Chapter 53
"Can't you see he's pale and exhausted? If you value your employees, don't overwork him."
Gyeongjae's reasoning was solid. For someone in an unstable condition, Yeonho needed rest.
Reaching out, Gyeongjae pulled Yeonho closer, keeping a firm grip on his shoulder. Yeonho looked up at Gyeongjae, holding back a satisfied grin before turning his eyes to Seungjo, whose expression remained cold as ice.
'Don't glare at me, Seungjo. I'm playing right into what you want...'
Intentionally pulling away from Gyeongjae's hold, Yeonho adopted a calm, confident tone.
"It's fine, Gyeongjae. This is important business. Seungjo said he'd drop me off at home afterward."
"But—"
"I'm fine. Really."
Min-hyuk, who knew the truth about Yeonho's health, interrupted by raising an eyebrow directly at him, clearly displeased with whatever scheme Yeonho was playing.
"You just had a nosebleed. If you leave right now without resting, you'll end up in a hospital bed. Remember what happened this morning? You almost died—"
Before Min-hyuk could finish the sentence, Yeonho lunged forward and slapped his hand straight over Min-hyuk's mouth.
He couldn't let anyone in this room find out about that yet. His fragile health wasn't a card he wanted to play as a pity trap—at least not today.
Trying to win these men over with sympathy on day one was a amateur move.
Case in point: Seungjo. Even though Seungjo had watched him go pale and bleed right in front of him, he had immediately written it off as a dramatic performance.
Seungjo had looked genuinely startled for a fraction of a second, sure, but showing weakness this early was a liability.
Pulling his hand back from Min-hyuk's lips, Yeonho took a small step backward, swallowing hard before regaining his footing.
"Look, I'm completely fine, Min-hyuk. This involves work, and I need to do what Seungjo—"
"That's Chairman Baek to you," Seungjo interrupted, laying down a firm boundary.
Yeonho gave a small, quick nod.
"Right... Chairman Baek. I have to handle what Chairman Baek needs from me. I don't really have a choice."
Shaking his head in disbelief, Min-hyuk let out a dry chuckle. Knowing full well that this sudden professional boundary between Yeonho and Seungjo was pure theater, he decided to play along.
"Seriously? Sounds like your boss wants something other than work from you."
The provocation was deliberate, aimed right at Seungjo's temper.
Sensing the room boiling over again, Yeonho forced a stiff, awkward laugh, trying to keep the peace.
"Haha... okay, Min-hyuk, you can stop now."
"Why should I?" Min-hyuk crossed his arms over his chest, a smirk curling the corner of his lips. "Since this involves work, it means I'm involved too. Why don't we have a group discussion about this so-called 'work' together, hmm?"
Just as Yeonho thought he had defused the situation, Gyeongjae cut back in, reigniting the conflict.
"He's not going anywhere," Gyeongjae said flatly. "Work or no work, he's coming with me."
Stepping past Min-hyuk and Seungjo, Gyeongjae grabbed Yeonho's wrist and dragged him a few steps toward the door, only for Seungjo to intercept them, clamping his hand around Yeonho's other wrist.
"Didn't you hear me?" Seungjo warned, his voice low and dangerous. "I said I have private business to discuss with him. I'll take him home when we're done. Don't interfere."
Unfazed by Seungjo's aggression, Gyeongjae matched his icy glare with raw aggression.
"Did you miss what I said? You're wasting time."
"If you don't let go of him right now, I'll punch you in the face," Gyeongjae growled back.
Neither man yielded an inch. Yeonho was stuck right between them like a rope in a tug-of-war, the double grip on his wrists tightening to the point of stinging.
Ring—!
The sharp ringtone of Yeonho's phone on the coffee table broke the standoff.
The sharp ring of Yeonho's phone on the couch shattered the deadlock. Pulling his hands free from both men, Yeonho grabbed the phone and answered immediately. It was Hana.
Instantly, his demeanor shifted into a polished, professional facade.
"Yes, Ms. Choi. Mr. Kang is right here with me."
The four men in the room went completely still at the name, watching him closely as he spoke into the receiver.
"We just finished up, Ms. Choi. Did you want to speak with him?"
[ Yes. Put Min-hyuk on the phone. ]
"Understood. Mr. Kang, she wants to talk to you."
Yeonho turned toward Min-hyuk to hand over the phone. But before handing it over, he locked eyes with Min-hyuk, his voice dropping into a serious, uncompromising tone.
"You won't say a single word about me modeling or anything that happened in this room, or we're not sleeping together tonight. Got it?"
Without waiting for an answer, Yeonho switched the call to speaker mode.
"You…" Min-hyuk started, caught off guard.
The lingering tension from earlier vanished from Min-hyuk's mind, along with any lingering thoughts about the voice recording.
He scoffed, a grin breaking across his face at Yeonho's sheer audacity. Yeonho had laid down that ultimatum without a second of hesitation, right in front of the other men.
Taking the phone, Min-hyuk grabbed Yeonho's wrist and pulled him close.
How's your day going, Hana? Did you miss me already?" Min-hyuk flirted smoothly into the phone, though his eyes remained fixed entirely on Yeonho. He slid his hand around Yeonho's waist, pulling their hips together.
"Did you miss me already?"
Standing nearby, Gyeongjae clenched his jaw. Step by step, he moved closer, forcibly yanking Min-hyuk's arm away from Yeonho's waist. Min-hyuk glanced at Gyeongjae's dark expression, thoroughly amused by his reaction.
[ Can we have dinner tonight? I want to spend some time with you, Min-hyuk, ] Hana's voice came through the speaker.
"Hmm... tonight?"
[Yeah. I know a place with incredible food...]
"I see. Is it far?"
[ Not really. So... it's a date, right? ]
'Oh no, you don't. No date is happening. Not on my watch.'
Yeonho reached up and grabbed Min-hyuk's chin, forcing Min-hyuk to look down into his eyes.
"Tell her no, or we're not sleeping together at all, Min-hyuk," Yeonho murmured, his blue eyes cutting right through him.
"Make your choice right now. Otherwise, I'll just leave with Gyeongjae, go with Seungjo and Jaehwan, or head straight home alone. And forget about us having sex..."
Gyeongjae hated listening to Yeonho offer himself up like that. He inserted himself between them, turning Yeonho away from Min-hyuk.
"Are you really that desperate to get laid? Did you forget you're sick?"
"Maybe, but I'm fine," Yeonho countered softly. "Besides, isn't it better for you if Min-hyuk agrees to go out with Hana? That way, I can give my time to you instead…"
Gyeongjae went quiet. The hands he had raised to pull Yeonho away slowly dropped to his sides as the logic sank in. The thought of having Yeonho's undivided attention for the night was surprisingly convincing.
Min-hyuk, however, had no intention of letting Yeonho walk away with someone else. He wrapped up the call with Hana in a light, playful tone.
"Let's reschedule that dinner for another night,Hana. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you."
[Oh... okay,] Hana said, sounding disappointed.
[ Goodbye then, Min-hyuk. Ahh... Get some rest... ]
"You too. Dream about me tonight," Min-hyuk teased smoothly.
[ I will… I'm hanging up now, ] Hana replied shyly before disconnecting.
The call disconnected. Min-hyuk looked at Yeonho with a triumphant grin, fully intending to claim the reward he'd just traded a date with Hana for.
"Satisfied?" Min-hyuk handed the phone back.
Yeonho smirked in total victory. Min-hyuk had actually turned down Hana for him.
Using his own body as weapon to manipulate Min-hyuk was working like a charm.
Without missing a beat, Yeonho leaned up and pressed his lips directly against Min-hyuk's.
Min-hyuk reacted instantly, wrapping his arms around Yeonho to pull him flush against his body, deepening the kiss.
Before five seconds could pass, Gyeongjae grabbed Yeonho by the arm and forcibly hauled him backward, putting clear distance between them. Seungjo stepped up right behind him.
"You two..." Gyeongjae growled, his voice tight. "Are you seriously doing this right here?"
Yeonho let out a soft laugh at Gyeongjae's dark expression. "Aw, are you jealous?"
"Bullshit," Gyeongjae muttered, though his tone was far more frustrated than angry.
'He's furious that I'm sleeping with Min-hyuk,' Yeonho thought.
'It's written all over his face.'
He refrained from teasing Gyeongjae any further, knowing pushing him too far in front of the others would only trigger an explosion.
As the three of them remained locked in their own dynamic,Seungjo, who had been watching the spectacle with total disdain, finally spoke up.
"The three of you... so you're involved in this mess too, Gyeongjae?"
"So what if I am?" Gyeongjae replied, utterly unbothered.
"Disgusting," Seungjo spat out, clicking his tongue.
Yet, despite his visible revulsion, Seungjo didn't walk out the door. He needed to ensure Yeonho didn't leak the voice recording or run his mouth to Hana. Controlling Yeonho was his only priority.
"He's coming with me," Seungjo declared. "Reschedule your work for another day, Min-hyuk. I have a serious matter to discuss regarding his modeling career."
"Don't order me around," Min-hyuk chuckled. "And hate to break it to you, but I don't take commands from you, man."
Yeonho sighed internally. Recognizing that this bickering would go on indefinitely if he didn't intervene, Yeonho raised both hands to stall them.
"Okay, how about this? Why don't we settle this over dinner?" Yeonho suggested, checking the time. "It's almost 5:00 PM anyway, and I'm exhausted and starving."
He turned his head toward Min-hyuk.
"We can spend the night together after dinner, Min-hyuk. How does that sound?"
"Works for me," Min-hyuk agreed with a nod.
Yeonho then turned to Seungjo.
"And we can talk about whatever contract details you want over food, Seungjo... I mean, Chairman Baek."
Seungjo remained silent, but his jaw relaxed slightly. Yeonho knew he had accepted the arrangement.
"I'll take that silence as a yes," Yeonho said.
"I didn't agree to anything—"
"You agree, or we don't talk at all. You heard me. I'm not repeating myself."
With that, the matter was settled.
Yeonho, Min-hyuk, and Seungjo would get dinner together. Gyeongjae wouldn't be joining them—he had rushed over from his office solely because of Yeonho, and leaving his responsibilities completely abandoned would draw his father's wrath.
Jaehwan quietly excused himself shortly after, needing to oversee the security investigation regarding the building breach.
A moment later, Carl returned carrying a cup of boba tea. He blinked in confusion as he found Yeonho adjusting his clothing—still wearing the complete modeling outfit, with Min-hyuk tightening the laces of the corset behind him—getting ready to leave alongside Min-hyuk, Seungjo, and Gyeongjae.
"You should get back to your office, Gyeongjae," Yeonho said, standing in front of the mirror to touch up his face while Min-hyuk was behind him to tighten the corset laces.
Gyeongjae stood nearby, watching Yeonho with a heavy frown. "You should really be resting."
"Not this again," Yeonho sighed through the mirror. "I told you, I'm fine. I can handle this. I'm not fragile."
Gyeongjae shook his head from Yeonho's stubbornness. He knew by now that once Yeonho made up his mind, no amount of arguing would change it.
"Fine. Do whatever you want. I'm leaving."
A faint flicker of regret crossed Yeonho's mind, though he brushed it aside. Gyeongjae was clearly frustrated by his refusal to listen, but Yeonho knew the concern was genuine.
Before Gyeongjae could step out into the hallway, Yeonho called out to him.
"Gyeongjae. Come here for a second."
Gyeongjae stopped and turned around.
Yeonho stepped up to him, wrapped his arms around Gyeongjae's neck, and pulled him down into a deep goodbye kiss.
Gyeongjae didn't hesitate, wrapping his arms around Yeonho's neck, deepening the kiss, pressing his tongue past Yeonho's lips.
After a long, heavy moment, Yeonho pulled back slightly, breath hitching.
Gyeongjae looked down at him, expression softening, his thumb brushing Yeonho's cheek. "I forgot to tell you earlier... you look really pretty today."
"I know," Yeonho chuckled softly, gently pushing against Gyeongjae's chest to break the embrace. "Now go handle your work, big guy. See you later."
"Tsk. I'm coming to your apartment later," Gyeongjae sighed, clicked his tounge.
Reclaiming his suit jacket from Yeonho, Gyeongjae finally departed. Yeonho instructed Carl to go ahead, prepare the vehicle, and wait outside, leaving the boba tea on the coffee table before heading out.
Five minutes later, Yeonho was completely ready.
Five minutes later, Yeonho was fully prepared. The disposable mask, dark sunglasses, and hat concealed his face, but his styled hair and fitted outfit remained fully visible.
Checking his reflection in the mirror, he looked indistinguishable from a high-profile celebrity avoiding the press.
To minimize exposure, Yeonho suggested using a private exit route with less foot traffic, but Seungjo dismissed the idea, noting that the main lobby was already practically deserted at this hour.
Yeonho rolled his eyes under his sunglasses, threw his hands up in defeat.
Giving up on the argument, Yeonho stepped out of the dressing room with Min-hyuk and Seungjo following closely behind.
Their destination was Seungjo's exclusive, high-end private restaurant—a place where Yeonho could finally take off the mask and eat without worrying about eyes on him.
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