XX Entertainment?
A deeper frown formed between Go Hoon’s brows.
XX Entertainment was a name every Korean would recognize—one of the top entertainment agencies in the country. But so what? It wasn’t like the guy was a current idol. Hell, he hadn’t even debuted yet. So why was he acting like such a big shot? As Go Hoon gave him a look full of disdain, Choi Joo-won gave an awkward smile and slid his sunglasses back on.
“Guess you’re not really into this kind of stuff… Anyway, there are people out there who recognize me, so I’d rather not be seen.”
“Then don’t talk.”
Go Hoon shut him down with finality. Sure, he was curious about Bae Jung-yoon, but not enough to invite this guy into his home. Just seeing his face made Go Hoon itch to throw a punch.
Apparently, Choi Joo-won didn’t share the feeling.
“Wait—hold on…!”
He rushed to grab Go Hoon’s arm. The sharp look in Go Hoon’s eyes landed squarely on the hand gripping him, and Joo-won quickly recoiled in surprise. Trying to save face, he added in a tone that made it sound like he was doing Go Hoon a favor.
“Fine. But somewhere quiet, at least.”
***
The two relocated to a café—a quiet, out-of-the-way place, just as Choi Joo-won had requested.
The entire walk there, he acted like he was dodging paparazzi. Constantly on alert, nervously adjusting his sunglasses, even though not a single person seemed to recognize him.
“Before I get into the real story, there’s something I need to make clear.”
Once they were seated in the most secluded corner of the café, Joo-won finally removed his sunglasses and started, his tone full of self-importance.
“Everything we talk about here is strictly off the record. You can’t go spreading this around. I’m still a trainee, and managing my image is a big deal. Got it?”
Go Hoon let out a dry laugh before he realized it. So the same guy who dragged him here was now lecturing him on secrecy? Maybe this guy was even dumber than he looked.
With a silent click of his tongue, Go Hoon simply nodded.
“Yeah, yeah. Just get to the point.”
He didn’t bother hiding how annoyed he was. Clearing his throat, Choi Joo-won finally began.
“I went to high school with Bae Jung-yoon. So it’s been, what, about seven years since I last saw him? But that also means I know him really well.”
What was he trying to build up to with all this setup? The drawn-out introduction was tedious, but Go Hoon decided to let him speak for now.
“He might be hiding it from you, but Bae Jung-yoon is seriously twisted. Don’t be fooled by the way he looks. You’re not the first person to get duped.”
Go Hoon didn’t respond. Joo-won paused briefly, then threw him a sideways glance.
“Did you know he got taken to the police station back in high school?”
“Nope.”
Go Hoon’s reply was flat. Joo-won perked up, almost excited, and jumped back into his story.
Apparently, one day after school, Bae Jung-yoon had beaten a classmate senseless in a deserted alleyway. The other guy had been injured so badly he was left with permanent damage. But Jung-yoon’s family paid enough to cover it up and bury the incident.
Somehow, the story didn’t feel unfamiliar. Go Hoon had seen glimpses of that side of Bae Jung-yoon himself. And thinking back, there had always been some kind of reason for his violence.
“Why did he beat the guy up?”
That’s why Go Hoon asked. If Jung-yoon really had assaulted a classmate, maybe there was a reason—however small. It wouldn’t justify everything, but it might explain something.
“The guy cursed him out.”
“What kind of curse?”
“A curse is a curse. Does it matter? The important part is that Bae Jung-yoon has serious anger issues.”
Joo-won crossed his arms and shrugged like it was obvious. But something about his answer felt evasive, like he was deliberately skipping details.
“The guy’s not right in the head. Acts all calm and collected, but the moment someone pushes the wrong button, he completely snaps.”
Go Hoon remembered Joo-won getting beaten by Bae Jung-yoon after picking a fight when he was still a cat.
Funny—he didn’t mention that part at all. Maybe he was too embarrassed to admit he got smacked around? Watching him with a bored expression, Go Hoon let him ramble on.
“Do you know how easily Bae Jung-yoon uses people? I’m telling you, the number of people he’s slept with already goes well past ten fingers. I don’t know how you got involved with him, but trust me—you’re going to get dumped soon. That bastard doesn’t know a thing about love.”
Joo-won gave a crooked grin and shook his head in feigned pity. Then he launched into a full-on tirade, spewing insults at Bae Jung-yoon like he was trying to empty his entire reservoir of bitterness.
Watching it unfold, Go Hoon felt something strange. Was this really the same guy who had showed up at Jung-yoon’s place just a few months ago, flirting and trying to worm his way in?
“You’re trashing Bae Jung-yoon like that, but then why are you still hanging around him?”
Go Hoon finally voiced the one thing he’d been wondering about most. If Joo-won really thought so little of him—if he’d been treated that badly—why come back to his place today? If he was really that awful, just cut him off.
“Hanging around?”
Caught completely off guard, Joo-won looked flustered, like the question had come out of nowhere. Then he quickly tried to defend himself.
“I-It’s a sense of duty. Yeah… that’s what it is. A sense of duty.”
Go Hoon let out a short, incredulous laugh. A sense of duty? From where he was standing, there was nothing noble or selfless about Choi Joo-won’s behavior.
The way Joo-won talked about Bae Jung-yoon reeked of arrogance—like revealing some dark truth gave him a sense of superiority.
Go Hoon simply stared at him in silence. That alone seemed to rattle Joo-won enough to make him blurt out more.
“I’m telling you this because you need to know what kind of freak he really is. Don’t take it the wrong way—just listen and be careful. Don’t end up bleeding like I did, getting too close to him.”
“So what exactly were you two? Were you dating or something?”
Go Hoon had asked the same question to Bae Jung-yoon once before. He remembered the firm denial. But now, pretending not to know, he watched Joo-won carefully.
Joo-won glanced around the café, then leaned in and lowered his voice.
“I thought we were… until he stabbed me in the back.”
Stabbed him in the back? What was that supposed to mean? Go Hoon kept watching, saying nothing.
“I really liked him once. Yeah, he’s got issues—obviously—but you know as well as I do that he’s ridiculously good-looking. And he’s got that sly, fox-like charm.”
Go Hoon neither confirmed nor denied it. He just thought to himself, So he’s always been that way, even when he was younger.
“Anyway, before I even knew it, I had fallen for him. Gave him my heart, gave him my body… And then after he’d had his fun, he looks me dead in the eye one day and says, ‘Were we ever actually together?’”
Joo-won stared at him then, clearly waiting for some reaction.
Go Hoon exhaled quietly.
“From what I’ve heard, you’re not exactly the picture of innocence yourself. So I’m not sure why you’re acting like some kind of victim.”
“…What?”
Joo-won blinked, stunned by the response.
“According to Bae Jung-yoon, the first time you two slept together, you were cheating on someone else. Sounds like a textbook case of double standards to me.”
The look on Joo-won’s face said it all: How the hell do you know that?
Honestly, Go Hoon had only thrown it out there as a shot in the dark. But Joo-won’s reaction gave him all the confirmation he needed—this guy had no right to be trashing Bae Jung-yoon like he was some kind of saint.
“So when other people get hurt, it’s fine, but when it happens to you, it’s suddenly the end of the world?”
Go Hoon’s expression remained blank as he spoke. To him, it was all the same. So why was Joo-won so hell-bent on painting himself as the victim and Bae Jung-yoon as the villain?
While Go Hoon’s silence deepened, Joo-won’s lips flapped wordlessly, his face flushing red in what looked like shame or fury.
Go Hoon waited, but when the silence dragged on, he stood up. He didn’t see any reason to stay here any longer.
“So even after everything you know about him, you still can’t stay away?”
Joo-won spoke up in a hurry.
Go Hoon looked down at him with quiet indifference.
“He’s acting like he’s serious about you, and now you think you’re something special, don’t you? But give it time. Sooner or later, he’ll screw you over too. To him, you and I? We’re both nothing.”
The sudden shift in tone—followed by a barrage of bitterness—made everything clear.
This was why Joo-won couldn’t let go.
He claimed it was all in the past, but it was obvious: Choi Joo-won still had feelings for Bae Jung-yoon. Go Hoon could see it in his eyes—jealousy, plain and raw.
It wasn’t just resentment. It was possessiveness over something he could never have. An obsessive need to claim it, and the bitterness of knowing he never would.
Go Hoon suddenly felt drained. The idea that he had to correct this guy’s wild assumptions out loud—it was just exhausting.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not in a relationship with Bae Jung-yoon.”
“…Then what are you?”
Facing Joo-won’s suspicious stare, Go Hoon thought for a moment before answering coolly.
“Just someone Bae Jung-yoon lives to serve.”
