Chapter Text
Initially, Cale really disliked Choi Han. Not because there was anything wrong with him.
Choi Han had a beautiful smile, was kind, and conveyed a welcoming feeling. He was exactly the kind of person Cale needed most at that moment.
And that's precisely why, at their first public meeting, Cale mocked his clothes.
The dark-haired man greeted several of the artists gathered at the event, smiled easily, exchanged a few words with each one, and when it was Cale's turn, he approached in the same way.
– Hello. You're Cale Henituse, right?
His voice was incredibly pleasant to listen to.
Even so, Cale only gave him an indifferent look and shrugged, without even bothering to answer.
Choi Han insisted a few more times, trying to start a conversation, until Cale's already limited patience ran out.
– Why is someone who looks like they dressed in the dark, scouring a cheap thrift store, trying to talk to me? Doesn't he know his place?
Choi Han's smile disappeared.
Annoyed, he picked up his own glass and poured the drink over Cale's expensive suit.
The argument started right there and, within seconds, people were trying to separate the two.
For the next two weeks, they were the most talked-about subject on the internet.
The result pleased Cale greatly.
After all, he had been working hard to build the worst possible reputation.
Cale wanted his younger brother, Basen, to become the heir to the Henituse family.
However, his family didn't seem to share the same conviction. Despite his terrible reputation, no one had officially removed his name from the line of succession.
In recent years, his father's older brother—a man Cale refused to call uncle—had been constantly harassing Basen. He did everything to undermine him, insisting that Cale should inherit the title.
The reason was as despicable as the man himself.
According to him, someone of "dirty blood" should never occupy a place in the Henituse family.
Cale hated him.
That pot-bellied old man did nothing but spread prejudice and talk nonsense.
—
The fifth time Cale and Choi Han met was a little more complicated.
Cale had spent the whole day listening to his uncle talk about how he should be the family heir and that Basen had no right to occupy that position. Throughout the family gathering, he had to restrain himself to avoid causing a scene—after all, it was Basen who had organized the meeting this time.
As soon as it was over, Cale took the first opportunity to escape.
He ended up in a luxury hotel, sitting alone at the bar, accompanied only by an expensive bottle and thoughts he preferred to drown in alcohol.
When he finally decided to go up to the room he had booked, he was already completely drunk.
Stumbling down the hallway, he bumped into someone.
Choi Han.
And he wasn't alone.
Beside him were Kim Rook Soo and Alberu, two faces Cale recognized from some events.
– Wow... Look who we have here. The prince charming, his mutt, and...
Cale's eyes landed on Kim Rook Soo.
– Who are you again?
He let out a low laugh.
Kim Rook Soo just discreetly frowned.
Choi Han's expression hardened the instant he recognized Cale's voice.
– Don't you have anything better to do?
– Of course I do.
– Then why don't you go do something that doesn't involve acting like a terrible human being?
Cale let out a mocking laugh.
– Even being a piece of trash, I'm still probably better than a mutt like you.
He took another step forward, ignoring his own imbalance.
–So, how about barking now, doggy?
—
The eleventh time they met, it ended in a hotel room.
With Choi Han's mouth pressed against Cale's.
Maybe they were both drunk. Maybe it had all started as just another silly dare between them. Or maybe neither of them had thought enough before letting the teasing go too far.
What Cale knew was that Choi Han's warm skin against his, his firm hands holding his waist, and the Korean's insistent kiss left him completely disoriented.
And for the first time in a long time, his mind simply stopped working.
And then came the next morning.
Cale woke up still in Choi Han's arms.
The man seemed to turn upside down.
He panicked.
Without thinking twice, he hurriedly gathered his clothes, dressed as best he could, and practically fled the room, ignoring Choi Han's sleepy calls.
After that day, he made a point of avoiding him. For an entire month, he acted as if that night had never happened.
—
On their twenty-seventh date, Cale and Choi Han began dating.
When Choi Han confessed his feelings and asked Cale to be his boyfriend, Cale hesitated.
Accepting meant involving another person in a problem that was his own. It meant trusting someone in a way he hadn't done in years.
So, for the first time in a long time, he decided to be completely honest.
He told him about Basen and how much he wanted his brother to become the heir to the Henituse family. He explained that his terrible reputation wasn't accidental, but a carefully planned choice to make it impossible for the family to keep him as successor.
He also revealed that, until he resolved that situation, their relationship would need to remain a secret.
It was a selfish request.
Cale knew this.
Still, Choi Han listened to everything without interrupting him.
When Cale finished speaking, expecting hesitation or distrust, he received only a calm smile.
Choi Han held her hand and accepted all the conditions Cale had imposed.
He agreed to wait.
He agreed to keep the secret.
And, above all, he accepted Cale.