Chapter 112

A cautious question surfaced across Gyeol’s face at the unexpected invitation.

Yo Han didn’t want to pressure him. If a senior actor’s sudden, out-of-nowhere request only made him uncomfortable, then all he had to do was place the answer in Gyeol’s hands.

The choice is entirely yours.

I’ll give you the control.

It was, honestly, very unlike Yo Han.

“My manager messed up our schedule, so I unexpectedly have some free time right now. He went upstairs to coordinate a meeting, and I’m by myself at the moment. So if you’re okay with it... would you mind hanging out with me for a little while, Gyeol?”

“Me?”

Gyeol blinked in surprise as he echoed the question back. When he got startled, his lashes lifted and his dark eyes widened into perfect circles. It was unbelievably cute.

“...Uh, would I really be okay?”

The question came out incredibly carefully.

As if it were no big deal, Yo Han deliberately answered lightly.

“Yeah. I should at least get my handkerchief back.”

It was an excuse.

The handkerchief Yo Han had given him was from luxury brand H, but in truth, from the moment he handed it over, he had never intended to take it back.

It didn’t matter whether Gyeol kept it or threw it away.

But if Gyeol had gone so far as to wash it because he wanted to return it properly—

Then Yo Han wanted it.

And if he could use it as an excuse to spend time with Gyeol, even better.

At last, Gyeol’s rounded eyes curved into a smile as he nodded.

“I’d love to. It’d honestly be an honor for me, getting to spend time with you, actor Yo Han.”

Every word was careful, but the thread of genuine happiness underneath it was impossible to miss. Thoughtful and polite, but still someone capable of expressing his emotions honestly.

That seemed to be the kind of person Gyeol was.

The two of them started walking side by side toward the elevators.

Yo Han watched the faint flush coloring Gyeol’s cheeks before casually asking,

“What about your schedule?”

“I finished everything already. I was about to head home. My manager’s probably waiting in the parking garage, so I’ll go talk to him and grab your handkerchief.”

“Then how are you getting home?”

“I can just take public transportation. ...Um, people don’t really recognize me anyway.”

Yo Han hadn’t even asked whether that was okay for a celebrity, but Gyeol added it anyway, sounding faintly embarrassed.

The sight lodged sharply behind Yo Han’s eyes. For a brief moment, it overlapped with memories of himself before debut.

Yo Han nodded.

Of course, he had absolutely no intention of letting Gyeol take public transportation home.

“There are too many eyes around here. Should we head outside instead?”

Just like Yo Han said, people passing through the broadcasting station kept sneaking glances their way. Their attention landed on Yo Han first, then shifted toward Gyeol beside him.

“Ah, okay. Then where should we—”

“My car’s parked on Basement Level Three, H13. Come ride with me.”

In other words, he was asking Gyeol to get into his car.

A small ripple flickered through Gyeol’s eyes.

God, he was adorable.

Every time Yo Han saw reactions like that, something teasing and wicked stirred inside him.

“What? Are you scared to ride in my car?”

“N-No! Of course not. It’d be an honor!”

Gyeol hurriedly shook his head just as the elevator chimed and the doors slid open.

Yo Han tilted his head toward the elevator, signaling for him to go ahead first.

“See you in a bit, Gyeol.”

“Yes, actor Yo Han. I’ll see you shortly.”

The elevator doors closed.

Yo Han let out a quiet laugh as he turned away, and the nearby gazes that had been subtly fixed on him immediately scattered. The whole thing felt a little exhausting.

Seriously.

That was exactly why he had sent Gyeol down first instead of riding with him.

No one had been close enough to overhear their conversation. Since they were starring in the same drama anyway, people seeing them talk inside the station wouldn’t become a problem.

Not for him.

And not for Gyeol.

Yo Han had never once been involved in a scandal.

Part of that was because his full-fledged screen career still wasn’t especially long, but more than anything, it was because Yo Han moved with obsessive precision. He deliberately kept people at a distance. He never let anyone cross the line.

If he wrapped himself in kindness and played the role of a gentle man, people easily mistook him for approachable.

But the moment anyone tried to step deeper inside, they realized the truth.

The ravine was deep as an abyss, and the water pooled far below. No one could simply wander into a place like that.

The type of people Yo Han despised most were the ones whose brains might as well have been attached to their genitals. Alpha, Omega, Beta—it didn’t matter. He loathed people incapable of controlling their lust, people who climbed into bed with anyone and eventually destroyed themselves by handing others fatal leverage.

Because that had been the root of the abuse inflicted on him his entire life.

The contamination at his core.

The thing that drowned him.

The foundation of his trauma.

That was why Yo Han behaved almost pathologically clean.

There were countless people who admired and coveted the name Seong Yo Han, yet despite being an Alpha actor popular enough for tabloids to obsess over things like the size of his cock or his skills in bed, there were no rumors of that sort attached to him at all.

And for someone like Yo Han, meeting another person alone outside of work was extraordinarily rare.

For him to be the one requesting the meeting first was even more impossible.

“Yes, Manager Yoon.”

As he headed toward the emergency stairwell, Yo Han called his manager.

“You can head home as soon as the meeting’s over.”

On the other end of the line, manager Yoon Jihoon sounded startled. He was a newly hired rookie manager brought in after Jang Dohun had been removed. He was still clumsy enough at his job that today’s schedule had ended up tangled because of him, but since it led Yo Han to Gyeol, it had actually worked out perfectly.

“Yes, something came up, so I’m going to use the car myself. No, don’t worry about it. Just text me the meeting results later.”

Still on the phone, Yo Han slowly descended the stairs.

***

Yo Han and Gyeol ended up seated side by side in the driver’s and passenger’s seats of the van.

The picture probably looked a little strange, but who could have imagined he’d spend time like this with Gyeol today? The only vehicle available was the black van Seong Yo Han had arrived in, so there really wasn’t another option.

“......”

Gyeol sat in the passenger seat with posture so straight it bordered on rigid.

And he was incredibly quiet.

It was almost difficult to tell whether he was breathing.

“Are you uncomfortable? You can relax.”

The car stopped at a red light, and Yo Han turned to look at him as he spoke.

“Huh? No, not at all. I’m very comfortable. You drive really well, actor Yo Han.”

“Hmm. Or maybe I should’ve put you in the back after all. Having another celebrity sit in the front passenger seat instead of the back feels weird to me too.”

“Yeeah... I guess that makes sense.”

It felt like watching a brand-new employee trying to face their department head.

Gyeol couldn’t even properly meet his eyes, staring stiffly ahead instead. Yo Han watched his profile for a long moment before teasing lightly,

“Should I pull over? Want to go take a nap in the back?”

“N-No. Please don’t.”

Gyeol hurriedly waved both hands and shook his head.

Yo Han had been teasing him with that ever since they got into the van—telling Gyeol he’d drive while Gyeol relaxed in the back seat.

Watching him flush bright red and struggle helplessly made Yo Han feel both sorry for him and overwhelmingly tempted to tease him even more. It wasn’t as if he didn’t realize how strange it was for him to start acting this way now, after never behaving like this even when he was younger.

Yo Han understood frighteningly quickly what he felt for Gyeol.

What he wanted from him.

What he desired.

At least one thing was certain.

“...You’re more playful than I expected, actor Yo Han.”

“That’s strange. No one’s ever said that to me before.”

“Really...? I always heard you were kind and gentlemanly.”

Gyeol looked beautiful to him.

The tiny ripples of emotion that surfaced across his face. The tremble in his eyes. The color in his lips when he bit them. The way his hands curled tightly shut.

Every single thing.

“...Are you saying you want to tease me?”

Everything about Gyeol was lovely.

“If that’s how you want to think of it, then let’s go with that for now.”

“......Okay.”

Even Yo Han himself could barely keep up with the speed of the changes happening inside him.

***

The place Yo Han brought Gyeol to was a private VIP room inside a hotel lounge.

It was absurdly extravagant for something as simple as having coffee together, but it was the perfect place to spend time without attracting public attention.

At first, Gyeol looked slightly frozen, probably uncomfortable in such a luxurious, high-end environment.

But he adapted quickly.

He had the kind of personality that adjusted naturally to new situations, and before long he was chatting with Yo Han smoothly.

“So you watched that movie too, actor Yo Han? I really loved it.”

“Are you going to keep calling me ‘actor Yo Han’?”

“Huh?”

“It sounds stiff. You can call me something else.”

“Uh... then what should I call you?”

The moment they started discussing changing forms of address, Gyeol immediately reverted to painfully formal speech again.

He really did keep making Yo Han laugh.

“Hmm... maybe ‘big brother’?”

“What?”

Gyeol’s eyes widened so much they looked ready to fall out, and Yo Han burst into laughter.

“Your eyes are going to roll right out of your head. Is it really that shocking?”

“No, I mean— no... I could never call someone like you, actor Yo Han, ‘big brother’...”

“Why not? What’s wrong with calling me that?”

“......Well.”

“Then I’d be able to speak more comfortably to you too.”

“......”

Gyeol blinked up at him as though waiting for what would come next.

How strange.

It was nothing important, and yet his chest tightened painfully anyway. The hand resting lightly on the table tensed. His tongue felt stiffer than it ever did during even the most difficult acting scenes.

Yo Han met Gyeol’s gaze.

No one in the outside world would know where the two of them were or what they were doing.

At last, a soft voice escaped him.

“Gyeol.”