By Zephyria Choi Hong-seo, who had turned away coldly and watched Park Dong-ha enter the dining room first, followed him with a sigh. The murmuring had stopped with the appearance of Lee Hae-sung and Director Kang.
The Head PD had a serious expression as he exchanged a few words with Director Kang. Lee Hae-sung sat with his legs crossed, hands clasped over his knees, slightly off-center and expressionless. It was a posture that reminded him of their first meeting in the second-floor drawing room of this very house. Like a painting in a frame, he was inorganic, a VVIP from whom no emotion or ulterior motive could be read. He could silence people with just a quiet voice, without needing to raise it.
Perhaps that was Lee Hae-sung’s basic way of dealing with people. He knew that his playful demeanor, the gentle smile that always lingered on his lips, and his casual messenger conversations were special exceptions shown only to him.
He was Lee Hae-sung of ARA, and twelve years his senior. In Lee Hae-sung’s own words, ‘a person much older and much bigger.’
That alone made him a difficult person for Choi Hong-seo, so Lee Hae-sung had tried his best to be an approachable person.
He hadn’t had the time to think about it then, but now he knew. Even a single, silly messenger line with emoticons was his effort and consideration… and an active pursuit to win Choi Hong-seo’s heart.
“May I have your attention, please. Before we start the study, there are a few announcements today.”
Choi Hong-seo’s consciousness, lost in fond reminiscence, was pulled back to the present. The Head PD was drawing everyone’s attention with a somewhat somber expression.
“Some of you may have already seen the news, but unfortunately, actor Seo Jun-yeong will no longer be participating in
Some exchanged grim looks, others lowered their gaze with their mouths shut, and a few nodded with expressions that seemed to say, ‘So the news was true after all.’ And Choi Hong-seo… looked at Lee Hae-sung.
He was caught off guard as Lee Hae-sung’s gaze, which had been directed at ‘Yoon Hye-an’ from who knew when, shifted towards him. He felt a jolt, like a student caught making eye contact with a teacher while being scolded as a group in a classroom. Even though their eyes had merely met, he instinctively looked around, wondering if anyone had seen.
No, it wasn’t just a mere meeting of eyes. Lee Hae-sung’s gaze suggested he was looking intently out of interest. Choi Hong-seo quickly shifted his gaze back to the Head PD.
“This decision was made after long discussions with the director and the production company… As this is a sudden departure, actor Seo Jun-yeong asked me to convey his apologies for not being able to hold a separate farewell.”
“Seonbae Jun-yeong, are you really going to India?”
A young male actor, who had shown the most interest in the Seo Jun-yeong news, asked in a tense voice.
“That’s what I understand.”
“When will you be back?”
“We are not Seo Jun-yeong’s agency, so we don’t know those specific details. If you have more questions, you can contact him personally.”
The implication was that with Seo Jun-yeong’s sudden departure, there were already many issues to handle, so they shouldn’t be bothered with trivial questions.
“As the actors know, the investors, the director, and our production company all have very high expectations for
The Head PD’s statement had a hidden meaning. It subtly suggested that Seo Jun-yeong was removed because he was an obstacle to uniting with one heart.
“So, we will be searching for a new actor for the role of a doctor suffering from pet loss syndrome. Until then, the script reading and the crank-in will be postponed.”
At the news that the crank-in would be postponed, the actors began to murmur again.
“Alright, alright, the selection will be made from the actors who were finalists during the audition, so it won’t take too long. Vice President Lee Hae-sung has agreed to cover all costs incurred by the postponement of the crank-in.”
All eyes turned to Lee Hae-sung. They couldn’t stare directly, so they glanced sideways. Everyone was clearly thinking the same thing. Seo Jun-yeong was definitely dropped because he fell out of favor with Lee Hae-sung.
Choi Hong-seo also harbored such suspicions.
Lee Hae-sung, who had seemed lost in his own thoughts with his hands clasped on his lap, seemed to sense the gazes converging on him. He paused and slowly raised his head, looking around the room.
“What? You all think I’m the one who sent Seo Jun-yeong to India?”
His surprisingly direct statement caused gazes to scatter in confusion. Lee Hae-sung sighed audibly. It was a sigh that lightly conveyed a sense of injustice.
“Then at least similar incidents won’t happen again.”
He cut off with a statement that left more suspicion, implying he wouldn’t mind being misunderstood.
Was he fired for badmouthing the largest investor? For calling Choi Hong-seo and Yoon Hye-an sluts? Or was it the accumulation of actions that had continuously offended Lee Hae-sung and Director Kang? People seemed curious.
However, one thing seemed clear: from now on, no one would dare touch ‘Yoon Hye-an’ on the
Forgetting his anxiety about being seen, Choi Hong-seo looked at Lee Hae-sung. But this time, Lee Hae-sung did not meet his gaze.
Who called him a model student, a third-generation chaebol?
Such thoughts were evident on the faces of several actors.
■
Ring ring.
Park Dong-ha, who opened the front door, turned his back and went inside without greeting the guest. Choi Hong-seo followed, the plastic bag with two cans of beer rustling.
As Yong-jae had said he planned to move out, boxes were scattered everywhere. Unlike his previous visit, the house was quite messy. It wasn’t just because he was moving; a sense of hurriedness and instability, as if being chased away, permeated the air. But bringing up Yong-jae’s mention of moving wouldn’t do any good. Nor would it be natural to ignore the boxes clearly visible.
“Are you moving?”
Choi Hong-seo asked as he placed the bag of beer on the round dining table in the living room. Instead of answering immediately, Park Dong-ha scrutinized ‘Yoon Hye-an’s’ face for a while, checking for any hidden intentions in the question.
“Why? Was this house too good for a colorless, scentless weed like me? You think it’s good that it’s happening?”
“……”
Colorless, scentless weed. It seemed the former Yoon Hye-an had once said that about Park Dong-ha. He could infer that much now.
“I didn’t come to fight. Let’s sit and talk. Want a drink?”
He asked as he took out a beer, but Park Dong-ha, standing a few steps away from the table, showed no intention of approaching. His fists were clenched, and he glared with bloodshot eyes.
“Hyung… are you going to stay in that tiny studio apartment? Aren’t you begging the Vice President to move you back to the Gangnam apartment you used to live in? How hard must it be to pretend to be good.”
Choi Hong-seo popped the tab and drank the beer alone. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, took a deep breath, and spoke the words he had prepared.
“I’ve thought about it a lot.”
“About what.”
“About whether there’s any way I can compensate you or the other ‘Titan’ members, even a little, at this point.”
“Compensation? Yoon Hye-an compensating? Ha, after denying it so hard, have you finally regained your memory?”
“No.”
“You’re still denying it. You’re really persistent, Yoon Hye-an.”
“To earn your trust, I can’t lie about what isn’t true.”
“You can’t lie? Lying was what you did all the time, driving people crazy! Then why are you bringing up the disbandment now?”
“As you said, even if I lost my memory… what I did… doesn’t change… so…”
Choi Hong-seo, who, like Park Dong-ha, stood by the dining table instead of sitting, crumpled the beer can without realizing it. Even after counting to five with his fingers before ringing the doorbell, accepting ‘Yoon Hye-an’s’ past as his own was not easy.
Yet, ignoring it and running away wouldn’t solve anything. Not as long as he lived in this form.
He thought of Lee Hae-sung. If only one person, he, believed that he was Hong-seo, not Yoon Hye-an, then it didn’t matter. The rest were secondary. When he returned to his home in Bundang after facing Park Dong-ha, Lee Hae-sung, who would call him Hong-seo and welcome him, was waiting.
His heart rate calmed down to a certain extent. Choi Hong-seo, trying to appear cautious, carefully uttered the words he had rolled around in his mouth for the past few days.
“If it’s not too late, ‘Titan’… shall we try starting again?”
“……”
Park Dong-ha froze for a moment. His face showed that he had never imagined being proposed a reunion.
Rumble, rumble. Breaking the silence, a phone vibrated somewhere. It was on the kitchen counter. Park Dong-ha, who had been standing blankly, walked towards the kitchen with anxious steps and checked his phone. Judging by the short vibration, it seemed to be a message, not a call. His expression after checking the message was not good. It might be because of the message, or it might be because of Yoon Hye-an being at his house.
He put down his phone as if throwing it and rubbed his face vigorously with both hands. Then, with bloodshot eyes, he looked directly at Choi Hong-seo.
“You said you wanted to compensate me, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you said you and the Vice President were nothing.”
“…Yes.”
“Then introduce me to the Vice President.”