“Long time no see. Right?”
When he bought luxury goods saying he wanted them, grateful in front, giggling behind calling him a sucker.
“You haven’t changed. Cool. Still pretty.”
Hiding his existence saying he had to keep him tightly hidden in case other guys coveted him, confidently playing single outside.
“Isn’t fate really fascinating? We meet again like this.”
The world’s best lover cosplay, lying him down in bed anytime anywhere, having his friends evaluate his body and moaning sounds.
“You’ve been well, right?”
Making him wait alone at the airport for six hours, then video calling from a noisy bar to put him on display as entertainment.
If he listed how his heart was trampled on, it would be painful for his mouth. That bastard who consumed even the sight of him desperately asking why he wasn’t coming as a laughingstock—what? Been well?
Young’s eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.
He did so looking for something usable as a tool. Whatever the intention, that mouth scratching his insides while smiling broadly. No, that face. No, the head that all that was attached to—he wanted to give it a good blow.
Regrettably, the elegant hotel didn’t have an object to his liking. Young considered whether he should at least pour the champagne in his hand.
The consideration was brief. Young immediately pulled back the hand holding the champagne. If he swung it like this, at the end of a splendid swing, that shameless face would get beautifully soaked.
“Is something, wrong?”
But just then, Kyung-heon appeared. Even though he’s ignored for being a beta, he’s ultimately Joomyeong bloodline so he’d been busy being called here and there. But he came at this timing.
Well, considering Joo Kyung-heon’s reaction speed, he might have been watching from before and only now decided to approach…
That wasn’t important. What was important was the fact that Young ultimately couldn’t deliver even one blow.
Young bit his teeth hard. Yet outwardly, he calmly turned to Kyung-heon. It’s nothing, just exchanging greetings with a guest. He intended to roughly deflect like that.
But that bastard Ahn Chae-seung strikes first again. He said while lightly rubbing the tip of his nose with his index finger.
“We were exchanging greetings. We were very close with Young, but somehow we couldn’t contact each other for a long time.”
“Ah… yes.”
“Contact was cut off for quite a while, and we met again like this at a wedding. Ah, come to think of it, congratulations should come first. Congratulations on your marriage.”
His experience playing the nation’s number one lover while hiding his dark insides hadn’t gone anywhere. Ahn Chae-seung had already acted like a good person. Joo Kyung-heon, who couldn’t know such loathsomeness, just innocently said “Thank you.”
Thanks to that, only Young, caught in between, was having his blood pressure rise.
“What. Why is this here?”
His younger hyung, Chan, approached smoothly and spoke in a cold voice.
Glancing at Seong-jae standing behind, it seemed he, having sensed the unusual atmosphere, had sneakily called his hyung. Seong-jae pretended to look away with effort, and Chan gestured outside with a fierce expression. It meant to follow him out.
“I just came to say congratulations on the marriage…”
Ahn Chae-seung stood there pretending not to grasp the meaning, then finally took a step. In case he might run away, Chan grabbed his left arm like an arrest and went.
Young watched that sight with a displeased gaze. Seong-jae awkwardly headed elsewhere as if embarrassed to be caught between the two who seemed like a married couple yet weren’t, and Kyung-heon stood tall, staying by Young’s side.
Silence naturally settled between the two. The one to break the solid air first was Kyung-heon.
“I’m sorry.”
At the sudden apology, Young turned to him saying “Huh?”
“It was a role I should have played, but I was late.”
Young blinked his eyes. It was an expression where the sound of his heart saying ‘What role?’ leaked out completely. Only after a moment’s thought did he nod saying “Ahh.”
It was the same situation as last time. The day he went to greet Kyung-heon’s house and became a pitiful shrimp in the fight between two elders. Even then, Kyung-heon had apologized saying he should have handled it but couldn’t.
The ‘role I should have played’ he was talking about now must be referring to Chan’s actions. Because it was a reaction opposite to himself, who had believed Ahn Chae-seung’s words that they were acquaintances exchanging greetings and stayed still.
“It’s okay. You didn’t know. He’s someone with no relationship to Kyung-heon ssi at all.”
Young lightly patted his forearm as if to comfort him.
Anyway, he had commendable aspects. Even if he was a bit slow, didn’t he never neglect self-reflection and apologies?
If he had the will to be faithful to the husband role, his insides might burst from frustration, but if he considered him as a companion sloth, it seemed he could just cutely tolerate him.
It was when Young was sincerely smiling brightly at Kyung-heon.
“Please come with me for a moment.”
An extremely businesslike voice interjected between the two. Whoosh. Young’s head turned following the voice, and a few seconds later, Kyung-heon also turned his gaze in the direction the sound came from.
The identity of the one who suddenly appeared was Chairman Joo’s attending secretary. A person who always stayed by his side. He gazed at Young with a firm look. It meant Young was the one who needed to go with him for a moment.
Young asked for Kyung-heon’s understanding with a simple eye gesture. Perhaps because it was a familiar face. Kyung-heon also didn’t raise any objection. After patiently observing the other party’s reaction, Young belatedly took steps following the executive secretary.
They didn’t go far. The place the attending secretary guided him to was a waiting room prepared at the back of the event hall. Upon entering inside, Chairman Joo, who had come first, greeted Young. He looked this way with an intent gaze resembling Kyung-heon’s.
“It suits you well.”
The first words that flowed out were pleasantries. It seemed about half sincere but couldn’t really be considered goodwill—literally just a greeting.
“Thank you. Grandfather looks wonderful today too.”
Young responded to the greeting with a bright smile. Perhaps it was an unexpectedly bold response, as Chairman Joo chuckled and soon cleared his throat.
“Anyway, yes, sit down first.”
He said while extending his hand. Young pulled over the stool behind him and sat as instructed. Then he gazed at Chairman Joo with eyes curious about what he had to say.
“It must be hectic, but I won’t take much of your time.”
“Please speak comfortably.”
“Whether you hate it or like it, now you’re the person closest to our Kyung-heon.”
“Yes, of course.”
Chairman Joo, who had been speaking without hesitation until now, suddenly closed his lips tightly. Because of that, silence descended for a moment.
Rather than a particularly difficult topic to bring up, it seemed he was being cautious while choosing his expression. Young endured the silence tenaciously without rushing, like when waiting for Kyung-heon’s reaction. Then before long, a deep voice flowed out.
“If any change happens to Kyung-heon, let me know first.”
For words chosen while buying time, it wasn’t a great demand. It could be that he had the desire to know first about things happening to his grandson.
“Of course I can do that much. I will.”
Young agreed clearly without deep consideration.
***
For someone whose energy had been depleted from being called here and there, the newlywed home therapy was directly effective.
All those people who had chattered about the obviously strategic marriage, the unwelcome faces mixed among them. He’d been completely drained trying to maintain a smiling face among them. But entering a house with no sign of anyone else, his energy surged back up.
That’s right. This is it!
For Young, it was the first independent space he’d ever had in his life. Even if it was a space shared with Kyung-heon, it was fine. After all, Kyung-heon wouldn’t barge in to check whether he’d secretly gone out or was staying properly in his room. If he went out, Kyung-heon wouldn’t be watching to see whether he came back by 8 PM or not, and wouldn’t use the security CCTV as a means to monitor his outings and returns.
To think the dream he’d been aiming for all this time was unfolding right before his eyes. There was no way to hide his excitement. Young stepped into the house with a bright smile and quick steps.
Scurrying this way, scurrying that way. His excited mood could be read clearly in every action as he examined every corner of the house that hadn’t yet been touched by anyone’s hands.
Very satisfactory.
He already knew what furniture would come in and what accessories would be placed. But seeing the completed interior in reality made it feel fresh and exciting all over again.
