Come Back

On the rooftop garden in the fall evening, a cool and gentle breeze blew.

To the immediate west, there was a low hill, and to the east, a distant view of the Gangnam skyline spread out, offering a beautiful view. It felt as though this place was slightly removed from the bustling heart of Seoul, and there was a sense of space in the view.

In the sky as the sun set, blue, red, and purple blended together, constantly shifting in new combinations of colors.

When she first came to this house and stepped onto this rooftop.

It was a night, completely dark with the sun having long set, and it was summer. She and Lee Hae-sung had spent the summer night here, each with a can of beer, completely owning the evening.

Now, however, the place was bustling with guests.

In addition to the actors, several people from the production company and key investors were invited, and there were around fourteen guests in total. They were grouped into tables of four or five, and a long table set aside for a buffet held salads and warm dishes.

The main course was barbecue, and Lee Hae-sung, along with two other chefs, was grilling the meat for the guests himself.

Lamb that he had personally grilled was placed on Choi Hong-seo’s plate. Although she had cut it into small pieces and was chewing it, she couldn’t taste the meat.

In fact, she hadn’t been feeling well since the movie room.

*“If I find evidence, you’ll have to meet my demands then.”*

Perhaps the thought that she had bought herself some time to avoid further questioning had caused her to relax.

It wasn’t until she entered the movie room that Choi Hong-seo realized her mistake.

She hadn’t even asked where the movie room was before heading there.

His request, which seemed so natural, as if they both knew the location already, was so casual that she hadn’t suspected it might be a test. Even as she climbed the stairs, she had been so focused on fulfilling his request without mistake that she’d become overly serious about it.

What a fool she was. How embarrassed must he be?

She had crouched on the floor of the movie room, holding her head.

It was too difficult for her to pretend not to be Choi Hong-seo, or to pretend to be Yoon Hye-an after thoroughly studying her, or to be someone else entirely. She wasn’t that good at playing tricks.

But she couldn’t dwell on self-blame for too long.

As she stood up to retrieve the Blu-ray case, memories of Choi Hong-seo came rushing back.

*Love Story*.

It was the first movie they had watched together in that room.

“By the way, you know the ending, right?”

“Yes, I know it.”

“Well, it’ll be a happy ending for us.”

The conversation they had there, Lee Hae-sung’s face, amused as he teased her for being awkward in front of Manager Kang, who had brought the drinks, the soft smiles he gave every time their eyes met during the movie, the way he seriously listened to her clumsy thoughts despite her inexperience and young age…

Even after the movie ended, neither of them wanted to leave, neither of them willing to get up first, both of them lingering, reluctant to part.

In that moment, everything in the room was vividly alive. Then, it crashed over Choi Hong-seo like a flood of water, overwhelming her.

She couldn’t drag things on for too long, so she left the room with the Blu-ray, but perhaps because she had emotionally drained herself too much, she hadn’t been feeling well since then.

The ground felt unsteady, like she was seasick, and her stomach was uneasy. Still, it wasn’t to the point of cold sweats or dizziness like back at the memorial hall or Manager Kang’s office. It was bearable.

She felt like eating would make her sick, so she only pretended to eat enough not to disrupt the atmosphere. She would glance around, pretend to look at the scenery, or occasionally steal a glance at him.

“What kind of meat are you dissecting? It’s tender and has no odor—it’s so good. Haven’t you had lamb before? No, right?”

Park Dong-ha, sitting at the same table, commented while looking at Choi Hong-seo’s plate, which seemed hardly to decrease.

“I’m eating. It’s good.”

Choi Hong-seo forced herself to chew and swallow a small piece of meat.

The night when she had drinks at the house with Lee Hae-sung and Yong-jae, they had strongly insisted that she use informal language with them.

Quickly scanning the other guests, Park Dong-ha leaned in toward Choi Hong-seo and spoke in a lowered voice, subtly.

“…Are you pretending? Is this a strategy?”

“……”

It was an unclear question. When Choi Hong-seo stared at him blankly, Park Dong-ha closely examined her face, as if trying to find a clue. After a moment of searching, he seemed to give up and quietly backed off.

It seemed like Park Dong-ha still hadn’t completely ruled out the suspicion that “Yoon Hye-an is pretending to have lost her memory.”

But this suspicion was easy to avoid. Since she truly didn’t have any memories related to Yoon Hye-an, there was no need to pretend to have forgotten anything.

After taking his gaze off Choi Hong-seo, Park Dong-ha started cutting the meat again while glancing around.

“How did they decorate the rooftop like this? It’s like a backyard of a detached house. Who would think this is a rooftop?”

Choi Hong-seo had had the same thought when she first came up here.

“But I thought they’d show us around the house, but they just took us straight to the rooftop?”

Park Dong-ha muttered with a disappointed expression, chewing on a piece of meat. Then, he lowered his voice again to speak to Choi Hong-seo.

“Hey, did you see it when you came in? As soon as we entered, he came straight out of the living room. He passed through the living room, then the entrance, and the hallway. What kind of layout is that?”

The living room Park Dong-ha was talking about was probably Lee Hae-sung’s reception room. The real living room, where he would entertain his close guests, was somewhere deeper inside the house. But it seemed the actors were probably led straight from the reception room to the rooftop via the stairs.

The fact that other people didn’t know the details of his house gave Choi Hong-seo an odd sense of relief.

‘This is the reception room. It’s where guests are hosted when they come from outside. So… when he’s not too close to someone, they just drink tea or something here.’

Lee Hae-sung had explained the reception room to Choi Hong-seo like that. And Choi Hong-seo had been led past the reception room to the real living room.

But today, ‘Yoon Hye-an’ had to speak to him in the reception room. Not only was she “not very close” to him, but she was also a person under suspicion and doubt, so there was no reason for him to let her into the real living room.

The location was the same, but everything else was different. Just like at Director Kang’s house.

In this situation, what difference did it make that he hadn’t shown others the inside of his house? I’m just like them now, a person who’s only allowed in the reception room. No, I’m probably in a worse situation than them, being watched and suspected.

Putting down her fork and knife, Choi Hong-seo slowly drank her water.

Lee Hae-sung was still in front of the grill. Talking to guests who came to get their meat, he would occasionally check the grilling meat. He seemed quite experienced at barbecuing.

In his calm, simple, and elegant casual attire, he looked like a European aristocrat out on a glamping trip or picnic for the weekend. At least, that’s how Choi Hong-seo saw him.

He only grilled the meat for the guests, but when would he eat?

He must be tired from dealing with me; I bet he’s hungry. Or maybe, he’s lost his appetite because of me.

As she fidgeted with her glass of water, Choi Hong-seo’s thoughts were interrupted by Park Dong-ha’s voice once again.

“Hey, we’ll take care of the birthday for you, just tell us the time and place, and you just need to show up. Got it?”

“No, I really don’t need a birthday…”

“Is Hye-an’s birthday coming up soon?”

Actor Kim Lee-jung, who was eating at the same table, joined the conversation with interest. The one who answered was Park Dong-ha.

“Yes, it’s next week. After waking up from a coma, it’s almost a miracle, so it would be nice to celebrate with people, but she insists on staying home. She used to be the type to party for a whole month around her birthday.”

“I don’t know about before, but right now, considering the situation, I’d rather just keep it quiet.”

“Who’s planning some big wild party? Let’s just celebrate with close people and move on. Besides, if you’re constantly exposed to situations like the past, your memories might come back, right? Leave the birthday party to me.”

With a firm tap on his left chest, Park Dong-ha made his point, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood up.

He walked over to the grill with a new plate. Choi Hong-seo’s gaze followed his movements.

“The food’s all delicious. Are you really trying to lose weight?”

“I’m just not feeling great today. I’m eating,” Choi Hong-seo answered with a forced smile in response to Kim Lee-jung’s question.

“We’re the same age, and Hye-an is older, but should I keep addressing you as ‘senior’?” Kim Lee-jung asked with a teasing tone.

Choi Hong-seo shook her head.

“I don’t like doing that either, so please feel free to treat me casually.”

“I won’t pretend I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you lost your memory, but you’re very different from what I heard about.”

Kim Lee-jung’s direct statement didn’t seem to make Choi Hong-seo uncomfortable. Instead, it came across as clean-cut. Choi Hong-seo smiled faintly, and Kim Lee-jung returned the smile.

“Don’t you believe the rumors?”

“I trust what I see with my own eyes more than rumors. Especially in this industry.”

“……”

“I was shocked to hear that Hye-an slapped a fellow actor during a fight. But well, she hasn’t slapped me yet… If that happens, I’ll think about it again.”

“Ah…”

It seemed that Yoon Hye-an had slapped a fellow actor in the past. The more Choi Hong-seo learned about his colorful past, the more she sighed. She glanced at the area where the grill was.

Park Dong-ha seemed unable to leave the grill, continuing to talk to Lee Hae-sung.

Perhaps because he was still young, Park Dong-ha wasn’t so much intimidated by Lee Hae-sung as he was fascinated. He didn’t hide his curiosity or interest. Lee Hae-sung, in between grilling the meat, drank wine while responding to Park Dong-ha. Despite being bombarded with questions, he didn’t seem bothered. He wasn’t the type to act cold without reason.

Choi Hong-seo couldn’t help but notice Park Dong-ha’s fascination with Lee Hae-sung, wondering if it was romantic interest or just because he was curious about a rich heir who was hard to reach.

If Lee Hae-sung hadn’t worn perfume today, Choi Hong-seo wouldn’t have thought about it.

But today, a faint scent of perfume drifted from him. It was the same perfume he used to wear when he met Choi Hong-seo, the one he had given her as a gift, the custom-made perfume ordered from a perfumer in Paris. That scent.