Chapter 67
Seungjo wasn't playing around this time, but Yeonho couldn't bring himself to care.
Even with Seungjo wearing that calm, icy look—the kind of quiet anger that usually backed grown men into a corner—Yeonho just found it ridiculously attractive.
They stepped into the elevator together, standing shoulder to shoulder.
Yeonho turned toward the closing doors just as Min-Hyuk and Gyeongjae came sprinting down the hallway to catch up.
Yeonho lifted a hand, waving two fingers lazily through the shrinking gap.
"See you later, boys."
The moment the elevator doors sealed shut, Yeonho abandoned all space and started getting on Seungjo's nerves, acting completely clingy and flirty.
He leaned back against the wall, reaching over to squeeze Seungjo's bicep right through the thick, fine wool of his suit jacket.
"You know, you really should wear something that reveals your arms,"
Yeonho murmured, stepping closer and letting his palm slide over the hard muscle beneath the fabric.
"You're hiding your build. It's such a waste."
"Get your filthy hands off me, or I'll do something you won't like."
It was a stern warning, yet Yeonho was having the time of his life poking at the man's self-restraint.
"We're going to your office, right?" Yeonho asked, finally letting go and taking a small step back. "I have my disguise on. Is this fine? Won't your employees find it weird if you drag a normal-looking guy inside your company building?"
Seungjo glanced sideways at Yeonho, his head remaining perfectly still. "So this is how you live? Blending in like you belong?"
"Yeah, it's hard," Yeonho sighed dramatically.
"Why? You gonna help me? I'd love it if you did, Mr. Chairman."
"Who said I'd help? I couldn't care less if people find out who you are."
Yeonho let out a light chuckle, completely unbothered because he knew Seungjo was bluffing.
He stepped directly into the taller man's space, looking up at him with a mischievous smile.
"You know you care. You're done for if people actually find out about me."
They locked eyes in a long, heavy silence, neither saying a word, but their sharp glares held an undeniable weight.
Only the soft chime of the elevator arrival shattered the standoff.
The doors slid open, and Yeonho stepped out first, pulling out his phone to call Carl, instructing him to grab the bag he had left in the kitchen and bring it down to the main entrance.
Standing alone inside the elevator cab, Seungjo watched Yeonho's retreating back.
He let out a long, exhausted sigh, running a hand up through his hair to loosen the knot of his tie at his collar.
"Rascal," He mumbled , shaking his head as he finally stepped out onto the marble floor.
"Why is he always getting on my nerves?"
After ending his call, Yeonho glanced back and caught Seungjo shaking his head in annoyance.
Grinning, he turned around and slowed his stride to match Seungjo's pace.
"Hurry up, Mr. Chairman. I'm a busy man today."
"Don't order me around."
Seungjo lengthened his stride, taking massive steps that forced Yeonho to quicken his feet just to keep up.
It was early morning, so the hotel lobby wasn't overly crowded, but a few curious eyes still tracked their movements—especially the hotel staff, who had been thoroughly stunned when Seungjo arrived earlier.
They were desperately trying to figure out why Seungjo, a fierce rival love of Gyeongjae, was lingering on the property.
It wasn't even the first strange incident.
A few nights ago, Min-Hyuk had arrived late at night with a mysterious blonde hiding under a helmet who ended up getting carried through the lobby by Gyeongjae, the owner of the hotel himself.
As curious as they were, the staff knew better than to pry and quickly buried their attention back into their work.
Yeonho noticed the glances but ignored them entirely.
Just as they neared the main exit, he spotted Jihi and Hyunbae talking across the open floor.
Both of them caught sight of Yeonho and Seungjo walking side-by-side, their eyes widening in brief surprise.
Yeonho simply offered them a smooth smile and a polite bow, acting as if he had known Jihi and Hyunbae for years.
Jihi and Hyunbae bowed in return, though their movements were stiff under Seungjo's watchful glare—especially given the awkward reality that one of Hana's pursuers was currently accompanying Yeonho.
"You know them?" Seungjo asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Yeah, just some people I know. Let's go," Yeonho replied, keeping his eyes fixed on the glass doors ahead.
Seungjo cast one last suspicious glance back before focusing forward.
As they stepped out into the crisp morning air, Yeonho waited by the curb for two minutes until Carl ran out to hand over his bag.
Once he had his belongings, Yeonho slid into the front passenger seat of Seungjo's car.
There was no chauffeur this time.
Seungjo took the wheel himself.
Remembering how he had stolen a kiss from Seungjo the other night, Yeonho suddenly burst into a quiet giggle.
"Why are you laughing now?"
Seungjo moved his lef hand, gripping the steering wheel while the other rested firmly on the gearshift.
"I just remembered the hilarious face you made when I stole a kiss the other night,"
Yeonho turned to look at him.
"You acted like you were a high school little princess and a virgin. Hahaha!"
Seungjo started the engine, his expression remaining completely unbothered as he pulled out onto the main road.
"A kiss should be shared with someone you love, not by anyone who treats it like a joke."
Yeonho fell silent.
"Tsk. You're so serious. I'm just trying to lightened up the mood."
"Well, it's not working."
"Fine. Just drive. I don't care."
"I am driving."
Yeonho didn't bother responding, turning his gaze out the side window.
'Ugh, Bastard, I'm trying to flirt.'
The morning traffic was an absolute nightmare.
A multi-car collision at the main intersection had gridlocked the entire avenue, dragging their ETA out significantly.
Resting his chin in his hand, Yeonho pouted at the endless sea of red taillights.
Yeonho rested his chin in his hands, pouting like a child against the window pane.
"Are we there yet?"
"You're not blind. Stop asking."
"This is so annoying. Tsk."
Yeonho clicked his tongue, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
Realizing the traffic wasn't clearing anytime soon, Seungjo decided to bring up the pressing issue on his mind.
"You—" Seungjo began.
"Don't 'you' me," Yeonho blurted out, already thoroughly irritated by the endless waiting.
"I'm not Chinese for you to call me YU. I have a name."
"Can you try to avoid acting like a brat for five minutes?"
"How can I stop acting like one when you keep calling me 'You'? What are you gonna use next, 'Mi'?"
Yeonho rolled his eyes.
"YEON...HO," Seungjo said, his voice dropping like a heavy stone like a robot.
Yeonho burst out laughing.
"Pfft! You sound so weird. Hahaha! you could have just call me Yeon-Hoe. Get it! The joke? Hahaha! Hoe? No? It's funny."
"It's not."
Seungjo stared blank at him. He didn't find the joke worth to laugh.
Yeonho rolled his eyes at the silent reaction. He leaned back abruptly, letting out an annoyed grumble.
"Fine, call me whatever you want. I'm just pissed off by this shitty traffic. What do you wanna talk about? It's about the video I sent, right? Don't worry, it's still safely saved on my phone. If you accidentally deleted yours, just ask and I'll send it to you again."
"I want it gone."
"Yea, that's not happening."
"Get rid of it or forgot about your career."
"Look, it's just between the two of us. I'm not some low-life who's going to leak explicit stuff online. Don't get all worked up over a clip—did you forget our contract? The second I break a rule, you can do whatever the hell you want to me, and I have zero intention of dying over a video. So just chill out."
Yeonho tilted his head to the side, smiling as if trying to reassure Seungjo.
Seeing Yeonho act like this, Seungjo couldn't help but let out a long, exhausted sigh.
Ever since he got entangled with Hana's twin brother, his life had become exponentially harder.
In all honesty, the contract felt like it was draining him instead, while this cocky brat sitting beside him kept getting away with whatever he wanted.
'Why am I the one suffering under this damn contract instead of him?'
Seungjo thought, glancing over at Yeonho's disguised face.
Even under the subtle makeup and styled hair, Seungjo could still vividly picture those piercing blue eyes and sharp features underneath.
"So? We're good, right?"
Yeonho leaned forward, blinking rapidly in a mock display of innocence.
"No need to stress about our little video. I'm behaving well."
'Just let it drop, Seungjo, or I'll spend the rest of the day driving you up the wall.'
Seungjo looked away, turning his gaze back to the sea of red brake lights stretching down the avenue.
"Behaving well? What a lie. Because of you, I can't spend time with Hana."
Yeonho turned back toward the window, a wide, wicked grin spreading across his face, as he whispered a sentence.
"That's good then."
"I can hear you," Seungjo said sharply, finally taking an opening to steer out of the traffic gridlock.
"Oh no. I'm so sorry, Chairman Baek,"
Yeonho replied, his voice dripping with blatant sarcasm.
Silence settled over the vehicle for the remainder of the drive until they finally pulled into the underground parking complex of Seungjo's company.
At first, the ground staff didn't recognize Yeonho in his disguise, but as soon as Seungjo called an emergency board meeting with Yeonho by his side, everyone instantly realized who the new face of the company was.
Naturally, Yeonho took the seat directly beside Seungjo at the long conference table.
Seungjo didn't object, knowing full well that Yeonho was smart enough not to pull any absurd stunts when his own blossoming career was on the line.
Yeonho had assumed it would be a standard meeting regarding photoshoot concepts and basic promotional schedules.
Instead, Seungjo was determined to leverage Yeonho's raw potential to crush rival agencies, revealing a massive, aggressive expansion slate.
Over the next several hours, Seungjo personally drove Yeonho from location to location across the district.
But Seungjo was set on pushing his company ahead at all costs, dragging Yeonho through a grueling circuit of television networks, drama sets, film directors, and survival shows where he could showcase Yeonho as their primary star.
Every producer they met was initially baffled when Seungjo presented a model who didn't look remotely like the famous Choi family lineage.
When Yeonho casually explained that he was wearing a heavy disguise for security reasons, the executives grew hesitant, openly questioning whether investing heavy production budgets into a disguised star was a safe play.
Seungjo countered every hesitation with cold precision, laying out the massive financial benefits of securing someone who was already the face of a world-renowned international brand.
Still, the negotiations frequently landed in awkward standoffs.
Even though Seungjo was a powerful authority figure they respected, the industry heads were terrified of the risk, leaving Seungjo with the standard response that they needed time to evaluate the offer.
It was expected, but getting Yeonho's foot in the door was an opportunity Seungjo wasn't going to waste. If they said no, it caused no loss to Seungjo.
By the time they finished their final meeting of the day, it was already 5:00 pm.
Yeonho was drained from the relentless schedule Seungjo had forced onto him without warning.
Right now, they were sitting in the parked car outside a major TV broadcast station.
Slumping back into the passenger seat of Seungjo's car, Yeonho let out a tired groan.
"Drive me home now. I need to go somewhere."
"Just get out. You're in disguise. You can take a cab."
"Seriously? After dragging me around like a prize pony all afternoon?"
"Don't complain if you want to be successful."
Seungjo unbuckled his seatbelt, and Yeonho begrudgingly followed suit.
Yeonho was just about to reach for the door handle when Seungjo's phone rang.
The screen displayed Hana's name, making Yeonho freeze instantly.
He slowed his movements, pretending to fix his makeup and smooth his clothes while straining his ears to listen.
"Changes?" Seungjo spoke into the phone.
"Where's the dinner located now?"
[ I'll send you the address. ]
Hana's voice came through clearly.
Yeonho paused, his pulse quickening. He already knew where the dinner was originally scheduled to take place, but Hana had clearly changed the location at the last second.
PING!
A notification sounded as the text message popped up on Seungjo's screen.
Yeonho tried to peek out of the corner of his eye while tapping a powder puff against his cheek, but Seungjo angled the phone away, completely blocking his view.
'How do I get that location now, damn it?Do I have to do some crazy shit now?'
Having no other options left, Yeonho let out a heavy, dramatic sigh—making sure it was loud enough that Seungjo couldn't possibly ignore him.
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