Come Back

His dressing room looked like the men’s luxury section of a department store.

The sheer amount of clothes was overwhelming, with suits and casual wear organized into separate areas. Given his position as the face of ARA, it was inevitable that he had to be mindful of his image whenever he appeared in the media.

About 200 to 300 ties were neatly displayed on dedicated racks so he could see them all at a glance without having to pull them out individually. There was even a whole section just for striped ties.

“I don’t usually take so much time picking clothes, but when it’s an important event, I’ll wear whatever the stylist picks. That suit over there is what I’ll wear tomorrow.”

Following the direction of his hand, Hongseo spotted a gray suit hanging on display.

“But when it comes to ties, I always choose one myself, specifically a diagonal-striped one.”

As he ran his fingers over the line of neatly arranged ties, he continued. Just like his hobby of collecting cameras, this was something that wouldn’t be found on Wikipedia.

“Just like you have a habit of counting with your fingers before you go on stage.”

“Huh? How did you know that?”

“Why are you so surprised? Even rookie ‘Caspers’ know about it.” “Caspers?”

The word surprised him so much that Hongseo couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Casper’ was the name of the fan base for *Layered*. It was named after the character from *Casper the Friendly Ghost*, a title Hongseo had come up with after careful thought. The band’s translucent white light sticks lit up blue, resembling Casper. Beyond appearance, Casper’s warm-hearted, friendly nature reflected how Hongseo thought of his fans.

“I think I qualify as a Casper. By now, there’s not much I don’t know about your career, Hongseo.”

“It just doesn’t really suit you to call yourself a Casper, Vice President.”

“I’m even thinking about finding a light stick on the resale market.”

The idea of Haesung scouring a resale app to buy a *Layered* light stick was too funny for Hongseo, who had to stifle his laughter.

Still wearing that deadpan expression, Haesung couldn’t help but laugh along with him.

“Anyway, just like how you count with your fingers before going on stage, I always wear a diagonal-striped tie on important days.”

“…”

“I’m not a religious person, and I don’t believe in superstitions, so I don’t have many habits or routines. But somehow, I’ve kept to this one.”

His eyes softened for a moment as if he was tracing back to an old memory.

“The first time my father praised me for my potential as a leader, I was wearing a diagonal-striped tie. That’s probably when it started.”

Haesung picked out one of the many ties and held it in his hand.

“Sometimes, I feel really afraid and uncertain. I wonder if my decisions will lead to the outcomes I expect. I doubt myself, wondering if I’m doing the right thing.”

“…”

“I want to believe that this tie will bring me luck and give me some peace of mind.”

Haesung looked over at Hongseo to lighten the mood. His face, which had momentarily seemed dark, was back to its usual softness.

“This one… and this one. Which do you think looks better?”

Holding two ties under his chin, he asked.

“I don’t have the best fashion sense.”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you picked it. I think it would make me more confident than usual.”

“Then… this one.”

Hongseo chose a navy tie with red stripes. Haesung immediately returned the other tie to its original place. Then he draped the chosen tie under the collar of the suit on display.

“My boyfriend has good taste. Maybe I should only wear ties picked by you from now on.”

As he exaggeratedly complimented a simple choice, he turned to Hongseo and smiled. Hongseo moved closer to him and, gathering a bit of courage, spoke quietly from a step behind.

“To me, Vice President, you seem like someone who can make anything in the world happen as you wish.”

He slowly turned around to face him.

“So, I think everything you want will work out just fine.”

From their first meeting in Director Kang’s office, to the news articles, and the opening ceremonies of parties… in every moment, Haesung had seemed like the master of the world to Hongseo.

With little education and not enough wit, he felt embarrassed that this was all he could say. Still, he wanted to express it. He wanted him to know how dazzling he looked in his eyes. Not simply because he was set to inherit ARA Group, but because he was someone who truly suited that position.

In his eyes, he was the only person worthy of the title of VVIP.

Standing by the suit, with the tie draped over its shoulder, Haesung held Hongseo’s face in both hands. Then he leaned down, gently resting his forehead against Hongseo’s.

“There are still some things I can’t control, as you know.”

With his fingers, he softly traced his forehead, his eyes, and the tip of his nose.

“Are you talking about me?”

He nodded. Trapped within his hands, Hongseo looked away and murmured as if talking to himself.

“In the end, I thought it was all going the way you wanted, after all.”

“Did you think just because I became your boyfriend, that everything you want will come true? You think of me too much like a saint.”

“…”

“I told you, I can be quite greedy.”

His thumb, which had been gently caressing his cheek, now moved downward to softly stroke around his lips. It was as if every spot his fingers passed over held the promise of a kiss. Hongseo looked up at him, still fascinated by this man.

Now that they were officially dating, he could do whatever he wanted.

“But now that we’re together, are you still going to keep calling me Vice President?”

His hand, which had been grazing Hongseo’s lips but hadn’t gone in for a kiss, reluctantly pulled away. He gestured for Hongseo to sit on the sofa on one side of the dressing room, where a small selection of drinks was already prepared.

“Then, what should I call you?”

“Well, what do you think?”

As he opened a bottle of sparkling water and poured it into Hongseo’s glass, he looked genuinely amused. Then, as if a brilliant idea had struck him, his eyes sparkled as he suggested:

“To make us feel closer, how about calling me ‘Hyung’—Haesung Hyung?”

“But I couldn’t possibly call you that.”

“Technically, I’m not even your Vice President, am I? Isn’t it a little unromantic to call your boyfriend by a title?”

Although he knew in his head they were in a relationship, it hadn’t fully sunk in. They would text each other often, report on their days, try to spend even a bit of time together, and here he was, visiting Haesung’s home for a date… but sometimes, it felt like he was just being indulged and adored like a younger sibling.

He’d ruffle his hair, hold his hand, and sometimes carefully embrace him, but nothing more.

Hongseo understood his desire not to rush the physical side of things, but he needed something more to feel the reality of their relationship. Though physical intimacy didn’t necessarily indicate emotional progress, its absence made the whole relationship feel somewhat hazy.

Taking a sip of the sparkling water Haesung poured him, Hongseo put his cup down on the table and said,

“Then… should I call you Ahjusshi?”

“…”

He feigned an offended expression—so serious that it only made Hongseo laugh.

“That’s about as unsexy as it gets. Who would want to kiss an *Ahjusshi*? Rejected.”

The word “kiss” from his lips felt like a kiss flooding over his entire body. Just knowing that he was thinking about kissing, about things like that with him, was electrifying.

Hongseo tried his best to seem unfazed, but he couldn’t bring himself to look him in the face.

“But you called yourself *Ahjusshi* first, remember? You’ve done it so many times.”

“Hmm, I guess I did… digging my own grave there.”

Haesung chuckled in a low voice. Then, he gently covered Hongseo’s hand, which had been loosely holding his cup on the table. His fingers slid between Hongseo’s, lacing their hands together with a tenderness that tickled like a caress.

“Would you like to stay over tonight?”

“…”

The unexpected invitation made his heart race. This time, he couldn’t hide the tremble.