Come Back

“Someone will come up to help with the checkout, so let’s wait a bit.”

Returning to the room, Hae-sung bent down to rummage through the mini-fridge.

“It figures, a hotel with a casino on the outskirts only has alcohol.”

He took out two bottles of water and gestured toward the sofa by the window. Sitting side by side on the long, two-seater sofa, he handed Hong-seo an opened bottle.

“Tired?”

“I slept well last night, so I’m okay.”

“Then how about we pick up a few things on our way to Malibu?”

Resting his arm on the sofa back, Hae-sung studied Hong-seo’s expression and lightly brushed aside the hair covering his forehead.

“We’ll be here for a few more days, and you don’t have any suitable clothes, no swimwear…”

“……”

“We could have someone handle it, but since it’s a rare vacation, it might be nice to enjoy a relaxed shopping trip.”

His gaze shifted downward.

“Honestly, I’ve been meaning to bring this up. These clothes…they’re not your style at all.”

Following his gaze, Hong-seo looked down at his own outfit. He’d chosen the least flashy clothes from Yoon Hye-an’s wardrobe, but even so, they were out-of-date and definitely not his style.

“You should dress as yourself, not as Yoon Hye-an.”

Without waiting for a response, he stood up, pulling out his phone. Pacing in the space between the sofa and the bed, he waited for the call to connect.

“I’m planning to go shopping before we head to Malibu… No, it’s not for me. Find an upscale store with clothes and accessories that young men in their 20s would like. He’ll need everyday clothes, resort wear, swimwear, pajamas… let’s just assume he has nothing.”

Glancing back and forth between the seated Hong-seo and his modest backpack nearby, Hae-sung quickly spoke as he brought the water bottle to his lips.

“Just make sure we get all the basics. And.”

He took a sip and continued immediately.

“Arrange for a quiet shopping experience… yes, keep it minimal with two or three staff members at most. Two hours? Maybe three? Set it up that way.”

As he was about to return to the sofa, the doorbell rang. When Hong-seo stood to answer it, Hae-sung stopped him and opened the door himself. It was the doorman, carrying an ice bucket filled with ice.

By now, Hong-seo had an idea why the doorman had come personally instead of sending someone else—he didn’t want to pass up another chance at a generous tip.

While the doorman placed the ice bucket on the table in front of the sofa, Hae-sung went to the bathroom and returned with a towel.

“The room manager will be up soon to help with the checkout process. Is there anything else you need?”

Without looking at the doorman, Hae-sung focused on wrapping some ice in the towel and asked casually,

“No, nothing else.”

“……”

“But what was that about earlier? I heard you mentioning Uber in the elevator.”

He gently turned Hong-seo to face him and pressed the makeshift ice pack against the outer corner of his eye.

The doorman’s face twitched as he glanced at Hong-seo, then responded.

“Oh, well… as Mr. Yoon graciously understood, it was a hotel policy, so we had no choice…”

“Mr. Yoon?”

Hae-sung’s voice, which had been calm until then, suddenly sharpened. His hand, which had been carefully moving the ice pack around Hong-seo’s swollen eyelid, froze.

The doorman, who hadn’t known Hong-seo’s room number or name before, seemed to have taken the opportunity to check the guest’s name and come up here, trying to show a special interest in him. He stepped forward confidently.

“Yes, Mr. Yoon graciously understood…”

Hae-sung lowered the ice pack from Hong-seo’s eye and raised a hand to silence the doorman—mirroring the gesture the doorman had used on Hong-seo the previous day, though he hadn’t mentioned it to Hae-sung.

“You must be mistaken. It’s Mr. Choi.”

“…Sorry?”

Watching the confused doorman, Hae-sung placed his hand on Hong-seo’s shoulder, gently squeezing it.

“Mr. Choi. I said, Choi Hong-seo.”

“Oh… but the guest card and passport copy definitely…”

“Are you refusing to correct it?”

Though still visibly confused, the doorman hurriedly shook his head. The guest’s name was ultimately unimportant to him.

“No, of course not. I’m sorry. There must have been some mistake at the front desk. Mr. Choi, as you so graciously understood…”

“So what is it he’s supposed to understand?”

“Oh, well…”

Seeing that Hae-sung didn’t seem inclined to let it slide, the doorman instinctively turned to Hong-seo with a pleading look. But Hong-seo, who only caught about a third of what was being said, was at a loss.

Though he could sense from the atmosphere and tone that Hae-sung was very upset, initially he thought it was about the Uber. But hearing his name brought up repeatedly, he was now unsure. There was one thing he was sure of, though: Hae-sung was intent on correcting the doorman that he was Choi Hong-seo, not Yoon Hye-an.

Noticing the doorman’s glance pleading for help, Hae-sung clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“It’s best not to let my partner speak up on this. If I had wanted him to explain, I would’ve asked him directly when we were alone.”

“I apologize. The policy prohibits Uber cars from entering the hotel premises. But I called another taxi for you!”

Though the doorman eagerly defended himself, Hae-sung didn’t buy it. He wasn’t naive enough to be fooled by that excuse, and instead, the explanation gave him a clearer picture of what had happened. His mouth twisted in displeasure.

“So you turned away a guest’s already-booked Uber. All to call in a taxi and pocket a small commission? To a foreign visitor struggling alone in a distant country with a language barrier?”

Even though he didn’t understand every word, the doorman could sense the anger simmering in Hae-sung’s voice.

“It’s a hotel policy…”

“Hotel policy, hotel policy… What are you, a machine?”

With a rough scoff, Hae-sung pressed the ice pack down with his hand. The clinking sound of ice cubes bumping against each other was followed by his now steady voice as he asked,

“If it’s hotel policy, would you have acted the same if he were staying here with me?”

“……”

“Isn’t that right?”

At this, the doorman couldn’t come up with any more excuses. Finally, lowering his gaze in surrender, he offered an apology.

“I’m deeply sorry.”

Shaking off the water from handling the ice pack, Hae-sung lightly brushed his damp hand over the swollen area around Hong-seo’s eye and said,

“Shouldn’t you be apologizing to my partner?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Choi. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Caught off guard, Hong-seo returned a slight bow. Noticing the discomfort on his face, Hae-sung clicked his tongue in displeasure and sent the doorman away.

The ice pack gently pressed against Hong-seo’s swollen eye once more.

“I should’ve found another way than having you come to the gallery.”

Hae-sung’s face held a hint of guilt in the corner of his eye. Making him come all the way to LA, stay in a rundown hotel on the outskirts, and deal with unfair treatment from the doorman… it was clear he was blaming himself for everything.

With his one good eye, Hong-seo kept looking at him, then reached out to gently hold his arm.

“I liked *Comeback*.”

Hae-sung’s gaze, which had been fixed on the bruised eyelid, shifted to focus on Hong-seo’s other eye. Slowly, his hand holding the ice pack lowered.

With conviction, Hong-seo tightened his grip on his arm and gave strength to his voice as he spoke to him.

“It was the only place we could start over. You know that too.”

A large, cold hand, still chilled from the ice, reached up and cupped his cheek and ear, covering it completely. His hands, though well-formed, were so large that whenever he cupped his cheek, he could easily cover his entire ear as well, like blocking out all the noise in the world. Even now, it was no different. And he was grateful for that.