So I’ll Stop Hiding You

“Draining the liver out of a flea, huh.”

Pouting his lips, Yoo-hyun pulled his phone from his pocket.
Let’s ask directly.

At that precise moment, the ringtone blared loudly throughout the emergency stairwell.

♪―

Yoo-hyun didn’t move a muscle, simply staring at the screen at the unexpected caller.

“So, he’s deliberately not picking up.”

Tilting his head, Yoo-hyun looked up the stairs.
“In-seong hyung?” he greeted casually.

The owner of that sharp voice soon appeared, his footsteps tapping deliberately as he descended to stand before Yoo-hyun.

“Hyung.”

“You said you were joining a drama this time?”

Yoo-hyun stared at In-seong without a word.
For some reason, he seemed deeply twisted in his mood.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t you feel sorry anymore?”

Just as he opened his mouth, his phone rang loudly in his hand.
His thumb instinctively hovered over the reject button, but his eyes caught the caller’s name.

After a brief hesitation, Yoo-hyun said, “If you have nothing more to say, I’m busy, so I’ll be going,” and quickly descended the stairs.

Leaving a baffled In-seong behind, he pressed the call button and held the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

-“…I guess you’re not home.”

“Yes. I had to come into the office.”

-“Ah, the office. That’s perfect.”

Yoo-hyun frowned, uneasy.
What could possibly be perfect?

-“Come down to the parking lot now.”

“Now?”

Yoo-hyun froze and asked in surprise.
From right behind him, In-seong jeered as he casually passed by.
“Already coaxed a new water supplier? Wow, Yoo-hyun, your skills are impressive. Jealous, man.”

-“If you called while busy, just hang up.”

“Oh, no, sorry. But did you say you’re coming to the office?”

-“Almost there. I came by to deliver something, and by chance, Yoo-hyun is here.”

Yoo-hyun noted how oddly inconsistent that sounded.
Wouldn’t most people check where the recipient was first?
‘By chance you’re here, so come down,’ he said.

Ending the call, Yoo-hyun pulled his hood over his head and ran toward the underground parking.

****

In the underground parking, he scanned the area for Taehwa’s car.
Half-shadowed, the phone screen lit up in his hand.
As he peered forward, creaking footsteps betrayed the presence of Sang-jin, whom he had thought he’d lost.

“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to talk to you. Ignoring calls, too.”

“I—I called? Uh… yeah. I did. But hyung, why are you in the parking lot? Where are you headed?”

“Where would I be headed? I came here after the office searched for you. If I hadn’t met In-seong, I would’ve come up empty-handed. What about you?”

Yoo-hyun gestured vaguely toward a direction, careful not to be precise.

“Oh, I just have something nearby to take care of…”

“Nearby? Where exactly? Hop in. I’ll drive you.”

“No, really, it’s just nearby! Super close. I don’t need the car. I can walk. Like, three minutes away.”

“Hmm?”

Sang-jin’s suspicious gaze narrowed sharply.
Yoo-hyun knew that look—his ‘pro instincts’ were triggered.
He claimed quick perception ran in his family, and years of dealing with people had honed it into a sharp blade.
From Yoo-hyun’s experience, nine out of ten times it was a rusty, dull blade—but still, it stung.

“If you’re walking, why come to the parking lot?”

“I-I was leaving…! That’s why I came here. Yeah.”

“No, no. I saw it. You had a reason for being in the parking lot.”

“No, really? That’s not it!”

“Yoo-hyun… you snuck to get the car without telling me, didn’t you?”

“…….”

“This brat…! I told you not to drive! I said it’s dangerous! But you insisted. Are you a child? Stop being stubborn and get in the car. If you have the keys, hand them over quickly!”

Just as expected.
Hyung’s instincts were spot-on.
Yoo-hyun nodded in relief.
Yes, yes. You’re right, hyung.

As he prepared to follow Sang-jin, a voice interrupted.

“There you are.”

Seeing the person blocking their path, Yoo-hyun froze.
Sang-jin scanned Taehwa from head to toe before turning to Yoo-hyun.

“Do you know this person?”

Yoo-hyun did know him—but how to introduce him?
He barely knew his name and had nothing suitable to say beyond that he was a wealthy, handsome heir of a conglomerate.
Yoo-hyun, self-isolating to hide his identity as a ‘Namer,’ had few contacts in the entertainment world.
The only connection he could think of was Choi Jong-ik.

Sang-jin already disliked Jong-ik, but lately, his dislike had turned into near hatred.
He had witnessed all of Jong-ik’s obsessive attempts to contact people.

If Yoo-hyun started sharing Taehwa’s limited information, Sang-jin would suspect and likely explode.
He couldn’t lie, either, and couldn’t talk about investors or contracts.

…Might as well pretend not to know.

Yoo-hyun forced a strange, determined smile.

“I… don’t know.”

“You’re a manager, right? Hello.”

Sang-jin tilted his head slightly, glaring at Yoo-hyun.
What… is this?

“―No, not exactly. Just a… passing acquaintance,” Yoo-hyun said.

“A passing acquaintance?”

Despite keeping his tone composed in front of Taehwa, the rising inflection suggested two implications.
Did he really have an acquaintance the company didn’t know about?
This whole office building is ours—how could he ‘coincidentally’ pass through the underground parking?

“Perfect timing again. Let’s go together.”

Ignoring their exchanged glances, Taehwa gestured for them to follow.
Yoo-hyun understood they were going to collect something he had mentioned.
Perhaps the advertising contract was being pushed forward. That made sense.
But why greet Sang-jin?

Yoo-hyun kept his gaze on Taehwa’s back.
He couldn’t understand his sudden appearance after no contact for so long.

Focused on reading the other party’s intentions in the contract, Yoo-hyun didn’t notice Sang-jin’s suspicious glances beside him.

****

They stopped in front of a van in a remote corner they hadn’t seen before.
It looked brand new, clearly a higher-end model than the company’s usual leased vans.
Taehwa looked back at the two confused figures.

“I brought back what was taken. You lost your car, and your manager was taken too.”

Sang-jin scratched his head, still puzzled.
Yoo-hyun immediately understood and rubbed his temple.

• Can a celebrity manage on their own?

• If the car and manager are taken, yes, they can manage alone.

“It’s best to solve things with money when possible. But this… is too trivial to be solved that way.”

Sang-jin’s distrustful gaze and Taehwa’s confident, almost challenging eyes met Yoo-hyun’s simultaneously.
Now he could no longer claim he was just an acquaintance.

“Wait a moment,” Yoo-hyun said, bowing slightly to Taehwa.
He pulled Sang-jin aside, who was staring daggers at him.

“What do we make of this?”

“Hyung, I’ll explain later,” Yoo-hyun said.

Sang-jin crossed his arms, refusing to move until he got a full explanation.
Yoo-hyun tugged hard, but it wasn’t enough.
He didn’t budge.

“Tell me properly. Yoo-hyun, you didn’t get involved with someone like… Jong-ik again, did you?”

“No, never! Absolutely not!”

“Then who is he? That guy just now… didn’t it seem off? Was he really an acquaintance?”

Yoo-hyun nervously licked his lips and looked toward Taehwa.

“…….”

His calm expression somehow suggested he wanted Yoo-hyun to feel awkward and pushed the situation along.
By bringing the van into the parking lot, he seemed unconcerned with Sang-jin knowing.

Yoo-hyun sighed and muttered weakly.

“…We’re dating.”

The shout echoed throughout the parking lot.

“It hasn’t been long. That’s why I didn’t mention it.”

“But you said you didn’t like men…”

“I thought that, but somehow it happened.”

Sang-jin was dumbfounded.
Yoo-hyun had firmly shut down any possibility of a relationship before, yet now it had developed.
He adjusted his breath and whispered carefully.

“Is there… some kind of weakness…?”

“Hyung, keep secrets from the CEO, okay?”

Yoo-hyun blocked any further absurd speculations from Sang-jin and pushed him gently but firmly.
This time, he complied.

****

Taehwa was aware of himself too.
He realized he had been paying excessive attention to Yoo-hyun’s lips, eyes, cheek muscles, and every small movement.
Yoo-hyun remained tense throughout.

“It’s easier to request cooperation from trustworthy people in advance. That’s the manager’s advice.”

Yoo-hyun glanced toward Taehwa.
He seemed ready to speak but chose to retract his gaze quietly.
The car wandered on the road, stopping at signals and moving again.

Ten minutes into the aimless drive, Yoo-hyun still didn’t speak, so Taehwa finally asked.

“Were you uncomfortable earlier?”

Of course, he wasn’t asking because he didn’t know.
He already knew he would be—it was deliberate.