Chapter 98

“Hey, so you’re dating Kwon Jaekyung now?”

Inyeop asked, pulling a cigarette pack from his jacket pocket.

“How long has it been? Since he joined your company? So, about three months? Or did he end up going to your company because he was dating you? Because you asked him to come?”

Inyeop kept asking questions without even bothering to light his cigarette.

When Jiheon arrived at the airport, he immediately asked him to step out for a smoke, even before discussing the shoot. It seemed like he wanted to talk about this.

“We’re not dating.”

Jiheon replied a bit late, lighting a cigarette.

“Really?”

Inyeop widened his eyes. Jiheon nodded firmly. He expected Inyeop to say something like, “I see. Good thinking. You shouldn’t do that if you have a conscience.”

However,

“Why not……?”

Inyeop asked, as if he couldn’t understand, leaving Jiheon surprised by the unexpected response. He moved the cigarette to his hand and said:

“Why? Because I might ruin his life?”

“Hey, why would he ruin his life by dating you?”

Inyeop scoffed, saying that Jiheon was overly self-conscious.

‘That’s exactly it.’

Jiheon smiled and put the cigarette in his mouth. He took a long drag, exhaled slowly, and spoke clearly again.

“Anyway, we’re not dating.”

“That’s a big deal. Back in college, you would say yes to anyone who confessed to you.”

“No, that’s not true.”

Jiheon replied with a puzzled look.

“Sunbae, you said I shouldn’t have done that. That’s why I don’t do it anymore. Why are you asking like this now?”

When Jiheon expressed his dissatisfaction, Inyeop seemed to have nothing to say and simply smoked his cigarette. Then, he flicked the ash and muttered to himself.

“Anyway, you’re a jerk.”

He then spoke each word slowly, “You’re a traitor, sinner, you have to suffer greatly,” but unlike before, he was now smiling.

“Sunbae, you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s so damn fun.”

Inyeop quickly spilled the beans.

“I’m going crazy because I want to tell Dongjin and Wonmyung that Jung Jiheon has been tamed properly now.”

The names he mentioned were both members of the film production club and were two grades above Jiheon.

“Do you still keep in touch?”

“We see each other sometimes.”

“I see.”

Jiheon commented briefly.

“Aren’t you still hanging out with the kids?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t really contacted them.”

Jiheon hadn’t joined the club out of a deep interest in filmmaking to begin with. He’d joined because his girlfriend at the time really wanted to work together with him, but he couldn’t find the right time to quit and ended up half-assing it until he graduated.

He wasn’t that passionate about it and didn’t form close bonds with any of the members that would have prompted him to stay in touch after graduation.

“Right! Because all the people you were close with ended up leaving. How many was it? I already know of four people! You playboy! Casanova!”

Inyeop was fired up once more.

“Oh, and you should’ve kept it quiet when you’re in a relationship. When you break up like that, do you really need to make a big fuss about it? You kicked out all those precious workers! If it was just your fellow classmates, it wouldn’t be a big deal! But you made seniors and juniors quit one after another!”

Inyeop spoke as if Jiheon had purposely expelled all his exes who broke up with him. But Jiheon had his own side of the story to share.

“Well, I didn’t ask them to leave. What could I possibly do? They just left on their own because they felt awkward seeing my face. Honestly, I was the one who felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed that I wanted to quit. I didn’t kick them out; they simply left. The one who got dumped was me.”

Jiheon swore he had never dumped anyone. He had never even asked anyone out first anyway. It was always the other person confessing their feelings and ending things first. If he had been so embarrassed and ashamed that he wanted to quit the club because of this, he should have left himself. But due to his position, he couldn’t. And then the other person felt uncomfortable seeing his face and eventually left the club.

“I guess you broke up on good terms then.”

“I always break up on good terms.”

That was a fact. There had never been a time when they fought, raising their voices until their faces turned red, before they broke up. Even when Jiheon caught his lover cheating, he simply said, “If things had to come to this, why didn’t you ask me to break up earlier? That way, you wouldn’t have to hear people calling you names.”

Most of the time, they broke up amicably like that. However, oddly, the other person would feel uncomfortable around Jiheon afterward.

“Hey, that’s because you start dating someone else right after a breakup. It’s only been two or three days, and you immediately show up with another man or woman already. How do you think that makes them feel?”

Inyeop argued that it wasn’t polite, but Jiheon didn’t quite understand that either.

“I don’t know. I think that if I do things like courtesy and consideration while dating, that should be enough.”

Anyway, Jiheon always tried his best to accommodate his partners when he was in a relationship. He’d do whatever they asked, and if there was a fight, he would always yield. He had never been overly jealous or suspicious, even when he could clearly see them lying. He’d pretend to believe them and let it slide.

Jiheon’s sincere belief was that, even if he got dumped despite doing everything he could, shouldn’t he still be polite and considerate at the very least?

“I can’t hurt the feelings of someone who likes me now by worrying about how my ex would feel, right?”

“Well, I mean, that’s true, but….”

Inyeop muttered with a displeased expression, looking at Jiheon up and down from just a foot away.

“I thought about it back then. Your perspective on relationships seems very healthy, but it’s fundamentally off.”

Jiheon slightly raised his eyebrows, with a cigarette between his lips, as if to say, “Is that so?”

“Yeah. Everyone said the same too. Why did you date them if you didn’t have feelings for them in the first place? Why did you immediately accept everything they confessed to?”

“It’s true that I didn’t have feelings for them, but I didn’t hate them either. I thought things might improve once we started dating.”

Jiheon said, exhaling cigarette smoke.

“And they said they liked me, so… I appreciated it.”

When he honestly confessed that his biggest intention was to repay those feelings, Inyeop, who had been silently listening, muttered to himself, “As expected, there’s definitely something off about it.”

“Anyway, don’t get into a relationship. That might be your only way to escape karma.”

“I won’t.”

Jiheon flicked the cigarette ash away. Inyeop clicked his tongue, gazing at Jiheon, then opened his mouth again as if he had recalled something belatedly.

“Hey, but when it comes to Kwon Jaekyung, you’re—”

Just then, a loud ringtone blared from Inyeop’s pants pocket. After checking the number on the screen, Inyeop swiftly answered the call.

“Oh, they’re here? Okay, got it. I’ll be right there.”

As soon as Inyeop ended the brief call, he disposed of the cigarette butt in the ashtray.

“Hey, let’s go. The gate is open.”

Jiheon stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and left the smoking area alongside Inyeop.

Not long after waiting by the entrance gate, Oliver and his group arrived. Upon spotting the camera, Oliver greeted them with a bright smile, waving both hands. Jiheon approached him and greeted him politely in English.

“Mr. Bale, thank you for coming. I’m Jung Jiheon from Spoin, responsible for agency work for Mr. Kwon Jaekyung.”

“I know, Mister Jung. We exchanged emails several times, right? But why didn’t you mention beforehand that you’re such a handsome man?”

Oliver was just as friendly as his warm first impression. He shook hands with Inyeop and promptly introduced his group. Dr. Gleason, who worked together with Oliver and served as Jaekyung’s team physician in Australia, had joined him on this trip to Korea. And there was one more person who hadn’t been mentioned in the email.

“This young bloke is my nephew Lucas. He’s here to help me with my work and travel.”

Oliver said, pointing to a boy with blond hair and blue eyes like his.

“Hello! I’m Luke!”

Luke greeted in Korean.

“You can speak Korean?”

Jiheon asked in surprise, and Luke stuttered.

“A little, just a little. I learned it at a tutoring center. It hasn’t been a while since I learned it. I’m still not very good.”

Luke said, but Oliver pointed out that he had graduated from high school last year and had focused on learning Korean throughout his gap year.

“Really? That’s impressive for just a year of learning. Your pronunciation is good too.”

Luke immediately blushed at Jiheon’s compliment. Luke, who had recently turned 20 in Korean age [1], had a rather short physique, but his face was pretty and handsome like the male lead in a high-teen drama. With such a handsome face, being so shy and not knowing what to do, it was cute and strangely tickled people’s hearts.

They traveled to Gwacheon in the company car. In the spacious SUV driven by Minwoo, Luke sat beside Jiheon and engaged in a friendly conversation the whole way.

“Honey! Noah said he called you Honey. Can I call you that too?”

“Are you close with Noah?”

“Yes, when Oliver worked at the Victoria Aquatic Centre, I went there a lot. I also learned to swim there. That’s how I became friends with swimmers. With Noah and Jaekyung.”

Oliver and Dr. Gleason referred to Jaekyung as “Jay”, but Luke always called him Jaekyung. Despite his overall slurred and clumsy speech, he was able to pronounce Jaekyung’s name very accurately and clearly. It was as if he had said it dozens or hundreds of times before.

With such a shy personality, this guy learned a foreign language that would be of little use in Australia, traveled halfway around the world to Korea, and was even willing to listen to Noah’s blabbering.

Those few things alone were enough to make Jiheon suspicious, but when he saw that Luke’s pronunciation only became clear when he called Jaekyung’s name, Jiheon was almost certain. Luke had probably come here to meet Jaekyung.

Sure enough, as soon as Luke arrived at the Gwacheon Gymnasium and saw Jaekyung, he didn’t know what to do. Instead of a warm greeting, he hid behind Dr. Gleason, his face flushed red, and Jaekyung seemed completely unaware of his presence.

Jaekyung gave a light hug to Oliver and shook hands with Dr. Gleason, then immediately approached Jiheon:

“Oliver didn’t say anything strange, did he?”

“Strange?”

“No. Never mind if he didn’t.”

That was all Jaekyung said before returning to Oliver. He proceeded to discuss his current training regimen.

Meanwhile, Luke still lingered behind Dr. Gleason, who took pity on him and gradually moved to the side, saying:

“Hey, Jay. Look who’s here.”

At those words, Jaekyung turned around and finally noticed Luke standing next to Dr. Gleason. He muttered a brief “Oh” and that was it. There were no greetings like “You’re here too?” or “It’s been a while.”

Jaekyung turned back to Oliver and resumed their conversation, leaving a sullen Luke behind. Dr. Gleason appeared to be well aware of Luke’s fervent one-sided love.

Well, who wouldn’t be? He practically screamed it with his entire being.

“Oh my, how fresh.”

Even Inyeop chimed in, arms crossed and a delighted grin on his face.

“This is gonna be quite interesting.”

Meanwhile, Jiheon clicked his tongue and spoke to Inyeop, who was trying to play the role of producer once again.

“Don’t do it.”

“Do what?”

“Don’t toy with a young heart. You’ll get punished.”

At that, Inyeop widened his eyes, as if to exclaim, “Oh!” Then, the next moment, he lowered his voice and said:

“Who are you talking about? Luke? Or Kwon Jaekyung?”

With nothing more to say, Jiheon crossed his arms, lowered his head, and let out a sigh. Inyeop chuckled again.

“That’s right, you’ll get punished if you toy with a young heart. Well, I’m glad I didn’t.”

Inyeop gave Jiheon a hearty pat on the back and then called out to the filming team.

“All right guys, let’s head to the second floor! Let’s set up and start shooting right away!”

Chapter 98Hey, so you're dating Kwon Jaekyung now?Inyeop asked, pulling a cigarette pack from his jacket pocket.How long has it been? Since he joined your company? So, about three months? Or did he end up going to your company because he was dating you? Because you asked him to come?Inyeop kept asking questions without even bothering to light his cigarette.When Jiheon arrived at the airport, he immediately asked him to step out for a smoke, even before discussing the shoot. It seemed like he wanted to talk about this.We're not dating.Jiheon replied a bit late, lighting a cigarette.Really?Inyeop widened his eyes. Jiheon nodded firmly. He expected Inyeop to say something like,I see. Good thinking. You shouldn't do that if you have a conscience.However,Why not?Inyeop asked, as if he couldn't understand, leaving Jiheon surprised by the unexpected response. He moved the cigarette to his hand and said:Why? Because I might ruin his life?Hey, why would he ruin his life by dating you?Inyeop scoffed, saying that Jiheon was overly self-conscious.That's exactly it.'Jiheon smiled and put the cigarette in his mouth. He took a long drag, exhaled slowly, and spoke clearly again.Anyway, we're not dating.That's a big deal. Back in college, you would say yes to anyone who confessed to you.No, that's not true.Jiheon replied with a puzzled look.Sunbae, you said I shouldn't have done that. That's why I don't do it anymore. Why are you asking like this now?When Jiheon expressed his dissatisfaction, Inyeop seemed to have nothing to say and simply smoked his cigarette. Then, he flicked the ash and muttered to himself.Anyway, you're a jerk.He thenspoke each word slowly,You're a traitor, sinner, you have to suffer greatly,but unlike before, he was now smiling.Sunbae, you're enjoying this, aren't you?Yeah, it's so damn fun.Inyeop quickly spilled the beans.I'm going crazy because I want to tell Dongjin andWonmyungthat Jung Jiheon has been tamed properly now.The names he mentioned were both members of the film production club and were two grades above Jiheon.Do you still keep in touch?We see each other sometimes.I see.Jiheon commented briefly.Aren't you still hanging out with the kids?I don't know. I haven't really contacted them.Jiheon hadn't joined the club out of a deep interest in filmmaking to begin with. He'd joined because his girlfriend at the time really wanted to work together with him, but he couldn't find the right time to quit and ended up half-assing it until he graduated.He wasn't that passionate about it and didn't form close bonds with any of the members that would have prompted him to stay in touch after graduation.Right! Because all the people you were close with ended up leaving. How many was it? I already know of four people! You playboy! Casanova!Inyeop was fired up once more.Oh, and you should've kept it quiet when you're in a relationship. When you break up like that, do you really need to make a big fuss about it? You kicked out all those precious workers! If it was just your fellow classmates, it wouldn't be a big deal! But you made seniors and juniors quit one after another!Inyeop spoke as if Jiheon had purposely expelled all his exes who broke up with him. But Jiheon had his own side of the story to share.Well, I didn't ask them to leave. What could I possibly do? They just left on their own because they felt awkward seeing my face. Honestly, I was the one who felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed that I wanted to quit. I didn't kick them out; they simply left. The one who got dumped was me.Jiheon swore he had never dumped anyone. He had never even asked anyone out first anyway. It was always the other person confessing their feelings and ending things first. If he had been so embarrassed and ashamed that he wanted to quit the club because of this, he should have left himself. But due to his position, he couldn't. And then the other person felt uncomfortable seeing his face and eventually left the club.I guess you broke up on good terms then.Ialwaysbreak up on good terms.That was a fact. There had never been a time when they fought, raising their voices until their faces turned red, before they broke up. Even when Jiheon caught his lover cheating, he simply said,If things had to come to this, why didn't you ask me to break up earlier? That way, you wouldn't have to hear people calling you names.Most of the time, they broke up amicably like that. However, oddly, the other person would feel uncomfortable around Jiheon afterward.Hey, that's because you start dating someone else right after a breakup. It's only been two or three days, and you immediately show up with another man or woman already. How do you think that makes them feel?Inyeop argued that it wasn't polite, but Jiheon didn't quite understand that either.I don't know. I think that if I do things like courtesy and consideration while dating, that should be enough.Anyway, Jiheon always tried his best to accommodate his partners when he was in a relationship. He'd do whatever they asked, and if there was a fight, he would always yield. He had never been overly jealous or suspicious, even when he could clearly see them lying. He'd pretend to believe them and let it slide.Jiheon's sincere belief was that, even if he got dumped despite doing everything he could, shouldn't he still be polite and considerate at the very least?I can't hurt the feelings of someone who likes me now by worrying about how my ex would feel, right?Well, I mean, that's true, but.Inyeop muttered with a displeased expression, looking at Jiheon up and down from just a foot away.I thought about it back then. Your perspective on relationships seems very healthy, but it's fundamentally off.Jiheon slightly raised his eyebrows, with a cigarette between his lips, as if to say,Is that so?Yeah. Everyone said the same too. Why did you date them if you didn't have feelings for them in the first place? Why did you immediately accept everything they confessed to?It's true that I didn't have feelings for them, but I didn't hate them either. I thought things might improve once we started dating.Jiheon said, exhaling cigarette smoke.And they said they liked me, so I appreciated it.When he honestly confessed that his biggest intention was to repay those feelings, Inyeop, who had been silently listening, muttered to himself,As expected, there's definitely something off about it.Anyway, don't get into a relationship. That might be your only way to escape karma.I won't.Jiheon flicked the cigarette ash away. Inyeop clicked his tongue, gazing at Jiheon, then opened his mouth again as if he had recalled something belatedly.Hey, but when it comes to Kwon Jaekyung, you'reJust then, a loud ringtone blared fromInyeop'spants pocket. After checking the number on the screen, Inyeop swiftly answered the call.Oh, they're here? Okay, got it. I'll be right there.As soon as Inyeop ended the brief call, he disposed of the cigarette butt in the ashtray.Hey, let's go. The gate is open.Jiheon stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and left the smoking area alongsideInyeop.Not long after waiting by the entrance gate, Oliver and his group arrived. Upon spotting the camera, Oliver greeted them with a bright smile, waving both hands. Jiheon approached him and greeted him politely in English.Mr. Bale, thank you for coming. I'm Jung Jiheon from Spoin, responsible for agency work for Mr. Kwon Jaekyung.I know, Mister Jung. We exchanged emails several times, right? But why didn't you mention beforehand that you're such a handsome man?Oliver was just as friendly as his warm first impression. He shook hands with Inyeop and promptly introduced his group. Dr. Gleason, who worked together with Oliver and served as Jaekyung's team physician in Australia, had joined him on this trip to Korea. And there was one more person who hadn't been mentioned in the email.This young bloke is my nephew Lucas. He's here to help me with my work and travel.Oliver said, pointing to a boy with blond hair and blue eyes like his.Hello! I'm Luke!Lukegreeted in Korean.You can speak Korean?Jiheon asked in surprise, and Luke stuttered.A little, just a little. I learned it at a tutoring center. It hasn't been a while since I learned it. I'm still not very good.Luke said, but Oliver pointed out that he had graduated from high school last year and had focused on learning Korean throughout his gap year.Really? That's impressive for just a year of learning. Your pronunciation is good too.Luke immediately blushed at Jiheon's compliment. Luke, who had recently turned 20 in Korean age1, had a rather short physique, but his face was pretty and handsome like the male lead in a high-teen drama. With such a handsome face, being so shy and not knowing what to do, it was cute and strangely tickled people's hearts.They traveled to Gwacheon in the company car. In the spacious SUV driven by Minwoo, Luke sat beside Jiheon and engaged in a friendly conversation the whole way.Honey! Noah said he called you Honey. Can I call you that too?Are you close with Noah?Yes, when Oliver worked at the Victoria Aquatic Centre, I went there a lot. I also learned to swim there. That's how I became friends with swimmers. With Noah and Jaekyung.Oliver and Dr. Gleason referred to Jaekyung as Jay, but Luke always called him Jaekyung. Despite his overall slurred and clumsy speech, he was able to pronounce Jaekyung's name very accurately and clearly. It was as if he had said it dozens or hundreds of times before.With such a shy personality, this guy learned a foreign language that would be of little use in Australia, traveled halfway around the world to Korea, and was even willing to listen to Noah's blabbering.Those few things alone were enough to make Jiheon suspicious, but when he saw that Luke's pronunciation only became clear when he called Jaekyung's name, Jiheon was almost certain. Luke had probably come here to meet Jaekyung.Sure enough, as soon as Luke arrived at the Gwacheon Gymnasium and saw Jaekyung, he didn't know what to do. Instead of a warm greeting, he hid behind Dr. Gleason, his face flushed red, and Jaekyung seemed completely unaware of his presence.Jaekyung gave a light hug to Oliver and shook hands with Dr. Gleason, then immediately approached Jiheon:Oliver didn't say anything strange, did he?Strange?No. Never mind if he didn't.That was all Jaekyung said before returning to Oliver. He proceeded to discuss his current training regimen.Meanwhile, Luke still lingered behind Dr. Gleason, who took pity on him and gradually moved to the side, saying:Hey, Jay. Look who's here.At those words, Jaekyung turned around and finally noticed Luke standing next to Dr. Gleason. He muttered a brief Oh and that was it. There were no greetings like You're here too? or It's been a while.Jaekyung turned back to Oliver and resumed their conversation, leaving a sullen Luke behind. Dr. Gleason appeared to be well aware of Luke's fervent one-sided love.Well, who wouldn't be? He practically screamed it with his entire being.Oh my, how fresh.Even Inyeop chimed in, arms crossed and a delighted grin on his face.This is gonna be quite interesting.Meanwhile, Jiheon clicked his tongue and spoke to Inyeop, who was trying to play the role of producer once again.Don't do it.Do what?Don't toy with a young heart. You'll get punished.At that, Inyeop widened his eyes, as if to exclaim, Oh! Then, the next moment, he lowered his voice and said:Who are you talking about? Luke? Or Kwon Jaekyung?With nothing more to say, Jiheon crossed his arms, lowered his head, and let out a sigh. Inyeop chuckled again.That's right, you'll get punished if you toy with a young heart. Well, I'm glad I didn't.Inyeop gave Jiheon a hearty pat on the back and then called out to the filming team.All right guys, let's head to the second floor! Let's set up and start shooting right away!