Vol 1 Ch 10

Picking up abandoned puppies. Buying chicks sold in front of schools.

 

Mistakes that children often make with a moment of compassion and impulse are almost non-existent among Morphers.

 

How would they know if that’s a real animal or a Morpher dreaming of a momentary escape?

 

But it seems I’m making a mistake that even young Morphers don’t make, so late in life.

 

The memory of last night clearly ended with opening the front door… but when I looked back, there was a neatly folded coat and a neatly placed glass of water on the bedside table next to the bed.

 

The glass of water, covered meticulously with a lid as if worried about dust getting in, was definitely not the neatness of a drunken human.

 

‘Could it be that I brought that bastard into my house? I definitely took the taxi together, but….’

 

Yeonho, who was holding his throbbing temples for various reasons, then looked at his body with blurry eyes. His head hurt quite a bit, but fortunately or unfortunately, there were no traces he didn’t know on his body when he looked down. The belt was loosened, but the pants buckle was still tight.

 

‘I guess I didn’t cross the line….’

 

Yeonho, letting out a troubled sigh, reached for the glass of water. But the movement soon stopped. The water was colder than he thought. As if it hadn’t been poured long ago.

 

As soon as he realized that, Yeonho threw the glass away and hurriedly kicked off the bed. And bang. After opening the door and stepping into the living room, his eyes widened once again.

 

The mistake he made impulsively last night. And a face that can never be dismissed as a mistake was on his sofa.

 

The man, who turned around at the loud noise, slowly got up from his seat.

 

“…Good, morning.”

 

The voice, as resonant as he remembered from yesterday, was good to hear again, as he said. Yeonho, who rarely missed the timing to respond, stammered and barely chose his voice.

 

“What are you… did you sleep here?”

 

“…I was about to leave, but you held me back.”

 

He… held him back?

 

Just to be clear, Yeonho’s question was whether he had slept on the sofa. But the answer that came back was of a more absurd kind.

 

He’s kicked out guys who wouldn’t leave, but he has never held anyone back and told them not to go.

 

What kind of nonsense did he do when he was so drunk that he blacked out?

 

As Yeonho’s face was naturally contorted, the man also narrowed his eyes and hurriedly closed the distance.

 

“What’s wrong. Does your head hurt?”

 

I wish that were the case. It’s not my head that hurts, it’s my shame.

 

Yeonho belatedly stepped back as if he was about to reach out to his forehead.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

The voice that followed was quite cold, even to his own ears. The man, who had paused, stopped walking in place again.

 

Yeonho turned his body completely towards the kitchen. Only then did a small sigh escape.

 

It was because he could feel the man’s gaze, not sitting down again, nor taking his eyes off him, just endlessly looking at his back.

 

‘Was my voice too harsh…. Well, I guess it’s even more uncomfortable for him.’

 

He even took care of a drunk guy and worried about him. He shouldn’t have been so harsh to a young kid.

 

Eventually, Yeonho, who had put some distance between them, turned around again.

 

As if not wanting to repeat the mistake from before, the man didn’t move rashly even when their eyes met. It was as if he was measuring the distance that Yeonho wouldn’t be uncomfortable with.

 

‘The kid has some sense.’

 

Having a sense is an important virtue in this industry. Yeonho, who was unknowingly scoring him, loosened his voice.

 

“Why are you standing there blankly. Don’t just stand there, come and sit down.”

 

The chin pointed to the dining table chair. The man, who had closed the distance again after receiving a proper invitation, pulled out the chair and sat down.

 

His seated height wasn’t that high compared to his height. It meant that more than half of his body was legs. He scanned his long body and coughed dryly.

 

“Did you do any kind of exercise?”

 

“……?”

 

“You have good posture.”

 

In fact, it wasn’t enough to simply say that he had good posture. Whether it was when he pulled out the chair or when that big body moved, there were no annoying movements or sounds at all.

 

Yeonho wondered if he was a model after all, but when he thought about it, Seongmin’s actions were light and noisy, even though he was also a model.

 

While waiting for an answer, the man smiled faintly for the first time.

 

“Thank you for the compliment.”

 

Oh?

 

Yeonho’s eyes narrowed once at the smile that spread across his face, and again at the relaxed answer. Whether it was intentional or not, it was a way of speaking that cleverly avoided answering without making the other person feel bad.

 

Even if he did… Looking at his pulled-up mouth, he couldn’t bring himself to ask why he was dodging the answer. Instead, he felt a slight playfulness, wanting to shake that smiling face.

 

Yeonho, pretending not to notice, reached for the coffee machine and then spoke again.

 

“But… why did you do that yesterday?”

 

“……?”

 

“Looking at it, you didn’t sleep with me? You said I told you not to go. It was a meal that was prepared with much effort, why didn’t you eat it?”

 

Using even vulgar expressions was more than just a joke, it was also spiteful. He even took off his coat and loosened his belt… but there were no other traces at all. Was I that unattractive? Yeonho wondered.

 

But the hope that he would be embarrassed didn’t last long. He had raised his eyebrows strangely for a moment. That was all. It was because the man gave an unexpected answer.

 

“Eating in a hurry goes against aesthetics.”

 

“…What?”

 

“It’s not like it’s dining etiquette.”

 

It was Yeonho who widened his eyes instead. And before long, he even burst out laughing.

 

“Ha, haha… Ahahaha!”

 

The man finally looked embarrassed at Yeonho, who was holding his stomach.

 

He wiped his eyes after laughing for a long time.

 

“Aesthetics? You have character.”

 

“…….”

 

“Do you want coffee?”

 

Do Yeonho also has a definite character. He laughs to his heart’s content as if teasing people, and then asks such an ordinary question for a moment.

 

There was no mundane confirmation of whether he made a mistake or what really happened yesterday, and even the question seemed to be just a formality, with no intention of hearing an answer.

 

Yeonho, who took out a coffee capsule from the dispenser on one side of the kitchen counter, turned around again as he opened the freezer door.

 

“Iced Americano?”

 

I…ced Americano?

 

It was after this question that he realized what it meant.

 

Iced Americano.

 

He immediately cut off the words without even thinking.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

Unlike his words, his expression was not okay at all. The way he looked at the ice piling up in the tall glass was openly disgusted. Yeonho tilted his head.

 

“Do you like it hot? Then I’ll just get you something else.”

 

The man’s eyes turned to the coffee machine on standby once more. The coffee machine, which had become almost a daily necessity for modern people, was, however, a sin to the man in and of itself.

 

‘How can anyone drink coffee extracted from such a machine? And to put ice in it?’

 

He chose his words as carefully as possible, then gave up.

 

“I… don’t like coffee.”

 

Ah, Yeonho looked like he understood. Now that he looked again, the man’s face looked five or six years younger than his. Right. He didn’t know that there were things in the world more bitter than coffee yet.

 

“You must be young…”

 

As he muttered as if for him to hear, the man narrowed his brows. Regardless, he rummaged through the refrigerator. Even so, he still didn’t let go of the spite he felt.

 

“Then what do you want to drink? Shall I get you milk?”

 

The face, young but still masculine enough, was now properly crumpled.

 

***

 

In front of Yeonho was an iced Americano filled with ice, and in front of the man was sparkling water instead of milk.

 

Instead of his own drink, his sullen eyes lingered on Yeonho, who was gulping down the iced coffee, far more often.

 

He must really hate coffee, Yeonho thought as he glanced at the man. He opened his mouth only when his glass was half empty.

 

“I didn’t hear you properly yesterday, but did you really get eliminated from that?”

 

“…?”

 

“Next Icon. You participated in that, right?”

 

The program, in which all participants entered a training camp at the same time as filming, had a format that dropped about half of them on the first day, as he had said once before.

 

But even with his face crumpled, the fact that the handsome guy in front of him had been eliminated from the start was still hard to believe even after he sobered up.

 

Why did he get eliminated? Was it really because he was a foreigner? Or was he pushed back by the power of his agency?

 

There were a few things that came to mind, but none of them were very convincing. The man didn’t say much, as if he felt the same way.

 

Well, what’s the point of talking about something that’s already happened? He gave up on getting an answer and changed the subject.

 

“I see you’re mixed race. What are you mixed with? You speak Korean so well, did you live here all your life?”

 

Fortunately, this time the man opened his mouth.

 

“To be exact, my mother is Korean-mixed. I learned the language when I lived here.”

 

“So you’re saying you don’t live in Korea now?”

 

“……”

 

“Are you… did you come to Korea to become a celebrity?”

 

“……”

 

Silence usually means yes. When did the status of the Korean entertainment industry rise so high?

 

Yeonho, who had gathered information from the unanswered words, took another look at the man’s face. After a while, his head tilted.

 

“Why, what is it?”

 

“No… your eyes. Seeing them in the light, the color difference is even more obvious?”

 

“……!”

 

“It’s my first time seeing heterochromia.”

 

Unique appearance traits were advantageous for celebrities. In particular, the beautiful eyes that looked like an annular eclipse were highly valuable. Of course, the reddish opposite eye was also attractive.

 

It was when Yeonho tilted his head even closer to his face as if to get a better look. The man, who had paused and blinked, slowly opened his mouth.

 

“…Is it your first time?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Have you never seen heterochromia before?”

 

“It’s not common, is it?”

 

Yeonho casually affirmed. The man, who seemed to have something more to say, soon closed his mouth.

 

“I see.”

 

His short reply didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

 

Did he think he was being evaluated? No. How could a guy who wanted to be a celebrity get so upset over this? Should he say it was a compliment?

 

He was worried for a moment, but when he thought about it, he was the boss and the man was the subordinate, so there was no need to cater to his mood.

 

“Listen. I think it’s better to make things clear now. How far are you thinking of going with me?”

 

“How… far?”

 

“Seeing you passed out in my house all night like this, it seems like you’ve made up your mind. But I still have to check. I was a little drunk yesterday, too…”

 

“……”

 

“The reason you approached me, it’s because of a Sponsorship, right?”

 

“……”

 

“No? Or do you just want to leave?”

 

“It’s not.”

 

“Okay. Let’s not beat around the bush. Seeing as you followed me, you must have looked into me to some extent.”

 

“……”

 

“Even if I have a Sponsor relationship with you, it’s different from dating. You understand that much, right?”

 

“……”

 

“First of all, our relationship will be about six months.”

 

“Six months…?”

 

“Maximum six months. That’s enough time for us to enjoy each other. And if we drag it on and rumors spread, it won’t be good for you either.”

 

“……”

 

“Of course, during this period, I’ll support you with what you need. How much you grow depends on your ability, but at least it’ll be easier for you to seize opportunities. You just have to pay the price. And after it’s over, we’ll end it cleanly without clinging to each other. Any objections?”

 

As he said, it was a quick and clean arrangement. The man, whose eyes had sunk slightly, mulled over the words Yeonho had spat out, and then spoke the one that bothered him the most.

 

“The price… is it my body, after all?”

 

“Then am I just supposed to hang you on the wall and admire you? From the moment you picked me, your sexual preference is men, right?”

 

“……”

 

“Come to think of it, what’s your position? Top or bottom?”

 

Yeonho, who had delved into the specifics while he was at it, counted on his fingers.

 

“I think men should be one of two things: cool or delicious.”

 

Of course, they had to suit his taste, but the added condition meant that there was no room for compromise.

 

The man cleared his throat and carefully returned the question.

 

“…So. Which one are you?”

 

“Me? I’m obviously… the cool one.”

 

Then… does that mean I have to be the bottom?

 

His pupils narrowed for a moment. But the moment didn’t last long.

Yeonho’s bare foot pressed firmly against the man’s groin, as if he’d read his thoughts, and he smiled wickedly. What followed was a whisper.

“Being delicious… only happens when there’s a top.”

The meaning clicked instantly. With Yeonho’s foot pressing down again and again, full of intent, the man’s eyes narrowed, this time with an entirely different understanding.

His hand unconsciously reached for Yeonho’s ankle. But as soon as his fingertips touched his skin, his foot quickly retreated.

 

Ah…. A regretful sigh escaped his lips, and Yeonho, who had scanned his expression in detail, pulled up the corners of his lips as if teasing him.

 

“Do you understand properly?”

 

His head moved before his burning mouth. With a neat nod, Yeonho raised his chin as if satisfied.

 

“Good. Then, from now on, call me Executive Director. Don’t call me ‘you’ like you did just now.”

 

“……”

 

“Why? Do you want to call me ‘hyung’ instead?”

 

The man’s eyebrows twitched as he chased after Yeonho’s weight and warmth that still remained on his lower body.

 

For some reason, he seemed to hate the word “hyung” more than the sound of “Executive Director.” He thought he was doing him a favor….

 

He didn’t intend to say this much. Yeonho, holding the almost melted coffee cup, got up from his seat. Then, ah! He turned back to the man.

 

“Oh, right. Come to think of it, I haven’t heard your name yet.”

 

Name…?

 

“What should I call you?”

 

He could overlook the fact that he didn’t want to be called “hyung,” but this time, the man didn’t open his mouth easily either.

 

“What is it? Do you not have a name?”

 

After a while, with repeated prodding, he barely moved his lips as if he couldn’t help it.

 

“An…”

 

“An?”

 

“To…nio…”

 

“Antonio?”

 

He had taken so long that he thought it was a strange name, but it wasn’t. Yeonho, who rolled the pronunciation over his tongue, asked again.

 

“What’s your full name? What’s your last name?”

 

“It’s long…. Anyway, there’s no need to call me by my last name, is there?”

 

Well, in foreign cultures, the full name is only used when being formal. It can feel distant between close friends.

 

Yeonho, who was convinced, nodded instead of pressing him. A faint look of relief crossed the man’s face.

 

However,

 

“Then can I call you Tony?”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

“Antonio is a bit long, too. ‘Tony’ is simple, right?”

 

His face quickly hardened again at the words that followed. Yeonho, who hadn’t noticed, just patted the man’s shoulder.

 

“I should go wash up. Tony, you can use the bathroom if you want. There’s a new toothbrush in the cabinet.”

 

Yeonho’s steps towards the bedroom were very light as he threw the empty glass into the sink. On the other hand, the man covered his forehead with a sigh only after that figure had completely disappeared from his sight.

 

‘Why did that have to come to mind…’

 

‘Tony’s’ face was terribly bitter.