Vol 6 Ch 24

At that moment, the door opened, and Inseop came in. Sensing the tense atmosphere, he hesitated at the entrance. Lee Wooyeon pulled out a chair for him, smiling.

“Who were you on the phone with for so long?”

“…F*ck, it wasn’t even five minutes.”

Manager Cha muttered a curse under his breath.

“My sibling. He saw a movie we used to watch together as kids on TV and thought of me. He said he misses me.”

Lee Wooyeon’s expression froze in place as he smiled with his arm draped over the back of Inseop’s chair.

“Inseop has a younger sibling? A younger sister?”

CEO Kim asked.

“No, younger brothers. I have three.”

“Your second brother? Aaron, right?”

Manager Cha chimed in knowingly. Inseop smiled and nodded.

“Your younger brother must be really young, if he’s missing his older brother like that.”

“There’s only a two-year difference.”

“What? And he’s calling you because he misses you?”

CEO Kim exclaimed in surprise. Inseop scratched his cheek, looking a bit embarrassed.

“We’re all really close.”

“That’s interesting.”

“Old folks find everything amazing. Of course they’re close, Inseop is such a good brother. If he were my brother, I’d be calling him ‘hyung’ and following him around all the time too.”

Manager Cha jumped in to defend Inseop, and a twisted smile appeared on Lee Wooyeon’s lips.

“Manager Cha, how old are you that Inseop could be your brother?”

“Hey! You, last time you…!”

“Last time what?”

“…….”

Manager Cha’s lips twitched in anger, recalling the time he suffered through torture for saying the wrong thing.

“What did I even say?”

“Forget it, let’s not talk about it.”

Manager Cha downed his glass of water in one gulp. Seeing his cup empty, Inseop quickly grabbed the water bottle to refill it, but Lee Wooyeon snatched it from his hand.

“You were called here to eat, not to wait on others.”

Lee Wooyeon placed the water bottle in front of Manager Cha.

“It’s fine, it’s no big deal…”

“Just eat.”

“…Okay.”

“Is the food to your taste?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

Inseop nodded, and Lee Wooyeon smiled with relief, resting his chin in his hand.

“…You should eat a lot too, Wooyeon. Oh, and CEO Kim, Manager Cha, you too, eat plenty.”

“Yes, I’ll eat a lot.”

Manager Cha responded playfully.

“But seriously, did your brother really call just because he wanted to hear your voice? No other reason?”

CEO Kim made a circle with his thumb and finger, playfully shaking it. Inseop laughed and said, “No, Aaron isn’t like that. He’s really smart—he even got a scholarship and makes good money from his job.”

Inseop never bragged about himself. Even when he achieved something great, he’d only smile and say he was lucky. The only time he proudly spoke about anything was when it involved his family.

Lee Wooyeon felt twisted inside. He knew how much family meant to Inseop, yet the urge to tear it apart always burned within him.

“Smart too?”

“Yes, he’s good at studying and sports. He’s really kind.”

Inseop’s eyes sparkled with pure joy as he eagerly replied. Lee Wooyeon’s smile slowly faded.

The brilliant younger brother of Choi Inseop, who was both smart and athletic, was someone Lee Wooyeon hated with a passion. Not because that guy knew Wooyeon’s true self or harbored any ill will towards him. He didn’t need a reason. He just hated him.

“Quite an impressive guy.”

“Yeah, Aaron even had a paper published in a really famous journal recently.”

“You didn’t actually read it, did you?”

In response to Manager Cha’s question, Inseop gave an awkward smile.

“…I did, but I couldn’t really understand it.”

“Wow, good on you for being a good brother. I wouldn’t read a paper even if someone paid me.”

Manager Cha waved his hands dramatically.

“You’re not supposed to read papers. You write them and forget about them.”

CEO Kim added, dead serious.

“Did you ever write a paper, CEO? Or did you just copy everything from a book?”

“I don’t know, I don’t remember. Why are you talking about stuff from ages ago?”

“What was your thesis on again? Something really weird. Didn’t you get rejected by your professor a bunch of times and cry? Wasn’t it something like ‘Westernization of dietary habits for globalizing Korean models’?”

“Shut up and eat!”

As the two bantered, Inseop laughed, but then glanced to his side. Lee Wooyeon, fiddling with his ring under the table, was staring silently at him. His gaze was so intense, it made Inseop feel self-conscious, so he quickly looked away.

“Now that I think about it, didn’t you write a thesis too, Inseop?”

“What? Me?”

“The report on Lee Wooyeon. The one you submitted with your resume.”

“Oh, right. That one. The twenty-page A4 document.”

At the mention of the past, Inseop’s face flushed bright red.

“It was really impressive. Everyone at the office passed it around.”

“It’s nothing special. Just a combination of information. You can find it all by searching the internet…”

“No, it was on a different level. It was a perfect dissertation on actor Lee Wooyeon. That report could have been published in an academic journal.”

“Do you still have it?”

Lee Wooyeon suddenly asked.

“If I look for it, I think it’s still somewhere in the office…”

“Th-throw it away!”

Inseop interrupted CEO Kim. His out-of-character action made Lee Wooyeon smile with his eyes.

“Why throw something valuable away? CEO Kim, if you find it, please give it to me. I feel like I’ve lost some understanding of myself lately, and it’s been hard to choose scripts.”

“Really? Okay. I’ll dig it up and find it for you.”

CEO Kim laughed heartily, saying as long as it helps him pick scripts. Inseop, with his eyebrows drooped, quietly called, “Wooyeon.”

“Yes?”

“…Don’t read it.”

“Why?”

“……”

“Why shouldn’t I read it?”

Lee Wooyeon often repeated questions like that. Either when he was angry or when he genuinely didn’t understand. In either case, he would only back down after hearing a satisfying answer.

“That…”

Inseop hesitated, unable to find the words to respond.

The report was essentially the result of stalking Lee Wooyeon.

Even now, Lee Wooyeon frequently teased Inseop, reminding him of his past stalking behavior. If they happened to bump into each other outside, Lee Wooyeon would pretend to be surprised, asking if Inseop had been secretly waiting for him. He would find the movie pamphlets Inseop had collected and joke, asking if he still didn’t have enough information. He would ask Inseop to help him choose clothes, then tease him, saying a stalker’s taste is different. The teasing was relentless. Each time, Inseop would stammer like someone who had committed a crime, not knowing what to do. There was even one time when he broke down crying and apologized. Lee Wooyeon hugged him, saying “I understand,” but the teasing didn’t stop. Ironically, it was now Lee Wooyeon who inspected Inseop’s phone, tracked his location, and regularly read his diary.

“…Can I tell you when we get home?”

Inseop said in a barely audible voice. But this wasn’t someone who would let him off with a half-hearted answer. Lee Wooyeon stared at him and finally said, “Alright.”

Just as Inseop let out a sigh of relief, his phone rang again from his pocket.

When Inseop saw the name on the screen, he was startled.

“Who is it?”

Manager Cha asked, lifting his head.

“It’s Aaron. Why is he calling again?”

As Inseop tried to get up to leave, Lee Wooyeon grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his seat.

“Just take the call here.”

“No, I’ll step outside. I don’t want to bother the others.”

“You can just keep it short.”

It was a clear demand to end the call quickly.

“But, I just…”

Lee Wooyeon’s hand, which was holding Inseop’s arm, didn’t budge. With no other choice, Inseop turned to the side and started the call.

[Yeah, Aaron. What’s up, again?]

Aaron’s excited voice came through the phone. Inseop continued the conversation as quietly as possible.

[Yeah. That would be great. Of course.]

A gentle and soft voice carefully comforted the other person. Lee Wooyeon drank his water silently.

[Yeah, I understand. I’m outside right now, so let’s talk later.]

People tend to hide their emotions. Whether good or bad, only a fool, like a child, would reveal everything they feel.

[Me too. Yeah. Send my regards. Mm. Love you.]

Inseop was always like that. He fully revealed his kindness to the people he liked, as if it were only natural.

As soon as Inseop finished the call, CEO Kim jumped in, teasing him.

“See? I’m telling you, your brother’s out of money. No younger brother, especially a male one, would call twice a day unless he’s broke!”

“Maybe that’s something you would do,” Manager  Cha quipped.

CEO Kim snapped back in frustration.

“Well, when’s the last time you got a call from your youngest brother?”

“…When he asked to borrow money for his wedding.”

“See? I’m telling you, I only talk to my brothers when I’m trying to get some investment money out of them. Oh, right, Inseop. It’s fine to give money, but never cosign a loan. Even if it’s your own sibling.”

“What does it mean to cosign?”

Inseop asked carefully.

“It’s like this: when you cosign, it means if the other person can’t pay off their debt, you promise to pay it for them. In the end, you both go down together… Anyway, just don’t do it, okay?”

Inseop hesitated for a moment. If his younger siblings ever asked him for help, he was willing to do whatever he could within his means.

Fingers lightly tapped the table.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Lee Wooyeon asked, as if urging for a reply.

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t you hear what CEO Kim said?”

“Oh, I was just thinking.”

Manager Cha gasped in shock.

“Thinking? What’s there to think about? You should never cosign. This isn’t about how close you are to your siblings or not. Inseop, if we leave you alone, you’re going to get into trouble.”

“It’s not that… I mean, they’re my siblings,” Inseop continued calmly. “It’s only natural to help family. Of course, I wouldn’t help endlessly. My siblings are adults who are responsible for their own lives, and I understand that helping too much doesn’t necessarily lead to good outcomes. But still…”

Inseop was timid and soft-hearted. He often cried or became frightened over things that were hard for others to understand. But there were moments when even the delicate Inseop stubbornly refused to bend.

“…At the very least, I think they deserve a chance to make up for their mistakes.”

When he was trying to protect the things he loved.

“Inseop, I’m telling you, you really shouldn’t cosign,” CEO Kim pleaded, almost whining. But Inseop just smiled quietly. If his siblings asked him to cosign, Inseop would willingly be dragged down into the muck with them. He was the type of person who had flown all the way here to waste his life avenging a friend who wasn’t even family.

Those siblings would be the same. They would gladly go down into the mud and devote themselves to one another. That’s what it meant to be family — bound together in a way that rubbed Lee Wooyeon the wrong way.

And more than anything, it pissed him off that he himself, despite not belonging, was desperately wanting to be a part of it.

“If you cosign recklessly, one day you’ll get married and then your wife and kids will…”

CEO Kim met Lee Wooyeon’s pitch-black eyes and suddenly realized his slip-up, swallowing hard.

“Ah, I mean, not that I’m saying you’re going to get married right away or anything. Yeah, of course Inseop won’t get married.”

“I could.”

Lee Wooyeon replied with a blank expression.

“Are you not going to?”

When Lee Wooyeon asked, Inseop’s face filled with fear, and he stammered, “Well, that’s…” trailing off at the end.

“Oh, well, I mean, it’s possible, but I’m not saying you’re getting married anytime soon. Anyway, just be careful with cosigning…”

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, CEO Kim quickly changed the subject.

“Come to think of it, you two still speak formally to each other.”

“Pardon?”

Surprised by the sudden topic, Inseop asked back.

“You’re close, but you still speak in formal language.”

“Lee Wooyeon is older than me.”

“But it’s not by much.”

“Three years,” Wooyeon answered.

“Three years, and you’re still using such formal language? Is it because Inseop doesn’t call you hyung?”

Inseop coughed softly, almost choking. Wooyeon poured water and handed it to him. Inseop, with a quiet voice, thanked him and drank the water.

“Have you never called him hyung? Not even once?”

“…No.”

Inseop’s face flushed red.

“Give it a try. It’ll be fun.”

“What do you mean, hyung? Just stop. Keep addressing each other formally,” Manager Cha quickly intervened, having experienced firsthand how uncomfortable CEO Kim’s jokes could get.

“Why? You call me hyung, too.”

“Are we the same? Those two… Anyway, let’s just eat, Inseop.”

“What’s the big deal? Give it a try. In Korea, if you’re close, it’s normal to call each other hyung.”

“Uh, well… I mean… that’s…”

Inseop’s face turned even redder, and his long eyelashes fluttered nervously.

Wooyeon didn’t particularly care about titles. Whether he was called hyung or not wouldn’t change their relationship, and he wasn’t the type to get worked up over something so trivial.

“Wooyeon is older than me, and in Korean culture, it’s customary to call someone hyung if they’re older, but since we first met in a professional setting, it’s hard to suddenly change how I address him. I mean, we’re close now, but it’s not like we’re that close… I mean, we’re not really brothers…”

As Inseop’s words tangled, his face flushed even more, all the way up to his eyebrows.

He’s going to cry, isn’t he?

Just as Wooyeon was about to speak, Inseop squeezed his eyes shut and quickly continued.

“Technically, Wooyeon is older than me, but we’re not siblings, so…”

“You’re right.”

Wooyeon lightly agreed.

“We’re not brothers, so there’s no need to call each other hyung and dongsaeng.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, and Manager Cha and CEO Kim exchanged uneasy glances.

…Why did the mood suddenly turn so bad?

…Who knows? That guy can make any situation awkward for no reason.

“Exactly. You’re both not even Korean, and you’re from America, so what’s the point of using hyung or dongsaeng? Don’t even think about it, okay?”

Manager Cha hurried to wrap up the conversation. At that moment, the server entered the room. After a brief explanation about the wine, the server poured it into their glasses and left with a polite wish for them to enjoy their time.

“Well, then…”

Before CEO Kim could propose a toast, Wooyeon picked up his wine glass and downed it in one go. The three others were stunned into silence.

“Wooyeon, uh…”

Inseop cautiously spoke, and Wooyeon responded with a cold, “Yes.”

His icy tone made Inseop quickly back down, mumbling, “Never mind,” and lowering his gaze.

Wooyeon silently drank more wine after that. Inseop, on the other hand, didn’t touch his glass for the rest of the night.