After ringing the doorbell, Director Bang let himself in by unlocking the door.
“Why is it so cold in here?”
“I just aired out the place.”
Yoon Jooho greeted him at the entrance to Master Zone. Director Bang glanced at his wristwatch after seeing Yoon Jooho still in his loungewear.
“Why aren’t you ready at all?”
“I showered. I just need to change my clothes.”
“I’m saying this because you’re the kind of guy who takes ages just to change.”
“If you’d stop nagging, I’d be done in ten minutes.”
Director Bang raised his voice at Yoon Jooho’s back as he headed back to Master Zone.
“Attorney Moon is a busy man. If we’re late, there’s no mercy, so hurry up.”
Yoon Jooho headed to the Dressing Room and began picking out clothes, not looking particularly rushed.
Since it was a meeting at a new law firm he’d be working with, he chose a suit, took off his top, and slipped his arms into a light striped shirt.
Although Look Planning had long worked with a major Law Firm, they couldn’t accompany Yoon Jooho outside the company.
Instead, the head of the Law Firm had introduced one of his juniors to Yoon Jooho.
Checking his reflection in the mirror after a long time in a suit, Yoon Jooho let out a quiet, silly chuckle. If Song Hyunsoo were here, he’d be making a fuss again, showing off his “Yoon Gyeolho” side.
After putting on his shirt and pants, Yoon Jooho opened a drawer to take out his wristwatch.
A model that would go perfectly with today’s suit came to mind.
But no matter how many times he looked through the neatly organized watch drawer, he couldn’t find the one he wanted.
In the end, he buttoned his shirt cuffs and walked out to the living room.
“Hyung, where’s that watch?”
“Which one?”
Director Bang, who was in the kitchen, turned to ask.
“Lange 1815.”
“Just the 1815?”
“Annual Calendar.”
“What? It’s not in the drawer?”
At the mention that a watch worth seventy million won was missing, Director Bang nearly shouted.
“I don’t see it.”
“Are you sure you didn’t leave it in the travel case?”
“I haven’t traveled recently.”
“Let me check myself.”
Director Bang brushed past Yoon Jooho and disappeared into Master Zone.
He went straight to the watch drawer in the Dressing Room. Just as Yoon Jooho said, the watch he was looking for wasn’t there.
Director Bang began taking out all the travel watch winders and cases, opening them one by one.
“How can you not even know where a watch that expensive is lying around? I really can’t live because of you…”
While Director Bang fumed, Yoon Jooho calmly picked out a tie. Stripe pattern or solid color.
Which would be better? He held each up to his chin in turn, then asked Director Bang,
“If we have the meeting today, the draft contract will be ready in a day, right?”
“Yeah. It’s not a complicated job. As long as you don’t want any weird clauses.”
Yoon Jooho decided on a dark blue silk tie and put the striped one back in its place, smiling quietly.
He remembered considering adding a “no excessive drinking clause” to Song Hyunsoo’s contract.
He was a bit curious how Hyunsoo would react if he really added such a clause.
“So, why the sudden rush?”
Director Bang, sitting on the Dressing Room floor opening the third watch case, tilted his head back to look at Yoon Jooho.
“What do you mean?”
“The contract with Hyunsoo. When you brought it up last week, it didn’t seem like you’d be pushing it through this quickly.”
“Why? You don’t like… Song Hyunsoo the actor?”
As he lifted his shirt collar and draped the tie around his neck, Yoon Jooho looked at Director Bang through the full-length mirror. Director Bang glanced away.
“Like I said before, Hyunsoo… has plenty of potential as an actor.”
“I just think we need to hurry before another company snatches him up. I want to get his signature on the contract by early next week.”
As he wrapped the wide end of the tie around the narrow end to form a knot, Yoon Jooho spoke as if it were only natural.
The thought of bringing Song Hyunsoo to Look Planning had been on his mind little by little even before the birthday party.
With the mess between company and family, he’d thought it better to wait until things settled down, but his thinking changed, and after talking with Song Hyunsoo last night, he became convinced it was better to make things happen right away.
“Here it is!”
Director Bang finally found the watch in the fifth case. He must have been pretty nervous; there were even beads of sweat on his temple.
“Oh, thanks, hyung.”
Yoon Jooho took the watch and fastened it to his left wrist right away. Just as he thought, it went perfectly with the suit.
“So, if a seventy million won watch goes missing, I’m the only one panicking, huh?”
“I was freaking out too.”
“Say that with a straight face, will you?”
“I was. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to wear it today.”
Tsk, that brat. Clicking his tongue affectionately at Yoon Jooho, Director Bang started tidying up the now-messy watch drawer.
“But, Jooho, something else is missing.”
“What?”
“The Day-Date. Rolex.”
“It’s right here.”
Yoon Jooho glanced down into the drawer and pointed at two watches.
“No, the Ice Blue Dial. You liked that one.”
“Haven’t worn it in ages. It’s probably somewhere.”
“If you haven’t worn it in ages, it should be here. Where would a watch go on its own?”
Director Bang started opening the remaining watch cases he hadn’t checked yet.
“When was the last time you wore it?”
“I don’t know. Half a year ago?”
While tightening the knot on his tie in front of the mirror, Yoon Jooho replied absentmindedly.
Director Bang checked all the remaining cases but couldn’t find the watch. Just in case, he double-checked the watch drawer thoroughly.
“With so many watches, I guess you wouldn’t even notice if something went missing.”
“It’s fine, hyung. It’ll turn up. I don’t even wear that one these days.”
“That’s the problem. A high-end item like that goes missing in the house and you don’t care?”
Having dealt with similar situations several times before, Director Bang was sensitive to such issues.
“Anyone… been in here recently?”
Director Bang suddenly asked with a meaningful look. Yoon Jooho, buttoning his shirt and tie, just shrugged.
“It’s always the same people. Nothing new ever happens in my life.”
“What about yesterday?”
As Yoon Jooho walked over to the hanger to get his jacket, Director Bang asked another question to his back.
“What about it?”
“You left the company dinner with only Hyunsoo.”
“We went to Seohae hyung’s bar.”
“I know.”
Since they’d gone in a car driven by Manager Cha, of course Director Bang would have been informed. Yoon Jooho knew that too.
“If you know, why ask?”
“I told you, there’s nothing between me and Hyunsoo, Jooho.”
Letting Director Bang’s sigh-laced words wash over him, Yoon Jooho replied nonchalantly without looking back.
“What’s the big deal about having a second round of drinks with a junior after a company dinner?”
“Yoon Jooho.”
“What?”
“There were two bowls of jjamppong.”
“……”
As he took the jacket that matched his pants off the hanger, Yoon Jooho’s hand paused for a moment.
“I ate two bowls.”
“Jooho.”
“Fine, yeah, he was here. So what?”
He’d expected Director Bang to be this much of a bother if he found out.
That’s why he’d tried to send Song Hyunsoo off before Director Bang arrived. But in the end, it was all pointless.
Yoon Jooho, having taken the jacket off the hanger, turned to Director Bang with an annoyed expression.
“You really just…”
“Whatever you’re thinking happened last night, it didn’t.”
Nothing had happened last night. At least, nothing like what Director Bang was imagining. So it wasn’t a lie.
“Did Hyunsoo come in here?”
“…What?”
Yoon Jooho’s brows furrowed.
“I mean, did he come all the way into Master Zone? Don’t tell me you let him sleep in your room?”
Director Bang’s expression and tone were serious.
This wasn’t the soft older brother who was weak to Yoon Jooho, but the strict, capable manager of top troublemaker Yoon Jooho.
When he was like this, Director Bang was never easy to handle.
Walking to the mirror, Yoon Jooho answered,
“…No.”
As he slipped his arms into the jacket sleeves, he looked at Director Bang through the mirror. Director Bang was watching him with a hard expression.
In the end, Yoon Jooho let out a sigh and spoke in a placating tone.
“Hyung, it’s nothing. It’s just the same as always.”
“How do you explain that he’s different from everyone else you’ve met so far?”
“What, you mean because Song Hyunsoo isn’t a top star?”
“……”
“If that’s it, then Jung Jin wasn’t either.”
“That’s why I objected that time too.”
“You did. And back then, I still did what I wanted. I’ve always been fickle.”
“Fine, whatever. But how do you explain letting Hyunsoo come all the way in here? You’ve never done that before. Not even with Jung Jin.”
“……”
“You’re always strict about your own rules. I’m only saying this because you’re acting different.”
Yoon Jooho turned to face Director Bang, scraping his lower lip with annoyance.
He leaned forward, bracing both hands on the island dresser a few steps away.
“Let’s say Song Hyunsoo isn’t a top star and is close with Jung Jin. So what the hell?”
“……”
“It doesn’t matter if he’s not just a close friend of Jung Jin, even if he’s Jung Jin’s real brother or whatever. If I want to sleep with someone, I will, and if either of us gets bored, it ends. Just like always.”
“……”
“Because of Jung Jin, why should I…!”
Yoon Jooho, who had been speaking freely, suddenly stopped as if he’d tripped over a stone.
Why should I give up on Song Hyunsoo because of that? He barely managed to stop those words from coming out.
“Why should you what?”
“I mean, why should I have to restrict my actions? Nothing happened. There was nothing between Jung Jin and me, so why can’t I get involved with Song Hyunsoo?”
Yoon Jooho tilted his head back, letting out a long sigh, and walked over to Director Bang.
“So, hyung, don’t read too much into it.”
He placed a hand firmly on Director Bang’s shoulder and kneaded it, then slipped behind him and gently wrapped his arms around his collarbone from the front.
“I won’t change. Even if I wanted to, I can’t. You know that better than anyone.”
“Do you think I’m worried you’ll change? If anyone could knock some sense into you, I’d carry them around on my back.”
As if that would ever happen, Yoon Jooho snorted. Then he let go of Director Bang’s shoulder and casually peeked into the watch drawer.
“I probably lost it on a business trip. You should forget about it too, hyung.”
“It’s not about the money. If someone could get in here and touch your watches, that means they’re in your inner circle. Doesn’t it bother you to have someone like that around?”
“I’m used to living with that kind of risk by now.”
“I asked for the visitor CCTV footage from yesterday. Just letting you know, I’ll be checking it.”
As he closed the drawer, Yoon Jooho cocked his head and stared straight at Director Bang. His gaze instantly cooled, sharp as a snake, and his smooth, slender cheek twitched briefly.
“Hyung, are you suspecting Song Hyunsoo?”
“……”
“Do you have proof that the watch went missing yesterday?”
It was extremely rare for Yoon Jooho to show Director Bang such a hostile expression.
With his face wiped clean of emotion, Yoon Jooho lightly flicked the knot of his tie with neat fingers and turned away first.
“Aren’t we going? You said Attorney Moon is busy.”