Chapter 90
It wasn’t a very spacious area. Four small semicircular bars, each managed by two bartenders, were installed two on each side along the walls, and in the center, an abstract installation made of stacked whiskey bottles glittered like jewels under the lights as it slowly rotated.
He was at the second bar on the left, while Yoon Juho mingled with people at the bar diagonally across from him.
Though my body faced right as Manager Yoon led me, my nerves were tensely aware of him behind me. I had only drunk one cocktail since arriving, but I already felt heat rising.
Yoon Juho’s group was just his staff. At events like this, the number of companions was limited according to the invited guest’s “rank.” Of course, a top star like Yoon Juho could bring as many staff as he wanted—stylists, managers, etc. It was a world where everything was coldly and thoroughly coordinated according to popularity, or rather, influence.
Since we had already exchanged greetings in the waiting line before entering the photo wall, Manager Yoon approached Yoon Juho’s manager and got straight to the point.
“Director Bang, an editor from Magazine A wanted Juho and Jiin to take a photo together. Is that okay?”
“Really? Juho already took a solo shot… but it’s good for promoting the new drama too.”
Yoon Juho always had a director-level manager exclusively assigned to him. Adding two road managers and wardrobe and makeup staff, it was usually a team of seven or eight people moving together. Today, it was a relatively modest composition of four people including Yoon Juho.
Yoon Juho, who had been watching his staff concentrate on making cocktails with lukewarm eyes, looked this way.
With his elbow casually leaning against the bar, there was a shine in his eyes as he drank his whiskey on the rocks. It was impure vitality, like someone who had found amusing mischief when bored.
“Want a drink?”
“No.”
Leaving the managers to exchange superficial business talk, Yoon Juho spoke to me.
As always when I was with him, the surrounding gazes concentrated to the point where I could feel pressure on my skin. Compared to this, the attention toward “actor Jung Jiin” that I lived with was nothing.
Being with Yoon Juho made it impossible to have fantasies about a top star’s life.
I even understood the rumor about a certain top actress who would check that no one was in the entire bathroom and have her manager guard the entrance before using public restrooms. It might not just be an intention to act finicky and play princess.
“It must be painful to act friendly with me and take photos right now. Wouldn’t it be better to have a drink?”
“If that’s the reason, one drink wouldn’t be enough anyway.”
At my dry retort, Yoon Juho lowered his gaze and chuckled. It was the expression of someone hurt by my indifferent attitude. One he often wore in front of me.
It was a relationship with no reason to continue, but also no particular reason to end. It felt like I was paying all at once for carelessly dragging it out just because of that.
The prospect that ending things with Yoon Juho might be more difficult than ending things with him—the one I had wanted so much—made me feel suffocated with despair.
“Ah, you two have met.”
With the magazine editor’s appearance, Yoon Juho straightened his body that had been leaning against the bar. The dark shadow from before had already been cleanly erased from his face.
“Let’s take one shot here in front of the bar, and a few more in front of that installation over there. We’re planning to post on our magazine’s SNS and website too, so we’ll take several shots.”
Even while the editor was positioning us, Yoon Juho leisurely took a few more sips of his drink.
Standing with my back to the bar, Lee Han inevitably came into view across from me.
Different people surrounded him than when I first entered this space. Some remained the same. Among them were the two people who had gotten out of the limousine with him at Director Kang Woohyeon’s party.
“Touch up Jung Jiin’s lips.”
Startled as if Yoon Juho’s hand on my shoulder had struck me down, I withdrew my gaze from him. Yoon Juho turned my body toward his stylist.
“Huh? Why are oppa’s lips like that? That must hurt.”
“No, it’s fine. Our stylist prepared something… I can just apply that.”
My attempt to take out lip balm from my pocket failed. Yoon Juho, standing behind me, stretched his neck long over my shoulder and looked at my face.
“His lips are already red, but applying this color makes only his lips stand out too much. Give me something in a lighter shade.”
Yoon Juho extended his hand toward his coordinator. His face was still looking at me. I turned my head to avoid his face and twisted my shoulder.
“I said it’s fine.”
I stepped forward a couple of steps, putting distance between us. The thought that he might be watching made all my nerves focus on the opposite side. My heart beat rapidly even though I hadn’t drunk much.
Yoon Juho, holding a different colored lip product, casually approached, easily erasing the few steps of distance. A sweet-smelling lip gloss was thrust right in front of my nose.
“Everyone’s watching. Wouldn’t it be better to just let me do what I want and get through this quickly? We’re supposed to be known as close friends. There might even be rumors of discord.”
“……”
So insensitive to reading others’ emotions. Yet twice as cunning when it came to quickly and conveniently getting what he wanted.
Having confirmed that I was cornered with no way to refuse, Yoon Juho smiled slyly without showing his teeth. The cotton-swab-like lip gloss touched my lips. Then he pressed and moved it left and right with more force than necessary.
I heard laughter from the people surrounding us.
A top male actor directly applying makeup to his fellow male actor’s lips. And his colleague, who was uncomfortable with the situation, frowning with his back pulled as far back as possible. The onlookers clearly thought we were playing some mischievous prank.
“Editor-nim, aren’t you going to shoot scenes like this?”
At Yoon Juho’s words, the Look Planning director made a reluctant expression. He seemed to be breaking into quite a sweat making excuses to the editor that Yoon Juho was joking.
Was he watching this?
Sweat formed on my palms from nervousness. I unconsciously took a deep breath. Then exhaled thinly. Because I tried to suppress it, my exhale trembled finely.
Perhaps feeling my breath on his face, Yoon Juho stopped his hand with a start.
“That’s enough.”
Muttering words whose meaning was unclear, his hand moved away from my face. Then he immediately grabbed my shoulder with a refreshed expression and smiled.
“Much better. How about sometimes listening to advice from someone who’s known you for a long time, Actor Jung?”
It seemed like rambling with double meanings in his own way, but I didn’t even have the leisure to rebuke him. Though I couldn’t openly swat him away due to the many watching eyes, I gripped his wrist with clear displeasure and pulled it down.
My lips felt incredibly moist from all the lip gloss, but conversely, the inside of my mouth was growing parched.
Was he watching?
Unable to bear the curiosity, I finally turned my head toward where he was.
“……”
The moment our eyes met, my whole body grew hot as if burned by fire.
Whether he was watching or not. Even knowing it was a 50% probability, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
I was surprised by the fact that he was looking this way. And surprised by his attitude of not quickly looking away.
As if the people surrounding him and those around me were no obstacle at all, he kept his gaze fixed on me, ignoring his companions’ conversation.
“Now, both of you please look this way. I’ll shoot from the front first, then from the side.”
The editor’s voice came from outside my field of vision. In the end, I was the first to look away.
After taking five or six photos in front of the bar, we moved to the installation of stacked bottles. It was a spot closer to him. It was torture. Even though the air conditioning was running strongly indoors, the back of my shirt was getting soaked with sweat.
Yoon Juho and I had to create the feeling of close entertainment industry colleagues enjoying a party. I had to smile even when Yoon Juho’s hand lightly wrapped around my back, and had to act excited even though I wasn’t enjoying it at all.
At the editor’s request for more relaxed poses, Yoon Juho draped his arm over my shoulder and even rested his chin on top.
Strange shouts that were neither cheers nor jeers erupted from the watching onlookers. The cameras pointed at Yoon Juho and me weren’t just the editor’s assistant’s. Flashes popping quickly here and there resembled a photo wall.
Moreover, he too was watching this entire artificial scene.
That brief moment of taking five or six photos felt as long as filming an entire drama episode. The fatigue I felt was even greater.
As soon as the assistant put away the camera, a Knox Hotel deputy appeared from somewhere and quickly approached.
“Jiin-ssi, now that you’re done shooting, may I introduce you to our team leader?”
“Of course, Deputy-nim. I’m sorry. Did the shooting go on too long? Actor Yoon Juho and our Actor Jung have such good chemistry…”
A shadow fell behind Manager Yoon as he made unnecessarily long excuses.
“What are you discussing?”
It was Yoon Juho.
The deputy seemed slightly flustered by Yoon Juho’s appearance, inserting himself between Manager Yoon and me. But it was closer to pleasant confusion rather than displeasure. A star of Yoon Juho’s caliber was inevitably a welcome presence to anyone, especially someone in a company’s PR team.
“Ah… um… hello.”
“Yes, hello.”
Having exchanged greetings with her, Yoon Juho looked at me with a ‘who?’ expression. Hiding a sigh at the shamelessness of his face wearing a friendly, sociable smile, I introduced the two to each other.
“This is Deputy Kim Jiwon from Knox Hotel’s PR team. And this is… as you probably know, actor Yoon Juho.”
“Hello. I visit Knox Hotel frequently, both for events and privately. Thank you for always welcoming me.”
Yoon Juho offered a handshake first.
“We’re grateful when you visit us. Please continue to favor us in the future. Right now… I was just about to introduce Jiin-ssi to our team leader, and if it’s alright with you, would Yoon Juho-ssi like to join us?”
“I’d be grateful if you’d arrange such a meeting. I’d very much like to greet them together too.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
