JGA CH31

Chapter 31: The Little Boyfriend

Seoul’s Bar Street.

At nine or ten o’clock at night, long lines had already formed outside many popular nightclubs.

Qi Huai, wearing a scarf and a baseball cap, and dressed in a long, black down jacket commonly seen all over Korea, looked like a college student out to have fun with friends.

Unfortunately, his height was a bit conspicuous, and he was dressed so bundled up that many people were staring at him, guessing he was an idol out for a good time.

【Host! I see the protagonist shou and the others!】

The System exclaimed with joy. It shot out from its hiding spot by Qi Huai’s side and flew up and down above Baek Soo-kyung and his group, helping Qi Huai pinpoint their location.

Baek Soo-kyung couldn’t see the System, nor had he spotted Qi Huai yet. He was walking and laughing with two new colleagues, speculating about what new drama Manager Tae would get for them.

Tae Sang-won, the top senior manager who had single-handedly cultivated Park Seok-jin, hadn’t taken on any new artists in five years. To be honest, these two young artists had only managed to get under him because of Baek Soo-kyung.

It was Park Seok-jin who, in order to cover up his relationship with Baek Soo-kyung, had Tae Sang-won take on two more to make up the numbers.

The new colleagues were sharp and silver-tongued. They could see that Manager Tae valued Baek Soo-kyung, so they showered him with compliments, making him very happy and giving him a taste of being flattered, something he was usually on the giving end of.

Seol Tae-rim: “Manager Tae will probably get Soo-kyung sunbae a leading role, right? At least a second lead!¹”

Shim Se-bin: “I think so too. Manager Tae has such a good eye. Even though he’s older now and enjoying life, he was a legend in the management world a few years ago. The other day, he even said Soo-kyung sunbae has the same flair as Seok-jin sunbae when he was young! Omo, maybe Soo-kyung sunbae will become a Best Actor one day!”

Baek Soo-kyung’s eyes crinkled into a smile, the corners of his mouth unable to hide his delight. “Manager Tae was just saying that. Best Actor is too—Ouch!”

A sudden jolt on his shoulder sent him stumbling back several steps before his two companions steadied him.

Seol Tae-rim frowned indignantly. “Hey! Watch where you’re going! What if you knocked someone over and they got hurt?”

Baek Soo-kyung looked up, annoyed, but his irritation vanished the moment he saw who it was. “Qi Huai?”

---

At the nightclub Heaven.

Men and women on the dance floor moved to the rhythm, while the lights in the dim booth area flickered ambiguously. Seol Tae-rim threw his jacket onto the leather sofa and gave Baek Soo-kyung and Qi Huai a smug wink.

“What do you think? This place is pretty nice, right? It’s crowded but clean. I heard it’s owned by someone important. The first floor is the bar and dance floor, and the second floor is private rooms. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a few celebrities. There are a lot of foreigners too, so the atmosphere is super high. Right? Right?”

This kid was clearly a regular. Not only did a dedicated promoter get him in, but once inside, he knew his way around, retrieving his stored liquor with ease, completely in his element.

“Wow! Iced whiskey is the best!” he said, taking a long drink with his eyes closed. “Soo-kyung sunbae, Qi Huai sunbae, if you come to a nightclub in the future, you can look for that promoter. My stored liquor is all yours to drink, no problem~”

Qi Huai smiled. Baek Soo-kyung glanced at him, feeling a vague sense of smugness.

In just a few days, his manager had gone from a little-known nobody to the industry veteran Tae Sang-won. He now shared a manager with Park Seok-jin, who was just one step away from being a Best Actor.

A week ago, he couldn’t have even dreamed of this.

This was the umpteenth time Baek Soo-kyung had experienced the benefits of riding on someone else’s coattails. In the past, it was Choi Min-jun, then Park Seok-jin, and now Tae Sang-won. Even this—Seol Tae-rim bringing them to a nightclub to drink freely—made him feel a sense of pride.

See, Qi Huai? Baek Soo-kyung thought. I can do just fine without Choi Min-jun. I can do just fine without your help.

No, even better.

The pitiful, timid demeanor of the 19-year-old boy began to gradually recede. Baek Soo-kyung, who was at a nightclub for the first time, became more and more at ease. He laughed and joked with Seol Tae-rim, occasionally pouring a drink for Qi Huai as if he were the host entertaining a guest. From being unaccustomed to it to being completely in his element, he vividly demonstrated how a transformation could happen in an instant.

Qi Huai barely spoke the entire time. His mission tonight was to prevent Baek Soo-kyung and Kim Min-kyung from meeting. As for whether Baek Soo-kyung wanted to play dice or APT,² drink whiskey or martinis, it had nothing to do with him.

It was the System that was feeling conflicted: 【…Host Oppa, the pitiful protagonist shou doesn’t seem so pitiful anymore. That’s a good thing, but how come he’s not as cute anymore? Is it just me?】

Qi Huai shook his head with a smile and took a sip of the whiskey Baek Soo-kyung had poured for him, saying nothing.

Compared to the engrossed Seol Tae-rim and Baek Soo-kyung, Shim Se-bin was more curious about Qi Huai.

He leaned in close amidst the loud music and shouted, “Hyung! Can I call you hyung? I heard you’re Assistant Yoo’s artist?”

Qi Huai nodded. “What’s wrong?”

Shim Se-bin looked like he was about to die from shock. “Wow—daebak! Doesn’t that make you President Yoon’s direct artist! Wow, I’m so jealous. Qi Huai sunbae, hyung, please take care of me. From today on, I’m your little brother.”

Shim Se-bin thought Qi Huai and Baek Soo-kyung had a good relationship, and it was always good to know another senior in the entertainment industry. Seol Tae-rim thought the same and joined him in toasting Qi Huai.

“This is the first time President Yoon has taken on a direct artist!”

“Are you being groomed to be an international superstar? What are you learning now, hyung? Will you be taking on Hollywood scripts?”

“I heard President Yoon has a bit of a strange temper. Have you ever been scolded, hyung?”

A barrage of questions was thrown at Qi Huai. He answered them selectively, amused. Beside him, Baek Soo-kyung’s smile was stiff.

If Qi Huai hadn’t suddenly appeared, would I have been the one to become President Yoon’s direct artist?

Qi Huai used to be so gentle with me, always asking if I was okay, if I had any problems with my acting. Why isn’t he talking to me much today?

Seok-jin sunbae has also been joking these past few days, saying this is the first time President Yoon has been so invested in an artist. Maybe it’s true love.

True love?

Baek Soo-kyung didn’t feel very comfortable.

He felt that Qi Huai had stolen his opportunity to get to know Yoon Nam-hyuk, and at the same time, that Yoon Nam-hyuk had stolen Qi Huai’s attention from him. Either way, it made him feel an uncontrollable sense of sourness.

They had come to the nightclub to celebrate the three of them joining a new management team, but now, the joyful anticipation for the future was suddenly fading.

With a heart full of bitterness, Baek Soo-kyung played games and chugged whiskey with Seol Tae-rim and the others. Before long, he started to feel tipsy, his body unconsciously going soft and leaning towards Qi Huai.

Don’t you like me?

Keep liking me.

That warm concern is so nice to have.

---

On the second floor of the nightclub, in a VIP room.

A dark green, circular velvet sofa surrounded a marble round table, on which a champagne tower stood half a meter high. Five people sat around it.

Yoon Nam-hyuk leaned back on the sofa, staring at the champagne tower. “Gaudy.”

“Hahahaha,” Kim Min-kyung laughed upon hearing this, his deep, alluring, foxy eyes blinking gently. “More gaudy than your older brother?”

Remembering the couple who wanted to decorate their bedroom like an Hermès palace, Yoon Nam-hyuk sneered. “Almost.”

The others in the room roared with laughter, and Kim Min-kyung was particularly amused. He leaned against Yoon Nam-hyuk, a custom Cartier chain with small diamonds embedded in it disappearing into his collar along the line of his chest muscles.

Yoon Nam-hyuk frowned again. “Can you put on some clothes?”

The other’s wine-red silk shirt was already unbuttoned to the third button. Yoon Nam-hyuk could see the scenery underneath with just a glance, and it was an eyesore.

“You think everyone is like you? Dressed in a suit all day. Oh right, Chul-woo hyung is the same. You two are exactly alike.” He pouted with feigned boredom, then stood up, took a glass of champagne, and drank it in one go.

Yoon Nam-hyuk looked up expressionlessly at the person across the sofa. Eun Chul-woo, also impeccably dressed in a suit, gave him a smile and raised his glass.

Yoon Nam-hyuk gave a slight nod, raising his own glass in a polite return gesture, then averted his gaze to Kim Min-kyung. “Kim Min-kyung, just say what you have to say. If there’s nothing, I’m leaving.”

“You punk…”

Kim Min-kyung pretended to be offended and nudged Yoon Nam-hyuk’s shoulder. “You should call me hyung. Hyung. I’m three years older than you, understand? You rude little brat.”

He was just joking. Most of the people there, except for Eun Chul-woo, had known each other since they were kids and were used to Kim Min-kyung’s playful antics. Yoon Nam-hyuk himself didn’t mind.

So they bantered and joked for a few minutes before Kim Min-kyung finally got to the point.

“I heard that during the Blue Dragon Film Awards ceremony last month, some employees from Woosan and RC got into an argument over who won Best Actor.” Kim Min-kyung raised his glass with a smile. “Employees, you know, they’re all just struggling to make a living. They tend to lose control over small things. Let’s not let them affect our friendship. For my sake, let’s all just forget about it, okay?”

This was directed at Yoon Nam-hyuk and Eun Chul-woo, as one was the president of Woosan and the other was the chairman of RC.

Although from the outside they should have been mortal enemies, Yoon Nam-hyuk and Kim Min-kyung had grown up together, their parents had a long-standing friendship, and Eun Chul-woo was Kim Min-kyung’s boss. So with the Best Actor Kim playing mediator, the relationship between Yoon Nam-hyuk and Eun Chul-woo could never be that bad.

A friend next to them laughed. “Was it an argument or a fight? I heard there was blood. Did you have to pay compensation? Hmm?”

Another friend also laughed. “I heard it was the RC employees who started it, making fun of Park Seok-jin for being a perpetual nominee. Yah… such vicious tongues. That petty Park Seok-jin must have been furious, hahaha.”

“It seems I’m the one who should apologize.”

Eun Chul-woo raised his champagne glass. His thin lips were curved in a smile, his brows dark, making him look very handsome and masculine. “I’m sorry, President Yoon. I apologize on behalf of the RC employees. I’ll make sure to discipline them in the future.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk raised his glass and clinked it lightly with Eun Chul-woo’s, then drank it in one go. “The matter is already in the past. The employees from both sides have reconciled, and the companies have provided compensation and leave. We should both learn from this. There’s no need for Chairman Eun to apologize.”

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kim Min-kyung. “Is that the kind of petty person you think I am?”

Kim Min-kyung plopped down on the sofa with a cheerful laugh. “Nam-hyuk, of course I know you don’t mind. I was just looking for an excuse to get together. You’re such a workaholic, always at the company. Would you have come out if I didn’t have a proper reason?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk sneered. “The Best Actor Kim likes to hang out with me so much? Then why don’t you sign with Woosan? It would be easier to see each other every day. Or is Chairman Eun’s charm greater than mine, and you can’t bear to switch companies?”

The Kim and Yoon families were close. When Kim Min-kyung’s debut film was a huge success, many people had speculated that he would sign with Woosan Entertainment. But to everyone’s surprise, he had ended up choosing the newly rising RC Entertainment.

Kim Min-kyung blinked at his words. “Uncle Yoon and my father have known each other for a long time. You’d be the one with the headache if I really signed with Woosan, right? Would you have to help me become a Best Actor, or help you Uncle Kim convince me to go home and become a civil servant? You’d be driven crazy.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s lips curved into a slight smile.

The friend who had just teased Park Seok-jin for being petty exclaimed, “You’re already a Best Actor, and your father still wants you to go to the prosecutor’s office?”

“He graduated from Seoul National University’s law school. If I were his father, I’d want him to follow in my footsteps too. It’s such a waste for him to be an actor. He should be president.”

Kim Min-kyung laughed out loud. “Don’t worry. Besides my father, no one in that family really wants me to join the prosecutor’s office. On the contrary, me being an actor and gaining fame is actually good for my older brother’s campaign for the National Assembly. If I just post on IG in support, a lot of fans will vote for him. He values this illegitimate younger brother of his very much right now.”

“So what if you’re an illegitimate son?” Eun Chul-woo suddenly said. “You’re the only one in the Kim family who graduated from Seoul National University’s law school, and you’ve been helping your brothers with their campaigns. They should be nothing but grateful to you.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk snorted. “If all illegitimate sons could achieve what you have, I’d be thanking my lucky stars.”

Kim Min-kyung was intrigued. “Your older brother is giving you trouble again?”

“Haven’t you seen the recent news?” Yoon Nam-hyuk’s lips twitched. “Even if he wasn’t the mastermind, he was definitely involved. I’m used to it.”

“Oh! That~” Kim Min-kyung slapped his forehead. “Nam-woo hyung did that? Haha, he’s really come a long way, creating such a huge scandal. Aish… looks like I was wrong. I thought you had finally gotten some action.”

“Oh? So it was fake news? No passionate kissing? But the angle looked so real. The person who filmed it is a genius…”

“But to be honest,” one of the friends said, staring at Yoon Nam-hyuk and Eun Chul-woo, “when I saw that video, I was even a little confused for a moment. Don’t you think Nam-hyuk and Chul-woo’s eyes and brows look a bit similar?”

“Do they?” another friend asked, frowning in concentration.

Kim Min-kyung blinked, carefully observing Yoon Nam-hyuk and Eun Chul-woo’s faces. “Mmm… I guess just the eyebrows are a bit similar, and the corners of their eyes.”

The friend said, “Of course, if you look at them in person, you can’t tell at all. After all, Chul-woo was raised on milk from British cows, he’s too tall, and he sunbathes a lot, so his skin is darker. So when they sit together like this, they don’t look alike at all. But in the video, the resolution is low, and when it’s blurry, they look a bit similar.”

“You should get your eyes checked, okay? If you say that, I’m going to start thinking Nam-hyuk and Min-kyung look alike too. They both have two eyes and a nose. So similar, right?”

Everyone laughed and joked for a while. After the laughter died down, Kim Min-kyung suddenly looked at Yoon Nam-hyuk with a smile. “But Nam-hyuk, since you’re already caught up in a scandal, why don’t you just go for it? You didn’t like it when I found women for you in the past. This time, I’ll find a man for you. My bar is so big, with so many men and women. There must be one you like, right?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk suddenly lost interest. “You guys have fun. I’m not interested in anyone here.”

Knock, knock—

A handsome nightclub promoter politely knocked and entered, handing each of them an iPad.

Kim Min-kyung took the iPad, sat down next to Yoon Nam-hyuk, and leaned on his shoulder with a snicker. “No matter what, we have to pick one for our Nam-hyuk tonight. What do you think of this one? Not very tall, but his skin is very fair. Is he your type?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk frowned. “Get up. I’m leaving.”

“Do you not like fair skin or… oh right, the person in the photo seems taller than you. So our Nam-hyuk likes tall guys. Then what about this one? Very tall, good proportions, dressed like an idol. Mmm… could he really be an idol? Do you like this type?”

“You’re so boring.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk pushed Kim Min-kyung away, stood up, and straightened his suit. “Thanks for having me. See you next time.”

He turned to leave.

But the friend who had said Yoon Nam-hyuk and Eun Chul-woo looked alike suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! Nam-hyuk, isn’t that the person from the news with you?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk froze.

Kim Min-kyung took the iPad with interest.

The photo was a 45-degree angle profile shot, showing long eyebrows and sharp eyes. The person looked tall even sitting down. Although he was only wearing a simple white shirt, he looked particularly charming and stylish because of his broad shoulders, long arms, and straight back.

Moreover, a flushed, tipsy boy was leaning against him. The two looked quite intimate, talking with their heads lowered…

Kim Min-kyung rubbed his lower lip thoughtfully and showed the photo to Yoon Nam-hyuk. “Is it him?”

“…” Yoon Nam-hyuk stared at the photo without speaking, his lips gradually tightening, his eyes growing darker.

So it is~

Kim Min-kyung laughed to himself. He teased Yoon Nam-hyuk, “Looks like our Nam-hyuk’s little boyfriend is out playing without you~ Nam-hyuk, if you’re in a hurry to go back, why don’t I help you punish him?”

The person in the photo was indeed Qi Huai.

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s brow furrowed.

But what angered him the most wasn’t this, nor the fact that Qi Huai had gone to a nightclub without reporting to Assistant Yoo. It was the person sitting next to Qi Huai—Baek Soo-kyung.

The sweet-looking boy, flushed with drink, was practically plastered to Qi Huai. Yoon Nam-hyuk gripped the iPad, his brow furrowed, his lips pursed as he cursed inwardly.

Shibal…

Didn’t you say you didn’t like him?

Didn’t you say you had nothing to do with Baek Soo-kyung?

Then why are you out playing together at night?

Why are you sitting so close?

Liar.

A man who shines his light on everyone.

A big liar who has N number of boats on the Han River!

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s angry expression was a bit too obvious. Although he had a bad temper, he usually controlled it well in front of friends and elders.

Moreover, this was the first time Yoon Nam-hyuk had darkened his face over a potential love interest. After all, President Yoon had never had a potential love interest before… Could he really be in love?

The others in the room exchanged glances, amazed. Kim Min-kyung leaned on Yoon Nam-hyuk’s shoulder with great interest, observing his ugly expression while laughing. “Nam-hyuk, if you don’t watch a catch like that carefully, someone else will snatch him up. If you really like him, you have to teach him a lesson, so he won’t dare to go out and play again and will only listen to you. Right?”

“How about I buy him a drink?” Kim Min-kyung reached out his index finger and tapped Qi Huai’s picture.

Yoon Nam-hyuk stared at the photo.

He did not object.

The smiling Eun Chul-woo was full of interest, his gaze sizing up Yoon Nam-hyuk’s face. So he really likes him? he thought. Not just playing around?

Interesting.

---

On the first floor of the nightclub.

Baek Soo-kyung was already starting to feel dizzy. The System was still complaining: 【No wonder the original comic’s protagonist shou and the bar owner Kim Min-kyung developed an extraordinary relationship. The protagonist shou’s alcohol tolerance is so low! If he gets this drunk, and the people with him aren’t vigilant, he’s just a dish waiting to be served, isn’t he? Host, maybe we should leave. Otherwise, the other two are going to get drunk too!】

Qi Huai shook his head. “Let’s wait a little longer.”

【Wait for what?】 The System was confused. 【Wait for everyone to get drunk so you can pay for everything and send them home one by one? Host Oppa, you don’t spend money like that.】

Qi Huai said flatly, “Haven’t you noticed? Baek Soo-kyung only seems fragile. In reality, he’s quite stubborn and has a mind of his own. He wants money, he wants to get ahead, he wants to seize every opportunity, but he has no idea how to weigh the pros and cons. In his eyes, as long as there’s something to gain, he’s willing to pay the price, no matter what it is.”

The System said uncertainly: 【…Is this what they call being shortsighted? Or just not thinking straight?】

“Getting blackout drunk at a bar with people you don’t know well is terrifying. Today, he needs to remember this lesson forever,” Qi Huai sighed. “We don’t have the same manager anymore. If I don’t stop this completely this time, he’ll come again if Seol Tae-rim asks him. He’ll even sneak out if I tell him not to. No one can control him.”

Even if he didn’t meet Gong Dog Number Four Kim Min-kyung today, he would get entangled with him sooner or later, unless Baek Soo-kyung himself actively stayed away.

System: 【Then what do we…】

“Wait,” Qi Huai said. “Wait for the person who drugged him in the original story to appear.”

The moment Qi Huai finished speaking, the promoter who was familiar with Seol Tae-rim appeared with a bottle of champagne, a smile on his face.

The promoter had a friendly face and a small canine tooth that showed when he smiled, making it easy for people to let their guard down. He placed the bottle of champagne on the table. “You’re all very lucky tonight. A VIP upstairs is treating everyone. Every booth gets a complimentary bottle of champagne. But you can only drink it here, you can’t take it with you, and you can’t store it. Shall I open it now?”

Shim Se-bin was pleasantly surprised. “Wow, that’s so nice!”

A drunken Seol Tae-rim took the champagne and examined it carefully. “D-daebak… they’re giving us this? This must be over a million won, right?”

A million won a bottle. There were at least twenty booths with customers here. How much would that cost? Seol Tae-rim couldn’t even calculate it. “Open it! Open it! This is good stuff, we have to drink it!”

The tipsy Baek Soo-kyung laughed along. When Seol Tae-rim said to open it, he nodded in agreement. “I’ll… have a glass too.”

The promoter took five glasses from his tray. Besides Qi Huai and the others, he also poured one for himself. “Come on, everyone. My treat. Thank you for your patronage. Please come again. I’ll send over some snacks.”

The five glasses clinked together, and everyone drank up. Only Qi Huai took a half-sip and spit out the other half, making a small, unnoticeable move.

Spitting out the whole glass would be too obvious. Anyway, Kim Min-kyung’s target wasn’t him. Half a glass should be fine.

The promoter put down the champagne and left, even having a waiter bring over two plates of shredded squid and potato chips as snacks.

Seol Tae-rim, the drunkard, savored the champagne, at one point saying it had a fruity aroma, and at another, a hint of caramel. Shim Se-bin, who couldn’t tell the difference, just nodded along. “Yes, it does. I can taste it too. The aroma of cherry and strawberry!”

“Wow, you have a real talent for this, kid!” Seol Tae-rim slapped Shim Se-bin on the shoulder in encouragement.

“Cherry? Strawberry?” Baek Soo-kyung frowned and took a sip, smacking his lips in confusion. “It’s not soju,³ how can it have a fruity taste?”

“Qi Huai…” He brought his glass closer to Qi Huai. “Can you taste it, Qi Huai?”

Qi Huai didn’t answer him.

At that moment, Qi Huai’s ears were ringing, and the people and things around him were starting to blur. His eyelids felt like they were glued shut. Not only that, he was also very hot.

The shuddering and restless feeling that shot up from his lower abdomen and spine made him uneasy, as if his rut was coming.

Impossible.

His Alpha traits were supposed to be suppressed in the mission world. He couldn’t have a rut, unless—

He had been drugged.

It wasn’t Baek Soo-kyung who had been drugged.

It was him.

What kind of trash plot and divine twist is this?

---

²APT: likely refers to a Korean drinking game played with apartment building numbers.

³Soju: A popular Korean alcoholic beverage, often flavored with fruits.