A moment later, the sound of two people’s footsteps was heard, followed by the sound of a door closing. Even after a long while had passed, Yeonrok finally slid down from the stairs.
He trudged over and stared for a moment at the spot where Yeom Cheonho and Choi Hwan had kissed. Then, as if nothing had happened, he walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He reached for water but stopped, reached for a carbonated drink but stopped again, then closed the refrigerator. He opened the wine cellar next to it and grabbed whatever alcohol he could reach. He didn’t even touch a glass.
He trudged back to his room. With his comfort doll Yeondoo tucked under his arm, he tilted the bottle. The aroma was good.
“Worth the expensive price.”
He spaced out for a moment, reminiscing about something, then tilted the bottle again. He gulped down the entire bottle until his face turned bright red. Then he slowly dry-washed his face.
“Fuck, so fucking embarrassing…….”
He let out several big sighs in succession. As he sat swaying his body slightly side to side while tipsy, the alcohol hit him hard. He lifted Yeondoo up high.
“Yeondoo, will you, be my Name, Partner?”
Following Yeonrok’s movements, the grimy puppy doll nodded its head.
“You will? Thank you……. I’ll cherish you from now on.”
After hugging Yeondoo tightly and giving it a kiss, Yeonrok laid it on the bed and covered it with a blanket. After patting it gently, he sat down in the chair. He took out his diary and gripped the pen with his flushed hand. Then, drunk on loneliness, he scribbled his diary entry haphazardly.
20xx Year x Month x Day
Couple hell fuck
* * *
“Ugh, uugh.”
Yeonrok clutched his head in agony, then clutched the area around his solar plexus. His head hurt and his stomach was churning. In short, it was a hangover.
“Oh my. Young Master, you should drink in moderation.”
“The wine was better than I expected…….”
In front of the groaning Yeonrok, Park Yeoin clicked her tongue and set down bean sprout soup. As Yeonrok expressed gratitude for Park Yeoin’s deep grace and started drinking the broth to settle his stomach, Choi Hwan hobbled into the kitchen. He was yawning when he spotted Yeonrok and paused.
“Why the hell do you have such a face? Put some effort into your appearance.”
His gaze was directed at the apple hair tied up roughly and crookedly with a rubber band. I’d put effort into my appearance if there was someone in this house I needed to look good for. While grumbling internally and sipping the hot broth, Yeonrok said nonchalantly.
“If I go around like this, it improves scalp blood circulation and makes my hair fuller.”
Choi Hwan’s movements as he was sitting down stopped for a moment. He ate a few spoonfuls of rice, then asked in a cold voice after a moment.
“……Does it really make your hair fuller?”
It was obviously a lie. However, since it was funny watching Choi Hwan immediately tie up his bangs, Yeonrok just deliberately nodded. A moment later, manager Jo Junho came and pointed out the dangers of traction alopecia and revealed the truth, but until then, Choi Hwan had a ridiculous hairstyle. Surprisingly, even that suited his looks, so Yeonrok’s stomach hurt a little.
After teasing the fool to his heart’s content, Yeonrok was focusing on his hangover cure when Choi Hwan, who had been glaring at him while fuming, crossed his arms and said.
“Hey. I’m dating Yeom Cheonho.”
The cocky tone like an immature high schooler addressing their homeroom teacher carelessly, and the smug look on his face. The corners of his mouth curved up refreshingly with a grin. Before Yeonrok could answer, Park Yeoin’s punishment fell upon Choi Hwan. The ladle she was holding struck Choi Hwan’s thick forearm with a sharp smacking sound. Then Park Yeoin scolded Choi Hwan, whose eyes had widened in surprise.
“How rude to call an older superior by their name so bluntly! That won’t do!”
“I’m dating Cheonho hyung…….”
Even when the completely deflated Choi Hwan corrected himself weakly, Park Yeoin glared at him terrifyingly as she set down the side dishes. The sullen Choi Hwan’s lips stuck out in a pout.
“Oh, I see. You’re dating the President.”
When Yeonrok, who had let go of many things while getting drunk last night, replied indifferently, Choi Hwan narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms as if the reaction was boring. Like he cared. Yeonrok had now decided not to expect that his Name Partners would become life companions or partners or family. Now his goal was just healthy survival…….
The actual reaction burst out from Jo Junho, who was in a daze from shock.
“What! Hwan, what are you saying?”
“We decided to date last night.”
When he answered nonchalantly, Jo Junho’s complexion turned pale then bright red as he jumped up.
“You bastard! How can you act so recklessly as an actor! You’re about to start filming, what if rumors spread! You’re going to be treated as a married man now! Do you think celebrities hide their Name Manifestation for no reason?!”
“Ah! Why are you so surprised now? We’re Name Partners. Isn’t dating natural then? Though I did end up stuck with two pieces of trash.”
Whether Jo Junho was tearing his hair out in frustration or not, Choi Hwan looked arrogantly at “trash 1” who was focusing on his hangover cure.
“Honestly, for an actor of my level, my Name Partners should be at that level too.”
Jo Junho, who had let out a deep sigh, grabbed his phone and stood up. Choi Hwan shouted at him as he was making a call somewhere.
“Hyung, don’t you dare tattle to the CEO!”
The CEO mentioned here wasn’t Yeom Cheonho but the CEO of Choi Hwan’s agency.
“I’m going to call the CEO, so you watch your mouth! If an article comes out, you’re really going to be in trouble!”
“Do you think I’m an idiot! Like I’d do that! Ah fuck, hyung wait!”
Choi Hwan noisily exited the dining room with his manager. Park Yeoin clicked her tongue as she cleared away Choi Hwan’s unfinished food. It was a movement that created a strangely chilly atmosphere. Yeonrok was rolling his eyes and quietly slurping his bean sprout soup when Moon Gyeonwoo appeared. He was always refined, but his appearance today was especially sleek.
“Park Yeoin-ssi, didn’t flowers get delivered today?”
“Yes, they came.”
While Park Yeoin, who had answered with a strangely drawn-out tone, briefly left with quick steps, not a single word was exchanged between Yeonrok and Moon Gyeonwoo. Even when Park Yeoin reappeared carrying a large rose bouquet, they didn’t exchange a single glance.
“Here you are.”
What Park Yeoin brought was a lush and red rose bouquet so lavish that even Yeonrok, who had been treating the other person like just another stone rolling around, looked up in surprise. Whether Park Yeoin was strangely cold or not, Moon Gyeonwoo didn’t care. He just smiled faintly and disappeared with the bouquet.
“Oh my!”
As soon as Moon Gyeonwoo left, the sound of Park Yeoin letting out a big sigh could be heard. She clearly didn’t like Choi Hwan, and she obviously disapproved of Moon Gyeonwoo’s behavior of playing so sweetly with his lover while having a Name Partner. Seeing Yeonrok carefully picking at his side dishes while reading the mood, Park Yeoin asked with an affectionately smiling face.
“Our Young Master, shall I give you more soup?”
Yeonrok keenly caught that “our” had been added before his title.
“Yes! Just a bit more broth, please!”
“Alright. Eat a lot, a lot. Your stomach must be upset from drinking. Shall I make you some honey water too?”
Park Yeoin took meticulous care of Yeonrok. Her gaze and touch were full of affection for him. After gulping down two bowls of hot soup and finally settling his stomach, Yeonrok thought. It seemed both Choi Hwan and Moon Gyeonwoo had gotten on Park Yeoin’s bad side……. Thanks to that, he enjoyed an unwholesome satisfaction while receiving all of Park Yeoin’s favor.
After finishing breakfast, Yeonrok wandered around the large house like a dog on patrol, checking here and there. He glanced only once at the white door on the second floor from a distance, then grabbed his cigarettes and went outside. As he wandered around the house this time too, at some point two familiar faces appeared.
“Hello, hyungs!”
When Yeonrok greeted them, the two bodyguards who had been quietly following behind bowed their heads. It didn’t matter how far he was from the house. Even after just one minute of being out, the security team subtly followed along. When he found this interesting and asked how they managed it, the answer came back that the security teams had set up lodging nearby and were on standby at all times.
“Did you enjoy your breakfast?”
The bodyguards’ politely asking gazes were directed at Yeonrok’s hair. Oh right. I still have my bangs tied up. He was briefly flustered but soon Yeonrok brazenly pushed forward.
“It suits me well, doesn’t it?”
“Yes……. It suits you well.”
With solemn expressions, impossible to tell what they were thinking inside, the two bodyguards agreed. The two people’s names were Park Chungseong and Jeong Boeun respectively. The moment Yeonrok first heard the two people’s names, he thought to himself.
‘Aren’t their names a bit unusual……?’
However, he didn’t show it outwardly. The ones who suffered most because of their names would be the people themselves, after all.
