RB 15

Big eyes and a small face. The bridge of his nose and his lips were carved with smooth lines. Each feature was so delicate that it drew the eye again and again.

If the ill-tempered Choi Yoonho had boasted a flamboyant impression, then Sim Eunho, even with the same face, was a sorrowful beauty. It was probably because of the shadowed look in his eyes.

Even though the features were identical, the expression and personality created a different atmosphere. Seo Taehwa was amazed.

A face like this had to be born. Natural beauty that could not be made by plastic surgery was a gift from God. How low must his self-esteem be to not even realize the strength of his own looks? Seo Taehwa was upset.

“I’m not good at flattery or sugarcoating. My father used to scold me for always saying things straight. And you know, even Yoonho knew his face was pretty, right? He was frustrated he couldn’t use it.”

“……”

“Eunho-ssi, you saw Choi Yoonho’s photo too. You look exactly the same, so belittling your own face sounds like deceit to others.”

Deceit…. Eunho murmured the word he just heard, and Seo Taehwa cupped both his cheeks.

“That means you should use it too. Have confidence! A pretty face is power!”

“…Hyung.”

“Do you think celebrities shoot commercials and get billions for nothing? It’s all the value of their face.”

“I’m not at celebrity level…. Is that also deceit?”

Eunho’s voice grew smaller and smaller. Confidence was not something gained overnight…. He glanced at Taehwa with his brown eyes, gauging his reaction.

“You’ll see. Your face will shine more and more from now on.”

His skin would be made smoother than now, his pale complexion would be restored, and he would be dressed only in expensive, beautiful clothes. Seo Taehwa burned with enthusiasm, going through the future plan in his mind.

Just then, a voice came through the in-ear device he wore. News came that Yeorok had returned.

“Chairman Choi Yeorok just got back, so let’s go show him your changed look.”

“What? Hyung, wait!”

Ignoring Eunho’s protest, Seo Taehwa pulled him along with quick steps. At the entrance of the mansion, about five hundred meters from the annex, a black sedan had just entered.

The back seat door opened, and long legs stepped out. Shiny black shoes touched the ground, and soon a tall figure appeared.

He was meeting Choi Yeorok again after fifteen days, he carried his usual dignity. Eunho stiffened nervously in front of the man he had not seen in a while.

Even when he saw Eunho and Seo Taehwa appear without warning, Yeorok only gave them a flat glance. Eunho lowered his head, wondering if he should greet him, but Seo Taehwa suddenly spoke.

“Chairman, you came early.”

“There may be no one watching, but I would prefer if you refrained from walking around outside.”

“I will be careful. But more than that, please look at our Eunho. Doesn’t he look much better?”

Seo Taehwa pushed Eunho in front of Yeorok. Eunho, stiff like a stick, carefully lifted his head.

“……”

Yeorok’s face showed no particular change. But the way his eyes scanned Eunho’s face was cold enough to chill the bones.

He could not look away from Eunho for a while. There was no weight in his gaze, but Eunho could feel it as his eyes wandered over his face.

It wasn’t tickling, it was stinging. Eunho read the contempt in it and could not open his mouth. He had not expected praise, but he had not expected to meet such a cold gaze either.

“Well? Isn’t he pretty?”

When the silence continued, Seo Taehwa asked again. Only then did Yeorok relax his eyes. As he swept back his bangs, he exhaled a short breath.

“He looks like Choi Yoonho.”

“I will take that as a compliment.”

Seo Taehwa put his left arm across his chest and made an exaggerated bow. Yeorok laughed. His gaze shifted to Eunho standing beside him. Eunho, with his pale face, had not been able to say a single word from the start.

“It’s been a while, Sim Eunho-ssi.”

“…Yes. Have you been well?”

Though the mansion and the annex were within the same walls, meeting Choi Yeorok was not easy. Since putting Eunho in the annex, he had never once come himself. It was like he was keeping a deliberate distance.

“I’m curious how much more you’ll resemble him.”

He murmured in a low voice. A faint smile appeared on his stark face. That smile was captivating enough to seize the eyes of anyone who saw it. It was the same fake smile Eunho had often seen from him.

“Work hard. If you need something, tell Taehwa. He will handle it in my place.”

Without waiting for Eunho’s answer, he left first. Behind him, Secretary Hong quickly followed. Their hurried steps looked busy. Because of that, only the two of them were left in place.

As Eunho blankly watched Yeorok’s back, Seo Taehwa casually draped an arm over his shoulder and patted him lightly.

“He’s cold. He smiles to lure people in, then turns icy like that. It feels disappointing, right?”

“Yes, a little.”

When Eunho honestly spoke his mind, Seo Taehwa gave a bitter smile.

“It can’t be helped. Yeorok dislikes Choi Yoonho. The more you resemble him, the more he will be annoyed. But that means you are becoming more similar, so let’s take it as praise.”

“……”

Eunho bit his lip.

He understood. But he could not get used to how different Chairman Choi Yeorok’s eyes were compared to the first time he looked at him.

No, maybe they had always been the same, and Eunho had been too late to realize because he was swayed by the sweet exterior.

***

Eunho’s days passed quickly. The schedule made by Seo Taehwa was packed from morning to evening, and even after the schedule ended, he had to keep practicing to become left-handed on his own.

And without Yeorok’s permission, he did not step a single foot outside the annex. Seo Taehwa sometimes asked if it wasn’t suffocating, but Eunho shook his head every time.

Life in the annex was wealthier than anything he had ever known. Before, he had lived a monotonous life, going back and forth only between the diner and home. Even if this place felt like a prison, to Eunho it was comfortable.

–Eunho-ssi, are you awake?

As always, at 8 a.m. the radio came on. Eunho, half-asleep, raised his body. These days the hardest part for him was leaving the soft mattress.

“Yes… I’m up. I’ll wash and come out.”

He answered with a drowsy voice, then went into the bathroom attached to the room. On top of the marble sink, lined up neatly, were cleansing products that he had grown familiar with.

After finishing his wash and changing clothes, he stepped outside the room and saw Seo Taehwa waiting. He was dressed neatly in a shirt from early morning.

“Shall we go, young master?”

Eunho laughed at the playful tone. Staying with Seo Taehwa all the time had made him comfortable. Now Eunho laughed more often.

The aesthetic room was one of the annex’s rooms, decorated like a real skincare clinic. Eunho put on a silk gown by himself and lay down on the massage bed in the center.

“Excuse me.”

With a soft voice, the professional’s skin treatment began. Though Seo Taehwa was the only one who lived in the annex, employees like this came and went to care for Eunho.

All of them were contracted by Choi Yeorok. They had gone through strict interviews and signed confidentiality agreements. None of them ever made small talk with Eunho, and he also took their indifference for granted.

After being shone with some unknown machine for a while, a cold gel was applied evenly to his face. While his heated skin was being cooled, both his hands were dipped in paraffin. He had to stay like that for thirty minutes.

With these treatments repeated daily, Eunho’s face and hands became smooth, and the traces of poverty peeled away one by one.

“Ugh, hng!”

But the following meridian massage was a chain of pain. Moans that shouldn’t have been heard in such a luxurious room kept coming out. To loosen the hardened muscles and fix his bent posture, Eunho’s body was being pressed and twisted like a rag being wrung out.

Today it hurt too much, so Eunho lifted his waist while lying on his stomach. His breathing was ragged, and sweat soaked the back of his neck.

“Ah, ugh… it hurts.”

“Fweeet our young master’s voice is too sexy.”

Seo Taehwa whistled. Sitting on a wooden chair beside the massage bed, watching over him, Taehwa paid no attention to Eunho’s pleas and stayed focused only on his tablet PC.

Even if it looked pitiful, nothing could be done. Change always came with pain.

Crack, crack, the sound of bones being adjusted echoed, and the moans continued for a long time. When the hellish meridian massage ended, Eunho, drenched in sweat, nearly collapsed as he came down from the bed.