<5>
“Now tell me about yourself, Jaekyung.”
As if his original purpose had been to receive Jaekyung’s congratulations, Yeonhu turned his upper body completely to the side and spoke.
What does he mean by ‘about myself’… what nonsense is this… Han Jaekyung maintained a relaxed smile while deeply pondering.
Toward Jaekyung, who couldn’t quite grasp his meaning, Yeonhu clarified, “I mean your dating partner.”
“Oh. That?”
“Yes, that.”
Only upon hearing the words “dating partner” did Jaekyung remember that he had claimed to have a partner too out of spite yesterday. With a headache and the effects of alcohol, he had blurted it out and completely forgotten about it. Now that he thought about it, when Yeonhu had messaged about introducing his boyfriend, he seemed to have added that Jaekyung should bring his partner along if possible.
“Unfortunately, it would be difficult to introduce them right away. They’re not in Korea right now.”
Han Jaekyung rattled off without changing his expression one bit. Working in a profession that relied on eloquence, he was confident in his ability to maneuver his tongue no matter what situation arose.
“…That’s a shame. I really wanted to meet them. How did you two meet?”
“We met in America. When they come to Korea, I’ll arrange a proper meeting.”
Though it was a hastily made-up story, it sounded quite plausible. Come to think of it, when he was in Korea, he met with Yeonhu at least every few days, so the only time he could have found a partner unknown to Yeonhu would have been then.
“Alright. I’ll look forward to it.”
The two looked at each other, exchanging nothing but the most artificial smiles until Yeonhu and Choi Eunseong stood up from their seats, using a date as an excuse.
* * *
“We met in America. When they come to Korea, I’ll arrange a proper meeting.”
Even recalling it now, it was quite an audacious lie. And so irritatingly cute that he wanted to strangle him.
“Ha… haha, ha.”
Yeonhu couldn’t easily stop the dry laughter that kept erupting from his rising irritation and anger. No one in the world had the skill to disturb Yeonhu’s composure so easily. Yet the lovely Han Jaekyung always managed to accomplish this difficult task with such ease, then pretended innocence while hiding his tail.
The more he thought about it, the more vexing it became. He had expected Jaekyung to raise the white flag and willingly surrender by now, but it seemed Yeonhu had underestimated him too much. Well… if it had been such a simple matter to resolve, it wouldn’t have dragged on for years in the first place.
‘Yes, young master. After checking again, there were no unusual circumstances. His return time and movements after returning home were exactly as I reported daily. I also recovered and re-examined all the mobile phone data that Attorney Han used in America, but he regularly contacted only two people: Driver Song and you, young master.’
The first thing Yeonhu did upon returning home was to contact the caretaker of his American villa to check for any unusual signs he might have missed. Though the content was as expected, it was only after hearing this that the trembling in his hands somewhat subsided.
Although unlikely, if Jaekyung’s claim about having a partner wasn’t just a bluff, there would have been major changes to his plan. In the direction of Jaekyung getting a bit hurt and crying a bit more.
Of course, even now, it would be easier for Yeonhu to switch in that direction.
Forcefully covering those red lips that would cry and wail in protest, breaking those slender ankles trying to escape from his side, and confining him where no one could see—while this might have been unthinkable for nineteen-year-old Yeonhu, for thirty-one-year-old Yeonhu, it was quite a simple matter.
That feverish white face would still be beautiful. Even those eyes filled with resentment and anger would be the same.
But still… still, it was worth being patient a little longer. Enough to willingly wait for Jaekyung to finally surrender and come clinging to him first, saying he liked him. Jaekyung would never dream of it, but his tiny freedom and indulgence all stemmed from Yeonhu’s patience.
Others utterly failed to understand Yeonhu’s malicious aesthetics. The reproach of why he was so fixated on an orphan whose only asset was a decent face had already become an everyday echo. But whether others understood him or not didn’t matter much to him.
What mattered to Yeonhu was completely consuming Jaekyung and finally conquering him. Beautiful things should be handled delicately and sensitively—his failure to properly recognize this truth and letting him slip away was a painful mistake of his youth.
In the summer of his nineteenth year, Jaekyung, whom he thought he had already captured, casually spoke of breaking up with an indifferent face. Instead of strangling Jaekyung’s neck to his heart’s content, Yeonhu decided to endure this time with bated breath.
After taking a few more deep breaths, he soon made a call with his usual calm and gentle voice.
-He-hello…!
“…Yes, Eunseong. It’s me.”
The other party answered the phone before it had barely rung. His voice sounded quite serious and urgent, as if he had been worried about Yeonhu, who had used a headache as an excuse.
-Yeonhu hyung, how’s your headache? Did it get better after taking medicine?
“Of course. But I feel so sorry. We couldn’t even see the performance you were looking forward to.”
-No, it’s fine, don’t worry about it. We can see the performance next time… I just… as long as you’re not sick, hyung, that’s all that matters.
“Thank you, Eunseong. I have a favor to ask, could you do just one thing for me? I think I won’t feel sick at all if you do this favor for me.”
-Anything!
“Please say that you love me, just once.”
-…! R-right now?
“Yes. Right now. …Is it too soon? If it’s difficult, just saying you like me is fine too.”
-Ah, n-no! I was just a bit surprised… Just a moment, just a moment…!
From the other end of the line came the sound of hastily drawing in breath. Yeonhu deeply buried his back in the sofa and gently closed his eyes. Soon, a voice tinged with shyness began to slowly vibrate through the air.
-…I like you. I really, really like you.
Ah. Indeed, it sounded similar to Jaekyung’s voice no matter when he heard it. When his eyes were closed, it felt like quite an enjoyable entertainment, making it difficult to find a better substitute. Though his manner of speaking was too gentle to be his Jaekyung. Well, since it wasn’t the real thing anyway, he should be satisfied with this much.
Beloved Jaekyung. Damnably pretty Jaekyung. You were already mine from the very moment you first showed your face to me. When will you stop that meaningless struggle and willingly crawl back…
“Thank you. I like you a lot too.”
His lips, which calmly muttered this misdirected confession, were already drawing a languid upward curve. As if the delighted response from the other end of the line didn’t matter at all.
“By the way, some clothes will be delivered later. Make sure to wear them when you come to work starting tomorrow.”
-Again? They’re too expensive… I really don’t need such gifts, hyung.
“It’s because I want to give them to you, so don’t feel burdened. You must. They’ll look good on you. I’m looking forward to it.”
Choi Eunseong wouldn’t know, but all the clothes Yeonhu sent were identical to what Jaekyung owned. Of course, they were all personally selected and sent by Yeonhu in the first place.
What expression would Jaekyung make when he encountered Yeonhu’s boyfriend wearing the same clothes and watches as him? He hoped Jaekyung would show that pitiful expression as if about to burst into tears, just like when he discovered Yeonhu kissing someone else in the darkened office.
-…Thank you.
The words of gratitude spoken in such a similar voice, almost tearfully, felt even more unfamiliar. At first, it had been intriguing because it sounded like something that would never come from Jaekyung’s mouth, but now it was rather unpleasant to hear each time. He would rather hear that voice raising in volume, bristling with thorns and asking haughtily why he should wear something that wasn’t even to his taste.
“Don’t mention it, I’m the one who should be grateful.”
Although Yeonhu had absolutely no sincerity in his dealings with Choi Eunseong, the word “grateful” alone was genuine. That’s why he had repaid all the debt piled up in front of him. Burdening someone with hundreds of millions for just a few months of pretend love was already a generous payment for gratitude.
-But, hyung… do we really have to… have lunch with your friend starting tomorrow?
“Eunseong.”
-Y-yes?
“We already finished that discussion earlier.”
-…Yes, that’s true. But I… I want to be alone with you—
“That’s enough.”
As if a mere substitute who happened to have a similar voice could dare to interfere with his time with Jaekyung—there was no way Yeonhu would stand for that.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”
“Hyung, Yeonhu hyung…!” Choi Eunseong seemed to want to say more, but Yeonhu mercilessly ended the call. After hanging up, he saw that the awaited message had arrived in his inbox.
> [What kind of call takes this long]
> [Hey]
> [Jang Yeonhu]
With each text he read, he could almost hear that bouncy manner of speaking. He had to bite his lip firmly due to the overwhelming loveliness.
> [My car’s in for repairs and it’s my first day at your company tomorrow, so come pick me up]
With so many people keeping watch, if Jaekyung’s car had gone in for repairs, there was no way Yeonhu wouldn’t have received a report. Until now, Jaekyung had just bluntly thrown out demands to pick him up, but now that Yeonhu supposedly had a boyfriend, it seemed he had tried to come up with some excuse.
“…Still so cute.”
With a mischievous smile, Yeonhu immediately typed a reply that Jaekyung wouldn’t have expected.
< [Sorry. I’ve been commuting with Eunseong lately, so that would be difficult.]
< [I’ll send another driver to your officetel.]
< [See you at the company tomorrow.]
He wanted to torment him more. To torment him endlessly, and only when he knelt before him, to gently wipe that tear-soaked face and kiss him. When he tightly embraced that small, trembling head with all his might and licked up those tears, they would surely taste sweet.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
