Until Saturday arrived, Bernard faithfully attended to what he had to do. Examining contract proposals for authors put forward by various agencies, requesting manuscripts, reviewing them, and weighing their value for contracts—these had been his main tasks lately. That there was a lot of work was fortunate, rather. It was good for erasing idle thoughts.
“Oh, what’s that ring? It doesn’t look like just any ring?”
“He must have gotten a girlfriend.”
“Well, Bernard-ssi is kind.”
At the company he stopped by briefly for a meeting, the employees added their comments one by one. He was faithfully following Rubens’s instruction to always wear the ring when going out, but perhaps because the ring was too flashy, everyone he encountered would inevitably ask about the ring’s purpose once.
“Um…… shall we talk about work?”
“Ah, right. Sorry. I’m talking about the manuscript that Pulp Fiction Agency recently circulated.”
When Bernard awkwardly changed the subject, the employees obediently followed along. Even while handling the printed manuscript, Bernard rubbed and hid the ring on his finger. It seemed he should take it off when going out after all. Anything too conspicuous was unwelcome. Moreover, didn’t this ring have a similar design to Elliot’s ring? At that moment, a text notification appeared on the phone he’d placed on the conference table.
[Rubens]: Are you busy?
[Bernard]: A little…… What is it?
[Rubens]: We need to go buy clothes.
[Bernard]: You went shopping with Elliot.
[Rubens]: Your clothes.
[Bernard]: If you’re talking about the party, it’s fine. I have a suit.
[Rubens]: A cheap suit, no doubt. I’ll send a car this evening, so clear your schedule.
[Bernard]: ……Aren’t you busy?
[Rubens]: I am.
Is he really busy? Bernard’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at Rubens’s sudden text.
[Rubens]: You’re not planning to come to Horden’s birthday party looking shabby, are you.
[Bernard]: If it’s neat… wouldn’t that be enough?
[Rubens]: At an event where all kinds of celebrities are coming, neat?
The texts were getting longer. Even if he got scolded by Rubens later, since he was having an important meeting now, it seemed better to put the phone face down. As soon as he put the phone face down, a buzzing vibration sounded. He tried to ignore it, but as the vibrating continued, Bernard eventually apologized and picked up the phone again.
[Rubens]: Not this evening—I’ll send a car now, so get in it.
[Bernard]: I’m in a meeting right now.
[Rubens]: Aren’t you in a position where you have to respond whenever I call?
Bernard’s face turned pale. This man was someone who would do what he said he’d do. It was a meeting to decide on contract matters and marketing for new publications, but it had become difficult to proceed.
“……I’m truly sorry, but.”
“Something came up, right? You can go! Well, let’s meet next time. Even though it’s important, it’s not an urgent agenda item, and clearly something must have happened at home.”
“Really, I’m sincerely sorry.”
“Not at all.”
Favorable voices came from here and there. The people at Weil House Publishing were generally favorable toward Bernard. At first, many people misunderstood Bernard because of his reserved nature and gloomy personality, but the more they worked together, the more they all easily opened their hearts to him, who was sincere and showed affection for books.
Unlike the CEO who was utterly insincere with internal matters, here was the CEO’s son who was always sincere. Their dispositions contrasted, and many pitied Bernard who was constantly tormented by Elliot’s affairs and Liam’s nagging. Watching Bernard hurriedly leave his seat, one of the employees clicked their tongue.
“Even if he acted a bit high and mighty since he’s the CEO’s son, it would be fine.”
“He just doesn’t know how to be shrewd.”
“It’s like the fate of kind people.”
Comments chimed in from here and there. But among them, only the editor-in-chief remained silent, lost in deep thought.
“Is something troubling you?”
“Don’t you feel like you’ve seen that ring somewhere?”
“Come on. Where else would you see such a flashy ring? Did you see it in a Tiffany ad?”
“No…… it really looks familiar.”
As the editor-in-chief pushed up their glasses and tilted their head, this time a young employee recently hired as an intern added:
“Isn’t that ring exactly the same as Elliot-ssi’s ring?”
“Ah! Right, I wondered where I’d seen it. I think I saw it in photos of that couple……”
“What are you talking about? The interview said it was custom-made, so there’s only one pair.”
“……Right?”
“Then are you saying Bernard-ssi secretly wore Elliot’s ring?”
A chilly silence settled inside the conference room. Several employees cleared their throats, and the intern who’d first brought up the ring looked around gauging the mood.
“……What kind of nonsensical assumption is that? We must have seen wrong. Come on, let’s get to work.”
“Yes, yes, let’s reschedule the meeting.”
The employees hastily adjourned the meeting and left their seats, but the intern who remained alone to clean up was impressed.
“……Wow, so the rumors about him having an inferiority complex toward his own sibling were true.”
He’d recently joined Weil House, and although he said his reason for joining was because there was an author he liked, in reality he was someone more interested in gossip. He was very curious about the couple that had heated up various communities, but was especially interested in Bernard, who was rumored to be the opposite of his sibling and to stalk in a gloomy manner.
Having actually met and experienced him, he’d thought Bernard might not be such a gloomy person, but today’s ring was decisive. As expected, not everything circulating on the internet was false. He planned to thoroughly gossip about what he saw today on Reddit as soon as he got back. Thinking he’d be able to draw everyone’s attention, a corner of his heart fluttered with excitement.
He wasn’t worried about getting entangled in legal battles like defamation. When people slandered Elliot, lawsuits would fly like clockwork, but with Bernard, nothing happened as if he were outside consideration.
The intern left the conference room humming. He was already looking forward to getting off work.
***
“Hello……”
“Yes, we meet again.”
What awaited Bernard when he rushed home was Dale Roman. The promise to send a car wasn’t a joke—Bernard looked at the prominently placed car with burden before getting in. Dale observed him through the rearview mirror.
“I’ll tell you in advance, but I’d like you to finish shopping as quickly as possible.”
“Ah…… yes.”
“The next meeting is tight, so it would be good if you could return early.”
It was a tone as if Bernard had begged to go shopping. But Bernard had no energy to explain and quietly bobbed his head. After that, several more requests followed. Don’t say unnecessary things, express proper gratitude and be satisfied with what’s given. Several rebukes like “unlike Elliot” followed, but Bernard just nodded again.
[Rhino]: Bernard, aren’t you going to contact me?
It was from Rhino. To the question of whether he’d attend Saturday’s party, Bernard still hadn’t answered. Light greeting texts had come for several days, but he hadn’t answered any of them. To be precise, he couldn’t answer.
[Rhino]: We’re friends.
Those words were difficult to read. Bernard rubbed the phone screen roughly. His gaze touched the finger where he’d removed the ring, then fell away.
“Have you ever, not even once, thought you didn’t want to be my friend?”
He remembered Rhino’s confession that had continued with difficulty. He could tell without seeing how much Rhino must have blamed himself to be able to say it so casually like this.
[Bernard]: Aren’t you… even upset with me?
[Rhino]: Why?
The question had been so difficult, but there was no hesitation in the answer that returned.
[Bernard]: I treated you so coldly.
[Rhino]: You can do that.
[Bernard]: Why are you talking like that?
[Rhino]: You can be cold to me, bad, and mean.
Bernard couldn’t answer. He held his breath while watching the texts that came up quickly. Emotions churned inside him. Rhino was someone who knew everything. That Bernard had accepted being Rubens’s sex partner, that he had a one-sided love for him……
[Rhino]: You don’t do that to other people. So act like that. It means you’re only like that to me.
[Rhino]: I like it. It feels special.
He blinked at the successive texts. It was foolish talk.
[Rhino]: So contact me anytime without worrying. I don’t care about anything. I want to see you.
[Bernard]: Fool.
That was the only response he could give. While he was just endlessly holding his phone, the car stopped smoothly.
“We’ve arrived.”
It was the parking lot of a department store located downtown. Seeing an employee approach for valet service, Bernard awkwardly got out of the car and Dale added instructions.
“If you go to the lounge on the top floor, they’ll guide you. Well then.”
As if he had no intention of guiding further, he bid a clean farewell. Bernard shuffled toward the inside of the department store. As he passed through the interior noisy with various people and pressed the top floor button of the elevator, several people’s gazes followed him, but he pretended not to notice. Thanks to Elliot becoming famous, Bernard also occasionally received people’s gazes. The burden pressed down heavily on his stomach.
When he reached the top floor and hurriedly got off heading toward the lounge, an employee with a kind smile who seemed to have been waiting bowed.
“Are you Bernard Weil-ssi? Rubens Hurt-ssi is waiting for you.”
“Ah, hello. Yes…… thank you.”
Following the clicking sound of high heels, he needlessly adjusted his clothing. That was understandable, because the interior was empty and you could tell at a glance who the space was targeted for. Walking down the lounge corridor he’d never seen before, before long the door to a separately prepared space opened.
The place he entered through the mahogany door was a space he’d never seen before. Separated from the outside, even if you stopped by in broad daylight, it seemed like you wouldn’t hear any of the miscellaneous noise from inside the department store at all. Three sides were all glass, so you could see the downtown night view at a glance.
On the other side, full-length mirrors were set up at various angles, so just by standing in the center, it seemed you could examine the clothes on your body without any gaps. As if that weren’t enough, one full-length mirror was set up separately. And next to it, all kinds of clothes were hung ostentatiously.
“Hurt-ssi, I’ve brought the customer.”
“Thank you. Could I have another cup of coffee?”
“Yes, I’ll prepare it right away.”
Bernard, who had entered the room carefully, stood stiffly. The employee left behind him and the door closed. He seemed to have been looking at clothes, as his jacket was removed and he was sitting on the spacious sofa, staring up at Bernard intently.
“Why didn’t you wear the clothes I bought you?”
“Uh… I thought they were a bit much for me to wear……”
“A bit much?”
“They were too…… expensive.”
Bernard’s voice crept in. Looking at those narrowed eyes, his gaze naturally lowered. Bernard hunched his shoulders with both hands clasped together in front like someone being scolded. One of Rubens’s eyebrows raised.
“The ring.”
“I have it. Just, just a moment.”
Startled, Bernard took the ring out of his pants pocket and put it on his finger. However, Rubens’s expression showed no signs of softening.
“Left ring finger.”
“……Pardon?”
“That’s where you should wear your ring. Remember that.”
The feelings flashing in his blue eyes seemed somehow shadowed, like damp emotions.
