Chapter 43: Qi Huai’s Drunkenness

Like him?

Not to that extent.

There were far too many charming people in this world. Take Kim Min-kyung, for example. In Eun Chul-woo’s eyes, he was very charming—whether it was his looks, physique, personality, intelligence, family background, or even in sex, he was very charming.

But even that level of charm wasn’t enough to make Eun Chul-woo say the word “like.”

For people like them, the word “like” was both cheap and precious. Cheap because they could say it to countless people; precious because the only person they truly liked was themselves.

So, like or not, what was the point of such a question?

Eun Chul-woo watched the car drive away and suddenly let out a low laugh. “Why do you ask?”

Kim Min-kyung studied Eun Chul-woo’s expression, putting on a pitiful look. “Chul-woo, you can’t just take things at face value… can’t you tell I’m jealous?”

Eun Chul-woo feigned surprise. “The wild and unrestrained Best Actor Min-kyung, with his countless lovers, can still get jealous? How surprising.”

Kim Min-kyung snorted. “I heard from Director Baek that you recommended Qi Huai?”

Eun Chul-woo paused. “What about it?”

“Nothing, just asking.” Kim Min-kyung smiled ambiguously. “Why didn’t you tell me? You couldn’t have missed that little something between him and Yoon Nam-hyuk, could you? Do you really like him? Or… are you just trying to steal him from Yoon Nam-hyuk?”

Eun Chul-woo retorted, “In what capacity are you asking me this question? As Yoon Nam-hyuk’s friend? Or as my lover?”

Kim Min-kyung: “Does it matter?”

Eun Chul-woo: “Does it not?”

Kim Min-kyung: “I’ve noticed you seem to be particularly interested in Yoon Nam-hyuk’s things. What about me, then? Are you sleeping with Kim Min-kyung, or are you sleeping with Yoon Nam-hyuk’s childhood friend?”

Eun Chul-woo sneered. “Being Yoon Nam-hyuk’s childhood friend is enough to sleep with me? That gives Yoon Nam-hyuk far too much credit.”

With that, he left Kim Min-kyung standing there alone. Kim Min-kyung stood for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. The hint of jealousy vanished into thin air, leaving the others confused.

As he walked away, Eun Chul-woo dropped his feigned anger, his expression turning blank again. It seems the relationship between Yoon Nam-hyuk and Qi Huai isn’t as bad as the rumors say, he thought.

Nam-hyuk…

Everything you enjoy now—your career, your love, your family—shouldn’t I have a share of it too?

---

In the car.

Qi Huai, growing more and more tipsy from the high heating, leaned against the back seat, drowsy. He forced his eyes open and asked Yoon Nam-hyuk, “…Why did you come?”

However, Yoon Nam-hyuk ignored him.

Assistant Yoo, with his super-sharp intuition, read Yoon Nam-hyuk’s expression and tentatively spoke up, “The president heard you were having dinner with Chairman Eun, Actor Kim, and the others. He was worried about your safety, so he came specially to pick you up.”

“Worried about my safety?” The drunk Qi Huai didn’t quite get it at first.

System: [You forgot, Host Oppa? That guy Kim Min-kyung likes to drug people!]

Oh…

Qi Huai frowned in thought. He had indeed been drugged at the nightclub last time, but it probably wasn’t Kim Min-kyung who did it, right?

The real culprit was right in front of him.

Was this a case of the thief crying “thief!”?

Qi Huai laughed out loud. As he laughed, he tugged at the slightly stuffy collar of his sweatshirt. It was hot.

Yoon Nam-hyuk also frowned. What’s so funny?! he thought. Acting so completely unconcerned?! Wasn’t last time’s lesson enough?!

He was very dissatisfied with Qi Huai’s attitude and couldn’t help but scold him, “Have you forgotten what happened at the nightclub last time? That nightclub is owned by Kim Min-kyung, and Eun Chul-woo has a stake in it too. If they wanted to, what happened at the nightclub could happen a second time. Don’t you have even that much vigilance?”

Qi Huai smiled and rubbed his temples. “That night… the one who tied me up in the room and had improper intentions was clearly you, wasn’t it?”

Assistant Yoo: ???

Qi Huai let out a breath reeking of alcohol and said lazily, “But President Yoon has a point. Would it be safer if I got out of the car now? To prevent you from pouncing on me again and touching me all over, and even taking off my pants. Right? Hmm?”

Assistant Yoo: Oh my God…

I’m the one who should get out of the car.

“Hey!”

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s defenses instantly crumbled. “Are you an idiot? If it hadn’t been me that day, you might have ended up in someone else’s bed! Do you not understand what I mean? This isn’t about who was in the room with you! It’s about the fact that this happened because you were on their territory! Don’t you understand…!”

“Shh…”

People with broken defenses usually have loud voices, and the more flustered they are, the louder they get. Qi Huai’s ears were ringing. He leaned closer to Yoon Nam-hyuk, pressed his index finger against the constantly opening and closing mouth, and said wearily, “Softer. My ears hurt.”

His head hurt too.

The touch on his lips and the proximity of the other’s heat instantly silenced Yoon Nam-hyuk. He stared with wide eyes, pushed Qi Huai away, and lifted his iPad to cover his flushed face.

But it was too late. The tingling sensation spread from his lips to the side of his neck and behind his ears. The familiar shiver shot up his spine again.

Those ambiguous memories were like double-sided tape slathered with an aphrodisiac, one side stuck to his sensitive, easily flushed, and constantly trembling body, the other to his unguarded, soft heart, growing more intense by the second.

Damn it…

It’s because of this guy again!

Yoon Nam-hyuk pressed his lips together and crossed his legs. To distract himself, he started frantically scrolling through his work emails. More and more Woosan executives received instant replies from their president.

A certain president’s sudden obedience confused Qi Huai. “I just told you to be quieter, not to stop talking.”

Talk about what!

I’ve already forgotten what I wanted to say!

Just as Yoon Nam-hyuk was feeling flustered and hot-eared, a sudden weight fell on his shoulder. Qi Huai had slumped onto him, his breath warm, his head gently rubbing against him, his voice soft. “Go on, I’m listening.”

Hey! Is this guy really drunk or is he deliberately acting cute!

Yoon Nam-hyuk gritted his teeth, unable to utter another word. He closed his eyes tightly and turned his head towards the window, trying his best to keep his voice steady. “I don’t want to talk right now.”

Hmm?

Qi Huai was confused. “Did I make you angry again?”

“No,” Yoon Nam-hyuk said, his face tense.

The drunk Qi Huai felt dizzy, the car swaying, the world almost turning upside down. So he didn’t notice the faint, unbearable trembling in Yoon Nam-hyuk’s body at all.

He just felt confused, not understanding what was wrong with Yoon Nam-hyuk again. Why is he always angry? So delicate, like a little prince. Qi Huai reached out to turn Yoon Nam-hyuk’s face, but Yoon Nam-hyuk resisted with his chin, refusing to turn back.

After a few back-and-forths.

Qi Huai started to get annoyed.

Drunk people were generally unreasonable, not thinking before they spoke or acted. Before Yoon Nam-hyuk could react, Qi Huai had grabbed his tie and pinned him down on the back seat.

“Talk. What’s wrong now?”

He pinched Yoon Nam-hyuk’s chin, his brow furrowed, his eyes fixed on the other’s astonished, dark eyes.

Yoon Nam-hyuk glanced nervously at the back of Assistant Yoo’s rigid head and kicked his leg. “Hey! You punk—you, are you crazy! You want a beating! You—you… ah!”

Smack.

A loud slap landed on Yoon Nam-hyuk’s bottom.

Qi Huai licked his lips. “I told you to be quieter. My head hurts.”

The car was instantly silent.

Yoon Nam-hyuk trembled with anger.

Assistant Yoo trembled with fear.

The pitiful Yoo Ji-hoon fumbled for the partition button, his hands shaking, cursing inwardly: Stupid hand, press it faster!!!

The partition clicked into place, and the back seat became even dimmer, with only a little light filtering in from the windows.

Yoon Nam-hyuk, having lost all face, hadn’t even opened his mouth when Qi Huai grabbed his ankle, caressed the protruding bone, and placed it on his waist. “Why are you trembling? Cold? I’m burning up.”

He collapsed onto Yoon Nam-hyuk’s chest, unconsciously stroking his thigh, and sighed in comfort. “Can you stop being angry all the time? I can’t figure out why… are you a chihuahua?”

A… a chihuahua???

Ha!

Yoon Nam-hyuk felt like he was going to die of anger. He really couldn’t understand how the two incredibly contradictory descriptions of “likable” and “annoying” could be so perfectly embodied in the same person.

He has no sense at all, often spouts nonsense, gets handsy, is rude and insolent, doesn’t even understand Korean etiquette, and has even spanked me several times. Why do I li—

Hey!

What ‘like’?!

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s pupils trembled, his chest heaving rapidly. He was almost scared to death by the thought that had just popped into his head.

Witchcraft! It must be witchcraft!

“…What’s wrong?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s rapidly heaving chest made Qi Huai curious. He looked up, sizing up his expression, his drowsy eyes squinting slightly.

It was dark in the car, but it couldn’t hide Yoon Nam-hyuk’s bright, angry eyes. Perhaps it was anger, perhaps it was embarrassment, perhaps it was the torment of his sex addiction, but Yoon Nam-hyuk’s cheeks were burning, and his whole body was flushed with a wave of passion.

Qi Huai fell silent.

His eyes darkened. He pushed his tongue against his cheek, then swept it over his dry lower lip, his voice lazy, like a lover’s whisper. “I asked last time, didn’t I?”

I asked last time. You didn’t say no. You even closed your eyes in advance. Although a certain someone won’t admit it now, he did ask.

Yoon Nam-hyuk got goosebumps from being stared at. The look in the eyes of a large carnivore before it pounces made him subconsciously panic and retreat. “What did you ask—!”

It was too late.

Prey that only knew how to bristle was bound to be eaten sooner or later.

The moment Qi Huai’s lips met his, Yoon Nam-hyuk’s entire body went up in flames. The other’s hot tongue, tinged with alcohol, and his dry, soft lips, latched onto Yoon Nam-hyuk’s cool ones, the invasive feeling sweeping through his entire mouth, making him tremble with pleasure.

Soju, sake, whiskey—a complex mix of alcohol, but the scent was soon masked by another: a faint, elegant, and alluring grassy fragrance. He had smelled it that day in the hotel bathtub, when they first met. It was very fragrant.

Qi Huai held Yoon Nam-hyuk’s chin and kissed him deeply, his tongue tangling, sucking, making wet sounds. As a task-doer, he was rich in theoretical knowledge, including but not limited to how to kiss deeply, caress, and make his partner ecstatic.

Yoon Nam-hyuk hummed and panted, his arms going from struggling and pushing to shyly wrapping around him. His fingers splayed open and slipped into the hair at the back of Qi Huai’s head, pressing him closer. His legs, out of habit, subconsciously clamped together and rubbed, but ended up trapping Qi Huai’s thigh and waist.

So good…

Qi Huai instinctively pressed his body down hard.

Yoon Nam-hyuk let out a low gasp, his back trembling, whimpering. No, if he keeps pressing down like this, I’m afraid I’ll…

“Mmph—!”

His tongue was suddenly caught by a pair of canines that had lost their strength. Qi Huai’s fluffy head suddenly drooped into the crook of Yoon Nam-hyuk’s neck, and he went still. Yoon Nam-hyuk’s eyes were dazed. He stared blankly for a long moment before he realized that the guy who had just been kissing him until he was breathless had seemingly fallen asleep???

“…” Utterly mortified, Yoon Nam-hyuk pressed his slightly swollen lips together, wishing he could strangle Qi Huai on the spot.

Qi Huai’s breathing was even, the corners of his lips slightly curved. He was sleeping soundly.

As the seconds ticked by, Yoon Nam-hyuk grew angrier and angrier. Why? he thought. The drunk guy wants him to shut up, so he has to shut up. He wants to kiss him, so he gets kissed until his head spins. The drunk guy wants to sleep, so he just passes out, leaving him swollen and uncomfortable. And this guy seems completely unaffected!

Why?

Ha!

Am I that easy to bully? Isn’t this guy going too far? Is he used to giving orders? I’m the president! Why is it always this guy who has the upper hand!

Yoon Nam-hyuk was furious. He cupped Qi Huai’s handsome, peaceful, sleeping face and said resentfully, “You are my artist. I pay your salary, I give you resources, and I even personally transferred 100 million won of pocket money to you! From today on, I am your sponsor, your benefactor. I can do whatever I want to you. You have no right to resist!”

So…

He licked his lips and said in a low, angry voice, “I’ll touch you if I want to. I’ll kiss you if I want to. It’s not your place to resist!”

Yoon Nam-hyuk opened his mouth and tentatively bit Qi Huai’s lower lip. His canines were too sharp. Qi Huai frowned. Yoon Nam-hyuk’s eyes widened and he pulled back, observing him nervously for a long time.

He didn’t wake up.

The cowardly yet bold President Yoon snorted, then leaned in again, sucking and licking Qi Huai’s sexy lips.

Just one deep kiss had opened a new world for Yoon Nam-hyuk. The sensation of their tongues tangling, their lips rubbing together, was addictive. Even a simple peck could make his spine tingle.

I like it so much…

Yoon Nam-hyuk kissed him again and again, his breathing growing more and more rapid. He obsessively sucked on Qi Huai’s lips, sneaking his tongue in to sweep around, imitating what Qi Huai had just done, pulling out a soft, ambiguous silver thread.

System: […]

Shutting down. See you tomorrow.

---

“President, we’ve arrived.”

A soft knock came from the partition. Yoon Nam-hyuk was suddenly jolted awake. When he realized what he had just done, a wave of shameful heat spread from the back of his neck to his entire body.

“I know…” Yoon Nam-hyuk’s voice was hoarse.

Assistant Yoo: Omo!

That kind of voice, if it’s not from eating something salty, it can only be… Smack. He slapped himself on the mouth, forcing himself to stop imagining things.

Yoon Nam-hyuk said he knew, but it was over ten minutes later before he finally lowered the partition.

Assistant Yoo was staring at his work iPad with a serious expression, unmoving. Only he knew that the Sudoku game running in the background was already at level 10.

At the entrance of Qi Huai’s house.

Yoon Nam-hyuk and Assistant Yoo were both familiar with the small rooftop apartment, but they were stumped by the door code.

“He didn’t tell you?” Yoon Nam-hyuk frowned.

Didn’t Assistant Yoo come to supervise Qi Huai’s sleep every day during that period? How could he not even know the door code?

“Because we’re just colleagues, it would be too rude to ask for the code, so…” Assistant Yoo pushed up his glasses and looked at Yoon Nam-hyuk cautiously. “You don’t know?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk was silent.

He had only been here for dinner twice. How would he know the code… Besides, why should he know the code?

“I am the president. Is it necessary for me to know the door code of every artist?” Yoon Nam-hyuk retorted, his eyes unfriendly.

Assistant Yoo tactfully shut up, his eyes lowered, staring at his toes.

A drunk person was very heavy, pressing down on Yoon Nam-hyuk until he could barely breathe. He slapped Qi Huai a few times. “Hey! Wake up! What’s your door code?”

Qi Huai mumbled a groggy “hmm?” and wrapped his arms around Yoon Nam-hyuk, saying slowly, “Wh…at?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s ears burned. “I’m asking what your door code is!”

Qi Huai vaguely heard the word “code.” “Code…? You know it…”

I know it? Same as the phone password? 123456? What’s the difference between that and leaving the door wide open? Yoon Nam-hyuk cursed under his breath.

He supported Qi Huai’s arm and directed Assistant Yoo to enter the code. The lock beeped in error. The code wasn’t six digits, it was eight.

“…”

Next, they tried 12345678, and then in reverse, both to no avail. Yoon Nam-hyuk then tried the legendary all-eights and all-sixes that Chinese people were said to love. Great, the door was now successfully locked.

Assistant Yoo: “President, should I call a locksmith?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk didn’t speak.

Assistant Yoo asked again, “Actor Qi must be heavy. Let me…”

Yoon Nam-hyuk flatly refused. “No need.”

In short, he wouldn’t let Assistant Yoo touch him at all.

This guy Qi Huai is a bona fide drunk right now, a certain president thought. What if he randomly kisses someone else, like he did in the car just now?

…His mouth sucks on you like an octopus! Ha! He’s so tall and heavy, can I even pull him off?

Assistant Yoo rubbed his nose and retracted his hand.

After a long moment, Yoon Nam-hyuk pursed his lips. “Forget it. Let’s go to my place.”

Assistant Yoo was astonished. “But, but isn’t Chairman Yoon at…”

Yoon Nam-hyuk glanced at him. “Did you drink too? Go to the Cheongdam-dong apartment.”

Besides the main house in Hannam-dong, Yoon Nam-hyuk also had an apartment in Yongsan District. This was his mother Hyun Si-young’s property. Before she passed away, Yoon Nam-hyuk and his mother had always lived here, not with Yoon Tae-min, which was also the reason why Yoon Tae-min would often mock Hyun Si-young for not being able to raise her son properly.

After his mother passed away, due to his father’s insistence that “the Yoon family must live together,” and also for his mother’s last memento, Yoon Nam-hyuk had been living in the main house. He hadn’t been back to the Cheongdam-dong apartment for a long time. Only a cleaning lady came to clean every other day.

All of his mother’s belongings were in Cheongdam-dong.

That was his childhood, his secret base. Not even Assistant Yoo had ever been there.