“Today, we’ve specially prepared seating outdoors. Shall we first watch the drone show from this hotel rooftop and then chat?”
As soon as Yeonrok made eye contact with the host, he realized.
Something’s wrong. Things seem to be going awry.
He quickly surveyed his surroundings. Yeom Cheonho’s face, which looked the same as usual but somehow seemed pale, Kim Jeongseong’s dismayed expression having just gotten off the elevator, and the clear malice in the host’s eyes as he gestured toward the door opening to the rooftop.
He didn’t know exactly what it was, but Yeom Cheonho was clearly in a predicament. Yeom Cheonho’s palm, now squeezing Yeonrok’s hand painfully, was damp with cold sweat. Yeonrok swallowed dryly and deliberately made a loud “Ah!” sound. Yeom Cheonho, who had been staring intensely at the glass door leading to the rooftop, finally turned his gaze to his partner in confusion.
“Cheonho-ssi, I… don’t feel very well.”
His voice trembled as he struggled to pronounce the form of address he would never normally use. That made it seem even more genuine. Yeonrok pressed his hand against his chest with his flushed face from drinking. And he tried his best to imitate the time he had fainted from lack of contact with his Name Partner.
“I’ve been feeling strange since earlier…”
Trailing off his words, he deliberately staggered and then completely let all strength leave his body. He was prepared to crash hard into the floor. Fortunately, a strong grip caught him before he completely collapsed.
“Yeonrok-ssi!”
Yeom Cheonho shouted loudly in genuine surprise. Since this was the first time hearing the usually calm and composed person raise his voice like this, Yeonrok felt a bit guilty.
“Yeonrok-nim! Oh my goodness!”
Kim Jeongseong also screamed and rushed over to support Yeonrok. Since a person who had been fine suddenly collapsed, other people also cried out in alarm.
“Wait, someone collapsed here!”
“Is there medical staff?”
Yeom Cheonho, who had laid Yeonrok down properly, quickly ran his damp, cool hands over his nose and mouth. He seemed to be checking his breathing. Yeonrok, lying with his thigh as a pillow and pretending to let his arms hang limply, surreptitiously scratched at Yeom Cheonho’s body that his hand touched. Yeom Cheonho hesitated.
Just in case, he quickly scratched an X shape again. Fortunately, Yeom Cheonho seemed to have caught on to his intention. He immediately tapped back with the fingertips that had been supporting Yeonrok’s back and nape. The medical staff rushed over right away.
“Excuse me. Let me see the patient.”
Since this was a place where various big shots and wealthy people gathered, medical staff were always on standby, thoroughly prepared for such emergencies. People parted to the left and right, making way. Since he couldn’t hide his condition from the medical staff too, around that time Yeonrok groaned faintly and pretended to regain consciousness slightly.
“This person collapsed once last month from lack of contact. The President has been so busy… Could the effects still remain?”
Unlike Yeom Cheonho, Kim Jeongseong, who didn’t know Yeonrok was acting, anxiously explained the medical history to the medical staff. Thanks to that, no one seemed to suspect the situation.
“That’s possible. Um, the patient’s pulse is really fast.”
It was because he had drunk earlier and was nervous from acting. Thanks to that, Yeonrok, who had been able to pretend to be a really sick patient, insisted in a voice that seemed barely squeezed out.
“Could I, rest with Cheonho-ssi in a quiet place…? If I have contact, I think I’ll, get better.”
He had heard that quite a few people here knew well how important Name Partners were. That meant they could understand this situation better than anyone. Yeonrok used that to naturally create an opportunity to get Yeom Cheonho out of this place. And Yeom Cheonho didn’t miss that opportunity.
“Could you spare an empty room?”
The hotel manager, who had been watching with a concerned face at the news that an important VIP’s Hwamyeongja had collapsed, quickly answered.
“Of course. Then I’ll get a stretcher right away…”
“No, it’s fine.”
Declining, Yeom Cheonho lifted Yeonrok into his arms at once without showing any sign of difficulty. At the sudden action, Yeonrok almost screamed. He felt like dying of embarrassment, but breaking out in cold sweat and pretending to be sick, he buried his head in Yeom Cheonho’s chest to hide his face.
“I’ll go like this.”
“Ah, understood. I’ll guide you to the nearest room.”
Throughout the move to the room, Yeonrok pretended to be dead and let all strength leave his body. Even after arriving at the guest room, the medical staff came in and out a couple of times to measure his blood pressure and temperature, so he didn’t let down his guard. Throughout all this, Yeom Cheonho sat beside him and held his hand tightly. Yeonrok could feel the other person’s hand gradually regaining warmth.
Then finally, the surroundings became quiet. Did they leave? Did everyone… leave? Just in case, Yeonrok slightly moved his fingertips and scratched the other person’s body. Yeom Cheonho leaned over without much reaction and said this into Yeonrok’s ear.
“Yeonrok-ssi, everyone left, so you can stop scratching my butt now.”
“Ugh!”
Startled, Yeonrok’s eyes flew open and when he looked, his hand was indeed touching a place ambiguous between thigh and butt.
“I, I was trying to touch your leg. Please believe me.”
“It’s fine to touch my butt.”
I’m not fine! I’m not! Could the place he scratched earlier also have been his butt? Still, since everyone had left, Yeonrok finally relaxed and let out the breath he’d been holding. And belatedly worried, he fidgeted with Yeom Cheonho’s hand, which had now warmed up.
“Are you okay? Earlier, you seemed unwell somewhere… Did I do something unnecessary?”
“Not at all. It was truly a great help. I’m sincerely grateful.”
Yeom Cheonho’s gaze looking at Yeonrok was deep. It was utterly friendly and at the same time, though not completely, seemed to have lowered the walls around his heart a little.
“If I had gone up to the rooftop as is, I surely would have made a spectacle of myself. Because I have…”
After choosing his words for a moment, Yeom Cheonho soon confessed honestly.
“Severe acrophobia. And very few people know this fact… I’m really curious where the host received instructions from.”
Listening to the story, Yeonrok suddenly recalled when he had gone to the company to meet Yeom Cheonho last time. It had been a bit strange that there were no windows at all in the office, but now that he had acrophobia, it finally made sense. He had seemed like such a perfect person, but he too had weaknesses.
“Every single one of those who were there are like sharks. It means I absolutely can’t show weakness. If rumors of health problems spread later, bad rumors would have spread about the company. Thanks to Yeonrok-ssi, I was able to avoid great losses. How should I compensate you?”
“I just wanted to help you. Compensation and such is unnecessary.”
It wasn’t something he did wanting compensation, and he didn’t want to receive it either, so Yeonrok refused. Yeom Cheonho, whose eloquence was always so fluent, was rarely silent while holding Yeonrok’s hand. Thanks to that, feeling awkward, Yeonrok just wriggled his toes under the blanket.
“When I was young.”
Yeom Cheonho, who had been looking down only at Yeonrok’s hand with dark eyes, opened his mouth. Yeonrok was inwardly surprised since he hadn’t expected this person to open up about his past at all.
“There was an innocent time when I considered that man my father. One day, that man said he would show me something good. So I followed him up to a high place. And I was pushed and fell. I thought I was surely going to die, but luckily I was caught by a tree and was able to survive.”
Yeonrok’s eyes wavered. It was an excessively heavy story. At the same time, it gave him chills. Lee Seongmyeong, no, Yeom Cheonryul—that man who had approached him pretending to be so kind. He was someone who had tried to kill his son. Instead of offering careless comfort, Yeonrok tightened his grip on the hand he was holding and said.
“So that’s why you developed acrophobia.”
“I tried to fix it, but there are things that can’t be solved with money and people.”
The man who had said there was nothing that couldn’t be solved with money and people admitted it with a smiling face. Then, perhaps thinking the atmosphere had become too heavy, he changed the subject.
“Do you have any other questions? Ask during this opportunity.”
There were. He had quite a few things he wanted to ask. However, without even time to deliberate, a question unconsciously popped out of Yeonrok’s mouth.
“…Why did you kiss me last time?”
“I thought you didn’t remember.”
Yeom Cheonho answered in a somewhat troubled tone and raised his head, which had been lowered. Unlike usual, his neatly combed hair was slightly disheveled and hanging down over his straight forehead. His face with strong features that would give off an imposing atmosphere even with the slightest frown, however, held only the utmost affection and gentleness when before Yeonrok.
“Do you want an apology?”
