Chapter 22: The Unsigned Warning

The interview continued smoothly after that. The two of them acted like a loving couple, and as Jaeryun had instructed, Sooyeon didn’t ask any rude questions.

“I think we can wrap up the Q&A here.” When the interview time exceeded an hour, Sooyeon said as she put away the voice recorder and notebook.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Not at all. You made it very comfortable for me.”

“People usually get awkward when they stand in front of the camera for an interview, but you didn’t show any of that. I was a bit surprised.” Sooyeon complimented Yehyeon.

Of course, she didn’t know that all of this was an act, so she could say that easily, but those who knew the truth flinched and paused for a moment.

“Is that so? I guess it’s because you created such a comfortable atmosphere for me,” Yehyeon responded casually.

Then, the photographer signaled to Sooyeon, and she turned to Yehyeon with a request. “Um, if it’s too much pressure, you can refuse….”

“…?”

“If it’s okay, could we take one photo to go with the article?”

“Miss Reporter, why are you doing this?” It wasn’t Yehyeon who answered, but Jaeryun. He strode over to Sooyeon with a fierce expression, looked between her and the photographer, and said, “I told you we want to avoid exposing his personal information as much as possible.”

“I understand the agency’s position, but Yehyeon-ssi’s opinion matters too. If you’re worried, we can take it so that his face doesn’t show clearly. I hope you won’t feel too burdened.”

Yehyeon fell into thought. After all, the people who needed to know already knew he was Lee Jeong’s partner. His personal information had already been exposed as much as it could be, and if his face became more widely known, wouldn’t certain people look at him with disdain? That might actually make him feel a bit better. Yehyeon was seriously thinking it over.

“Can I have a moment to think?”

Then, Lee Jeong placed a hand on Yehyeon’s shoulder and asked Sooyeon for some time.

“Oh, of course. I’m not forcing you; I’m just asking if it’s possible, so don’t feel pressured to say yes.”

“Thank you. We’ll talk for a moment and let you know.”

After excusing themselves, Lee Jeong led Yehyeon to an empty office. The door closed, and Yehyeon kept thinking until Lee Jeong came back to him.

“Since my face is already somewhat known, wouldn’t it be okay to just say yes?” Yehyeon’s heart was leaning toward allowing the photo. He thought it would be fine because, from the beginning, he had accepted Lee Jeong’s offer knowing his identity would be exposed out of spite. Making up his mind, Yehyeon opened his mouth. “I’m okay…”

“Think again.” But Lee Jeong seemed to see it differently. He grabbed Yehyeon’s shoulders with a serious expression. “If it’s a choice for yourself, I won’t stop you, but if you’re doing it just to get revenge on those people, I’m against it.”

Lee Jeong knew very well why Yehyeon was in this contract relationship. That’s why he also knew why he would do something as useless as revealing his face. He probably wanted to spite Park Gyujin and Ju Seoyeon.

But Lee Jeong hoped those two would keep bothering Yehyeon for as long as possible—at least three months. To do that, it was best to delay Yehyeon’s full-scale attack as much as possible. If those two persistently annoyed him, Yehyeon would put more effort into this contract relationship. It couldn’t be too easy.

“You seem to think exposing your face is too simple, but do you think a low-quality, secretly filmed video that’s hard to recognize if you don’t know the person will have the same impact as a formal photo taken with a reporter?” Lee Jeong spoke as if he were genuinely worried about him. “That’s pretty much giving people permission to spread your face around freely. After three months pass, you’ll have to go back to your normal life.”

Lee Jeong looked down at Yehyeon with concerned eyes. “You can’t give up your future daily life just because of those people.”

“…….”

Even though it was purely for his own benefit, Lee Jeong was an actor. He was adept at hiding his emotions and speaking lies.

“If you still feel the same after thinking it over several times, I’ll try to understand then. But not today. This is important. I hope you don’t make such a rash decision.”

Yehyeon didn’t realize that Lee Jeong’s words were sophistry disguised as kindness. To him, the words felt like the caring concern of a sweet fake boyfriend who was worried about his well-being.

“Hm?” Lee Jeong looked at Yehyeon with sparkling eyes.

“Yeah, you’re right. Once a photo goes up online, it can’t be taken back, so I should decide carefully.” Yehyeon nodded. His words made sense. Maybe Gyujin and Seoyeon wouldn’t even care after seeing it, but if he made a hasty decision, he would have to bear the long-term risk.

“Let’s go back.” Yehyeon led the way out of the empty office.

I don’t need to rush. Let’s not be impatient, Yehyeon repeated to himself, trying to calm down.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

When Yehyeon expressed his refusal, Sooyeon didn’t press further and backed off. The reporters, who only photographed their clasped hands as promised, politely said their goodbyes and left the company.

“Yehyeon-ssi, are you working too hard?” Jaeryun looked at him with sharp eyes.

“Does my working hard bother you?”

“No, I’m not picking a fight.” Jaeryun waved his hands. “I have a harsh impression, so I get misunderstood a lot, but I’m not picking a fight. Really.”

“Jaeryun does look a bit intimidating,” Lee Jeong chuckled from the side.

Jaeryun shot him a sharp glare and then turned back to Yehyeon. “I’m just worried. That’s all.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine. I’m getting paid a lot, so at least I should do this much.”

Should I ask if he wants to try acting? I could pay him more… Jaeryun entertained the thought for a split second but shook his head. “You’re not being threatened by Kang Lee Jeong or anything, are you?”

“Of course not,” Yehyeon answered with a small laugh.

But Jaeryun looked at Lee Jeong as if he still didn’t trust him. “This guy has a decent exterior—no, a very good one—so people get fooled easily, but he’s not to be trusted. Don’t get too attached to him.”

“Isn’t that too harsh? We’ve known each other for almost ten years,” Lee Jeong pretended to be hurt, wiping dry eyes.

“That’s enough…”

“Wow, look at this.” When Yehyeon subtly sided with Lee Jeong, Jaeryun shook his head. “Well, anyway. It’s fine to get along, but don’t get too attached. Once the contract ends, you won’t see each other again, and for your own safety, it’s better not to get tangled up with him.” Jaeryun warned Yehyeon once more.

He’s a celebrity, and after we break up, we won’t have anything to do with each other.

Yehyeon didn’t agree that Lee Jeong was a dark-hearted person, but he could agree that he shouldn’t get attached because they wouldn’t see each other after the contract ended. “I know.”

“Wow, do you also see me as a bad person?” When Yehyeon nodded, Lee Jeong whined, acting hurt. “I like you, so it hurts when you say that.”

“No, I’m not saying you’re a bad person. It’s just that after we break up and the news comes out, we won’t see each other again anyway…” Flustered by Lee Jeong’s sudden reaction, Yehyeon stumbled to comfort him.

“Really?”

“Yeah. You’re a good person. Maybe not to others, but at least to me…” Yehyeon said, thinking of how Lee Jeong had comforted and taken care of him. It was a simple statement, but it was clear that he was quite flustered by the actor’s intense gaze.

“I warned you,” Jaeryun sighed and shook his head.

“Working on the weekend feels… no, if I think about the 20 million won, I can endure anything.” On the way home, Yehyeon grumbled as he rubbed his aching shoulders.

A week was always the same 168 hours, but this week felt especially long because so much had happened.

“Finally, rest time.” The interview had gone well, so feeling relieved, Yehyeon stretched and walked toward his apartment.

The article would come out tomorrow, so the rogue reporters would stop bothering him for exclusives, and the people at work would probably lose interest by next week.

Three months. If he could keep up this lifestyle for just three months, he would receive his full payment of 60 million won and return to his peaceful daily life. He could endure a bit of a headache until then. And by that time, his lingering thoughts about Gyujin, his self-loathing, and his sense of defeat would all be gone. Yehyeon kept repeating this reassuring thought as he reached his building.

“A letter?”

Checking the mailbox out of habit, Yehyeon found an envelope with no sender and no stamp. He tilted his head in confusion. The mailbox usually only held bills and management slips. There was no reason for a personal letter to arrive this way.

Yehyeon stood still, staring at the front of the envelope that simply read, ‘Shin Yehyeon.’

Not even the recipient’s address was written—only his name. That meant the sender had come here personally and slid the letter directly into the box.

Rip.

Feeling a strange foreboding, Yehyeon tore open the envelope on the spot and pulled out the contents.

“Huh.”

When he saw what was inside, his breath caught. He was so startled that he dropped the envelope and took a sharp step back. With trembling hands, he picked the fallen item back up, verified the details, and looked around frantically.

Who? Who put this here? I’m certain there was nothing in the mailbox when I left this morning.

[ That’s not yours, so why are you taking it? ]

A photo with crude, scribbled writing fluttered in Yehyeon’s shaking hand.