Come Back

The man said, rubbing the inside of his wrist with his thumb.

“I’m worried because it’s too dry.”

“… … ”

“Are you a bit reserved?”

“No, that’s not true…”

“It’s okay. I don’t like being teased. I’ll be looking forward to the stage. Come down and have fun together.”

In terms of inducing nausea, the man’s laughter was like maggots writhing in filth.

Even after moving to the backstage waiting room, the uncomfortable feeling on my wrist where the man had touched still remained.

“Choi Hong-seo, you haven’t been serving customers much lately, so are you confused about your identity? What was that attitude you had toward the customer earlier? Haven’t you come to your senses? Do you really think you’re a prince or something?”

President Myung, who had come close enough to make sure the other members didn’t notice, spoke almost in a whisper.

“Haven’t you heard? I like that kind of stuff. What’s the problem?”

“What the hell did I do wrong? You keep talking back to me these days. Are you going to keep provoking me like that? Huh?”

I went up on stage, leaving the scary famous boss behind. I didn’t even feel the tension of having to do well on stage, so I didn’t even need the routine of taking deep breaths and counting on my fingers. Who among the people down there would be interested in this stage anyway…

When I raised my head and formed a formation with the members on the dark stage with the lights off.

I made eye contact with someone in front of me.

As if his talent had caught Choi Hong-seo’s attention, their eyes met right away.

The man in the upper seat that I saw in Director Kang Woo-hyun’s reception room. He was a VVIP.

The man was also sitting at the central table where the party’s main character was sitting with his other acquaintances. When did he come? He wasn’t there when I stopped by to say hello…

Suddenly, tension gripped my whole body. I felt like I had to fold my fingers and count. But there wasn’t much time left. The intro began and the lights came on.

In the end, I made two mistakes.

This was almost impossible for Choi Hong-seo, who was more skilled than any other member and practiced more than anyone else. It was the worst feeling when it got dark again and he left the stage.

That’s because you ignored the routine because you were nervous. You should have just done what you always did.

“Hongseo, you made a mistake twice.”

President Myung approached Choi Hong-seo, who was already feeling guilty, and set him on fire.

“i know.”

“Did you let your guard down because it was a stage like this? What kind of people are here? Don’t you know that in some ways this is more important than a music show?”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t concentrate for a bit.”

The mistake itself was shocking and disappointing, but what was even more upsetting was the fact that I hadn’t performed to my best in front of that man.

The man said he wanted to see ‘acting’ in Director Kang’s reception room.

I didn’t ask for a sexy dance, a song to liven things up, aegyo, or any other individual skills, but rather a performance.

Thanks to this, Choi Hong-seo was able to avoid being treated as a hostess there. As an actor, he was able to show his acting skills to attract investment and end up there.

So, because of that memory… the moment I discovered that man, I wanted to do the stage properly.

But on the contrary, he didn’t even show his usual ability. Even without the famous CEO intentionally picking on him, he was upset and angry enough.

“Well, the stage is already over, so that’s okay.”

The famous CEO clicked his tongue and put his arm around Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder. Then, while the members were distracted by the gift that the star of the day had prepared, he whispered.

“Let’s go out and have a good time? You’re not the prince. The person sitting over there is the prince. Let’s not make a mistake, Hongseo? Huh?”

I slipped out from under the arm of the famous CEO and wiped the sweat in front of the mirror, being careful not to erase my makeup. In the mirror, the famous CEO was looking at me with sharp eyes.

You’re not the prince, so why do I need to remind you of that?

It was funny. I’ve never even thought of myself as a prince or anything like that.

@

Today’s protagonist was even more drunk by then. He personally stood up and greeted ‘Layered’, and a strong smell of alcohol wafted from him.

“I enjoyed the performance. Wow, everyone was so talented. Especially… the hip rotation skills…”

The man who was badly imitating the choreography of ‘Layered’ burst into laughter at the end.

“Well, since you worked hard, let’s each have a drink!”

The man who put a glass of alcohol in each of the members’ hands was so drunk that he couldn’t control the amount of alcohol he drank. The alcohol overflowed from all the glasses.

“I’d also like to buy you a drink, sir.”

Choi Hong-seo stepped forward and took the bottle of alcohol from the man’s hand. The man’s reddish gaze stared at the side of Choi Hong-seo’s face as he approached.

“Would you like that? Your friend is pretty and does pretty things too.”

The man bent down deeply and looked up at Choi Hong-seo’s face as he poured him a drink. Then, he whispered so that only Choi Hong-seo could hear, just enough for his lips to touch his ear.

“I think I’m going to start wondering if it’s pretty everywhere else.”

The man in the upper seat was sitting a little further inside. Choi Hong-seo tried his best not to look at him. It was humiliating to be treated like a plaything in front of someone who had acted confidently as an actor for a moment, but humiliation and enduring humiliation were not new to Choi Hong-seo.

Yeah, it wouldn’t have been any more humiliating if that guy was watching.

Layered had to drink two or three glasses of alcohol while standing in a row without being able to sit down. After that, the famous CEO announced with a troubled face that it was time to go.

“Is it already like that? But one person has to stay. That’s what we agreed to, boss.”

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll stay.”

At Choi Hong-seo’s remark, the protagonist grabbed Choi Hong-seo’s hand and pulled him towards him. He sat down next to him and rested his chin on Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder and grinned.

“Why? Why do you want to stay? Is our idol also interested in me?”

What the hell is the point of interest? It was a pre-arranged contract from the beginning that Choi Hong-seo would stay behind and serve drinks. The pretense of haggling over who would stay behind was nothing more than a rigged game of Go-Stop.

“I guess my younger siblings… can’t drink well. Since I’m also the leader, I think it would be better for me to stay.”

“I see. You’re the leader. Are you the leader because you’re the oldest? You look like a baby.”

The man who made Choi Hong-seo look at him by wrapping his chin around his neck waved his other hand indifferently toward President Myung. As soon as permission was given, President Myung quickly left the place with the rest of the members. It was a routine, ordinary procedure.

The hand of the man who had let go of my chin then went to touch my lips. His touch was as smooth as if they were my own lips.

“I debuted a bit late… so I’m older than you might think.”

“Oh my, is that so? Our leader, are you getting older? How old are you? Twenty-two?”

The man laughed loudly, pinching his cheek with the hand that had been touching his lips.

“I’m twenty-seven years old.”

“lie.”

This time, the man pulled back with an exaggerated expression of surprise. Then, he quickly came closer and pressed his forehead against Choi Hong-seo’s and whispered.

“Show me your ID. Then I’ll believe you.”

“I left my wallet in the car.”

“What the… Are you trying to trick me into going in the car with you right now?”

The man’s arm wrapped around her waist. Everyone at the table was aware of this situation, but naturally, no one tried to stop it. Everyone was having fun with their male and female partners who looked to be half their age, so it was easy to lose interest in this.

The ‘man of honor’ sitting inside was the only one drinking without a partner. He was obscured by today’s main character, so I couldn’t see him clearly, but he didn’t look particularly happy. Well, it was the same last time too…

“Our leader is good at setting the mood. Was he playing around with his baby-like face? It’s even more annoying when he looks like he’s being exposed.”

The hand wrapped around his waist touched his side over his clothes. And it tried to dig into his stage costume. Choi Hong-seo lowered his head to suppress his disgust, and under his lowered head, his jaw muscles tightened.

“But you don’t have to speak so stiffly. We’re getting closer now, so you feel distant. Are you nervous?”

“Because I’m in front of such… great people…”

“Huh? It’s good that you’re nervous, but you’re also cute? I really can’t stand that.”

The face of the man who had been whispering seemed to slide deeper, then dug into Choi Hong-seo’s nape. At the horror of smelling the skin and rubbing his lips, Choi Hong-seo gripped the pants on his thighs as if he were sitting on a dentist’s chair.

“Mr. Choi Hong-seo, come over here and sit down.”

“… … ”

The man’s movements stopped in his tracks at the sound of someone looking for Choi Hong-seo. The owner of the voice was VVIP. He was leaning forward with his upper body, resting his elbows on his knees, and staring at me.