He tried to hold back somehow, biting down hard on his lower lip, then steadied his voice.
“Sunbae, this isn’t something to handle emotionally.”
“……”
“Or… do you not trust me?”
“It’s not you I don’t trust, it’s that bastard.”
As Yoon Jooho stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, Song Hyunsoo stepped in close, this time wrapping his arms around Jooho’s bare waist.
“I’ll go have a meal with him, see what he’s about, and report back.”
“……”
“If after that it still seems off, I won’t contact him again. Really.”
Yoon Jooho looked back over his shoulder at Song Hyunsoo. His gaze was still far from pleased.
“I’ll delete his number completely. Delete, block.”
“You don’t have to go this far. No matter what happens, I’ll always handle it.”
“I know, but still. I want to try everything I can.”
“……”
“If someone’s trying to ruin someone precious to me, just standing by and trembling—I don’t ever want to do that again.”
For a moment, Yoon Jooho gazed at Song Hyunsoo with a complicated expression.
Right now, he was staring at the scars left on his lover by the process of losing a friend.
Song Hyunsoo’s jet-black eyes seemed to say to him: Yes, it’s to overcome that wound, but also—it’s for you.
“There’s a risk involved. But there’s no harm in checking, right?”
Yoon Jooho let out a sigh of resignation, dropped his head, then looked up with narrowed eyes.
“Just this once. Did you say that?”
He nodded repeatedly, assuring Yoon Jooho.
Right in front of Yoon Jooho, Song Hyunsoo sent a message to Jung Sungwon.
《Sunbae-nim, hello.》
《Actually, I had a rough time yesterday.》
《You said I could contact you whenever I needed to talk, so I thought of you.》
《It’s not something I can just talk about anywhere…》
Watching beside him, Yoon Jooho sighed gloomily and rubbed his face with both hands.
Then, slumping into the seatback, he grabbed his discarded knit sweater and pulled it over his face.
So damn cute I could die.
Song Hyunsoo gently tugged at the edge of the knit, pulling it down.
Yoon Jooho, looking defiant, leaned his head back on the headrest and gazed down at Hyunsoo with half-lidded eyes.
“Do you hate it that much when I eat and drink with another guy?”
“So, should I like it?”
“Before, you said it couldn’t be helped, even if I slept with someone else.”
“That was ages ago, before we started dating.”
“You already liked me back then. You said that, even though you liked me.”
Yoon Jooho reached out and stroked Hyunsoo’s cheek with his thumb.
“That’s right.”
“……”
“I was desperate not to fall any deeper. Just wanted to keep exactly the same distance as with everyone else.”
He straightened up, grabbed his pack of cigarettes, and muttered as he did.
“Not that it did much good.”
Back then, Yoon Jooho was a bundle of contradictions. Everything about his actions, gaze, and touch shouted that he liked Hyunsoo.
But with words alone, he insisted otherwise—refusing to date men.
“What if, back then, I really had slept with someone else, in a fit of anger?”
Just as he was about to light a cigarette, Yoon Jooho frowned instantly.
As if he’d lost the urge, he crushed the cigarette in his hand and tossed it into the ashtray.
“Let’s not talk about something that scary, okay?”
“……”
“You wouldn’t want to see me turn into a criminal on the news, would you?”
After their heated argument, when Yoon Jooho left for Paris, he’d come home from his business trip with his arms full of gifts. Just from that, it was clear how pointless his resistance had been.
“Anyway, for now, we’ll have to live like the Cowherd and Weaver Girl.”
“Cowherd and Weaver Girl?”
“I mean, let’s be careful about meeting up.”
“Why?”
“Your parents are suspicious, Sunbae. What if you get caught red-handed, and have to trade all your evidence for a cover-up?”
“……”
Avoiding his gaze and fidgeting, Yoon Jooho’s chin was caught and turned toward Hyunsoo. Then, a quick kiss was pressed to his lips.
“There’s no harm in being careful, right?”
Yoon Jooho’s eyes narrowed.
“Isn’t it cheap, trying to soothe me with a kiss?”
“You say it’s cheap, but you don’t hate it.”
Hyunsoo cradled Jooho’s chin with one hand, poking at his cheek with playful fingers. Jooho didn’t bother to stop him, leaving Hyunsoo as he was.
“If worst comes to worst, let’s just declare ourselves a couple. Someone’s got to blaze the trail, right? Being a pioneer isn’t so bad, is it?”
“Even if we do, I want to do it when we want to—not because we’re pushed by others.”
“Alright, then…”
“Then?”
“I think I need more soothing kisses. That’s not enough.”
At the absurdity, laughter burst out. Leaning back on the headrest, Yoon Jooho looked up and laughed too—clearly wanting another kiss.
Bending down, Hyunsoo kissed from his chin, up and up, finally meeting his lips.
With his head tilted back, eyelids lowered, Jooho looked enticing.
Their lips met deeply, and Hyunsoo climbed onto his thighs, facing him.
“Mmm.”
Yoon Jooho’s hands slipped up from the waistband of Hyunsoo’s jeans, grabbing his hips.
He briefly thought, I shouldn’t have changed into different underwear, but that thought soon melted, lost in Jooho’s taste.
■
The place Jung Sungwon had picked for their meeting was a Korean restaurant.
A Fine Dining Restaurant run by a famous Chef, who occasionally appeared on TV and popular YouTube channels—even Hyunsoo recognized his face.
Maybe they were close, because the Chef came in person to greet Jung Sungwon in their private Room.
While the two exchanged a brief catch-up, Hyunsoo glanced around the Room.
The interior was simple yet elegant, decorated with modern reinterpretations of Korean Traditional Furniture and Minhwa. Tableware and wine glasses were set on the table.
He’d already learned some basic etiquette from Yoon Jooho, so he wasn’t flustered.
When leaving the table during the meal, place your napkin on the chair; after finishing, put it to the left of the setting.
To show you’re done eating, lay your utensils diagonally at 4 o’clock on your plate, and so on.
But while kindly teaching him, Yoon Jooho had grumbled with a dissatisfied face.
Saying, what’s the point of coaching you to go on a date with another man?
Remembering that furrowed brow, Hyunsoo almost chuckled without thinking.
“What would you like for today’s meal? The Set Menu? Or if you have any special requests, you don’t have to do the Set Menu.”
The Chef looked back and forth between Jung Sungwon and Song Hyunsoo as he asked.
“We’ll have white wine today. Prospe Mofu Chardonnay. For the food, I’d like to leave it to you, Chef.”
“Is there a special occasion?”
At the Chef’s question, Jung Sungwon glanced across at Song Hyunsoo.
“No, nothing like that. It’s just a consultation over worries.”
He answered shyly, but there was a certain air of anticipation in Jung Sungwon’s face.
“Helping out a Junior with worries. What a kind Sunbae, Sungwon-ssi.”
The Chef took another close look at Hyunsoo’s face, whom he’d only briefly greeted before.
“You said our Junior here is filming a movie with Actor Yoon Jooho, right? What was the title again… I heard the kitchen staff talking about it.”
Lost in thoughts of Yoon Jooho, Hyunsoo snapped to attention at the sudden question.
“It’s <Dissolve>.”
“When the movie comes out, Junior will be a star in no time. Your looks are so fresh.”
“Right, Chef?”
Jung Sungwon seemed more excited than Hyunsoo at the praise.
“Yeah. Handsome, but especially the eyes—they’re sharp and jet-black. Kind of like a gentle puppy, but also a bit daring. Definitely got an Actor’s look.”
The Chef, probably in his mid-fifties with an impressive career, examined Hyunsoo keenly. Hyunsoo bowed his head at the compliment.
“Thank you.”
“I’m not in your industry, but I do have years of experience. Junior, come by our place again after you become a star.”
With a final word to ask for anything if needed, the Chef left the Room.
Song Hyunsoo glanced around again, then asked Jung Sungwon:
“Do you come here often, Sunbae-nim?”
“I did a show with the Chef before. We got a bit close then.”
“Ah…”
“Have you been here before, Hyunsoo-ssi? Was it not to your liking…?”
“No, no!”
Hyunsoo waved his hands, continuing,
“I saw it on SNS, but this is my first time.”
The price range made it hard to just drop by for drinks with friends.
Because it was a classic date course, Yoon Jooho hadn’t liked the venue from the start.
Remembering his grumbling, Hyunsoo had to clear his throat to stifle a laugh.