Come Back

Ch 73



**Part 4**

“You’re telling me you left the Nonhyeon-dong officetel and came here?”

As soon as Choi Hong-seo entered the front door of the officetel, Park Dong-ha’s first words were full of surprise.

He seemed so shocked that he didn’t even think about taking off his shoes, instead glancing around the interior of the house.

“I heard you moved to Yongsan, so I naturally thought…”

“You thought it would be a fancy, expensive place with a Han River view, right?”

Yong-jae casually slapped Park Dong-ha’s shoulder and smiled. Park Dong-ha responded by staring at him blankly, not saying anything.

“I told you, didn’t I? Hye-an hyung has completely changed.”

“But… he signed a new contract as the lead in a movie… I thought he’d definitely have moved to a better place.”

Muttering as if he still couldn’t believe it, Park Dong-ha took off his shoes.

“They say he paid off the company’s advance with his movie contract money, didn’t he? He’s not just changed, he’s been reborn!”

Yong-jae proudly said, placing a bag of canned beer on the counter. His face looked like a parent admiring their child who had turned their life around after abandoning their wild past.

While still looking around the small house, Park Dong-ha kept glancing at everything.

“Yoon Hye-an lives here? No way… Did he rent more rooms in this officetel? This one is the closet, this one’s the bedroom, and that one’s the living room… Am I right, hyung?”

As Choi Hong-seo was putting the beers they had bought into the fridge, he turned to look at Park Dong-ha. He smiled at the certainty in his youthful face.

“What happened to all those luxury goods? Did you… sell them on Carrot Market?”

“Hyung, do you use Carrot Market? That’s too risky, you shouldn’t do that! If you’re going to do it, just let me handle it for you!”

Yong-jae jumped up at the mention of “Carrot.” Choi Hong-seo, while bringing the chicken that had been ordered at the right time to the coffee table, tried to reassure him.

“It’s not like they knew I was Yoon Hye-an when I was there… everyone was just polite and nice.”

Yong-jae was still frustrated, saying there was no guarantee it would be fine in the future. After promising to ask for his help or to accompany him if another deal came up, the Carrot issue finally settled down.

“This place is just what it looks like… there’s not much to show you around. Just sit down.”

Choi Hong-seo, or rather Yoon Hye-an, gestured for them to sit at the coffee table. The sofa and the folding dining table attached to the counter were both for two, so there was no choice but to sit on the floor.

Even though Yong-jae offered to help, Choi Hong-seo refused, moving around in the small kitchen to prepare things for their guests. Park Dong-ha shook his head slowly, staring at him.

“I really don’t know what I’m seeing right now.”

Then, he quickly chugged down the can of beer that had been offered to him.

“What are you seeing? You’re seeing Hye-an hyung living a new life.”

Yong-jae gave a simple answer while biting into a large piece of warm chicken he had ordered.

“Doesn’t it seem weird to you? How is he adapting so quickly? I feel like he’s possessed by a ghost or something.”

“If he’s improved instead of gotten worse, that’s good enough. What’s there to adapt to?”

“Yeah, I guess. It’s probably the best thing for him, especially since he’s been through the most with you, hyung.”

“Don’t say that,” Yong-jae signaled to Park Dong-ha with his expression, and Park Dong-ha silently defied him, asking what he had done wrong. It was a small house that couldn’t be hidden, so Choi Hong-seo was watching everything.

“Sorry, it’s all takeout food.”

“You can’t cook anyway.”

Park Dong-ha said this casually while glancing at Choi Hong-seo, then added,

“You can’t cook, just like before.”

“Of course, that’s the obvious truth. How could I suddenly become good at cooking?”

Yong-jae said with a cheerful laugh, and Park Dong-ha responded gruffly.

“Well, you suddenly became good at acting.”

Yong-jae’s hand, which had been tearing into the chicken, froze for a moment. After a brief pause, he looked around with a thoughtful expression before confidently lifting his chin to explain.

“That’s because hyung had talent all along, but he was just lazy about practicing before. After taking lessons and putting in effort, his hidden talent came out! Hyung worked so hard.”

“So, you’re admitting that Hye-an hyung was lazy with practice back then?”

“Well, yeah, he was, but… what’s important is now, isn’t it?”

“We should eat before the food gets cold. Let’s talk while eating.”

Seeing that their banter wasn’t going to end anytime soon, Choi Hong-seo intervened.

“Yeah, we gathered here to celebrate hyung’s fresh start. Stop digging up the past. Now, cheers!”

Under Yong-jae’s enthusiastic leadership, the drinking began in earnest.

It was a small gathering set up reluctantly due to Park Dong-ha’s insistence on visiting the new house. Since he seemed to be one of the few people Yoon Hye-an was close to in his life, Choi Hong-seo wanted to keep some distance, but couldn’t treat him too harshly because of their shared past with Yoon Hye-an.

“Hyung, where did Tiffany go? I haven’t seen her in a while, I’d like to see her face.”

Noticing that the cat hadn’t appeared as expected, Yong-jae looked around the cat tower and crouched down to check under the bed.

“She probably hid under the bed. She’ll come out after a while. If you try to force her out, it might stress her out…”

“Wow, after studying so hard, you’ve become a cat expert, huh? When you first brought Tiffany, you gave her milk meant for humans, and I was shocked.”

Yong-jae looked at Choi Hong-seo proudly again, or rather, with a look of near admiration this time.

“Back then, you brought a cat without even basic preparations.”

“Hey, Park Dong-ha! Why do you always bring up the past and make the atmosphere awkward? If you’re going to do that, just leave! Stop eating!”

Yong-jae angrily grabbed the lamb skewers from Park Dong-ha’s hand, which he had ordered specifically because Park Dong-ha liked them.

“I’m not saying anything bad about Hye-an hyung, it’s just that that’s the Yoon Hye-an I knew! It’s weird, don’t you think? I need time to adjust too!”

Watching the argument between the two start again, Choi Hong-seo took the lamb skewers from Yong-jae’s hand and handed them back to Park Dong-ha.

“Park Dong-ha is right. Yong-jae, I really appreciate that you’re seeing me as I am now, but I still can’t fully adjust to myself either.”

Park Dong-ha, having received the lamb skewers, stuck out his tongue at Yong-jae, who was sitting opposite him.

“See? I told you. I’m the normal one, and you’re the one who’s not normal, Yong-jae. Right now, we’re arguing, and Hye-an hyung is the one stepping in to mediate. Did you ever imagine this situation?”

“Don’t think of Hye-an hyung as someone who changed. Just think of him as a different person from now on. That’s it.”

At that moment, Yong-jae’s voice and expression became unusually serious, and even Park Dong-ha fell silent, staring at him.

“Hye-an hyung doesn’t even remember his old self. Just think of him as a different person, with the same name and face. The confusion comes from trying to match him with the old Yoon Hye-an you knew.”

Choi Hong-seo had only ever seen Yong-jae with his typical friendly smile, so this was the first time he’d seen him like this. A brief awkward silence passed, and then suddenly, a buzzing sound came from somewhere. It was the vibration of Choi Hong-seo’s phone on the counter.

“I’m eating, but I’ll take this call.”

The caller was Director Kang Woo-hyun.

“Yes, Director, it’s Yoon Hye-an.”

At the mention of “Director,” both Yong-jae and Park Dong-ha stopped eating and looked over, both wearing curious expressions.

[Oh, Hye-an, you must be surprised that the director is calling suddenly, right?]

Director Kang Woo-hyun’s cheerful voice, laced with laughter, reassured him for the moment.

“No, it’s fine. If you ever need to discuss something, feel free to call.”

[Well, the thing is, Vice President Lee Hae-sung wants to invite a few of the actors to his house.]

Hearing Lee Hae-sung’s name in such an unexpected moment hit him like bumping into a thug at a corner. His heart raced, and his mouth went dry in an instant. It felt like every pore on his body was shrinking. Choi Hong-seo licked his dry lips, swallowed with difficulty, and tried to calm himself.

[It seemed like something I should tell you personally. Are you free this Saturday?]

“A few actors, you mean…”

[Ah, well… I guess they can’t invite everyone from the cast. It seems like they’ve selected a few main actors. Even though he’s one of the investors for our film, it’s not an easy thing for someone in that position to invite people to his home. He’s more down-to-earth than the rich people you see in dramas, so don’t worry about it. Honestly, ARA Lee Hae-sung’s house… people like us would be curious, right?]

Director Kang laughed heartily, but Choi Hong-seo wasn’t curious about that part. He turned around slowly, away from Yong-jae and Park Dong-ha, and gripped the edge of the counter tightly.

“Am I… invited too?”

[Yeah, you’re included. About five or six of you, including you. Why? You can’t make it on Saturday? It’s a rare opportunity.]

“No, it’s not that, but… are you sure I’m invited?”

[Yes, I’m sure. In fact, I think Hye-an is hoping you’ll come.]

That couldn’t be…

[This vice president has been a bit tough on Hye-an since the auditions, right? Now that he knows Hye-an is diligent, it could be a gesture of reconciliation from him.]

Could that really be it?

Director Kang’s voice continued as Choi Hong-seo thought back to the tear stains and cold sweat on ‘Yoon Hye-an’ just days ago, without any change in the vice president’s demeanor at the time. There was no way his feelings would have changed so quickly.

[Why? Are you scared of this vice president? Should I tell him you can’t come? I’ll let him down gently.]

Listening to Director Kang, Choi Hong-seo slowly shook his head. Behind him, Yong-jae and Park Dong-ha were arguing over the last chicken leg.

“No… I’ll go. I’ll definitely go.”

There was no way he could refuse the invitation, fearing he might hurt the other person’s feelings. Even if he knew he was walking straight into a trap, there was no way to avoid walking into it.

Perhaps the vice president himself was certain that ‘Yoon Hye-an’ would definitely come, and that thought lingered in the back of his mind.


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