By Zephyria At the remark about wasting hospital fees, CEO Lim and Yong-jae exchanged furtive glances. The idea of money being a waste was difficult to come from Yoon Hye-an’s lips.
“Since there’s nothing wrong, the doctor said I could be discharged. They said outpatient treatment should be fine.”
Choi Hong-seo, who had been taking out Yoon Hye-an’s belongings from the drawer and laying them on the bed, suddenly stopped. Then, he looked over at CEO Lim and Yong-jae, who were standing blankly across the bed.
“Ah, speaking of which.”
“Oh? Uh… why?”
“Because I booked a single room, the hospital fees came out to be ridiculously high. Why would you put someone who was just lying there unconscious in a single room…”
This time, CEO Lim and Yong-jae’s faces froze. They looked like people who had been struck by shock and lost their ability to speak.
Still, CEO Lim spoke first.
“But still, considering Yoon Hye-an’s status. I booked a single room thinking of your dignity, you punk.”
Although the hospitalization fees were being paid entirely from Yoon Hye-an’s account, CEO Lim spoke as if he were paying the hospital bills himself, sounding displeased. Then, as if realizing he’d made a mistake, he raised both hands and corrected himself.
“Ah, right. Not Hyean, but Hong-seo. Hong-seo.”
“No, you don’t have to. I understand now that I am Yoon Hye-an. I… have eyes, after all.”
“Oh? Really? Have your memories returned?”
CEO Lim’s face brightened, and he circled the bed to grab Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder. It was a swift movement for someone of his large build. Choi Hong-seo shook his head.
“I still don’t have any memories of Yoon Hye-an.”
CEO Lim, licking his lips with a hint of bitterness, scratched the back of his head with the hand that had been on Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder.
“Yeah, that can happen. You heard it from your doctor too, right? They said it’s not that uncommon. They said if you don’t stress about it and go back to your previous life, your memories can return anytime.”
“Yes, I suppose it will happen gradually.”
Was he Yoon Hye-an who had gone mad? Or was he Choi Hong-seo, who had experienced an accident no one could believe?
To clarify the situation, Choi Hong-seo decided he had to leave this hospital room and go out into the world. It wasn’t something he could appeal to anyone about. Who would believe such a story?
As Choi Hong-seo was pushing the few belongings laid out on the bed into his bag, he straightened up as if remembering something and turned back to CEO Lim.
“And, I’m going to start working.”
“……”
CEO Lim blinked. Yoon Hye-an, who used to reject every job offered, saying this was wrong, that was wrong, or it wasn’t up to his standards, was now saying he wanted to work himself. And with such a determined expression.
“No, but… wouldn’t it be better to rest for a while?”
Choi Hong-seo, who appeared to be Yoon Hye-an, firmly replied, tossing his phone into his bag.
“There’s an audition I absolutely want to see.”
The cicada’s chirping, opened wide for ventilation, pierced through the air with a fierce intensity. It was an unreal cry, as if the dizzying heat of summer began from there.
■
Yoon Hye-an lived in an officetel in Gangnam. It was a building similar to a mixed-use apartment complex built by a large construction company. Yoon Hye-an’s home was about 85 square meters in exclusive use area;¹ while not palatial, it was the largest unit in the building.
In the heart of Gangnam, right by the subway station, a large corporation’s officetel on a main road.
It was true that Yoon Hye-an’s idol group, ‘Titan,’ had been popular once. However, they had only just managed to repay their investment costs and were likely beginning to generate profits. Like Choi Hong-seo’s group, ‘Layered,’ ‘Titan’ had a long period of obscurity, meaning they had substantial investment costs to recoup.
Furthermore, around the time the group was starting to gain traction, Yoon Hye-an abruptly announced his withdrawal, citing his intention to focus on acting.
He did not leave his agency, ENA, because of that. The withdrawal press conference was attended by all the members of ‘Titan,’ who expressed their support for Yoon Hye-an’s future endeavors, giving the impression of a smooth departure.
However, Yoon Hye-an’s acting career did not unfold as expected.
As Choi Hong-seo remembered, Yoon Hye-an was immediately cast as the lead in a public broadcast mini-series right after his withdrawal. There were already debates about his qualifications, as he had only experienced a few supporting and minor roles, but the broadcasting station proceeded as planned.
Ultimately, the production had to conclude with the worst viewership ratings, accompanied by controversy over the lead actor Yoon Hye-an’s acting skills.
A few months later, Yoon Hye-an was cast as the lead in another project. He had interviews expressing his commitment to extensive acting practice and his resolve to show a changed performance.
However, the public reaction after the drama aired was cold. Despite his words, no improvement in his acting was found.
Because of this, articles criticizing the trend of some idol-turned-actors being cast in lead roles regardless of their skills were published multiple times.
Due to even lower viewership ratings than the previous work, the drama had to be prematurely canceled.
That was Yoon Hye-an’s last entertainment activity that Choi Hong-seo remembered.
Given this, it seemed unlikely that Yoon Hye-an possessed enough financial means to reside in such a luxurious officetel.
As Choi Hong-seo entered the living room, with its unfamiliar layout that he had no memory of, he slowly looked around.
“Is this a rental?”
“……”
Yong-jae, who had followed him in and was placing his luggage on the dining table, stopped and looked over. Did he really not remember anything? His expression seemed to ask.
“Yes, it’s a rental.”
“Did the company keep paying for it?”
“At first, Chairman Jo paid for it… then he used an advance. He said it had to be this place. Hyung.”
“Chairman Jo?”
“……”
Yong-jae suddenly shut his mouth. His face showed he realized he’d made a slip of the tongue.
“It’s all old news, old news. He used an advance for the rent here for about a year, but after the accident, the hospital fees and rent were probably deducted from Hyung’s account.”
Hastily changing the subject, Yong-jae busied himself unnecessarily in the kitchen, where there wasn’t much to clean. He muttered things like needing to go grocery shopping, saying there was nothing to eat in the refrigerator.
From what he had observed over the past few days, ENA’s CEO Lim seemed like an ordinary person. He wasn’t a wicked boss, nor was he a purely benevolent philanthropist. Fundamentally, he was decent and not cruel, but not someone who would sacrifice his own well-being for others… just a typical person.
He couldn’t just abandon a living person, nor was he the type to wait around, covering the hospital bills and rent for a patient whose recovery was uncertain, using his own money…
However, in the entertainment industry, even that much could be considered quite considerate.
Or perhaps, he had only encountered people desperate to exploit him because he was too unlucky. Choi Hong-seo let out a bitter chuckle at the thought and walked towards the window.
Yoon Hye-an’s home, located at the corner of the building, had windows on both walls of the living room. Standing by the south-facing window, looking down at the Nonhyeon-dong area, Choi Hong-seo savored the feeling of the sunlight warmly heating his exposed skin, that sensation of being alive.
“How much is my advance?”
“Excuse me?”
Choi Hong-seo turned back to Yong-jae, who had asked for clarification, and rephrased his question.
“The money I used as an advance from the company.”
“Ah, yes. That would be… let me contact the finance team right now to find out.”
As if a severe reprimand would fall if he didn’t answer immediately, Yong-jae hunched his large frame and looked for his phone.
“You don’t have to do it right away. Do you know roughly how much it is?”
“Probably… at least 50 to 60 million…”
Choi Hong-seo knew plenty of idols or actors who insisted on living in Gangnam, in branded apartments or officetels, despite lacking the means. The more someone had experienced being treated like a star, the stronger that stubbornness became. Having tasted it once, they couldn’t forget the flavor.
During his host bar days before his debut, celebrities whose names and faces were known would occasionally show up at the bar as players. They were once-popular so-called ‘has-beens’ who had ended up there because they couldn’t repay their debts to their companies. Yet, they all carried themselves with an attitude of ‘I am different from you bottom-feeders,’ treating other players like insects.
Even if they were assigned to VIP clients, most customers would only call them once or twice out of curiosity. More often than not, they would be kicked out after failing to maintain their pride, leading to complaints from the customer and no payment.
Every single one of them believed they would soon regain their glory days. Where were they now, and what were they doing?
If this continued for another year, Yoon Hye-an would eventually end up holding a business card from a host bar madam.
Choi Hong-seo’s, no, Yoon Hye-an’s face, etched with a bitter smile, was faintly reflected in the glass window.
“Yong-jae, were we… close?”
Yong-jae, who had turned around, was scrutinizing him with suspicion. He seemed wary and fearful, as if wondering if he was pretending to have lost his memory to test him.
“Rather than close, I knew a lot about Hyung.”
¹ 85 square meters: Approximately 26 pyeong