S#6

Chit-Chat | Did Ji Hyeon’s manager change?

Anonymous https:https://www.todayspring.com/jihyeon/2394375222

(Eun-ho wearing a black cap.jpg)

My mom runs a cafe, and she said someone who looks like this came for an interview today

Did he quit being manager?

Comments 422

1 What is this about now?

2 Huh?

3 Huh…

4 Is it really him?

5 ?? Are you sure you didn’t see wrong?

└ Pretty sure you saw wrong

└ How could you mistake that face…

└ That’s true but…

6 Speculative rumor posts are prohibited

7 Is it a surveillance camera?

8 He was manager for 7 years, why would he quit now?

9 Damn, did Nam-bong’s power tripping make him quit?

└ Huh ㅡㅡ That’s way over the top

└ Please don’t say things like that; this is smearing Actor Ji’s reputation too

└ Pretty sure and Nam-bong isn’t the type to power trip ㅋㅋㅋ

└ Nam-bong is -ㄱ?

└ NB CEO

10 Did Won-ik see it himself?

11 If it’s not certain, take the post down.

└ 22

└ 333

└ 4444

└ 55555 Common sense, how long has it been since he filmed My MaeSo, why would he quit being manager now?

12 It’s probably just someone who looks like him

└ But honestly… how could anyone look like that face…Stop going on about his face; saying that in a rumor post like this just spreads the rumor more;

Whoa… a cafe part-timer? Isn’t he filming something?

14 If you’re going to write a post like this, verification is required… You think you can just throw it out there and be done?

15 This is a bit…

16 If you’re curious, ask NB or something, who here would know ㅋㅋ

17 Just because he was on broadcast doesn’t make him a celebrity, stop exposing his private life

└ This is right

└ 333 Even if he really quit, it’s none of the fans’ business

18 No trolling posts

19 Whoa… they seemed so close, guess broadcasts really can’t be trusted

└ Believing broadcast can’t be trusted based on one anonymous post is nonsense

└ What are you talking about when there’s not even an official statement ㅋㅋ

└ They were close, maybe something happened and he had to quit ㅠㅠ

└ No, it’s not even official that he quit yet;;

20 Did Won-ik see it himself? Are you sure you didn’t mistake it?

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132 Whoa I’m Won-ik… I didn’t know this would get so hot… It’s not a big deal, I just saw My MaeSo and my mom came and said this person came for an interview today so I posted it, don’t fight

└ Then your mom must have seen wrong… If you didn’t even see it yourself, how could you write it like this;

└ 22 Especially in a situation sensitive to rumors ㅋㅋ

└ 333 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seriously irresponsibleㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ He starts the fire and then says “don’t fight”

└ What did he say when he came for the interview?? Did he say he’s Ji Hyeon’s manager?

└ He just said he has cafe part-time experience and can handle coffee machines, that he can start work tomorrow.

└ So did you hire him?

└ No… We’re looking for female part-timersㅠ We forgot to put gender in the ad, so he probably came after seeing that

133 Won-ik, region Seoul?

└ Yes, Seoul

└ Is it close to Actor Ji’s neighborhood?

└ This is a bit too much personal info digging…

└ I’ll go with no comment haha;

134 Instead of taking time to reply, just take the post down.

└ My point exactly lol. Answering all the questions but only not answering the ones that make him uncomfortable.

└ The battle of wills is insane.

135 Delusional post?

└ 22ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ 333 The part about his mom running a cafe is probably a lie too

136 Just take the post down

137 DeletePostDeletePostDeletePostDeletePostDeletePostDeletePostDeletePostDeletePostDeletePostDeletePost

138 Why on earth aren’t you taking the post down?????

└ Seriously, an incomprehensible human beingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

139 (This comment has been blind processed.)

└ (This comment has been blind processed.)

└ (This comment has been blind processed.)

└ No fucking way the comments get blind processed butㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋWhy doesn’t the original post get deleted???

└ What was the comment that got blind processed?

└ It was just swearing, probably got auto-filtered ㅠㅠ

140 Putting aside writing a post that’s not even certain… Even if this is true, it’s probably not because there’s a problem that he quit, seems like the work is getting bigger because of people overreacting ㅋㅋ

└ But honestly, filming My MaeSo and then quitting now, isn’t that problematic in itself?

└ See this, this kind of talk is already coming out.

└ You must work at one workplace your whole life then.

141 (This comment has been deleted.))

└ Mentioning- It’s a rule violation

└ (This comment has been deleted.)

└ ???? Regardless of truth, it’s a forum rule violation

└ (This comment has been deleted.)

└ No ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Do you have a reading disability? I’m saying don’t mention it because it’s a rule violation, what are you talking about?

└ (This comment has been deleted.)

└ (This comment has been blind processed.)

└ Why are you swearing and all;

142 Fucking leave Actor Ji alone you bastards

└ My point exactly.. I get so disgusted every time like this

143 Anyway, can’t stand to see friends getting along well, huh hahaha

144 So interested in a regular person

145 If it were me, I’d quit being manager too because this post is so annoying hahaha

146 Just mute it

147 Instead of replying, let’s just report, guys

148 (This comment has been blind processed.)

149 Why do bastards like this even live

150 ———-No comments below me———-

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「This post has been blind processed. Comment usage is suspended.」

Sunlight streaming through the window settled on the dining table. In the quiet room, only the sound of a pencil lead scratching across paper could be heard. Fingers with hardened calluses here and there, gripping a black pencil straight, were incessantly writing something down.

“…….”

The man kept his mouth firmly shut, his gaze fixed on the workbook. His eyes, without double eyelids, clear and wide, felt particularly tired today. His slightly lowered eyes, his steadily rising and falling chest, all seemed to show he was completely focused.

Had he finished an entire page like that? The man let out a hoo, a thin sigh. His hand movements stopped abruptly, the pencil spun around once, and then he set the pencil down beside him with a thud*.

And the man, who gently closed his eyes, muttered in a voice so soft it was barely audible.

“……Was I too cold with my words.”

The man’s name was Kwak Eun-ho. Until just two days ago, he was the manager of a top actor, but now he was an unemployed man of misfortune. An unnecessarily earnest human, solving workbooks diligently at the kitchen dining table, without a proper desk of his own.

‘I’m quitting as your manager.’

Two days ago, after declaring this to Ji Hyeon, Eun-ho immediately left the filming set and headed to the company. It was an extremely impulsive action, but once spoken aloud, he couldn’t take it back. Ji Hyeon didn’t stop Eun-ho, and Eun-ho had even declared to CEO Byun, his employer, that he was leaving the company.

Contrary to his expectation that he would be begged and held back, CEO Byun surprisingly let him go without fuss. He even added that he would take care of Ji Hyeon for the time being, telling him to rest well. He probably thought Eun-ho was really exhausted, which was half right and half wrong.

‘I can’t do it either, it’s too dirty.’

If asked if the work was difficult, he would firmly say no. If asked if he had grown tired of Ji Hyeon, he couldn’t say that was right either. It was a job he stumbled into, but it suited him, and while maintaining a rather unattached attitude, he had even felt a sense of fulfillment in his own way.

Still, the only thing he was tired of was probably himself, who couldn’t let go of his feelings for so long.

‘Because I’m the fucking gay bastard you hate.’

It had been four years. Since he realized he liked him, and without even time to feel confused, he resolved to just give up.

Since he started counting the years from the moment of realization, the period he had liked him might have been even longer. From some point on, Ji Hyeon kept occupying his thoughts, sometimes even appearing in his dreams, and on days he didn’t come to school, he felt inexplicably empty. The fact that he couldn’t even contact him during the times they were apart might have stemmed from a foolish pride, wanting to look good in front of him.

He had liked him for years like that, and still couldn’t let go. Even putting aside the fact that he couldn’t let go, he didn’t want to believe that he was secretly expecting something. It seems he was burdened by his blind devotion, yet arrogantly thought that only he could accept this.

‘The only one.’

It’s an abnormal relationship, he suddenly realized. A vague sense of crisis that things would be ruined if they continued like this. Whether it was his own feelings, his relationship with Ji Hyeon, or Ji Hyeon himself.

I shouldn’t be the only one for you. To you, I’m just a friend, a manager, someone who holds feelings I shouldn’t have. So that you’ll feel betrayed later.

‘The talk about Ji Hyeon’s manager being a gay bastard shouldn’t be going around.’

At the time, those words made him angry, but thinking about it later, it wasn’t a big deal. He knew they were words spat out in anger, he already knew they weren’t sincere. It’s just that Eun-ho had no obligation to accept the anger he threw at him.

“If I at least knew the reason, maybe it would be different……”

I thought it was excessive to be jealous of a friend. No, since Ji Hyeon said it wasn’t jealousy in the first place, it was solely up to him to name the emotion. There was no reason for me to accept the anger he himself couldn’t find the cause of, neither as a friend nor as a Manager.

“…….”

Well, there won’t be a situation where I have to accept it again anyway.

The day after I quit being his Manager, Eun-ho habitually took a shower as soon as he opened his eyes. I remember belatedly realizing I had become unemployed and pausing when I was about to finish getting ready to go out and find my car keys. I couldn’t believe how scary a habit ingrained in my body could be, especially since I had even stayed up all night because I was so restless.

I felt refreshed the moment I realized it, but then I felt a little empty. Or rather, I should say hollow. I simply couldn’t handle the suddenly abundant time. Other people said they rested comfortably after quitting their jobs. But Eun-ho, who had lived fiercely his whole life, didn’t even know how to properly rest.

I didn’t want to do anything, so I lay down for half the day. But funnily enough, the more I spaced out, the more complicated my head became. The random thoughts that popped up were much more tiresome than being physically tired.

What am I going to do for a living? I couldn’t help but worry about that. I wouldn’t starve to death since I had some money saved up, but I couldn’t just play around for the rest of my life. I thought about going back to construction sites like before, but then I realized I didn’t need that much money anymore and lost my motivation.

‘I’m not going to college.’

I had been living without a goal from the start. You can only set goals if you have the leeway, and I had to worry about today before I could even look to the distant future. The reason I didn’t regret giving up on college was because it wasn’t the career path Eun-ho wanted in the first place.

Should I join another agency? I thought about it, but quickly decided against it. I just didn’t have the confidence to take care of other celebrities besides Ji Hyeon. Originally, Eun-ho wasn’t the type to meticulously take care of someone.

The conclusion I came to was to take the civil service exam. I was quite confident in my studies, and there was no job as stable and steady as that.

As soon as I organized my thoughts, I went to a bookstore and bought a book of past exam questions. On the way home, I only checked the job postings for part-time jobs and went for a cafe interview without any plan. I had to come back because they said they were hiring female employees, but looking back, I thought it was a relief.

‘Once I get on TV, I’ll hear about what kind of crazy things I’m doing this time, too.’

I don’t think I’ve become famous, but it was true that more people recognized me. Not because I was a great person, but because Ji Hyeon was such a famous actor. Since I’ll be forgotten soon anyway, wouldn’t it be better to rest a little legally until then?

“…….”

Yeah, I was studying all night with that thought in mind.

‘……Hello.Why did I even answer the phone ringing in the early morning? It was just about sunrise, and it was also the time I would normally wake up and take a shower. It wasn’t really an early time for me, but it wasn’t a polite time either.

‘……Kwak Eun-ho.’

But as soon as I saw that name, my hand moved. I habitually pressed the call button, put it to my ear, and focused on his voice. His cracking voice was strangely delicate, and I even had the habitual worry that he hadn’t slept again.

‘Eun-ho, I…….’

‘Ji Hyeon-ah.’

So I deliberately cut him off. I felt like I would weaken soon if I listened any longer.

‘I think you’ve forgotten, but I’m not your Manager anymore.’

What was he trying to say? I don’t think it would have been anything that meaningful anyway. He was probably going to say he couldn’t sleep, or ask if I really wasn’t coming back, just rambling on about trivial things.

‘There’s no reason for me to answer a call at this hour.’

To be honest, there were many reasons to answer the phone. In the first place, the reason I took care of Ji Hyeon wasn’t just because he was an actor. I was just constantly worried about him, and because I was worried, I cared about him, so I took on things that a normal Manager wouldn’t do.

‘I hope you don’t call without a reason.’

I hoped my voice didn’t tremble. I desperately prayed that the lingering feelings I had wouldn’t be conveyed to Ji Hyeon. Judging by the fact that he didn’t call back, he must have hurt his pride, if nothing else.

“……He probably won’t even if he has a reason.”

He had a strong pride but low self-esteem. I didn’t think he would back down first, even though I had cut him off so firmly. Not just because he was upset, but because he was afraid of being rejected again. Back in high school, he was the type to just watch me carefully without even saying a word when we had a big fight once.

I guess I won’t be seeing him for a while. Eun-ho thought so and picked up his mechanical pencil again. Not knowing whether the feeling he was experiencing was disappointment or emptiness. Perhaps I’ll miss him first in a month, he thought. According to the saying that the person who likes more loses, I’ll end up losing in the end.

And that evening, Ji Hyeon came to my house.

I was feeling sluggish, so I went out for a light walk. On the way home, I bought some dinner and slowly entered the villa complex, thinking that the weather had become quite warm. I was planning to go straight to bed as soon as I finished eating, as I hadn’t slept a wink all night.

“……?”

But there was a large figure standing in front of the villa. It was blocking the entrance, so I couldn’t ignore its presence no matter how hard I tried. Eun-ho, who had felt a sense of déjà vu from afar, belatedly confirmed his face and stopped walking abruptly.

“……Ji Hyeon?”

The other person was Ji Hyeon. Without a hat or mask, Ji Hyeon was standing alone, looking at the entrance of the villa. Perhaps Eun-ho’s voice reached him, Ji Hyeon turned to look this way a beat late.

“Why are you here…….”

“…….”

He blinked slowly with a dazed expression. He was so dazed that even though our eyes met, it didn’t feel like they had. Why is he here? Before asking that, Eun-ho first confirmed one thing.

“Did you drink?”

I hadn’t seen him recently, but at one point, Ji Hyeon had a terrible habit of taking alcohol and medicine at the same time. Eun-ho happened to find out about it and got furious, and he hadn’t done it since. There was no reason for him to suddenly come without contacting me, so I wondered if he was acting up because he was drunk.

“Where did CEO go and you’re alone.”

What if an actor was doing this here? Even if there were no eyes watching, every black box on the cars was a gaze.

As Eun-ho, who was worried as a habit, approached, Ji Hyeon finally sighed.

“……Ah.”

It was just one syllable, but I don’t know why it pierced my ears so much. Like his trembling eyelids, his quietly uttered voice was also trembling faintly.

“Kwak Eun-ho.”

“…….”

It was like a breath. So faint that you would miss it in an instant if you didn’t listen carefully.

He doesn’t seem drunk…… There was no smell of alcohol, and his face was fine. But if you asked if he was in his right mind, he didn’t seem to be.

“Eun-ho, I…….”

It was then that I heard a commotion. Eun-ho, who reflexively turned around, frowned upon discovering a group of people entering the alley. I wouldn’t mind at other times, but I couldn’t let Ji Hyeon, who looked so unwell, be seen by people.

So Eun-ho took off the hat he was wearing and strode towards Ji Hyeon. As the distance narrowed, Ji Hyeon moved his lips as if to say something more. Eun-ho put the hat on Ji Hyeon’s head and pressed the brim down hard.

“Just be quiet for a second.”

“…….”

The people passing by were a group of high school students. The chattering students stared at Eun-ho and Ji Hyeon, who were standing in front of the villa, with wary eyes. With two tall men standing there, it was bound to look suspicious.

“……Let’s go inside first.”

With no other choice, Eun-ho clicked his tongue briefly and grabbed Ji Hyeon’s wrist. I wondered if he would be offended, but fortunately, Ji Hyeon obediently followed Eun-ho without saying a word. Even while climbing the stairs to the house, he didn’t shake off my wrist, but rather just stared at it.

It was only after arriving on the third floor that Eun-ho let go of Ji Hyeon and pressed the password. As soon as I opened the front door and went inside, Ji Hyeon followed closely behind.

I thought that was going to be the last time I brought him home. I guess the unintended situations are always the problem, both then and now.

“What about your filming?”

“It’s all done, so I came.”

Ji Hyeon replied to Eun-ho’s question in his usual gentle voice. It felt quite different from when he was standing outside. He still had a dazed feeling, but he was much more stable.

“Did you come alone?”

“Yeah.”

“How did you get here?”

“I took a taxi…….”

“……You took a taxi?”

Eun-ho, startled, looked at Ji Hyeon. He still had some makeup on, as if he had come straight from the filming set. I wondered if this guy had come without CEO’s knowledge. I brushed off the thought and just sighed.

“Okay…… that’s fine.”

What’s the point of worrying? I’m not his Manager anymore. It’s not something I should say after bringing him all the way to my house, but it’s no longer my job to be anxious about him causing trouble.

“So, what’s the reason you came?”

“……Can’t I come if I don’t have a reason?”

Ji Hyeon slowly looked back at Eun-ho and asked. It wasn’t accusatory, but rather as if he really didn’t know. When our eyes met, I couldn’t bring myself to say no, so Eun-ho just ran a hand over the back of his neck and frowned.

“It’s rude of you to come here without contacting me like this.”

What am I supposed to do if you suddenly come to my house? If you were coming, you should have called, or what would you have done if I hadn’t happened to be coming back?

No…… I should stop worrying about these things now.

“Regardless of whether you have a reason or not, you should at least have some manners. It’s the same with calling in the early morning.”

Eun-ho spoke as calmly as possible. He deliberately used a cold voice, afraid that concern might mix in.

“How long am I going to…….”

“Sorry.”

“…….”

Just like that, my lips closed. It was because of the one word Ji Hyeon uttered quietly. As Eun-ho, flustered, looked at him, an even more subdued voice came out.

“I was wrong.”

I had a feeling that this might have been what he was trying to say on the phone. I thought the afterthought, which I thought was just a childish tantrum, might have actually been an apology that wasn’t like him.

“I won’t call at that hour.”

“…….”

“I won’t come without contacting you either.”

“…….”

“That time…….”

Ji Hyeon paused for a moment, as if his throat was choked up. I couldn’t see what kind of expression he was making because he was looking down. I regretted not putting the hat on him, and at that moment, the afterthought finally came out.

“I’m sorry for saying things so harshly.”

His blunt voice was too calm to be a sincere apology. It wasn’t Ji Hyeon’s usual tone, and it didn’t seem like he was embarrassed either. Behind the apology, which felt somehow familiar, he added a plausible excuse.

“That’s not what I was trying to say.”

“……Then what were you thinking of saying?”

I wasn’t asking to argue, but because I was curious. Eun-ho wasn’t angry, and he was even touched that he had come to apologize in person. However, the part I didn’t understand wasn’t the result of his actions, but the reason.

“I know it was a slip of the tongue. I know it wasn’t sincere, and I know you’ve reflected on it enough. You came to me because you’re sorry. I’ve received your apology, so that’s fine.”

Even if I wasn’t okay, I would have been okay as soon as I heard the apology. His way of speaking was annoying, but that wasn’t a reason to resent Ji Hyeon himself. It was true that he was annoying and hateful, but it wasn’t a reason to cut ties completely.

“But are you confident you won’t do that again?”

“…….”

“If we go back to that time, are you confident you won’t talk to me like that?”

That was the fundamental problem. A mistake is enough once, and unless the cause is resolved, the result will not change. Just because he regrets it now and apologizes doesn’t mean I can be sure that the same situation won’t happen later.

“You’re not confident, are you?”

“…….”

Having no tact whatsoever, Ji Hyeon couldn’t even answer yes as a formality. Eun-ho had fully expected that reaction, so he just told the truth in a calm tone.

“That’s why I quit. Not because I was angry at you, but because I thought this wouldn’t work.”In order to break the cycle of vicious cycle, action was needed.” Whether it was a solution or a severance, nothing would change if you didn’t act. It wasn’t difficult to accept the apology, but I also knew that nothing would change by doing so.

“I’ll accept your apology. But I’m not going to be your Manager again.”

If he came all the way here, his purpose must be one thing. That’s what I said, thinking that Ji Hyeon, who would only get worse if I left him with false hope.

But Ji Hyeon slowly replied, still looking down.

“We were friends before you were my Manager, right?”

His subdued voice sounded almost accusatory. His tone was still gentle, but various emotions were mixed in at the end of his words.

“I was your Manager because we were friends, right?”

“…….”

“But we’re not even friends anymore?”

It was a chicken or the egg situation. Eun-ho was the first to draw the line, but that was because Ji Hyeon wanted something more than friendship. When Eun-ho drew the line, Ji Hyeon got angry, and when Eun-ho approached, Ji Hyeon drew the line. Then, this time, even that line became a mess, and Eun-ho was pushed out.

“……When did I say I wouldn’t be friends with you?”

“You hung up on me.”

Saying that, Ji Hyeon looked up. His shadowed eyes looked very wronged.

“You told me not to call.”

“…….”

It was similar to a child throwing a tantrum. I would rather he openly lose his temper so I could get angry with him, but he was so genuinely upset that there were only a few things I could say.

“I just said not to call at that hour without a reason.”

“Then can I call if I have a reason?”

“…….”

Eun-ho couldn’t answer right away and closed his mouth. In fact, the important thing wasn’t whether there was a reason or not.

“Ji Hyeon-ah, it’s only been two days since we fought.”

There’s a reason why they say time heals all wounds. Conversely, there was a limit to how much a wound could heal unless you applied medicine. So, I’m saying that I still can’t treat him casually.

“I still don’t really want to see your face.”

“……Then how long do I have to wait?”

Ji Hyeon didn’t give in and asked Eun-ho back. His pupils were trembling slightly, and he even looked anxious.

“How long do I have to wait to be friends again?”

Does he even know that carelessly thrown words leave scars? His blind attitude kept churning my stomach. Wanting something more than friendship, but asking to remain friends was extremely selfish.

“Until you…….”

“…….”

“Until I’m not the only one for you.”

I didn’t intend to say even this. I kept blurting out my inner thoughts because I had stayed up all night. The only good thing was that I was still able to make rational judgments.

“Honestly, putting up with your personality isn’t a big deal. It’s not that hard, and the things you say don’t hurt me that much.”

Oh, he’s acting up again. I could just brush it off with that much feeling. It wasn’t because I liked Ji Hyeon, and it wasn’t because I had gotten used to him. It was just because Eun-ho had a personality that could easily brush off whatever others said.

“But that’s only for a day or two.”

“…….”

“I can’t put up with your childishness forever.”

However, not feeling bad and putting up with it were separate issues. Just as there was no reason to keep getting hit just because it didn’t hurt, there was no need to endlessly endure just because I was okay.

“I’m not your family, and I’m not your lover or spouse. I can’t be the only one for you. Do you understand?”

I didn’t mean to, but the afterthought came out a little agitated. Ji Hyeon, who had been listening quietly, then asked back with a slightly stiff face.

“Why can’t I be the only one?”

“Why…….”

I thought he was asking a pointless question. Why doesn’t he know this obvious truth?

“Friends are supposed to be multiple people.”

“…….”

Ridiculously, Ji Hyeon looked like he didn’t understand at all. Actually, Eun-ho shouldn’t be the one saying this. Eun-ho, too, only had Ji Hyeon as a friend. But that didn’t mean he was so ignorant that he didn’t know what the problem was.

“…You don’t seem to know, but what you’re demanding and expecting from me isn’t something that happens between normal friends.”

The affection he desired was so excessively blind that Eun-ho sometimes felt like he had become a great person. It was just that Ji Hyeon had no substitutes, but that fact kept making him arrogant. If he became intoxicated with the fact that he was the only one, a situation would arise where he couldn’t escape even knowing it was a sick relationship.

“You’re just… obsessed with me because you don’t have any other friends.”

Those words hurt Eun-ho, who was speaking them. Finally admitting this fact with his own mouth was both refreshing and annoying. As Eun-ho, avoiding his gaze, let out a stuffy breath, Ji Hyeon opened his mouth in a somehow suppressed voice.

“…Then if I make other friends.”

It was an unfitting assumption. The following words were the same.

“If I interact with other people, don’t ask anything of you, and you’re not the only one for me.”

The assumptions that poured out became faster and faster as they went on. Like Eun-ho, he seemed to be overwhelmed with various emotions.

“Then can I call you then?”

“…….”

“Without contacting you… no, if I contact you, can I come find you?”

“…….”

“Is that the kind of relationship you want, Kwak Eun-ho?”

Only then did he realize. The relationship he had wanted so far wasn’t just that kind of friendship. The fact that he had been acting so nonchalantly and relaxed was also because Ji Hyeon, not him, was actually the more desperate one.

“Hey.”

The moment he realized, he became surprisingly unpleasant. He had unwillingly confronted a fact he had been trying to ignore. He had given up because it couldn’t be achieved, but the guy who had no intention of making it happen was instead asking him backhandedly.

“Let’s ask the opposite. What do you want me to do?”

Who was the one feeling wronged right now? He was also unable to define the relationship, yet how could he dare to protest his own disappointment?

“Do you want me to be your Manager again?”

“…….”

No answer came back to the question he had asked in a fit of pique. Even Eun-ho thought this was unexpected this time. If he readily said yes, he was planning to firmly refuse, saying he had no intention of doing so.

“I honestly don’t know what you want from me. And you don’t know right now either.”

It was a direct hit. He could tell just by the expression Ji Hyeon was making. Then what exactly was he supposed to do? What would change if he just recklessly stirred up a problem he couldn’t solve?

“Go back.”

“…….”

“Don’t contact me until everything is sorted out.”

His patience was only up to that point. Eun-ho pushed Ji Hyeon away, almost roughly. Ji Hyeon, who walked aimlessly to the front door, surprisingly didn’t shake off Eun-ho’s hand or get angry. He just spoke in a voice so frail that it momentarily shook Eun-ho’s heart.

“…I can’t breathe without you.”

It was a very cruel thing to say. The fact that it sounded like a confession, and yet wasn’t a confession, too. And the fact that there was only one thing Eun-ho could say to such a Ji Hyeon.

“Go to the hospital.”

“…….”

“I can’t solve that for you.”

It was a cold-hearted thing to say, but it was the truth. Perhaps he had rejected him too sharply, Ji Hyeon let out a burst of laughter, out of place for the situation. The self-deprecating voice muttered like a soliloquy.

“You’re really…….”

He could guess the rest of the words without hearing them. That he was a strange guy, he was probably going to say something like that. In any case, Eun-ho didn’t care, so he just pushed Ji Hyeon away and closed the front door. Bang, as soon as the door closed, a heavy silence settled in the hallway.

“Haa…….”

Tiredness washed over him like a flood. He hadn’t slept, had been using his brain all night, and had even wasted his emotions unnecessarily. What was even more annoying was the fact that he was worried about Ji Hyeon going home, even though he had resolutely kicked him out.

Eun-ho suppressed his misplaced anger and took a step inside the house. Then, suddenly, he realized one thing and ruffled his hair irritably. The consideration he had inadvertently given him, which he hadn’t even thought about.

“…My hat.”

Why would he even put on a hat, as if it were pretty. It was already too late to look back now that he had already left. Even in the midst of all this, he couldn’t believe that he was relieved that he had at least worn a hat.

It had already been seven years since he became Ji Hyeon’s Manager. From the winter of his twenty-second year to the spring of his twenty-ninth year, Eun-ho saw Ji Hyeon’s face every day during that long period. He stayed by his side all the time, accompanying him on all his schedules and taking care of his every move.

‘Manager Kwak is doing a good job of supporting him. He’s doing everything a wife would do.’

CEO Byun had once said that, as if his appearance was so meticulous. Eun-ho had passed it off without much thought, and CEO Byun probably didn’t mean anything by it either. But Ji Hyeon, who had been listening silently, retorted in a nonchalant voice.

‘President, you’ll get cursed at these days if you call someone a wife just because they cook for you. That’s why you still haven’t gotten married because you’re so full of prejudice.’

Looking back, it couldn’t be a more ridiculous thing to say. Cursing him out as a gay bastard and all that. A homophobe who was more full of prejudice than anyone else was good at talking. It wasn’t wrong, but it was another reason why it offended CEO Byun.

‘Did I just not get married? I couldn’t get married because I was cleaning up after you! You son of a bitch!’

‘Who told you to do that?’

‘You, you ungrateful bastard…!’

Once when he stopped CEO Byun, who was about to fall backward from high blood pressure, and again when he stopped Ji Hyeon, who was trying to tease him without knowing the limit. That was all Eun-ho opened his mouth, just twice. It wasn’t a particularly memorable anecdote, and he remembered leaving the company that day without anything special happening.

But for some reason, Ji Hyeon started using a strange title after that day. A title that was so embarrassing that he was so startled when he first heard it that he was speechless.

‘Darling.’

‘…….’

Was he crazy? That’s what he thought. No, he was actually crazy, so maybe he had taken the wrong medicine. Anyway, behind that ridiculous call was a trivial request that he had heard enough to be sick of.

‘Just come into my house and live with me.’

Even thinking about it again, wasn’t he a resentful guy? He had such severe insomnia, but he could sleep well when Eun-ho was by his side. It wasn’t like he was holding him and putting him to sleep, but just the fact that he was nearby was enough for him to fall into a sound sleep.

He knew. That his insomnia was a psychological problem. That no matter how regular his life was, it wouldn’t be completely cured unless he solved the deep-rooted mental illness.

The reason why he didn’t stay by his side even though he knew that was because it couldn’t be a complete cure. Unless the fundamental cause was uprooted, a dam that was temporarily blocked could collapse at any time. Eun-ho knew that too, so he didn’t offer a helping hand that he couldn’t take responsibility for.

So this time too, Eun-ho had just made the same choice. Just because Ji Hyeon was asking for help didn’t mean that a way to help him would arise. Just staying by his side was the best Eun-ho could do, but since even that had become useless, there was no other way but to distance himself.

However, just because he made a rational decision didn’t mean that his heart would immediately be okay. Just like how he tossed and turned all night with a tired body after sending him away, and just like how he kept picking up and putting down his phone for no reason, or just like how he started checking the communities he had to see for work more often.

It was an ordinary daily life except that he had become a little more free. He would wake up in the morning and do housework, study for the exam during the day, take a light walk around the neighborhood in the evening, and then return home.

But even in that unremarkable daily life, Ji Hyeon was there without him noticing. It was a very trivial part, for example, when he cooked, he would cook for two people, or when he went out, he would bring hand cream, or when he saw the cloudy sky, he would worry about driving.

‘Darling.’

‘What.’

‘Should I get a haircut today?’

Time was what made even that ridiculous title familiar. It usually takes about three months for a habit to form, but the time they had spent together was a whopping seven years. Since they had spent every day together without exception, it wasn’t strange that every day originated from Ji Hyeon.

“…….”

Yes, so it was still too early to break the habit of checking his schedule.

“…He had a company dinner.”

A photo taken with several people was displayed on the phone with a large screen. The location was a barbecue restaurant, and one of the people sitting at the table was none other than Ji Hyeon. Moreover, Ji Hyeon was picking up meat with chopsticks and bringing it near his mouth.

‘…Then if I make other friends.’

Was he trying to put those words into practice? After being kicked out of Eun-ho’s house, Ji Hyeon strangely often appeared in private places. At first, it was the dinner party for , then it was a group photo taken with the actors, and most recently, it was Shin Yi-chan’s personal SNS.

‘Learning a lot from my respected Sunbae’ A photo was posted with that phrase, showing Ji Hyeon and Shin Yi-chan looking at the script and talking.

‘The atmosphere on set must be really good… ㅠㅠ It’s the first time I’ve seen Actor Ji hanging out like that.

Our baby is making friends (sobbing).

Wow… It’s so unexpected that he’s close with Shin Yi-chan; Didn’t he use Actor Ji for noise marketing?’

Eun-ho scrolled down the screen and checked the general reactions before turning off his phone again. He didn’t know if the atmosphere on set was good, but Eun-ho agreed with the two comments he checked afterward.

No matter how clueless Shin Yi-chan was, he wouldn’t have just posted the photo. Then that meant he had at least gotten permission from Ji Hyeon. No, the fact that they were looking at the same script together was already very surprising.

‘Fucking hell, seriously…….’

“…….”

Was it okay for his attitude to change so quickly like this? No matter how he thought about it, it wasn’t something Ji Hyeon would do. Even though he thought it wasn’t, the reason why the words he had said kept coming to mind was because of that.

‘If I interact with other people, don’t ask anything of you, and you’re not the only one for me.’

“…….”

‘Then can I call you then?’

He turned on the locked phone screen again. He brought up the barbecue restaurant photo he had been looking at a little while ago and stared intently at Ji Hyeon, who was taken small. He wouldn’t be able to see his inner thoughts by doing this, but at least he could clearly see his jawline, which seemed a little thinner.

And one thing he couldn’t understand at all.

“Why is he wearing my hat…….”

Ji Hyeon was wearing a hat on his head. It was that black hat that Eun-ho had put on him last time.

It wasn’t like he was protesting, and why would a guy with so many clothes wear this worn-out hat? He didn’t think he would return it, but he didn’t even know he would wear it so proudly. Was it because he liked it so much after trying it on, he was always wearing this hat in photos taken in private places.

Eun-ho sighed again and put down his phone. Was slacking off becoming a habit? He thought he was only going to look at it for a little bit, but he had wasted too much time. Eun-ho, who glanced at the time, grabbed the pencil next to him.

One month. It was exactly one month after he had sent Ji Hyeon away.

To be honest, he thought he would get a call in the middle. He had defied Eun-ho’s expectations and even came to his house, so he thought he would get a call or message even after being kicked out like that. He thought he would call and spout nonsense about how friends could also be the only one.

But surprisingly, he didn’t get any contact from Ji Hyeon. Until he finally started making only one serving when preparing meals, until he stopped looking for the car keys in the morning, until he realized that he was the one waiting and thought that he should consciously move his body, at least.

Come to think of it, he was also damn good at keeping the things he was told not to do. He hadn’t kept all the things he was told not to do, like not taking medicine and alcohol together, not causing accidents on set, and not disrupting the atmosphere on set? When he couldn’t overcome his bad condition and shut his mouth from time to time, he couldn’t say anything because that was also something Eun-ho had told him to do.

He knew that he would do all sorts of annoying things, but if he thought he was really being annoying, he would get intimidated and look at him. It was no different from a young child’s tantrum demanding attention, so he could look at that level of childishness with affection. So this time too, there was a high possibility that he was working hard to listen to Eun-ho’s words.

If that was really the case, Eun-ho had no reason to stop him. Nevertheless, the reason why he felt stuffy was probably because he couldn’t handle the suddenly remaining time.

On the day that marked a week since the company dinner photo was posted. Eun-ho impulsively left the house and headed somewhere. There was no special reason, but he suddenly felt stuffy because he had been sitting at his desk and using his brain every day.

Deciding to prepare for the civil service exam was a very impulsive choice. He bought a book of past questions because he didn’t know what to do, and it was only after a few days that he properly looked up what the process was like. In other words, it wasn’t a decision he had made with great enthusiasm from the beginning.

Since he had no goal, it wasn’t fun either. What he felt after getting a grasp of it was that preparing for the civil service exam was too different from studying for an entrance exam. It had been too long since he had stopped studying, and his mind was complicated in many ways, so he couldn’t concentrate well.

So, he just left the house and got on the bus. The way was very unfamiliar, but he was going to that place that he couldn’t forget, no matter what, at the end of the road.

The place where he first met Ji Hyeon, and the place where they eventually broke up. The place he didn’t have time for back then, and the place he eventually left.

Even though it had been a whopping 10 years, it would be nice if he could convey his gratitude, even belatedly.

“Oh my goodness, it’s been so long.”

Korean High School 3rd Grade Faculty Office. There, was the teacher who had been Eun-ho and Ji Hyeon’s homeroom teacher 10 years ago. The new teacher who had been appointed not long ago had now become a veteran who was almost 10 years old. The teacher, who used to dress neatly in a suit skirt and go to work, was now comfortably dressed and skillfully handling the students.

“I was so surprised when I saw the broadcast. I mean, Hyeon-ah is one thing, but who would have imagined that you would be on it?”

Until he entered the faculty office, he had regretted coming several times. He wasn’t sure if she was still here, and he wasn’t sure if she would welcome him, who had suddenly come to visit.

“I’m so glad to see your face like this. Eun-ho, you’re still the same, the same.”

But the teacher recognized Eun-ho as soon as he entered the faculty office. At first, she widened her eyes in surprise, then she jumped up from her seat, called his name, and grabbed his hands tightly.

“You should have come once. I was so worried about you.”

“…….”

He had met so many good adults, he only realized that now. Even though he had spent a poor childhood, there were always good adults by Eun-ho’s side. Starting with his Grandmother, his homeroom teachers every year, and even the neighbors who lived nearby.

“…I’m sorry for coming late.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.”

Eun-ho shared a brief update with his homeroom teacher in the counseling room inside the faculty office. The teacher, who said she enjoyed watching ‘My MaeSo’, said it was good that he was healthy and didn’t bring up the college stories from that time at all. The teacher said she had already taken maternity leave once and showed him five photos of her child along with her wedding ring.

“Isn’t the baby so pretty? Our kids say they look like the teacher…….”

At the end of the bustling chatter, he realized that she was showing concern. He also knew that she had been subtly checking Eun-ho’s complexion. It was her own consideration that he didn’t know 10 years ago, but now he knew for sure and could return it.

“Teacher.”

So Eun-ho took advantage of the gap in her words and cautiously opened his mouth. To tell her the news that she was probably most curious about, the news that had happened after they had lost contact.

“Thank you so much for that time…….”

“…….”

“Grandmother’s surgery went well, and she passed away a few years later. Fortunately, Ji Hyeon… um, that friend helped me, so the financial part was also resolved well.”

It was so hard back then that I wanted to die. But now, looking back, it was just a few years that can be summarized in a single word. Since the result was good, even the process was beautified, and I could wrap it up nicely and keep it in my heart without any regrets.

“That’s a relief.”

“……”

“I was very worried.”

The comfort in his calm voice somehow made me feel choked up. So much so that I had to swallow hard in secret and lower my head without realizing it. And so much that I couldn’t bring myself to say the words I had prepared until the very end.

“And I want to pay you back for the application fee……”

I wanted to return the money he had lent me, but I was worried about the attention of others if I handed him the envelope. I brought it just in case, but I couldn’t figure out when and how to hand it over.

But the teacher, as if expecting what I was going to say, patted Eun-ho’s hand.

“Forget about it, you rascal. How can I accept money from a student?”

His hearty reply wasn’t particularly contrived. The playful voice that followed was the same.

“That’s all because you studied hard. It’s not that I’m being generous, it’s an investment, an investment.”

It was obvious that he was pretending to be nonchalant so I wouldn’t feel burdened. The nineteen-year-old Eun-ho might not have known, but the twenty-nine-year-old Eun-ho knew well enough.

“……Thank you.”

So Eun-ho simply expressed his gratitude without saying anything else. Because sometimes, the best way to repay someone’s kindness is to accept it with joy. That’s how Grandmother had taught him since he was a child.

“And also……”

“Yeah?”

Should I ask this or not? Eun-ho hesitated for a moment, moving his lips. It was something he regretted only after he had some leeway, but it felt too late to ask now. Of course, even so, since he had come this far, he was thinking of saying it.

“It’s too late, but do you still have my diploma?”

“……Diploma?”

But as soon as he heard that, the teacher looked slightly puzzled. He must also know that Eun-ho, who couldn’t come to school, didn’t receive his diploma.

Could it be that he sent it by courier? While he was thinking that, the teacher said with a flustered look.

“That, back then…….”

The bright blue sky was particularly clear and sunny today. While waiting for the bus, Eun-ho stared blankly into the air with his hands in his pockets. He could feel the students nearby glancing at him, but he was too preoccupied to even notice.

“……”

Soon, the bus arrived, and Eun-ho silently boarded and sat in a seat near the back door. And as a habit, he took out his phone and went to a familiar address. It was the bulletin board where news of Ji Hyeon was posted, which he had visited so often that he had memorized the address.

‘Hyeon-ah took it back then.’

So, why did you take it? And why have you kept your mouth shut without saying a word until now? You got angry at me for not telling you anything, but you also have so many things you’re hiding.

‘He said he would give it to you, didn’t you receive it?’

“……”

If he could, he wanted to ask what he was thinking. He might have forgotten it too, but first of all, he wanted to reminisce about that time and talk about it.

‘Don’t contact me until everything is settled.’

But because that wasn’t possible, Eun-ho just stared blankly at the bulletin board. Since nothing much usually happens, most of it was about looking forward to Ji Hyeon’s next work and other filmographies.

‘……I can’t breathe without you.’

But it seems like you’re breathing well now. In fact, wasn’t it all just a matter of time in the end? It’s not like a big problem would arise if I left, but I was just scared and dragged it on for years.

‘I can’t fix that.’

Should I stop doing this now? Just consider the diploma as thrown away. Actor Ji seems to be doing okay now, so there’s no need to stir things up. Then, after a long time, we might be able to become friends again without any problems.

“……”

Eun-ho sighed softly and scrolled down the screen. It was a meaningless action, but there was a post that caught his eye on the screen that stopped at that moment.

It was an article scraped from the Hot Star News site, with a title that couldn’t be ignored.

「[Exclusive] Actor Ji Injured During Drama Filming…“Rushed to the Emergency Room”」

Article/News | [Exclusive] Actor Ji Injured During Drama Filming…“Rushed to the Emergency Room”

Anonymous https:https://www.todayspring.com/jihyeon/2394380041

(Actor Ji with his legs crossed in the back seat of a car.jpg)

[▲Photo=MBS ‘At the End of That Memory’]

Actor Ji Hyeon was injured during the filming of the drama ‘Witness’.

On the 20th, the ‘Witness’ filming team reported that Actor Ji Hyeon suffered a major injury during the drama filming. It is presumed that the accident occurred when equipment on the set collapsed, and Actor Ji Hyeon, who was in front of it, was unable to avoid it.

Actor Ji Hyeon was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for surgery and is currently resting in his hospital room.

His agency, NB Entertainment, said, “The surgery was successful, but he is hospitalized because he needs rest,” and “We plan to postpone filming for the time being and focus on recovery.”

Currently, Actor Ji Hyeon is hospitalized at Korea University Hospital, and it is expected that it will be difficult for him to return for a while.

/Reporter Son Hana (One_hand@hotstar.co.kr)

Source : [Hot Star News | https:https://www.hotstar.co.k/view/1423101]

543 Comments

1 ?????

2 Crazy ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

3 What the hell? What is it??????

4 Holy shit

5 Ji Hyeon is hurt??

6 No, how did he get hurt and even have surgery?

7 How did they manage the set that equipment collapsed where the actor was;; Didn’t they do safety management properly? What are the broadcasting station bastards doing? Hahaha

└ Every time an accident happens, it’s all mismanagement.

└

└ It’s obvious that they managed it poorly.

└

└ Actor Ji Hyeon’s value is so high, you worthless bastards.

└

└ They spent all the production cost on Actor Ji’s casting fee.

└ But what exactly collapsed??

└ I don’t know… Anyway, no matter what collapsed, it’s all the filming team’s fault.

└ I’m someone who has worked part-time on filming sets, and unexpected accidents happen a lot while filming, and there are many cases where it’s ambiguous to say who’s at fault. It’s better not to talk about this

8 I hope Actor Ji recovers quickly. I always support you.

9 No ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I’m glad the surgery went well, but how badly did he get hurt that it’s difficult to return for a while?ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Please tell me in detail, you bastards ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

└ ㅜㅜThat’s right, the article only has ambiguous content

└ But articles can’t help it… They can’t talk about the actor’s injury in detail…

└ There are countless things they can say in detail, what are you talking about

└ There are countless things they can say in detail222

10 Ah… It’s okay if the filming is delayed, I hope he rests well and takes a good rest. Actor Ji looked good these days, but it breaks my heart..

└ m.j… Recently, a lot of photos were uploaded and there was only good news, how can the world be like this

└ 22 Please don’t overdo it and take a good rest

11 Holy crap, isn’t this crazy???ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Who gave Actor Ji permission to get hurtㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

└ ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠReallyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

└ ㄹㅇ If it’s about Ji Hyeon’s level, getting hurt carelessly is a national disaster

12 I hope he gets well soon

└ 낳았X 나았O

└ It’s the same thing

└ Ji Hyeon, wishing for a safe birth…Fans “I didn’t know men could get pregnant”

└ Do you want to do this in an article about an actor getting hurt, you crazy people???

13 ㅠㅠHa.. I’m so worried that Actor Ji will overdo it again when he’s not fully recovered. I haven’t seen him rest even when he’s not feeling well.

└ That’s right. He was taken away before because he overdid it.

└ Didn’t they say that was a false report?

└ No, it was real… He went to the hospital every day in his early twenties due to overwork

14 Whatever, health is the top priority, so I hope he recovers fully and returns without any aftereffects. They should investigate how the accident happened and reveal it properly. The filming team should be careful not to have such accidents again.

15 Jizel don’t get hurt…

└ 22

└ 333

└ 4444

·

·

·

In front of the tall building, reporters with cameras were crowded. Security guards in black suits controlled them, and ordinary people who had not yet heard the news glanced at the commotion and hurried their steps. It was a scene that naturally made him frown, so Eun-ho sighed and pulled his hat down low.

Instead of the hat he always wore, the hat he wore today had a white logo on it. When was it, Ji Hyeon had forced him to buy it, saying that if he was going to wear a hat, he should wear something pretty. Considering Eun-ho’s taste, it was black (of course, Eun-ho didn’t particularly like black), but Eun-ho wore a completely black hat instead of the hat he bought for him.

There was no particular reason. He just liked the one he was using because it was comfortable. He didn’t know that someone living somewhere would wear the hat he was using well, so he would have to wear a new hat without a choice like this.

“Hoo…….”

Eun-ho sighed deeply and put his hands in his pockets. He just hoped that the reporters gathered there wouldn’t recognize his face. If possible, he wanted to go in quietly and come out quietly.

He thought it was a hassle, but he didn’t think he came for nothing. Whether there was a reporter in front of him, or there was a more difficult situation, Eun-ho had someone to meet at this hospital.

His friend, who was badly injured and taken to the hospital just yesterday.

‘……Injured?’

When he checked the article on the bus earlier, he felt like his head turned white without any exaggeration. So he searched the internet like crazy, but no details came out. Where he was hurt, what kind of surgery he had, what his current condition was, and how long it would take to recover. Exactly what equipment he was crushed by and what caused the accident.

So Eun-ho immediately got off the bus and called CEO Byun. His fingers were trembling so much that it took him a long time to even press the call button. Fortunately, CEO Byun answered the phone before the third ring.

‘CEO, this is Kwak Eun-ho.’

Is it fortunate that he didn’t forget to say that even in a hurry? Eun-ho, who started urgently, brought up the matter before CEO Byun’s answer came back.

‘Ji Hyeon got hurt…….’

‘Oh, Eun-ho. It’s noisy around here, so I can’t hear you well…… Hey, hey! I told you not to take pictures there!’

‘…….’

I called at a bad time. If an accident happened to Ji Hyeon, the most flustered person would be CEO Byun, who is currently his manager.

As soon as he realized that, he felt guilty. He quit being a manager like that, so he wondered if he had made too personal a contact. If he was going to contact someone, he should have contacted Ji Hyeon, but he called the CEO as if he was still a manager.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll call you again later.’

So Eun-ho ended the call with those words. No, he was about to hang up. If it hadn’t been for CEO Byun’s voice, which he heard urgently the moment he took the phone away from his ear.

‘Wait, wait a minute, Eun-ho!’

The voice coming from the phone was so loud that a passerby turned around to look at Eun-ho. Eun-ho put the phone back to his ear, and CEO Byun still shouted in a hurry.

‘Eun-ho, you bastard! How can you hang up on an adult first! Ha, this quick-acting guy…….’

‘……I haven’t hung up yet.’

‘…….’

After a moment of silence, CEO Byun cleared his throat, ahem. He felt a little relieved by his nonchalant reaction. Soon, CEO Byun began to explain the part that Eun-ho didn’t ask about.

‘That, the VIP room on the 12th floor of Korea University Hospital. I put security guards in front of it, but they all know your face anyway…….’

He said he would tell the entrance, that there were some reporters, but it would be okay, and that you were still involved. The intentions of the rambling words were obvious even without hearing the conclusion. While Eun-ho didn’t bother to interrupt him, CEO Byun finished all the words and asked cautiously.

‘Do you want to come if you have time?’

So now, Eun-ho was standing in front of the main building of Korea University Hospital. The VIP room was on the 12th floor of this place, so he had to go inside through strict security. Fortunately, the reporters didn’t find him, and as soon as he inquired at the desk, the staff handed him a pass.

“……”

He felt a strange tension as he rode up the elevator. He should have asked how badly he was hurt, but it was faster to grab a taxi right away. He regretted it only after the tension subsided a little, but since he had answered that he would go now, it was difficult to call again.

Ironically, Eun-ho thought it was an accident that wouldn’t have happened if he had been there. The filming team always prioritizes the safety of the actors, but even so, there were parts that they couldn’t pay attention to and overlooked. And it was the manager who had to pay attention to that point right next to the actor.

If it was equipment that was going to collapse in the first place, and if he was anxious, Eun-ho wouldn’t have left Ji Hyeon near it.

“……That’s a presumptuous thought.”

Ding, the elevator that reached the 12th floor slowly opened its doors. The hallway with luxurious carpets was obviously well-maintained at first glance. Eun-ho strode across the hallway and found the number that CEO Byun had told him.

[1203]

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The security guard guarding the door was also a face that Eun-ho knew. As soon as he checked Eun-ho’s face, he opened the door with a light nod. Judging from the fact that he didn’t ask anything, it seemed that CEO Byun had told him in advance.

Should I knock? Even while thinking that, Eun-ho lowered his footsteps and entered the door. Because the security guard’s action of opening the door was so careful, he felt like he had to be quiet too.

The VIP room where Ji Hyeon was hospitalized seemed bigger than the villa where Eun-ho lived. There was a kitchen and living room where cooking was possible, and there was a table and a wide sofa in the living room. The space with the bed was separated by a sliding door, and it looked more like a hotel than a hospital room.

“……”

Actually, he thought Ji Hyeon would come out as soon as the door opened. Since there was one more door to open, he just felt strange. He wouldn’t have heard the knock because of that door anyway. Eun-ho thought so and slowly moved his steps.

But before he could even get close, a familiar voice shouted loudly.

“So who told you to wander around with your mind elsewhere?”

The angry voice was CEO Byun’s even without seeing his face. Eun-ho made a knowing expression and stopped in front of the door. He didn’t know, but now he saw that the door was open by a fingernail.

“Why are you spacing out there! Is being an actor a joke? Do you think you getting hurt is only your problem?”

Through the open crack in the door, he could see the back of CEO Byun. He could also see the feet of someone sitting on the bed, but unfortunately, his face was hidden by CEO Byun. Of course, there was only one person who could be there.

“Who wanted to get hurt.”

“……”

He wasn’t badly hurt. Eun-ho sighed in relief as soon as he heard that. His usual relaxed and soft voice was not much different from the Ji Hyeon that Eun-ho remembered.

“What can I do if I can’t sleep? I didn’t even know I fell until blood was coming out of my arm.”

He didn’t have to listen for long to get a rough idea. It was clear that Ji Hyeon, who couldn’t sleep, couldn’t react to the sudden collapse of the equipment and was caught in the accident.

I wonder if he wouldn’t have been hurt if I had been there. While he was thinking that, Ji Hyeon suddenly said.

“Can’t you ask them to put a little more of that in? I feel refreshed after sleeping a little during the surgery.”

“What, propofol? Are you crazy? Do you want to get caught for drug use!”

It seems like he said that on purpose just now. There’s no way Ji Hyeon doesn’t know it’s a narcotic sleeping pill.

“What’s the problem with you…….”

“What else. Everything is a problem.”

The words that seemed to be sarcastic at first glance were just sweet if you listened without paying attention to the content. Of course, Eun-ho knew how much that voice scratched CEO Byun’s insides.

“Don’t you know that Hyeon-ah hasn’t been able to manage his condition these days because of Eun-ho? You were like that when you were twenty, how can you still be like that even when you’re older…….”

“……”

Kwak Eun-ho paused, halting his movement. Just as he was about to knock, a familiar name had popped out. This was a bit, troublesome. No sooner had he thought that than even more awkward words reached his ears.

“Why does a bastard like that even bother going to actors’ gatherings… What’s the point if he eats the food there and throws it all up when he gets home? Who’s going to appreciate that effort?”

“What bullshit are you talking about? You’re not supposed to appreciate it. He throws up at home so you don’t know.”

So, he wasn’t doing okay. Eun-ho had thought he was doing well, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Why did he go there if he was going to throw up, why was he doing things he never usually did? It seemed Eun-ho wasn’t the only one curious about that fact.

“So, what the hell is he doing that for! I’ve told him several times to just rest at home since there’s no need to do that now!”

“……”

In the end, Eun-ho lowered his hand, which had been about to knock, and quietly shut his mouth. It wasn’t that he was trying to eavesdrop, it was just that he was a little curious about what would be said next. As CEO Byun turned his body as if frustrated, Ji Hyeon’s face, with his eyes closed, was visible through a small gap.

“Because Kwak Eun-ho is the only friend I have.”

Ji Hyeon, looking a little thinner, was leaning against the head of the bed with his eyes neatly closed. His right arm was in a cast, and there were small bandages on his face as well.

“So, I was wondering if things might be a little different if I made some friends.”

“……”

It was Eun-ho who was speechless. CEO Byun sighed as if dumbfounded, but Eun-ho clenched his fists tightly and lowered his gaze.

“So, has anything changed?”

“I wonder…”

Ji Hyeon evaded the answer, drawing out the end of his sentence. It meant that nothing had changed. After keeping his mouth shut for a while, he cautiously called out to CEO Byun.

“CEO Byun.”

It was a word that made him feel inexplicably nervous. Not only CEO Byun, but also Eun-ho.

“What do you think, CEO Byun?”

“……About what?”

“The fact that I can’t sleep without him, that I’m anxious that I might go into hiding again, that I can’t even breathe because I’m having panic attacks…”

The words that followed slowly were heavy even for Eun-ho to hear. With each word that was uttered, it felt as if the area around his solar plexus was being squeezed tightly.

“Is this normal?”

“……”

“Or is it something I should go to the hospital for?”

There was no way he could dare to answer that question. The only person who could tell him to go to the hospital was Eun-ho himself. Even then, he wouldn’t have been able to say it unless he was angry.

“I’m not supposed to rely on him alone.”

“……”

“But there’s no one like Kwak Eun-ho.”

Eun-ho stood there as if nailed to the spot, staring at Ji Hyeon. He shouldn’t have eavesdropped. That was what he thought, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Ji Hyeon, who was visible through the door. His neatly closed eyes, his self-deprecatingly twisted lips, his tired-looking face, remained vividly etched in his mind.

“Hyeon-ah, don’t tell me…”

CEO Byun slowly began to speak, then abruptly stopped himself. As he moved his body again, Ji Hyeon’s figure was once again obscured. He was momentarily disappointed by that fact, but then CEO Byun shook his head, muttering, “No, that wouldn’t do.”

“Anyway, about Eun-ho…”

“Even if he contacts you, tell him not to come.”

Eun-ho flinched, his shoulders trembling. I’m already here. That was what he was thinking. Well, if he had been chased away like that, it was understandable that he wouldn’t want to see him. Just as Eun-ho was about to accept that, Ji Hyeon slowly added.

“That bastard is too soft-hearted, so even though he’s angry with me, he’ll probably come anyway, pretending he can’t win.”

No, maybe he won’t come anymore. The voice that followed was self-deprecating. It was to the point where he almost blurted out, What the hell are you talking about? He wasn’t as soft-hearted as he thought, and even if he was angry, he would be able to tell right from wrong in a situation like this.

“And don’t you dare contact him first and tell him to come. Knowing your meddling nature, CEO Byun, there’s a good chance you’ll do that.”

“……”

CEO Byun didn’t say anything. He was probably thinking the same thing as Eun-ho right now. I already called Manager Kwak.

“Hey, don’t be stubborn for no reason…”

“It’s not that.”

Ji Hyeon cut off CEO Byun’s words, who was trying to persuade him, with a firm voice. He seemed to move his body with a rustling sound for a moment, then let out a small groan and sighed. Even the suppressed groan lingered excessively in his mind, and the words that followed grabbed Eun-ho’s neck tightly.

“I haven’t sorted things out yet.”

“……”

It was a suffocating statement. There were so many emotions contained in the voice that pretended to be calm. CEO Byun probably didn’t know, but Eun-ho knew exactly why he was saying those words.

“I expect too much from him.”

‘Don’t contact me until everything is sorted out.’

You dumb bastard. He was so good at listening to useless things. Just for that reason, he must have thought that he shouldn’t be contacted, even though he was hospitalized.

Eun-ho clenched his fists and lowered his head deeply. Something kept surging up from inside, and he felt like he would blurt out curses if he didn’t do this. The feeling of his stomach being squeezed tightly was something he could never get used to, no matter how many times he experienced it.

“And please bring me my hat from the filming set.”

If it was a hat, it would be the one he had put on him. It wasn’t the first thing a guy who had an accident would look for. It wasn’t something he would bother asking to be brought to him while he was hospitalized either.

“I was so out of it that I left it behind…”

He couldn’t ignore the words that followed as if he were talking to himself. The image of Ji Hyeon wearing his hat, the photos he had seen so far, flashed through his mind.

“Why do you keep…”

In the end, Eun-ho slowly turned his body at the end of CEO Byun’s words. He had no intention of listening any longer, nor did he have the confidence to go inside and face Ji Hyeon. The feelings he was experiencing right now were too complicated to ask if he was okay as if nothing had happened.

Without any regrets, he turned his back and carefully opened the door as he had when he came in. The security guard standing outside gave him a questioning look, so he roughly greeted him with his eyes. As he headed for the elevator, his pace quickened, and by the time he finally reached it, the breath that had been building up in his throat burst out.

“……Hah.”

What should he call this feeling? His insides were so hot, as if he had swallowed a ball of fire, and he wanted to throw up everything inside if he could. His throat kept getting parched, but he couldn’t even tell if it was thirst or something else.

Eun-ho bent over deeply and let out a few hollow laughs. You dumb bastard, you foolish bastard. He couldn’t tell who the inexplicable accusations were directed at. He just felt his heart about to burst and bit his lip tightly.

On the way home, he bought a cigarette and smoked it. It was the first time in a long time, using the one Ji Hyeon smoked. The cigarette, which he hadn’t touched even once since he quit smoking, tasted disgustingly bad, to the point where he wondered why he had ever smoked it.

He had never reversed a decision he had made so far. Although he had a somewhat impulsive tendency, Eun-ho was a person who mostly kept his plans, and for him, his determination not to go to university was his first and last whim.

But when he got involved with Ji Hyeon, all of these things became difficult. He made up his mind and then it collapsed several times, and then he pulled himself together again and then it fell apart several times. It had already been 11 years of that kind of relationship.

It was the same this time. Eun-ho had no intention of contacting Ji Hyeon until Ji Hyeon contacted him first. But he had no intention of just going to visit him in the hospital and then coming back, and he had no intention of being so upset that he couldn’t even study after coming back like that.

It wasn’t polite to just leave a sick guy alone, but the most shocking thing was that he didn’t have the confidence to see his face.

‘I’m sorry. Something urgent came up, so I don’t think I’ll be able to go.’

On the way home that day, Eun-ho called CEO Byun and made up various excuses. He said that something urgent had suddenly come up and that he wouldn’t be able to go to the hospital. CEO Byun readily said he understood and even added that he should let him know in advance if he was going to come.

He realized just before he hung up that he would never visit him again. So, he grabbed CEO Byun, who was about to say goodbye, and asked him in detail about the accident.

‘…A lighting tower collapsed?’

He wondered what kind of equipment had fallen over, but it was that huge lighting tower. He was incredibly unlucky; it was usually well-secured, but it was precarious that day.

‘His right arm is broken, but the doctor said he’ll be fine if he does rehabilitation. He’s got about 8 weeks of recovery time, and we’ll have to let him rest for three months first. That Ji Hyeon keeps talking nonsense about it only taking a month… I mean, he’s talking nonsense, but I’m going to try to talk him out of it. Whew, but it’s a relief he didn’t hit his head or anything.’

Perhaps because he had no one to confide in, CEO Byun’s grumbling continued for longer than he had expected. Most of it was related to Ji Hyeon, so Eun-ho listened attentively and focused on what he was saying. He wanted to ask if the scars on his face would remain, but he couldn’t say that he had seen him, so he had to swallow those words.

‘But you haven’t completely fallen out of love with Hyeon-ah, have you?’

He was speechless for a moment when he asked that question at the end. It was even more so because it was a question asked by Ji Hyeon’s uncle, not the CEO of Actor Ji’s agency. The reason he couldn’t answer for a long time after that was because he was afraid that too much would be contained in the word ‘no’.

‘……How could I ever fall out of love with him?’

Yes, like this.

‘That’s a relief then…’

Could he really hate Ji Hyeon? He had never once thought that he would hate him, even if he resented or disliked him. He had been with him for several years while enduring that terrible personality, so if it was a relationship that could be easily broken, it wouldn’t have even started in the first place.

It was inevitable. Just as Eun-ho was the only one for Ji Hyeon, Ji Hyeon was also the only one for Eun-ho. If the only deficiency Eun-ho had was poverty, then Ji Hyeon was the only one who had filled that deficiency.

But did that mean that everything was because of money? He wanted to answer that it wasn’t. Even if Ji Hyeon hadn’t been there, Eun-ho would have endured that difficult period in some way. He would have worked part-time, cutting down on his sleeping hours, and he would have just skipped meals or something. He would have somehow survived day by day until his Grandmother passed away, even if it meant selling his organs.

‘…You want me to go to the hospital?’

However, being together is sometimes a comforting thing that you can’t buy even with hundreds of millions of won. When things get so hard that you want to let go of everything, when everything is so heavy that you just want to fall to the ground, when you feel the urge to ruin everything you’ve built up with your own hands.

‘Yeah, I’ll be filming, so go ahead and visit. Visiting hours will be over soon.’

‘……’

‘It’s raining outside, so drive carefully.’

Does he know that a casual word can be the driving force to endure that moment? Those indifferent words that he would sit in the waiting room, reading the script, and blurt out without even giving him a glance.

‘Kwak Eun-ho is amazing. He’s just as busy as I am, but how does he manage to visit his Grandmother every time?’

In fact, Eun-ho didn’t want to go either. He was too tired and wanted to rest at home, and he didn’t want to stay in that suffocating space any longer. He had experienced swallowing words he couldn’t tell anyone, that he wished everything would just end, several times.

But the reason he couldn’t show it was because of the intuition that he would regret this moment someday. In a way, it was self-satisfaction, and in another way, it was just stubbornness. Not because he was kind, but just… just because he didn’t want to be a bad person.

‘But don’t live too hard.’

‘……’

‘You might as well slack off a bit on your manager duties.’

He said it as a joke, but he knew it was serious. He knew that Ji Hyeon sometimes found Eun-ho frustrating, telling him to use some tricks appropriately. That wasn’t something an employer should say. The moment he heard the next words, he felt choked up.

‘You’re doing a good job right now.’

Where did he learn such pretty words? He usually only picked out the meanest things to say, but sometimes he would say surprisingly admirable things. Even he didn’t intend those words, so he often forgot about them as soon as he said them.

‘You don’t need to do any better than that.’

It was probably a story related to his manager duties. But when Eun-ho heard those words, he felt a sense of relief. The situation hadn’t changed at all, but it was as if everything would be resolved soon.

It was a sense of pressure that Eun-ho had had since he was a child. I don’t have parents, I live with my Grandmother, my family is poor, so I have to grow up early. I have to study hard and quickly do my part to break free from the vicious cycle of poverty.

He met Ji Hyeon and made friends for the first time, and he also had his first shouting match. It was also the first time he had sneaked out of school during lunch break or stayed up all night watching dramas he didn’t even like.

‘That friend is much prettier in person.’

When his Grandmother, who had regained her strength after a long time, said that, Eun-ho couldn’t ask where she had seen him. He just had a feeling that that was how it would be, so he just chuckled and replied.

‘He was prettier in high school.’

He’s a little more handsome now than he was then. His facial features have become more defined, and he has a more masculine vibe. But he’s still a pretty boy, that hasn’t changed.

Anyway, because it was a relationship that had continued in that way, Ji Hyeon was the only one for Eun-ho as well. His only friend, the only person he liked, and the first and last actor he would take care of by his side.

How could Eun-ho turn away and reject such a person until the end?

Time passed quickly, and it was already nearing summer. The media, which had been buzzing with news of Ji Hyeon’s injury, had now calmed down a lot because it had been a long time since he had been to the hospital. As far as Eun-ho could roughly guess, he would probably be discharged from the hospital soon.

Eun-ho, who had gone to bed early, finished preparing to go out as soon as morning broke and left the house. He wondered if he should wear a hat, but he just didn’t wear one, and he chose the most presentable clothes he could find, paying a little more attention to his appearance than usual.

The place he arrived at was the NB Entertainment building, where Eun-ho had worked for several years.

“Manager Kwak!”

The employee sitting at the front desk greeted him with a delighted expression as soon as Eun-ho entered the building. Eun-ho, with an awkward expression, approached, and the employee, with a very happy face, held out something. What he was holding was none other than the building’s access card.

“You’ve come to see the President, right?”

‘Hey, Eun-ho, it’s me. Could you possibly stop by the company for a bit tomorrow?’

He had been so surprised when he received that call yesterday. He had been worried for a moment that something had happened to Ji Hyeon. But contrary to Eun-ho’s thoughts, CEO Byun said in a slightly troubled voice.

‘Well, this time, with the reorganization of “My MaeSo,” we’ve received an offer for a regular appearance…’

He had expected the regular offer, but what he hadn’t expected was CEO Byun’s reaction. To reject it appropriately, or to ignore it. He had chosen to contact Eun-ho instead of either of those two options.

Well, it was hard to say it was unexpected, since he himself had answered without much thought.

‘I will visit you tomorrow morning.’

“Here you go. You can go straight up to the President’s office.”

“Thank you. Have a good day.”

Eun-ho greeted the employee with his eyes, put the access card around his neck, and moved his feet. It was very awkward to visit the company after such a long time. The fact that the people passing by were all familiar faces was perhaps a little comforting.

‘He’s probably still in the hospital.’

Even so, should he have gone to visit him? He had that thought only after time had passed. It might not be a bad idea to stop by for a bit after his conversation with CEO Byun today. In any case, he would have had enough time to sort out his thoughts.

“President, it’s Kwak Eun-ho.”

The President’s office was located quite a ways up in the elevator. Eun-ho, standing in front of the door, knocked lightly. And as soon as he heard the word to come in from inside, he opened the door without hesitation.

“Oh, you’re here? Sit down, sit down.”

As expected, Ji Hyeon’s figure was not visible inside the office. Only CEO Byun was awkwardly getting up to greet Eun-ho. There was a piece of paper on the table, and even coffee, steaming hot, had been prepared since who knows when.

“Is coffee okay? Should I have prepared something cold?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Eun-ho first sat down on the sofa opposite CEO Byun. It was the place where they would sit side by side and rack their brains whenever something happened to Ji Hyeon. He remembered having a conversation in this exact spot when the offer for “My MaeSo” first came in.

“Well… the reason I called you here today, Eun-ho, is…”

He thought CEO Byun would beat around the bush, but he tried to get to the point as soon as Eun-ho sat down. Instead of dissuading him, Eun-ho straightened his back and met his gaze. CEO Byun sighed and slid a piece of paper across the table.

“…I haven’t accepted your resignation yet.”

It was the resignation letter Eun-ho had submitted when he said he would quit being a Manager. He thought that might be the case, but it seemed he really hadn’t processed it and had just kept it. He must have been out of it. Eun-ho couldn’t really ask why, since he hadn’t confirmed it himself.

“And as I said on the phone earlier, Hyeon-ah got a fixed offer for ‘My MaeSo’.”

That was how it started, something Eun-ho had fully expected while coming to the company. It was an unparalleled opportunity, with very good conditions. He hadn’t told Actor Ji yet, but persuading him wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Eun-ho, you know how people make a fuss even when a Manager changes. Imagine what the reaction would be if he changed after being on TV.”

A fixed offer, he could just refuse it. It was absurd to even consider appearing on the show in the first place. Yet, Eun-ho didn’t feel absurd, just relieved.

“Of course, I know it’s shameless to say this…”

CEO Byun must have known. That refusing it wouldn’t cause any major problems for Actor Ji. How strange it seemed to Eun-ho that he was now staking everything on a variety show.

“I’ll really match the conditions as much as possible. Of course, the appearance fee will be separate, and you don’t have to do Manager work except during filming. I’ll take care of everything…”

He knew what was in that earnest gaze. If he had really called Eun-ho out of calculation, he wouldn’t have called him ‘Eun-ho’ when he called. He would have said Actor Ji instead of ‘Hyeon-ah’, and he would have tried to negotiate first instead of begging.

“So, let’s just film one last time.”

So, this was, in the end, worry packaged as business. He didn’t know the details, but CEO Byun probably thought Actor Ji’s condition was at its limit. That while he wasn’t visiting the hospital, while Actor Ji wasn’t showing his face, while he was focusing on treatment, his condition was getting worse.

“I’m asking you this, okay?”

“…”

What should he answer? Eun-ho pondered for a moment. In fact, the conclusion had been reached the moment he answered CEO Byun’s call. While preparing to go out, while taking the bus, and while feeling complicated about Actor Ji not being here.

“…It wasn’t an empty promise that I would quit being a Manager.”

A look of dismay crossed CEO Byun’s face at his first words. Eun-ho calmly continued in a composed tone.

“It’s also difficult for me that you haven’t accepted my resignation. There’s the tax issue, but if I were to try to get another job, it would also cause problems with double employment.”

“…Right, yeah. That’s right, I was wrong about that.”

Confidence disappeared from CEO Byun’s gaze. He seemed to think everything was ruined after hearing his firm voice. He looked very dejected, as if he was truly sorry or had no excuse. His awkward avoidance of eye contact made him look utterly dispirited.

“The ‘My MaeSo’ filming itself isn’t a problem, but if I only act as a Manager during filming, people around will quickly notice. And if that gets out, Actor Ji’s position will become very difficult.”

“…”

CEO Byun couldn’t say anything because everything he said was true. Seeing his shoulders drooping more and more, Eun-ho paused for a moment and lowered his eyes. He was briefly confused about whether he would regret this choice later.

But the answer that finally followed didn’t change from what Eun-ho had initially thought.

“But I’ll do it.”

“…Huh?”

CEO Byun’s eyes widened. As if he couldn’t understand what he had just heard. Eun-ho paused slightly and hammered it home in his characteristic blunt tone.

“I’ll temporarily return as a Manager only during the ‘My MaeSo’ filming period.”

If he were asked why, he had a lot to say. First of all, preparing for the exam didn’t suit him, and he had actually been spending meaningless time for a while. He was anxious just resting like this, and when he tried to find another job, there were no suitable positions that came to mind.

“As you said, President, there’s the issue of the actor’s image, and the conditions don’t seem bad. I was sorry for quitting so suddenly, and since you’re asking me like this, I think it’s a good opportunity for me too.”

No, in the end, they were all just nice-sounding excuses. If that was all it was, he wouldn’t have quit this job in the first place. He wouldn’t have gone to the cafe interview, he wouldn’t have bought the practice test book right away, and he wouldn’t have sent Actor Ji, who came all the way to his house, back like that.

So this, too, was ultimately hypocrisy packaged as business. Because he couldn’t forget the sight of Actor Ji that day, as a result of agonizing for days and nights in the recurring afterimage. Seeing Actor Ji foolishly digging only in strange ground, the arrogant conclusion that he couldn’t leave him like this.

“But once this filming is over, I hope you’ll accept my resignation.”

If it can’t be organized, it has to be organized. Either untangle the tangled knot, or cut it off completely. Or give him a new knot and leave.

“I was serious when I said I couldn’t do it anymore.”

It wasn’t a half-hearted offer to take him back. It wasn’t a promise to assist him by his side and be with him every step of the way like before. He would do the things he had to do, but he had no intention of paying attention to anything other than Manager duties. If he became more accustomed to Actor Ji’s blind attitude, even he, not just Actor Ji, would lose his sense of standards.

“…You’re really going to film ‘My MaeSo’?”

“Yes.”

“Huh…”

CEO Byun seemed quite surprised by Eun-ho’s answer. He could tell from the still surprised face and the bewildered voice. He seemed to have proposed it first but never expected him to accept.

After being stunned like that for a while, CEO Byun suddenly jumped up from his seat and frantically looked for his phone.

“Th, th, then I’ll tell Hyeon-ah now…!”

“No.”

Eun-ho stopped him first and checked his watch. It was still not lunchtime because he had come early in the morning. When CEO Byun, who was standing awkwardly, looked at him, Eun-ho awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

“I’ll tell Actor Ji… myself.”

It wasn’t for any other reason, and he also had something to say. It would be better for him to hear it directly from the person involved than to suddenly hear from CEO Byun that ‘Manager Kwak has returned’. Of course, he also needed to make it clear that he wasn’t fully back.

“Is the filming schedule out?”

“Uh, uh, if you look at this roughly…”

CEO Byun sat back down and rummaged through the documents. He was scheduled to receive the contract later, and for now, he just needed to look at the general details.

“When is Actor Ji being discharged?”

“It’s scheduled for this week, but he’ll have to continue outpatient treatment even after that. I think we’ll probably film mainly about Manager Kwak’s return, rehabilitation, and return to the filming set.”

Returning as a Manager was possible right now, and it wasn’t too difficult to take over the work CEO Byun was doing. Fortunately, his schedule was empty due to the injury, so there weren’t many changes that Eun-ho had to learn anew.

“First, we need to discuss the conditions…”

Eun-ho listened to CEO Byun and nodded. He wondered if the person involved knew that CEO Byun was doing this, but at least he was sure that he wouldn’t refuse. If he said he wouldn’t film… then well, there was nothing he could do.

“Is there anything Manager Kwak needs?”

“No, well… not really.”

“Should I raise your salary a little?”

Eun-ho chuckled at the probing question. Of course, it would be nice if he raised it, but the intention behind the question was obvious. And in the first place, the money Eun-ho received was much higher than that of ordinary Managers, as much as Actor Ji’s value.

“Even if you raise it, I’ll quit in a few months.”

“…”

CEO Byun closed his mouth with a look of being caught off guard, as if that was the reason. Eun-ho confirmed that all the business was over and then drank the cold coffee. He hadn’t taken a single sip while talking.

“When are you going to tell Actor Ji?”

“I should tell him within this week.”

It would be better to tell him after he’s discharged. No, would it be better to visit him in the hospital at least once before that? He had already visited, but Actor Ji probably didn’t know that Eun-ho had come.

“Come to think of it, Eun-ho, I heard you came to the hospital.”

“…”

Eun-ho, who almost dropped his coffee cup, carefully put it down. He wondered how he knew, but CEO Byun spoke nonchalantly.

“I heard it from the security team. They said the Manager came and left right away.”

It was a very obvious reason. It would have been different if he had gone and come back secretly, but Eun-ho had greeted the security guard in front. It would have been stranger if it hadn’t reached CEO Byun’s ears.

“You heard what Hyeon-ah was saying, right?”

“…Um.”

Instead of denying it, he just kept his mouth shut. Half embarrassed, and half feeling like it didn’t matter. He felt a little guilty for eavesdropping, but it wasn’t like he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

“He tells me not to call you, but… Eun-ho, you know. He’ll be happier than anyone else when you come back, right?”

CEO Byun glanced at Eun-ho’s face and made excuses. He seemed worried that Eun-ho might be upset after hearing Actor Ji’s words. Of course, there was nothing Eun-ho could say.

“I don’t know why you two fought… no, Hyeon-ah must have been wrong. Yeah, I know that too.”

It was a cold assessment of his nephew and actor. In a way, it was trust.

“But Eun-ho.”

Eun-ho straightened up without realizing it and looked at CEO Byun. CEO Byun, who had a somewhat bitter face, lowered his eyes and moved his lips. It was the expression he made whenever he talked about Actor Ji.

“Don’t hate Hyeon-ah too much. You’re the only one he really has.”

“…”

That’s why we fought. Because he only has me. He’s so obsessed with the relationship of friends, but if you look at what he does, it’s easy for the other person to misunderstand.

“…President, why am I the only one when you’re here?”

CEO Byun wasn’t very happy with the half-flattering words. He just shrugged with a somewhat self-deprecating smile. Instead of asking anything more, Eun-ho lightly changed the subject.

“Does Actor Ji know I went to the hospital?”

“No, I didn’t tell him separately.”

“Then please don’t tell him in the future either.”

“Well, that’s not difficult…”

If he hadn’t come at all, it would have been different, but if he said he came and just left, he would wonder why. Eun-ho didn’t want Actor Ji to know that he had heard his story. Even more so that he had listened to what he said and felt a little sorry for him.

“Thank you. I’m asking you for a favor.”

Eun-ho finished speaking and tidied up his surroundings. All he did was neatly organize the documents he had received. In fact, he could just receive the files by email, so he didn’t even need to take this, but still.

“If you’re done talking, I’ll get up now.”

“Uh, uh, okay. I’ll contact you again.”

Eun-ho got up from his seat and bowed to CEO Byun. CEO Byun didn’t get up, but instead nodded, telling him to be careful. As Eun-ho turned around with the documents under his arm, he added as if to himself.

“I’m always sorry to Manager Kwak.”

Well, if you put it that way, I’m the same. I joined through a route that was almost like a parachute, and I’ve been in his care for several years now. It was true that the job suited me, but I wouldn’t have been able to work this long if CEO Byun hadn’t been so considerate of various circumstances (especially those related to Actor Ji’s personality).

“There’s no need to be sorry.”

So Eun-ho just replied lightly and moved on. There was no need to be serious and deny it, and he wasn’t the type to create a warm atmosphere by saying that he was more indebted. He would just accept it with appropriate humility and pass it off with an appropriately polite attitude.

But before Eun-ho could even reach the door, the doorknob clicked and went down.

“?”

Who would enter the President’s office without knocking? That thought was brief. The moment he raised his head with a feeling of disbelief, someone Eun-ho knew well entered through the slowly opened door.

A cast on his right arm, and a familiar hat. The very guy with a slightly gaunt face.

“…”

Hyeon-ah, he almost called him that. There was no reason not to call him that, but the problem was that he almost reacted naturally as if they had gone back to the way they were before. While Eun-ho, flustered, swallowed his words, CEO Byun, who was sitting on the sofa, exclaimed in a startled voice.

“What? Hyeon-ah, how did you get here?”

“…”

Instead of answering him, Actor Ji stared blankly at Eun-ho. Their eyes definitely met, but it didn’t really feel like they met. Even more so because no emotion arose in his transparent, light brown eyes.

“…”

“…”

Beneath the brim of his hat, his shaded eyes blinked in slow motion. The way his long eyelashes drooped had no sense of reality. To be honest, he had to say he felt a little unfamiliar. It had been a long time since he had seen Actor Ji moving at such a close distance.

“I’m asking how you got here?”

The one who broke the silence was CEO Byun. At those words, Actor Ji turned his gaze away from Eun-ho. Then, with a still emotionless face, he replied nonchalantly.

“How else would I come? I took a taxi.”

And what Actor Ji did was to pass by Eun-ho and head to the sofa. It was a perfectly natural attitude, as if he was treating him like an invisible man. Actor Ji, who frowned and sat on the sofa, leaned against the backrest and let out a shallow sigh.

“I can’t stand being in the hospital…”

Bewilderment settled on CEO Byun’s face. That wasn’t just CEO Byun. Eun-ho, who was ignored in front of his eyes, also lost his words and blinked blankly.

‘What is this?’

Actor Ji, who even grabbed him by the collar and fought in high school, would glance at him. Even when he was in a bad mood, even when he was dissatisfied with Eun-ho, he wouldn’t pretend not to know unless he was openly bothering him.

But now, Actor Ji didn’t seem to have any interest in Eun-ho. He didn’t acknowledge him, he didn’t ask why he came, and he didn’t even look back after taking his eyes off him once.

“Hey, you, even if you fought…”

CEO Byun clicked his tongue. He was rolling his eyes and looking at Eun-ho, as if he was anxious about what might happen. Actor Ji frowned as if to say what nonsense that was, and then inadvertently lowered his gaze towards the table.

“?”

A slight crease formed on his beautiful brow. His gaze was directed at the resignation letter Eun-ho had submitted to CEO Byun. The wrinkles on his brow seemed to deepen, and then at some point, his face became so blank that it was stupid. And Actor Ji suddenly turned his head and looked towards Eun-ho.

“…”

“…”

Their eyes met. Yes, this time he really felt like they met. Horror settled in his light-colored eyes, and his handsome eyes widened greatly.

The moment Eun-ho let out an absurd laugh, a trembling voice flowed from his moving lips.

“…Kwak Eun-ho?”

There was no need to answer. Eun-ho swept the back of his neck once and rolled his eyes.

Surely he didn’t think he saw wrong just now. At this distance, after looking at him so straight. Even if he was walking around out of his mind.

“…Um.”

Eun-ho glanced at Actor Ji and hummed softly. Actor Ji was still as stiff as a Stone. He thought about saying hello, but instead, he turned his gaze to CEO Byun.

“Then I’ll go in first.”

With those words, Eun-ho turned his back without regret. But the moment he tried to take a step, a force so strong that his whole body staggered grabbed his arm. Where he turned his head with a frown, Actor Ji was looking at Eun-ho with his mouth tightly shut.

“…”

“…”

If he grabbed him, he should say something. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t let go of Eun-ho either, and he didn’t loosen the grip on his hand. He just stared at Eun-ho with his eyes wide open.

“Why.”

“…”

When Eun-ho finally asked, Ji Hyeon furrowed his brow and moved his lips. He seemed angry, or perhaps anxious. There was a lot of tension in his eyes, but his pupils were shaking slightly, which made it even more so.

“…Where are you going?”

Shouldn’t he ask why I came first? Shouldn’t he ask what I came for, first?

“I have to go home.”

“You’re going home?”

“Yeah, let’s talk after you feel better.”

Ji Hyeon flinched, his shoulders trembling, and loosened his grip. But he didn’t let go of Eun-ho’s arm. For a right-handed guy, why is his left-hand strength so strong? The part that was grabbed was all numb.

“……”

“……”

And again, silence. Eun-ho almost urged him again, but he just sighed softly. It was no illusion that Ji Hyeon flinched at that sigh.

“Ji Hyeon-ah.”

It was the first time he’d called his name in a long time. It had been a long time since the day he came to his house. It was the first time in seven years since he started working as a Manager that they hadn’t seen each other for so long.

“What are you doing when President Byun is here?”

As he spoke, tilting his head, Ji Hyeon turned to look at CEO Byun. CEO Byun was looking back and forth between Ji Hyeon and Eun-ho with a complicated look. Eun-ho, who had slipped his arm out of Ji Hyeon’s hand, turned back towards the door.

“I’m leaving if you’re not going to talk.”

But this time, Ji Hyeon didn’t just let Eun-ho go. He grabbed his wrist again, and then he finally opened his mouth in a slow tone.

“I……”

The rest of the words didn’t come out for a long time. He’s being more slow today. Just as Eun-ho was thinking that, a word popped out.

“I got hurt.”

“……”

It was an abrupt and irrelevant statement. However, it was an effective topic to hold Eun-ho back. Eun-ho belatedly looked down and examined the cast on his right arm. It wasn’t a full cast like last time, but a half cast that could be removed by simply unwrapping the bandage.

“……I heard. You had an accident.”

The scars on his face had disappeared without a trace. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be a scar that would leave a mark. He didn’t know about the parts hidden by his clothes, but judging by the way he was walking around, it seemed that everything was fine except for his arm.

“Why did you come all the way here when you haven’t even been discharged from the hospital yet? What if something goes wrong?”

It wasn’t intentional, but his tone came out a bit nagging. He said he would be discharged this week, but if it was an 8-week injury, he would have to continue to receive outpatient treatment even after being discharged. He might be able to go about his daily life, but he still had to be careful about walking around alone like this.

“Did you know I was hospitalized?”

Instead of answering Eun-ho’s words, Ji Hyeon blinked and asked. He didn’t know why his trembling eyelashes looked so pitiful. Eun-ho frowned and opened his mouth.

“Of course……”

He couldn’t bring himself to say that he knew, of course. He felt a little sorry that he knew but didn’t even visit him in the hospital. So he just swallowed the rest of his words, and Ji Hyeon suddenly said.

“I didn’t get hurt on purpose.”

“……”

“I didn’t get hurt because I wanted to.”

He never even thought about that. What crazy person would get hit by a lighting on purpose?

“I went to the hospital right after the accident, and I got surgery and received proper treatment. I took all the medicine they told me to take, so the doctor said I can be discharged this week.”

His usually soft voice was very urgent today. He usually spoke gently even when he was angry, but now he had no composure at all.

“I didn’t come out of the hospital even one step while I was hospitalized. Really. The reason I came out today is……”

“Why are you making excuses to me?”

He said it because he was flustered. He didn’t blame him, but he was rattling off excuses. But Ji Hyeon’s eyes sank coldly, wondering how he had taken those words.

“……Just.”

“……”

“Just……”

Confidence disappeared from the drawn-out words. Likewise, his gaze was also gradually lowered. He didn’t know if he was just saying it, or if there was more to it. Just as he was thinking it was ambiguous, Ji Hyeon let go of Eun-ho’s wrist.

“I won’t talk about it next time.”

“……”

Ah, he took it to mean that he shouldn’t talk about it. He must have thought he was drawing a line coldly, saying what does it have to do with me.

“……I’m not saying don’t talk about it, I’m saying you don’t have to make excuses. I didn’t think you got hurt on purpose. I didn’t think you didn’t listen to the doctor either.”

Eun-ho immediately corrected the part that Ji Hyeon had misunderstood. No matter what, he didn’t want to be so heartless to someone who was hurt. Unless they were sworn enemies, how could he not worry when he heard about an accident?

“It’s good that you’re okay. I was worried, but I’m glad.”

It was after a big fight with him, but anyway, he heard the news that he was hurt, so he was going to ask how he was doing. He didn’t expect it to be like this, but since the topic came up, he had to address it once.

But Ji Hyeon showed another dumbfounded reaction to Eun-ho’s words.

“……You were worried?”

Does he think I’m a psychopath? If it was an accident that caused a lighting tower to collapse, he would worry even if a complete stranger actor was injured. So he was about to ask if he wouldn’t have worried, but someone coughed from the sofa.

“Ahem.”

It was CEO Byun, who had been quiet all along. Eun-ho turned to him with a look of realization. Even he had half forgotten his existence from the moment Ji Hyeon hurriedly started talking.

CEO Byun cleared his throat once more and glanced at Eun-ho.

“Well…… Manager Kwak said he has something to say.”

Judging by his expression and nuance, it was about ‘My MaeSo’. He wanted him to tell Ji Hyeon the news while they were at it, or he seemed anxious that Eun-ho might change his mind.

“How about I give you some space?”

“……Why is he Manager Kwak again?”

This time, it was Ji Hyeon who answered. Ji Hyeon showed an unnecessarily violent reaction, as if he had been caught red-handed. He clicked his tongue briefly and even frowned annoyingly.

“And what do you mean, something to say……”

“I have something to say.”

Eun-ho cut off Ji Hyeon’s words with a calm tone. He also spoke to CEO Byun as if nothing was wrong, as Ji Hyeon turned to him with surprised eyes.

“You don’t have to give us space. We’ll go out and talk.”

Since it had come to this, he thought he might as well talk about it. It wouldn’t be a long conversation anyway, so there was no need to borrow a place. Even if it did get longer, it wasn’t something to talk about by borrowing the President’s office. ‘My MaeSo’ was an official business, but the hidden intentions behind it were in the private realm.

“Let’s talk.”

Funnily enough, Ji Hyeon’s expression hardened as soon as he heard those words. His face, which was openly nervous, looked like a child about to be scolded. That made him feel sorry for him again, so Eun-ho deliberately frowned and turned around.

“……”

He could feel the presence of someone silently following him from behind. He didn’t ask what he had to say, nor did he ask where he was going. The steps that just silently followed never preceded Eun-ho.

They headed to the rooftop of the building. A place where Ji Hyeon sometimes smoked, and Eun-ho watched the sky next to him. There was a trash can and an ashtray in front of the railing, and a wide sky unfolded outside the railing.

“……”

“……”

Today, it was Eun-ho, not Ji Hyeon, who was smoking. As soon as Eun-ho took him to the rooftop, he left him with the words to stand here and approached the ashtray. While putting a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it, Ji Hyeon didn’t move from where Eun-ho told him to be, as if frozen.

“Are you smoking again?”

Ji Hyeon asked from beyond the hazy smoke. Eun-ho exhaled the smoke and answered lightly. “Sometimes.” Ji Hyeon’s expression changed subtly at that answer.

“Why are you suddenly smoking that?”

“Well……”

What should he say? He couldn’t say that he thought of cigarettes because he was upset. He didn’t want to show that he was upset, and he didn’t want to say why he was upset.

“I guess I wasn’t as tough as you thought.”

Kwak Eun-ho is surprisingly tough. Ji Hyeon had said that. He was saying that he was his Manager, half admiringly.

“……”

Ji Hyeon couldn’t say anything and just looked at Eun-ho. It was hard to see what kind of expression he was making because of the hazy smoke. Just as Eun-ho inhaled the smoke once more, a voice that could barely be heard came.

“……I quit.”

“You quit smoking?”

It was an unexpected statement. He couldn’t quit when he told him to quit so much, so he wondered what kind of change of heart he had in the meantime. Eun-ho, who was looking at Ji Hyeon with a surprised face, checked the cast on his arm and nodded.

“Good job, what kind of cigarette are you smoking when your bones aren’t even healed?”

He probably couldn’t smoke even if he wanted to. He had been hospitalized for several weeks, so where would he have had time to smoke?

But Ji Hyeon refuted as if that wasn’t the case.

“My bones are all healed. I’m just wearing this for a short time because I’m going out.”

It wasn’t because of the injury that he quit smoking. Then he wondered what he was thinking, but Eun-ho didn’t particularly ask about that part. He just put out the shortened cigarette butt in the ashtray and took out one more cigarette that was left.

“This is my last one too.”

“……”

“I’ve been smoking the pack I bought last time.”

On the way back from Ji Hyeon’s hospital. He was still smoking the cigarettes he bought at that time. Once every few days, two cigarettes each time. As he smoked like that, the cigarette he took out now was the last one.

Well, it was a good thing. Now that he was returning as a Manager, he wouldn’t be able to smoke in front of an actor. In the first place, it wasn’t very tasty, and he just smoked it once or twice because he didn’t want to waste what he had bought.

He didn’t even plan to smoke today, but he was just buying time because he needed to prepare himself mentally.

“Kwak Eun-ho.”

Then, Ji Hyeon called Eun-ho. Eun-ho stopped moving for a moment and looked at him. It was because those three trivial letters touched his heart strangely today. Not only that, but even the one word he carefully handed over.

“The part I grabbed earlier…… Your arm isn’t bruised, is it?”

His frowning face was not unfamiliar. That expression he showed whenever he was worried, while pretending to be uninterested. That action of not being able to mention it directly and beating around the bush whenever he did something wrong.

“It’s not that bad.”

He suddenly thought. Maybe, he might have missed him a little. The gaze that reached him, and the voice, or even Ji Hyeon himself.

“It wasn’t painful enough to bruise.”

Even if he excluded the feelings he liked, he was a friend. He was the only salvation, the first love that came suddenly, and the unrequited love that he couldn’t even show to the outside world. Even though it might have become dull because it was a heart that had been buried for too long, wasn’t he always thinking about it without realizing it?

In fact, yes, Eun-ho was also having a hard time. While quitting being a Manager, while just sending the guy who came to him back, while hearing the news that he was hurt and peeking at him through the hospital room door. And finally, while coming here on his own two feet.

If all those processes could be nonchalant, that would be more strange.

“……That’s a relief then.”

Ji Hyeon lowered his eyes with a truly relieved look. The cigarette ash fell from the end of the cigarette because he had been spacing out for too long. Eun-ho slowly opened his mouth, putting out the still long cigarette in the ashtray.

“You got a fixed offer for ‘My MaeSo’.”

Why did he drag it out like this? It was nothing when he actually said it.

“The President told me to film that.”

“……Ah, that old man is meddling.”

Ji Hyeon’s face crumpled as soon as he heard those words. He seemed to have fully guessed what kind of process he had gone through without a long explanation. Ji Hyeon, who was annoyed, adjusted his hat and said in an indifferent tone.

“You don’t have to listen to the President. Why would you do that?”

He’s not a Manager anymore anyway. Ji Hyeon added that. It wasn’t just Eun-ho’s delusion that he had a somehow self-deprecating expression. And even the firm voice that followed.

“I’m not going to film that kind of thing either.”

“……Is that so.”

It would be a lie if he said he didn’t expect it. Eun-ho knew well enough what kind of reaction he would show. It would be more strange if he said he would film it willingly.

However, he didn’t know what kind of reaction he would show to these words.

“I said I would do it.”

“……”

A blank gaze turned to Eun-ho. His double-lidded eyes trembled, and his well-shaped lips moved as if he was about to say something. He blinked slowly and asked in a shrill voice.

“You’re going to film that?”

How surprised must he be to show such a violent reaction? He had a terrible personality, but he wasn’t someone who had big emotional changes. As a guy who had been acting since he was born, he was skilled at managing his expressions, and even if he was embarrassed, he never showed it on the outside.

“Why?”

Of course, this was the first time Eun-ho had seen this side of him. Even when he said he was quitting being a Manager, Ji Hyeon wasn’t this surprised. No, he seemed to have been too surprised at that time, so he couldn’t say anything.

“There’s no reason for you to do that, no……”

But as he kept arguing like this, he felt strange. At this point, isn’t it just that he doesn’t want to film it? To the point where he thought that. Eun-ho, who was about to retort something in a fit of anger, soon changed his mind and slowly opened his mouth.

“……I studied for the bar exam after quitting my job.”

Ji Hyeon’s eyebrows shot up. As if asking, ‘Why the bar exam?’ Eun-ho shrugged and added.

“It didn’t suit me.”

It was just an excuse he made up randomly. It wasn’t a lie, but there was no way Ji Hyeon would understand. As expected, Ji Hyeon said without changing his expression.

“You’re good at studying.”

“……”

Is that what’s important now? That expression of not understanding was because it didn’t suit him, not because he was returning as a Manager. Eun-ho let out a hollow laugh at the overwhelming absurdity.

“That was a long time ago……”

It was all glory of the past anyway. He only had desperation without a goal, and he didn’t look back from the moment he gave up. Countless time had passed since then, so it was arrogance from the start to think that he would do well. No, it was natural since he didn’t have the will to do well in the first place.

Ji Hyeon looked at Eun-ho like that and slowly opened his mouth.

“……If it doesn’t suit you, you can do something else.”

The surprised look had all disappeared, and instead, only the hardened expression from before remained. That soft voice flowed from his slightly opened lips.

“You were good at everything even when you were just twenty or twenty-one. There’s no way you can’t do something else just because that doesn’t suit you. You’re not someone who spends a lot of money, so you wouldn’t be financially strapped, and if you’re really desperate, you can go to another agency.”

It was a very rational and calm statement. As Ji Hyeon said, Eun-ho was someone who would find a way to survive by any means if he was really desperate. Now that he didn’t have to pay for hospital bills anymore, what was so difficult about taking care of himself?

“But what’s so lacking in you that……”

The vaguely blurred words brought silence. In that silence, Eun-ho stared at Ji Hyeon and asked.

“So you don’t like it?”

“No.”

“……”

“……I don’t dislike it.”

Isn’t that all that matters? He must not really dislike it if he answers so sharply. But Ji Hyeon quietly muttered with his eyes lowered.

“I just don’t understand.”

Where does this anxiety originate from? He didn’t expect him to ask about everything, even if he didn’t jump for joy. He thought he would just say okay and understand that Eun-ho’s anger had all been resolved. He had even thought about what he should say to Ji Hyeon if he did that.

“Ji Hyeon-ah.”

Eun-ho first called his name softly. It was nothing special, but Ji Hyeon reacted noticeably and narrowed his brow. His very nervous eyes felt very blatant today.

“I’m not making a full comeback.”

“……”

That’s what I thought, was the expression on his face. It seemed like resignation, and it also seemed like relief. At least the anxiety seemed to have disappeared, so Eun-ho felt a little strange and said.

“I’m going to quit again after the show is over.”

It was called a fixed appearance, but in the end, there was a contract period. Considering Ji Hyeon’s schedule and condition, it would be only half a year at most, no matter how long it was. He couldn’t ignore the possibility that it could be shorter if he did well.

“And there’s a condition.”

“I won’t act up.”

The answer came out right away. Without even asking what the condition was, Ji Hyeon continued as if he had memorized it.

“I won’t beg you to stay over, I won’t leave empty pill bottles on the table, and sleeping pills… I’m honestly not confident about taking just one…”

“……”

“Anyway, I’ll try.”

Was this really the same person who had been grilling him about why he was coming back just a moment ago? Just like when he was explaining how he got hurt, his words flowed out in a rush, laced with anxiety. Before Eun-ho could even react, Ji Hyeon awkwardly avoided his gaze and added one more thing.

“I’ve gotten a lot closer with my fellow actors too.”

That was a lie. He might have become close on the surface, but it seemed like things weren’t the same on the inside. Well, it would be even stranger if he had opened his heart so easily with that personality of his.

“I won’t contact you late at night or suddenly visit you anymore. I won’t ask for anything more than a Manager from you now…”

After saying that, Ji Hyeon paused for a moment. He probably hadn’t found a suitable conclusion, but Eun-ho didn’t have an answer to give him. You still want a lot from me, he swallowed those words and brought up the topic he had been thinking about all along.

“You should go to the hospital.”

“……”

There was no need to say what kind of hospital. Was his way of speaking too direct? Ji Hyeon looked at Eun-ho with a speechless expression. Under the shadow of his cap, a look of bewilderment flickered in his shaded eyes. Fortunately, the response that came back was rational.

“…You want me to go to the hospital more often?”

It was understandable that he would be puzzled. Ji Hyeon already had a hospital he went to and regularly received prescriptions for psychiatric medication. Sleeping pills, tranquilizers, or antidepressants, things like that. He was eating enough pills to fill his stomach, but that wasn’t what Eun-ho wanted to talk about.

“Besides getting your prescription… you should get counseling too.”

This was the story he had originally wanted to tell. Something he hadn’t dared to recommend until now, thinking it would be overstepping. The fundamental problem he had been looking into alone while he wasn’t meeting with him.

“It’s not something that can be solved just by taking medicine.”

If taking medicine was treatment, then receiving counseling was a kind of rehabilitation. Just as you need to build immunity to avoid catching a cold, it was important to develop the strength to overcome it in the first place.

“I’ll help you find a hospital.”

He wasn’t trying to find a solution, but to find a solution. Once he had a direction, Ji Hyeon’s condition would improve. If he wasn’t going to live his whole life in an unstable state, he thought it was a necessary process to go through at least once.

But Ji Hyeon, the person in question, was showing an uncooperative attitude.

“…There’s no need for that.”

The answer that came out belatedly was by no means affirmative. Even that brief hesitation didn’t seem like a sign of contemplation. It just seemed like he had lost his words for a moment, so Eun-ho spoke with a slightly serious expression.

“Ji Hyeon.”

“I told you not to call me that.”

Even though he had been compliant until now, Ji Hyeon reacted sensitively to that call. As if it was anyone’s fault that his name was Ji Hyeon. His glaring eyes looked full of dissatisfaction. Just as Eun-ho was about to open his mouth, Ji Hyeon spoke before him.

“I’m already going, so there’s no need for that.”

“…What?”

The words that were about to come out disappeared beyond his throat. Eun-ho stared at him with a dumbfounded expression for a moment. Ji Hyeon, who had sighed for a moment, pressed down on the back of his cap and turned his head to the side.

“President Byun found a few hospitals and I went to them. It wasn’t very helpful, though.”

“…Counseling?”

“Yeah. I’ve probably been to all the famous ones.”

He wasn’t the type to lie about something like this, and there was no need for him to lie. If President Byun was the one who had found the hospitals, there was no doubt about the hospitals’ expertise.

“It’s not the doctor’s problem, it’s my problem.”

Ji Hyeon naturally corrected the part that Eun-ho was most worried about. He was saying that he knew the reason why his condition wasn’t improving.

“They say the contents of the counseling are kept secret, but you have to be able to trust them. When I’m talking while thinking about how far I can go, what I shouldn’t say, and whether this story will cause problems later, my head hurts even more.”

This was a more cautious issue because Ji Hyeon was a celebrity. All counseling and therapy are based on building trust between the client and the counselor. Since it wasn’t easy from the start, it wasn’t unreasonable to experience trial and error.

“So I’m still looking. President Byun said he’d look into it more too.”

After saying that, Ji Hyeon looked at Eun-ho again. His eyes, which were especially bright when the sunlight shone on them, were now as calm as could be.

“So don’t worry about it. …I know I shouldn’t rely on you for things like this.”

The last words flowed out so quietly that they were almost inaudible. It wasn’t so much a statement to Eun-ho as it was a resolution to himself. Judging by the way his gaze was wavering, it wasn’t clear whether those words were actually effective.

“What are the other conditions besides that?”

“……”

This time, it was Eun-ho who avoided his gaze. Eun-ho looked down at the rooftop floor for no reason and calmed his complicated feelings. In his head, the words Ji Hyeon had said to him sometime in the past were repeated as clearly as if they had been said just yesterday.

‘…I can’t breathe without you.’

In all honesty, he wanted to tell him to put a name to that blind emotion. That the attitude he was showing was too strange, that it objectively didn’t look like friendship at all, and that President Byun, who had heard those words, probably thought the same thing.

‘I can’t sleep without him, I’m anxious that he’ll disappear again, and I can’t even breathe because I’m having panic attacks…’

“……”

‘Is this normal?’

No, of course it wasn’t. Unless you like me.

But there was no way he could say that. When he had asked him if he was jealous before, Ji Hyeon’s answer had been, Why would I do something like that? How much more futility would he feel if he asked him if he liked him? In the first place, there was nothing as complacent as the definition of emotions made by others.

In Eun-ho’s eyes, Ji Hyeon was worse than a newborn duckling. He was a guy with no friends, and the first person he found was Kwak Eun-ho. The various emotions he was feeling were nothing more than an irrational obsession with the only person he had.

So, that meant that it couldn’t be the same feeling as his.

“…Just keep the things you said now.”

Eun-ho answered vaguely and ran a hand over the back of his neck. While filming ‘My MaeSo’, his goal was to give up on his feelings and not become the only one for Ji Hyeon. So that Ji Hyeon wouldn’t feel disappointed when he was completely okay. So that he wouldn’t feel betrayed or resentful even if he didn’t obsess over him anymore. So that in the end, they could go back to being ordinary friends.

‘It was too sudden back then…’

In a way, it was like a preparation period. Even Eun-ho, who cut off everything without regret, couldn’t control human relationships and emotions as he pleased. Since it was the last time he had unexpectedly faced it, it would be good if he could prepare even a little this time.

“Ah, right.”

Eun-ho suddenly remembered one thing and exclaimed. The thing he looked at then was none other than the hat Ji Hyeon was wearing. The hat was completely black without any patterns, the same hat he had sent Ji Hyeon off with before.

“How long are you going to keep wearing that?”

He had forgotten because his attitude was so natural. It was definitely his, but Ji Hyeon had always been wearing it while they were apart. He used to steal it and wear it often, but he was being quite brazen, not even thinking about returning it.

“You’re going to wear it forever at this rate.”

“……”

Funnily enough, Ji Hyeon had a slightly tempted expression. He was clearly thinking, Can I do that? Eun-ho swallowed those words and held out a hand.

“Give it to me now.”

After all, he was at the company now, and President Byun would be taking him to the hospital. There was no need to cover his face to move around, so he was thinking of taking it back while he remembered. That’s why he asked for it, but Ji Hyeon answered without changing his expression.

“My hair will get flattened.”

It was a valid reason in its own way, but it didn’t seem credible for some reason. Eun-ho stared at Ji Hyeon for a while before nodding his head with a blank expression.

“Take it off. I’ll check if it’s flattened or not.”

“…I didn’t wash my hair.”

As expected, Ji Hyeon came up with another reason after a brief hesitation. This time, it was a more plausible reason. Well, if the person saying that wasn’t a severe germaphobe.

“How long has it been since you washed it? A day?”

Even if he had hurt his arm, there was no way that clean freak could have lasted long. At most a day, and most likely last night. Judging by the fact that he couldn’t answer now, there was a high possibility that he had washed it this morning.

“Don’t be stubborn for no reason and give it to me.”

“…Why are you trying to take a hat that’s not even that good? You have the hat I bought you.”

“Then why are you trying to keep a hat that’s not even that good?”

“I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Why would you buy me one…”

He should buy a new hat if he needed one, why was he coveting a hat that was already worn out? He was even making blatant and clumsy excuses.

“Then I’ll wash it and give it to you.”

“……”

It didn’t seem like he would give it to him even after washing it. Once he started being stubborn like this, there was no way to get him to back down.

So Eun-ho looked him in the eye and said in a blunt tone.

“You said you wouldn’t ask anything of me.”

“……”

“Your words and actions are already different.”

The words he said in passing were enough to make Ji Hyeon shut his mouth. He lowered his eyes silently and couldn’t say anything for a long time. Then, not long after, he slowly took off his hat.

Far from not washing his hair, his hair, which was scattered softly, looked like it had been stretched out like a skein of thread. The top of his head was a little flattened, but even that wasn’t too bad to look at. Ji Hyeon roughly swept his hair back and handed the hat to Eun-ho.

“Here.”

He looks like he’s eating poison, Eun-ho thought as he received the hat. No, he was about to receive it.

“…What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“…What.”

“You have to let go of it to take it.”

“……”

“Hey.”

What a real contrarian. He was making Eun-ho use force in the end. As soon as he forcibly snatched the hat from his hand, Ji Hyeon spoke in a blatantly sarcastic tone.

“You really like that hat.”

If he was going to be sarcastic, he shouldn’t speak in a gentle tone, and if he was going to speak in a gentle tone, he shouldn’t be sarcastic. Right now, it was obvious to anyone that it was Ji Hyeon, not him, who liked this hat.

“It’s comfortable because I’m used to it.”

Eun-ho answered vaguely and moved towards the rooftop door. He was thinking of going back soon since they were done talking. He naturally expected Ji Hyeon to follow him, but instead of following Eun-ho, he opened his mouth from where he was.

“Eun-ho.”

“……”

It was an unnecessarily sweet call. So much so that he unknowingly stopped breathing. Even though Eun-ho didn’t turn around, Ji Hyeon looked at him like that and asked cautiously.

“Can I contact you?”

What’s wrong with him today? He was constantly acting like someone who was missing something. He had always been aware of others, but he hadn’t shown it this much. Right now, it seemed like he didn’t even have the energy to hide it.

“…Why are you asking me that?”

Eun-ho pulled the hat he was holding down over his head. He hadn’t been planning on wearing it, but he wanted to cover his expression somehow. After turning back to Ji Hyeon like that, he tried his best to make his voice sound calm.

“You have to decide for yourself.”

If he was asking for permission, he thought it was greedy. If he thought it was a reconciliation, he wanted to correct him that it was just a temporary reprieve. It had only entered a lull for the time being, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn’t flare up again.

“I’m going.”

Leaving only those words behind, Eun-ho started walking again. Ji Hyeon didn’t follow Eun-ho and just silently watched his back. The gaze that lingered like that didn’t fall until Eun-ho left the rooftop.