As Jung Yiyeon, he never imagined himself in the hotel business, but he quickly

found enjoyment in it. The results were decent too. Thanks to the grandson of the
group’s leader excelling at his job, the title attached to his name changed
rapidly. Jung Yiyeon found it embarrassing.

“Then you became the CEO. Is it a story of a lucky guy who met his grandfather
well?”

Jung Yiyeon said in a light tone, modestly attributing it to luck. It was indeed a
stroke of luck. Becoming the CEO of a major subsidiary at the age of thirty was
really something. In many ways, it was unfortunate.

“I heard there was some opposition because your appointment as CEO was too fast.”

“Oh? Well, it was indeed unusually fast even among the third generation.”

Jung Yiyeon chuckled ambiguously. Lee Nan’s expression clouded as she sipped her
coffee. She seemed puzzled about how to broach a question.

Jung Yiyeon chuckled softly, feeling somewhat pleased that Lee Nan seemed to be
trying to gauge his reaction. It was also intriguing how someone who displayed
emotions so vividly on their face could act so robotic as a secretary. At the same
time, there was a hint of mockery towards himself for not realizing the intense
emotions burning within Lee Nan at that time.

Jung Yiyeon savored the momentary silence. He felt somewhat amused that Lee Nan
seemed to be enjoying reading his reaction. Also, she was such an expressive
person, yet she acted like a robot when she was working as a secretary.
Simultaneously, he couldn’t help but chuckle at himself for not recognizing the
intense emotions that Lee Nan had been feeling at that time.

Jung Yiyeon swallowed different kinds of laughter inwardly and picked up his fork
with a nonchalant expression. He pushed a slice of cake heavily laden with cream
into Lee Nan’s mouth.

Lee Nan involuntarily opened her mouth, and soon her mouth was filled with sweet,
creamy goodness and soft, fluffy bread. There was too much cream. It was almost
overwhelming. The parts that couldn’t fit into her mouth ended up smeared around
her lips.

Jung Yiyeon wiped it off with his finger. He wanted to kiss her and lick it off
with his tongue, but… if he did that, she might scold him for doing something
inappropriate in public. So, he restrained himself once again. Instead, he licked
the cream off his finger with the tip of his tongue. Lee Nan’s lips were softer and
tastier than the whipped cream, but it was a pity.

“…Stop it, seriously.”

“Hmm?”

“Who do you think will be in trouble if there’s a scandal here?”

With a gaze as if sending a warning, Lee Nan coldly spoke to Jung Yiyeon, who was
licking his hand with a lascivious look. If the affectionate actions of the two men
were exposed to the public, it would be Jung Yiyeon who would be in trouble. After
all, Lee Nan was just an ordinary person who had never been exposed to the public.
On the other hand, Jung Yiyeon was widely known as the grandson of Chairman Jung
Pilwon and the CEO of Eunha Hotel. Although his profile picture on portal sites was
left blank, if you dug deeper, you could still find his face through photos
published in articles a few years ago.

However, Jung Yiyeon didn’t really care. Even if he became known to the world. He
even felt somewhat comfortable with the idea of being known by everyone rather than
just a few. That feeling still lingered.

From the moment he became interested in romance, Jung Yiyeon, who had recognized
himself as homosexual, and Lee Nan’s perspectives were bound to be different. There
must have been an instinct in him that if he ever broke up with Lee Nan, he would
have to return to the world perceived as normal by the majority. Meeting men was
just a minor escapade, a fleeting encounter with a light-hearted man, or perhaps
someone like a student from Bupyeong Elementary School who sought lightness in all
relationships for solace.

Nevertheless, Jung Yiyeon had a fairly good understanding of Lee Nan’s complex
psyche. The conclusion was simple. He would leave a way out but ensure that Lee Nan
wouldn’t choose to go back.

Honestly, he wanted to sever all exits. Whether it was Lee Nan’s or his own.

“I don’t care.”

Jung Yiyeon said in a deliberately playful tone, aiming to release some bitter yet
destructive emotions bubbling inside him. He even felt a bit mischievous seeing the
disbelief on his face.

“Really. Shall we announce our marriage in the newspapers?”

“Oh, stop with the nonsense.”

Huh, but I’m serious. Lee Nan chuckled as if he heard an absurd joke.

“Will Mr. Jung Yiyeon stay quiet at home?”

“Of course, I’ll make sure you can’t even leave for an interview. And maybe I’ll
hand you an envelope of money, telling you to break up with me? If I pretend to
break up with you and marry another woman, even as a disguise, I’ll probably get a
few more subsidiaries detached. Then we’ll just pretend to break up for a while.
And once I get more assets, I’ll cash them out and run away. Maybe to Canada or
somewhere.”

Jung Yiyeon’s voice remained consistently playful.

“But I’m the CEO of a hotel.”

However, the content was not entirely nonsense. Jung Yiyeon pretended to joke, but
he was actually satisfying Lee Nan’s curiosity.

“Of course, it wasn’t about falsely breaking up and then eloping in love when we
met again.”

“…”

He didn’t want to go into detail about the circumstances of their breakup or talk
about the person who had been his lover. It didn’t matter how much Lee Nan knew or
where his curiosity led. Jung Yiyeon’s usual belief was that there was no need to
delve deeply into past lovers’ stories within a relationship. What was there to
talk about regarding emotions and relationships that had already ended? Any
discussion of past relationships tended to either glorify or disparage them.
Of course, there were times when Jung Yiyeon was curious about Lee Nan’s past
lovers too. Despite Lee Nan having a casual attitude towards relationships, he
wondered if there had been someone he deeply connected with for a long time.
However, he never had the inclination to ask. Even if Lee Nan could easily provide
answers, Jung Yiyeon wasn’t interested. There was no need to open a Pandora’s box.

“There were reasons. Do you want to know more?”

“Is there anything else?”

“No, that’s all. Honestly, I can’t even remember it well now. All that remains are
feelings of wounded pride and misery.”

The former lover they had parted ways with had been someone they spent several
years together with. While Lee Nan often claimed to have been busy, it wasn’t as if
they hadn’t enjoyed time together without Jung Yiyeon, as popular as he was.
Regardless, that person Jung Yiyeon had settled with for quite a while. Though as
time passed, inevitable stagnation set in, their relationship remained stable
enough that there was no urge to seek others.

Or perhaps, it could be described as a relationship already packaged as stability

under the name of uncertainty. Surely, at that time, Jung Yiyeon had become
engrossed in his work, neglecting his lover, and vice versa. That must have been
the case. Consequently, the lover had likely disappeared without a word, having
received money from Chairman Jung and leaving Jung Yiyeon behind.

As the days without contact stretched on, Jung Yiyeon, who didn’t know the
situation, was worried, but it didn’t distract him from his work. It was bitter yet
strangely numb, as if he had been expecting it, but hadn’t realized the
implications of breaking up like this.

Until he found out that his lover had received money from Chairman Jung and
disappeared from him. Until then, he had just thought it was a relationship that
was flowing naturally.

Jung Yiyeon learned the truth when Chairman Jung called him home one day. Without
any inkling of the reason behind the summons, thinking it might be related to work,
Jung Yiyeon visited Chairman Jung, who presented him with profiles of several
women.

“That bastard cleaned up after receiving a few bucks from me. Enough playing
around, it’s time to get married.”

He couldn’t quite remember how he responded to those words. Jung Yiyeon couldn’t
recall it well. All he could remember was abruptly turning away before Chairman
Jung had even finished speaking, without looking back, and leaving.

In a state of inexplicable shock, he headed home instead of returning to the

company. It was a time when he didn’t want to think or feel anything. Perhaps
because he had anticipated it, it didn’t affect him much. Or maybe he felt so
overwhelmed by the things building up to the brink that he became numb.

Since acknowledging his homosexuality, Jung Yiyeon had made efforts not to attach
much significance to his orientation. He simply forgot about the possibility of
being excluded or facing disadvantages in society. He resolved to worry about it
when it actually happened. He promised himself not to fear the unknown or things
that might or might not happen. In reality, he lived without much concern, just
trying a little harder to blend in and hide himself among people.
However, the shock brought by the outing exceeded his expectations. Jung Yiyeon was
confused. He was bewildered to the point where he couldn’t understand why he was so
confused. Too many things made him suffer, to the extent that it was hard to
pinpoint the cause of his distress and agony.

Yet, the emotions he felt weren’t guilt, remorse, or regret for his departed lover.
Nor were they shame or regret stemming from being caught by his grandfather. Jung
Yiyeon had nothing to be sorry for in front of his grandfather.

If his emotions had to be labeled, it was misery. It was the tragedy of being
rejected and denied by society and even his family as a homosexual. It was the
sense of futility in being discarded by his lover for a few bucks. It was the
powerlessness of having to comply with his grandfather’s unreasonable demands to
maintain his position. All of these made Jung Yiyeon miserable.

He even considered just leaving everything behind. However, the privileges he had
tasted were too sweet to abandon. The achievements he had rapidly attained, being
the chairman’s grandson, were too luxurious and comfortable to be regretted. Yet,
his pride was too painful to bend. Just contemplating these things made him feel
crushed and trampled upon. But his greed was as painful as his pride.

As Jung Yiyeon was going through the darkest period of his life, not even going to
work, Chairman Jung recalled one thing belatedly. It was the history of his
youngest son rebelling against him. The immense pain for Chairman Jung stemmed from
his inability to placate the unyielding temper of his youngest son once things
started going awry. If it weren’t for Jung Yiyeon as his grandson, his youngest son
would have never seen his father again.

He feared that Jung Yiyeon might have inherited such a temperament. So, to prevent
losing his grandson, he forcibly bestowed a carrot much larger than the whip. Since
they were things he wanted to give to his youngest son anyway, there was nothing to
lose.

Forget about him. Then, I’ll give you the hotel.

A few days after contemplating his options during the confrontation with Chairman
Jung, Jung Yiyeon was faced with the same choices as mentioned above. In truth, it
felt as though there was only one answer, forcibly imposed, and Jung Yiyeon thought
blankly. Should he just leave everything behind and depart, like his father did
over 30 years ago?

But Jung Yiyeon was a more ambitious person than his father. After all, his lover
had already left him. The lashes had already been dealt. Refusing compensation
didn’t make the pain disappear. Jung Yiyeon rationalized that he was merely taking
what was due to him.

Thanks to that, Jung Yiyeon ascended to the position of CEO of the hotel, merely as
compensation for parting with his male lover.

After that, he threw himself into work. At that time, he had no choice. He had even
given up his identity, holding onto what he had grasped in his hands. Surrendering
his pride and succumbing to reality in exchange for wealth and power was a price he
wanted to secure.

As time passed, the wounds gradually dulled, and he became a stronger person than
before.

But he still met men. Because being attracted to men wasn’t something he could
change just because someone told him to. Sometimes, when he felt lonely or aroused,
he sought out a partner, and sometimes it led to steady relationships.

But feelings of affection or love never arose. He couldn’t allow such emotions to
emerge. While he could have encounters to satisfy his desires, he couldn’t engage
in relationships.

It was because the helplessness and misery of being denied his identity as a
homosexual and being forced to part with his lover by others in the past continued
to haunt him. The emotions he felt at that time were something he could never
forget. There should never be anything as humiliating as that time in Jung Yiyeon’s
life again.

Until he met Lee Nan.

Looking at the man who couldn’t easily articulate his thoughts and remained silent,
Jung Yiyeon smiled faintly.

Ah, he really didn’t want to fall in love. At a time when not only his grandfather
but also relatives were scrutinizing him, looking for his weaknesses, the thought
of having a lover didn’t even cross his mind. He was unwilling to experience being
abandoned by someone he loved because of money for the second time.

Yet, Lee Nan, you were different. You made me throw away everything I received as a
price for my pride, just to have you. I wonder if you realize that, Lee Nan.

Jung Yiyeon suddenly remembered the day when Lee Nan first confessed his feelings.

Honestly, the biggest emotion Jung Yiyeon felt at that time was bewilderment.
Despite already having suspicions whether this secretary might harbor affection for
him through various incidents, seeing his more expressive demeanor, there were
moments when it felt like there was some affection towards him when he drew soft
lines with his lips, and when his cheeks blushed, he seemed like a boy suffering
from lovesickness.

There were times when Lee Nan seemed jealous. Every time Min Seowon’s presence
unexpectedly appeared, Lee Nan’s expression hardened, especially when he turned
away, as if in pain. Whenever Jung Yiyeon saw that face, his feelings became
ambiguous. It felt like Lee Nan couldn’t bear to hold onto him but was waiting for
Jung Yiyeon to come and hold onto his coat hem.

At that time, Jung Yiyeon was so full of prejudice that he didn’t realize Lee Nan’s
expression was sincere. He just thought to himself, “He’s really skilled at
mesmerizing others.” and silently clicked his tongue.

The confession at that moment was honestly unexpected.

Wasn’t it Lee Nan who was hanging out with Seo Jae-oh, reeking of cigarette smoke?
At that time, Lee Nan was such a person to Jung Yiyeon. With one hand, he held onto
Jung Yiyeon’s sleeve, but with the other, he held onto Seo Jae-oh’s hand.

When Lee Nan was with me, he would enjoy himself as if he was with Seo Jae-oh.
There were times when such thoughts crossed my mind. Even though we weren’t lovers,
the desire for exclusivity with a sexual partner was inevitable. Moreover, since
Jung Yiyeon was determined to be as manipulative with his partner’s emotions as Lee
Nan was, when the desire for exclusivity arose, he sometimes revealed his
bitterness.

The day when Lee Nan unexpectedly opened my door and entered was one of those days.
Jung Yiyeon was just bewildered. He was perplexed and at a loss. Yet, one thought
occupied his mind: he must not repeat the mistake of creating something he couldn’t
keep.

It was just an awkward feeling. He would have preferred Lee Nan not to speak. If he
started feeling emotions that couldn’t be reciprocated, he might even feel
betrayed. “Lee Nan, you’re not someone who seriously likes someone. You’re someone
who disgusts me by clinging on so pathetically. And you think someone who likes me
that much would let go of Seo Jae-oh’s hand?”

He was somewhat angry. He felt like his dignity was being threatened, even though
he had said himself that he had no intention of being in a relationship. It felt
like the misery and anger he thought he had forgotten were fiercely clawing at him.

“Did I confuse you? I thought we had agreed to exclude emotions altogether. Isn’t
that right?”

He realized his tone was colder than necessary, but he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t
believe or trust Lee Nan’s confessed emotions, and he didn’t want to. He felt
bewildered and angry at this secretary who was callously breaking off their
relationship. He even disliked being reminded of the buried emotions from the past.

“I can’t make something to keep?” No. In the first place, this secretary wasn’t
even someone Jung Yiyeon wanted to keep. At least, that’s what he believed at the
time.

“Resign.”

In truth, it wasn’t something he should have thrown back at Lee Nan.

At that moment, there was no other choice. Defense mechanisms weren’t something
easily controlled.

However, Lee Nan’s response was beyond Jung Yiyeon’s expectations.

“It wasn’t as a secretary. It was 100% personal.”

His expression, dry as if asking when it had ever shown such intense emotion,
settled into a pale, shocked face. But unable to hide the tremble in his voice, Lee
Nan continued, “I’ve never loved anyone this much in my life.”

An unbelievable confession. Yet, it sounded so sincere that Jung Yiyeon was

speechless, despite it being just a few words.

Jung Yiyeon remained stiff, with nothing to say. He was too surprised and flustered
to react. What response could he give? Until then, Jung Yiyeon hadn’t considered
creating a truly special relationship.

Of course, a special relationship could be created if one wanted, and it might not
be created if one didn’t want it. Jung Yiyeon didn’t know then. He didn’t know Lee
Nan’s feelings or his own. Nor did he understand the weight of Lee Nan’s confession
that this was the first time he had ever loved someone this much.

“…Lee Nan.”

But now, all he could offer were excuses. If Lee Nan was curious, he could tell him
anything, but Lee Nan didn’t ask anymore. Sipping his coffee, Lee Nan, who had
enough answers, looked up at the sound of his name.
The face, once pale with a sincere confession toward him, overlapped with the face
that had been sipping coffee, making Jung Yiyeon feel an indescribable sensation.
Regret wouldn’t change anything, but he would continue to regret. He couldn’t help
but think that if he had held Lee Nan’s outstretched hand back then, neither he nor
Lee Nan would have suffered like this.

“I really… love you.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you a lot.”

“…Suddenly?”

Lee Nan furrowed his brows, looking puzzled. Despite his surprise, Jung Yiyeon
smiled and embraced him. Considering the time they had spent together, even this
much felt like nothing.

“Oh, um…”

“I love you.”

In a public place, was this madness? Lee Nan protested, but Jung Yiyeon just smiled
and brushed his forehead against Lee Nan’s head. Lee Nan’s eyes darted around
quickly, checking if there were any people nearby. When he realized there was no
one, he sighed and pushed Jung Yiyeon away.

It was inevitable that he would feel ticklish at the sudden confession.

“…Okay, let go.”

Though he spoke curtly, Lee Nan hugged Jung Yiyeon’s back once before pushing him
away. Satisfied with Lee Nan’s brief embrace, Jung Yiyeon didn’t resist further and
released him. Lee Nan’s face as he looked at Jung Yiyeon was filled with a gentle
smile.

“Haah, Jung Yiyeon, you really…”

“Yeah?”

Lee Nan shook his head in a sense of defeat and said, “You’re really getting a lot
out of seeing my face.”

“I know. I’m glad my face fits your taste.”

Truly, sincerely, Jung Yiyeon was grateful for the effect his face had on Lee Nan.

But Lee Nan was the one who needed some realization. It was Lee Nan himself who had
shaken Jung Yiyeon, who had never loved or dated anyone before.

Suddenly, Jung Yiyeon felt an impulse to kiss Lee Nan. But if he actually did it,
Lee Nan would be greatly upset. Even if he said this café was emptied for their
date by the CEO Jung Sangyeon, Lee Nan probably wouldn’t like it.

“What about dinner? I’ll buy you something delicious.”

“Well, I can’t think of anything in particular right now.”

“Hmm… There’s a good Korean restaurant nearby. Should we go there?”

“Really? But you seem to like Korean cuisine quite a lot?”

“Who… me?”

“Yes, you. It seems like you used to have it at least once a week.”

Jung Yiyeon’s eyes widened. It was true that whenever they met for dinner, Korean
cuisine was often among the menu options. There was a reason for that choice. That
reason being…

“You said you prefer Korean food.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah, you said before. You didn’t have many chances to eat proper meals after
living abroad and not being with your parents. So, you said you like Korean food.”

Had they had such a conversation before? Lee Nan tilted his head in confusion.
Then, a memory suddenly surfaced, and he murmured to himself.

“Ah, when we went to eat French cuisine.”

Jung Yiyeon felt like he was digging his own grave with his words and fell silent.

Lee Nan remained silent for a moment. His expression stiffened as memories of the
day he had lied about liking Korean food came back to him little by little. The
reason why he couldn’t remember that conversation was clear. The embarrassment and
sorrow that followed the realization that he had turned a happy occasion into a
farce lingered more vividly than anything else.

Perhaps he had consciously buried those memories deep down, not wanting to
remember. After all, unpleasant memories tended to cascade into one another.

“At that time…”

A question slipped from Lee Nan’s lips. Perhaps it was a question he didn’t really
want to ask, maybe out of pride.

“Why did you give Minseowon a bracelet?”

“…Huh?”

“I thought maybe you two were close enough to exchange such things.”

For Lee Nan, dredging up past events and expressing his feelings from that time
seemed trivial. Even after spilling out his thoughts, he couldn’t help feeling
embarrassed. While his attempt to speak in a casual tone was successful, his
expression unavoidably stiffened.

“Um, it was just a birthday present… Wait, how did you know when I asked Park to do
it?”

“You were strutting around with it as if it was on display? Even from 100 meters
away, it’d be hard to miss.”

“Ah, I see. My apologies.”

“I wasn’t asking for an apology. It’s just that, even I could see that Minseowon
likes you, Jung Yiyeon, and yet you act all cold while still getting gifts from
her, which seemed odd to me. Usually, I handle all the gifts from partner companies
through the secretary team, so it was strange that Park was separately called in
without informing me.”

“Maybe… I didn’t want you to feel bad.”

Lee Nan didn’t understand Jung Yiyeon’s words for a moment.

“Even though we have a professional relationship, you might feel bad if you found
out I was receiving gifts from someone else. In fact… Mr. Seo wasn’t pleased
either. And while Minseowon and I don’t have that kind of relationship at all, I
might have given you the impression that we did.”

It was the morning after Minseowon first visited the company. Jung Yiyeon knew that
Minseowon had feelings for him. However, until then, they had been like siblings,
so he didn’t expect her to suddenly make advances when he took her to the hotel
room. She wasn’t that kind of person to him.

But she was so aggressive, pushing her way into his embrace, unbuttoning his shirt,
and kissing his collarbone freely, even clinging to him and scratching him with her
nails when he tried to push her away. She insisted she wouldn’t let him go today.

No wonder he felt sore; there were nail marks where she had grabbed him above his
shirt. Jung Yiyeon was shocked when he found the marks while showering off the
alcohol from the morning. Thanks to that, he unintentionally revealed the kiss
marks on his collarbone and scratches on his back to Lee Nan without explaining the
situation.

“I really didn’t sleep. We’ve never had that kind of relationship before. It was
just because I tried to push her away but ended up leaving those marks. The reason
I didn’t cut her off and still accepted gifts was…”

Jung Yiyeon sighed softly.

“Her father is a member of the National Assembly. Like her father, their family has
connections with Eunha Group in many ways…”

“Ah…”

“It’s not a simple relationship to cut off as I please, so if I had to make

excuses, I had no choice.”

Jung Yiyeon laughed bitterly. From his grandfather’s generation, they had been
providing political funds, receiving assistance, and maintaining close ties with
the family. Almost no politician had refused money from the group, but the Min
family had an even closer relationship, with their children often socializing with
the family members. Especially Minseowon, the youngest, who was particularly
sociable and had a special relationship with Jung Sangyeon, the executive. She was
even providing substantial entertainment money to Minseowon under the guise of
allowance, and amidst all that, she was handling incidents and accidents. Thanks to
her, Congressman Min faithfully performed his role as a powerhouse for Eunha Group
in the National Assembly.