“Hyung, I’ll just run in and grab it real quick.”Spotting the familiar signboard, Gun-soo hurriedly pulled over to the side of the road and unbuckled his seat belt. There was still plenty of time before the appointment, but knowing how Lee Seo-eul always liked to arrive at least thirty minutes early, he felt unnecessarily anxious.And today wasn’t just any day.It was the pre-meeting for Best Friend X Swap—the very show that Lee Seo-eul would be appearing on.Determined not to be late under any circumstances, he was about to dash out like a bullet when Seo-eul, sitting in the passenger seat, unbuckled his own belt and spoke up. His hand moved habitually to open the glove compartment and pull out a cap and mask.“I’ll come with you.”“Eh, it’s fine, hyung—”“I just want to get some fresh air too.”Before Gun-soo could stop him, Seo-eul had already opened the door. “Knew it,” Gun-soo muttered with a little groan and quickly followed after him. Trailing behind as Seo-eul pushed open the café door, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.You don’t even like crowded places.All they needed to do was pick up the order since it was already reserved, but Seo-eul always found some excuse to tag along.Simple errands like this were part of a manager’s job, but Seo-eul clearly found it uncomfortable to make others do them for him. Even the fact that he sat in the passenger seat instead of the back said something about his character. While Gun-soo was grinning at that thought, Seo-eul was already up at the counter, speaking with an employee.Ah, crap.Realizing too late, Gun-soo rushed over—but the moment had already passed. The employee, having confirmed the name on the order, disappeared into the kitchen. Left standing there, Gun-soo awkwardly shuffled next to Seo-eul.Inside the bright display case, an array of seasonal fruit tarts sat like miniature works of art.“Wow, how did you even get a reservation here, hyung? I heard it’s nearly impossible these days.”Even someone like him, who wasn’t remotely interested in food, had heard about it.After a famous foodie influencer posted one photo, this place had exploded in popularity—people said getting a reservation was like scoring idol concert tickets. He’d even seen a friend brag about managing to book it once, proudly posting a picture of a tart.But Seo-eul only replied calmly.“How else? I spammed refresh right when they opened.”“Wow… I could never do that. You don’t even use OnStar or social media, but you always know what’s trending!”“Sa-heon brought it as a gift once. We ate it together—it was good.”“Whoa. As expected of you, hyung…”“There’s one for you too, so you can share it later.”“What? Really…?”Gun-soo’s head whipped around so fast it nearly made a sound. Seo-eul was thoughtful as always, but this time it hit him differently—it felt oddly touching. His eyes lit up unconsciously as Seo-eul casually glanced over the menu and said,“Yeah. You like this stuff.”“Yes! I love it.”Actually, he didn’t. Just like Seo-eul—or maybe even more so—Heo Gun-soo didn’t care about food at all. Still, he lied without batting an eye, lips barely moistening. It wasn’t entirely a lie, though—he did like anything Seo-eul gave him. Smiling sweetly, he leaned his head playfully against Seo-eul’s shoulder.“I’m gonna follow you forever, hyung… Make me your servant for life… I swear I’ll give it my all.”“Hmm, Gun-soo… ‘Servant’ usually refers to a female attendant. And also…”“I don’t care! Ah, wait—would you be uncomfortable if I were a girl?”“……”“Would we get a scandal then…?”Would we, really…? Seo-eul gave him a sidelong glance and shut his mouth with a faint smile. The look said there were at least three things he could correct about that nonsense, but in the end, he just quietly laughed.Maybe because it was just too ridiculous.While he tilted his head, the employee returned carrying two boxes of tarts and a single takeaway cup. Before he could be beaten to it again, Gun-soo quickly took the boxes, while Seo-eul grabbed a holder and accepted the cup with a polite nod.“Thank you.”“Ah… please come again.”The employee looked momentarily puzzled, as if thinking, was that really him? Just lowering his tone changed his whole aura, and every time Gun-soo saw it, it amazed him anew. Bowing politely, he followed Seo-eul out of the café.Once they got back in the car, Seo-eul took off his cap and mask. As Gun-soo climbed into the driver’s seat, Seo-eul held out the takeaway cup toward him. The warmth seeped through the holder.“Drink this, and just stay my manager—not my servant.”“Uh…”He peeked inside and saw peppermint tea.This one he did love. For a moment, Heo Gun-soo fell silent. He’d assumed Seo-eul had ordered coffee for himself, but apparently, it was for him. Staring at the teabag floating in the pale golden water, he zoned out until Seo-eul called his name twice.“…Yes?”“Tired? Let’s get going.”Glancing at the clock, he realized it was already one o’clock. Startled, he fumbled to start the engine while Seo-eul chuckled lightly and turned to look out the window. Contrary to his warm public image, he wasn’t much of a talker in private. Getting to witness that side of him really was a manager’s privilege.“It’s a shame I can’t take care of you during filming,” Gun-soo murmured as the navigation warned of a speed bump ahead.Since this variety show didn’t involve a separate shooting schedule, there wasn’t much for a manager to do. Seo-eul had already finished all his other work, and his upcoming projects were on hold, so there would be even fewer chances to be around him.Hearing that wistful note, Seo-eul let out a soft laugh and replied lightly, the kind of tone people use when saying something they don’t mean too deeply.“Thanks for saying that. I’m a bit worried about filming without you, too.”“……”Liar.Muttering that silently to himself, Gun-soo smiled brightly instead and said, “Don’t worry, hyung. It’ll go great.”***The meeting place was a Chinese restaurant near the broadcasting station. When Seo-eul entered the private room after being shown in, Jeon Jae-yeon PD and several writers he’d met during the pre-interview immediately stood up to greet him. Avoiding the cameras discreetly set up around the room, Seo-eul smiled politely and spoke first.“I tried to come early—am I late?”“Oh, of course not! You’re early as always, Seo-eul-ssi. Truly a role model for the industry. There wasn’t any traffic, was there?”Jeon Jae-yeon PD waved his hands dramatically and laughed. He was a man of gentle temperament and narrow build, so mild-mannered that even the sharp-eyed CEO Yeom Gang-sik had once praised him as a good person. People called him “Heo-Heo PD” because of his easy laugh—Heo-heo, whether things went right or wrong. From his early days as an assistant director, his personality had made him stand out to viewers, and now he was popular enough to have an unofficial fan club.In short, he was the perfect type for someone like Seo-eul, who was tense about his first variety show.Feeling grateful for that, Seo-eul handed him the box of tarts he’d brought.“I had an easy ride thanks to my manager. Oh, and this is a bribe.”“Ah, Seo-eul-ssi, you really didn’t have to! I keep telling you, you can come empty-handed…”“I still don’t know everyone’s coffee preferences yet.”He said it {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} jokingly, but everyone there knew he meant it sincerely. Seo-eul was well-known in the industry for treating staff kindly, and he had countless good stories circulating about him.Having debuted as a child actor and worked steadily for twenty years without ever once being caught in a scandal, Lee Seo-eul’s reputation preceded him. Even if it were all an act, people wanted to believe it.Just then, as PD Jeon set the tart boxes on the table, one of the junior writers suddenly cried out.“Oh my god, these are from that tart place—De Séjong…!”She had failed to get a reservation just a few days ago, so her excitement was understandable. Pulling out her phone, she started snapping photos, and soon the others joined in, murmuring excitedly.“What, is it that famous?”“Yes! It’s super trendy right now—impossible to get!”When someone asked how he’d managed to book it, Seo-eul couldn’t exactly admit he’d just set an alarm, so he smiled and said he’d gotten lucky. Which, to be fair, was true.Once he’d taken a seat, Jeon Jae-yeon PD sat across from him, watching his staff still taking photos and chuckling.“Heo-heo, everyone’s thrilled. Doesn’t anyone work anymore?”“Just five more seconds…”“Seo-eul-ssi, sorry about this—they always get like this.”“No worries. I’m glad they like it. Good thing I brought them.”Seeing how unfazed Seo-eul was, the PD’s eyes brightened as if realizing something, and he extended his hand.“As expected of the man of Cannes—such generosity. I’ll learn from you. Please teach me a lot from now on.”“Me…?”Wasn’t their dynamic reversed? Caught off guard, Seo-eul nonetheless shook his hand, and Jeon Jae-yeon PD burst out laughing. He patted Seo-eul’s pale hand a few times, then sighed regretfully.“Normally, Sa-heon-ssi should be here too…”At that, Seo-eul’s expression clouded slightly.Because the subject he’d been trying to avoid had suddenly surfaced.

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