Side Story 3

Hyemi’s face was blurred, so her exact identity wasn’t revealed. But her acquaintances could easily recognize her.

“Hey, is this really you?”

“…”

Yuri tapped Hyemi and held out her phone. Hyemi furrowed her brow slightly and pressed her lips together. Since she neither denied nor confirmed it, Yuri was sure it was true and gaped.

“Oh my god, when did you start seeing Damon? Do you even know who Damon is?”

“I do. He’s a model.”

“Hey, he’s not just a model—he’s a huge deal! He’s one of the hottest models right now. Almost everyone knows him!”

“…Is he that popular?”

“Yes, you silly!”

Yuri slapped Hyemi’s shoulder. Hyemi, looking serious, clicked on the article trending on the portal site. The headline announced Damon’s very first scandal in bold letters.

“No wonder people kept staring at us in the café yesterday…”

People had kept staring even after Hyemi stopped crying. She thought it was because Damon was handsome, but it turned out he was famous. As she read through several articles, her phone rang. Damon’s name floated across the screen.

“Gasp, it’s Damon! Hurry, answer it!”

Though Hyemi was the one who should answer, Yuri beside her was even more excited. After hesitating for a moment, Hyemi cautiously picked up.

“Hello?”

– Did your class end?

“Ah, yes. It just finished.”

Hyemi pushed Yuri away as she tried to cling to her.

– Wait for me in front of your school. I’ll pick you up.

“Huh?”

– I’ll be there in five minutes. I love you.

And the call ended abruptly. Hyemi stared blankly at the dark screen. Yuri immediately asked,

“What did he say? Is he coming here?”

“Uh, yeah. He says he’s coming to pick me up…”

“What? No way! I want to wait too!”

“Suit yourself.”

Hyemi answered absentmindedly, tilting her head.

‘Did I ever tell Damon where my school is……?’

Maybe she had mentioned it while half-asleep and just didn’t remember. It felt a bit unsettling, but since it wasn’t that important, she let it go and waited for Damon to arrive. She wanted to be alone, but Yuri kept talking to her, which was annoying. Even worse, all the questions were about Damon, making her even more irritated.

“Ha Yuri, could you stop being so interested in my boyfriend?”

“Oh my, look at you! Do you think I have feelings for him or something? I’m just curious, that’s all!”

Yuri didn’t back down, even when Hyemi scolded her. She was about to ask another question when a pitch-black car stopped in front of them. It was the same car from yesterday. Hyemi slipped out of Yuri’s grasp and waved her hand vigorously.

“See you tomorrow! I’ll message you on KakaoTalk!”

“Huh? Hey! Cha Hyemi!”

Before Yuri could grab her, Hyemi slipped away like an eel and quickly got into the passenger seat. As she fastened her seatbelt and turned her head, she saw Damon wearing sunglasses.

“How did you manage to arrive exactly when school ended?”

“It just happened that way. More importantly, I’m sorry. I was careless.”

“Oh, you mean the article? I’m fine.”

Hyemi giggled and chatted away.

“I didn’t know you were so famous! So, are we dating publicly now? Can I upload pictures of us together on SNS?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want, Hyemi.”

Damon smiled softly, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. Hyemi quickly turned on her camera.

“Then let’s take a picture now. I want to brag!”

Damon obediently took off his sunglasses and pressed close to her. With their cheeks together, anyone would see them as a couple. Hyemi took several photos, grinning as she uploaded them to SNS.

By posting the photos, her personal information would probably be exposed, but she didn’t care. It hadn’t even been a few minutes since she uploaded the photos when her phone buzzed with notifications. Ignoring the flood of hearts and comments, she put her phone back in her bag. Damon asked in a gentle voice,

“Aren’t you hungry? Want to go eat something delicious?”

“Really? Then there’s this amazing regular spot I know. Want to go?”

“Sure.”

Damon nodded without much thought. 

He expected they’d go for pasta or something like that, but Hyemi took him to a restaurant specializing in spicy beef tripe stew.

“……Here?”

“Yes! This place is really good.”

She looked at Damon with sparkling eyes. There was never an option for him to refuse. In the end, Damon followed Hyemi inside. As he entered, everyone’s attention was drawn to him. At first, people stared blankly at his handsome face, but soon realized he was Damon and started whispering amongst themselves.

“Let’s sit here.”

“Okay.”

Damon put his arm around Hyemi’s shoulder and headed to the table. People quickly messaged their friends, bragging that they’d seen Damon’s girlfriend, the same woman who had been trending on portal sites all morning. Then, a friendly middle-aged woman approached Hyemi with a welcoming voice.

“Hyemi, long time no see!”

“Auntie! How have you been?”

Apparently, Hyemi really was a regular—she chatted warmly with the owner. The auntie laughed heartily and tapped Hyemi’s arm.

“He must be your boyfriend? He’s handsome.”

“He is my boyfriend. Auntie, we’ll have the usual, please.”

“Alright, I got it.”

While eating the spicy beef tripe stew, Hyemi discovered something new—Damon couldn’t handle spicy food at all. It didn’t seem that spicy to her, but Damon was really struggling.

“Are you okay? If I’d known you couldn’t eat spicy food, I would’ve taken you somewhere else.”

“It’s fine. They say you get used to spicy food if you eat it often, so I’ll try to eat it more.”

Seeing him say that with his lips red and swollen, Hyemi couldn’t help but smile and gave Damon’s b*tt a playful smack with her palm. His ears turned bright red, clearly embarrassed.

“Oh my, how admirable.”

“…….”

He couldn’t bring himself to say he didn’t like it and just pursed his lips. After that, they wandered around together, taking plenty of photos.

“We’ve taken so many pictures.”

“Well, I’m dating a celebrity, so you’ll have to deal with it! When else will I get to be a superstar too?”

To others, Hyemi’s attitude might seem overly positive. But the real problem was something else.

“Um…… What should we do?”

Hyemi glanced awkwardly outside. After having fun, they arrived near her studio apartment, only to find reporters crowding around, somehow knowing she’d be there. With their big cameras, it was obvious they were waiting for Hyemi. Damon looked troubled, glancing at Hyemi.

“Sorry. I was too complacent. I should’ve blocked the article as soon as it came out.”

“Um…… It’s partly my fault, so don’t blame yourself too much. The article had our faces blurred, but I posted photos on SNS myself.”

Hyemi smiled awkwardly and waved her phone. With all the calls and messages, her phone had already shut down.

She looked outside again, troubled. She needed to go home, but if she got out here, the reporters would immediately swarm her. That would be a nuisance to Damon and to the people nearby. As she was thinking hard about what to do, Damon spoke up.

“Then how about going to an officetel?”

“Oh…… The place you live?”

“No, somewhere else. My own place is probably surrounded by reporters right now.”

Damon naturally started the engine again and turned the car around.

“There’s another place? How many homes do you have?”

“Unfortunately, just two.”

Damon answered with a chuckle. After earning money as a model, the first thing he did was get an officetel for him and Hyemi to live together. He had already furnished it, so there was nothing left to prepare. The wardrobe was stocked, and even the underwear was sorted by color. Hyemi really only needed to bring herself.

“Just stay there until the scandal dies down. Nobody knows about the place—not the reporters, not the modeling agency—so no one will come looking. Of course, you won’t be alone; you’ll be living with me.”

“So we’re living together? I think I need a moment to mentally prepare for that.”

Hyemi joked, winking playfully. Maybe because of her naturally optimistic personality, the situation didn’t feel so serious. First, she figured her parents would be most surprised, so she’d have to contact them once they arrived at the officetel.

“If reporters find out, I’ll take you to school. Get in touch when you’re done.”

“Okay.”

The officetel Damon had prepared wasn’t far from Hyemi’s studio apartment. But it was, as rumored, very expensive. If not for Damon, she would never have even set foot nearby.

Just as he said, the area around the officetel was quiet. Security seemed tight, with guards patrolling everywhere.

“Here’s the card key. You can enter the first floor with your registered fingerprint, and the apartment only opens with the card key, no password.”

“What if I lose it?”

“I’ll deactivate it and get you a new one. So don’t worry.”

The card key was shiny, as if coated with gold. Hyemi swallowed nervously and carefully put it in her wallet. She followed Damon and registered her fingerprint to open the door herself.

“Wow, this is so cool…….”

“You’ll get used to it.”

Damon put his arm around Hyemi’s shoulder and led her inside. In the elevator, he pressed the top floor.

“We’re the only ones living on the top floor, so make yourself comfortable.”

“……How much money do you have?”

“Enough so you’ll never have to work for the rest of your life.”

He leaned down and kissed her cheek repeatedly. Their eyes met, and without anyone prompting, their lips touched. Fortunately, no one else got on the elevator until it reached the top.