“Seojun-ssi, that person. You’ll continue meeting him from now on, right?”
“That person… you mean? Director-nim?”
“…Yes.”
Soohyun kept swallowing.
“Once filming starts in earnest, I probably won’t be able to see him often. He’s such a busy person.”
“Then why today…?”
“I owed him too much and tried to repay him, but he said he wanted to eat warm home-cooked food…. He seems very lonely living alone. He seemed to have been lonely continuously since his divorce.”
“Yes….”
Soohyun rubbed his face against Seojun’s chest. Seojun’s embrace was warm and his chest was firm.
‘I see. So that’s why he appeared in front of me again. He said he knows my number. How did he find out? Well… that man was someone who knew even my past that I don’t know well….’
“We communicate well too. He looked a bit picky, but he’s actually more down-to-earth than I thought. He said he’s my fan and even invested.”
“I… see….”
The more Soohyun listened to Seojun’s story, the more his suspicion turned into certainty. Did he know about his relationship with Seojun? No, how much did that man know from where to where? Everything was confusing.
“Soohyun-ssi, you’re very curious about Director-nim. You’ve never asked about other people like this.”
Seojun asked with curiosity. How should he answer? Soohyun made an appropriate excuse.
“Because Seojun-ssi has been talking about someone called Director-nim a lot lately….”
“That’s true. Since we met often. We really met a lot recently.”
“Yes….”
“It’s late. Let’s sleep now. Should I sing you a lullaby?”
Seojun said jokingly while patting Soohyun like soothing a child.
“Yes….”
“Huh? What did you just say…?”
Seojun asked back as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Please sing. A lullaby.”
“I will. Um… what would be good….”
Seojun began singing a verse of a lullaby he remembered. Soohyun closed his eyes and focused on Seojun’s voice. Since Jang Seokhyeon had appeared, what would happen from now on—Soohyun didn’t dare want to imagine. Not wanting to think about that man anymore, Soohyun intentionally concentrated on Seojun’s voice.
“Sleep well… our Soohyun-ssi… my beloved… sleep well….”
Seojun slowly stroked down Soohyun’s back and patted gently. Soohyun’s breathing was gradually becoming even. Seojun straightened Soohyun’s position so he could sleep comfortably and sat up.
“Soohyun-ssi, what on earth happened? With Director-nim… nothing happened, right?”
When Seojun briefly left his seat to talk on the phone with Jinwoo and returned, Seokhyeon wasn’t at his seat. Seojun looked around thinking he might have gone to the bathroom and found him coming out of the room where Soohyun was.
‘Why was Director-nim…?’
On Seokhyeon’s face coming out of Soohyun’s room was ecstasy and joy that Seojun had never seen before. Seokhyeon stared at his right hand, then brought it to his nose and breathed in deeply.
‘What on earth… happened….’
Seojun was curious why he, who had come to his house, went to Soohyun’s room avoiding his eyes, or more precisely, why he came out after meeting Soohyun. He hoped Soohyun would tell him himself, but he kept his mouth shut.
Seojun looked at sleeping Soohyun’s face and lay down again. Could it be that he went to see him out of curiosity because Soohyun was such a striking beauty? Seojun reached his own conclusion. Soohyun also didn’t open up because it wasn’t a big deal….
Seojun tried to erase unnecessary doubts and went to sleep.
* * *
Trrr-Trrr—.
Soohyun hesitated in front of his cell phone, not knowing what to do. Already several times, calls were coming from an unfamiliar number, but Soohyun couldn’t answer. There was only one person who would contact him this obsessively.
‘Jang Seokhyeon….’
Trrr-Trrr-.
Not wanting to care, he completely changed it to silent and turned the phone over, but he couldn’t stop his gaze from constantly going in that direction. Soohyun eventually picked up the phone and let out a big sigh.
“Hello.”
[…Soohyun-ah.]
The person who persistently called was no different from expected. Soohyun caught his breath for a moment. What should he say to this man? No, was there anything left to say between this man and himself?
“Why are you calling?”
[Why, you say. How hurtful. I called because I miss you. I said I’d contact you.]
After ‘that incident,’ Soohyun had been living a life that wasn’t really living, living because he couldn’t die. The words ‘I miss you’ from the man who tore apart his life were absurd.
“Miss me…. Are you… in your right mind right now?”
[Our Soohyun. You’ve changed a lot. Before… you were really kind.]
“Please don’t contact me. I have nothing to say.”
[No. Soohyun-ah. We have things to talk about, don’t we?]
“I’m hanging up.”
[Even about matters with Choi Seojun, I have things to say.]
Soohyun’s hand, which was about to press the call end button, stopped. Seojun? Choi Seojun, Soohyun hurriedly brought the receiver to his ear.
“What are you talking about right now?”
[I’ll come pick you up in an hour. Ah. Right. Our Soohyun still can’t ride in cars. Then shall we meet near there?]
“I have no reason to meet you….”
[If the fact that ten-million-viewer actor Choi Seojun is living together with someone from the Omega Home Care Center becomes known to the world, there will be many people who’d be happy. Right? Soohyun-ah.]
Soohyun covered his mouth while holding the phone. The man’s purpose became all too clear with this. He didn’t care what he did to himself, but for the target to be Seojun.
He didn’t want to do anything that would harm him, who loved and cherished him.
[…Meet me at D Cafe nearby in an hour. You know where it is, right? It’s the place where you met Kim Chaeho last time.]
Soohyun hung up without answering.
“Euhuk… eueuuk….”
And collapsed right there, curling up his shoulders tightly. The place where he met Chaeho last time? Soohyun couldn’t help but be shocked that Jang Seokhyeon knew even such things.
He thought he had been living avoiding that bastard’s eyes. He was a man who could only be called insane. Just how much did he know about Soohyun? No, since when had he been monitoring his every move?
“Uk, uk, keuheut….”
Soohyun, who had been sitting and moaning for a while, forcibly put strength into his trembling legs. But he couldn’t just sit here collapsed and take it. Soohyun had only tried to live, and Seojun had only fallen for such Soohyun and confessed his love.
Soohyun had vaguely thought that his existence might someday become a stumbling block to Seojun, but he never imagined it would be right now, that Jang Seokhyeon would create that opportunity.
“No, no, I won’t… absolutely won’t let things go according to that person’s will.”
Soohyun clenched his fists. This was a situation where he had to solve it alone without anyone’s help. Could he do it? Was it possible to escape safely from that man’s grasp?
Soohyun asked himself again and again but couldn’t answer with certainty that he could do it.
* * *
“Soohyun-ah, I’m here.”
When Soohyun entered D Cafe, Seokhyeon was already there. His face, sitting with legs crossed with an extremely excited expression, was no different from five years ago.
“I’ll order tea. What do you want to drink?”
“I don’t need it.”
As soon as Soohyun sat across from Jang Seokhyeon, he turned his head. When he felt his sticky gaze looking him up and down, goosebumps rose all over his body.
“You must be thirsty. The coffee Soohyun made before was really delicious. Now you don’t drink coffee.”
This time too, Soohyun didn’t answer.
“I was really worried about you all this time. But your face looks much better….”
“Worried?”
Soohyun raised his head. The fresh smile on Seokhyeon’s face was absurd.
“Of course, how worried I was about you….”
“Jang Seokhyeon-ssi. Are you saying this in your right mind?”
Tears welled up in Soohyun’s eyes. He didn’t want to show tears in front of this man at least, but when he recalled the past five years, his heart raced like crazy.
