Come Back

The owner of the voice was VVIP. He was leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and staring at me.

There was a strong force in the two large hands that held the glass of On the Rocks on both sides.

He spoke a little loudly. Maybe it was because of his mood, but he sounded a little agitated. It was different from his calm demeanor at Director Kang’s house, where he never spoke loudly.

Today’s protagonist took his face off Choi Hong-seo’s nape. And rather than being offended, he smiled at the man in the upper seat as if he found it very interesting.

“Our vice president, what’s causing this?”

“They said that if I attend, I’ll get priority.”

“Yeah, I did. I didn’t know you’d actually come though.”

“Send it this way.”

Although it was in the form of a request sentence, judging from his expression and tone, it was closer to an unconditional command.

Even though he had to hand over the bait he had soaked in saliva, today’s protagonist obediently and willingly backed down. He even seemed to be in a good mood.

He lifted the tall champagne glass to his lips and spoke quickly and quietly so that only Choi Hong-seo could hear.

“You don’t usually come to places like this. I wonder why you like me… You’re an important guest to me, so treat me well. If you serve me well, I’ll send you a big tip through the famous manager.”

Because he had the opportunity to look good to the Vice President of ARA Electronics through Choi Hong-seo. So rather than being dissatisfied, he seemed to be in a good mood.

Choi Hong-seo stood up hesitantly and moved inside. Behind him, the main character of the day shouted jokingly.

“It’s not an old man like me who’s playing with us, it’s a handsome guy like that. Our leader must be happy!”

The other people at the table were laughing loudly. What was so funny about that? I could tell they were all trying to please the Vice President of ARA Electronics.

Choi Hong-seo was also somewhat accustomed to figuring out the flow of power in a place like this, such as who was the center of the atmosphere and who was the real VVIP of the place.

“Hello. This is Choi Hong-seo.”

“Yes, sit over here.”

As he bowed, the man straightened his upper body, which had been leaning forward, and pointed to the seat next to him. However, he did not look directly at Choi Hong-seo’s face.

“thank you.”

“I need to drink something. What should I have?”

Even as he handed the menu displayed on the tablet to Choi Hong-seo, the man’s gaze was fixed solely on the LCD.

“I’d like it if you just gave me the same thing…”

“If alcohol is too much for you, there are plenty of other drinks.”

“No problem. I’ll drink the same thing as you, Vice President.”

“… … ”

Only then did the man slowly turn his gaze to Choi Hong-seo. It was surprising, but the distance was very close. If he moved just a little, their shoulders would brush against each other.

The eyes of the man I met up close were, as expected, very deep and calm. It seemed like he would not be shaken by any storm.

Choi Hong-seo envied that. The vice president of ARA Electronics. He would later become the chairman of the ARA Group. He was the grandson of the founder of the Hanseo Group. What kind of storm would such a person be afraid of? Who would dare to shake such a person?

It seemed as if calling him Vice President had offended him. After quite some time, the man opened his mouth.

“You didn’t call me that back then.”

“… … ”

“We’re old friends. Do you remember me?”

“Yes. At Director Kang’s house…”

“At that time, I didn’t really know what I was doing.”

“I’m sorry. I should have known this in advance…”

Choi Hongseo bowed his head and apologized, and the man turned his eyes back to the tablet and let out a light sigh. Hmm… It wasn’t a groan of reproach, but rather an awkward groan.

“No, that’s not what I meant… Don’t be sorry.”

He ended up ordering the same drink he was drinking, and for a while the two of them just sat there blankly without saying much, only taking a sip of their drink in between.

Meanwhile, messy scenes were unfolding here and there on the tables. The mess of people tangling, groping, and sucking was the predictable ending of such a party.

The man who was watching the couples rolling around in front of him turned his eyes to Choi Hong-seo. He just stared at him for a moment, then leaned closer. It was because the music was loud.

“Don’t you want to get out of here?”

“… … ”

Things didn’t go as planned.

The one who paid the price for calling out ‘Layered’ and Choi Hong-seo was the star of the day, and if you go out with someone from this club, you naturally think that you will become the star of the day.

The words of today’s protagonist, who asked for good service and promised to send a big tip if the service was good, ultimately meant the same thing.

Hospitality.

Yeah, this guy is also a hostess after all.

“Do you want to stay here any longer…”

“That’s not it.”

“Don’t worry about that. I won’t be offended.”

The ‘over there’ that ARA Electronics Vice President was talking about was the main character of the day. Even though Choi Hong-seo was the guest he had invited, the Vice President was confident and told him not to worry about it. Thinking that it was VVIP-like, Choi Hong-seo lowered his head and gave a very short, bitter smile.

“Then, I’ll go and speak to our boss.”

I got up from my seat, holding my cell phone. The club staff member who had been watching immediately approached me and asked what I needed. When I said I needed a place to make a call, the staff member guided me to a space where I could rest individually.

Even if the fact that they were entertaining was the same, any changes had to be reported to the famous CEO first.

[What? The Vice President??]

As soon as he heard the report that he would be going out with Vice President Lee Hae-seong, President Myung’s voice grew louder.

[Once he decides to invest, there’s no need to worry about film production. Filming begins right away! There’s no need to look for two or three more investors.]

The titles that used to be ‘this kid’, ‘that kid’, and ‘crazy guy’ have now changed to ‘Vice President’ and ‘that person’.

[I thought you weren’t my type, but what the heck, it’s the opposite? Crazy… What the hell is this, Hongseo! Lee Hae-seong, Lee Hae-seong! You’re incomparable to someone like President Cho.]

It seemed as if I could see the face of the famous CEO with his mouth hanging from his ear.

President Myung is right. If I had to entertain someone, this person would be a much more efficient person than President Cho.

And yet I couldn’t figure out why I felt so betrayed.

Just because you saved me from that hostess, Mr. Cho, did you think he would be any different? Just because you said you wanted to see a performance, not a sexy dance, did you think he would treat you like a real actor?

Even though he lives like a dog at the bottom… Choi Hong-seo is really easygoing.

[Whether the movie can go into production or not! It’s all up to you now. Oh dear, I should have made her wear something else. I should have made her wear the luxury clothes that were sponsored a while ago.]

Even though I didn’t want to admit it, the famous CEO was right.

Among the upper class, there were those who played openly and those who played secretly. I had met some who pretended to be polite. And even the polite ones couldn’t do anything. There was a pleasure that could be obtained with just a snap of a finger, and no one would refuse it. Whether it was power, money, or a momentary physical satisfaction, it was the same.

Choi Hong-seo, who was talking on the phone and wandering around the small lounge without even being able to sit on the prepared sofa, stopped in front of the mirror hanging on the wall.

[You really have to do well, Choi Hong-seo. He is more precious than anyone you’ve ever served, he’s truly a VVVVVIP!]

“Better than Executive Director Lee Seo-kyung?”

[What the hell, where are you putting that? Do you call that a word? That bastard Lee Seo-kyung is only a royal by blood, but she has no ability! This person is the one who will take the entire ARA Group!]

Looking at her face in the mirror, Choi Hong-seo wiped away the lip makeup that was almost completely gone.

“I’ll do well, don’t worry. I really want to be in this movie too.”

After ending the call, I turned around in front of the mirror.

There was nothing to be disappointed about, nothing to feel betrayed about.

It was just that the person being entertained had changed.

@

The man’s sedan slowly drove down the streets of Gangnam late on a Saturday night.

The world flowing by outside the window was bustling with shallow pleasures, but the car interior was as quiet as if I was looking at a muted screen. I could barely feel the vibration of the car moving.

Expensive cars are different.

Choi Hong-seo was thinking about such things while sitting in the back seat, which reminded him of the first class seats or the highest-end massage chairs on an airplane. The person sitting next to him had not said anything for several minutes, so he had nothing to do.

“Isn’t the temperature too low?”

The words he spoke after a long time were unexpected.

“it’s okay.”

“I have goosebumps on my arm.”

The man gestured to Choi Hong-seo’s arm and said. Choi Hong-seo followed his gaze and looked down at his arm. Goosebumps were running down his arm that was exposed under his short-sleeved stage costume. In fact, it was a bit chilly.