Come Back

The location for today’s consultation had changed from the Nox Hotel, part of the Hanseo Group, to the nearby H Hotel, conveniently close to Choi Hong-seo’s home. Assuming it was a considerate gesture, Choi Hong-seo pulled his hat low and made his way to the hotel.

Nervously counting his fingers in the elevator, he was surprised to be greeted not by Lee Hae-sung but by Chief Kang as he entered the room.

“Oh… Hello.”

Expecting to see Lee Hae-sung, Hong-seo hesitated momentarily before bowing his head.

“Thank you for coming. We have some time before the consultation begins, so feel free to relax for a bit,” Chief Kang said.

Following Kang’s lead, Hong-seo entered the living room and, feeling shy, gingerly sat down on the sofa. Since he had arrived about 15 minutes early, the interpreter hadn’t yet arrived.

“What would you like to drink?” Kang asked.

“Water, please. Thank you.”

Noticing that Kang had come alone, without other staff, Hong-seo felt uncomfortable about being served by someone older than him. He awkwardly accepted the glass of water Kang poured from the minibar, glancing around before gathering his courage to ask, “Thank you. By the way… where is the Vice President?”

“The Vice President has an important matter to attend to, so I’ll be assisting you in his place today.”

“Oh, I see…”

As he looked up at Chief Kang, his gaze unconsciously drifted downward.

Of course, that made sense. He’d forgotten about the important event in two days—Lee Hae-sung wouldn’t just be sitting in on Yun Hye-an’s consultation today.

In fact, he hadn’t seen him at the last study session at Director Kang Woo-hyun’s house, either. Although Hae-sung had mentioned that he would try to attend, he hadn’t promised to be at every meeting. People seemed disappointed at losing the chance to spend more time around ARA’s Lee Hae-sung.

Naturally, Hong-seo shared in their disappointment.

It was probably why he had looked forward to today so much, expecting to see him. There was no guarantee that he would attend, yet he had assumed so without a doubt… Now, he felt not only disappointed but also embarrassed.

As he felt his ears grow hot, he ran a hand over them and discreetly pulled the shopping bag closer to himself, as if he’d been caught with something he didn’t want others to see.

A phone call felt like a lifeline at that moment.

He sprang from his seat at the sound of his phone and glanced at Chief Kang, who was looking over some documents. With a slight bow, he answered and headed toward the restroom.

“Hey, Yong-jae.”

“Hyung, where are you?”

“I’m… around the neighborhood.”

Technically, it wasn’t a lie.

“Did you get your shopping done?”

“Yeah.”

“Hyung, I wish you’d let me drive you to the mall. You keep refusing, but I don’t get enough work because of it! Take me with you more often, okay?”

“It was close by, so I didn’t want to bother you. I’ll ask you next time.”

“You’re not in great health, you know. Every time I can’t reach you, I worry that you’ve passed out somewhere.”

He felt a little unfairly labeled as frail by everyone around him. He’d only fainted twice!

“It won’t happen again.”

“How can you say that when the tests didn’t reveal anything? How can we be sure it won’t happen?”

He thought he had some idea of the cause. As long as he stayed away from places that triggered intense memories tied to his past emotions as Choi Hong-seo, he might be able to prevent any more episodes. But he couldn’t be completely certain.

“So, what’s up? I can’t really talk for too long right now.”

“Oh, right. The guys are having a drink at Dong-ha’s place and wanted to invite you. You’re free tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“……”

His silence made Yong-jae’s voice grow cautious.

“Hyung, did you… fight with Dong-ha?”

“Why?”

“He didn’t say you fought, exactly… but he seemed to want to make up, even if he couldn’t bring himself to say so directly. So he’s having me feel it out for him.”

He didn’t entirely trust everything Yong-jae said. Park Dong-ha might be suspicious of Yun Hye-an’s acting, but Hong-seo had his own reasons to think Dong-ha was hiding something, too.

Still, he wasn’t eager to go home right after the consultation.

If he were still Choi Hong-seo, he could have called Jeong Ji-in or Song Hyeon-soo for a drink. But as Yun Hye-an, he had to accept that the only people he could really turn to now were Yong-jae and Dong-ha.

“I’ll head over in an hour. Send me the address.”

Today’s consultation felt oddly long.

Although he was committed to the session, knowing that the man he was here for wasn’t in the next room made everything feel flat.

Back when he first auditioned for *Cream Mansion*, he had only hoped to see him from afar once in a while. So he knew he should feel grateful even for these brief times together. Although they hadn’t met today, he knew he could still hope to see him in upcoming consultations or script study sessions.

After the consultation, he returned to the living room and found that Chief Kang had prepared a simple snack for him and the interpreter.

“Thank you for your hard work. The Vice President will follow up with Dr. Yun later,” Kang informed him.

“Yes.”

As Chief Kang reassured him, probably mindful of his earlier question about him, Choi Hong-seo felt his face flush.

He sat down at a round table, where tea and macarons had been set up, alongside an American interpreter who spoke Korean fluently.

“Would Hong-seo be open to dating men?”

On the day in his past as Choi Hong-seo when Lee Hae-sung had declared that he wanted to be his boyfriend, Hae-sung had prepared macarons for him.

When he had heard that Hae-sung was waiting for him at the hotel, a person he barely had a chance to talk to at a film gathering, he had felt a surge of anticipation.

Even though he worried that Hae-sung might be like others who only wanted to be close to him for the wrong reasons, he also started to believe he might be different—special, even.

Caught up in his memories, Hong-seo stared at the colorful macarons on the delicate plate, like a child forbidden to touch them.

“Do you not like macarons?”

The interpreter, enjoying the refreshments herself, leaned in close and whispered quietly enough not to be overheard by Chief Kang. Hong-seo smiled as he replied, “No, I like them.”

“Being an actor, maybe eating sweets at this hour feels a bit guilty?”

“Yeah, a little. Besides, I gain weight easily.”

Wait… does he really?

Out of habit, he had referred to his old body’s metabolism. According to Park Dong-ha, though, Yun Hye-an wasn’t the type to gain weight easily.

Still, Hong-seo hadn’t dared to test that claim. He was too cautious for that. Even if his metabolism kept him from gaining weight, overindulgence could still take a toll on his figure and skin.

“You’re so slim—one or two wouldn’t hurt, right? They’re delicious.”

With a light chuckle, he nodded, recalling how Hae-sung had once said, *”You’re so thin. Maybe you should gain a little weight,”* as he gazed sympathetically at Hong-seo’s wrist, hesitant to reach for a macaron.

Choosing a green one, which looked like matcha—just like the one Hae-sung had eaten that day—he took a bite. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the taste and texture seemed identical to those of that day’s macarons.

No matter how much tea he drank, his throat felt dry. A thought crept in: maybe this setup was something he had arranged for “Choi Hong-seo” today, even though he couldn’t be here.

Could it be that he wanted “Yun Hye-an” to portray “Choi Hong-seo” for him?

After the last consultation, when they’d ridden together in the car, he had gotten that impression. Especially when the subject of smoking came up, he’d been caught off guard by the way Hae-sung spoke to him, almost as if he were speaking to Choi Hong-seo. The tone of his voice, trembling ever so slightly, had sent his emotions reeling.

This wasn’t like the subtle probing of “Yun Hye-an’s” reactions that had happened in the past. No, Hae-sung had simply been replaying moments shared with Choi Hong-seo, as if “Yun Hye-an” himself was an afterthought. The only thing he wanted from “Yun Hye-an” was to bring “Choi Hong-seo” to life. In that moment, that was how it had felt.

That’s why he had gone ahead and brought the tie as well…

Not that he could be sure. It was all just speculation.