Come Back

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hongsi_casper:** First schedule after arriving in Ho Chi Minh! It’s a photoshoot for *Paradise Magazine*. I’ll do my best and come back!
#caspervietnam #paradisevietnam 4 hours ago

caspernumber1: Our Hong Leader’s beauty is unreal, haha. Have a great time with the Caspers in Vietnam!

hOngShi_casper: Hong-seo, Ho Chi Minh is waiting for you!

iaaaam.hwa: Does anyone know the lip product Hong-seo is using?

parkhongseo27:@iaaaam.hwa It’s from MotaeBeauty.

choice.of.choices:@iaaaam.hwa @parkhongseo27 Haha, it probably means it’s a natural product from MotaeBeauty.

honghongcity:Wait, did Choi Hong-seo change his phone??

diamond.dust:@honghongcity No way! It’s true??? This isn’t the Hong-phone he’s been using for 4 years??

layered.forever:Hong-seo, what happened???? You can’t just throw away the Hong-phone! The cracked screen Hong-phone I was so attached to it

best_lida_hong:Does anyone know what model Hong-seo changed his phone to?? I think it’s an Ara, but I can’t find it anywhere

little_hongsi:@lida_hong It’s a new Ara product that hasn’t even been released yet. They haven’t even held the launch event yet, so it’s probably a sponsored phone.

hongseo:@little_hongsi Wow, our Hong Leader’s class is on another level! Getting a phone that isn’t even released yet, must be a sponsorship.

sweet.hongsi: @little_hongsi Is Hong-seo the next model for Ara’s new release???

fan.fan.layered:What’s going on? I still have 18 months left on my contract, do I need to change my phone??

xxxxkyu.dalxxxx: Huh? They didn’t tag Ara once, but you’re saying it’s a sponsorship? Maybe they received it as a gift and accidentally exposed it?

una.style_09:@xxxxkyu.dalxxxx Caspers, you’re overthinking again I’m cringing

official_crazy.12: @una.style_09 Exactly You’re telling me a 6 million follower idol would get a phone that hasn’t even launched yet? Haha, come on

itsme.casper: @official_crazy.12 Maybe it’s because one of Ara’s executives is involved No idol with 6 million followers would get such a pre-release phone unless they had connections within Ara.

made.by.layered: @itsme.casper Exactly, even regular staff haven’t seen the actual product yet. Ara isn’t some local mom-and-pop shop, so there’s no way an executive would leak a pre-launch product. They probably intentionally had it exposed through Hong-seo. Just jealous that they’re coming to his account to hate

official_crazy.12: @made.by.layered Giving so much meaning to a 200,000-won phone How pathetic.

itsme.casper:@official_crazy.12 You’re showing your ignorance. It’s not about money. Even if you offered 200 million, you still couldn’t get one right now.

—

“Thank you! Cám ơn, Xin Cám ơn.”

After finishing his last outfit, Choi Hong-seo thanked the Vietnamese staff with the Vietnamese phrases he had learned in advance.

The first day of his 3-night, 4-day Ho Chi Minh schedule started with a magazine photoshoot.

The shoot had started before noon, and by now it was already well into the afternoon. The other *Layered* members had finished their shoots earlier, and Choi Hong-seo, being the last for the personal shoot, had a longer session than the others.

After finishing the group photo with the staff, a small staff member hesitated and approached Choi Hong-seo.

“Hong-seo, would you… like to take a photo together? Can we?”

Her pronunciation was a little awkward, but she spoke quite good Korean. Choi Hong-seo happily agreed to her request.

“Yes, of course. Your Korean is really good.”

“I learned Korean by watching your dramas.”

“Thank you. Next time, I’ll study more Vietnamese and come back.”

Despite the relatively long sentence, she seemed to understand Choi Hong-seo’s words and smiled brightly in response.

“Hey, can you take a picture for us?”

After asking the manager to take the photo, he posed with her.

After taking personal photos with a few other staff members, Choi Hong-seo changed clothes and left the studio.

The four-hour shoot left him feeling tired. Overseas schedules, where the culture and working environment differ, always brought more worries. He was constantly on edge, worried about possibly committing a faux pas without even realizing it. It made him feel mentally more fatigued than domestic schedules.

Once he got into the car, Choi Hong-seo slumped into the seat and let out a sigh of relief.

One of the members asked the manager sitting in the front seat.

“Hyung, after we go to the hotel, do we just have the interview and then we’re done for today?”

“No, we have the rehearsal for tomorrow’s performance in the evening.”

“Oh… I forgot about that.”

“It’s fine. We can rest for two or three hours before heading out. You all should eat dinner early. What do you want to eat?”

“Let’s ask the local driver for restaurant recommendations! The local drivers usually know the best places.”

As the manager and members discussed dinner options, Choi Hong-seo pulled his hat down low and took out his phone. He didn’t have any particular food preferences, so he often stayed out of the meal discussions.

During the four hours of the photoshoot, he imagined he might have received a message from *Carrot Seller*. He wanted to check his messages to unwind. Maybe there was a selfie waiting for him. But when he opened the messenger app, he found something entirely different.

Carrot Seller: [Photo sent]

Carrot Seller: It looks like a popular idol is using our company’s phone these days.

Carrot Seller: The reaction is huge since it was exposed.

Carrot Seller: This idol is so handsome.

Carrot Seller: I feel like he probably already has a boyfriend, though.

Carrot Seller: And a boyfriend with a very possessive streak.

The photo he attached was from Choi Hong-seo’s SNS account.

Under the post he uploaded before the photoshoot, there was an overwhelming number of comments about his new phone.

Choi Hong-seo, who had been lying back in the chair, slowly sat up.

Before flying to Ho Chi Minh, Lee Hae-seong had come to his hotel last night. It was the first time it had happened.

He had asked to meet for just 10 minutes, so they went down to the underground parking lot and spent a short time together in his car. Afterward, Lee Hae-seong had gifted him a new Ara phone model, a full product that could be used right away.

Without thinking much about it, Choi Hong-seo uploaded a selfie he had taken through the mirror.

He knew the phone was a pre-release product, but he didn’t expect it to attract so much attention. Honestly, he hadn’t really understood the significance of using a pre-release phone.

From Lee Hae-seong’s casual tone, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but as he scrolled through the comments, he began to feel concerned. He had seen many small issues snowball into bigger problems in the industry, so even though it seemed minor, he was wary.

I think I made a mistake

Is it okay that the phone was exposed like this?

I’ll be arriving at the hotel in about 10 minutes, can we have a quick call then?”

It seemed he was working, as a reply from *Carrot Seller* didn’t arrive until the car was almost at the hotel.

Of course

You didn’t make any mistake at all, so please don’t worry about it.”

Fans were waiting outside the hotel entrance. Since these were overseas fans he couldn’t meet often, he wanted to wave and show his face, but he wasn’t allowed to engage in fan service or greet them to avoid disturbing other hotel guests. The best Choi Hong-seo could do was walk a little slower.

Even during the elevator ride, the flashes of fans’ cameras went off here and there, and voices calling out members’ names could be heard. Of course, the most common names being called were “Hong-seo, Hong-si, Hong-leader,” etc.

“When we go to the rehearsal later, we should use the underground parking lot. The fans have gotten even more popular since the last time. What if they come into the hotel lobby like this?”

After getting in the elevator, the manager complained. However, despite the complaints, his face showed a satisfied expression.

When the elevator doors opened on the 17th floor and they walked down the hallway, Choi Hong-seo asked his manager,

“Hyung, we have about an hour before the interview, right?”

“We have time, but you’ll have to take off your makeup from the photoshoot and change clothes again. You can’t just collapse and sleep?”

“I’m not going to sleep. I’ll just make a quick call. It’s an important call, so don’t come into my room.”