HFS 30

For some reason, Seo Hee-won looked exceptionally glamorous today, with meticulously styled hair and accessories like watches and piercings that he rarely wore. AMoreover, there was a coat discarded in the back seat; the guy who hated the cold more than anything wasn’t wearing a padded jacket for some reason. Yoo Ji-min, his brow deeply furrowed, said, “You look like you might be poisonous. In nature, the more colorful something is, the more poisonous it tends to be, you know? Like poisonous mushrooms, venomous snakes, that sort of thing.”

“Shut the door before the cold air comes in.”

“I feel bad. Unpleasant. I’m going to sit in the back.”

After delivering criticism that contradicted his characteristically cheerful voice, Yoo Ji-min closed the passenger door with a thud. He immediately grabbed the rear door handle to open it, but it only rattled.

Seo Hee-won had quickly locked the doors and shifted gears to start driving slowly. Yoo Ji-min urgently knocked on the passenger window. Seo Hee-won stepped on the brake and lowered the passenger window halfway.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to sit in the back? Why aren’t you getting in?”

“Come on, even between friends, that’s not good manners. Your outfit looks good today, by the way.”

Only after Seohee opened the door did they finally depart for the gathering place. This meeting was at a high-end Korean beef restaurant that cost over one hundred thousand won per person.

Moving to the reserved group room, they found a private space where only guild members would be present. It was a restaurant with a nice atmosphere, with a well-maintained garden visible through the glass window. No one else had arrived yet, so only Seo Hee-won and Yoo Ji-min were in the room.

“Ah, I’m so curious! I wonder what everyone looks like?”

Yoo Ji-min began chattering non-stop about how excited he was to meet the other guild members, but Seo Hee-won was curious about only one person: Ittorang.

<Normal People>

Jimni: Is everyone coming?? Seohee1 and I arrived first!

After leaving a message in the chat room created for this meetup, Yoo Ji-min got up to go to the bathroom. While Seo Hee-won was alone in the room looking at his phone, he heard the door open behind him. Thinking it was Yoo Ji-min returning from the bathroom, he kept his eyes fixed on his phone, when an unfamiliar yet familiar voice was heard.

“Seohee1?”

It was a voice he heard daily through voice chat, but clearer and softer. It was definitely Ittorang’s voice. Before Seo Hee-won could even turn his head halfway, the man who had approached extended his hand.

“Hello?”

Seo Hee-won slowly raised his gaze from the hand requesting a handshake. The man was still wearing his outerwear, a white long padded jacket that filled Seo Hee-won’s vision. Past the buttons fastened all the way to the neck, the tip of his chin was finally visible.

He must have pale skin from playing games at home all day, Seo Hee-won thought as he raised his gaze further with anticipation. Surely he must have an ugly face full of malice, the face of a man in his 20s who played games all day was predictable. Considering how he kept calling himself “hyung,” he might even look like an older man who couldn’t properly shave his beard.

What expression would he make when facing me? Would his face turn red with embarrassment, or would he frown with disdain? What kind of loser’s face would he have?

Seo Hee-won suddenly felt a stiffness in his neck. He had raised his head more than expected. Leaning back slightly to get a better view, he saw lips that were horizontally well-defined, smiling with a healthy complexion. Neat teeth slightly showing, a nose with soft lines but a high bridge. A dimple on only one side of his plump cheeks. Puffy aegyo-sal under his eyes, eyes half-folded from smiling, slightly curved eye corners, and well-groomed eyebrows.

“Ah…”

The images Seo Hee-won had imagined shattered instantly. It was like being hit on the head. Forgetting his intention to stand up and greet the man, Cheong-hyeon made a dumbfounded sound and grasped the hand that was gently swaying in front of him. From the neatly trimmed nails to each straight finger joint, everything seemed fresh and new.

His hands are pretty too…

Seo Hee-won stared at the man’s hand without realizing what he was thinking, then suddenly withdrew his hand, worried his palm might sweat. He realized he hadn’t properly greeted him. His heart was beating unusually fast, as if something in his head was malfunctioning.

“Hello.”

After greeting with a bow while seated, Seo Hee-won’s gaze immediately followed Ittorang. The man was taking off his long padded jacket and hanging it on a wall.

“Hi. But do you know who I am when you greeted me?”

“…Mr. Ittorang.”

The man turned around and showed that refreshing smile once more. At that moment, Seo Hee-won felt as if he was falling from the sky.

“That’s right. You could tell from my voice, right? I was unsure too, but I recognized you as soon as I heard your voice.”

“…Yes.”

Seo Hee-won’s eyes obsessively followed the man. Strangely, he felt an urgency, as if he couldn’t afford to lose sight of him.

“Where’s Jimni? I thought he came with you.”

“…He went to the bathroom.”

“Ah…I see. But why are you staring at me like that?”

Not realizing he was responding half a beat late, Seo Hee-won quickly turned his head in the opposite direction.

“Not really, I wasn’t really staring just now.”

Seo Hee-won unknowingly replied with a sharp tone. He didn’t want to stare intently at the man, nor did he want to respond with a fierce tone. He was getting irritated with his body that hadn’t been listening to him. Fortunately, the man didn’t seem offended and said with a giggle, “It’s strange, right? I feel the same way.”

“…”

“Relax. You look like someone who’s on their first blind date.”

At those words, heat finally rushed to Seo Hee-won’s face. MIn the midst of all that, his eyes were still trying to follow the man. Just as Seo Hee-won’s head was about to explode, the door opened, and Yoo Ji-min entered the room.

“Oh, it’s Jimni.”

“Huh? Huh? Who are you? Wait! I get it. Ittorang?”

“Yes. Hello.”

While the two greeted each other, Seo Hee-won was able to calm down briefly, but as their conversation grew longer, he started to feel sick. He wanted to pick a fight but couldn’t think of a proper reason, and just as he was about to act out, the man stood up to go to the bathroom.

“I’ll be back after a quick trip to the restroom.”

“Okay~”

Yoo Ji-min, who had been silent until the man left the room, started making a fuss, hitting Seo Hee-won’s arms and back as soon as the door closed and the man disappeared. The advantage of an expensive restaurant was that the soundproofing of the rooms was perfect.

“Crazy, crazy! He’s insanely handsome! You should have called me in earlier! Where’s your loyalty?”

“…”

“I’m definitely getting his number today.”

“No.”

“Why! I know what you’re worried about~ As long as we don’t break up, the guild won’t fall apart.”

“That’s not it…Just no.”

“Why not?!”

“He’s mine.”

“…Huh? …Huh?”

“You…help me.”

“What?”

It was a first love that he had no way of hiding. From the moment his foolish prejudice shattered, he could only fall helplessly. There was no time for confusion or denial. Among the many emotions that flooded in, there was only one thing that had to be made clear. Defeat the rival and win. It was a sense of crisis close to survival instinct. If he stayed still, the man would be taken away, so he had no choice but to face it head-on.

There was no better strategy than turning a rival into an ally. Yoo Ji-min’s voice, asking ‘What?’ was quite loud, so Seo Hee-won covered Yoo Ji-min’s mouth with a tissue.

When Cheong-hyeon first saw Seo Hee-won, he thought exactly this, So he really lives up to his face.

The prickliness that seemed like it would sting if touched wrong, the attitude that made it impossible to believe he was addressing someone two years older, the personality that wasn’t satisfied until he manipulated others as he pleased. He had wondered where all this temperament came from, but upon meeting Seo Hee-won, he immediately understood why the other man was so arrogant.

With his fine hair swaying gently, Seo Hee-won slowly looked up at Cheong-hyeon. The most captivating feature was definitely his sharp-ended eyes. The densely packed eyelashes and subtle double eyelids perfectly resembled a cat. From the bridge of his nose that seemed carefully crafted over time, to the well-shaped lips that one could never imagine would hold unkind words, to the downy fair skin that proved he was still only twenty-one years old, his face was so beautiful that Cheong-hyeon felt embarrassed about his previous bold challenge to see each other’s faces.

Reflecting on his arrogant past, Cheong-hyeon deliberately spoke kindly to Seo Hee-won. With Seo Hee-won staring intently at him and responding a bit late each time, Cheong-hyeon wondered if he had some complaint, but considering how much he had suffered after speaking incorrectly the first time, this was a fairly good response.

Furthermore, although he didn’t notice at first, the more he observed, the more Seo Hee-won’s stiff behavior seemed like nervousness, which made teasing him quite enjoyable. After thoroughly washing his hands while recalling various unexpected aspects of Seo Hee-won, Cheong-hyeon returned to the group room from the bathroom to find another man who seemed to have just arrived. As the door opened, the man turned to check who it was, and bowed politely in greeting, his appearance alone was enough to guess who he was.

“Hello. I’m Hyutzzi.”

“Hi~ I can tell who you are without you even letting me know.”

As Cheong-hyeon greeted him with a smile, Hyutzzi appeared to be puzzled, as if he didn’t know what was going on.