CH 69

Chapter 69

Translated by Naralara

Edited by Naralara

“… … You just don’t have to buy it… … .”

“How are you going to go to Hawaii in that outfit? Come out wearing something else.”

As Lee Wooyeon ordered, Inseop went into the changing room with other clothes. The moment Lee Wooyeon entered the department store, people’s eyes were all on him. As a manager, he was in a position to prevent crowds of people, but Choi Inseop was led by him and was only changing clothes from before.

“It really doesn’t fit… … .”

Inseop wore the clothes that Lee Wooyeon picked out and looked at his reflection in the mirror in the dressing room. A sigh came out.

He had a body that was qualitatively different from Lee Wooyeion, who looked good in whatever clothes he wore like the clothes were tailored by the designer for him. He was so skinny that he thought he would stand out more if he wore clothes like this, so his shoulders hung low.

If possible, he would like to walk around in Hawaii wearing only a neat suit like the one Ihe was wearing now… … .

“What are you doing?”

“Ahh… … !”

“You’re all changed, so why didn’t you come out?”

“Ah, I’m, I’m coming out now.”

When Choi Inseop grabbed his clothes and went out, Lee Wooyeon pushed him back into the dressing room.

“The clothes you’re wearing now don’t suit you. Change again.”

“Yes. All right.”

Thinking that he was lucky, Inseop sighed in relief. As he was taking off the clothes he was wearing, Lee Wooyeon pulled back the curtain and pushed his face inside.

“… … ! Why, why are you like this?”

“I’d rather let you be naked.”

“… … !”

“Hurry up and get dressed. I don’t have time.”

Along with the sound of his shoes, the sound of Lee Wooyeon’s laughter faded away. Inseop quickly changed into the clothes he was wearing and handed the clothes to the staff in front of the changing room, saying he was sorry.

On the way to other department stores, people’s attention continued. There were many people taking pictures, and in the meantime, there were people who came up to him with courage and asked for autographs. Lee Wooyeon politely declined and blinked at Choi Inseop telling him to follow him quickly.

“Welcome… … , Oh.”

When Lee Wooyeon entered the store, the staff who recognized him exclaimed in surprise. No matter which famous celebrities came, they were educated not to show off their personal feelings too much, but when Lee Wooyeon appeared, the store was in turmoil.

“Can I help you, Sir?”

“I’ll look around and ask for help if I need it.”

“Anytime, just tell me. Sir.”

Thinking it was a very selfish comment, Inseop followed Lee Wooyeon.

“How about this?”

Lee Wooyeon picked something out and looked at Inseop’s body and asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t know what your style  is like.”

“I don’t know either.”

Choi Inseop answered honestly. He wore mostly clothes his mother bought him, and since he came to Korea, he only wore a suit with a neat color. He never had a particular taste for clothes. He just focused on choosing the most inconspicuous and comfortable clothes.

“I think it’s okay to wear something a little flashy, but if it’s too bright, it doesn’t suit you.”

“Who is it for? Is it for this customer?”

The clerk, who was only looking for opportunities to intervene, said he was right, and pointed to Choi Inseop. Lee Wooyeon, who was choosing clothes with a smile, answered yes, dryly. Inseop, who could now understand whether he is in a good mood or not just by hearing his tone, looked at Lee Wooyeon’s eyes and looked at the clerk’s face.

“The customer has a pale face and has a light hair color, so you will be well received by these calm colors. How about this?”

The clerk picked a beige tee and put it under Inseop’s face.

“Uhm… … , I don’t know.”

“How about this? It’s a new product, and the response is very good.”

“Is that so?”

“What style do you want? Tell us, and we’ll figure it out… … .”

“I will choose.”

Lee Wooyeon smiled and stopped talking to the clerk.

“If you tell me, I will help… … .”

“It’s okay. I’ll pick something and ask for help if I need it. Thank you.”

It was a soft but firm refusal. As the clerk walked away with regret, Lee Wooyeon clicked his tongue with an angry face.

“We’re leaving.”

He didn’t know what angered him, but in this case, it was best to just quietly follow him. Choi Inseop bowed his head to the store staff and followed Lee Wooyeon.

Looking at Lee Wooyeon’s back, who was walking in strides earlier, Inseop said as if muttering.

“Sorry.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. I… … We were going to buy some clothes with a happy heart, but I look like this, so all the clothes don’t suit me… … .”

“What does Inseop look like?”

“… … .”

Inseop could not help but suffer to discuss his appearance in front of a man who was always chosen without fail when selecting an actor with the most beautiful face in Korea, 

“What do you look like?”

“… … Ugly… … . … … .”

He couldn’t say the next thing. Even looking at the height difference reflected in the show window, his difference with Lee Wooyeon was a great as the sky and the ground.

“Inseop, you’re pretty.”

“… … !”

“When you cry.”

When he added that to his previous meaningful response, Inseop lowered his head, not knowing where to put his body. Lee Wooyeon came to Inseop’s side and made him face toward the show window.

“Where are you ugly? Look.”

“… … , … … .”

“You have big eyes, a cute nose, and pretty lips.”

“Ah, no. It’s okay. You don’t have to comfort me.”

Inseop removed Lee Wooyeon’s hand and turned his head. Lee Wooyeon smiled and started walking again. People’s eyes followed his footsteps.

Choi Inseop walked quickly and followed him.

“I thought the store was fine.”

“Which store are you talking about?”

“The store we just came out of.”

“… … Didn’t you come out because you didn’t like it?”

“I didn’t like the clerk.”

Choi Inseop tilted his head and muttered, “He’s kind.”

“That’s why I don’t like him. I have to choose Inseop’s clothes, but he’s choosing them.”

“… … . Is it bad for the clerk to pick out clothes?”

“Originally, the person who takes the clothes off chooses them.”

Choi Inseop was shocked and looked around. Fortunately, no one was standing from where they could hear their conversation.

“Did you think that I was buying clothes for Inseop with a really good heart?”

“… …Sorry. You’re not like that… … .”

“Yes, of course, I am not that kind of person. Hahaha.”

Lee Wooyeon, who was smiling, heard the phone ringing in his pocket, and said, “Wait a minute,” and answered the call.

As he was answering the phone, store associates took pictures with their cell phones from a distance. Inseop took a step back so that he did not appear in the photo. Lee Wooyeon, who was talking on the phone with a smile, turned serious. Inseop was worried, but could not approach him and stood looking at him.

Lee Wooyeon said ‘I understand’, and ended the call.

“What happened?”

“The editor of the magazine wants to see me for a short time now as there are some filming problems for tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll have the car ready.”

At this point, Inseop thought that the shopping was over. Lee Wooyeon shook his head.

“No. We said we’d see each other around here, so I think we’ll just have to talk for about forty or fifty minutes.”

“Okay. Then where do we go?”

Lee Wooyeon smiled and took the card out of his wallet and handed it to Inseop.

“Go shopping. Even if you come with me, it will just be boring talk anyway.”

“No. This. This is enough.”

There were three shopping bags Inseop was carrying. He didn’t want more clothes than that, and he hated shopping with Lee Wooyeon’s card even more.

“Buy some more.”

Lee Wooyeon put the card in Choi Inseop’s pocket, lowered his head and whispered, ‘I have fun taking it off.’

Inseop’s face was hot and he was frozen in place. Lee Wooyeon looked at his watch and said,

“Then see you at five. Where shall we meet?”

Choi Inseop did not have a cell phone, so he had to set an exact meeting place. Inseop, who looked around for a while, found a bookstore and replied, “Then there.”

“Okay. Then wait in the front for me at 5 o’clock.”

Lee Wooyeon once again confirmed the appointment time and disappeared. Inseop, who received the card, thought about what clothes to buy, and decided to buy a plain white short-sleeved T-shirt. After buying a white T-shirt that was so plain that no one would be interested in seeing him wear it, In-seop checked the time.

There were still 30 minutes until the 5 o’clock he promised with Lee Wooyeon. Inseop, who went to the bookstore to buy a book, found a travel book corner and stopped there.

“… … Hawaii… … .”

He pulled out a book with the word Hawaii written on it on a colorful background. Tomorrow he will go to Hawaii for Lee Wooyeon’s photoshoot.

Hawaii was one of the places he wanted to visit someday while reading travel stories of people traveling around the world as a child. Inseop opened the book and looked at the pictures in it. After looking at the pictures of the beautiful beaches and the natural environment, he started reading the description below.

Just as he was about to read the description of the must-eat food in Hawaii, someone stole the book from his hand.

“… … !”

“Enjoying Hawaii 100 times more? Are you trying to enjoy 100 times more than now?”

Lee Wooyeon smiled and turned the book that Inseop was holding. The people in the bookstore screamed and all looked at them.

“Sorry. The time is already… … .”

When Inseop checked his watch, he could see that the promised five o’clock had already passed.

“I found you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s inconvenient because you don’t have a cell phone.”

When Inseop did not appear in front of the bookstore he had promised, Lee Wooyeon was furious. He circled the neighborhood three times. He even went to each store and asked if the person who was with him came. No one remembered the existence of an introverted manager who came with Lee Wooyeon. Lee Wooyeon went back to the bookstore where he had finally decided to meet, thinking that he would break his leg if caught. Just in case, when he went inside, he saw Choi Inseop reading a book with his eyes twinkling like a child in the travel book corner. Thinking that he had to go home and pay for his anger, Lee Wooyeon approached Inseop.

“I was reading a book… … I’m really sorry.”

Lee Wooyeon handed him the book Inseop was reading. Seeing Inseop put it down on the bookshelf again, Lee Wooyeon asked as if puzzled.

“Aren’t you going to buy it?”

“Uh. It’s fine. … It’s not like we’re going on a trip..”

“After filming, one day will be for sight-seeing.”

“… … .”

Lee Wooyeon picked up the book Choi Inseop had put down.

“You can’t buy it!”

“I want to read.”

As he went with the book to the cashier, people gathered nearby like a cloud. Even the clerk who was doing the checkout was surprised by the sudden appearance of Lee Wooyeon, and opened his eyes wide and scanned the barcode with the scanner.

“Thank you.”

After completing the calculation, Lee Wooyeon took the book and left the bookstore. People rushed after him. Lee Wooyeon spoke to Inseop in a plain voice as if he didn’t care about the people following him.

“Is this your first time in Hawaii?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a good place. I went for a movie shoot once before, and it was just okay to watch. Is there anywhere you want to go to?”

“It’s my first time, so I don’t know.”

As he went down the escalator, Lee Wooyeon gave Inseop the book he had bought.

“Read it and tell me where you want to go by tomorrow.”

“No. It’s fine.”

“It’s okay. After all, the last day is free time for us.”

“… … .”

Even after accepting the book, Inseop was not at ease. These days, whenever Lee Wooyeon treats him well in this way, he doesn’t know what to do. Disappointed but happy. However, at the same time, he wondered if it was okay for him to do this, and he only felt sorry for Jennie and Lee Wooyeon.

“Why do you look like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

As he walked out of the first floor of the department store and walked to the parking lot, Lee Wooyeon persistently asked Inseop.

“I don’t think it’s nothing. Why do you look like that?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“It’s not a good look at all. Why?  Because I’m good to you, do you feel dirty?”

“… … .”

He should have answered no right there, but Inseop missed the timing. Lee Wooyeon continued with a soft smile.

“You really make people feel like shit. I took the time to bring you to the department store, buy you clothes, books, and tell you to choose the place you want to go, but you put on that kind of expression.”

“… … sorry.”

Choi Inseop couldn’t have known that Lee Wooyeon deliberately took time to come to the department store. Because he was only a manager who managed his schedule and followed him.

“I smile even when I’m not in a good mood. The promised month is less than a week away. Did you forget?”

“… … Yes. I understand.”

“Damn it, it’s really making me frustrated.”

Lee Wooyeon sighed and walked ahead. Choi Inseop’s heart grew heavier than before. As he approached the parked van, Inseop found a letter stuck on the windshield. A letter was placed in front of the van’s window almost every day these days.

“This, … … .”

“Leave it.”

Lee Wooyeon does not read the fan letter that comes to him. His theory was that reading letters from strangers to him would be a waste of time. Still, he couldn’t throw the letter away in front of people, so Inseop carefully put it in his pocket.

Lee Wooyeon went to the back seat instead of the passenger seat and sat down. Choi Inseop smiled bitterly. It was natural, but for a moment, thinking that he was sad about it, he was considered deceitful.

As he started the car, he said, “I’ll start” like he always did, as if to himself. Lee Wooyeon didn’t answer. He could read through the gritty air that his heart was tightly twisted.

While waiting for the signal, Inseop glanced at the book Lee Wooyeon had handed him earlier.

He saw the words Hawaii. The letter tickled Choi Inseop’s heart. Inseop swallowed and calmly opened his mouth.

“Traveling, … … This is the first time.”

“What?”

“It’s my first time traveling. For the first time since I was born.”

He was weak, so school, home, and hospital were everything. He came to Korea to get a job undercover, not for traveling. In fact, even after he came to Korea, he had never been to a park. Strictly speaking, this trip to Hawaii was the first trip he had ever taken.

“Is this your first time?”

Lee Wooyeon also asked the question as if in disbelief.

“I am not feeling well, … … I was almost at home.”

It wasn’t something to be proud of, but Inseop’s voice trembled a little as he told his story.

“I’ve read it in books, but I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii someday. … … I’m looking forward to it.”

After hesitating whether or not to add the word “expected” at the end, he muttered timidly. Lee Wooyeon replied with a smile.

“What are you looking forward to?”

Inseop could guess that his mood was relaxed from his loose tone.

“Just, like the sea, the beach, the sun.”

“You want to go swimming? By the way, did you buy a swimsuit?”

“No. I don’t swim.”

Because of the surgical scar on his chest, Inseop never even dreamed of wearing a swimsuit.

“You’ll go all the way there, but you want to come back without immersing yourself in the water?”

“It’s fine to just take a look.”

The warm sun, the soft sand, and the foamy sea. It was something everyone thought had nothing to do with them. He didn’t even think about belonging to it. He was satisfied with just looking at it from the side.

“If you want something, you have to have it.”

“… … .”

“Will it become yours just by looking at it?”

Choi Inseop replied, “I know,” and laughed without enthusiasm. There was a time when there was a world that he wanted to have and a world he wanted to belong to. After realizing that it was impossible, Inseop had no desire for it. No, he tried hard not to have it.

“If you want something, try it. Don’t be stupid.”

“Mr. Lee Wooyeon, … … What do you do when you have something you want?”

It was a question that suddenly popped into his head. After saying that, Inseop realized that he had asked a pointless question.

“Me? Well, what do I do?”

Lee Wooyeon narrowed his eyes and muttered like a person contemplating what to eat first in front of a delicious dish.

“It depends on what the target is. If I can buy something with money, I will buy it with money, and if that is not possible, I can go and get it.”

“… … you’ll just get it? Isn’t that a crime?”

“Then, I should pay for it.”

“… … .”

Lee Wooyeon’s way of thinking was not normal, so he couldn’t keep up.

“If you are alive, … … . Hmm.”

Lee Wooyeon pondered for a moment as if lost in thought, then looked at Inseop’s back and continued.

“I can just bring it to you.”

“… … Is that the end?”

“You can make them listen. If they don’t listen, just kill them and bring another guy.”

“… … .”

Alas, he can never keep up. Even if he dies, he can’t follow him. 

While Inseop was blaming himself for asking a really stupid question, Lee Wooyeon suddenly asked a question.

“Mr. Choi Inseop, what do you want to do the most when you go to Hawaii?”

“Just… … I can look around, I can walk around, ah, that’s right. If I am in the US, the phone bill will be less. There must be a lot of payphones, so I call home often… … .”

Inseop, who was talking excitedly, saw that Lee Wooyeon was staring at him with cold eyes and quickly shut his mouth.

“Do you want to go home?”

“… … .”

It would be a lie if he said he didn’t want to go back, and there were too many regrets left here if went back. Inseop quietly considered his honest heart. Lee Wooyeon, who took his silence in a different way, smiled, revealing his neat teeth. But his eyes did not smile. A cold feeling flashed in his eyes. Lee Wooyeon stared tenaciously at Choi Inseop’s head, who was holding the steering wheel.

“Don’t even think about looking at your passport except when you leave the country.”

“I’m not running away.”

“How can I believe that? I should tie your feet up when you sleep. I’ll take it off and throw your clothes in the safe.”

Inseop’s expression hardened slightly because he was a person who would remain so. Lee Wooyeon laughed and said, “I’m joking,” but Inseop’s tense expression could not be resolved. Thanks to this, Lee Wooyeon was able to laugh for a long time.

On the way home, the two exchanged a few more nonsensical words about their trip.

That day, Inseop packed his luggage for the first time in his life. To Lee Wooyeon’s question of whether he was excited, Inseop replied bluntly, “No.” But he couldn’t sleep all night.

Lee Wooyeon knew that fact too.