Come Back

“I’m busy… but I’ve never had this many people come to see me since my debut. I’m still a bit dazed and grateful, so I don’t know if it’s hard.”

He looked back at Choi Hong-seo as he walked slowly with both hands in his pockets.

“Hongseo on stage seemed like a different person than Hongseo when acting.”

Choi Hong-seo had to turn his gaze to the right where the night view was to hide his surprised expression.

Did you even look for the stage footage? Did the Vice President of ARA Electronics?

“I saw you dancing last time too, but it was because someone forced you to do it.”

“… … ”

“The facial expressions change depending on the mood of the song, and I don’t know for sure… but when you dance, it feels like you use your whole body, down to your hair and even your finger joints, so you have to focus on it.”

He tilted his head slightly and spoke in a serious tone, as if he were exchanging important business opinions.

Choi Hong-seo’s ears felt hot. Although he was used to the soulless compliments given by the staff at the broadcasting station or filming site, he felt embarrassed when he heard such specific compliments. Despite his joy, he hesitated and failed to show a friendly response, and sometimes he was criticized for being arrogant.

“But then, on entertainment shows, you’re friendly, easygoing, and cute…”

Was it because he was strangely silent after saying ‘cute’? The expression sounded somewhat unconventional. Although it was something I often heard from VIPs, it was different from the ‘cute’ that other people said. When Choi Hong-seo looked at him, he smiled very nicely.

“I found myself laughing without realizing it while watching the video.”

You even watched a variety show…

When you search for ‘Choi Hong-seo’s entertainment’, several famous clips that are displayed at the top come to mind. Various sexy dances and comical dances prepared with aegyo and individual skills that were popular at the time, a game where he frowned wildly to tear off wet paper without using his hands, etc…

On TV, I was the type to never skip out on something I was told to do, whether I was good at it or not, and if I thought of it as work, I wasn’t ashamed and there was nothing I couldn’t do. But now, when I thought of this person walking next to me seeing me, I felt a little embarrassed. To these people, who probably never let their pride down in front of anyone, it seemed like a miserable struggle.

“For a boring person like me, that kind of colorful appearance was really… interesting.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

He put his hands in his pockets again and looked back at Choi Hong-seo and smiled.

At this point, I thought he was just a really boring idol who only gave formulaic answers and didn’t know how to be cute.

“Oh, can I call you Mr. Hongseo? I already called you that, though.” “Yes, of course.”

“Back then, I said that Hongseo’s strong point was his sincerity, right?”

“… … ”

“That is indeed true.”

“yes?”

“It seems that Hongseo-ssi struggled alone for a long time because of the long period of obscurity.”

“ah…”

Do we really need to investigate such details because of the movie investment? Well, the production cost of this movie is really enormous…

“I heard that even if Hongseo did something alone, the rest of the members get paid separately. Doesn’t that seem unfair?”

“It’s not just our team, the industry system is like that. Even if another member did the same thing, I would have been paid the same way…”

“I’m pretty greedy, so I don’t think I could accept such an absurdity. I think it’s amazing that he sacrificed himself for the team for so many years.”

Accept it or not… not everyone has that choice like you do.

The vice president of ARA Electronics is so great to a mere idol.

I looked back at him, thinking he was being sarcastic, but his perfect profile, illuminated by the streetlight, was completely serious.

“Mr. Hongseo said that the only thing he had to offer was sincerity, but his acting was also impressive.”

“… … ”

“First of all, once you start acting, you don’t care about other people. I personally think that’s a very important talent for an actor.”

He stopped at the fork in the road where the pavement blocks ended, and spoke as if marking a dot, as if concluding the story.

While listening to his detailed compliments, my pulse also quickened. Whether it was for the movie or something else, it seemed like he had been seriously monitoring my activities. And he was acknowledging the process and the results. Such a great person…

“I guess you like movies a lot.”

He opened his eyes wide at Choi Hong-seo’s words. And soon, a smile spread across his entire face. I’ve seen him smile, but it was the first time I’d seen him smile so brightly that he couldn’t hide it. His expression looked very different when he smiled.

He bent down to meet Choi Hong-seo’s eye level. His face looked extremely happy.

“It’s the first time. Mr. Hongseo asked me a question first.”

“… … ”

Is that the only reason you liked it so much?

I stared at his joyful face.

Even looking back, he was quite handsome. I’ve seen many handsome men while working in the entertainment industry, but he was completely different from the thin and skinny handsome men that are popular these days. He had a face that would be classified as handsome in any era or culture. His perfect, masculine face, without any flaws or weaknesses, had an overwhelming power in itself. That’s why my first impression was not so much the admiration of his handsomeness as the burden of not being able to approach him.

But that same face now looked soft and warm. Was it because of the streetlight?

He paused for a moment, his eyes locked, then slowly blinked and said, “Yes, I like you. And maybe.”

“… … ”

“I think it will get better.”

Beyond his shoulder, the pedestrian signal changed from red to green.

Crossing the road and going a little further, there was the H Hotel, and going down the hill to the right was the ‘Layered’ accommodation. After crossing the crosswalk, he naturally turned to the right. Choi Hong-seo looked back at the H Hotel with a puzzled face, but he didn’t hesitate at all. He was walking with a clear destination in mind.

The width of the pavement blocks became much narrower. As we walked side by side, our shoulders occasionally brushed against each other. To be exact, Choi Hong-seo’s shoulders and his arms brushed against each other. Whenever the wind blew behind us, his faint perfume lingered on the tip of our noses, then sadly faded away.

“Can you spare some time next time?”

“… … ”

“I want to meet you. But not like today. Let’s make plans in advance.”

“What’s next?”

“If Mr. Hongseo doesn’t mind, I’d like to do that.”

“ah…”

Is that what you’re talking about? Not today, but next time.

There could be circumstances. He was busy, so he might not be available today. That’s all. Just because he didn’t like the messy atmosphere of many people gathering together, because he gave his jacket to an idol, and because he didn’t go straight to the hotel but walked along Namsan and talked for a while… It wasn’t like anything would change.

It was supposed to be next time. Just, not today.

Today was the moment when all of his actions made sense.

The suggestion that the VVIP, who holds the key to whether or not the movie can be produced, should look into it separately. Choi Hong-seo knew all too well what that meant and what was included.

I wasn’t naive enough to have expectations, disappointments, or bitterness. I wasn’t that weak.

Swallowing the bitter taste that was gathering under his chin, Choi Hongseo straightened his expression. Throughout the night, he faced him straight in the eye with the most certain expression on his face.

“I am honored. I will wait for the company to contact me.”

“Ah… company.”

all.

The man nodded several times and chewed over the word company.

“Do I need permission from my company to meet someone?”

“Would I be accepted by Hongseo’s company?”

“Of course… I think you’ll like it.”

“is it so?”

The man just smiled strangely. Choi Hong-seo became anxious because he couldn’t tell whether he liked his answer or not.

The dark café that was closed for business was right on the corner. If you turn into the alley from there, you will find the road to the accommodation. Choi Hong-seo called him in a slightly urgent voice.

“Please take good care of the movie, Vice President.”

The expression of the man who looked this way darkened for a moment, then turned cold. Then, with a hollow laugh, both the darkness and the coldness collapsed.

“So, Mr. Hongseo thought that whether I invest in this movie or not depended on your answer?”

“Um… I don’t know where it went wrong.”

He muttered as if talking to himself. He rubbed his lower jaw broadly and paused for a moment, then pointed into the alley.

“If you go up this way, is that where I’m staying now?”

“Ah… yes.”

“I’ll just watch you go home.”

As he said that, he turned around and headed up the dark, steep road. He found his way without getting lost, as if it was his first time. At least on the map, he looked like someone who had studied hard.

What? What did you not like? Unable to figure out his intentions, Choi Hong-seo just moved his legs in anxiety.