Chapter 20. You Don’t Have… Feelings For Me, Right? (3)

Translator: Lili

Holding up his phone, Gyuha adjusted the angle to capture the concert venue’s exterior. After hearing the satisfying click of the shutter, he quickly sent the photo to someone. His face couldn’t hide his grin. The phone buzzed with several immediate replies.

—— Why are you rubbing it in? ㅠㅠ ——

—— At least show me your face, jeez hahaha ——

—— Ugh, I should be the one there. ——

The picture of the band members’ faces blown up on a huge banner was enough to send Chanwoong, a die-hard fan, into hysterics. Sensing this golden opportunity, Gyuha grinned and continued teasing him mercilessly.

“Enter now!”

The staff’s loud announcement broke through the crowd’s chatter. The thought of finally seeing his favorite band live sent a thrill through him.

As he shuffled forward with the line, his phone buzzed again. Glancing at the screen, he saw ‘Cha-dog’ pop up as the caller ID.

“What is it?”

— Where are you?

“I’m at the concert. Why?”

Instead of answering, another question came.

— Have you gone in yet?

“Not yet. I’m still in line.”

— Show your ticket to the staff. You can enter without waiting, but I forgot to tell you earlier.

“How do you forget something like that?”

Though he grumbled out of habit, he felt a sense of relief. Quickly stepping out of the line, a thought struck him.

“Wait… are you here too?”

— I’ve been here for a while. When you get in, head to the stairs on the far left by the entrance. There’s somewhere we need to go together.

“Alright. Hanging up.”

Putting away his phone, Gyuha strode toward the front. When he showed his ticket, the staff kindly directed him to the opposite entrance, explaining it was for priority access. The venue was massive, and the journey to the other entrance felt annoyingly long. Just as he began regretting leaving the line, the other door finally came into view.

As promised, the ticket granted him immediate entry. Once inside, Gyuha scanned the area briefly before heading to the staircase on the left. Sure enough, Chayoung stood there, arms crossed. He raised a hand in greeting when their eyes met.

“You’re here?”

A look of mild annoyance crossed Gyuha’s face as he noticed their contrasting outfits. While he was in jeans and a hoodie, Chayoung was dressed to the nines in a three-piece suit, looking like he had just stepped out of a high-end fashion shoot.

“Did you come straight from work?”

“Partly. I’m here for business reasons too. Let’s go up.”

As Chayoung started climbing the stairs, Gyuha quickly spoke up,

“Where are we going?”

“To meet someone you like.”

‘Someone I like…?’

A crease formed between his brows, but an idea suddenly dawned on him.

“Don’t tell me… it’s Tony?”

“Yep.”

With a casual smile, Chayoung confirmed his suspicion and glanced at his watch,

“We’re running out of time. Let’s go.”

“Wait! Is that even possible?”

Skepticism clouded Gyuha’s face. Meeting the band members was a privilege reserved for a lucky few, often through raffles. Personal meetings were nearly unheard of unless you had significant connections or influence.

“It’s possible. My company organized the event.”

The more Chayoung spoke, the less sense it made. Though he knew which company Chayoung worked for, it didn’t seem like one that would be involved in such an event.

“Your company does things like this?”

“It’s a promotional event. I’ll explain later. For now, let’s go.”

After another glance at his watch, Chayoung led the way up the stairs. Still puzzled but intrigued, Gyuha followed.

***

Later that night, sitting across from each other at a small pub, they clinked glasses. While Gyuha downed his soju in one go, Chayoung sipped leisurely, scanning the room. Curious about the rare sight of him in such a casual setting, Gyuha asked,

“You come to places like this?”

“Only because of that bear.”

“Bear?”

“Park Chanwoong.”

After the encore-filled concert finally ended close to 11 PM, the two had decided to grab a bite. Still high on adrenaline from the show, Gyuha devoured the food with enthusiasm, while Chayoung remained composed, barely touching his drink or food.

“Not drinking?”

“I am.”

Despite his words, he only took small sips, prompting Gyuha to comment,

“Too fancy for soju, huh?”

“It’s not that. Strong alcohol doesn’t sit well with me.”

“Then get beer or something.”

Before he could respond, Gyuha waved down the waiter and ordered a beer for him. Watching him, Chayoung chuckled softly.

The contrast between the ecstatic Gyuha he saw at the concert and the current, more relaxed version amused him. The man had been like an unleashed fanboy earlier, a stark contrast to the typically reserved VIP audience around him.

“What are you grinning about?”

“Just glad I didn’t waste that ticket.”

“Waste it? Are you nuts? Throw away something so rare?”

“Exactly. That’s why I gave it to you.”

“You’d be dead if you hadn’t.”

As Gyuha munched on his food, he couldn’t help but smile, his face glowing with satisfaction. After all, earlier that evening, he’d not only witnessed La Flat live but also met the band members in person, thanks to Chayoung.

While munching on his food, Gyuha couldn’t help but smile, his expression softening without realizing it. And how could it not be? Before the concert began, he had followed Chayoung to the backstage lounge and had the surreal experience of meeting the members of La Flat in person.

But that wasn’t even the most unbelievable part. When Chayoung said something rapid in English to Tony, the main vocalist, he stood up with a bright smile and extended his hand for a handshake. Although the only word he managed to catch was ‘thank you’, thanks to Chayoung volunteering as a translator, communication was smooth. Tony, ever the gentleman, even gladly agreed to take photos.

They took photos together, snapped some with the band members, and at the end, Gyuha received a signed CD as a gift for the event.

Walking away after experiencing what felt like the ultimate fan moment, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it had all been a dream. For the first time, the guy who had always been ‘that annoying son of mom’s friend’ seemed a bit different.

***