Seo Hae’s bar, run on a membership basis, hadn’t officially opened yet.
Although the kitchen staff hadn’t arrived, Seo Hae skillfully arranged cheese, fruit, crackers, and caviar on a large board as snacks to accompany the Champagne.
Maybe it was just a feeling, but the overall atmosphere was subdued. Ever since Seo Hae had relayed Nam Seyeon’s divorce news, this mood had lingered.
Even though Yoon Jooho had opened an expensive bottle of Champagne as promised, Seo Hae didn’t seem particularly cheerful.
But by then, Song Hyunsoo didn’t have the luxury to watch their expressions either.
Around the time the three of them finished inspecting the last house and left, the news of Nam Seyeon’s divorce broke to the public.
As soon as the article was released, sensational videos discussing the love triangle involving Jang Miyeong, Nam Seyeon, and her husband flooded the video-sharing platform.
Song Hyunsoo couldn’t take his eyes off his phone as he scrolled through the comments.
“Hyunsoo, aren’t you going to drink the Champagne?”
“Yeah, I am. I am, hyung.”
Despite Seo Hae’s urging, Hyunsoo’s eyes remained fixed on his phone as he blindly searched for his Champagne glass across the bar.
Seo Hae clicked his tongue in frustration.
“You’re not a middle schooler sitting at the dinner table.”
“Hey? Why… why are you saying that, hyung?”
Hyunsoo’s gaze followed his phone when Seo Hae stretched his arm across the bar and snatched it away, placing it on the counter behind.
“If you keep checking those comments, you’ll just wear yourself down.”
Yet, he couldn’t stop. It was the same when reading articles about Yoon Jooho, or recently when the scandal involving Kang Miyeon and Nam Minwoo broke out.
Ever since Choi Hongseo left, Song Hyunsoo couldn’t help but get caught up in these articles. It no longer felt like someone else’s story.
Seo Hae handed Hyunsoo a Champagne glass to replace the empty feeling his lost phone left in his hands.
“But at least drinking expensive alcohol bought by others is good for your mental health. Have this instead.”
Even while drinking the legendary Champagne that in any bar would cover the entire day’s sales with a single bottle, Hyunsoo felt no thrill.
For him, there was no real difference between a 30,000-won convenience store wine and a multi-million-won Armand de Brignac Blanc.
“There’s even a YouTuber claiming to have proof that after Nam Seyeon got married, the two of them kept having secret meetings. People are totally hyped up over it.”
Hyunsoo, barely sipping the Champagne, spoke with a tone of contempt.
“Jang Miyeong publicly denied it. She said all they had was a physical relationship, and because of that light past, they didn’t want to ruin the good feelings they shared now. Isn’t that possible?”
Seo Hae handed over a cracker topped with caviar mixed with mashed boiled egg. Hyunsoo grimaced, pulling back.
“My taste buds are cheap. Caviar isn’t really my thing.”
“Just try one bite, Hyunsoo-kid. Eat it and then talk.”
It was similar to what his grandmother once said when trying to feed him rabbit meat.
He took the cracker hesitantly but kept it in hand as the conversation continued.
“No matter what the reason, they’ve been married for over two years without dating, but both kept deceiving Nam Seyeon all that time.”
“Maybe that guy was sincere with Nam Seyeon? He probably didn’t talk about what happened with Jang Miyeong because he thought he wouldn’t get a chance with Nam Seyeon otherwise.”
After a moment’s thought, Hyunsoo shook his head.
“No matter what, I don’t think I could get over that.”
“Hyunsoo, you seem open-minded, but you’re pretty conservative.”
“I’ve never even heard the word conservative in my life. Beyond open or conservative, isn’t this just normal? My best friend and my husband did everything behind my back.”
Thud.
Hyunsoo had raised his voice in frustration but flinched at the sound of Yoon Jooho setting down his empty glass and turned left.
Since entering the bar, Jooho had barely spoken. He was now knocking back expensive Champagne like it was beer, but no one felt they could stop him.
With a look that seemed to silently demand a refill, Seo Hae poured Jooho another drink and glanced at Hyunsoo.
“So, Hyunsoo, would you have chosen divorce like Nam Seyeon?”
“I’m from a small town.”
“……”
“So everyone there is pretty much the same. The girl he dated is dating his friend a few weeks later, and sometimes the girl who dated him ends up dating his brother. That kind of thing just… makes me uncomfortable.”
Well, those things became rare once everyone grew up.
Adding that, Hyunsoo finally took a bite from the corner of the cracker.
The caviar, which he had thought was just fishy and unpleasant, blended with the mashed egg, salty and popping in texture, felt like a completely new dish.
Finishing the Champagne and the rest of the crackers, Hyunsoo wiped the oil from his hands on a napkin and dug into his memories.
“When I first moved up to Seoul, there was an older woman I knew. We had a little flirtation for a month or two and were just about to start dating.”
“Hyunsoo, I can see older women liking you.”
Seo Hae nodded approvingly as he refilled Hyunsoo’s glass.
“But it turned out she was the ex-girlfriend of a guy who was really close to me back home. They dated for about a year and a half.”
“Well, if that’s the case, they must have done everything.”
“So in the end, things with that woman fizzled out.”
After a few sips of the poured Champagne, Hyunsoo shrugged and set down his glass.
“At least it ended before we actually dated.”
“It’s all in the past now. Was it really that big a deal?”
“At first, I tried to get over it. But after I found out, I couldn’t even kiss her.”
“That bad?”
“Every time I tried, I’d think of that guy’s face. But she felt the same way. She was the one who said it first— maybe we’re not meant to be.”
It was all in the past, and he didn’t love her passionately, so now it didn’t matter.
Seo Hae sighed deeply, as if the ground might swallow him whole—like he’d confessed only to be rejected by Hyunsoo.
“I don’t care about people I don’t know having pasts. Mine isn’t exactly pure either. But…”
“But.”
“Having a deep history with someone I know is a different story. And not just someone I know—someone close to me. That’s a bit…”
The unpleasant feeling from back then wrinkled his nose.
Hyunsoo picked up his Champagne glass and shrugged.
“It’s like the three of us were dating each other.”
Silence followed.
Worried he had said something wrong, Hyunsoo glanced back and forth between the two men.
The atmosphere was heavy, but neither Yoon Jooho nor Seo Hae said a word.
After finishing his drink quickly, Jooho pushed the empty glass toward Seo Hae and requested,
“Open the Johnnie Walker Double Black.”
“But you said you were going to sell Armand de Brignac Blanc.”
“Charge it as Armand de Brignac on the bill.”
“If that’s the case, why not just keep drinking what you were? Mixing drinks leaves a messy aftertaste.”
“……”
Facing Jooho’s silent gaze, Seo Hae sighed and disappeared behind the curtain.
Johnnie Walker Double Black.
When Seo Hae first met Yoon Jooho, he had ordered the same drink.
He was clearly in a bad mood.
“Isn’t that a little fast?”
Peeking at Jooho lighting a cigarette, Hyunsoo carefully asked,
“Are you still mad about the house? Is that why?”
After touring four houses that were all similarly upscale and had exorbitant rent, Jooho asked which one he preferred.
But Hyunsoo refused, saying he couldn’t live in a place where Jooho was paying the rent.
No matter how much he thought about it, that was the only reason Jooho was so tight-lipped.
Jooho’s downcast gaze turned to Hyunsoo.
“Then why did you ask Seo Hae hyung for those places? I told you my budget from the start.”
Lighting his cigarette, Jooho exhaled the first puff slowly and said,
“The company’s covering it.”
“You say company, but I’m not even part of Look Planning yet. It’s basically just senior’s money.”
“Is there a problem with that?”
Jooho’s face hardened as he looked over at Hyunsoo.
He seemed genuinely unable to understand what could be wrong.
Seo Hae, who brought the drinks, sensed the tense atmosphere and glanced at the two.
Hyunsoo looked away, struggling to hold back his feelings.
“It’s surprising you even ask that.”
“Then consider it a prepayment. Become a top star and pay it back.”
“I hate owing the company. I’ll never do that again.”
“Am I the same as that bastard Myung Dohoon?”
Jooho’s voice sharpened so suddenly that Seo Hae, who was mixing an On the Rocks, stopped and stared.
There was no doubt that this was a different Yoon Jooho— he had lost his composure and was extremely tense.
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”