Come Back

“Bangkok…?”

[Even if it’s a business trip, Hong-seo, you’re only working. You’re staying in your hotel even on your days off.]

“……”

[It seems like I should come and keep you company for a bit.]

He wanted to see him. He wanted to meet him. He wanted to hide in his arms, to cling to him.

But at the same time, it wasn’t possible to meet right now. He couldn’t ask him to hide him or carry his burden.

[Remember, you promised to guide me around Bangkok. Chatuchak Market, Khao San Road… Was it the Sky Bar? You’ll take me to all those places, right?]

“Ah, the thing is… I don’t know when my day off will be during the business trip…”

[I’ve already asked CEO Myung to adjust my schedule so you can have a couple of days off in Bangkok.]

When Lee Hae-sung mentioned Myung Do-hoon’s name, it felt like his heart dropped from the 27th floor.

Lee Hae-sung must have paid money under the pretense of an investment to ensure that Choi Hong-seo could live comfortably. Hong-seo knew this. The comfortable environment he was in must have been Lee Hae-sung’s consideration.

Even if all that money was used on him, imagining Lee Hae-sung talking to Myung Do-hoon and UB, completely unaware of their true nature, felt like deceiving him, and that caused pain.

“You’re busy with the new product. If you’re coming all the way to see me, I don’t want you to overdo it…”

[It’s the only time being part of the owner family comes in handy, right? If the company would collapse because I’m gone for two days, then that’s a real problem.]

Choi Hong-seo, who was facing the front window while nervously biting his lip, saw the manager cautiously open the door a crack. The manager was likely checking if he was browsing the internet on his phone.

Choi Hong-seo, signaling that he was still on the phone, gestured for him to leave, then locked himself in the bathroom.

[It’s the first time we’ve been this far apart. I thought I should make time to see you at some point.]

Hearing his gentle voice, Choi Hong-seo sat on the edge of the large marble bathtub. The opposite side of the bathtub faced the front window, offering a view of Jakarta’s nightscape, just like the bedroom.

“About the news of Go Ji-woon, if you’re worried about me… it’s okay, he didn’t succeed… I’m better than I thought.”

[That’s a relief, but… it seems like I’m not doing as well as I thought.]

His voice had a faint, bitter laugh in it.

[In the past, I didn’t care about the entertainment industry, but now that it’s the world you’re in, I’ve been paying more attention to the news. Seeing the comments and people’s reactions, it doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem…]

“……”

[If people are saying such… harsh things about you, I don’t think I could stand it.]

Choi Hong-seo tightly grasped the marble steps surrounding the bathtub.

“Why would people say those things about me?”

He tried to comfort him while maintaining his composure. He could hear Lee Hae-sung’s soft laugh.

[Maybe I’m getting too emotionally involved. I keep imagining all sorts of things.]

“Stop looking at the news and comments. You know I have experience in this field. You should listen to advice from someone who’s been through it.”

It seemed his joke worked, as Lee Hae-sung’s laugh lightened.

Taking a deep breath, Choi Hong-seo exhaled slowly, trying to make no sound.

[If something happens to you, Hong-seo…]

“……”

[Let’s run away together.]

Choi Hong-seo’s breath caught for a moment.

[We could go to Mauritius or Samoa… or one of the islands in Polynesia, a place with no direct flights, where we’d have to change planes two or three times… We could just run away and live there, maybe start a bakery. I even thought about that.]

“Why… a bakery?”

Though he tried to act amused by the absurdity of it, his tears were already blurring his vision.

[Because you like it. Madeleines, macarons, financiers…]

“……”

[And I’d let you sleep as much as you want, and eat all your favorite food.]

Choi Hong-seo wiped away his tears and smiled.

“That sounds almost like a vacation.”

Fortunately, he was able to speak brightly without forcing it. It felt like a relief, like something had been cleared away after crying.

Let’s run away together.

Those words were as much a comfort to him as a confession of love, filling the gaps in Choi Hong-seo’s life.

The company? Duty? He didn’t need to ask those questions. There was no need for validation in his love.

[It’s good to hear your laugh.]

His voice was more comforting than anything else. With a sense of calm, he made his last remarks, looking forward to their meeting.

[Khao San Road, Chatuchak Market. I’ll be looking forward to it, okay?]

The call history with “Investor-nim” appeared on the phone screen for a brief five minutes. Choi Hong-seo stared at it for a moment, wiping away the last traces of tears that lingered in his eyes.

He was about to open the portal site when he noticed a notification.

It was an email from Destiny: “:)”. It was from Lee Seo-kyung.

His fingers trembled so violently that it took a few tries to open the email.

Hello.

Has our Hong-seo developed some tough skin? You’ve been holding up longer than expected even after the scandal broke. Or are you still clinging to VP’s trust?

But Hong-seo, as you know, I’m a pervert. The more you hold on, the more I enjoy watching. What should I do? Because, no matter how long you hold on, eventually you’ll run out of strength, and the game always ends with me winning.

Come to Shanghai on the specified date. If you don’t listen again… who knows what might get released on YouTube this time. It won’t just end with rumors. Maybe there will be audiovisual footage of X that’s attached? I’ll delete the face, but I wonder… wouldn’t VP recognize it immediately as you? Or I could package it with VP and X as a set. If you love someone, they should always be together.

A dog should live like a dog, crawling on all fours. If you try walking on two legs, you’ll fall, Hong-seo.

The ticket’s business class. I won’t excuse your overseas schedule anymore. This is my last bit of mercy. Do you think you can hold out again? What do you think? 🙂

Choi Hong-seo’s trembling gradually subsided as he read the email.

Attached was a flight ticket from Bangkok to Shanghai, with the date and time fully specified.

Closing the email app, Choi Hong-seo stared out into the darkness beyond the window.

As soon as the X scandal broke, the first person to call him was Hyun-su. Realizing that the X on YouTube was targeting Choi Hong-seo, Hyun-su was in an extreme state of agitation.

[You idiot, just tell him! You fell into the trap that CEO Myung set, and that bastard Lee Seo-kyung dragged you around, making you do all kinds of disgusting things, taking pictures and videos… You can just tell him!]

Though Hyun-su was in a similar situation, he, like Choi Hong-seo, was not the type to dwell on despair or get sentimental. Hearing Hyun-su’s frantic voice, it was clear he was crying.

[You said with your own mouth that he loves you. If a chaebol falls in love with an idol, shouldn’t he protect you from this kind of dirty scandal? Isn’t that what love is?]

Hyun-su didn’t need to consider Lee Hae-sung’s perspective. Choi Hong-seo didn’t feel hurt by his words either. Hearing Hyun-su yell those things on his behalf made him feel a strange sense of relief and gratitude. He understood that this was Hyun-su’s way of showing his deepest friendship.

At that time, Choi Hong-seo had asked Hyun-su this.

“If protecting someone is love… then shouldn’t I protect him too?”

Hyun-su hesitated for a moment, but then shouted without hesitation that the person who has more should be the one to protect. Hyun-su was certain of this, but Choi Hong-seo still couldn’t understand.

What is love, and how can he show it for him? In the end, only he could decide that. But what is valuable love? He didn’t have a standard for that.

Then, what would Lee Hae-sung do?

For Choi Hong-seo, love was something he had learned from Lee Hae-sung, so he could only cling to that imagination.

Then, what would Lee Hae-sung do?

He didn’t think that Lee Hae-sung would ever say something like sharing the burden of his heavy and terrifying problems. That was all Choi Hong-seo knew about love.

“Choi Hong-seo! Choi Hong-seo, open this! Choi Hong-seo!”

The manager was knocking so hard on the bathroom door that it seemed like the door might break.

Before opening the door, Choi Hong-seo turned off his phone. The materialistic and indulgent lights of the city seemed to go dark along with it.