Come Back

He must not have been that angry since he sent a smiling emoticon. The fact that he didn’t get angry in front of other people and called them out separately might have been because he was concerned about Seo Jun-young’s reputation. That seemed much more plausible. Yes, that’s probably true.

Choi Hong-seo, who had put his cell phone in his coat pocket, looked for Park Dong-ha among the people who were leaving one by one, going to the second location and home. However, he was nowhere to be seen. Park Dong-ha arrived just before the study started, so they couldn’t even say hello properly, and after it was over, he left without saying a word.

Choi Hong-seo hurriedly chased after the guy. After leaving the front door, he was able to spot Park Dong-ha’s back in front of the outdoor parking lot where visitors park their cars.

“Dongha-ya.”

Even though he must have heard it clearly, he didn’t stop beating or look back.

“Park Dong-ha!”

Only after I ran towards him and caught him while shouting a little louder did the guy have no choice but to look this way. No, he stopped, but the face I was facing was avoiding my gaze.

“Are you upset because of what the director said? He didn’t even say anything. Why are you upset? I hear things like that all the time.”

“Why did you call me?”

As he sighed at the guy’s gruff answer, white vapor rose from Choi Hong-seo’s lips.

Choi Hong-seo searched through his bag and took out a small shopping bag. Park Dong-ha’s eyes were more closely looking at the bag hanging on Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder than the shopping bag. It was one of the many bags that Lee Hae-seong had bought as a gift from an editorial shop in Beverly Hills.

Choi Hong-seo slowly turned his bag around and pushed the shopping bag a little further towards Park Dong-ha.

“What is this?”

“I made Tiffany a snack, but it’s a bit too much. Tiffany really likes this. Romeo should try it too. If he likes it, I’ll make more.”

“……”

Park Dong-han, who had been quietly looking down at the shopping bag without accepting it, clicked his tongue and then started talking about something completely different.

“Hyung, it seems like you’ve become a lot closer to the vice president.”

“There’s no such thing. He’s not someone I can become close with or anything.”

Although it was a sudden conversation, Choi Hong-seo answered calmly. Park Dong-ha suddenly raised his gaze. His crooked eyes seemed to be resenting Choi Hong-seo.

“Why do you have to pretend it’s not happening? You even stroked my head in front of everyone.”

“……”

“To be frank, you’re blatantly showing that you’re a favoritism person. Let everyone see it. To Lee Hae-seong, since Yoon Hye-an is this kind of person, everyone should know how to act. That’s what you meant.”

“What favoritism is this? I guess I just happened to be nearby.”

From now on, he said he would not hide it from people. If someone said something, he said to just say that he didn’t know why he was saying that. No matter what the truth is, unless the person involved admits it, people can’t dig deeper even if they know it. Especially if the truth includes Hae-sung.

It didn’t seem like he believed Choi Hong-seo’s words.

“When did you two become so close? When you two went down to Gangwon-do together first. Was that when you first got close?”

“That day, I suddenly felt unwell, so you just took me home.”

“If I may say so, didn’t the Vice President originally dislike you? Are you able to subdue even the people you dislike if you put your mind to it?”

“……”

“Even someone like the Vice President?”

Park Dong-ha was convinced that ‘Yoon Hye-an’ had twisted Lee Hae-seong. Perhaps it was because of the characteristics that Yoon Hye-an had in the past.

A sharp wind blowing from the mountain separated the two people. Park Dong-ha’s expression became more mocking.

“Yoon Hye-an is truly amazing. She is truly amazing.”

“……”

“You keep doing the same things you used to do… and you want me to believe you forgot all your memories?”

“What’s the same?”

“Don’t pretend not to remember! It’s a dirty habit to try to get easy work and achieve easy success by relying on people with money and power!”

Park Dong-ha’s eyes became bloodshot as he walked up to Choi Hong-seo.

“Since you don’t remember, you approached the vice president by pretending to be a new person, kind and innocent, and saying that the old Yoon Hye-an and the current me are different?”

Park Dong-han became increasingly sweary as he continued to shake the shopping bag in Choi Hong-seo’s hand.

“This… This is what you make, and you’re an angel who treats even your colleagues who you used to throw away like chewed gum?”

“Don’t be stubborn. It’s true that I don’t remember. You said that I seemed like a different person.”

“Yeah, that’s why I almost believed it. Before you even tried to seduce the vice president.”

He ran his throbbing palm over her face. Then he turned halfway around and muttered in a lowered voice.

“I almost believed you again after you treated me like that… I’m really ashamed of myself. That must be why I lived with all that suffering.”

“At least I haven’t lied since I woke up from unconsciousness.”

Park Dong-ha turned his head and looked back with a determined expression. His face was saying, ‘I absolutely will not believe what you say anymore.’

“I thought my brother’s method was wrong. Even if it was a little slow and took a long time, there was no need to resort to dirty tricks when you could succeed in an honest way. But it wasn’t like that. I don’t know about other industries, but here, skills aren’t everything. Those who are lucky might get opportunities just with their skills, but those who aren’t… no matter how hard you try and wait, you might not even get the opportunity, here.”

“……”

“But isn’t this method wrong? Isn’t this really not right? When I had such doubts, my brother was way ahead of me with that method?”

Now, Park Dong-ha’s eyes were calm, rather than the intense pain and confusion. It was a gaze that had completely made up his mind.

“So now I’m not going to doubt that that method is right. I’m going to follow it when I have time to doubt it.”

“……”

“From now on, you are my role model.”

After that sarcastic remark, Park Dong-han was the first to leave the place. He left Choi Hong-seo alone, didn’t even take the shopping bag, and strode briskly towards his car.

Choi Hong-seo, who was watching the back of the guy walking away, let out a short sigh and put the shopping bag back in his bag. He thought that Park Dong-ha’s grudge against Yoon Hye-an might be deeper than he thought. It might be a grudge that can’t be resolved with just homemade cat treats.

Choi Hong-seo, who was watching Park Dong-ha’s car exit the parking lot, looked once more at Director Kang Woo-hyun’s house where Lee Hae-seong still remained before walking to his own car. The cold air spread across the back of his neck due to the suddenly lower temperature.

■

“VIP vehicle will arrive in 5 minutes.”

The bodyguard in the driver’s seat made a brief report to Hae-seong’s Bundang home via cell phone. It was a sign that they were almost home. VIP vehicle. It was an unfamiliar word and situation.

On a schedule like today where there was no particular need for management by the company, we moved around without a manager, with a bodyguard and driver prepared by Lee Hae-seong. This was something that Director Kang had coordinated with ENA Entertainment’s CEO, Im Sang-jin.

Choi Hong-seo, a party concerned, also attended the meeting, and naturally, the name of ARA Electronics Vice President Lee Hae-seong was mentioned.

‘The Vice President hopes that Ms. Yoon Hye-an can focus on her acting career more comfortably and comfortably. We only ask that you accept the offer of providing a vehicle and security guards. There will be absolutely no infringement on the company’s authority.’

Director Kang was quite polite, but he read mechanically, as if he was reading a prepared script. In addition, he presented additional content that Lee Hae-seong could personally support for ENA. CEO Im Sang-jin was initially taken aback.

Since Director Kang had given a rough introduction over the phone, Representative Lim must have had a rough idea of ​​the situation, but it seems that the benefits given in exchange for providing Yoon Hye-an with a vehicle and bodyguards were probably more than he had imagined.

‘It’s fine as long as it’s beneficial to the company, but it’s not a proposal that would be detrimental to us… We have no reason to refuse, though…’

Representative Lim’s trembling face was turned towards ‘Yoon Hye-an’.

‘I wonder why they are giving such a good offer to our actors, it’s good…’

‘Think of it as sponsorship.’

‘yes?’

‘You can take it that way because Vice President Lee Hae-seong highly values ​​actress Yoon Hye-an’s talent and is personally supporting her.’

Director Kang spoke bluntly.

‘There is no need to know more, and even if you do, it won’t be of any benefit to Representative Lim.’

The meeting ended with agreement on all the proposed contents. After the meeting, CEO Lim wanted to talk to ‘Yoon Hye-an’ alone for a while, and Director Kang ‘allowed’ him to talk to her for about 10 minutes. It was almost like making it clear that the company could not touch ‘Yoon Hye-an’ without permission from Lee Hae-seong.

Lim, lighting a cigarette in the empty office, asked secretly.

‘You… have your memories returned?’

‘no.’

‘So, even if my memories don’t come back, my true nature remains the same?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Is Vice President Lee Hae-seong your sponsor?’

‘No. You heard the explanation from Director Kang.’

Representative Lim snorted and took a cigarette from his thick lips.

‘If you try to find out more, you’ll get hurt, so know that Hae-seong is your sponsor… Do you want me to believe such a threatening remark?’

He added bitterly, chuckling as he blew out a puff of smoke.

‘Well, sponsors are still supporters after all.’

Representative Cho So-han raised his upper body from the sofa where he had been leisurely leaning against.

‘I have no reason to refuse since it’s only a story that’s beneficial to me, but you’re asking for understanding? This time, the stakes are too high. You’re a tough opponent, too.’

The man’s thick index finger pointed to the chest of ‘Yoon Hye-an’ on the other side.

‘I am the next chairman of ARA Group, a descendant of Hanseo Group. How long do you think I will focus on you? A year? No, half a year? If you don’t want to go through the same thing again, start this time with determination.’

‘What are you prepared for?’

‘The understanding that a relationship can be abandoned at any time.’

Representative Lim, who spoke as if it were a given, glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Then he shook his head and smiled.

‘I borrowed 10 minutes from the world’s greatest scholar to talk to you, so I have to guard the time like a knife. Go.’

Less than 10 minutes later, CEO Lim gestured toward the entrance, and Choi Hong-seo and Director Kang, who had been waiting in the underground parking lot, left the building.

Park Dong-ha and Representative Lim ended up saying similar things.

It is said that the old habit of trying to make life in the entertainment industry easier by relying on those with money and power is coming out.

I knew in advance that Yoon Hye-an had been through several sponsors, but it seemed like that wasn’t all.

If you don’t want to be in the same situation again, start this time with determination.

Representative Lim’s words continued to linger in Choi Hong-seo’s mind.

Meanwhile, the car was running along the long wall surrounding the Bundang mansion of the Lee family. As the car approached the entrance to the parking lot, the garage door opened automatically. The car slid into the secret iron fortress without a sound.