Hmm.
Even though he was the one who asked, Yoon Jooho didn’t look all that interested.
“I heard your drama’s doing well these days.”
“It’s all thanks to meeting the right company.”
“Well, I guess that’s true.”
Ha ha. Jung Sungwon laughed awkwardly, bringing his cocktail glass to his lips. Song Hyunsoo, who was watching, looked just as uncomfortable. But Yoon Jooho simply tossed a macadamia into his mouth from the bowl on the bar, his expression as indifferent as ever.
After setting his glass down, Jung Sungwon spoke in a calm voice.
“Come back to the company, Sunbae. The staff are waiting for you.”
“Come back? You want me to tuck my tail and wave the white flag?”
Yoon Jooho’s previously indifferent gaze sharpened in an instant.
“You know I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not just coming back—I’m going to take it all back.”
Straightening his back with renewed determination, Yoon Jooho shoved his hands into his pants pockets and turned to Song Hyunsoo, who was behind the bar.
“Isn’t the event over?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Come out. I’m here to pick you up.”
Here to pick me up?
“Wait a second.”
Just as he was about to turn around, Yoon Jooho narrowed his eyes and studied Song Hyunsoo. Then he beckoned him closer. Caught off guard, Song Hyunsoo leaned over the bar.
“Why? Is there something on my face?”
Without warning, Yoon Jooho’s hand reached for his face. His thumb gently pressed and rubbed Song Hyunsoo’s lower lip.
“Your lipstick’s all gone. You need to fix your makeup.”
There wasn’t even time to flinch or pull away in surprise. Song Hyunsoo just froze.
A jolt ran through his whole body, like he’d been shocked. He forgot about the two hundred or so guests filling the room, and even the presence of Jung Sungwon, who must have been watching right beside them. It felt as if everyone else had been sucked away and vanished.
He couldn’t sense anything except the man before him, and the touch on his lips.
In a frozen black-and-white scene, only Yoon Jooho breathed in vivid color. Song Hyunsoo’s gaze was locked on those moist eyes, unable to look away.
So this is what it’s like.
Everything except the two of them blurred into the background, as if they were the only ones left in the world. It was that clichéd line, confessed with flushed faces in countless movies, dramas, and anecdotes. To his surprise, it really could happen.
And the moment Yoon Jooho’s hand left his lips, sound rushed back into his ears, as if he’d been underwater.
It felt like Yoon Jooho had touched his lips for five minutes, but in reality it was only a fleeting instant.
Coming back to his senses, Song Hyunsoo first glanced at Jung Sungwon. As expected, he looked completely dumbfounded by the unnecessary and excessive skinship that had just occurred. When Song Hyunsoo met his eyes, Jung Sungwon quickly looked away and fumbled for another macadamia, popping it into his mouth—probably an unconscious move to escape the awkwardness.
Song Hyunsoo, too, started wiping the empty countertop with a towel for no reason, flustered.
“Um, by the way, Sunbae? It’s your birthday today. I wanted to make you a cocktail too. If there’s something you want… just let me know.”
Yoon Jooho shot a glance at Jung Sungwon, who was still sitting on the stool. Then, without looking at Song Hyunsoo, he replied while gazing down at Jung Sungwon through his lowered lashes.
“I’d rather you make it for me at home.”
“What?”
“My cocktail. Make it for me at my place.”
“Ah… okay.”
Well, there’s just about everything you’d need there anyway. If he wants it at his place, I can do that. Especially since it’s his birthday.
Even as he spoke to Song Hyunsoo, for some reason, Yoon Jooho’s gaze stayed fixed on Jung Sungwon. After hearing Song Hyunsoo’s answer, he finally flashed a satisfied smile and patted Jung Sungwon’s shoulder. Jung Sungwon was popping his third macadamia into his mouth.
“The bartender’s on break, then. So, off you go.”
Jung Sungwon gave a wry smile and shook his head, as if to say there was no stopping him. As he pressed down firmly on Jung Sungwon’s shoulder, Yoon Jooho added,
“Don’t eat too many macadamias. 100 grams is 700 Kcal.”
After providing this helpful tip, Yoon Jooho signaled for Song Hyunsoo to come out from behind the bar. Song Hyunsoo straightened the towel he’d been rubbing on the counter and bowed to Jung Sungwon.
“Sunbae-nim, enjoy your cocktail.”
“Hyunsoo-ssi. Wait a moment. Here’s my business card.”
“……”
“We’ll probably be seeing each other often, thanks to Jooho-sunbae.”
“I can’t believe I’m getting Jung Sungwon sunbae-nim’s business card. It’s such an honor. But I don’t have one to give you…”
Looking down at the card he’d just received, Song Hyunsoo scratched the back of his neck. Jung Sungwon smiled softly, dimples deepening.
“It’s fine. But you have to contact me first, okay?”
“What are you doing?”
With Yoon Jooho urging from the end of the bar, Song Hyunsoo bowed again and hurried out. As soon as he was within reach, Yoon Jooho hooked an arm around his neck—not so much a friendly shoulder hug as a headlock.
“Ah, come on! My hair’s going to get messed up.”
He grumbled outwardly, but inwardly, his senses were overwhelmed by Yoon Jooho’s scent.
Yoon Jooho led Song Hyunsoo to a private room upstairs. A security guard stood at the stairway entrance, keeping others out. When they’d arrived early for rehearsal, Song Hyunsoo had stored his coat and bag here with Yoon Jooho. In other words, this was a waiting room set up so the main guest could relax in comfort.
The room was spacious enough for about ten people to drink together, decorated in a calm, luxurious style. Like the floor below, it had a large window with a night view, comfortable sofas and tables, finger foods for snacking, and even a champagne bucket.
As soon as they entered, Yoon Jooho tossed off his jacket and started opening the champagne. Song Hyunsoo, unable to hide his excitement, rummaged through the pockets of his tuxedo.
“Sunbae, wow, seriously, tonight was amazing!”
“What was?”
“Look at this, look! I got this many business cards!”
Standing in front of Yoon Jooho, Song Hyunsoo fanned out the collection of cards he’d received from famous PDs, writers, editors, and more. Yoon Jooho sipped his champagne as he inspected them, then picked out a few and crumpled them in his hand.
“W-what are you doing? Why are you doing that?”
“They might be good at their jobs, but they’re rotten people.”
“Rotten? You mean they smell?”
“They mess with every rookie actor, regardless of gender. You don’t want to work with them when you’re just starting out.”
“What? That PD seemed super polite, though.”
“That one’s the worst of all.”
Finally, Yoon Jooho picked out Jung Sungwon’s business card. He crumpled it up even more than the others, and it didn’t seem like Song Hyunsoo was imagining it.
“Why Jung Sungwon sunbae-nim?”
“I just don’t like him.”
It was hard to argue with someone who was so brazen about his pettiness.
“If you don’t like him, why did you invite him to your birthday party?”
“You think I invited everyone out there because I like them?”
“……”
Well, that’s true.
Yoon Jooho poured champagne into another glass and handed it to Song Hyunsoo. As he accepted it, Song Hyunsoo asked curiously,
“Didn’t you and Jung Sungwon sunbae-nim work together as child actors?”
“We did.”
While Yoon Jooho kept building his acting career as a child and then a teen, Jung Sungwon went abroad to study before middle school. He returned to broadcasting as an adult. People who remembered him as a child actor welcomed him back for a while, but things didn’t go well. His real success only began about five years ago, after signing with Look Planning.
“He was basically just my sidekick.”
Yoon Jooho flopped onto the wide five-seater sofa. Even though they had childhood memories and were now in the same company, he didn’t seem thrilled to talk about Jung Sungwon.
Watching him silently, Song Hyunsoo’s face lit up. He’d been dying to tell Yoon Jooho something but had forgotten until now.
“Oh, do you know what the Editor-in-Chief said after you left?”
Yoon Jooho, his eye level lower now that he was sitting, tilted his head to look up at Song Hyunsoo with a crooked smile.
“She said, once the film wraps, let’s do a photoshoot! She even said it’d be great if you and I shot together.”
“She did?”
Yoon Jooho smiled lightly and took a sip of champagne.
“But it was probably just something she said, so I shouldn’t get my hopes up, right?”
“She’s held the Editor-in-Chief spot at for 18 years. Even if it sounds like a joke, everything she says has weight. If you don’t take her words seriously, you’ll regret it—good or bad.”
Song Hyunsoo walked over to Yoon Jooho. Or at least, he tried to. Suddenly, pain flared in his right pinky toe. He hadn’t noticed it while making cocktails.
He stopped and sat on the nearest single sofa, leaning forward toward Yoon Jooho with shining eyes.
“Then is there really a chance that you and I could do a photoshoot together?”
“We haven’t even started filming yet, let alone finished.”
Yoon Jooho rested his elbow on the back of the sofa and his temple in his hand, shaking his head with a smile. It wasn’t a sneer or a scoff—just a different kind of smile.
It was the happiest he’d looked since his birthday party started.
“Still! If we really do get to shoot together, what am I going to do about my face? Ah, I’ll look terrible next to you. Maybe I should get something done too. Sunbae, please tell them not to do any two-shots…”
Song Hyunsoo’s excited chatter gradually faded. The way Yoon Jooho sat, legs crossed, resting his temple on his hand and gazing at him with a faint smile, felt strangely disconcerting. It wasn’t a helpless or mocking smile. He wasn’t clueless enough to miss that it was a gaze full of fondness.
Ahem. Covering his mouth with a fist, Song Hyunsoo cleared his throat a couple of times and downed half his champagne in one go.
“The night view! I should look at the night view. I didn’t even get to see it properly earlier.”
He set down his glass and got up from the sofa. He took a few steps toward the window, but Yoon Jooho called out from behind.
“What’s up with the way you’ve been walking?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been limping weirdly.”
He’s more observant than I thought.
But Song Hyunsoo denied it.
“I haven’t. It’s nothing.”
“Nothing, huh? Come here and take off your shoes.”
Sitting up straight, Yoon Jooho put down his champagne glass and beckoned with his finger.
“It’s just that these are new shoes. I’m not used to them yet.”
“Do you want to keep arguing, or do you want to come now?”