Min Ho had already driven a lengthy distance when he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he should come back to Shin Hye’s apartment. He had convinced himself not to, enough to drive away. But the more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t understand why he was letting his pride get the better of him. He had never turned down an opportunity to be with her. When he thought about her going to Malaysia and not seeing her for a few days, his heart stung. But should he really be so weak?
Then he remembered last night. He stopped driving and pulled over, letting out a frustrated grunt. Min Ho raked a hand through his hair.
It was unfair for him to accuse her of not trusting him completely, especially after what happened between them last night. He was being selfish and petty. Shin Hye was genuinely scared, and she allowed herself to be vulnerable for the first time, to ask the questions that have been haunting her. And how did he react? He raised his voice and walked out.
He let out a painful sigh and buried his face in his hands. ‘Lee Min Ho you stupid asshole,’ he ruffled his hair and put his hands back on the driving wheel. Starting the car, he furiously made a U-turn. He had to make things right between them before she leaves. Driving as fast as he could to Shin Hye’s building, Min Ho thought about how he should make it up to her.
When he parked, he immediately got out of the car and headed straight to the elevator. He had his head down, his face covered by his cap and scarf. When the elevator doors opened, he looked up in time to see a tall, blonde guy walk out. His head was also bent down, and a scarf covered half of his face. He walked hurriedly away that he didn’t notice brushing shoulders with Lee Min Ho.
Min Ho didn’t step into the elevator right away and instead, followed the walking figure with his eyes. He tilted his head, swearing that the guy looked very familiar. Anybody with those clothes and hairstyle was bound to be a celebrity. The man didn’t park very far from where he was standing. Before getting into his car, he pulled his scarf lower – revealing his face. Min Ho’s eyes widened at the realization of who it was.
‘Lee Jong Suk?’ He muttered. His eyes immediately fell to the plate number, instinctively memorizing it. ‘What the hell is he doing here? Does he live here? Anya, Shin Hye would have mentioned it,’ he grumbled to himself. His head was filled with only one idea of why Lee Jong Suk would be in Shin Hye’s building. He could feel something rising from inside him, something between annoyance and anger. Instead of getting into the elevator, he did what any hot-blooded man would do on impulse when their territory is threatened. He ran to his car and waited for Jong Suk’s car to head off. As soon as it did, he followed behind.
‘Cham na,’ Min Ho scoffed as he tailed the black Audi. ‘The things I’m reduced to.’ Still, he followed closely, not completely unaware of why he was doing it. Even if he wasn't sure he came there for Shin Hye, he had undeniable instincts when it comes to these things. Ever since he openly flirted with Shin Hye at Woo Bin’s New Year party, he knew that the man cannot be trusted.
After a while of driving, Jong Suk’s car parked in front of a building in Gangnam district. Min Ho slowed down and looked up. He saw a sign on the third floor, ‘Wellmade StarM’. He recognized the name of the agency, being the home of Ha Ji Won. He also knew that it was Jong Suk’s management. He parked across the building and waited for Jong Suk’s next move. He saw him come out of the car and head to a café on the first floor of the adjacent building.
Now’s my chance, he said to himself. He went out of the car and sauntered towards the café. As soon as he walked through the entrance, he saw several people in their seats already looking at Jong Suk who was currently ordering at the counter. He forgot for a moment that he was still a celebrity – stalking another celebrity. With him and Lee Jong Suk both there, it could get really messy. But he didn’t care. He was a man on a mission. He lowered his cap and looked down as he headed to the counter, queuing behind Jong Suk. He took out his phone and pretended to text. He turned to his side and deliberately hit Jong Suk’s back with his arm.
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 hu
Min Ho had already driven a lengthy distance when he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he should come back to Shin Hye’s apartment. He had convinced himself not to, enough to drive away. But the more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t understand why he was letting his pride get the better of him. He had never turned down an opportunity to be with her. When he thought about her going to Malaysia and not seeing her for a few days, his heart stung. But should he really be so weak?
Then he remembered last night. He stopped driving and pulled over, letting out a frustrated grunt. Min Ho raked a hand through his hair.
It was unfair for him to accuse her of not trusting him completely, especially after what happened between them last night. He was being selfish and petty. Shin Hye was genuinely scared, and she allowed herself to be vulnerable for the first time, to ask the questions that have been haunting her. And how did he react? He raised his voice and walked out.
He let out a painful sigh and buried his face in his hands. ‘Lee Min Ho you stupid asshole,’ he ruffled his hair and put his hands back on the driving wheel. Starting the car, he furiously made a U-turn. He had to make things right between them before she leaves. Driving as fast as he could to Shin Hye’s building, Min Ho thought about how he should make it up to her.
When he parked, he immediately got out of the car and headed straight to the elevator. He had his head down, his face covered by his cap and scarf. When the elevator doors opened, he looked up in time to see a tall, blonde guy walk out. His head was also bent down, and a scarf covered half of his face. He walked hurriedly away that he didn’t notice brushing shoulders with Lee Min Ho.
Min Ho didn’t step into the elevator right away and instead, followed the walking figure with his eyes. He tilted his head, swearing that the guy looked very familiar. Anybody with those clothes and hairstyle was bound to be a celebrity. The man didn’t park very far from where he was standing. Before getting into his car, he pulled his scarf lower – revealing his face. Min Ho’s eyes widened at the realization of who it was.
‘Lee Jong Suk?’ He muttered. His eyes immediately fell to the plate number, instinctively memorizing it. ‘What the hell is he doing here? Does he live here? Anya, Shin Hye would have mentioned it,’ he grumbled to himself. His head was filled with only one idea of why Lee Jong Suk would be in Shin Hye’s building. He could feel something rising from inside him, something between annoyance and anger. Instead of getting into the elevator, he did what any hot-blooded man would do on impulse when their territory is threatened. He ran to his car and waited for Jong Suk’s car to head off. As soon as it did, he followed behind.
‘Cham na,’ Min Ho scoffed as he tailed the black Audi. ‘The things I’m reduced to.’ Still, he followed closely, not completely unaware of why he was doing it. Even if he wasn't sure he came there for Shin Hye, he had undeniable instincts when it comes to these things. Ever since he openly flirted with Shin Hye at Woo Bin’s New Year party, he knew that the man cannot be trusted.
After a while of driving, Jong Suk’s car parked in front of a building in Gangnam district. Min Ho slowed down and looked up. He saw a sign on the third floor, ‘Wellmade StarM’. He recognized the name of the agency, being the home of Ha Ji Won. He also knew that it was Jong Suk’s management. He parked across the building and waited for Jong Suk’s next move. He saw him come out of the car and head to a café on the first floor of the adjacent building.
Now’s my chance, he said to himself. He went out of the car and sauntered towards the café. As soon as he walked through the entrance, he saw several people in their seats already looking at Jong Suk who was currently ordering at the counter. He forgot for a moment that he was still a celebrity – stalking another celebrity. With him and Lee Jong Suk both there, it could get really messy. But he didn’t care. He was a man on a mission. He lowered his cap and looked down as he headed to the counter, queuing behind Jong Suk. He took out his phone and pretended to text. He turned to his side and deliberately hit Jong Suk’s back with his arm.
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 hu
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