Vol 1 Ch 15

Screech, Yeonho, who hadn’t even fully entered the parking lot, hurriedly stepped out of the car.

 

From the outside entrance of the parking lot to the common entrance of the mansion was about 50 meters. His footsteps, crossing the small mini-garden, were fast.

 

Finally, ten steps left. Stop. Yeonho stopped in his tracks.

 

In front of the building’s entrance, as he said, stood a tall figure that stood out. The moment their eyes met, a lazy yet cool April breeze passed between them.

 

The face, still carrying the small laughter that had been heard on the phone, raised his hand towards Yeonho.

 

Huh? A dumbfounded exclamation burst out. Even so, Yeonho’s eyes, as if moved, unknowingly curved up.

 

“What happened? When did you come here?”

 

Yeonho poured out the questions he had been holding back towards the man who had followed him into the living room, leaving a space between them.

 

Matteo, who skillfully followed the route after only two visits, first took out sparkling water from the refrigerator and handed it to Yeonho despite the urgent voice.

 

“A little while ago. I was going to go to the company, but I thought you’d be home at this hour.”

 

“Did you know my number?”

 

Instead of an answer, a faint smile returned.

 

He thought this might happen…

 

As the joy that had been blindly welcomed subsided somewhat, he couldn’t help but feel resentment.

 

If you were going to call, do it in advance, or even 10 minutes earlier! He only got cursed at by Choi Jeongyun for nothing.

 

But Matteo had no way of knowing this. Matteo carefully tilted his head at Yeonho, who quickly became sullen.

 

“Perhaps… was I not supposed to come find you first?”

 

“Would you leave if I said that?”

 

“……”

 

“Never mind, just sit down.”

 

Although he spoke bluntly, the denial was a denial. Matteo, as if relieved, smiled again and sat down on the sofa, following Yeonho.

 

Looking at it again, it was a neat movement without any unnecessary frills. Yeonho’s eyes scanned Matteo anew, and in the meantime, the man who had taken back the bottle he had handed over handed Yeonho the sparkling water again, even opening the lid himself.

 

Did I look that thirsty? Or did it seem like a sign to serve him?

 

He didn’t know which it was, but anyway, Yeonho, who had barely taken his eyes off him, reluctantly quenched his thirst. This time, Matteo stared at Yeonho for a long time.

 

Lowered eyelashes and a small, undulating Adam’s apple, lips gradually getting wet…

 

“Why. Do you want some too?”

 

At the question he asked while turning around, his fingers reached out to Yeonho’s sparkling water bottle as if possessed. At that moment, Yeonho, who had turned his head, pointed somewhere.

 

“Take one out and drink it.”

 

The chin pointed to none other than the refrigerator… He realized that he had misunderstood the meaning a few seconds later. Yeonho tilted his head towards Matteo, who had stopped moving.

 

“Aren’t you going to drink it?”

 

“…It’s okay… I’m fine.”

 

His voice, which had become hoarse in the meantime, seemed to need water more than he did, but he didn’t have the kindness to offer twice to someone who said he was fine.

 

If you don’t want it, fine.

 

Yeonho, who had tightly closed the bottle opening where his lips had touched, straightened his posture. Then, he continued to the main point towards the man who was still glancing at the bottle.

 

“What did you do on the weekend? Do you happen to be learning something?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then why are you contacting me now? You know my number, don’t you?”

 

This was close to a pure question. Until now, when establishing Sponsor relationships, the other party was relatively anxious. It was advantageous in many ways to not only say it but also make it a established fact.

 

But both last time and today, the man didn’t seem to be in a hurry. Yeonho, who had paused for a moment, spat out the remaining words with half-doubt.

 

“Perhaps… do you have someone else besides me?”

 

“……?”

 

“Have there been other people who approached you like this?”

 

“Are you worried about that?”

 

The man’s face softened gently for a moment. But the moment didn’t last long.

 

“Yeah. I don’t have a hobby of dipping my spoon in the same rice bowl as others. So, if you have someone else besides me…”

 

“I don’t.”

 

Before the sentence could be finished, Matteo became serious. The expression that had looked good until just now was gone, and even the surrounding temperature seemed to have dropped. Then, he poured out questions in reverse.

 

“Then what about Do Yeonho? Are there other people you Sponsor in this way besides me?”

 

“Did you hear something that day? I said I was alone ‘now’. Or else, why would I bother taking you in?”

 

“……”

 

Even though he replaces this guy and that guy, the minimum of morality is maintained in Yeonho’s sex life for this reason. He has no affection and no loyalty, but he has laziness, so.

 

Yeonho was inherently not diligent enough to care about many people.

 

Even after hearing the desired answer, Matteo’s expression becomes complicated for a moment. Still, there were no further questions. Instead, a calm explanation followed not long after.

 

“I told you to rest.”

 

“What?”

 

“You looked tired when we parted that day. You said you’d contact me again, so I thought I’d wait a day. But……”

 

“But?”

 

“I thought you might not know my contact information. I also wanted to see you quickly under that excuse.”

 

Along with the words, Matteo slowly scanned Yeonho, and at the end, he slightly raised the corners of his lips. Strangely, he felt deeply stabbed.

 

Was this because he was pointed out for missing the contact information? Or was it because of the subtle nuance of ‘I wanted to see you’?

 

The man’s eyes were too deep to be simply flattering to the boss.

 

Yeonho, who had no idea why his stomach was churning, reopened the closed bottle cap and quickly quenched his thirst.

 

“Don’t… don’t flirt anytime.”

 

“Flirt…?”

 

“If he did it unknowingly, it’s even more of a problem….”

 

No, when you think about it, isn’t it actually a plus in this industry?

 

The conversation he had with Seungwon, comparing Ham Jihyeon and Oh Mirin, suddenly came to mind. Yeonho, who now thought it was a good thing, pulled his butt closer to Matteo, who was tilting his head.

 

“Hey. Now that we’re talking about it, what are you good at?”

 

“……?”

 

“Have you ever been a magazine model, or had a minor role somewhere, or even made it to the final rounds of auditions… Do you have any kind of activity history?”

 

“Why are you asking all of a sudden….”

 

“I need to know what you’re good at to properly direct my support.”

 

“…….”

 

“If you don’t have a history, tell me what you’re interested in.”

 

“……I don’t know.”

 

“You don’t know?”

 

“I haven’t really thought about it.”

 

Unlike the eyes that had looked at him before, his response was lukewarm, like room-temperature water. Yeonho’s brow furrowed at the voice that didn’t seem to have a single ounce of soul in it.

 

“What are you…. Don’t tell me you came to Korea just vaguely wanting to be famous, wanting to be a star?”

 

“…….”

 

“Didn’t you have any other plans besides Next Icon?”

 

Silence usually meant agreement. Yeonho, who had paused, sighed.

 

“Wow. Now that I see it, you’re hopeless. Hey. Do you think this industry is that easy?”

 

How did someone like this hear my rumors? He was starting to doubt it. Just then, Matteo, who had been silent, shrugged.

 

“That’s why I looked for Do Yeonho.”

 

What…?

 

“Because I have no plan. I’m going to entrust my future plans to you. Isn’t that what a Sponsor is for?”

 

Damn it, no. This guy is going to be successful! Why is he so good with words?

 

Yeonho, speechless, dropped his jaw with an absurd look. Judging by what he was saying, it seemed he really didn’t have any significant experience, as Seungwon had worried.

 

Still… Matteo’s appearance, which was a new kind of ability and resource, didn’t let him worry for long. Instead, a different kind of worry raised its head. Yeonho scanned Matteo with a glare.

 

“…By any chance, are you also hopeless in other areas?”

 

His gaze ended up on Matteo’s crotch, which he had pressed once before. Matteo looked down at his lower body as well, and slowly crossed his legs. His crotch became even more pronounced because of it. He raised the corners of his lips even more deeply.

 

“If you need to, you can check it right now.”

 

It was annoying, but it was a response he liked so much. Yeonho barely managed to pull down his lips, which were about to rise, and mixed a bit of coyness into his feigned indifference.

 

“Just don’t let it be different later.”

 

“…….”

 

“More than that, how do you cover your living expenses? Does your family send you money?”

 

“I’m taking care of it with the money I brought.”

 

“How much is that?”

 

Judging by his silence, it didn’t seem like much.

 

Like last time, Matteo was wearing good-quality clothes today. Did he rent them from a rental shop again? That couldn’t be cheap….

 

Yeonho clicked his tongue and rummaged through his pockets to find his wallet. Then, he quickly picked out two cards and held them out to Matteo.

 

“Use them when you need them. Don’t ruin your body doing part-time jobs. Let me tell you, your body isn’t yours anymore, okay?”

 

However, Matteo, who was looking down at the cards handed to him with a very unfamiliar look, picked up something else first instead of the credit cards.

 

“Do I also use this as I please when I need it?”

 

It was none other than the mansion’s access card. The other kids usually asked how much the credit limit was first….

 

Yeonho, who had raised his eyebrows at the unexpected reaction, soon nodded nonchalantly.

 

“Yeah. It’s annoying to have to open it for you every time. The front door password is….”

 

He had already memorized the number in his head when he opened the door, but it still felt different to hear it directly. It felt like he had finally taken a step into Yeonho’s territory. Matteo, who was listening attentively, put away the cash card without saying a word.

 

He was going to say something if he said it was okay or something again… He had the ability to learn.

 

Yeonho, with a satisfied look, then got up from his seat.

 

“Have you had dinner?”

 

“Have you, Do Yeonho?”

 

Tsk. He hadn’t fixed this.

 

“I’m about to eat now. If you haven’t eaten yet, you can eat with me.”

 

“Are you going to buy me food again?”

 

“No.”

 

“……?”

 

“I’m going to make it for you.”

 

Matteo’s eyes widened as if he had been caught off guard.

 

“Why? Do you like me buying you food?”

 

Still, he had no intention of questioning the added words. His head shook violently.

 

Do Yeonho was going to make him food. Matteo was secretly looking forward to the unexpected windfall. Whatever it was, it would be better than pasta with whipped cream.

 

But his expectations were soon shattered. Not long after he entered the kitchen, he heard, “It’s ready!” and what was placed on the table were two cups of ramen.

 

“Do you eat kimchi?”

 

“I… no.”

 

“That’s good. There’s no kimchi at home.”

 

Then why did he ask? He wondered, but it wasn’t the time to argue. When he thought about it, the refrigerator he had seen when he took out the carbonated water was empty except for drinks. He was lucky to even have cup ramen.

 

Matteo, who was looking back at Yeonho, who was sitting in front of the container with wooden chopsticks on it and tapping his fingers, carefully opened his mouth.

 

“Don’t you hire someone to work at home?”

 

“It’s annoying to run into them.”

 

“Household chores aren’t annoying?”

 

“Cleaning is done by the robot vacuum cleaner, and laundry can be left at the laundromat.”

 

“What about meals…?”

 

“I usually buy or order food. Why? Do you not like ramen?”

 

Before he liked or disliked it, he had never eaten this kind of instant ramen before.

 

If Tony had seen it, he would have exclaimed, ‘How can you eat this lump of environmental hormones!’ and poured it all down the drain.

 

When Matteo didn’t answer, Yeonho shrugged.

 

“Delivery takes a long time at this hour. Just bear with it and eat it.”

 

Then, he opened the lid of the container in less than three minutes. He must have been hungry, because Yeonho’s mouth and hands were busy getting the hot noodles down.

 

“What were you doing until this hour without eating?”

 

“Work. Yoon Seungwon nagged me so much.”

 

“Yoon Seungwon is….”

 

“Our company’s CEO. You already know this much, right?”

 

He was being treated like a stalker, but it wasn’t wrong. He had already figured out most of the people around Yeonho.

 

As he was recalling the face that easily came to mind, Yeonho’s voice continued again.

 

“Oh, right. Hyung said he wanted to see you sometime. When are you free?”

 

“Anytime is fine. But, does he know that Do Yeonho is….”

 

A Morpher.

 

The words he had almost blurted out were cut off.

 

“Know what about me?”

 

Matteo hurriedly racked his brain.

 

“Does he know that Do Yeonho is… doing this? Like the Sponsor thing or personal stuff….”

 

Even after saying it, it didn’t seem like a good topic, but Yeonho’s reaction was indifferent.

 

“It’s faster to find out what he doesn’t know about me. I’ve known him for over ten years.”

 

Then… he also knew about Morphers. Could he have even seen Yeonho’s anima?

 

He had also gotten the answer he originally wanted, but he didn’t feel very good.

 

Before he knew it, only the sound of Yeonho slurping noodles filled the table.

 

Matteo belatedly opened the lid of his ramen, which Yeonho had eaten almost half of. He wasn’t going to eat it, but to give some to Yeonho.