NOVEL NEXT Ch 149
After parting ways with the security guard at the parking lot, Choi Hong-seo unlocks the front door connected to the parking lot and enters the house. There, he changes into indoor slippers and uses the elevator inside the hallway, allowing him to go up to the third floor he shares with Lee Hae-seong without encountering anyone.
The elevator was connected to the third-floor hallway. The third floor, measuring 500 square meters , contained a master bedroom, bathroom, dressing room, living room, study, and kitchen equipped with all the necessary appliances and furniture, making it possible to live an independent life.
The two rarely left the third floor. In addition, Lee Hae-seong took care to ensure that other employees, aside from Director Kang, rarely ran into Choi Hong-seo, so Choi Hong-seo felt like they were living together almost alone.
Even though I don’t cook, the kitchen is always prepared with food, and when I come home after going out, the house is always tidy as if it were a new house, and the laundry basket is emptied on its own… Anyway, I’m adjusting to life in Bundang better than I had worried.
Still, when the elevator doors open on the third floor, I step cautiously, fearing I might bump into someone.
“tiffany.”
As soon as he got off on the third floor, Choi Hong-seo looked for Tiffany.
Hae-sung decorated Tiffany’s room, located not far from the master bedroom. Filled with various cat towers, cat wheels, hideaways, cloud bridges, and many new toys, the room was every cat’s dream place. If cats can think of wanting something, that is.
“Tiffany, I’m home. Where are you?”
However, the guy didn’t stay in that room for long. Unlike Choi Hong-seo, who only hid on the third floor, this large house was a playground for him, so it was understandable.
Tiffany was nowhere to be seen in the living room, bedroom, bathroom, dressing room, kitchen, or Lee Hae-seong’s study. She had been in a bad mood since Choi Hong-seo returned from America. She seemed to be really angry that she had left Yong-jae behind for almost a week. And since she had to move right after, it was understandable that she was upset.
Choi Hong-seo, who was about to give up on finding Tiffany and leave the study, suddenly stopped in front of Lee Hae-seong’s desk.
Among the books neatly spread out in a fan shape on the desk, there was a magazine that caught my eye. My eyes were drawn to the clear letters ARA. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was a Spanish magazine containing an interview with Hae-Seong Lee.
Choi Hong-seo’s eyes, which had grown tired from searching the entire third floor in search of Tiffany, suddenly regained their vitality. He wanted to read.
I took my phone out of my coat pocket to ask him for permission to see me. I chose to text him rather than call him, thinking he might still be talking.
Just as I was about to leave the study to change my clothes, I received a reply from him. Sometimes, the reply was so fast that I wondered if he was just waiting for a message from Choi Hong-seo.
Choi Hong-seo, who was exchanging messages while standing blankly in the middle of the study, laughed while rubbing his swollen ears. Unless something special comes up, we should definitely shower together in the evening. It was because of Hae-seong’s mischief that he insisted on reminding him of the promise they made when they started living together.
Choi Hong-seo put down his backpack and coat on the sofa and sat down at the desk. He pulled the chair closer and opened a magazine.
My heart was pounding as I flipped through the pages to find his interview.
“……”
Vice President Lee Hae-seong finally appeared in the latter part of an article that seemed to detail the entire process of separating the Hanseo Group and the ARA Group, including diagrams.
He’s really handsome, my uncle. He could be a little less handsome, though.
Choi Hong-seo’s lips naturally formed a smile as he looked at the gentle yet confident figure of Lee Hae-seong, who was smiling faintly against the backdrop of the Seoul cityscape.
It was Spanish that had no meaning other than the name of the interviewer and the words ARA and HAN-SEO. Choi Hong-seo divided the article into several pieces and took a picture with a translator app. The app quickly translated the dense two-page interview into Korean.
It was a somewhat superficial interview asking about his thoughts on the recent successful separation of affiliates and his aspirations as a global leader who will lead not only Asia but also the world market. However, for Choi Hong-seo, each line was new and interesting. He searched the parts that were not smoothly translated directly in a Spanish dictionary, and he lost track of time as he immersed himself in the text.
At a certain passage, Choi Hong-seo’s back became even more bent. If I had studied like this, I would not have met Myeong Do-hoon or Lee Seo-kyung. Choi Hong-seo, who smiled bitterly at the thought, concentrated as if he were digging into magazines and mobile phone apps. Perhaps because it was not a Korean media outlet, it was not filled with only the typical Q&As.
Knock knock. I raised my head at the sound of a knock on the door.
Lee Hae-seong was leaning against the open doorframe with his arms crossed. He didn’t look like someone who had just arrived.
“What are you looking at so intently? I knocked several times but you didn’t hear me.”
“When did you come?”
“Have you been watching here for 2 or 3 minutes?”
“If you had told me you were arriving, I would have gone down.”
Rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, Choi Hong-seo hurriedly put away the magazines and cell phone that had been spread out.
“It’s good to come out to greet me, but it’s also good to watch Hongseo here.”
Lee Hae-seong, who had taken his shoulder off the door frame, walked into the study. Although he had done nothing wrong, Choi Hong-seo pulled the magazine with the cover toward him as if hiding it. Lee Hae-seong pressed the top of the cover with his middle finger and pulled it up. Then, he glanced down at the magazine and reached out to Choi Hong-seo, who was standing across the desk.
“Shall we go take a shower?”
Choi Hong-seo felt relieved that he wasn’t asked what he thought of the magazine’s contents, quickly got up and took his hand.
“But I haven’t seen Tiffany yet. She’s hiding somewhere, but she won’t come out even if I call her.”
“Tiffany? I thought you were with Director Kang downstairs?”
As he left the study and headed toward the dressing room connected to the bathroom, Lee Hae-seong pointed down with his index finger.
“With Director Kang?”
“Director Kang was holding me as I came out to greet him. Should I tell him to bring me?”
“No, I just wanted to know where it was.”
Choi Hong-seo’s voice and expression became somewhat subdued as he answered like that.
Although we had become much closer since our first meeting, I had never hugged Tiffany before. But when Director Kang, who was going out to meet Lee Hae-seong, hugged her, I felt a little sad, even though I didn’t want to.
Choi Hong-seo, who was blankly watching the back of Lee Hae-seong as he entered the dressing room and took off his jacket in front of him, suddenly remembered something he had forgotten.
“But, what did you talk about with senior Seo Jun-young?”
Hae-seong answered nonchalantly, pulling down the knot on his tie and pulling it out from behind the collar of his shirt.
“Oh, Seo Jun-young has decided to leave
“yes?”
“I told you. Whoever sows for Choi Hong-seo will reap what he sows. He was already on the edge, but this time he crossed the line.”
This time, he unbuttoned his shirt and took it off behind his back, and Lee Hae-seong spoke in a flat voice.
“Where did you hear it from?”
Hae-seong Lee, who had completely taken off his upper body, threw his shirt into the laundry basket and turned to Hong-seo Choi.
“Um… The Vice President graduated from a prestigious university with excellent grades…”
“Ugh, ugh!”
Choi Hong-seo opened his eyes wide in an instant and ran towards him while screaming strangely. Choi Hong-seo covered his lips with his hand and his earlobes turned red.
“If you had just appeared then, we wouldn’t have fought anymore.”
He spoke in a resentful tone, unable to look at Choi Hong-seo’s face straight. Lee Hae-seong gently pulled Choi Hong-seo’s hand away and looked down at his lover with a smile as gentle as his hand.
“Hongseo was so enthusiastic about taking my side. I liked hearing that.”