Chapter 66
Given Do-heon’s personality, he definitely wouldn’t stop after just one round. He possessed the stamina to roll around in bed with Cheong-yeon until dawn without breaking a sweat. The problem was that Cheong-yeon couldn’t even come close to matching his vigor.
To meet with the director early Saturday morning, Cheong-yeon needed to wake up by at least five in the morning to check his script and have time to practice on his own.
How did my schedule end up like this? Cheong-yeon groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair.
He had resolved to accept Do-heon’s sponsorship in order to pursue acting, but at this rate, his schedule would be compromised before he even had a chance to perform.
The thought of asking Do-heon to change their meeting day just this once briefly crossed his mind. However, knowing better than anyone how busy Do-heon’s schedule was, the possibility of rearrangement seemed slim.
Moreover, Do-heon had likely already cleared his Friday evenings, and it didn’t seem likely that he would be willing to move it to another day. This was, from the beginning, a contract relationship with a clear power dynamic between superior and subordinate. As the recipient of sponsorship, Cheong-yeon wasn’t in a position to confidently make such demands.
Cheong-yeon lay spread-eagle on the expensive bed Do-heon had bought him, lost in thought.
“……”
After much deliberation, he reached the somewhat naive conclusion that it might be okay to just ask via text message. The thought of speaking over the phone made his stomach churn, but perhaps testing the waters with a text would be acceptable.
Yes. If he refuses, then so be it. Let’s at least try asking.
Cheong-yeon unlocked his phone screen and began typing a message to him.
[Director. I’m too busy this week, so could we meet on a day other than Friday]
“No, that’s not right. It sounds presumptuous.”
Cheong-yeon deleted what he had written and started typing again from scratch.
[Director. I have a schedule starting Saturday morning. I’m truly sorry, but could we change the meeting day to]
“No, this sounds too servile…”
He had no idea how to begin the conversation.
After selecting his words carefully multiple times, Cheong-yeon sighed deeply as no appropriate sentence came to mind. Eventually, he deleted the entire message and pushed his phone far away on the bed. He could only hope that his future self would somehow resolve the issue.
Cheong-yeon closed his eyes with a dejected expression. He hadn’t even started today’s schedule, but fatigue was already setting in.
After hesitating for a few minutes, he received a call from his manager. Only after hearing that the manager had just departed and he should start preparing did Cheong-yeon get out of bed and head to the bathroom to wash up.
*
Friday.
Kwon Hye-na’s fitting was grueling. Only today did Cheong-yeon finally understand why she had described the fitting during their first meeting as “simple.”
Even then, he had collapsed in exhaustion after the fitting, but today took much longer and the details were clearly different.
The number of clothes he had to try on was enormous—custom-made pieces tailored to Cheong-yeon’s body type, mixed with moderately recognized mid-range brands and luxury brands.
Moreover, each time he put on an outfit, they had to use clothing pins to adjust the size, which meant he had to stand in the same position for over half a day without being able to sit properly.
Additionally, repeatedly removing and adding accessories like glasses and watches according to the concept was an equally cumbersome process.
“Cheong-yeon, replace that ring with this one.”
“Yes.”
“And Hye-rin, please lift Cheong-yeon’s hair a bit more. Reveal his forehead.”
“Yes, Team Leader!”
It didn’t end with just putting on clothes fitted to his size, along with matching shoes and accessories. The fitting for each outfit was only complete after photos were taken.
After repeating this process dozens of times, all Cheong-yeon could think about was escaping this office as quickly as possible.
As a result of being thoroughly worked over in Kwon Hye-na’s palm, they finally sorted out the outfits for drama filming, interviews, and other occasions where he would wear casual clothes.
“This should cover all the clothes needed for schedules in the near future. We can fill in any gaps as needed, but shall we wrap up for today?”
“Sounds good!”
“Wow, great work everyone.”
“Thank you all for your hard work.”
As the marathon-like schedule came to an end, Kwon Hye-na’s team employees, Min Hye-rin, and the manager applauded and exchanged greetings. Although Cheong-yeon had barely had time to converse with people as he was stuck repeatedly changing clothes, the other staff members seemed to have become quite friendly with each other.
The staff, now organizing the displayed outfits, were already discussing dinner plans.
“It’s dinner time—how about we go eat after we finish up here? There are many meat restaurants near our office.”
“I’m in!”
“Come to think of it, I’ve only been snacking all day without a proper meal, so I’m hungry.”
“Cheong-yeon Oppa! You’re joining us for dinner, right?”
As Cheong-yeon was hurriedly putting on his coat and preparing to leave, Min Hye-rin approached with a bright face. Unlike Cheong-yeon, Min Hye-rin, who had been zipping around the office energetically throughout the fitting, was still full of vitality. The manager seemed fine too.
Kwon Hye-na and her team showed no change in expression, as if they were already accustomed to such days. In conclusion, Cheong-yeon was the only one who felt like he was dying from exhaustion.
Wait, am I the only one here with garbage stamina?
Cheong-yeon looked around at the staff in the office with confusion.
“I’m not really hungry, so…”
Trailing off ambiguously, Cheong-yeon checked the clock on the wall. The time to meet Do-heon was fast approaching.
Since there hadn’t been any specifics about where to meet today, Cheong-yeon had planned to call him after finishing work. As he took out his phone to check if any messages had come in, he found one waiting.
[Moon Do-heon: Parking lot.]
The message, which had arrived fifteen minutes ago, simply said “parking lot” without any further explanation.
Does he mean he’s in the parking lot of this building now?
Suppressing the urge to call immediately and ask which parking lot, Cheong-yeon hastily gathered his belongings.
“Thank you all for your hard work. I’m tired, so I’ll head home first. Hye-rin, you’ve worked hard since morning too. You must have gotten dusty from moving all those clothes.”
“I’m really fine, Oppa. It was so much fun!”
“Actor Yoo, are you sure you’re okay without dinner? Should I order a simple meal to be delivered to your home so you can fill your stomach when you arrive?”
The manager approached Cheong-yeon with concern, pausing from moving heavy luggage. With his mind completely occupied by his appointment with Do-heon, Cheong-yeon was at a loss for what excuse to make.
“I…”
“Oh! Of course, don’t feel obligated to explain. I was planning to join the dinner after dropping you off at home. Don’t worry about getting back.”
“What? No, that’s okay. I’ll go home by myself today.”
If the manager escorted him, it would complicate matters in many ways. Cheong-yeon racked his brain trying to figure out how to naturally escape to the parking lot alone.
“That won’t do. Escorting you is my job.”
“Today I want to walk a bit and then take the subway. After being indoors all day, I feel cooped up, so I want to take a stroll…”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I understand. But please call me anytime if you need anything.”
The manager smiled and opened the door for Cheong-yeon to leave.
“Oh, Actor Yoo! Don’t forget you have a meeting with the director tomorrow morning. The CEO asked me to tell you that although the schedule is tight, it couldn’t be helped because the drama filming starts soon, and to please prepare thoroughly by memorizing your profile and script. I’ll see you early tomorrow morning.”
“I’ve already packed my script to practice at home. See you tomorrow, Manager!”
Cheong-yeon barely escaped the office and sighed. He considered taking the elevator but decided to use the stairs, thinking he might run into someone.
Upon reaching the parking lot, Cheong-yeon looked around for Do-heon while thoroughly checking that no one else was around.
“Ah, there it is.”
Finding Do-heon’s car was easy. The parking lot of the building housing Kwon Hye-na’s office wasn’t particularly large, and the car model was so familiar that it immediately caught his eye.
Cheong-yeon clenched his fist resolutely and walked toward the car. The heavily tinted vehicle completely obscured its interior, making it impossible to see who was sitting in the driver’s seat.
“Did you wait long?”
As he opened the passenger door and got in, Do-heon was sitting in the driver’s seat as expected.
“No.”
Cheong-yeon’s body momentarily shrank from Do-heon’s pheromones, but he soon straightened his back and sat down, pretending to be unaffected. Had he already grown accustomed to it after sleeping together a few times? Though he couldn’t say he was comfortable yet, it definitely felt less uncomfortable than before.
Previously, they had been so distant that even the tips of their fingers rarely touched, but now, after their divorce, he was somewhat adapting to Do-heon’s pheromones. It was an ironic situation.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
