By Zephyria Choi Hong-seo snatched his bag back from Park Dong-ha’s hand.
“There’s no need for this. Yong-jae will be here soon. I’ll go ahead.”
Once I was completely outside the gate, my legs went weak along with the tension. Choi Hong-seo leaned against the mansion’s gate and sank to the ground.
It would take at least another 20 minutes for Yong-jae to arrive. Still, it was better than sitting inside that house. Taxis were hard to come by in Pyeongchang-dong. I just had to hold on until Yong-jae arrived.
My lips were parched from the fever. I moistened them with my tongue and wiped the sweat with my t-shirt sleeve.
Did I come just to attend the after-party? Because I said I would participate as actively as possible in the production process? Or… to monitor and observe Yoon Hye-an?
Recalling his unfamiliar expression and voice, which had pushed forward relentlessly without batting an eye at tear stains, a frightened expression, or cold sweat, tears welled up again in an instant.
“Why are you crying over something like this? Did you ever have an easy upbringing?”
Cursing myself, I roughly wiped my tears with the back of my hand. I then rubbed the back of my hand, still wet with tears, against the side of my t-shirt.
I wasn’t clever enough to live as someone other than Choi Hong-seo, even if he had warned me not to imitate him.
If I couldn’t even cherish the memories with him in order not to imitate Choi Hong-seo, I wouldn’t have the mental fortitude to maintain my sanity and live this life awakened as Yoon Hye-an.
His warning… even if I wanted to heed his request, it was too difficult.
“It was just… something I did quietly, alone… I didn’t ask you to look after me, sob, I didn’t ask you to love me… why, why are you so… sob…”
My tears didn’t stop; now I was sobbing with sorrow. I buried my face in my knees, which I had drawn up.
I waited there for my crying to stop before Yong-jae arrived.
Crying was difficult, but trying to stop crying also required energy. So, I just let it be.
I thought it would take 20 minutes, but Yong-jae, my capable manager, arrived even earlier. He looked like he had many questions after seeing Choi Hong-seo’s condition firsthand. Yet, he didn’t ask anything for now. I was grateful for that.
Yong-jae helped me up as if lifting me, assisting me into the back seat. In moments like these, Yong-jae’s large build was truly reassuring.
“Hyung, should we go to the hospital right now…”
No, I shook my head.
“Can you take me home? I want to sleep.”
Barely managing to say that, I pulled the blanket Yong-jae had covered me with up to my head. The car slowly began to move.
I knew why he had pushed Yoon Hye-an so hard, even though I hadn’t asked him to look after me or love me. How could I not know?
Because Choi Hong-seo was precious to him.
Just as the memories of him are the only driving force for me to live now, it was probably similar for him. The coincidences appearing in Yoon Hye-an must seem like anything but coincidences to him. If he had investigated Yoon Hye-an, he would have only thought of the worst. After all, there wasn’t a single good rumor about Yoon Hye-an. Not before I woke up as Yoon Hye-an, and not after.
Therefore, Lee Hae-sung was not at fault.
He wasn’t hating me; he was loving me very, very much. Very much, very deeply. Even now, still.
“I’m sorry for speaking as if I resent you… Mister, you did nothing wrong. I’m sorry.”
Hot tears shed inside the blanket ran down my temples and seeped into my sweat-soaked hair.
■
In the drawing room after Yoon Hye-an had left, Lee Hae-sung stood there for a long time.
With his hands deep in his pants pockets, he looked down at the floor, lost in thought.
Why was he crying here?
Because he had personal bad news, and while looking for a quiet place to be alone, he ‘coincidentally’ ended up in this drawing room…
That was impossible.
Such a continuous chain of coincidence upon coincidence upon coincidence upon coincidence could no longer be called coincidence. He had no intention of accepting it as coincidence.
The problem was where, how, and through whom Yoon Hye-an had obtained that private information.
He had ordered a re-investigation into Choi Hong-seo’s life before his death and into Yoon Hye-an, but nothing particularly special or new was discovered. It only confirmed that Yoon Hye-an was a person who had lived a very messy and immoral life.
Not only his private life. There were numerous incidents where he had caused trouble by acting out against colleagues or staff he worked with, and his attitude towards his work seemed quite poor, causing considerable trouble for the producers. Several instances of being caught for drunk driving, which were then smoothed over due to the intervention of higher-ups, were also found.
‘As I am joining late, I will work diligently to better understand the project and my character.’
Recalling Yoon Hye-an’s greeting at the dinner meeting, Lee Hae-sung shivered involuntarily and let out a hollow laugh.
For such a person to utter the word ‘diligence.’ It was absurd.
Choi Hong-seo and Yoon Hye-an, if one were to be precise, were the furthest apart types of people in the entertainment industry. Choi Hong-seo, who struggled to seize opportunities by nurturing his talent with diligence and perseverance even in extreme situations, and Yoon Hye-an, who neglected to hone his skills, chose the easy path of finding a sponsor, gaining popularity effortlessly, and only cared about wielding that influence.
If such a Yoon Hye-an tried to imitate Choi Hong-seo, how far could he really go?
Lee Hae-sung slowly walked towards the window.
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, he looked down at the garden submerged in darkness and the Seoul night view below, sparkling like a cluster of stars, as if unaware of any impurities.
Investigating from the outside alone had its limits. He needed to extract more detailed information through direct interviews.
He took out his phone from his jacket and attempted to make a call.
Perhaps enjoying a leisurely weekend evening, the recipient answered with a bright voice after only a few rings.
[Hyung-nim.]
“Ji-in, I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?”
[After the project ended, I’m unemployed these days. I’m doing well. You must be busy with the movie, right?]
“As an investor, I just bother people by meddling in various things, that’s all.”
[I know you’re not that kind of investor.]
Behind Ji-in’s smiling voice, a voice asking, ‘Is it Hae-sung Hyung?’ could be heard.
“Is Han here with you?”
[Yes, I sent him to the convenience store for errands. He’s back now.]
Imagining Yi-han of Hanseo Group returning from an errand to the convenience store for his boyfriend, a silent smile spread across Lee Hae-sung’s face.
They were still a beautiful couple. A couple I was… very envious of.
[You must be busy with the finalization of the business separation, right?]
“That’s something we’ve been preparing step by step for a long time, so now it’s just a matter of signing.”
After the pleasantries were mostly concluded, Lee Hae-sung parted his lips to get to the main point.
“Ji-in, today it’s not about other things but…”
[Yes.]
“Hong-seo…”
[……]
As soon as the name was spoken, a grating silence fell between them for a moment. For Lee Hae-sung, and for Jeong Ji-in, the name Choi Hong-seo was still not something that could be brought up smoothly without resistance.
“Besides you, is there anyone else Hong-seo might have spoken to in detail about me?”
[About Vice President?]
“About our relationship, or about the small memories we shared…”
[……]
“The movies we watched together, the places we went…”
[As Hyung-nim knows well, that kid isn’t the type to confide in or rely on anyone, is he? He didn’t even tell me he was meeting you…]
As the expected answer returned, Lee Hae-sung felt suffocated.
“Still, if there’s even a slight possibility he told someone, can you think of anyone?”
Anxiety and desperation were evident in Lee Hae-sung’s voice. It was rare.
[If so, then besides me, it would probably only be Hyun-su. At least, as far as I know.]
Hyun-su. Song Hyun-su.
Of course, he knew who that was. He had memorized almost all the information related to Choi Hong-seo that Manager Kang had investigated.
“I see. Thank you.”
[Is something wrong?]
“No, nothing like that. I was just wondering if I had missed anything regarding Hong-seo’s circumstances. What could be wrong? The movie is starting again, so I’ve been thinking of him more… that’s all.”
[Even if you’re busy, please make time to see us soon. We’ll arrange a meal with Han.]
“Alright. I always enjoy seeing you two.”
After ending the call, Lee Hae-sung suddenly felt a profound weariness. He moved away from the window and walked towards the sofa.
He collapsed onto the long sofa where Yoon Hye-an had been sitting just moments before. It was the seat right next to where Yoon Hye-an had sat.
Sitting side-by-side on this sofa, Choi Hong-seo had said:
‘How could I not like you when you’re so good to me.’
It would have been enough to just say he liked me. It was a childlike expression from someone who was very shy.
Still, I preferred it that way. His earnest expression, always serious and slightly tense, never saying anything insincere in front of me. If he knew that even that seemed cute to me, he would get angry again. In a stiff tone, saying, ‘I wasn’t making a cute face.’
Lee Hae-sung, chuckling at the memories while looking down at the empty seat next to him where Choi Hong-seo had sat, leaned his head back against the backrest. Then, he raised his arm and covered his eyes.