Come Back

“Is that really true?”

“……”

“Won’t you regret saying that later?”

Jo Seong-hyeon, who discovered cracks and confusion in Hae-seong, was genuinely delighted.

“Haha… Even the Vice President gets angry sometimes. I like this side of him. He seems like the same person as me.”

If he provoked her a little more, she seemed like her mask of understanding would come off. At this moment, Jo Seong-hyeon felt like he could really take off his clothes for that.

“Are you really going to put me on the roof of JS?”

Hae-seong rushed straight towards Jo Seong-hyeon as if he was going to throw a punch right here and there. No, he definitely intended to do so. If Yoon Hye-an hadn’t stopped him, the respectable, model student, third-generation chaebol vice president of ARA could have gotten into a physical fight in the lobby of the golf course.

Yoon Hye-an, who was hanging onto Lee Hae-seong’s arm as if wrapping her arms around him, looked straight at Jo Seong-hyeon and said.

“No matter what happens, there is no way that the Vice President will become someone no different from Mr. Jo Seong-hyeon.”

“What? Mr. Jo Seong-Hyeon?”

Jo Sung-hyun burst into laughter at the provocation of the cat he had once abandoned and played with, who was trying to match him with a title he had never dared to imagine in the past. In the short time that Jo Sung-hyun was shaking his shoulders and making noises, Lee Hae-seong had already regained his composure. Lee Hae-seong’s expression and voice, as he wrapped his arms around Yoon Hye-an’s shoulders, were firm once again.

“Let’s change the meeting place tomorrow. Let’s meet at the Knox Hotel. Get your lawyer ready. I think we have some things to agree on.”

“Yes, that’s right, Vice President. I’ll see you tomorrow. As a token of my gratitude for your generosity in reaching an agreement with someone like me, I’ll tell you a couple of points that will make Hyean cry and shiver.”

Lee Hae-seong’s steps, which were about to turn around, stopped. Jo Seong-hyeon felt a thrill all over his body, anticipating that this time Lee Hae-seong’s peace would be shattered.

However, there was no crack in the expression or eyes of Hae-seong Lee who looked back. Hae-seong Lee, who had left Hye-an Yoon standing in that spot, slowly returned to Jo Seong-hyeon.

“I think President Cho is so focused on satisfying his own desires that he doesn’t even know where his partner feels. Men like President Cho… don’t even know how to have sex. Their dicks are small.”

“Haha… I don’t know about anything else, but Jo… Ugh!”

Lee Hae-seong’s right hand landed on Jo Seong-hyeon’s shoulder as he was about to respond. This time, it wasn’t a simple tap like it had been in the pro shop. A strong force that seemed to crush bones pressed down on his shoulder and tightened it.

“Ah. Even so, seeing President Cho’s sincerity, I should do something to repay him.”

“Put this down…”

“I’m thinking of attending Mr. Jo Jang-yeon’s contest. There’s another one scheduled for January.”

“……”

In an instant, Jo Seong-hyeon’s rebellion subsided.

“But Mr. Jo Jang-yeon has a really unique background. He almost always wins prizes in small competitions, so why doesn’t he even think about participating in large-scale competitions? It’s a shame.”

Jo Sung-hyun roughly pushed away Lee Hae-seong’s hand, who shook his head as if he was puzzled. Jo Sung-hyun rolled his eyes and ground his teeth as he came close enough to their lips almost touching.

“You… crazy kid… If it’s between me and you, just end it between me and you. Why are you touching the kid?”

Jo Jang-yeon was the only son of Jo Seong-hyeon, who was studying violin in the United States. He was average, but not outstanding, so he was managing his career by having him enter only competitions where he could win prizes with bribes.

Lee Hae-seong, who showed the approaching bodyguards that it was okay, lowered his head and instead opened his eyelids loosely to look down at Jo Seong-hyeon.

“It’s funny to hear that coming out of your mouth. When Jo Seong-hyeon grabbed Yoon Hye-an’s hair to make me drink, I was just looking for someone to grab my hair too.”

“You act all noble by yourself… You’re just a hypocrite.”

“Did you ever think I was being lofty? Why did you think that?”

Lee Hae-seong, who was muttering as if talking to himself, met Jo Seong-hyeon’s eyes again.

“Then that’s President Cho’s mistake. He was in a position where everything was going well even without having to get dirty himself. When necessary, I also get my hands dirty.”

“Ugh!”

And as soon as he finished speaking, Hae-seong Lee’s large hand spread its fingers wide and grabbed Jo Seong-hyeon’s face, squeezing it tightly.

“If you don’t touch the trash, you can’t throw it away.”

Lee Hae-seong pushed Jo Seong-hyeon back a few steps while holding his face, then let go of his hand as if throwing it away. The bodyguards stopped Jo Seong-hyeon from rushing at Lee Hae-seong, and Lee Hae-seong and Yoon Hye-an left the lobby together.

As soon as he was released from Lee Hae-seong’s bodyguards, Jo Seong-hyeon pulled out a golf club that was on display and completely smashed one of the display cases in the pro shop. When the store staff and golf course security personnel rushed to stop him, Jo Seong-hyeon threw the club on the floor and started to snarl in anger.

“Stop being a jerk and just send me the bill. Just give me the money.”

■

“A mistake is a mistake that can be forgiven and undone, and a mistake that cannot be forgiven is a sin.”

Park Dong-ha’s voice continued like a long line in the quiet room where even the noise of cars running on the road right in front could not be heard. The voice was jagged and unstable like a line drawn by a trembling hand.

“Ha… You really don’t want to do it properly, Park Dong-ha? Do you want to get cut from too?”

He frantically grabbed the throbbing hair that had been resting on his forehead over the scenario spread out on the table.

Jo Sung-hyun even ruined the casting of a drama that was almost set to be the lead role, and threatened to interfere with Park Dong-ha’s future entertainment activities. If Jo Sung-hyun had released just one of those videos that he had secretly filmed, Jo Sung-hyun could have destroyed not only Park Dong-ha’s entertainment activities, but Park Dong-ha’s entire life.

I also canceled my acting lessons, and now all I have left is . I really have to do well in this. No matter how much I practiced the parts that Director Kang Woo-hyun pointed out, I couldn’t focus. There was no way I could focus.

What happened to Yoon Hye-an? What did Jo Seong-hyeon want from Vice President Lee Hae-seong? Money? If the Vice President gives him money, will Yoon Hye-an be free from Jo Seong-hyeon? Even if that happens, he will never, never forgive me, right?

Drumroll, drumroll.

The cell phone that was placed near the table rattled loudly. I knew that if it was Jo Seong-hyeon who answered the phone even a little late, he would be upset, so I quickly got up and picked up the phone.

“……”

However, the caller was Yoon Hye-an. Park Dong-ha, who was holding the phone tightly and swallowing dry saliva, connected the call with trembling hands, not knowing whether to answer or not.

“hello.”

[Is this an officetel now?]

Yoon Hye-an’s voice was urgent.

“Huh? Huh…”

[The situation is a bit urgent, so I’ll get to the point first.]

“……”

[Were you threatened with a video by Jo Sung-hyun?]

“……uh.”

[Jo Sung-hyun has several of your videos, right?]

“uh.”

[You asked me to make a meeting with the Vice President. If not, you would leak the video. Was that the threat? That’s why you asked me to introduce you to the Vice President?]

Park Dong-ha’s hand, which was holding the pen he was using to write notes on the scenario and randomly drawing unknown lines, suddenly stopped.

“Uh, how… did you know?”

[The situation is exactly like that. The kid who always came early to the script study and waited came as if he was rushed for time, and his acting became unstable.]

Yoon Hye-an’s sigh could be heard over the phone.

[I didn’t think about it at the time, but looking back after meeting Jo Seong-hyeon… that must have been the situation. The puzzle fits together perfectly.]

Park Dong-ha was speechless at the unexpected development and lowered his head. If it was Yoon Hye-an that Park Dong-ha knew, there was no way he would have considered this situation. Whether Park Dong-ha was threatened or not, the only thing that mattered was the conclusion that Yoon Hye-an had put herself in trouble.

If only she had been the Yoon Hye-an I knew. If only she had continued to be that kind of person.

Then I could have felt less guilty. But the current Yoon Hye-an is not like that, so she hesitated, then got disappointed again, and was confused again for the past few months.

Park Dong-ha’s hand holding the pen was trembling.

[I think it would be better to avoid Jo Seong-hyeon for a while.]

“There was damage? How?”

[The Vice President’s entourage will be there in an hour. Pack your bags, take your passport, and wait. He’ll take care of the rest.]

Park Dong-ha shook his head violently.

“I can’t go. That day… the video I showed my hyung at the restaurant… Jo Sung-hyun has dozens of those too… I can’t go anywhere.”

[It’s okay. I’ll seal those videos. It’s more dangerous for you to be exposed to Jo Sung-hyun right now.]

“My brother lost his memory… so he forgot what kind of person Jo Sung-hyun was. He said he’d come today. He told me to wait. If I don’t, there’ll be chaos. My videos and pictures will all be leaked.”

[That will never happen. I promise. Jo Seong-hyeon is busy trying to find his own way to live today, so he probably won’t be able to go to your officetel.]

“No, I can’t. I can’t go.”

Park Dong-ha just kept repeating that he couldn’t go. His hand holding the pen was so tense that it was turning yellow, but the line drawn by the tip of the pen on the notebook was faint and trembling.

[Dongha-ya.]

“……”

[Do you believe now that I lost my old memories?]

“Believe me… Believe me now…”

[……]

“…Sorry.”

Even though he knew that he couldn’t see it, Park Dong-ha nodded vigorously. The tears that had been gathered in the shadows of his deeply bowed face fell heavily onto the notebook.

“I’m sorry, bro.”