Solo For Two

The owner of the townhouse in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, where the dancer Sasha Sedrin supposedly spent the longest time, has changed hands multiple times. After being owned by a pianist who admired Sasha during his lifetime, it was sold to a businessman who collected rare books, then passed on to a couple of film actors, and is now in the possession of a young pop star who uses the fact that they live in the house for image-making purposes. Aside from the grand mansion in Rhode Island, the villa in Marrakech, and the estate near Vienna, which have all been preserved as his childhood homes without changing ownership, most of Sasha Sedrin’s homes in high-value areas have been sold off over time to capitalists or collectors. Some part of the Parisian house where he lived has become a tourist attraction, and a casino has taken over the Ludwig Villa on the Côte d’Azur.The lands and houses that once belonged to Charles Sedrin-Clements and his heirs found new owners in the years following Charles’ death. Some auctioned off their inheritance, while others donated the heirlooms to museums.Now that Karel Sedrin-Clements has just turned thirty, he too is grappling with how to handle his share of the inheritance.“Please consider this carefully. While there is significance in preserving the legacy of the past, if you think about the value of the land, further hesitation is essentially meaningless.”Richard, an executive who had been with the company since its inception, often advised Karel like a grandson. Within the large corporation that had grown too big to be entirely controlled by the family’s power, Karel’s presence and influence were still minimal. Though his status as a direct descendant of the family was undeniable and noticeable, the fairly meritocratic company did not rely solely on bloodline. For Karel to gain more authority, he needed to exceed the expectations of dozens of executives like Richard. Karel respected them. It was likely that they judged it too risky to let a single rookie influence a corporation that had been meticulously built over a century.Life is just one big test.Competence can be proven. Karel wasn’t particularly worried about the tests the future might bring.However, there is a difference between questioning what one possesses and trying to manipulate it. While he fully agreed that he needed to demonstrate his abilities in maintaining the company, he found it hard to accept with good grace when people meddled in the inheritance that was rightfully his.“I hope you make a wise decision for the company.”Karel lowered his gaze and smiled gently at Richard’s advice.Is this a threat to trade my inheritance for my position?Karel spoke.“My stance on how to handle the inheritance has always been consistent. Does choosing to preserve the legacy of the past make me old-fashioned?”“I wouldn’t say old-fashioned. But every asset has its optimal time for sale.”“There are things in this world that cannot be bought with gold. I call that true ‘value.'”“Master Karel.”Richard feigned a regretful expression, as if to rebuke the young man for his shallow thinking.Karel controlled his emotions and calmly said,“Yet it’s because we live in a society that respects such values that you have called me ‘Master’ all these years, isn’t it? Why else would we respect a bloodline that can’t be traded for money? If we lived in a purely capitalist society where everything could be converted into gold…”Karel paused briefly. Speaking aloud the issue he had been contemplating for some time felt strange.“Then what significance would a surname inherited from my grandfather have?”“That’s not what I meant.”“Then surely you don’t respect me solely because of my share of the inheritance, do you?”Karel spoke, pretending it was a joke, still keeping the smile on his lips.The dark green eyes, flecked with gold, were calm but neither gentle nor weak. The tall, well-built, and handsome young man knew very well how much he had been born with. Therefore, he refrained from actions that would unnecessarily intimidate others or provoke feelings of inadequacy.“At any rate, I have no intention of selling the villa in Marrakech.”Recently, the land value near Marrakech had skyrocketed due to nearby development. A luxury hotel chain had offered to buy the land, but the proposal had been made not through the company, but through Karel’s private secretary.“So it’s my decision.”If he gave up Marrakech, the next would be Vienna, and then perhaps the grand estate in Rhode Island. How much would they demand be sacrificed for the sake of the company?Karel had visited the villa in Marrakech only once during his college years. He still didn’t understand why Sasha loved the blazing African sun or what particular scenery in Marrakech had captivated him to build a villa there.Selling something before you even fully appreciate its value is absurd.“Do not try to persuade me on this matter again.”Karel stubbornly said, adjusting his clothing. As he rolled up the stiff white cuff of his shirt slightly, the part where his name was embroidered lifted slightly, revealing his watch. The act of openly checking the time caused Richard’s expression to harden.He looked as though he wanted to say more, but he didn’t easily reveal ambition or resentment. Indeed, if he lacked the patience or intelligence, he wouldn’t have held his position for so long.Karel thought he wouldn’t mind if the confrontation dragged on.“And please, stop trying to sway my father. He likely feels the same way I do.”With those words, Karel left the table in the meeting room. It was only after the door closed lightly that Karel sighed.＊ ＊ ＊Unlike the villa in Marrakech, the grand estate in Rhode Island, which was quite close to New York, was a familiar place to Karel. He had spent his winters and summers there, where his grandfather had lived since childhood, and he often explored the house from top to bottom like a squirrel during those times. The four-story mansion was vast and full of traces and tastes of those who had loved it. Karel quickly became attuned to the taste of Sasha Sedrin, who was said to have been the owner of the house.There were still debates about whether Karel’s grandfather, Charles, was truly the biological child of Sasha Sedrin, but no one knew the real truth. It was said that it wasn’t until late in life that Charles could officially acknowledge that Sasha Sedrin, as well as Karel Clements, were his fathers. Although rumors abounded throughout their lives about the relationship between Sasha and Karel, who lived together as bachelors, it wasn’t until the 1980s that the world was informed and acknowledged that they were not merely business partners but actual partners.When Karel was born, his grandfather named him after Karel Clements, the company’s founder, in honor of him.“It’s still well-maintained.”Karel said as he entered the Rhode Island mansion with his secretary.In the 1900s, those who had amassed wealth through railroads, movies, and finance competed to build grand estates in Rhode Island. While many of these historic estates have been opened to tourists, Sasha Sedrin’s mansion had never been open to the public.Karel stepped into the house and began to explore the familiar paths within the mansion. As a child, he had always been amazed by how naturally he could encounter Sasha Sedrin throughout the house. To be precise, he was constantly coming across his photographs—pictures of Sasha in practice clothes, staring at the camera with his chin resting on his hand, or playfully covering his mouth with a mischievous look in his eyes. These were photos where the viewer’s affection for him was palpable.“When I was a child, I used to wonder why Sasha Sedrin felt so familiar to me.”“There are quite a few photos of him in this mansion.”“Yes, but there’s something more interesting.”As he turned a corner in the hallway, Karel nodded toward a photo he came face-to-face with.“When you look up while climbing the stairs, turn a corner in the hallway, enter a room, or naturally glance around while sitting on a sofa—there’s always one of his photos in that direction.”“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”“Karel… I mean the founder Karel, couldn’t bear not to see Sasha Sedrin regularly, even while living with him.”It was clear just how much the person who decorated this house had loved Sasha Sedrin.Could Charles have been Sasha’s real child? If so, might his blood flow through me as well? As a child, Karel would often study Sasha’s face closely, curious to see if there was any resemblance between them.As he grew older, Karel couldn’t find any similarities between himself and Sasha, but instead, he quickly fell in love with the Sasha Sedrin in the black-and-white photographs.“I’m thinking of opening this house to the public.”Karel spoke as he slowly strolled through the mansion’s garden, which offered a distant view of the Atlantic Ocean.The tree trunks, once seeming much larger in his childhood memory, now appeared somewhat smaller. Karel recalled climbing these trees as a child and reading books beneath their shade.“We’ve had offers to do that several times before.”His secretary responded respectfully.“After sorting out a few more belongings, restricting access to certain areas, and landscaping the garden… It would be more meaningful to give many people a chance to connect with the past rather than just reminiscing on my own.”“That’s a good idea. A house that isn’t lived in quickly deteriorates.”Karel’s father never interfered with the ownership or management of the mansion that Karel inherited. However, he often lamented the idea of the cherished home falling into disrepair.Before leaving the mansion, Karel gazed at a photo of Karel and Sasha in a corner of the house and said, “This way, their names will be remembered longer.”Following Karel’s decision, renovations and restoration work began on parts of the mansion. Renowned architects and curators focused on transforming the house into one of the most elegant and inspiring places on earth. Meanwhile, Karel decided which areas would be open to the public and how to display some of the memorabilia according to the visitors’ routes.The secretary brought Karel a worn leather trunk, saying, “This was something the founder personally kept.”The leather trunk, crafted by an expert and almost like new, didn’t appear to have been used for travel. Inside, it was filled with miscellaneous items—none of them seemed particularly valuable. They were humble things, whose significance might only be understood by the collector. There were receipts from trips to Russia and Switzerland, and even an old letter. There were insignificant twigs, yet also a pair of blue diamond earrings in a jewelry box.As Karel carefully examined each item, he found an old film reel at the bottom of the box.“This is…”Karel, who had to acquire professional knowledge of films to manage the company, quickly recognized the nature of the reel. It was nearly a hundred years old, from the era when sound films first emerged.Curious, Karel ordered it to be restored.A few weeks later, when the mansion’s remodeling was nearly complete, Karel received a video file from the restored film. His initial curiosity had waned, so he left the file untouched for several days.One night, Karel casually played the video in a dark room.“What was on the film?”His loyal secretary, who refrained from prying into his master’s affairs, asked.Karel hesitated before answering.“…There wasn’t much on it.”“They’re planning to play live footage of Sasha Sedrin’s performances in the first-floor hall for visitors. The digital coloring work is underway, but they need more of the original material. If there’s any remaining footage of the performances…”“It’s not stage footage.”Karel replied after a brief pause.“It’s better to keep it deep in the box.”“Understood.”The secretary replied without further comment.“And if there are any other digital files besides the original, please have them all destroyed.”“I’ve already ensured that’s taken care of for security reasons.”Karel nodded.“And the items in the box… It would be best not to make them public.”After the secretary left, Karel fell into deep thought.It was a strange experience.Karel had fallen in love with Sasha Sedrin on that film.The young Sasha Sedrin, whom he had only seen in photos, was even more captivating in motion. His small hand gestures as he spoke, the slow way he turned around, the slightly open, blank expression, and the broad smile were all remarkably charming.Karel had never believed in love at first sight. However, he couldn’t help but think that if he had met Sasha Sedrin in that era, he would have undoubtedly fallen in love with him at first glance.And as ridiculous as it sounds… Karel wondered if he might be the reincarnation of Karel Clements, who was said to have been so devoted to Sasha Sedrin. For someone who had never believed in supernatural phenomena or held any religious beliefs, it was an absurd thought—one he found laughable. He couldn’t understand how he could have such a notion.However, even though Karel Clements was only seen from behind in the old black-and-white film, there was something about his build and aura that felt similar to himself. Moreover, the moment when the two in the film tenderly pressed their lips together, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he knew the sensation of those lips.Falling in love with someone who no longer exists in this world was truly difficult and agonizing. Especially since, setting aside all other conditions, it was no different from being solely attracted to their appearance. Karel was tormented by the thought that this couldn’t be real love.He suffered from a feverish infatuation that he couldn’t confide in anyone. Even as he suffered, Karel thought that this might be a form of mental illness.‘But who knows? If I really am the reincarnation of Karel Clements, maybe there’s also a reincarnation of Sasha Sedrin somewhere out there?’In his feverish state, Karel dreamed.‘Could I also have my own Sasha Sedrin?’＊ ＊ ＊For about a year after that, Karel repeated meaningless encounters and breakups.He consistently felt attracted to men with black hair. Sometimes, he even met someone who truly resembled Sasha Sedrin. But the stiff texture of their hair as it swayed on their forehead or the unfamiliar scent he detected when he hugged them only left Karel with a strong feeling of disillusionment.Karel tried his best in each relationship, thinking that the person he was meeting might be Sasha Sedrin, unaware of his own soul. However, no one gave him the certainty that he felt when he met Sasha in the film.People always flocked around Karel in vain. But the world, filtered by the backgrounds and wealth of people, was narrow and limited. Karel felt fatigued within his network. As he chased after an illusion that didn’t exist in this world, Karel grew more and more exhausted.A week ago, after letting go of the sixth false Sasha Sedrin, Karel thought he really needed to get a grip on himself. Before he became more of a laughingstock in the media.‘But if Sasha has been reborn somewhere, he must be waiting for me, desperately hoping I’ll find him.’At the same time, Karel unconsciously shook his head vigorously.“I’m going crazy.”In his delusion, he was identifying himself with the founder Karel Clements.As soon as he stepped out of the limousine on his way to his evening schedule, he was swarmed by paparazzi. Although he had been photographed quite often before, it had never been to this extent. This was because there were actors or models among those Karel had stirred up while searching for Sasha.The media was eager to dig into the partners and sexual preferences of the heir to a media conglomerate. Since the young and capable Karel was already like a crown prince of the capitalist world, the media was keenly interested in who the real Cinderella would be. They even made lists of attractive black-haired figures and speculated about Karel’s next target.Everyone was curious about Karel’s next choice.And only Karel knew the answer.＊ ＊ ＊The group owned numerous major parent companies, various subsidiaries, and countless nonprofit organizations like foundations or charities. The New York Ballet Theater, where Sasha had worked as a choreographer, had a scholarship foundation named after him, and Karel was now the actual owner of that foundation.Karel didn’t personally involve himself in all the foundations he sponsored under his name. He also consistently declined all invitations to performances or charity parties from the foundation, but recently, he had occasionally started attending performances, all because of Sasha Sedrin. Although he was a layman in ballet, the thought that it was something Sasha had devoted his life to sparked his curiosity.‘But I never thought I’d come to the scholarship foundation’s charity party.’Ballet is an expensive field. As a result, when poor scholarship students learned Karel’s identity, they often saw him as their savior. Not being one to find joy in offering charity as sympathy, Karel particularly avoided making appearances at such events.“Karel, what are you thinking about? Is the party boring?”A woman with black hair, Romashina, the chairwoman of the scholarship foundation, linked arms with him and asked. Karel smiled and shook his head lightly. As if urging him not to lie, she continued.“You usually don’t come to these kinds of parties. So, what brought you here…?”“Who knows?”Karel smiled subtly.Romashina, a former dancer, was much older than Karel but still had a slim figure and elegant appearance. She also respected Sasha Sedrin as a fellow dancer, which made Karel feel that he connected well with her on that level.However, he had never given any other kind of expectations to her or any other woman. At least, that’s what Karel believed.So, he felt a slight unease at Romashina’s overly familiar behavior today.‘Could it be that she’s acting like this because she heard I broke up with someone?’She was attractive and well aware of her charm. Karel respected her professional spirit, having held the top position in her field for 15 years. She had also been managing Karel’s scholarship foundation smartly since retiring.Deep down, Karel, who was feeling worn out, momentarily imagined how nice it would be if he could love this woman.“I think I’ll leave in about twenty minutes.”Karel whispered quietly.“That’s a good idea. You’ve already done everything you needed to do. Just showing your face is an honor. You have no idea how grateful I am that you came. The kids will be thrilled.”“Thrilled?”“They’re the kind of kids who’ll work ten times harder if they feel recognized.”Karel glanced in the direction the woman was looking.“Look at how they dressed up for today. Doesn’t it look like a prom party? The girls are teetering in heels they’re not used to, and the boys couldn’t find decent suits, so their outfits are a bit awkward…. It’s a sight I see every year when new scholarship students arrive. Still, they’re the real stars of the show, so I hope they enjoy themselves.”As the woman said, there was a group of boys and girls. Just as Romashina mentioned, they looked unfamiliar with this kind of party. Yet the atmosphere around them was lively and noisy, as they took pictures with their phones or marveled at the sparkling champagne glasses.“Most of the scholarship students don’t come from the U.S.; they often come from other countries. Eastern Europe, Asia, and recently, South America has also been on the rise.”Karel nodded. It meant they selected noticeably talented children regardless of nationality.“So most of them aren’t very good at English. At parties like this, they usually react in one of two ways: they either get excited like a young colt in a fancy setting they’ve never seen before, or they get really timid. This year’s kids seem to be on the quieter side.”In the meantime, a brave girl walked up to Karel—actually, she was heading for Romashina, who stood in front of him. Her small, round face was adorned with a smile. She was so young and cute that she didn’t even need heavy makeup.The girl spoke to Romashina in a language Karel didn’t understand. Romashina seemed delighted to hear her native language again after a long time. Karel remembered that Romashina was Russian by birth. Although he couldn’t understand the words, Karel could tell from the tone that the girl was asking Romashina to take a picture with her.“She says she’s been practicing by watching my videos since she was little.”Karel took the girl’s phone and snapped a picture of Romashina, who was smiling brightly, alongside the young girl.Seeing this, a few other kids quickly gathered around, buzzing with excitement. Eventually, Karel ended up taking photos for all of them.The twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye.“Karel, thank you so much. You’re really kind to the kids. Everyone, this man is….”“Enough. Don’t say it.”Karel stopped Romashina. He didn’t want to see the kids’ eyes suddenly change from casual to reverent after learning that he was their photographer.Karel glanced at his watch and whispered quietly.“I think it’s time for me to go now.”“I’ll walk you out.”“You’re too kind.”Karel had barely taken three large strides when he suddenly felt someone staring intently at him.It was a boy, standing slightly apart from the group, staring directly at Karel. From his long, elegant neck alone, Karel could tell that the boy was also a scholarship student and an aspiring dancer. As Romashina had mentioned, he was hiding a slim body under a slightly awkward and plain suit.Karel unconsciously stopped in his tracks.“Karel?”Romashina called his name in confusion, but by then, Karel wasn’t listening.His eyes met those of the boy who had been staring at him. Karel stood frozen, gazing back at the boy.His heart began to race wildly.Soon, the boy cautiously approached.“I….”The boy hesitated as he spoke. It seemed Karel stopping had given him the courage.“Could you… take a picture with me too…?”The boy’s English was still clumsy, marked by a noticeable accent. As he spoke, the words he had likely rehearsed in his head, his ears turned bright red. Listening to that voice, Karel swallowed hard.‘My own Sasha Sedrin.’Karel tried to steady his trembling voice before asking gently,“Did you miss your turn?”The black-haired boy, who resembled Sasha Sedrin from the film, nodded. Without taking his eyes off the boy, Karel called out to Romashina.“Romashina.”Her face quickly lit up with a small smile of delight.“This young man would like to take a picture with you as well.”Romashina smiled kindly and stood beside the boy. The phone the boy handed over was an old model. Seeing that made Karel’s heart tighten painfully.After taking their picture and handing the phone back to the boy, Karel asked,“Why did you speak to me?”Sasha hesitated before answering.“You seemed… kind….”Karel listened to the soft voice of this little Sasha with a dreamy expression. Then, after a moment, he took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to the boy along with the phone.The boy stared intently at the English letters on the card, trying hard to read them.“My name is Karel Clements. I’m your… sponsor. What’s your name?”The boy’s eyes widened at the word “sponsor,” and soon his small mouth opened.“My name is….”The moment Karel heard the boy’s name, his heart filled with joy.It was the moment he had reunited with his destined one.Consider this a prologue to the sequel of Solo For Two, titled La Valse. I will translate that as well. However, La Valse has currently been taken down, so I will have to translate the older version of the novel, which I purchased. The novel features Sasha and Karel after they have been reincarnated.