By Zephyria ■
On Monday evening, the alley at the eastern edge of Cheongdam-dong was deserted. The car carrying Choi Hong-seo had been stopped for ten minutes in front of the red brick building. The two-story building, converted from a detached house, was the first gathering place for the restarting
“How is it, Hyung? Do you not remember even after seeing the photos?”
Yong-jae, leaning over the steering wheel, asked Choi Hong-seo in the back seat while staring at the building entrance ahead.
Park Dong-ha.
A former member of ‘Titan,’ the same agency as Yoon Hye-an, who transitioned to acting after the group disbanded.
Park Dong-ha hadn’t shone much in ‘Titan.’ However, he steadily built his filmography as an actor and is now active, recognized for his acting skills. His unremarkable yet likable appearance and image, which weren’t confined to a specific persona, also helped his acting.
Thanks to his eye-catching looks, Yoon Hye-an was the first to gain attention in the group and as an actor. Yoon Hye-an was also the first to start acting, and his acting career began spectacularly, even taking on lead roles in dramas and appearing in minor or supporting roles in films. In contrast, Park Dong-ha had to start from small roles, literally from the bottom, and build up step by step. However, in the end, Park Dong-ha established himself more solidly.
Choi Hong-seo knew roughly that much information about Park Dong-ha. He just had no idea what kind of friendship Yoon Hye-an had with Park Dong-ha.
Choi Hong-seo scrolled through posts compiling photos of Park Dong-ha from their ‘Titan’ days and shook his head.
“I don’t remember…”
“I figured you might not. Well, you don’t remember me or the CEO either, so…”
“……”
“It ended up being good for Dong-ha that he wasn’t well-known for his name or face during his idol days. People watch his acting without the prejudice of being an idol-turned-actor, so he established himself quickly. If he had been extremely popular as an idol, it might be different, but I think Dong-ha’s position was better for establishing himself as an actor than being moderately known.”
Yong-jae, speaking as if it had turned out well, yet with a hint of bitterness about the situation, lifted his upper body from his lean and turned around.
“Anyway, when we were in ‘Titan,’ Dong-ha was the closest to you, Hyung. He used to visit your place sometimes. I’m still a bit anxious about you starting work in earnest, but… I feel a little more at ease knowing Dong-ha is doing it with you.”
Despite saying he felt at ease, Yong-jae’s face, as he looked at Choi Hong-seo, was full of worry. It was the expression of a parent sending their first child to daycare or school.
Choi Hong-seo had guessed that Park Dong-ha might have been somewhat close to Yoon Hye-an. Among the few phone numbers saved on the second phone on Yoon Hye-an’s bedroom nightstand, one number he thought might belong to a ‘Titan’ member was Park Dong-ha’s.
Park Dong-ha was cast as the son of a couple who ran a famous restaurant among the residents of ‘Cream Mansion’ in this movie. Although not a lead role, it was a significant part with frequent appearances.
Yong-jae was currently making sure that ‘Yoon Hye-an,’ whose memory hadn’t fully returned, could rely on Park Dong-ha on set by informing him about Park Dong-ha in advance.
“I already told Dong-ha about your memory loss. He’s a straightforward guy, so he won’t be offended or awkward about something like that. Just act comfortably with him.”
“I will. Thank you for your concern, Yong-jae-ssi.”
Yong-jae, still looking at Choi Hong-seo with a worried expression, grimaced and looked forward again. Just then, two RVs with heavily tinted windows slowly approached from down the alley.
“Oh? The one coming up front looks like Dong-ha’s car… and the one following… looks like Seonbae Jo Won-tae’s car. As expected, Jo Won-tae is punctual. He’s arriving 30 minutes early for the gathering, even with his debut seniority. Seniors should arrive a bit more leisurely so juniors can feel comfortable… What do you want to do, Hyung?”
“I’ll head in too.”
Choi Hong-seo had arrived even earlier than Park Dong-ha and Jo Won-tae, who were arriving 30 minutes early. He waited because arriving too early might be a bother to the production staff.
Yong-jae, watching Choi Hong-seo pick up his bag from the passenger seat, spoke in an anxious voice.
“Whatever happened in the past, you’ve really changed now, Hyung. People will recognize it as time goes by, right?”
He knew what Yong-jae was worried about. Given Yoon Hye-an’s poor reputation, he seemed concerned that people might resent him. If it were the old Yoon Hye-an, he would have bullied someone rather than let others bully him, but he probably thought the current Yoon Hye-an would get hurt.
To reassure Yong-jae, Choi Hong-seo deliberately asked with a smile.
“What was the past me like that you’re so surprised by such a small thing?”
“…Should I really tell you?”
Choi Hong-seo nodded.
“You’d either make an excuse about your schedule and not attend at all, or just show up late and briefly make an appearance.”
It was as expected, and he let out a chuckle. He had met plenty of actors and idols like that.
“Given my past, it’s unavoidable if people dislike me. I’ll be back. See you later.”
Feeling Yong-jae’s worried gaze following him, Choi Hong-seo entered the building.
The staff at the entrance immediately guided him to a private room. As soon as he entered the room, Park Dong-ha, seated diagonally across, smiled silently and waved. He gave Park Dong-ha a brief nod and then approached Seonbae Jo Won-tae to greet him respectfully. Jo Won-tae glanced at Choi Hong-seo and simply nodded without much reaction. It felt complicated, as the senior who played Hwang Ji-woo as Choi Hong-seo had greeted him warmly and kindly, even if he was also taciturn.
“Hyung! Come over here! Here, here!”
Park Dong-ha, sitting at the end of the table, a bit further from the senior Jo Won-tae, gestured enthusiastically, pointing to the seat next to him.
“What on earth happened? You worried everyone so much, and now Yoon Hye-an is really back, walking and talking? Am I dreaming?”
“Ah… I’m sorry for causing you worry.”
It was more apologetic than he thought to treat someone who remembered him and spoke to him familiarly with awkwardness. Even if that ‘you’ wasn’t the real him.
“Look at this Hyung? He’s talking like a stranger. Even using formal language?”
Still, as Yong-jae had told him beforehand, Park Dong-ha didn’t seem too bothered. He seemed more comfortable with someone who accepted things cheerfully like Park Dong-ha rather than someone who was cautious.
“I heard from Yong-jae Hyung, but do you really not remember anything?”
Choi Hong-seo slowly nodded, filled with apology.
“I didn’t contact you because I thought it would only confuse you if I came looking for you. You’re not mad, are you?”
“I’m sorry for not remembering.”
Park Dong-ha tilted his slender, youthful face slightly and stared intently at Choi Hong-seo’s face.
“You really look like a different person.”
“……”
“No, Yong-jae Hyung said so. He said you became a completely different person after coming back from the brink of death. I didn’t know what he meant when I just heard it…”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Park Dong-ha added as if making an excuse.
“Seeing you in person, you really look like a different person, so it’s a bit… strange.”
Choi Hong-seo suddenly wondered if Park Dong-ha had wanted to say ‘creepy’ instead of ‘strange,’ but he didn’t voice it.
Afterward, more staff and actors arrived one after another.
Whenever actors arrived, whom he knew by face and name but had no personal connection with as ‘Yoon Hye-an,’ Choi Hong-seo would stand up and exchange awkward greetings.
Even with just eye contact, he could sufficiently guess that they were not friendly towards Yoon Hye-an. Most of them, including Park Dong-ha, were chatting boisterously amongst themselves, so Choi Hong-seo sat idly, sipping the provided tea.
“Seonbae-nim, is it true that ARA’s Lee Hae-sung is investing in this movie?”
Someone from across the table asked in a low, excited voice. At the name Lee Hae-sung, Choi Hong-seo’s hand, holding his tea, flinched.
“It was a minor issue before it fell through, wasn’t it?”
“Was it? Why didn’t I know?”
“You weren’t interested because the casting hadn’t been finalized then.”
“Haha… That’s right.”
As Jo Won-tae spoke with a gentle reprimand, the actor who first brought it up scratched his head and laughed shyly.
“But… will Lee Hae-sung be coming today too?”
“Nah, surely he wouldn’t come to a place like this?”
As expected, people’s interest was in Lee Hae-sung. Remembering similar conversations from the previous gathering, Choi Hong-seo brought the teacup to his lips and smiled bitterly. Many things were similar to that day, yet many more had changed.
“He attended before it fell through. Though he arrived a bit late.”
At Jo Won-tae’s words, the actors all showed great interest. Park Dong-ha, sitting next to him, also widened his eyes and showed curiosity.
“Really? Seonbae-nim, did you see Lee Hae-sung then?”
“I did. He wasn’t overly casual, but he wasn’t an authoritarian either. He certainly wasn’t someone who acted like a king.”
“Wow… I’m curious. I wish he’d come today too. You don’t really get to meet chaebols like that. They don’t even show up at VIP events.”
“He’s always been known as a film buff, but he seems to have a particular attachment to this movie. He’s a very serious person about films. He even attended the final audition for the new lead actor himself.”
After finishing speaking, Jo Won-tae glanced at Choi Hong-seo, at Yoon Hye-an. The actor cast in that very final audition, where ARA’s Lee Hae-sung had personally attended, was Yoon Hye-an.
The gaze that seemed to question how someone like him was chosen was unbearable. He quietly stood up, excused himself to the restroom, and left the room.
“He’s showing his face at gatherings like this too? They said he had terminal actoritis? I thought he wouldn’t come, so what’s this? It’s so uncomfortable.”
As if waiting, someone complained from behind him before Choi Hong-seo could even close the door. It was clearly meant to be heard. So, Choi Hong-seo leaned against the door and listened. He felt it was necessary to know Yoon Hye-an’s actual reputation.
“Is it true he doesn’t remember?”
“What do you mean, true? The news said there were no physical issues.”
“If he attempted suicide after being abandoned by his sponsor and fell into a coma, he definitely intended to die. But now that he’s awake, he must be embarrassed. The doctor says there are no issues, yet he shamelessly claims memory loss. That’s just Yoon Hye-an, isn’t it?”
He listened quietly to the loud laughter erupting from inside the room, looking down at the toe of his sneakers.
“He’s probably pretending not to remember, and using the fact that he came back from the dead to wash his past clean.”
“I don’t know why that great acting ability doesn’t show up when he’s working on a project.”
Another burst of boisterous laughter followed. Thanks to the public enemy named Yoon Hye-an, the atmosphere in the room instantly became cheerful.
It was unavoidable. There was no need to feel wronged. Perhaps… by cleaning up the messes Yoon Hye-an had made, he was paying the price for his own actions. The price for causing pain to those he loved…
“Aren’t you going in?”
“……”
A step forward from the sneakers, a pair of luxurious leather loafers suddenly entered his vision. A low, husky voice, speaking a little softer than usual.
His heart, recognizing the owner, pounded in his throat. Choi Hong-seo slowly raised his head without realizing it.
“I don’t know if you were on your way out or on your way in, but you’re blocking the door.”
It was Lee Hae-sung.
Dizzily, coincidentally, Lee Hae-sung was wearing the same knit sweater he had worn that night, the night they walked up Namsan together.