When Jong Suk turned around, Min Ho immediately bowed. ‘Juseonghaeyo,’ he said softly.
‘Sunbae?’ Jong Suk uttered. Min Ho stood up straight and faced a puzzled Lee Jong Suk. Min Ho acted surprised.
‘Oh? Lee Jong Suk-ssi,’ he raised his eyebrows. ‘What are you doing here?’
Jong Suk grinned. ‘Wow, sunbae, fancy meeting you here,’ he said. ‘I was going to get coffee before I go up. My agency is in the building beside this one,’ he stretched out an arm for a hand shake.
Min Ho took it right away and chuckled. ‘What a coincidence, I was actually…’ he stopped midsentence and realized he hadn’t thought some things through. He was struggling for words. ‘Uhh, I was, uhm, around the area for, uhh, a meeting. Yes, that’s right, for a meeting. But it doesn’t start in a while so I decided to grab coffee first. I didn’t know your agency was near here.’
‘Ah, yeah, yeah,’ Jong Suk replied. ‘It’s nice seeing you here sunbae.’
Min Ho smiled as Jong Suk stepped aside and waited for his coffee. Min Ho ordered fast and faced him again. ‘Are you busy? Do you want to sit down and chat for a bit?’ Say yes, ima.
‘Of course,’ Jong Suk smiled. ‘It would be an honor.’
They were seated in front of each other, and Min Ho couldn’t help but give the guy a once over. He still wasn’t sure why he was talking with him, but he wanted to find out if he had gone to Shin Hye’s apartment, without asking outright. Jong Suk, on the other hand, went on and on about how he enjoyed Heirs and how much he wanted to talk to him more at Woo Bin’s party but missed the chance. Min Ho smiled and nodded, chuckled once in a while when it was called for. He noticed that there were more and more people around them who took their photos so obviously. Min Ho was a bit annoyed, but not as much as he was annoyed with the man sitting across him.
‘At least they’re not asking for autographs, right?’ Jong Suk leaned in and whispered. He must have noticed that Min Ho was distracted by the pseudo-paparazzi surrounding them.
‘Yeah,’ Min Ho smiled weakly and took a sip of his coffee. Now was his chance, since Jong Suk stopped talking. He cleared his throat. ‘So… what did you do this morning?’
‘Eh?’ Jong Suk’s eyebrows creased, clearly bemused. ‘What do you mean?’
Min Ho suddenly realized it was a weird question for him to ask another guy he wasn’t so close with. ‘Ahh, it’s just that I noticed you look like you’ve been out the whole morning,’ he let out a laugh. ‘Did you work out and stuff?’
Okay, still weird. A man asking another man if he works out.
‘Ah, aniyo,’ Jong Suk looked down. ‘I actually just visited a friend for a bit.’
Min Ho fidgeted in his seat and balled his fists. Aigoo. This blonde namja. I’m going to… ‘A friend?’ He asked, without trying to sound so curious.
Jong Suk smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. ‘Yeah.’
Min Ho wanted to wipe the grin off Jong Suk’s face, however method he can. He grabbed his coffee cup again, and resisted the urge to crumple it. He was dying to ask who this friend was, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with it without sounding so suspicious. Why would he, Lee Min Ho, want to know who this friend is? It’s plain odd. He racked his brain for another strategy.
‘Which reminds me,’ Jong Suk interrupted Min Ho’s thoughts. ‘Sunbae, if it isn’t too much to ask, can I invite you to my movie’s premiere?’
‘Huh?’ Min Ho looked up.
‘You must have heard of it, right? My movie with Park Bo Young. I want to invite you. I don’t know if I should send a formal invitation to your agency, but yeah, I hope you could come. It would be daebak if you will.’ Jong Suk flashed him a smile.
‘Ahh,’ Min Ho nodded. ‘You probably should send an invitation to my agency, but if it were just up to me, I would like to go. Bo Young and I go way back, actually.’ Min Ho bit his lip, a hunch playing in his mind. ‘Uhm… who else are going?’
‘Woo Bin might not go because he’s neck deep in commitments. I’ve invited a few friends, too,’ Jong Suk replied, sipping his coffee. ‘Ahh yeah, Kim Ji Won promised to go. And, uhh,’ Jong Suk hesitated. ‘Maybe Park Shin Hye.’
‘Park Shin Hye?’ Min Ho’s tone was higher than it should have been.
‘Yeah, I just invited her this morning. She hasn’t given me an answer though,’ he replied.
HA! I CAUGHT YOU, JASHIK! HOW DARE YOU VISIT A SINGLE WOMAN WHO LIVES ALONE IN HER APARTMENT???
‘Ahh, chincha?’ Min Ho’s voice was noticeably harsh, even though he tried to conceal it. His fake smile must have looked menacing to Jong Suk.
Jong Suk merely nodded. ‘I hope you can come, sunbae. And oh, since we’ve shared a conversation over coffee now, is it okay if I call you ‘hyung’? Or would you like me to keep calling you ‘sunbae’? He smiled widely.
CALL ME SUNBAE YOU BRAT. ‘Call me hyung,’ Min Ho replied. ‘Whenever you say sunbae, it makes me sound like an ahjussi.’
‘Ah yeah,’ Jong Suk chuckled. ‘Min Ho hyung.’
Min Ho winced. The last thing he wanted was to be chummy with a guy who had the gall to visit his girlfriend in her apartment. He looked at his watch and turned to Jong Suk. ‘I probably have to go,’ Min Ho told him. ‘I’m sorry if I kept you long,’ he continued as he stood up.
‘Aniyo, it was fun,’ Jong Suk replied, following his lead and standing up, too. ‘Take care, hyung. I hope to see you at the premiere.’
Min Ho nodded and smiled weakly before walking away. He whipped out his phone and turned it on. He started dialling his manager’s number.
‘What?’ His manager’s voice was cold and abrasive. Min ho remembered that he had hung up on him just a few hours ago. He made a mental note to apologize for his behavior later, but for now, his mind was filled with something else.
‘Hyung, I need you to do something for me.'
He heard his manager hiss from the other end. ‘Do you think you’re in the position to ask for favors right now? President Jang almost fired me when I told him that we had to cancel your interview this afternoon!’
‘Tell him to talk to me about that. He’s taking it out on you because he knows that he can’t win against me,’ Min Ho replied.
‘I don’t know why I even bother,’ his manager complained. ‘You two wrestle it out!’
Min Ho wasn't in the mood to have another argument about his agency with his manager. Not when there were more pressing matters at hand.
‘Hyung, hyung, listen. I’m going to get an invitation to Park Bo Young and Lee Jong Suk’s movie premiere. I want you to clear my schedule that night so I can definitely go.’
‘Huh? Why in the world would you go to a premiere? You don’t like premieres.’
‘Just make it happen, hyung. I have to be there, no matter what.’
‘Why? And when is it anyway?’
‘I don’t know,’ Min Ho answered as he stepped into his car. ‘Please find out. For as long as it isn't at the same time as a major event, clear my schedule. Delay my flight or whatever.’
‘YA LEE MIN HO! Do you really want to get me fired???’
Min Ho sighed. ‘Sorry hyung, I’ll see you in a bit.’ He hung up in time to see Jong Suk exit the café through his rearview mirror. The more Min Ho saw his blonde hair, the stronger his desire was to shave it off.
Jashik, Min Ho thought. When Jong Suk was out of sight, he turned to his phone again. He needed to make one more call. After a few rings, the person at the other end finally picked up.
‘Yobuseyo?’
‘Ya, Woo Bin-ah,’ Min Ho said. ‘I have a few questions.’