Come Back

The party held at Director Kang’s home was the same as last time in terms of location, but the atmosphere was completely different. All attendees were dressed in formal evening wear, and there were no young men and women bustling around the pool or DJ booth. Since everyone knew each other, the atmosphere was more relaxed, with a typical upper-class social party vibe.

As the sun began to set, the party started, and the heat of the day had faded in the spacious garden.

Lee Haeseong, dressed in a tuxedo and styled his hair more elegantly than usual, had a different aura compared to when he wore business suits. He radiated a refined elegance that was flashier yet still restrained than any actor or model he had seen during his time in the entertainment industry. While exuding a natural leadership presence that drew people’s attention, he still looked comfortable.

He was different from their first meeting in Director Kang’s reception room and from the news articles of him in a business suit.

As he adeptly led the early part of the party by giving speeches and proposing toasts alongside Director Kang and the representative of the production company, Hyunseo couldn’t take his eyes off him.

To Hyunseo, it felt like he was the center of the universe.

Even as one of the four lead actors being introduced toward the front, he felt much more nervous than usual because of Lee Haeseong’s gaze fixed on him from nearby. It felt as though he had returned to the trembling rookie he was during brief interviews before performances.

After the opening remarks, he had to follow Director Kang to greet important guests. Despite finally being in the same space as Lee Haeseong after a few days, there was hardly any time for them to exchange quiet greetings.

After repeating handshakes and photo ops nearly ten times, a smooth, amused voice came from behind him.

“Director, can I borrow Hongseo for a moment?”

It was Lee Haeseong, who lightly placed a hand on Director Kang’s shoulder. As soon as he spotted him, Hyunseo swallowed hard. He suddenly had no idea what kind of expression to make.

“Oh, Vice President!”

“I wanted to introduce her to my guests for a moment.”

“Of course, go ahead. I was getting a bit carried away bragging about our lead actor. I fell in love with Hongseo again seeing her in a tuxedo today. It feels like Hwang Ji-woo has jumped out of my mind!”

He gave a brief nod to the guests of Director Kang, who seemed far more interested in the vice president of ARA than in the film’s lead actor. With his hand still lightly resting on Hyunseo’s back, Lee Haeseong led him toward the building.

Once they had moved a little distance away from the crowd, he leaned in closer, whispering.

“It looks like the greetings are about wrapped up, so I decided to interrupt.”

“……”

“I was afraid that if I kept going like this, we wouldn’t get a chance to talk at all today, so I was waiting for an opportunity.”

The folding doors leading to the garden were wide open, and there was a bar and a resting area set up inside the building. As they entered the living room, Lee Haeseong walked toward the bar while holding Hyunseo’s wrist over his suit jacket.

After both of them received a glass of bubbly, refreshing champagne, they moved to a long sofa placed in a corridor. It was a spot that wouldn’t easily catch anyone’s eye unless someone intentionally came looking for them.

“We finally have a moment to ourselves. We didn’t even properly greet each other, did we?”

He tilted his head to look into Hyunseo’s face as he smiled.

“How have you been?”

Hyunseo nodded in response.

“Yes, and you’ve been well too, Vice President?”

“This was the most enjoyable business trip ever. All thanks to someone.”

For a moment, Lee Haeseong’s gaze, which had been directed downward, returned to meet Hyunseo’s eyes.

“But it’s also the longest trip ever, thanks to that someone.”

Hyunseo felt the same way. He hadn’t been particularly aware of the passage of time, but while the Vice President was away on his business trip, it truly felt like time was dragging on.

However, those thoughts only swirled in Hyunseo’s mind.

“Just like the director said, Hongseo, you look amazing today! Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen you in a while, but you seem even more stunning.”

His tone and expression were filled with warmth. It was like he was indulging a child, yet it didn’t feel patronizing. There was only happiness and joy in the moment, gazing at someone he found incredibly cute and precious.

Even before the trip, looking at Lee Haeseong’s face as he looked at him made Hyunseo understand the feeling of honey dripping from his eyes. It was a gaze he had never received from anyone else, not even from his parents.

Yet, here he was, unable to say a single sweet word, just fiddling with his champagne glass with a sullen expression… His lack of charm felt frustrating, almost like a resentment toward himself.

“Oh! I took a selfie before leaving home. I think it turned out pretty well this time.”

Suddenly recalling something, Lee Haeseong spoke as he reached into his jacket pocket for his phone. After tapping a few times on the screen, Hyunseo’s phone vibrated from his jacket pocket. He thought Lee Haeseong would show him directly, but it seemed he had sent it via messenger instead.

As Hyunseo pulled out his phone to check the picture, he opened the messenger app without thinking.

“Thanks to your training, I think my selfie skills have definitely improved… wait, what?”

Lee Haeseong, who had leaned over to look at the photo with him, suddenly seemed to doubt his own eyes as he lowered his face even closer to the screen. And in the next moment, the phone was no longer in Hyunseo’s hand.

“Why am I saved as ‘Carrot Seller’?”

“Give it to me.”

He held back Hyunseo, who lunged to retrieve his phone, with one arm pressed down on his body. Then he turned away to check the messenger contact name one more time.

Looking back at Hyunseo behind him, he was smiling.

“What’s this about carrots? Did I sell you carrots, Hongseo?”

Hyunseo felt his earlobes, neck, and face turning completely red. He raised his bent arm and buried half his face in the crook of his elbow. With his other arm, he stretched out toward the phone.

“Give it to me, please.”

“Are you going to cry if I don’t?”

“I’m not going to cry, but I might get angry.”

It wasn’t even a chat window with someone else; it was still the chat window with him. Yet, Hyunseo didn’t understand why he felt so embarrassed. It seemed like it was because he was being teased. In fact, it was really nothing…

Lee Haeseong’s eyes widened at the mention of getting angry. However, he actually looked pleased.

“Threatening me that you might get angry is just fine, but… am I really the strange one here?”

“……”

“If you say you want to see me angry, I really will get angry, right?”

“……”

Hyunseo withdrew the arm he had extended toward the phone and quietly stared at Lee Haeseong. Only then did Lee Haeseong hand the phone over to Hyunseo.

“Giving it back is one thing, but let’s hear what ‘Carrot Seller’ is all about.”

Fearing it might be snatched away again, Hyunseo quickly stuffed the phone into his pocket.

“It is locked, but you never know. Someone might see it and think it’s strange…”

He couldn’t save it under the name “Vice President” or “Lee Haeseong.” It was the same when he met other VIPs. As this thought crossed his mind, Hyunseo felt a pang in his chest. Lee Haeseong was entirely different from the other VIPs he had encountered before, yet the need to hide certain things felt the same. It reminded him of the uneasy feeling he got when Ko Ji-woon mentioned the apartment he received from a sponsor.

“By the way, why specifically carrots?”

“It’s called ‘Carrot Market,’ an app for people living in the same area to buy and sell secondhand items. You meet in person to trade.”

“Oh… I see. Do you use that app for secondhand trading, Hongseo?”

“Sometimes.”

He had experience trading clothes, shoes, and comic books that he no longer wore. Lee Haeseong looked surprised.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“At night, you might not even recognize the person you’re meeting.”

“Hmm… Maybe I should change mine to ‘Carrot Buyer’ then.”

He mumbled to himself while crossing his long legs and sipping champagne. As he glanced at him, Hyunseo asked, “What do I show up as now?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“……”

“Even if you make that cute expression, I still won’t tell you.”

“I didn’t make a cute expression.”

“You did.”

“I did not make a cute expression.”

“Do you think speaking so stiffly will make you less cute?”

With a voice full of laughter, he said that and reached out to touch Hyunseo’s hair.

“Ah… I’m so happy.”

His face, gazing blankly, was filled with smiles from every corner.

Happy.

He hadn’t done anything for him, yet he was happy in this moment. Whether it could really be called happiness, he wasn’t sure… but Hyunseo also wished this time would pass slowly.

As he played with the styled strands of hair, he rubbed his thumb against Hyunseo’s cheek and asked, “Can I lean on your shoulder for a moment?”