Cold City Romance Chapter 6.1

The dress code for the party was ‘neo preppie,’ a modern interpretation of the preppy look.

In fact, the ‘Resort Wear Collection’ from ‘HLV’ being presented today also consisted of modern ‘neo preppie wear’ inspired by the preppy look enjoyed by students of private schools and Ivy League universities in the American Northeast, as well as the classic and neat Ivy style.

The intention was obvious. It seemed to be a strategy to most naturally introduce Hyun Jaehwi, a genuine graduate of a prestigious private school in the American Northeast, in front of people dressed in the preppy look. If this entire plan, from the pre-conceived runway collection to the concept of this party, was Hyun Serin’s surprise, then her planning ability and meticulousness were simply astonishing.

Indeed, the suit Cha Dokyung received to attend the brand party was also somewhat reminiscent of a prestigious private school uniform. It was a fresh and crisp outfit, pairing a white suit with a thin, marine-striped black tie.

As Cha Dokyung appeared at the photo call, a barrage of camera flashes erupted. Cha Dokyung, as always, showcased a clean and dazzling smile. The clean yet elegant silhouette and the lofty, aristocratic image blended with the crisp white suit, creating a clear and pure atmosphere on his refined face.

Cha Dokyyung, guided by a staff member, walked into the waiting room where Hyun Serin was getting ready. Hyun Serin, as the star of the party and the brand’s CEO, looked more daring and glamorous than ever before.

“You look pretty, today……”

To Cha Dokyung’s affectionate compliment, Hyun Serin responded with a word of thanks and a cheerful, vibrant laugh.

“Oppa, you look exactly like your old self dressed like that. This outfit, doesn’t it remind you of when we were in school?”

Hyun Serin, unable to contain her excitement, poured out memories of the past.

“Oppa, you always looked good in a school uniform, even back in our school days. Everyone was wearing the same boring clothes, but it was like there was a halo shining on Cha Dokyung.”

Hyun Serin began to laugh to herself, as if lost in memories. The sound of her cheerful laughter, which revealed her uvula, was always bright and pleasant to hear.

“Do you remember? Kids from neighboring schools would even come over to get a look at oppa. I had to line them up and tell them not to take pictures because it was a violation of your portrait rights……. I’ve been playing the role of oppa’s manager since then. I had the hardest time managing the people around the popular Cha Dokyung since we were young.”

“Was that so. I don’t think I was particularly popular……”

Hyun Serin replied with a dumbfounded look on her face.

“Look at this. This, this is Cha Dokyung being so damn clueless about himself.”

“It’s true. I have almost no memory of being confessed to when I was in school.”

“Don’t you know that Cha Dokyung was like a sanctuary among us? The entire student body had a secret crush on you, so they made a pact not to touch you, which is probably why no one had the courage to confess.”

Hyun Serin added with a look of resignation, shaking her head from side to side.

“Right, forget it. It’s actually a relief that oppa became a celebrity. I told you, right? Now that your good looks are officially recognized, I feel less frustrated……”

From birth through our school days, we shared many memories.

Serin, ever since she was a very young little girl, would often play tomboyish pranks like putting makeup on my face or playing with my hair, and sometimes I think that play has continued into business now that we are over thirty.

The sound of the lively little girl’s giggling laughter is unforgettable. Cha Dokyung neither looked serious nor disliked it. Rather, if someone in front of me was laughing so hard that their uvula was showing, I thought that was good enough for me too. Perhaps that was why I ended up becoming an actor and a celebrity like this.

“So, all you two have to do is escort me from both sides and walk to the platform. To the photo line here.”

However, the other person who was supposed to escort Hyun Serin was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is Jaehwi?”

“The event got bigger than expected, so I guess he isn’t pleased about getting a lot of media spotlight. Still, he promised me with his own mouth that he would make a deal with me, so he wouldn’t go back on his word. I don’t know about other things, but Hyun Jaehwi, he always keeps his promises.”

“……”

“I dragged him here myself, so he’ll be up soon.”

Hyun Jaehwi, guided by a staff member, entered the waiting room where Cha Dokyung was sitting alone.

I found myself unconsciously looking the magnificently dressed Hyun Jaehwi up and down, realizing that he was the true protagonist of this event.

In contrast to myself, who was wearing a white suit, Hyun Jaehwi was wearing a black suit, a formal tailoring of the classic Ivy look. Cha Dokyung looked back and forth between him and me and realized that this was a set outfit designed with a black and white concept.

His long, stretched-out body line like a model’s, his broad and thick shoulders and chest, and his sensual silhouette were concealed by the restrained form of a neat preppy suit, but the sexiness of his physique could never be hidden.

He possessed all the qualities that women or omegas would go crazy for. He was a perfect alpha whose beautiful and complete pheromones hidden inside that shell could be imagined on their own without being revealed.

It was understandable that Yeom Taejung was interested in him, saying he felt a strong intuition. Chairman Yeom is a person who is intoxicated with his own superior aesthetic sense for discerning what is beautiful and complete, and his own special talent for finding diamonds, rather than wealth or power.

The ascetic yet carnal, the elegant yet pure, the beautiful yet strong, the incomplete yet complete. The aesthetic that Yeom Taejung pursued was precisely the harmony and compatibility of such things.

In that respect, Hyun Jaehwi was a figure who perfectly matched the aesthetic that Yeom Taejung pursued. The man, in whom the face of a boy and the face of an adult man were harmonized, was a perfect mixture of the beautiful and the strong, the incomplete and the complete, in a restrained form.

Cha Dokyung, who had risen from his seat, approached him and offered a cheerful greeting. As if they had perfectly returned to being people between whom nothing had happened.

“Hello, it’s been a while.”

I had only offered a greeting, but I couldn’t help my voice from trembling subtly.

“You look really magnificent today.”

His heavy, low-pitched voice resonated pleasantly through the space.

“……You too, hyung.”

When Cha Dokyung extended his hand, asking for a handshake without hesitation with a pleased look on his face, Hyun Jaehwi seemed to hesitate for a moment.

But soon, as if he had made up his mind, he did not refuse. The large man’s hand took Cha Dokyung’s pale and elegant one. An awkward and subtle current flowed between the two as their hands were joined in a handshake.

He held onto my hand without a word, staring at me as if to pierce through me with his deep gaze.

As the handshake grew longer, Cha Dokyung became flustered and tried to pull his hand away first, but Hyun Jaehwi gripped his hand again with frightening strength, preventing Cha Dokyung from pulling it away.

“Haah, my hand… let go.”

The sensation of our skin touching was so sharp it felt like a cut.

And at that moment, a strange sound escaped Cha Dokyung’s lips.

“……Ah!”

A current-like sensation coursed through my palm, so electrifying for a moment. It wasn’t an electric shock, nor was it a cramp. It was a sensation of something being deeply sucked in. The feeling in the palm of my hand, something I had never felt before in my life, was so unfamiliar and strange that I let out a sound from my mouth without realizing it.

What on earth was that strange sensation?

Cha Dokyung asked Hyun Jaehwi with a puzzled look.

“Really, you didn’t feel anything?”

“Not at all……”

But what was stranger than that unfamiliar sensation was Hyun Jaehwi’s sudden change in attitude.

The fleeting, brief expression Hyun Jaehwi had made as he let go of my tightly gripped hand was unforgettable. He was clearly wearing a very dirty and unpleasant expression.

He looked at Cha Dokyung and turned grimly serious.

His cool face showed not even a hint of a faint smile. I could not understand the meaning of that frigid gaze.

However, Cha Dokyung did not probe further into what it meant.

After the handshake, Hyun Jaehwi did not exchange any more words with Cha Dokyung. He even gave me the cold shoulder, not sparing me even a shred of a glance.

Hyun Jaehwi was treating me as if I wasn’t there. It was a 180-degree change in attitude from how he had been until now, when he had been the one to confess first and clamor for my attention.

Before entering, Hyun Serin and Hyun Jaehwi did not seem to have reached an agreement. Hyun Serin had cornered Hyun Jaehwi and was earnestly requesting something, but Hyun Jaehwi stood crookedly, displaying an uncooperative attitude as if displeased. It was the first time I had seen the bold Hyun Serin, who seemed to fear nothing in the world, be flustered by someone.

Hyun Serin seemed to be somewhat excited with rising tension just before their entrance. As the party music changed, the two men stood side by side, with Hyun Serin at the center.

Cha Dokyung is very accustomed to escorting female partners at award ceremonies or events and standing before a crowd. But Hyun Jaehwi was different. Cha Dokyung stole a sideways glance to see if he was nervous about standing in front of people.

Hyun Jaehwi showed no signs of nervousness whatsoever. Rather, he looked bored and displeased with the situation, like someone who had been forcibly pushed onto the stage.

As if he had sensed Cha Dokyung’s gaze, Hyun Jaehwi turned his head toward my side. Soon, my eyes met his pitch-black ones. However, unlike other times, he coldly ignored Cha Dokyung’s gaze and simply stared straight ahead indifferently. The sharp bridge of his nose and his handsome side profile felt particularly cruel today.

However, Cha Dokyung did not mind it much either.

I did not want to care about what kind of attitude Hyun Jaehwi showed me. It was not my place to react one by one to the whims of a twenty-six-year-old man that changed dozens of times a day.

Now I remembered. This was why I hated doing that thing with immature young men.

With Hyun Serin, the CEO and art director of ‘HLV’, at the center, two dazzlingly magnificent men walked alongside her on either side.

As the three of them stood at the photo line, flashes went off rapidly, and all eyes in the party hall were focused on them on the platform. With a microphone in hand, Hyun Serin started with a greeting and prattled on about something, but none of the words reached Cha Dokyung’s ears.

At Hyun Serin’s introduction, the crowd’s attention turned to Hyun Jaehwi all at once. However, Hyun Jaehwi still wore an indifferent and cold-blooded expression even in this situation.

His cynical and arrogant attitude, unable to muster a single sociable smile, suited the sexy suit Hyun Jaehwi was wearing so absurdly well it was irritating. As if, even this was part of Hyun Serin’s plan.

Hyun Serin’s impactful and concise introduction, microphone in hand, came to an end. The celebrities and high-society figures gathered in the party hall sent cheers of congratulations and welcoming applause toward Hyun Jaehwi, Hyun Serin’s younger brother who had returned to the country after ten years.

Amid the pouring hospitality and cheers, Cha Dokyung naturally turned and applauded toward Hyun Jaehwi, putting on a hypocritical smile. Unlike that immature child who acted however he pleased, Cha Dokyung professionally wore a mask and congratulated him with the skilled demeanor of an actor.

When their eyes met as Cha Dokyung turned, Hyun Jaehwi, completely oblivious to the countless gazes pouring down on them, sneered at Cha Dokyung insolently with his cool eyes.

Amid the pouring cheers and applause, he let out an arrogant scoff and, loud enough for me to hear but quiet enough for others not to, muttered toward me.

“Hypocrite.”

Right, this is not a coincidence.

It was from after we shook hands. From the very moment I felt that indescribable, current-like sensation in my palm, Hyun Jaehwi had shown his displeasure, blatantly ignoring me and not even treating me like a person.

At the word ‘hypocrite,’ Cha Dokyung, whose expression had momentarily stiffened on stage, was dumbfounded and speechless. I simply could not understand this ridiculous situation.

What the fuck… I don’t know what I’m doing with this little kid.

The crowd in the party hall showed intense interest and curiosity toward Hyun Jaehwi, the youngest son of ‘HK Group’ who had been veiled in secrecy until now.

The crowd began to chant that they wanted to hear Hyun Jaehwi’s voice. As the cheers grew louder, Hyun Serin naturally handed the microphone she was holding to Hyun Jaehwi.

However, in that moment, Hyun Jaehwi simply bowed politely without a single word. With an unimpressed, cold face, he immediately turned his back on the platform and walked away.

He then strode away without hesitation and arbitrarily exited the stage.

His exit, with his height of over one hundred and ninety centimeters and his astonishingly perfect proportions, was like the performance of a real model presenting a show. People’s gazes and heads followed his retreating figure, which showcased a perfect suit fit.

The party hall crowd, mistaking it for a performance, was engulfed in a bewildered silence for a moment when he actually disappeared from the stage in an impromptu exit.

Cha Dokyung froze in place with a pale face. Ruining an event or a show was a bold and ruffian-like act that someone like me, a celebrity, could not even dream of. He must be a crazy bastard who fears nothing in the world.

However, Hyun Serin was not at all flustered by Hyun Jaehwi’s sudden exit. It was as if she had anticipated such a situation. Like the queen of the party and the queen of the social scene that she was, she smoothed over the situation with skillful improvisation.

“Well then, since we don’t have time, let’s start the party.”

As the trendy and fantastic beat began to pound, no one cared about Hyun Jaehwi’s exit. Hyun Serin, escorted by Cha Dokyung until the end, exited the stage with a haughty stride.

“Do you know what he said? That this is the first and last time he’ll participate in my childish doll play.”

“……”

“That arrogant bastard, it was a real struggle for me just to beg and plead to get him here! He insisted until the end that he would only show his face on stage and leave, and in the end, he left on his own as he pleased.”

“……It was impressive enough.”

Cha Dokyung had calmly and leisurely watched all the blatant gazes from the crowd, mixed with curiosity and desire, asking about his identity from the moment he appeared. In any case, his presence was overwhelming with just an appearance without a single word. Even if he left as he pleased without saying anything, Hyun Jaehwi would have already been imprinted more intensely than anyone else tonight in the memories of the people gathered here.

At the after-party that followed, Cha Dokyung, feeling fatigued by the clamorous atmosphere and the approach of countless people, took refuge inside a quiet VIP booth in a corner of the party hall.

A headache washed over me and I started to feel dizzy, but as the hired commercial model for ‘HLV’, I had to faithfully fulfill my duty to stay at the brand promotion party until the end.

Cha Dokyung took a long drag of a cigarette in the quiet smoking area connected to the booth, then took a short rest and came out of the booth. Then, the loud beat once again struck my eardrums noisily.

Chairman Yeom, dressed neatly in a suit, approached Cha Dokyung’s side holding a champagne glass as if he had been waiting.

“The picture looked good, didn’t it?”

“……”

“A natural-born talent is a natural-born talent, for sure.”

“……”

“The moment you and that family’s young master appeared, people were pulling out their phones, reporters were busy pressing their shutters, and women were screaming. It was absolute chaos, I tell you.”

“……”

“It seems to have become quite the issue here and there already…… The reaction is hot, look at this.”

Chairman Yeom shoved the two-shot photo of Cha Dokyung and Hyun Jaehwi, which had been posted on social media and in articles in real-time, in front of me.

Chairman Yeom was the type to meticulously brief the celebrities under his agency on what he had monitored. The fact that he still took care of detailed monitoring and remained practically competent was a fact acknowledged by everyone in the industry and also the reason he was the best producer. Yeom Taejung was a workaholic who lived and breathed for his work, to the extent that he hadn’t married yet due to his workload.

“The brilliant outfit concept of matching in black and white, and the visual chemistry between you two was perfect. Look, the comments are all about that. Saying you two look frighteningly good together.”

“……”

“Fuck, look at the level of these comments…… What, since it’s black and white, a wedding?”

Chairman Yeom observed the silent Cha Dokyung’s reaction with a persistent gaze. As if he were deliberately trying to test my reaction.

“Look here, see how Hyun Serin deliberately left you two standing side by side at this timing for the reporters to take pictures and then slipped back herself. I’m telling you, this girl’s cunning is no joke.”

“……”

“Hyun Serin must have intended this too. Pictures and videos of Hyun Jaehwi will spread all over the internet by riding on your fame as a top star.”

In the party hall where conversation was difficult due to the loud, pounding beat, Chairman Yeom showed the photo on his phone and continued to whisper the contents of his monitoring into Cha Dokyung’s ear.

Cha Dokyung had been well aware for a while now that Hyun Jaehwi was watching from a distance as Yeom Taejung, a man with a larger build than me, pressed up close and whispered in my ear.

It was impossible not to know. With his tall height that was recognizable at a glance from anywhere and that distinctive frame, he was surprisingly conspicuous even from a distance due to his extraordinary presence, and that was the same for others’ eyes, not just Cha Dokyung’s.

Hyun Jaehwi stood opposite them, staring intently at Cha Dokyung and Chairman Yeom.

Cha Dokyung no longer wanted to care about or play along with the whims of that twenty-six-year-old boy.

Just a moment ago he was insolently ignoring me, and now he was looking at me unabashedly with a composed and shameless gaze, not even conscious of other people’s stares.

Cha Dokyung took the champagne glass Yeom Taejung handed him and downed it in one go.

“What’s gotten into you? To actually accept and drink what I give you?”

“……”

“You used to say you would never, ever drink alcohol I give you, saying it might be drugged.”

Cha Dokyung, who would normally have pushed him away saying that just having him close gave him the creeps, was now pointedly letting Chairman Yeom press in close as if for show.

Yeom Taejung no longer possessed the coercive authority he once used to control my younger self and monitor me with suffocating detail.

Now, the situation was completely reversed.

For several years, in order to somehow avoid losing the top star Cha Dokyung, he had tried to win my sympathy by acting pitiful and pathetic toward me, adopting a concept of trying to get on my good side. Cha Dokyung knew very well that it was all a detestable act and a cheap trick.

Since both he and I had deceived the media and the public for ten years about the fact that we were omegas, there was no clear way for either of us to declare the end of this business relationship.

I too cannot deny that we are in the same boat. However, Yeom Taejung was extremely concerned that Cha Dokyung would sink this ship. In other words, Cha Dokyung could now finally stand on top of Yeom Taejung.

In the distance, people began to flock around Hyun Jaehwi. Numerous celebrities and famous personalities were busy surrounding him and offering welcoming greetings. But Hyun Jaehwi seemed to have no interest whatsoever in petty socializing or superficial connections.

Hyun Jaehwi, standing tall alone, did not offer a proper word or even one of his pretty smiles to the people, his face bored and indifferent.

Until now, I had thought of Hyun Jaehwi as a guy who was generous with his laughter. When I thought of Hyun Jaehwi, the first thing that came to mind was the insanely beautiful eye smile he made with those picturesque, handsome eyes. His smiling face was pretty. The sight of him smiling refreshingly like a boy in front of me with that handsome face of his was heart-flutteringly fresh.

But now, even that smile felt like a complete, false act. His expressionless face, viewed from a distance, was as perfect as a drawing, but it was so cool and sharp that he did not feel human.

The unsmiling, expressionless Hyun Jaehwi had an unapproachable, cold-blooded atmosphere and a cold, intelligent impression. He wore the face of an arrogant man who had become an adult, as if he had revealed his true colors. The pitiful boy who had begged me, saying if I was going to sleep with another alpha anyway, to do it with him, was nowhere to be found.

As Hyun Jaehwi maintained a cold and arrogant attitude and did not even deign to answer questions, the women and omegas who had instantly surrounded him began to leave one by one. The people gathered here were all famous celebrities or high-society figures who had no reason to feel inferior to others. There was no reason for those prideful people to swallow their pride and go out of their way to beg from Hyun Jaehwi, whom they were seeing for the first time today.

Hyun Jaehwi, who had been looking this way since a while ago with an aggressive gaze that did not fear collision, looked back and forth between Chairman Yeom, who was chattering ceaselessly into my ear, and me, and finally, began to walk toward me from a distance.

Even in the midst of this, Cha Dokyung showed an elegant and gentle smile to the officials and fashion industry figures who were offering him glasses of alcohol. Whatever the private circumstances, in official public settings, I was on the gentle and polite side. This was especially true for people related to my work.

In this narrow industry where all opportunities are given based on minor connections and reputation, there was no need to do something stupid like being judged as arrogant by people or being disliked.

Although I grew up in a fairly affluent environment with my father being a hospital director, unlike someone else, I was not born with enough wealth and power to be naturally arrogant and cocky.

The deep, cool eyes approaching from a distance were fixed intently on Cha Dokyung, who was responding to people with a gentle and dazzling smile.

Chairman Yeom notified Cha Dokyung that Hyun Jaehwi was getting closer and closer by tapping his shoulder.