ho not to do so today. He would be quiet in front of others if possible, but it was a request in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances.

“Wow, they say the camera can’t capture Hyeon-ah’s real beauty, and that’s really true.”

“You’re too kind.”

The clasped hands shook lightly a couple of times before parting. Ji Hyeon received handshake requests from several other people afterward, and he greeted them warmly with a smiling face. His attitude was better than expected, but as Eun-ho carefully observed him, his thoughts changed.

‘I won’t be able to stop by the shop later.’

He could feel Ji Hyeon’s mood dropping behind the smiling face. It was a difference that others wouldn’t notice, but Eun-ho, who had watched him for a long time, could tell. The fact that his delicate eyes were curved much more sharply than usual meant that he was forcing himself not to harden his expression.

“Manager?”

“…Ah.”

Suddenly, Eun-ho tore his gaze away from Ji Hyeon. PD Yoo Hye-seon, who had approached unnoticed, was smiling brightly as she looked up at Eun-ho. Eun-ho first took off the hat he was wearing and bowed deeply.

“I’m Manager Kwak Eun-ho. Thank you for your hard work on this shoot.”

“……”

PD Yoo Hye-seon didn’t react to the natural greeting. She just stared at Eun-ho’s face with a slightly surprised look. When Eun-ho frowned awkwardly, PD Yoo Hye-seon’s expression finally softened.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re much more handsome than I thought. Why haven’t you been an entertainer until now? There was a reason CEO Byun was bragging about you all over the place.”

“……Did CEO Byun talk about me?”

“Of course. He said Hyeon-ah’s manager was so handsome…”

“PD Yoo Hye-seon.”

It was Ji Hyeon who cut her off. Ji Hyeon sat down in the designated seat and checked the watch on his wrist. His expression was still soft, but the slightly lowered corners of his eyes showed a hint of trouble.

“We have a schedule afterward, so I’d like to proceed quickly…”

What schedule? He had just canceled his plan to stop by the shop a minute ago. Of course, PD Yoo Hye-seon, who had no way of knowing that, said they should start right away and sat opposite Ji Hyeon. The cameras for the recording had been set up in advance, so the briefing started as soon as Eun-ho sat down as well.

“As we mentioned earlier…”

‘Is his condition really bad?’

Eun-ho focused all his attention on Ji Hyeon while looking at the proposal in front of him. The number of people he shook hands with… was about four. It was a number he could usually handle, but it might be different if his condition was bad. In fact, he didn’t look good when he cut off PD Yoo Hye-seon a little while ago.

“Manager Kwak, is this your first time appearing on TV?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Since it’s an observational reality show anyway, don’t be nervous and just act naturally. We’ll give you a script, but you don’t need to memorize it…”

Eun-ho took the bottle of water placed in front of him, opened the lid, and naturally handed it to Ji Hyeon. Ji Hyeon glanced at Eun-ho and silently took the water bottle. The way he gulped down the water showed how thirsty he was.

‘I’m glad I brought the hand cream.’

Eun-ho looked down at Ji Hyeon’s hands, recalling the items he had packed in his bag. His straight, long fingers were still gripping the water bottle. Only one person, Eun-ho, knew that there was a lot of strength in those fingertips.

The preliminary interview didn’t take long to finish. PD Yoo Hye-seon asked Ji Hyeon about his daily habits and hobbies, and checked the relationship with his manager and the nicknames they used for each other. Based on this information, a script would be produced and delivered to the cast through the agency.

After all the meetings were over, Ji Hyeon got up from his seat before anyone else and left the conference room. It was an action that could be considered rude, but no one pointed it out, given his seniority. Eun-ho left a message saying that “Ji Hyeon’s condition hadn’t been good since morning” in case of any unforeseen circumstances and followed Ji Hyeon out.

“……”

Ji Hyeon was nowhere to be seen in the hallway. It was what Eun-ho had expected, so he crossed the long hallway and headed to where he was likely to be. If he had left with such an uncomfortable face, his destination was obvious.

The emergency exit at the end of the hallway, and the deserted restroom next to it.

When he opened the glass door, he heard the sound of running water from inside. Eun-ho checked to see if there was anyone around and strode inside. The man in front of the sink glanced at Eun-ho in the mirror and then looked down again.

“Ji Hyeon-ah.”

Ji Hyeon didn’t answer Eun-ho’s call. He just washed his hands in the nervously running water. He washed the foam off his hands thoroughly and then squeezed out more liquid soap and scrubbed carefully, repeating the process several times. Watching Ji Hyeon wash his hands until his skin turned red, Eun-ho spat out casually.

“You’ll get housewife eczema.”

“……”

Only then did Ji Hyeon stop moving and lift his head. Eun-ho, who had been meeting his gaze through the mirror for a while, slowly approached him and kindly turned off the running water. While Eun-ho washed his hands at the sink next to him, Ji Hyeon was frowning with water dripping from his hands.

“Relax your face.”

Eun-ho said in a nonchalant voice and wiped the water off his hands with a paper towel. He roughly wiped his own hands and threw them in the trash, but he took out a neatly folded handkerchief and handed it to Ji Hyeon. When Ji Hyeon took the handkerchief and wiped the water off, he took out hand cream from his bag and gestured with his chin.

“Hand.”

“……”

“Not your palm, the back of your hand.”

“……”

“Apply it thoroughly.”

The avocado-patterned hand cream was something Eun-ho always carried around for Ji Hyeon. Whenever he washed his hands so obsessively, his palms and the backs of his hands were always chapped. A guy with such an outrageously high value, it would be a big deal if his precious hands were injured.

“What are you doing, not applying it?”

“Apply it for me.”

“Do you not have hands, do you not have feet…”

Eun-ho grumbled softly, but he grabbed his hand and applied hand cream to every corner. The back of his hand, the palm, between his fingers, and even the half-moon of his nails. He should have washed it with warm water if he was going to wash it anyway, but his hands were as cold as ice even though the weather wasn’t that cold.

‘Such a big guy acting like a baby.’

Eun-ho’s hands were also quite large, but Ji Hyeon’s long, slender fingers were slightly longer than Eun-ho’s. Unlike the size, the shape was pretty, and unlike the beautiful shape, the prominent veins were quite masculine. Thanks to Eun-ho’s meticulous care, the texture was also smooth.

“……So.”

Eun-ho, who had unknowingly dragged out the time, let go of Ji Hyeon’s hand a little unnaturally. His palms felt strange because there was hand cream left on his hands. Thinking that he didn’t know if he had applied it for him or if he had applied it himself, Eun-ho asked in a much softer tone.

“What was the problem today? You were fine until this morning.”

He might not have slept, but his condition wasn’t that bad. In the first place, lack of sleep was already a daily routine for Ji Hyeon. The reason he was frowning in the car coming to the broadcasting station was because Eun-ho had nagged him several times not to “cause an accident.”

“Was there ever a reason?”

Ji Hyeon answered in an indifferent, unfeeling voice. He also frowned a lot, clenching and unclenching his hands. The smile he had barely maintained in front of others was now nowhere to be found.

“It was just fucking dirty. I don’t know what they touched with those hands, but they shook hands with bare hands and then shook hands with other people…”

Ji Hyeon has mysophobia. It was one of the many illnesses he suffered from, severe if severe, not severe if not severe. When he was in good condition, he could manage his daily life well enough, but when he wasn’t, he couldn’t even shake hands properly.

“You could have waited until the meeting was over.”

Eun-ho just shrugged at the words that came out as if to make an excuse. He wasn’t trying to scold him, he was just worried and asked. If his condition suddenly worsened, the worry wouldn’t be just about washing his hands.

“It’s okay if you’re not sick. Let’s go home.”

Ji Hyeon followed Eun-ho out of the bathroom obediently for once. He asked if being mentally ill didn’t count as being sick, but that was something he could ignore as if he hadn’t heard it. What was really hard to ignore was the warmth and smooth texture left on his fingertips.

“You said you were going to get a haircut today.”

“How can I watch you shampoo your hair five times after getting a haircut?”

What a nasty guy. Eun-ho thought to himself and clenched his fist tightly in his pocket. The part that had touched him still felt hot.

Eun-ho learned about Ji Hyeon’s mysophobia when they were in high school together. Around that time, Eun-ho, who had learned that Ji Hyeon was “Ji Hyeon,” was still sticking to the same title for Ji Hyeon, who was still grumbling. It was partly because he had already gotten into the habit, but honestly, it was also because he secretly enjoyed his unique prickly reaction.

‘Hyeon-ah, can you sign this for me?’

‘Me too, sign this for me too.’

‘Let’s take a picture together after that.’

Ji Hyeon was a popular person, and of course, he received a lot of attention whenever he came to school. It was hard to even see his face properly from a distance because of how many people gathered around Ji Hyeon. It was an unfamiliar noise to Eun-ho, who had always been quiet, but Ji Hyeon smiled nonchalantly in the middle of it.

‘I’m not so sure about pictures… I’ll just sign it for you.’

He was handsome after all, he thought. It was also amazing that he smiled kindly and affectionately, unlike when he was annoyed with him. His softly curved eyes and the neat teeth visible through the gaps in his lips, even those small details, were all like an entertainer.

‘Just one selfie, huh? I told my friends that Ji Hyeon is in my class.’

‘……I’m going to get scolded by my CEO.’

‘Hey, don’t worry. I won’t upload it to the internet.’

But why did that look feel so low? He had never felt it when he was annoyed with him, but his smiling face looked strangely precarious. As if it would collapse or explode at any moment if he made a mistake.

‘The bell rang, so go back to your seat.’

So Eun-ho immediately said that as soon as the break was over. He told them to go back quickly before the teacher came, and he waved lightly at the friends who were showing their disappointment. In fact, the teacher came in not long after, and Eun-ho spat out meaninglessly to Ji Hyeon, who had returned to his expressionless face.

‘You smile well.’

‘……’

It was a compliment in its own way, but Ji Hyeon raised one eyebrow. As if to ask what that meant. Eun-ho just shrugged and reached out for the name pen that Ji Hyeon was holding.

‘Put this in too…’

Thud! A rough sound rang out. It was because Ji Hyeon had roughly shook it off as soon as Eun-ho’s hand touched it. The name pen rolled down and fell under the desk, and a friend sitting in the front seat inadvertently turned around to look at them.

‘……Ah.’

Eun-ho clearly saw the look of dismay flashing across Ji Hyeon’s face in that instant. That was why he maintained an expressionless face as if nothing had happened, even though the back of his hand was tingling and aching. Eun-ho bent down, picked up the name pen that had fallen on the floor, and placed the pen neatly next to Ji Hyeon’s desk.

‘Sorry. I dropped it.’

There was no answer to that. He just looked at the name pen once and then at Eun-ho’s face once with a meaningless gaze. After being still like that for a long time, Ji Hyeon finally raised his hand, trembling slightly.

‘Teacher, I don’t feel well… Can I go to the nurse’s office?’

Because Ji Hyeon, who said that, really had a pale face, the teacher nodded with a worried face. When Ji Hyeon staggered as he got up from his seat, she told Eun-ho to take him there. Eun-ho, who silently followed Ji Hyeon, hesitated for a moment, grabbed his arm, and came out of the classroom together.

‘……’

However, as soon as the classroom door closed, Ji Hyeon straightened his body with an indifferent face. His footsteps across the hallway were no different from usual, as if he had never staggered. Eun-ho, who had lost him in a daze, couldn’t hide his bewildered expression and followed Ji Hyeon.

The place he headed to was not the nurse’s office, but the teachers’ restroom at the end of the first floor. Unlike the restrooms used by students, the clean interior was equipped with expensive-looking soap. Ji Hyeon went inside without paying attention to Eun-ho and immediately started washing his hands.

‘……’

‘……’

The sound of running water echoed between the two. Eun-ho watched the scene silently with his hands in his pants pockets. Then, when Ji Hyeon washed his hands again for the third time, he asked quietly.

‘Didn’t you say you didn’t feel well?’

‘I have mysophobia.’

‘What?’

The answer that came back out of the blue was quite unexpected. While Eun-ho was pondering his words, Ji Hyeon added in a slightly apologetic tone.

‘That’s why.’

‘Oh… is that so.’

So that’s why he didn’t feel well, or that’s why he shook off Eun-ho’s hand. Eun-ho awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and slowly approached him. It wasn’t for any other reason, it was just because he felt like he had to wash his hands too.

Seeing Eun-ho, who had subtly started washing his hands next to him, Ji Hyeon asked this time with a dumbfounded face.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Washing my hands.’

He didn’t apply soap repeatedly like Ji Hyeon. He just washed it thoroughly once and then turned off the faucet, and Ji Hyeon asked with a very frowned face.

‘Aren’t you upset?’

‘……Should I wash it one more time?’

‘No, not that…’

Water was still flowing from the sink where Ji Hyeon was standing. Should I tell him it’s a waste of water? While Eun-ho was thinking that, Ji Hyeon said in a slightly mocking voice.

‘It’s a disease. A mental illness.’

‘……’

‘I’m mentally ill.’

To be honest, he didn’t know how to react. He wasn’t very interested, he wasn’t surprised, and he didn’t really care whether he had mysophobia or not. So Eun-ho answered in a nonchalant tone.

‘Not really… It’s not like you’re harming anyone.’

‘……’

‘It’s good to wash your hands often.’

Looking back now, it wasn’t just that kind of problem, but Eun-ho at the time only thought that way. He added to himself as he turned off the faucet for Ji Hyeon, who didn’t seem to want to turn off the water at all.

‘And if it’s a disease like you said, shouldn’t we not look at it strangely…’

It was an extremely common-sense answer, but Ji Hyeon didn’t say anything with his mouth shut tight. Only after a long time did he lower his eyes, dripping water from his fingertips.

‘Don’t spread rumors.’

‘I won’t.’

If he was worried about that, he shouldn’t have said it in the first place. Well, he didn’t have any friends to spread the rumors to in the first place.

In any case, Ji Hyeon’s mysophobia, which Eun-ho had learned about like that, varied more than he thought depending on his condition day by day. Sometimes, he would pretend to be fine and endure it until the end of class, and other times, he would leave the classroom, saying he had to go to the nurse’s office with a face that was pale for anyone to see. Since it was usually Eun-ho who helped him up (though in truth, there was no need to), he also came to know that Ji Hyeon would even dry heave from time to time.

Mysophobia, or more accurately, a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It wasn’t an action derived simply from the thought of being ‘dirty,’ but an instinctive reaction stemming from a more fundamental revulsion. Because he was extremely reluctant to touch others, he would wash his hands over and over to erase the very sensation of having been touched.

‘Put it on for me.’

And yet, that same guy was acting childishly, asking him to put on hand cream. Unaware of what kind of feelings this stirred in Eun-ho. Unaware of how much effort Eun-ho put into not touching him.

“……”

“……”

On the way home from the broadcast station. Ji Hyeon, sitting in the back seat, wore a disgruntled expression the entire time. Normally, he would either be catching some sleep or checking his phone, but he just sat with his arms crossed, staring intently at Eun-ho. The gaze was so distracting that, in the end, Eun-ho had no choice but to ask him as soon as they stopped at a red light.

“What’s wrong?”

“What is?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He had already washed his hands, and they hadn’t run into anyone after that. The van door opened on its own, so the precious actor didn’t even have to lift a finger, so what reason could there be for such a fierce glare?

“If you have a complaint, say it.”

“I don’t have a complaint with you.”

Ji Hyeon, visible through the rearview mirror, still hadn’t taken his eyes off Eun-ho. With his thin, double-lidded eyes wide with intensity, he stared fixedly at Eun-ho without even blinking. Eun-ho interpreted this look as something along the lines of, ‘I do have a complaint, but you’re not the one it’s with.’

“……Do you hate filming variety shows that much?”

“……”

As if that was the right answer, Ji Hyeon’s gaze briefly shifted away. Of course, it returned to Eun-ho’s face not long after. As he started driving again, Eun-ho uttered a remark that would have made CEO Byun faint.

“We can just call it off now.”

It was a ridiculous thing to say. Naturally, Ji Hyeon replied in an unimpressed voice.

“Wow, the President would love that.”

It would be a relief if he didn’t just collapse from high blood pressure. Just a few days ago, when he and Ji Hyeon had stopped by the agency, hadn’t CEO Byun’s neck turned beet red as he screamed at Eun-ho to come alone from now on? Of course, Ji Hyeon had just smiled brightly and politely said he’d see him next time.

“If you hate it so much, why did you agree to do it?”

“Because you, Kwak Eun-ho……”

“Don’t say it’s because I made you.”

“……”

“For someone who was supposedly forced, you agreed way too quickly.”

If he had been forced into it against his will, he should have shown a little more hesitation. But Ji Hyeon had agreed more readily than expected, saying, ‘If you tell me to, I’ll do it.’ It was clear that beneath his seemingly docile attitude, he had come to some sort of conclusion on his own.

“Be honest. What’s the reason?”

Eun-ho asked in a softened voice, as if coaxing a child. Half curiosity, and half concern as his manager. As expected, instead of denying it further, Ji Hyeon obediently told him the real reason.

“I was afraid you’d go off the grid again.”

“……”

Flinch. Eun-ho’s shoulders jerked slightly. He almost swerved the wheel and had to grip it tightly. Unaware of his agitation, Ji Hyeon continued in his characteristically gentle voice.

“Once this airs, I’ll probably hear about what kind of crap you’re up to and where, this time.”

“……Hey, how long ago was that?”

That was the only excuse he could muster. He couldn’t chide him for holding a grudge, because he wasn’t ignorant of the sense of betrayal Ji Hyeon must have felt back then. Just thinking of the expression on Ji Hyeon’s face when they reunited made his heart drop even now.

“I told you that won’t happen again.”

For one, it hadn’t been intentional, and besides, that was before he was Ji Hyeon’s manager. A similar situation wouldn’t happen now, so there was no need to worry. Ji Hyeon had to know that too, but he scoffed lightly and retorted.

“You have to catch a first-time offender to make sure it doesn’t happen again. You think a guy who did it once won’t do it twice?”

“Why are you treating me like a criminal……”

Eun-ho’s voice trailed off as he calmly turned the steering wheel. He hoped Ji Hyeon would say he was joking, but Ji Hyeon just stared at him fixedly as if to say ‘no chance.’ There wasn’t a speck of playfulness in his gaze, so Eun-ho spoke with a slightly sheepish look.

“……I don’t have anything else to do if I quit this.”

With only a high school diploma, Eun-ho’s work experience consisted of minor part-time jobs and manual labor. The only thing he was good at was studying, but wasn’t that useless at his age, on the cusp of thirty? If anyone should be worried about this relationship ending, it was his role, not Ji Hyeon’s.

“So don’t worry about useless things.”

Once they filmed ‘My MaeSo,’ rumors would spread that he was Ji Hyeon’s manager for the time being anyway. In that situation, even Eun-ho wouldn’t think of looking for a new job. It meant that unless some problem arose, there was no reason for him to leave his side.

“……”

Only then did Ji Hyeon finally tear his gaze away from Eun-ho. It seemed he had realized, whether in his head or his heart, that he could rest assured for now. Watching him, Eun-ho once again forced down the emotions that had risen to his throat.