The Cutting Edge

041

Ares did not expect to find Hyunwon at his doorstep when he woke up in the morning—especially not after having a terrible night and while nursing a mind-splitting migraine.

"What are you doing here?" he mumbled, ruffling through his own bed hair. He held open the door to let the visitor in, gesturing for him to take a seat somewhere.

"There's something I need to talk to you about," Hyunwon replied.

"Mmm."

Ares walked to the fridge and fumbled around for some carrot juice. He hated carrot juice but Gina insisted on stocking his fridge with it, claiming it was good for detox and maintaining good lines. A part of him had already guessed what Hyunwon was here to talk about, but that part of him was avoiding reality right now.

"So, how's the situation over at the salon? I heard from Gina that the paparazzi are still hanging around waiting for you to confirm whether Kara's story is true or if Hyejin's is," Ares remarked, taking a gulp out of that vile glass of orange goop.

"Ryu and Remington are more than capable of handling things," Hyunwon replied. "I won't be issuing any response. There's no purpose in doing that except to stir up more drama." He didn't want to lie, neither did he want to drag Kara's name through the mud. Honestly, he felt sorry for her, for this girl that he had once loved so, so much. When he had seen the statement she issued on television yesterday, it had felt like she was desperately clutching at straws. Her career, her fame, the adoration from her fans—they meant everything to her, which was why he was never going to be enough.

"The whole world is going to label you as a heartless, womanising jerk. Your career at the Cutting Edge is almost definitely going to take a hit. Doesn't that matter to you at all?"

Hyunwon shrugged. "Would it matter to you if you were me?"

Ares hesitated for a moment, thinking seriously about that question. If he were in Hyunwon's shoes, what would he have done? Would he be willing to let an ex-girlfriend accuse him of something he never did and be willing to give up his career just so that everyone could have a peace of mind? He felt like he understood where Hyunwon was coming from, but at the same time he understood Kara's perspective far too well. For both him and Kara, they had spent years painstakingly building up their reputations and careers to where they were now—internationally renowned superstars whose faces were on multiple billboards across the country and whose fanbases numbered in the hundreds of thousands. To be willing to put it all behind them and walk away, for whatever reason, was unimaginable.

"Yes," he replied honestly. "Yes it would. Even if you don't enjoy your job, you've invested so many years of effort into it—I don't think I would be able to give that up if I were you."

"Maybe it's because there are other things I find are more important than being an acclaimed hairstylist at a top salon—" Like Hyejin, or his dream of making wine from his own vineyard.

Hyunwon knew himself well. He had sky high standards for himself and for all those around him, which was why his staff were often fearful that he would bite their heads off for the slightest error (which he did). When he worked, he worked like a machine; but at the same time, he brought along that sort of high expectation and commitment into all other aspects of his life, such as his relationships. Once he made a decision about something, he would give it his all, and he would also be most willing to set aside everything else he deemed lower priority.

In the past, Kara had been that number one priority. He loved her so much that he entered the styling business for her, that he was willing to keep their relationship under wraps to protect her career, that he spent months planning the perfect proposal—only to have it all washed away by a heavy downpour.