Liu, who had kissed his temple, whispered without pulling his lips away. His hands, which had been wrapped around his waist, lightly interlocked their fingers at his side, enclosing Yeehyeon within them.
As this wasn’t a formal party, that level of physical contact—no, even more than that—was not uncommon. Recalling last year’s experience, heavy foreplay just short of sex was set to unfold in various corners of the exhibition hall within the next hour.
But because he had rarely shown that they were a couple in front of others, Yeehyeon felt his body keep tensing up. No, it was more likely a matter of his personality.
“Think of it like it’s just the two of us. No one is paying attention.”
His whisper was sweet. He didn’t want Liu to notice the light shiver that ran down the back of his neck from the refreshing breath tickling his cheek, the chest pressed against his shoulder, and the gentle, low voice.
But… Liu’s words that no one was paying attention weren’t true. Not only Jun, but even the free-spirited Ben kept glancing their way.
“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt your conversation….”
“……”
Yeehyeon turned his head to the left, where the voice had come from.
Someone carefully stepped into the frame of the two-on-two formation where Ben and Jun faced Yeehyeon and Liu. It was a couple, a man and a woman who looked to be in their early thirties, around Liu’s age.
Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned toward them, and Liu’s body pulled back from Yeehyeon’s to some extent.
“You’re Yeehyeon of the ‘Colorful Ghosts’ series, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m a fan of your work.”
“Ah… Hello. Thank you.”
As they shook hands, Yeehyeon’s ears turned bright red. The nape of his neck, half-exposed beneath his hair that had grown longer since he first left Seoul, was also red, as if irritated by the sun.
Liu, who had been quietly gazing down at Yeehyeon’s reddened ear and neck, now turned his gaze to Ben and Jun. As it was not an uncommon sight to see Yeehyeon get shy when meeting fans, the two were trying hard to hold back their laughter.
The remaining three and the couple also briefly introduced themselves, but the conversation naturally centered around the couple and Yeehyeon.
“To be honest, we’ve been to many exhibitions here and there, but we’d never thought about purchasing art until now. Our financial situation wasn’t stable enough for that. But the first painting we ever felt we wanted to hang in our living room was your work, Yeehyeon.”
Hearing the woman’s words, Yeehyeon didn’t show a strong reaction, but the soft gasp that escaped his slightly parted lips showed that he was quite moved.
“Your works are so popular that we’ve missed every chance to acquire one, but we always make sure to visit the gallery to see them whenever you release a new piece. We personally loved your most recent work so much that we came to see it nearly ten times during the exhibition period.”
“I’m so happy to hear that. Really… thank you.”
The two, who had introduced themselves as ordinary office workers at an architecture firm, shared their personal and honest impressions of Yeehyeon’s work. Yeehyeon listened more seriously than when he read the reviews in famous art magazines, which were rife with pedantic expressions of ambiguous meaning. The people he wanted to converse with through his paintings were on the streets, in his neighborhood, rather than in magazines.
“We’ve been living together for seven years and plan to get married next year. Our goal is to hang one of your works in the new house we’ll be moving into, so please wish us luck.”
“Wow… Congratulations on your marriage.”
At Yeehyeon’s words, the two looked at each other with a dazed expression, as if they had received an unexpected blessing. The woman took her boyfriend’s hand and smiled brightly.
“We’ve been together for so long that the decision just came about naturally, so we didn’t really think of it as something to be congratulated for… but being congratulated by you feels nice.”
At her pleasant smile, Yeehyeon suddenly became conscious of Liu standing beside him.
That summer when he had gone to Hong Kong on a business trip. He, who had felt envious of Inwoo’s painting being chosen by a family, was now facing this grateful moment. It was a future he could never have imagined in the days when he tried to swallow his silence with more silence next to his father. He knew well that he hadn’t come this far on his talent alone.
Feeling a hand gently placed on his shoulder, he turned to see Liu looking at him with a smile even softer than his touch.
“Take your time talking. I’ll go get you some more wine.”
Naturally taking Yeehyeon’s empty glass from his hand, Liu was about to turn away when his eyes met Ben’s.
“Being a superstar’s lover is an inherently lonely role. Yeehyeon is practically the face of ‘The Hands’ right now.”
Liu gave a short smile back at the laughing Ben and quickly left the group.
He set the empty glass down at the bar, which had been temporarily set up in a corner for the party, and perched on a high stool. Since only one type of wine was available, he asked for a glass from the bar staff, who seemed nervous and unused to this kind of work.
While waiting for the wine, he rested his elbow on the bar, cupping his chin with one hand, and leaned forward. Then he turned his head to look over his shoulder. Yeehyeon’s back and profile appeared and disappeared among the stylishly dressed crowd.
Liu watched Yeehyeon, who looked much more comfortable than before, laughing and talking with people who cherished his work. When he was told his wine was ready, he turned his head forward again.
And then, he downed half the wine in one go, as if it were beer.
He didn’t know how Yeehyeon felt, but he regretted his own awkward actions since arriving here. On the surface, he thought there was nothing strange about it, and that it wasn’t even on the bold side, especially here in Paris, but Yeehyeon still seemed to find physical contact in front of others awkward.
He had felt an anxious need to leave a clear impression on the people around Yeehyeon, and on the kid in the next room who had audaciously expressed his interest in him.
To admit it plainly, it was a childish desire… to prove and show off the depth and seriousness of their relationship to them.
But there was another reason for his uncharacteristic behavior, a reason that still made his throat burn with tension even after leaving the group.
Licking his lips once, Liu fumbled at the chest of his suit jacket, confirming the bulk inside. Then he drained the remaining half of the wine.
Before he could even set the glass down, he felt a hand gently stroking his shoulder from behind.
“I’m sorry. I’m the one who invited you….”
Liu shook his head as he set down the glass. He swiveled the stool, which was designed to rotate, and gently took both of Yeehyeon’s hands, who was standing in front of him with an apologetic expression. He caressed his fingernails with his thumbs.
“I can’t complain this much when my boyfriend is a superstar.”
Yeehyeon’s expression finally relaxed, and he let out a chuckle as he hopped onto the stool beside him.
Two new glasses of wine were served, and the two sat close enough for their shoulders to touch as they clinked their glasses.
“Why do I love the word ‘boyfriend’ so much? I said that just dating didn’t feel like enough… but this is separate from that.”
At the sight of Liu’s profile as he spoke with a serious expression, as if sighing while looking into the air, Yeehyeon smiled and fiddled with the thin stem of his wine glass.
“In Hong Kong… that man from Amsterdam who asked to exchange email addresses. Do you remember what you said to him?”
“That… wasn’t something I said consciously because of you, it was just in the moment!”
Even though Liu hadn’t particularly intended to tease him, Yeehyeon’s face instantly flushed red. Liu found his honest reaction adorable.
“I know.”
“……”
“How could I not know that you’re not the type to be so cunningly calculating about things like that.”
Liu slyly intertwined his fingers with Yeehyeon’s hand that was toying with the wine glass.
“I knew, and I still liked it.”
“……”
“I was mistaken for someone’s boyfriend… but why didn’t I feel displeased or uncomfortable, and instead, felt good….”
A pleasant smile spread across Liu’s lips as if recalling the emotions of that time. His blue eyes turned to Yeehyeon. Today, his eyes were like the sea on a calm day.
“Actually, it wasn’t just that I felt good… I suddenly felt like I could fly.”
“I didn’t know….”
“I didn’t know back then either.”
Liu extended the arm on the side touching Yeehyeon and placed his hand on his shoulder, as if just dropping it there. The weight of his toned arm and large hand was heavy. His hand moved up his shoulder to gently massage the back of his neck as Liu gazed deeply into Yeehyeon’s eyes.
“To fall head over heels for a temporary part-timer that Manager Han brought in, to do crazy things so unlike me… and for him to become a presence that would change me as a person and the entire direction of my life like this.”
Behind them, people were cheering along with the rising mood of the high-beat music being played by the DJ that Yuni had been introduced to by Michelle, but at this close distance, where their shoulders and knees brushed, they could only see each other’s faces.
His gaze meticulously tracing Yeehyeon’s face, he tilted his head a little more and gently swept his lower lip over Yeehyeon’s, from top to bottom.
“It’s a little… earlier than planned, but shall we sneak out now?”
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