Come Back

“Your face… it’s different, isn’t it?”

He grasped Choi Hong-seo’s chin, lifting it slightly so that he couldn’t avoid his gaze.

“Don’t hide from me.”

His expression was resolute as their eyes met again, though after a brief moment, his gaze softened. His thumb, which had been holding his chin, began to gently trace along his skin.

“It was probably from that day you collapsed at the Seocho-dong house.”

“……”

“When I started to feel that something was off.”

His hand, which had been touching Hong-seo’s chin, dropped down. With one knee raised to trap him between his legs, he rested his arm on it and looked out the window through the thin curtains.

“You said you’d never speak ill of the Vice President. You repeated it as if to provoke me, as if daring me to keep questioning you, looking straight into my eyes without flinching.”

His gaze moved from the window back to Hong-seo.

“You don’t realize it… but that was the moment I began to fall in love with you.”

“Mm…”

A low, weighty sigh slipped from Hong-seo’s lips.

“You said he was a good person. Like a well-behaved child, you just nodded along, but with that same stubbornness… that the Vice President was a good person, and no matter what happened, you would never speak ill of him.”

He chuckled softly, reminiscing.

“You didn’t seem weak at all back then. I knew you were the type of person who would keep that promise no matter what. Like, even if I stopped being Ara’s Lee Hae-sung… or, literally, even if a knife were held to your throat… you would still keep that promise.”

“……”

“I was completely captivated by that pure, unyielding loyalty.”

Smiling as if he might cry, he gently tapped the tip of Hong-seo’s nose with his finger.

“And then you said those same words again, with the same look in your eyes that made me fall for you.”

His fingers moved over Hong-seo’s face, tapping the puffy eyelids, tracing over his cheekbones, and gently brushing the corners of his mouth.

“The features are different, but the way you look at me is the same…”

“……”

“The voice is different, but the way you speak to me is the same…”

“……”

“Even though I tried to dismiss it as a perfectly crafted imitation, I couldn’t shake it.”

Finishing his exploration of Hong-seo’s face, he looked down at him with a small smile. This time, it wasn’t the kind of smile that looked like he might cry.

“The expression you make when you look at me – only I would know what that looks like. Even you don’t know.”

“……”

“You look like a child completely absorbed in an old story, listening intently, forgetting everything else in the world… just like you do now.”

Realizing that he saw him in such a way, Hong-seo suddenly felt shy. He hadn’t realized his heart was so transparent. When he lowered his gaze, he lifted his chin again, making him meet his eyes.

“I didn’t fall for you because of your face or your voice. It was the way you looked at me, the things you said to me that I loved.”

“……”

“So don’t hide. Just look at me more, and talk to me more.”

He nodded, meeting his gaze. After crying so much, he thought his eyes and even his mouth had completely dried out. Yet, surprisingly, his eyes filled with tears again. He pulled out a tissue, lightly dabbing at his eyes while shaking his head.

“No, no. You really need to stop now. If you keep this up, you’re going to pass out from exhaustion.”

He tightened his lips to swallow down the tears.

“Let’s talk about everything slowly, okay?”

In a gentle voice, he nodded enthusiastically.

Lee Hae-sung rose first, holding out his hand to help Hong-seo up. After a moment’s hesitation, Hong-seo leaned on his arm, using it to push himself up onto his feet.

Before leaving this place, there was something he had to say. As he watched Hae-sung dust off his bag from the floor, he took a deep breath and began to speak.

“That time.”

The moment he said it, they both understood exactly what “that time” referred to.

Hae-sung stopped dusting off the bag and stood up to meet his eyes.

He knew this would be like touching an open wound for both of them. But Hong-seo felt he had to say it now. He couldn’t hold his hand and leave this place without saying it.

“To anyone living an ordinary life, my decisions must seem pathetic and foolish… but back then, it was the only option I thought I had.”

He slowed down, wanting to speak without crying.

“I was just deceiving myself to get by, but I learned too late that I had already crossed my limits long ago.”

Immediately, he came over and held his shoulders.

“If it’s too painful, you don’t have to say it. You can tell me later.”

“I feel like I have to say it now.”

“……”

“Here. At this exhibit.”

The grip on his shoulders tightened.

“Don’t talk like you’re going to disappear. We still have plenty of time.”

Hearing the anxious edge in his voice, he understood. Although he said they had plenty of time, it was only to reassure himself. He, too, was afraid, of when this strange reality might revert back to the way it was.

Hong-seo placed his hand on top of Hae-sung’s hand, which was holding his shoulders.

“It’s true… I thought at least I could protect your name.”

His voice shook and broke painfully.

“But… I never thought…”

“……”

“That I’d keep remembering you like this, suffering, loving… like this…”

He didn’t want his emotions to come out in tears. He stopped, swallowing dryly several times. He remembered the way Hae-sung had fiercely gone after the people who had gossiped cruelly about the late Choi Hong-seo.

He wanted to meet his gaze, but he couldn’t bring himself to lift his head.

“I’m sorry.”

He could see the tips of his shoes.

“I shouldn’t have done it. I was selfish…”

Hong-seo’s words stopped as he felt the warmth of two hands cradling his cheeks. Instead of lifting Hong-seo’s face, Hae-sung bent down himself, meeting his eyes.

“What was the first movie we watched together?”

“Love Story…”

Caught off guard by the sudden quiz, Hong-seo answered, a bit bewildered.

“Jenny and Oliver have a big fight, and Oliver spends the whole day looking for her. Not knowing that Jenny is sitting right in front of their home, having lost her key.”

“……”

“Do you remember what Jenny said to Oliver when he apologized?”

“Ah…”

Love means never having to say you’re sorry.

Back when they watched *Love Story* together in his screening room, he hadn’t fully understood that line. He just admired it as a cool phrase, but it hadn’t touched him deeply.

But now, that line seemed to come from within his own heart, as if he himself had written it. He could feel its meaning profoundly.

What would it feel like to hear “I’m sorry” from someone you love? It wouldn’t make you happy.

Moreover, when two people love each other deeply, as if their emotions and thoughts are intertwined, they already understand each other’s sincerity. So the words “I’m sorry,” which could cause pain, weren’t necessary—at least, there were moments when they weren’t.

He moved closer and hugged Hong-seo. His warm breath brushed against his ear, his lips close, just like before. In that moment, he was thankful that Yoon Hae-an was of a similar height.

“You said you’d never speak ill of me. That’s what you promised.”

“……”

“To keep that promise that made me fall in love with you… you went to such lengths.”

Hong-seo raised his hands to embrace him, clenching the fabric of his sweater. Wanting to remember everything about this moment, he decided not to close his eyes. He prayed that this resurrection wasn’t a punishment.

■

His car was parked in the large lot of a store across the street, a luxury SUV with sleek lines like a high-end sedan. After making sure Hong-seo was safely inside, he closed the door and got into the driver’s seat.

“When is your flight back?”

“Three days from now.”

“Then cancel that ticket and stay with me a few more days. Rest a bit before you go back.”

“……”

“We have so much to talk about.”

“What about your work?”

“Let it be, whatever happens,” he shrugged, starting the engine. Though he said it like a joke, the vibe he gave off didn’t make it seem like he was joking at all.

“Where are you staying? Let’s stop by the hotel to pick up your stuff.”

“It’s this hotel. But… where are we going?”

Looking at the Google Maps screen that Hong-seo showed, he zoomed in on the hotel’s location and answered.

“When I arrived, I came straight to the gallery from the airport, so my things should be at Malibu. I rented a villa there.”

“……”

“Why?”

Seeing no response, he looked away from the screen and glanced at Hong-seo.

“It’s just… I find it surprising that you’d rent something.”

He reached over, gently pinched his cheek, and smiled.

“I have properties in LA for investment, so they’re rented out.”

They slowly drove out of the parking lot, the car moving through a barren landscape.

“The villa we’re heading to was prepared by Manager Kang, so I’m not sure what it’s like. I haven’t been there myself.”

The hotel was very close to the gallery. After driving for only a few minutes, the hotel building appeared on the right side of the freeway. Since most of the surrounding buildings were one-story, even though the hotel was only seven or eight stories tall, it stood out. He glanced at the old, yellowing building, his expression darkening.

“I chose it because it was close to the gallery… It’s old, but it’s clean. The rooms are spacious, too.”

“Alright. Let’s check out quickly and head back.”

Hong-seo explained earnestly to reassure him, and he smiled at him in response, but the hint of dissatisfaction didn’t leave his face.

As the luxury SUV, a rare sight at a rundown hotel on the outskirts, approached the front entrance, a doorman, who had been nowhere in sight, appeared quickly from somewhere.

Leaving the engine running, Hae-sung got out of the driver’s seat and handed the doorman a generous tip.

“We’re guests, but we’ll just pick up some luggage and check out right away. Please keep the car nearby.”

“Yes, sir,” the doorman answered smoothly, signaling quickly to a colleague.