Come Back

“Don’t you think of yourself as lowly in front of me, Jo?”

“……”

President Jo wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at him. But he didn’t say anything more.

Everyone has their own tendencies. The upper class that Hyunseo had observed up close was no different. Some people bow their heads completely to those in higher ranks, while a few, though they are rare, act recklessly. President Jo, who was self-made rather than coming from a wealthy family, was certainly among the latter.

However, even someone like President Jo couldn’t fully confront a VVIP like Lee Haeseong. No matter how much confidence he had in his own abilities, he would fear losing the very place where he could showcase them.

“Do whatever you want behind the scenes, but don’t let your disgusting behavior be seen by my eyes.”

Since the bar was in a corner of the living room far from the garden where the party was taking place, it didn’t attract much attention. However, it was impossible to think that no one was watching at all. Out of nowhere, Myung appeared and quietly approached Hyunseo.

What’s going on? Ignoring Myung’s whispers, Hyunseo fixed his gaze on the confrontation between Lee Haeseong and President Jo.

For a moment, President Jo seemed to hesitate, then his eyes flashed as he provoked Lee Haeseong.

“Why are you so infatuated with him? Are you really saying that the great Vice President Lee Haeseong has a soft spot for someone like Hyunseo? Haha, that can’t be true, right?”

President Jo pointed a finger at Hyunseo standing behind him, and Lee Haeseong slowly walked over and pulled President Jo’s long arm down.

“Hyunseo is someone I care a lot about, and it seems President Jo is being rather dense. Or are you pretending to be dense just to annoy me?”

“……”

“Now that you’ve climbed your way up from the bottom, is it only fun for you to look down? Sometimes you need to look up too. Even the bartenders here know that you shouldn’t offend certain people. Why can’t you get the basics right?”

Standing just a step away, Lee Haeseong continued to look straight into President Jo’s face without raising his voice.

“I know that President Jo is a capable manager. But I don’t think the chairman of the JS Group, or your son, who will soon be the CEO of JS Construction, would want to align themselves with you while offending ARA or Hanseong Group. Can I assume you understand what I mean?”

“……”

President Jo’s face, lips tightly pressed together, twitched in anger. Silence replaced President Jo’s response. Lee Haeseong had silenced him.

With a sigh, Lee Haeseong turned his back to President Jo and walked over to the bar. He picked up the champagne glass Hyunseo had been drinking from and downed half of it.

“How much did President Jo invest in this movie? Five hundred million? One billion? Just take it. You’ll only spoil your mood by trying to get attention with a small amount of money.”

Lee Haeseong’s eyes were cold as he looked back at the unresponsive President Jo. For the first time, a sharp edge mixed with his voice.

“Didn’t you hear what I said about spoiling your mood?”

President Jo shot a glance at Hyunseo with bloodshot eyes. Then he cursed and stormed off. With the jazz piano playing in the garden ceasing and a dance party starting up, only a handful of people showed any interest in the commotion. Even they, knowing it involved Lee Haeseong, only dared to glance from a distance.

Since Lee Haeseong didn’t raise his voice, it might have seemed like a trivial argument from afar, but the tension was palpable for those watching closely. Even after President Jo left, approaching Lee Haeseong was still daunting.

After taking a moment to compose himself at the bar, Lee Haeseong suddenly turned to Hyunseo and Myung.

“Mr. Myung, can I talk to Hongseo for a moment alone?”

“Excuse me? Oh, yes. Of course. Go ahead. You should.”

Myung even pushed Hyunseo forward a bit, bowing to comply with Lee Haeseong’s wishes.

@

Lee Haeseong’s gaze at Hyunseo, as he looked at him now, wasn’t like the syrupy look from before. It was a complex mix of regret and remorse, tinged with a sense of sadness for showing an unwanted side of himself.

As Hyunseo looked into Lee Haeseong’s eyes, which seemed emotionally more tangled than when President Jo was present, he slowly approached him. He placed his hand on Lee Haeseong’s arm resting on the edge of the bar.

Hyunseo. Not just “Mr. Hyunseo,” but simply Hyunseo.

It was the first time he had been called like that.

Lee Haeseong looked down at the hand of Hyunseo resting on his arm.

When they had entered the building from the garden, Lee Haeseong had held onto Hyunseo’s wrist over his jacket, but this time he sought out Hyunseo’s hand and led him to the second floor. It was as if he had nothing to fear.

The second-floor parlor of director Kang Woo-hyun. This was where Hyunseo had first met Lee Haeseong.

At that moment, Hyunseo had been prepared for “entertainment” as he entered through that door.

From that day until this very moment, despite having multiple encounters with VVIPs, he had not experienced anything close to intimate contact, let alone physical intimacy. It was strange and unusual for someone who wanted to be more than just a “host” or a mere escort.

Entering the parlor while holding Hyunseo’s hand, Lee Haeseong shut the door and immediately brushed his hand against Hyunseo’s cheek.

“Are you okay?”

Hyunseo nodded. He was so shocked by Lee Haeseong’s unfamiliar, pressuring demeanor that he forgot the unpleasantness of what had just happened with President Jo.

Seeing that in Hyunseo’s expression, Lee Haeseong’s eyes softened with an apologetic look.

“I guess I overreacted, and it must have startled you more.”

No, that wasn’t it. This time, he shook his head firmly. He shook his head repeatedly.

Lee Haeseong’s hands gently cupped Hyunseo’s cheeks, lifting them carefully so they faced up. His deep-set eyes meticulously examined Hyunseo’s face, as if he were worried that someone might have left a tiny scratch.

“I wanted to keep pretending to be a good person in front of you.”

“……”

“For a moment, I couldn’t see anything.”

“Vice President, you’re a good person.”

Hyunseo’s voice was muffled. Lee Haeseong smiled slightly and pinched the tip of Hyunseo’s nose gently.

“Do you really think so after what you saw earlier? In the end, I’m someone who uses my position to create the situations I want when I need to.”

As he spoke, a bitter expression crossed Lee Haeseong’s face. Hyunseo quickly responded, almost shouting.

“But it was an unavoidable situation back there!”

People like President Jo couldn’t be dealt with using common sense. The only way to stop someone who thinks they can manipulate others with their money and status is with more money and status. Lee Haeseong wasn’t a bad person. He hated the fact that he thought of himself that way. Even more so because of people like President Jo.

For the first time, Hyunseo’s intense reaction seemed to surprise Lee Haeseong. He quickly softened his expression to calm Hyunseo down.

“Are you on my side?”

“Vice President, you’re a good person.”

With his head bowed and his voice tight, he repeated the words stubbornly like a child. Lee Haeseong stepped closer and ruffled Hyunseo’s hair.

“That’s right, I’m a good person. Who said I was a bad guy that made Hongseo upset? Huh? Who said that?”

His playful teasing, like soothing a baby, made Hyunseo unable to help but chuckle. When he looked up, he saw the warm smile looking down at him. It was the familiar Lee Haeseong that Hyunseo had grown accustomed to.

“Thank you for saying that. I always want to be a good person in front of you.”

“……”

“Still, if it means preventing you from going through such things, I would act the same way again, no matter what.”

If it weren’t for you, I would have had to comply with President Jo’s demands. The situation where he offered me five chances to become his boyfriend felt more mundane than what had just happened with President Jo.

The crude and disgusting behavior you mentioned regarding President Jo.

It was me who was being dragged into that.

What would happen if I said that?

Even if I didn’t want to do it, even if I was blackmailed and threatened, what happened had happened. Even if he didn’t blame me, even if he sheltered me as a victim who was used, could I really handle my past and the things that had occurred as a partner?

Lee Haeseong took Hyunseo’s hand and led him toward the sofa. Following him, Hyunseo pushed those thoughts from his mind.

“It looks like everyone is having fun without us, so let’s just hide here.”

He glanced down at the garden through the large window and smiled as he plopped down onto the sofa. He then pulled Hyunseo’s hand, encouraging him to sit beside him.

They sat side by side on the long sofa, still holding hands, momentarily lost in their own thoughts. Lee Haeseong, completely sunk into the plush backrest, looked a bit tired. After all, he had just returned from a week-long business trip to Europe.

Noticing Hyunseo’s gaze on him, he leaned his head back against the cushion and smiled faintly.

“What are you thinking about?”

“……”

Seeing Hyunseo only smile without answering, it seemed he was still dwelling on the incident with President Jo.

【“I can’t stand seeing Hongseo being bullied. It makes me angry.”】

Lee Haeseong had said this before. But today, after witnessing such a sleazy scene, it was unlikely he would calm down easily. To redirect his thoughts elsewhere, Hyunseo decided to bring up something he was curious about.

“Who was that person earlier?”

“Who?”

“The foreigner you were talking to. You greeted them very warmly.”

“You were watching?”

“…Yeah.”