Hwi-gyeom, who had given up one hand, tilted his head to the side and looked at the man’s eyes hidden by the cap. His eyelashes, spread wide like a fan, swayed gently.
Hwi-gyeom had the thought he felt whenever he looked in the mirror while looking at the man’s face.
Really so incredibly pretty.
Though he had thicker features than Hwi-gyeom, the man also suited the expression “beautiful” rather than “handsome.” Especially his lightly pigmented irises were unspeakably pretty. Though not mixed-race, they had a slight brownish tint with a subtle green hue mixed in.
His eyes, reflecting the phone light, looked even more moist with a thin film of tears.
If someone else were in this spot, they would probably blush looking at the man’s face. If they were a more expressive person, they might even scream.
And for good reason—the man was currently the most popular actor in South Korea.
From his debut work, he debuted in a comeback film by a director representing Chungmuro and won the Best New Actor award that year, then the following year immediately won the Best Actor award at our country’s most prestigious film festival.
Even the drama he appeared in as the male lead that same year was a huge hit, and he received the Excellence in Acting award on the drama side too, causing a stir in the entertainment industry.
Usually, if things go well from the debut work, one would slip at least once, but the man kept hitting career highs. The reason was simple.
Acting ability so genius it was unparalleled, outstanding appearance that made that acting ability shine even brighter, and even a chaebol family background.
The man had all the elements that would make people go wild. Would it have been less if he were at least short? Even his height was 188cm. Following his face, his body was also perfect, and his private life was clean.
His age was only twenty-four this year, so his future was bright. As a result, the number of fans who liked him was increasing day by day.
But did they know? That Do Yi-hyun, called South Korea’s best actor, was actually gay.
“……My manager hyung dropped me off nearby. Are you worried I might get into trouble?”
The guy’s eyes sparkled. He did worry. Not about Do Yi-hyun, but about this body. Since Yi-hyun was popular, there were people who followed him wherever he went. Even now, someone might be hiding nearby watching.
Yi-hyun had already become an actor representing South Korea, but this body wasn’t. Having met a vicious agency president and rolled under him for almost a year now, all he’d filmed so far was one short film. Even that had an uncertain release.
He got opportunities to audition about two or three times a month, but that was all. Even when he auditioned, he couldn’t get into projects.
He knew the cause. The problem was appearance too outstanding and acting seriously bad in inverse proportion. The face was too striking to put in as a minor supporting role with no weight, but giving him a fairly decent role seemed like it would ruin the entire work.
If he at least had recognition, but this body had never even done common SNS, so it hadn’t been known to the public yet.
“Of course. What if photos were taken? I haven’t even properly debuted yet, but you’re different.”
Unlike with Seo-jin and Ha-seok, when talking with Yi-hyun, Hwi-gyeom was also somewhat comfortable. Not only was Yi-hyun one year younger than Hwi-gyeom, but among the three people, he was at least close to normal.
Though he occasionally left marks on the body when excited, that was all. Should he say he tried to maintain a minimum line even in an abnormal relationship?
“Hyung……”
As if moved, Yi-hyun’s eyes rippled. Hwi-gyeom smiled gently. Seeing that appearance, Yi-hyun took a big breath until his chest swelled.
“Let’s go inside. Like hyung said, someone might see.”
At Yi-hyun’s words, Hwi-gyeom realized his alone time had flown far away. The sponsors were acting crazy especially today.
According to the body owner’s memories, they should meet at most once every two weeks, but he ran into Ha-seok by chance at the department store. Yi-hyun came all the way to his house. Seo-jin even made an appointment for next Monday evening in advance before leaving.
Start work quickly or something, jeez. At this rate, rather than an actor, he was truly just like a prostitute selling his body for money. Even the profit wasn’t Hwi-gyeom’s but the agency president’s. Unless someone gave him spending money separately like Seo-jin, Hwi-gyeom had nothing he could get his hands on.
He entered the officetel building with Yi-hyun, who followed behind like a large dog. He got on the elevator that happened to be on the first floor and pressed the button for the 17th floor.
Even while the elevator was going up, Yi-hyun stood stuck close to Hwi-gyeom’s side. The clinging was unusual. Hwi-gyeom briefly looked down at the bag hanging from his wrist.
Ah, I’m hungry.
Trying to save money, I bought just one lunch box. If he’d known this would happen, he should have bought one more. But it was embarrassing to eat alone in front of a guest.
Then thinking about it, he recalled that Yi-hyun had been eating only chicken breast lately to manage his body. Yesterday too, he’d taken a picture of a salad piled high with chicken breast and sent it, saying he was sick of eating only this every day.
They got off the elevator and walked inside the corridor. Where Hwi-gyeom lived was at the very end. When he was about to press the password, he felt a hot gaze from behind.
When he turned his head, Yi-hyun approached close and wrapped his arms around Hwi-gyeom’s waist. Hwi-gyeom’s fingertips placed on the keypad flinched and trembled.
Is it okay to tell Yi-hyun the password?
The answer was ‘no.’ Even now he was visiting suddenly without contact, so if he taught him the password, there was a very high possibility he’d enter the house without permission.
It was just that he was less than Seo-jin and Ha-seok; from what he’d experienced so far, Yi-hyun was also absolutely not someone with proper thinking.
“Can you close your eyes for a moment?”
“Okay.”
After confirming Yi-hyun obediently listening, he quickly pressed the password. The door opened with a familiar sound. Hwi-gyeom, who had been taking off his shoes, paused briefly. Come to think of it, not knowing a guest would come to the house, the house was a mess.
But the hesitation was brief. Since it wasn’t Hwi-gyeom who invited him but Yi-hyun who came recklessly, there was no need to be mindful.
“Wear these slippers.”
Still, he gave Yi-hyun the one pair of slippers he had. Yi-hyun, who put on the slippers, stuck to him in earnest. As he even put his weight on him, Hwi-gyeom headed to the living room with heavy steps.
Turning on the light with the remote on the sofa table, it brightened and the messy state of the house came into view. From the dining table piled high with leftover cup ramen containers to water bottles rolling on the floor, and clothes piled here and there like shed skin.
Hwi-gyeom picked up and held the clothes that had been bundled on the sofa in his arms. Roughly patting the sofa with his palm to dust it off, he gestured to Yi-hyun with his eyes.
“Sit here.”
“Thank you.”
Yi-hyun sat on the sofa and kept looking around curiously. Then, as if frustrated, he took off his cap. Running his hand through his hair a few times, it naturally settled into place.
“Why are you looking like that?”
“Mm. Nothing.”
At the puzzled voice, Hwi-gyeom came to his senses. He’d been momentarily captivated by Yi-hyun’s appearance. Though he wasn’t particularly dressed up, it was just like he was doing a pictorial shoot. Though the background was too shabby.
“Want something to drink? There’s water and zero cola.”
Since he’d brought him in, he thought he should treat the guest and asked. But Yi-hyun shook his head. At the gaze staring blankly up at him, Hwi-gyeom made an awkward smile and touched his face.
“Is there something on my face?”
“……There’s an injury at the corner of your mouth too. Your lips are really swollen too.”
“Ah.”
Hwi-gyeom’s eyebrows drooped. When he lowered his eyes, a desolate atmosphere flowed. Hwi-gyeom hesitated, then barely raised his head to make eye contact with Yi-hyun.
“I bumped into a door. Really stupid, right?”
“……Does hyung think I’m stupid?”
“It’s true though.”
Watching Hwi-gyeom, who looked like he’d cry right away while giving an unbelievable excuse, Yi-hyun gritted his teeth. He thought he’d put in quite a bit of effort so far. So that Hwi-gyeom could open his heart to him.
But he felt there was still a long way to go. It wasn’t particularly that he liked Hwi-gyeom. Though his appearance was excessively his type, Yi-hyun wasn’t the style to be hung up on one person from the start.
Dating was always light. With multiple people at the same time.
Actually, the relationship with Hwi-gyeom wasn’t even lovers. It was sponsorship.
Though it was his first time doing it, he didn’t refuse because the other party was Hwi-gyeom. But the more he met Hwi-gyeom, greed kept arising. Should he say he wanted to push away all the other sponsors whose faces and names he didn’t know and monopolize Hwi-gyeom all to himself?
“Where’s the ointment?”
“Mm. I don’t have any. If I sleep a few nights, it’ll all heal. It’s really nothing.”
