Come Back

“Nothing’s wrong, right?” I don’t know why I can’t find time to talk to you for a long time.

“Yeah, it seems like someone is deliberately trying to interfere.”

Choi Hong-seo deliberately added more playfulness, avoiding Jung Ji-in’s gaze.

“There’s no helping it.” Both you and I, it’s the busiest time since our debut.

“Yeah…” That’s a good thing…

The worried gaze of Jung Ji-in, who was examining the elaborate makeup and outfit, and the tired dark circles and unusually thin body hidden beneath them, was palpable. But of course, Choi Hong-seo had no choice but to ignore that kind concern.

“You’re achieving everything you wanted one by one.” Please, just don’t look at the comments. Huh?

In response to the concern of knowing him too well, Choi Hong-seo smiled and nodded. Tilting his gaze slightly, Choi Hong-seo, who had been nodding slowly, suddenly changed his tone and called out Jeong Ji-in with a firm voice.

“Hyung.”

“……”

“Because of my single promotion, I’ll be focusing on overseas schedules for the time being.” I won’t be able to come back to the country often. Even if you do, it would just be a brief stop, right?

“I saw an article saying the song is getting a good response overseas too.”

“Even though I’m busy with the drama, you still take care of things like that for me.” As expected, there’s no one like you, hyung.

Should I at least confide in Jeong Ji-in? Should I just spill everything and consult?

It’s not that I haven’t thought about it.

If my older brother, who has learned more than I have and received a better education in a more excellent environment than I did… Wouldn’t he be able to give me such wise answers that a fool like me couldn’t even think of?

But asking someone for help was something only those who had experienced it could do. Even though I could share it calmly with Hyunsoo, who is in a similar situation, I couldn’t bring myself to speak to someone who would be burdened by my situation. That was too… It felt like an shameless act.

“Layered came to the advertising event that my brother shot and performed as guests. It’s something that I couldn’t have imagined even a few months ago. Right?”

They had to wring their guts out to smile as if they were happy that both of them were doing well. Even though their new single was doing so well, they couldn’t tell anyone, not even Lee Hae-seong or Jeong Ji-in, the real reason why their overseas schedules were the main focus for the time being.

Jung Ji-in also nodded and smiled back. I was always grateful and comfortable with Jung Ji-in because she never delved into things I didn’t say first, and yet treated me with the same attitude. That was the case up until that moment.

I wanted to say something more, but I realized that I had nothing more to say. I couldn’t look Jeong Ji-in in the eye, and my gaze kept looking down heavily.

“Hongseo, wait in the parking lot.”

The manager who was waiting a few steps away turned around and urged me on. I had a brief appointment with Lee Hae-seong before going to the airport. It was the last chance to see him before leaving the country.

“Sorry, bro. I think I have to go.”

“Oh, okay…”

Jeong Ji-in also nodded with a regretful expression.

As he turned the corner of the hallway to meet Lee Hae-seong, Choi Hong-seo looked back at Jeong Ji-in one last time. Jeong Ji-in, who had been standing still without leaving her seat, smiled and raised her hand. The person who always smiled comfortably in the same spot. It was the same Jeong Ji-in that Choi Hong-seo knew. It was fortunate. Before completely disappearing around the corner, Choi Hong-seo smiled brightly at Jeong Ji-in for a moment.

But that smile soon faded after only a few steps.

The manager, who was walking ahead of them through the winding hallway, turned around and handed his cell phone to Choi Hong-seo.

“Call the boss.”

Choi Hong-seo answered the phone with a face as pale as lead.

“…yes.”

[Why are you still at the venue? Don’t you know the vice president is waiting for you?]

A nervous voice was scratching at my insides from the start.

“My friend had a brief conversation with my older brother.”

[Is it a problem now?

On the day the new single was released, Lee Seo-kyung sent a bouquet of flowers to Myung Do-hoon at the UB office. The bouquet, which looked quite expensive and luxurious to the point of being extravagant, contained two photos in a card envelope without any message or even the sender’s name.

It was a photo of Choi Hong-seo’s face cut out from ‘that day’ and a photo of Myung Do-hoon’s profile on his way to work at the host bar he was working at at the time. In other words, it was like a warning letter sent by Lee Seo-kyung.

[Can’t you figure out the situation? Your head is a flower garden, you idiot? Who dares make someone wait for you?]

Myung Do-hoon, who had been trying to please Choi Hong-seo for a while because he was ‘pretty’ to Lee Hae-seong, started venting his anger again, calling out this bastard and that bastard. That’s how anxious he became under the pressure from Lee Seo-kyung.

Even though Choi Hong-seo didn’t react at all, Myung Do-hoon, who had been getting worked up on the phone, took a deep breath and calmed down his emotions.

[I looked into it as much as I could… That human, Lee Hae-seong, is a rare breed among rare breeds. He’s a guy who has no interest in hanging out with celebrities. Well, I don’t know if he likes professionals, or if he collects regular people as a hobby, or if he has a stewardess fetish like some other person… But no matter how much I search, I can’t find any smell of him playing with girls who’ve sold their faces.]

Myung Do-hoon, who had been talking up to that point, snorted bitterly. On the contrary, Choi Hong-seo’s eyes were filled with murder as he heard Myung Do-hoon use dirty expressions to describe his understanding.

[Fortunately for us, damn it. He’s not even interested in that kind of information, so there’s no way he’d have heard about you from anyone.]

“……”

[Listen carefully. Choi Hong-seo. So, the vice president… likes pure and refreshing ‘layered’ persimmons. Huh? He wants to see the image of you that he saw on TV. Smile brightly, and go with a basic innocent concept, but with a little sexiness. Huh?]

“……”

[If the vice president finds out now that you’re a body that’s been rolling around here and there, it’ll all go down the drain.]

“You have to speak properly. It’s not a body that rolls, but a body that was rolled.”

Yes, I know that the picture is not the time to do it.

Myung Do-hoon, who was feeling feverish again, took a break to catch his breath.

[He must be impatient because he has to leave you when you are so pretty. He is not immune to this kind of play, so he must be having a hard time. Then, try pulling him in to see you for a moment. He would adjust his busy schedule and get on a plane to see your face? If he got that far, he must be practically blind.]

I could hear the sound of someone putting a cigarette in their mouth and lighting it over the phone.

[While you’re out of the country, I’ll be flirting with the other new faces… You, huh? In the meantime, you just have to make sure the Vice President doesn’t come to his senses. Huh?]

Myung Do-hoon spoke with a slurred voice, having a cigarette between his lips.

[Those photos, even if they fall into Hae-sung’s hands, I want you to make Hae-sung believe you, not those photos. She was forced into it by Seo-kyung Lee, and she was dragged around by threats. Please punish Seo-kyung Lee, Vice President… Make her believe even those words!]

I was raped horribly by Lee Seo-kyung, and even though I was the victim, that rape experience became an excuse for Lee Seo-kyung to blackmail me. Even though I knew it was a vicious cycle, I couldn’t help but follow Lee Seo-kyung and Myeong Do-hoon’s demands. – That was the truth of the incident. Nevertheless, Myeong Do-hoon kept talking as if it was a made-up story and that he had to convince Lee Hae-seong to believe the lie as the truth.

[To us, understanding is a rope from heaven. Do you understand? Even if it’s a rotten rope, we have no choice but to hang on to it. Choi Hong-seo has been around for a few years, so it’s not like it’s a big deal for that fucking idiot to grab one dick. Right?]

Choi Hong-seo laughed silently as he heard the sound of people forcing themselves to laugh to shake off their fear.

“I’m at the parking lot. I’ll hang up.”

I could hear Myung Do-hoon swearing at Choi Hong-seo’s attitude, but I ignored him and ended the call. Up until now, I had been living off Lee Seo-kyung’s parasites and getting paid for her bean curds, but as soon as a stronger host like Lee Hae-seong appeared, Myung Do-hoon’s attitude of trying to shed the label of pimp and switch ships made me sick.

If things go the way Myung Do-hoon wants, Lee Hae-seong will be used by Myung Do-hoon without even knowing it. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t get involved in that.

Choi Hong-seo shook his head three or four times to shake off the anger toward Myung Do-hoon. He walked briskly toward the manager, clutching the phone tightly, and handed it over.

Understanding was waiting in the sprinter of ‘Layered’. He didn’t even ask to be left alone, but the director opened the car door for Choi Hong-seo, as if he had received some order from Myeong Do-hoon, and after looking around, disappeared into another vehicle owned by UB that was parked a few spaces away.

I thought he would be in the second row right in front of the door, but the seat was empty. Choi Hong-seo straightened his back and looked around the car.

Lee Hae-seong was sitting in the corner of the fourth row, looking at me and smiling. Judging from the way he was sitting with his buttocks sticking out and his waist low, it was clear that he was hiding his body on purpose. His expression, trying to hide his laughter while being happy, looked like a mischievous boy.

Without even having to try to vent his anger, Choi Hong-seo’s expression softened as soon as he saw him.

“This is the only seat where we can sit together.”

Explaining why he chose the back seat, he stood up and pulled Choi Hong-seo’s wrist. He sat Choi Hong-seo down on the window seat where he had been sitting, and then plopped down on the seat next to him. Using his body to keep pushing Choi Hong-seo towards the window, he looked unusually happy.

“So this is what it’s like to date an idol. I’m not the type to enjoy thrills, but it’s pretty… thrilling.”

“I’m sorry. Did you keep me waiting for a long time?”

“Rendezvous 9) .”

“……”

“It’s a secret meeting. It’s romantic, isn’t it?”

He seemed more playful than usual, and somewhat excited. He didn’t say why, but just kept pushing his body, trying to hold back laughter, which made me curious.

Choi Hong-seo, who was pressed between his left shoulder and the car window, placed his hand on his left arm that was folded over his chest.

“Why is that?”

“what?”

“You don’t say anything… you just keep smiling.”