By Zephyria Yet, Lee Hae-sung continued the business talk without any hint of awkwardness.
“I have a small personal investment in ENA Entertainment. It’s not a major agency, but it’s reliable. If Go Ji-woon wishes, I will support you so you can make a comeback after the contract.”
Go Ji-woon shook his head weakly upon hearing Lee Hae-sung’s offer.
“I’m sick of the entertainment industry now. I thought I could make it big if powerful and wealthy people pushed me… but I realized that no matter how much they push, some people just don’t make it. Including myself.”
Behind his self-deprecating, bitter smile, he added, spinning his mug.
“I lacked talent and perseverance from the start… I have no regrets about it anymore.”
Lee Hae-sung nodded concisely.
“I see. Understood. If you agree to the deal, all parts of the video that can identify you, Go Ji-woon, will be edited out. The video will be reassembled focusing on Jo Seong-hyeon, so you can rest assured about that.”
Only then did Lee Hae-sung gently release Choi Hong-seo, whom he had been holding with his eyes covered against his chest. His breathing had stabilized, but his complexion was still pale. Seeing his dry lips move, Lee Hae-sung said to Go Ji-woon.
“Could you get me a glass of water?”
As Go Ji-woon poured plain water into another mug, Lee Hae-sung was gently stroking Choi Hong-seo’s back. Lee Hae-sung accepted the mug as a thank you and had Choi Hong-seo take a few sips. Go Ji-woon returned to the drawer unit opposite them, sat with his knees drawn up, and watched them quietly.
The Lee Hae-sung Go Ji-woon actually saw had an intimidating appearance, like a mob boss, making one flinch and feel scared upon first sight. He was very tall and well-built, and his black long coat made him even more imposing.
If Lee Hae-sung were an actor—he had the looks for it—he would be more suited for a gangster role than a chaebol. Not a thug who fights and uses knives, but an elite executive who graduated from a prestigious university. Many movies and dramas these days have such characters. But picturing him stabbing someone in the gut with those neat, tidy hands also seemed to fit.
In any case, having been born the grandson of Chairman Lee Kang-moon and living as the heir responsible for the ARA Group, he exuded an aura vastly different from ordinary people who worried about their next credit card bill, saved up for a trip to Europe, or pondered how to avoid attending a wedding of a colleague they barely knew on a weekend to go camping instead.
This was a man willing to pay 1 billion won for a single video, no matter how useful it was. Someone like Lee Hae-sung could make an idol group his plaything, not just a single member. The sight of such a person holding an idol by his side, doting on him, was a definite spectacle for Go Ji-woon.
‘Yoon Hye-an’ also clearly depended entirely on Lee Hae-sung. He breathed as Lee Hae-sung guided him, completely surrendering himself to the touch of Lee Hae-sung’s hands stroking his head, shoulders, and back.
Yoon Hye-an, with his deathly pale face, still looked unwell. Well, anyone who had seen that video would react normally. It was the one who showed no reaction, like Lee Hae-sung, who was strange.
Or… did his memory return after watching the video? Yoon Hye-an had also been in a sponsorship relationship with Jo Seong-hyeon. He had probably experienced something similar to what I went through.
Go Ji-woon slowly straightened his body, which had been leaning against the drawer unit. Yoon Hye-an’s pale face was only half visible, hidden by Lee Hae-sung’s shoulder and arm as he shielded him. He felt uneasy, wondering if he had unnecessarily dredged up the memories of someone who could have lived well, forgetting everything.
No, who am I worrying about right now? Lee Hae-sung, the almighty, is by his side. He can make birds fall and bring the dead back to life.
Finding his mug and taking a few more sips of soju, Go Ji-woon opened his mouth heavily.
“But…”
“……”
“Even if you edit it… Jo Seong-hyeon will know the video came from me…”
Lee Hae-sung, who was sitting with his back almost half-turned away from Go Ji-woon, and Choi Hong-seo, who had been hidden by him, both turned to look at Go Ji-woon.
Go Ji-woon, speaking hesitantly, looked unstable. His fingertips, scratching the handle of the mug with his thumb, betrayed his anxiety.
“He told me to live quietly and stay out of the way. He said if I bothered him even a little, he’d release all my videos and photos… He said he’d make it so I couldn’t even show my face at the convenience store in front of my house…”
Lee Hae-sung gently lifted Choi Hong-seo’s chin, confirming his complexion had somewhat recovered, and replied, his gaze fixed on his lover’s face.
“There will absolutely be no disadvantage to you, Go Ji-woon, from Jo Seong-hyeon. I promise.”
“How? How can you promise that? Just thinking that those videos are in that bastard’s hands… I can’t sleep, I can’t eat!”
Dropping his mug as if it were thrown, Go Ji-woon clutched his head and buried his face between his knees.
This time, Choi Hong-seo quietly watched Go Ji-woon.
Yoon Hye-an and Go Ji-woon, who had wanted sponsors for themselves, and Choi Hong-seo himself, who had been raped, filmed, and blackmailed with those recordings to be forced into sex work. Their backgrounds were not the same.
However, living under the threat of videos or photos that one never wanted anyone to see, and recognizing that such material was in the hands of evil people, was a hellish existence. Choi Hong-seo knew that well. Looking back, he couldn’t believe he had endured those times without going mad, holding onto the hope that it would eventually end.
“I know. I know how you must feel right now, Go Ji-woon.”
As ‘Yoon Hye-an’s’ voice, low and soft, was heard, Go Ji-woon slowly raised his head. Lee Hae-sung, who had been sitting with his back half-turned away from Go Ji-woon as if to hide Choi Hong-seo, turned around, creating space between them. Choi Hong-seo, kneeling, moved slightly forward.
“You must feel like you’d do anything if you could just erase that material. Even knowing it’s futile, you probably replay time in your head several times a day. Should I have done this then? Or that? And then you’ll end up hating yourself more than Jo Seong-hyeon.”
Life is not always composed solely of clearly visible values.
If Myeong Do-hoon had asked him to work at a host bar from their first meeting, Choi Hong-seo would have refused. He wouldn’t have met Myeong Do-hoon again later. He might have continued working at the convenience store and, pressured by his parents, ended up working at a factory with dormitory housing. He might have even gotten involved in something worse than meeting Myeong Do-hoon or Lee Seo-kyung. No one can know about a life unlived.
Regardless of the reason or circumstances, he had no intention of making excuses for his time working as a host. If he had firmly ended things then, he could have avoided the terrible events that followed. Hadn’t he regretted and blamed himself? Countless times, he had cursed and reviled himself as much as, perhaps even more than, he had cursed Lee Seo-kyung or Myeong Do-hoon. You deserve it.
However, after meeting Lee Hae-sung and falling in love, Choi Hong-seo changed his mind. He couldn’t be held responsible for the terrible things that happened afterward.
A life of being raped, filmed, blackmailed, and dragged around.
I never chose such a life.
No one in this world deserves to be treated that way.
“Even if having a sponsor wasn’t a righteous act, it doesn’t mean you deserve to be filmed and blackmailed with such videos. The feeling of injustice, anxiety, and then self-hatred… I understand it well.”
“You didn’t lose your memory, did you?”
Go Ji-woon’s face, now much softer, even friendly, turned towards ‘Yoon Hye-an,’ and ‘Choi Hong-seo’ replied in a calm voice.
“You don’t have to have the exact same experience to empathize.”
Lee Hae-sung, placing his palm on the back of Choi Hong-seo’s neck as he sat forward, joined the conversation.
“You asked how I could be sure you wouldn’t face any disadvantage, Go Ji-woon?”
Both Go Ji-woon and Choi Hong-seo looked at Lee Hae-sung.
“You had to obey Jo Seong-hyeon because he was blackmailing you with the video, right? Because of Jo Seong-hyeon’s money and power.”
“……”
“Jo Seong-hyeon will have to obey me if I blackmail him with the video.”
Lee Hae-sung, gently massaging Choi Hong-seo’s neck, pulled at the long coat trailing behind him. Choi Hong-seo, who was kneeling, was pulled back to his original position.
“No matter how much he cries out at the top of his lungs, trying to threaten me in his own way, the one who gets eaten in the end is the frog, not the eagle. There are no reversals in the food chain.”
Only then did Go Ji-woon seem relieved. He realized that the video, which he couldn’t wield effectively, would become a powerful weapon in Lee Hae-sung’s hands. Swallowing hard, Go Ji-woon’s lips parted, his mind seemingly made up.
“I should hand over the video, right?”
“You’ve made a good decision.”
After briefly discussing the transaction details, Lee Hae-sung and Choi Hong-seo stood up. Go Ji-woon also busied himself, following them to see off his guests.
“It would be best for you to rest somewhere quiet until this matter is completely resolved. You remember Manager Kang, who you spoke with about this? Manager Kang will arrange it.”
Saying this to Go Ji-woon, Lee Hae-sung went towards the entrance first, pulling Choi Hong-seo by the shoulder. However, Choi Hong-seo hesitated, glancing at Go Ji-woon, unable to move his feet.
“But, what happened to the cat? I don’t see it…”
“The cat? Are you talking about Goliath?”
Go Ji-woon looked surprised, wondering how he knew that. Then he concluded that if Lee Hae-sung wanted to find out something, there was no information he couldn’t obtain.
“Jo Seong-hyeon is a huge fan of ‘Queen.’ The vocalist there raised several cats… One day, without asking, he brought one over and told me to raise it. At first, I was forced to, but later, even though I wanted to kill that man, Goliath was beautiful. After I ended up like this… I sent her to my mother’s house. Because I couldn’t take proper care of her.”
Go Ji-woon, who had been looking at the floor as if feeling guilty, looked up at Choi Hong-seo.
“You probably had one too, didn’t you? The cat… do you remember?”
“She’s healthy and well. Trustworthy.”
Choi Hong-seo nodded and gave a slight, very slight smile. Go Ji-woon looked at him intently.
“Your impression has changed a lot.”
“Has it?”
“You look a lot like the Hyung I knew… Before, people said we looked alike, but I didn’t think so. Now, you really resemble that Hyung. Your whole demeanor.”
The Hyung I knew.
Choi Hong-seo was grateful that Go Ji-woon, looking at the ‘Yoon Hye-an’ before him, had thought of ‘Choi Hong-seo.’ In Lee Hae-sung’s words, Go Ji-woon was likely thinking of Choi Hong-seo now not because of Yoon Hye-an’s features, but because of the unique scent of Choi Hong-seo within him.
It was as if he had been recognized. Choi Hong-seo thought so.
Perhaps to make their conversation easier, Lee Hae-sung stood with his back turned towards the entrance. Go Ji-woon gestured with his eyes towards Lee Hae-sung and asked in a lowered voice.
“But… have you been dating for a long time?”
“……”
“Didn’t you get married, even though you’re divorced?”
“Don’t you think of me as a sponsor?”
Go Ji-woon chuckled at Choi Hong-seo’s surprised question.
“Who says I didn’t have a sponsor.”
“……”
“What kind of sponsor in the world treats someone they’re merely playing with like that? It looks like you’re dating.”
Lee Hae-sung turned his body, which had been facing the entrance, back around. Go Ji-woon, with a guilty expression, glanced at Lee Hae-sung and stepped back.
“You said you had no lingering attachment to the entertainment industry, so it would be good to open a cafe for you. I’ll connect you with a consulting office through Manager Kang. It will help with your livelihood for the time being.”
Go Ji-woon seemed bewildered as to why such an additional offer was suddenly being made. Go Ji-woon might not know, but Choi Hong-seo seemed to understand why Lee Hae-sung made such an offer. It was because he was pleased that Lee Hae-sung saw them as dating, not a sponsor relationship.
As they stepped out the entrance, Lee Hae-sung found Choi Hong-seo’s hand and grasped it. Though the stairs were narrow for two men to walk down side-by-side, they descended, almost embracing each other, clinging together.
When they got into the back seat of the waiting car, the chauffeur, as if they had been waiting, immediately handed Lee Hae-sung his phone.
“Hmm, this is quite a promising lead. We’ve obtained data on this end as well. Go Ji-woon had some good footage. It’s more valuable than I expected. Let’s share the video right away. Have you obtained Jo Seong-hyeon’s schedule?”
While Lee Hae-sung was on the phone, the car skillfully navigated out of the narrow alleyway. Despite it being a clear afternoon with not a cloud in the sky, the alleyways of the densely packed studio apartment complex were as dim as if it were just before a downpour.
“Tomorrow morning? That’s good. Let’s set it up.”
Choi Hong-seo asked Lee Hae-sung, who finished his call with a satisfied expression.
“Is that Manager Kang?”Jo Seong-hyeon has a golf entertainment scheduled for tomorrow, so I plan to send a small gift his way.””
“But what you said back at that house earlier. About you being some kind of scoundrel.”Ah, the hidden villain?””
Lee Hae-sung nodded with a smile, understanding what he meant.
“What does that mean?”
His smiling face tilted sideways, turning towards Choi Hong-seo. A warm hand reached out and cupped his cheek broadly. And as always, his thumb gently stroked the skin.
“It means if someone trips you, they will lose both their legs.”
Even as he uttered the frightening words, his voice was like a crisp pastry steeped in thick honey. Choi Hong-seo rubbed his cheek against his palm, which held his face, in silence. Like Tiffany. As if to comfort him.
■