* * *

“…”

“You call me over, and then you’re just drinking in silence. You’re going to get drunk, you know.”

“Are you hiding something from me?”

“What could I possibly be hiding from you?”

After Siyoung went home, Hyun didn’t return to his own place but called someone over.

Just like two months ago, the table was a mess with scattered bottles.

“As if I’d have any secrets from you. Though… there’s something I’m mulling over. I’m thinking of hiring more staff.”

“Staff? Why?”

“Idols are trending these days, you know? I’ve been wanting to manage a group, and it doesn’t feel right to keep just you around forever.”

Yeonseok spoke as if it were no big deal, though the undertaking would certainly require a substantial amount of capital, making his casual tone seem reckless.

“Like you’d be doing any of the work.”

“Exactly why I’m thinking about hiring someone. Not immediately… give it a couple of months, maybe? I need to brush up on a few things first. And by then…”

“By then, what?”

“Uh…”

Yeonseok clammed up, on the verge of mentioning that Siyoung might leave.

Even though others might not care, Hyun finding out would definitely be a headache.

‘He can get oddly possessive.’

He hadn’t noticed at first, but over time, some things became apparent.

Hyun, indifferent to most things, seemed to only care about Siyoung.

Not that he followed Siyoung’s words or gave him special treatment, but they’d known each other since elementary school, so he had a sense for it.

“You’re kind of strange yourself. Don’t tell me you actually like Siyoung?”

“…What?”

“If not, then just deny it. Why are you giving me that look?”

Caught off guard by Hyun’s fierce glare, Yeonseok averted his eyes.

He was definitely suspicious, but it didn’t seem like he’d admit it himself.

“…He’s a bit pathetic, you know. Too proud for his own good.”

“Yeah, that’s true. He won’t accept anything unless he’s earned it. Even now, he’s stubborn about it. Where else would he find such a good gig?”

“So, he wants to work somewhere else?”

“Huh? No, he hasn’t said anything like that… but isn’t it obvious? He’s not planning to stay here forever. He graduated from a good school, has solid credentials; he could go anywhere. He only took this job because he needed something quick.”

Yeonseok almost slipped some information, but managed to cover it up.

Fortunately, Hyun didn’t press further and seemed to drift into thought.

“…That’s right. You brought Siyoung on board because of his reputation as a top student.”

“Yeah, thanks to him, I avoided flunking out. I didn’t even need stellar grades; I just needed to graduate, but even that was tough. Just showing up to class was enough for me.”

They’d first met in a course they took as an elective.

Siyoung had been about to ask the professor for help with joining a group when Yeonseok spotted him and invited him into theirs, thus beginning their acquaintance.

‘So you’re the top student, huh? Bet you’re great at research and making presentations too?’

‘…Are you a robber or something?’

‘Hey, everyone has different strengths. I might not be good at studying, but I’m good at other things. Money is a talent too, you know.’

Though Yeonseok had recruited Siyoung, he’d ended up paying him for his efforts while going off to have fun.

Siyoung, however, became close with Jaeyoon, and they naturally grew closer.

They even adjusted their schedules the next semester to be in the same classes.

‘I dropped out after that incident, and we didn’t see each other for a while.’

“Talking about college is boring. Must’ve been fun for you, though, since you just played around.”

“Hey, you have to enjoy life while you can.”

“You’re still doing that. How ironic.”

Hyun scoffed and downed his drink. This was the first time he’d drunk like this since that day.

“Don’t you have a schedule tomorrow?”

“No. Don’t pretend to care.”

“Pretend to care? You’re my precious artist.”

“Disgusting. Cut it out.”

Hyun grimaced.

What was this?

It seemed like someone had put strange ideas into his head.

“Still, isn’t it better having me as your CEO than working with a stranger? Just mention the contract terms, and everyone would want to join our agency.”

“Not like you’re planning to recruit anyone.”

“Well, I’d still prefer someone who’s been proven first…”

Yeonseok laughed in a self-satisfied way, but he clearly didn’t seem serious about hiring.

“Anyway, so when do you plan to bring on new staff?”

“Well… maybe in two months if things go smoothly, or four if it takes longer? It won’t be that long, but I’ve got some things lined up for the next two months.”

“Like what?”

“Since I’ve been stuck in Korea for a while, I thought I’d do a little tour.”

He made it sound grand, but he just meant going on a trip.

Whether Yeonseok stayed or left didn’t really matter, given he barely did any actual work anyway.

“Honestly, everything’s great, but I don’t know why Siyoung seems so freaked out by it all. Didn’t you say you blacked out that night too?”

“…Yeah.”

“Isn’t there anything you remember? I’m not a lightweight, you know, but it’s been a while since I’ve tried to show off.”

Yeonseok scratched his head, embarrassed.

He’d been pretty confident going into that night, but blacking out completely had been a blow.

“Still, it feels weird. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve blacked out, and I could usually just laugh it off as another embarrassing memory… but something about that night sticks with me. It just… won’t leave my mind.”

Though two months had passed, the lingering discomfort still weighed on his mind.

Yeonseok knew he wasn’t one to dwell deeply on things; he rarely held onto past incidents and wasn’t easily embarrassed by what others might call awkward moments.

Usually, he’d brush such things off. But that night kept coming back to him, like something important had been said that he needed to remember.

“Kim Jaeyoon… well, he’s never been able to handle his liquor, so I wasn’t expecting much. But you? You can hold your drink to a degree, right? What’s the last thing you remember?”

“The part where you started acting like a jerk.”

“Hey…”

Yeonseok let out a small sigh at the lighthearted jab.

But from the look on Hyeon’s face, it seemed he, too, was still uneasy about what had happened that night.

“What do you remember, then?”

“I remember opening the third bottle after we changed locations… After that, it gets hazy. I think we talked about our college days a bit.”

“We did. Though it wasn’t a particularly happy conversation.”

“What did we talk about?”

Of the three, it was Hyeon who remembered that night the longest.

Yeonseok adjusted his posture and asked.

“…I don’t remember clearly.”

“Still, if we talk it out, maybe something will come back. Actually, should we call Jaeyoon to join us?”

“No point. He wouldn’t come even if we called.”

“True, at this hour, he’s probably already asleep. He always goes home early and lights out around now.”

Yeonseok chuckled, fiddling with his glass, and after a moment’s pause, he asked again.

“So, what did we talk about?”

“…He asked why I went abroad for school, so I asked him why he took a leave of absence all of a sudden and what he did during that time.”

“The leave? Wasn’t it because of his younger brother? I heard he had an accident, needed treatment, and rehab. Maybe that’s why he was strapped for cash. If he’d said something, I would’ve helped, but he just left without a word. By the time he returned, you had already left to study abroad…”

“Does he tell you things like that?”

“I didn’t know right away; I found out later.”

Yeonseok shrugged, puzzled why Jaeyoon had confided in others yet avoided sharing such things with him.

‘Like you don’t have secrets, too?’

The words he’d heard from Siyoung not too long ago crossed his mind. Hyeon asked again.

“So, what happened after he came back to school?”

“Well… not much. We were in different years by then, so our classes were mostly different. He said he wanted to focus on studying, so I let him.”

“What about Kim Jaeyoon?”

“He seemed to follow him around a bit, but honestly… I was busy with my own dating life, so I didn’t really know.”

Yeonseok thought back to his final year in college.

During the first semester, he’d spent his time partying, using the breakup with his girlfriend of two years as an excuse.

In the second semester, he only had a few credits left, so he treated school like a hobby.

Barely avoiding academic probation, he managed to graduate without caring much.

After all, he wasn’t planning on job hunting with a resume; all he wanted was the degree title.

“I did all my serious studying back in high school. My parents only ever had one demand: that I get into a college I wouldn’t be embarrassed about. So, I ended up at…”

“I didn’t ask for your life story.”

“That’s harsh. You could listen a little.”

Yeonseok made a show of wiping his dry eyes, pretending to cry.

He couldn’t understand why Jaeyoon would share things so easily with someone like that but not with him. Hyeon sighed quietly.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have gone abroad in the first place. It was time wasted, anyway.”

“But wasn’t it fun in its own way? I don’t know much about art, but… your work was decent enough to look at. If it were me, I’d have kept at it.”

“You sound just like Siyoung.”

“Anyone would say the same, whether it’s me or Siyoung. So… what did we talk about?”

Yeonseok’s impatience was evident.

He hoped that revisiting the conversation would help unearth the cause of this nagging feeling.

“…I don’t remember it well. Don’t expect much.”

Hyeon’s memories of that night were hazy and tangled, making it difficult to piece things together.

Unlike Yeonseok, whose memories had almost entirely faded, one vivid recollection lingered for Hyeon.

‘How does it make you feel?’

He remembered the chaotic living room, where he’d left Yeonseok and Jaeyoon passed out, and Siyoung’s determined expression.

It wasn’t a look of affection but rather one born from sheer stubbornness, as he wiped his own lips after the kiss they’d shared.

That moment had stayed fresh in Hyeon’s mind even two months later.

* * *