Come Back

Wanting to see his face, Choi Hong-seo turned his heavy body halfway and sat down. “Lean comfortably,” he said, propping his back with his knees. At times, I was so surprised by him that I thought his kindness could almost be considered a special talent.

While growing up, my parents never properly taught me manners. While going through school life and after entering society, I had learned by picking up on things as I went along. Lee Hae-sung was a different person from himself, who had grown up carelessly and was just rough around the edges. He was completely different from any other VIPs I had met so far.

I wanted to learn even if it meant imitating him. I wanted to give him back even just a little bit.

Splash splash. In his embrace, Choi Hong-seo shifted her position and sat sideways, reaching out to touch his face.

“You did well.” Cigarettes are bad for your health, you know.

What is he doing? With curious eyes, Lee Hae-seong, who had been watching Choi Hong-seo, revealed his teeth and smiled at the ticklish sensation of touching his cheek.

“It’s been a while since I received a compliment, so I’m really excited.”

“Long time no see?”

“There’s no one who scolds me, but there’s also no one who praises me.” There are many people who flatter, but that’s not praise.

He placed his hand over Choi Hong-seo’s hand as she touched his face. He looked down tenderly, as if it were something beautiful and fascinating, and gently caressed it with great care. Then, she kissed each fingertip, each nail. Slowly. As if determined to remember each shape and color. In the end, she bit her nails hard enough to not hurt herself.

Even in that act, Choi Hong-seo could feel that he was loved. Everything he said and did was like that.

This time, Choi Hong-seo took his hand and squeezed it. As a person of his height, his hands were quite large. Although his appearance was neat and did not seem very large at first glance, when directly compared or touched, the length and thickness of his fingers, as well as the width and thickness of the back of his hand, were quite substantial. It was about the size where one could easily hold a basketball with one hand, and it was just as heavy.

I took his left hand with both hands, kissed the tips of his fingers, and bit my nails. Just like he did.

Leaning his elbow on the edge of the bathtub and resting his temple, Lee Hae-sung was watching the scene with a smiling face.

“Are you copying me?”

“Yes.”

“Am I this cute?”

“……”

“You’re holding it with both hands like that, you look just like a kid eating hotteok.”

It wasn’t that I wanted to be cute; I imitated it because I wanted him to feel loved. It seemed like a failure after all.

As the hair, now heavy from being soaked in water, fell down, he carefully swept it back behind her forehead again. And then, squeezing shower gel onto the sponge, he created bubbles and gently scrubbed Choi Hong-seo’s upper body.

I really felt like a baby.

I have no memory of ever receiving such extreme care, let alone from someone like Iseong. Even though it was a clear reality I was directly experiencing, it still felt unreal when I tried to consciously grasp it.

I quietly surrendered my body to his touch as he rubbed my shoulders, then scooped up the bubbles floating on the water that had dripped from the sponge.

“This smells similar to the perfume that uncle sometimes uses.”

“Did you like my perfume?”

“When we walked together at Namsan back then…” Even when I came home, the smell lingered. For several days.

The scent couldn’t possibly linger for days. It was just that it had been imprinted and I felt a lingering sensation. That scent was pleasant, and I kept thinking about it because I didn’t want to forget it.

“I don’t wear perfume when going to public places, but I sometimes put it on when meeting Hongseo.”

To look good. For Hongseo.

With their lips almost touching my ear, the added whisper made my shoulders tense up, and I felt a thrill.

“What perfume is that?”

He stopped his hands, which had been alternatingly lifting and wiping. His playful, smiling face came closer and gave me a peck on the lips. He looked happy.

“Why?” “Are you secretly trying to buy the same thing?”

“Amnesty… “Isn’t it possible?”

“Not at all.” I’ll gift you a bottle tomorrow. It’s a custom-made order from a perfumer in Paris, so you can’t find it in stores.

“Is it okay for you to give me something so precious?”

As if he had heard all the boring stories, he gave a short laugh.

“There’s nothing more precious than you.”

“……”

My ears burned at the direct expression of affection.

Bowing his head and cooling the heat on his face, Choi Hong-seo mustered the courage to grab his wrist holding the sponge.

“I’ll do it for you.”

I turned my body more to face him and carefully massaged his neck and shoulders. Whether it was because it tickled or because it felt good, a smile remained on his face. When he was rubbing his broad and firm chest, he subtly smeared the foam from his chest onto Choi Hong-seo’s nose.

“Before… “Do you remember when I said I would tell you a real secret?”

“Yes.”

“Actually, it’s not just a hobby of collecting cameras; I also take photos.”

“……”

It seemed like an important conversation was about to begin, so Choi Hong-seo stopped his hands and looked up at him. He opened his right arm to create a space, inviting her to come sit beside him. If you crawl into that open embrace, long and strong arms would wrap around your shoulders.

Tilting his head, he pressed his lips against Choi Hong-seo’s temple and continued speaking.

“I’ve held small exhibitions abroad a few times during that period.” Deliberately choosing small towns and changing galleries each time.

“……”

“Of course, under a pseudonym.”

“Ah…”

“So I thought I wasn’t too bad at taking pictures in my own way.” The selfie discouraged me.

He deliberately spoke more seriously, tilting his head back and resting the back of his head on the edge of the bathtub.

“Ah…” A selfie was a completely different realm from just a photo.

Looking at him as he was pretending to be in pain, Choi Hong-seo reached out and stroked his bluish chin.

“Uncle, you don’t need to take selfies because your face is already handsome.”

“Hmm…” Really?

“Really.”

“If you’re really that handsome, give me a kiss.”

He tapped his lips lightly, asking for a kiss.

I was leaning my back against the edge of the bathtub, making my eye level lower than Choi Hong-seo’s, and the wet face looking up at him with slightly upturned eyes was incredibly attractive.

Just like he always does, he cupped my face with both hands, lowered his head, and came closer. I gently kissed his warm, wet lips several times. He looked satisfied. Instead of showing his teeth and smiling broadly, he was holding back his laughter, keeping his mouth tightly closed and his eyelids lowered, with a smile on his face.

In the water, his arm wrapped around Choi Hong-seo’s waist and lifted her body up. The next moment, Choi Hong-seo was sitting on his lap, facing him.

“I hope Hongseo can come to the next exhibition.”

“I’m leaving.”

He answered while pressing down firmly on his upper chest with a sponge in his hand.

“Really?”

“I will definitely go.”

“……”

“No matter what.”

“Then, kiss.”

Like a child discovering a fun new game, he tapped on Choi Hong-seo’s lips again. He could give kisses anytime, as many times as he wanted. He planted several kisses on those sexy lips that usually held a reserved, cool expression. But it didn’t end there. He parted his lips, lightly brushing his tongue against the inside of Choi Hong-seos upper lip, and the kiss deepened. Embracing each other, their slippery bodies entwined, they shared a long, passionate kiss, as if the lovemaking from just before hadn’t even happened, reigniting their desire.

A real secret.

Even Choi Hong-seo had one of those.

For a moment, he felt an urge to confide everything to him. What would happen if he told him everything he’d gone through up to now? Wouldn’t someone like Lee Hye-seong, of all people, believe him? And yet… wouldn’t that make it even crueller for him?

If only his secret was simply something like collecting cameras, holding exhibitions under a pseudonym, or just taking photos…

That night, wearing his pajamas, lying in his bed, wrapped in his arms, they shared all sorts of stories.

When he mentioned that he wasn’t particularly close with his family, Lee Hye-seong didn’t press for more details. Choi Hong-seo also spoke about his closest friends, Jung Ji-in and Jung Ji-in, mentioning that while it might take a bit longer with Hyunsoo, he’d likely be able to introduce Jung Ji-in soon, as he genuinely wanted to. Cautiously, he shared this hope.

It had been such a long time since he’d opened up to someone like this. But, unlike usual, Choi Hong서’s cheerful chattering voice gradually slowed and lost its energy. The more he talked, the more he shared his trivial life with him, the heavier the discomfort settled on his heart, as though he were lying by omission.

He lowered his voice and asked softly a couple of times if he’d fallen asleep, but Choi Hong-seo kept his eyes closed, pretending to sleep, not answering. When he leaned in and kissed his forehead, telling him to sleep well, he waited for him to fall asleep first.

In the deep darkness, he lay there for a long time, gazing at his sleeping face. Watching him in his sleep was different from looking into his eyes when he was awake; it felt like he could freely observe him, indulge in the illusion that he belonged only to him.

Gently, he reached out to touch his face. His long, thick eyebrows, perfectly sculpted nose, healthy cheeks, masculine lips and jaw… A unique man. A special man.

“…… I’m sorry.”I’m sorry.

I couldn’t understand why I said that. It was a word that came out of my lips involuntarily, regardless of my will. It wasn’t that I was thinking of anything, or recalling anything. Just at some moment, hot tears were flowing down Choi Hong-seo’s cheek.

Please provide the text you would like to have translated.

Part 3

Tears streaming down her eyes were soaking her temples.

Strange. I had only shed a single tear, yet my cheek and pillow were soaked. My shoulders were trembling sorrowfully as I tried to compose myself after crying.

“……”

Only then did Choi Hong-seo realize that he had been asleep and had just woken up from a dream. It felt like the moment right after having a long and vivid dream, when the sense of reality hasn’t fully returned yet.

I swallowed dryly. My mouth and throat were completely dry, and I felt pain.

Only then did the scenery of the place where he was lying come into view. The place where I opened my eyes was completely unfamiliar. The blanket covering my body, the IV needle in my forearm, the somewhat empty and clean space… It wasn’t Lee Haesung’s bedroom.

At that moment, Choi Hong-seo suddenly sat up straight.

I felt dizzy, but I didn’t care. It couldn’t possibly be Lee Haesung’s bedroom. Because Choi Hong-seo, who I used to be, no longer existed in this world. This place was definitely a single room in a hospital. But it wasn’t the place where I had opened my eyes as Yoon Hye-an last time.

The phone, I had to find the phone first.

The phone was charging on the nightstand next to the bed. Choi Hong-seo’s hand was rough as he disconnected the phone from the charger. It felt like he was going to go crazy with anxiety. After confirming that the reflection of himself on the black phone screen was Yoon Hye-an, Choi Hong-seo was able to feel a sense of relief and take a deep breath.

At least, I wasn’t waking up in a new place as a new person again. At least.

I have to be relieved that I’m maintaining Yoon Hye-an’s appearance… A twisted, bitter smile slipped through Choi Hong-seo’s fingers as he rubbed his face.

I brushed back my sweat-soaked hair and searched for on the portal site. The most recent article was about the audition for the role of ‘Hwang Ji-woo,’ where a thousand people had applied.

Ah… Yeah, the casting article hasn’t officially come out yet…

I was eager to confirm that at least. The fact that he has once again secured the role of Hwang Ji-woo in . There is still an opportunity to keep an eye on him. Just that…

At the sudden sound of footsteps from the door, Choi Hong-seo turned her head, which she had been deeply bowing.

“Hyung!”

It was Yongjae, holding coffee in both hands. Just as when I realized that my face was still Yoon Hye-an, I was just as glad to see Yong-jae’s face.