Jang Yeonguk and Euiju, who entered the club through the entrance separately prepared at the back of the building, headed toward the White Hall without obstruction. The corridor, with both walls filled with vintage bricks and dark nylon carpet laid down, exuded an antique atmosphere. Euiju, who was unfamiliar with places like this, just silently followed behind Jang Yeonguk.
-It’s a place Haeseong comes to often.
Having heard those words, normally he would have looked around carefully. But was it because of the meeting that would happen soon? How this place was and what the atmosphere was like didn’t enter Euiju’s eyes at all. He just walked quietly, hiding his trembling heart.
Since it was a club, he could clearly feel the building vibrating to the music. Jang Yeonguk, who acknowledged the men standing guard at the entrance, conversed with them as if meeting familiar people. The guards who immediately cleared the way bowed their heads. Jang Yeonguk began to pull Euiju inside.
“Did you come here often?”
“…In the past. Not now.”
They were passing through the complicated maze-like corridors here and there, when as soon as they turned the corner, a man who suddenly appeared collided strongly with Jang Yeonguk. Euiju, who was standing behind, caught Jang Yeonguk who almost fell.
“Ah fuck what… no, who do we have here?”
The man who staggered greatly and barely caught his balance pointed at Jang Yeonguk with his finger with half-unfocused eyes. His hair, well-organized with wax, was disheveled here and there, and the buttons of his shirt were half undone. The man who had flesh and bulk had a somewhat fierce impression due to his thick eyebrows and sharp eyes.
“Well well. I get to see that bastard Jang Yeonguk here. You went to shit and couldn’t even show your face until now. Seeing you come back here, you must have gotten some backing? Your face has become unrecognizably pretty too. What’ve you got?”
The man with rude words and actions mocked Jang Yeonguk, giggling by himself as if his own words were funny. Then, the man’s gaze moved to Euiju, who was standing behind Jang Yeonguk.
“What’s this?”
Pupils thoroughly dilated from being completely drunk scanned Euiju up and down.
A physique with proportions so clean one would want to imagine what he’d look like in a suit, a prominent nose bridge and sharp jawline. Features formed by soft and handsome lines creating a beautiful face. Looking at his upright posture and neat demeanor gave off an overall kind and poignant feeling, but an unknown firm will could be felt in his eyes.
He thought the flawlessly and splendidly crafted face only existed inside there, but there was another one here. A strange light flashed in Choi Won’s snake-like pupils and his lips curled up cunningly.
“Whew~ Nice?”
It was an attitude like a butcher evaluating the quality of livestock. Euiju’s brow immediately narrowed.
Choi Won staggered around trying to take something out from his inner pocket. After fumbling several times, unable to properly find the pocket, he finally took out a business card and stuck it between two fingers to hold it out to Euiju.
“This hyung is this kind of person, you know? If you’re interested, contact me. This hyung will make you earn loooots of money!”
The hologram embedded in the business card glinted as it caught the light. Since he seemed to be acquainted with Jang Yeonguk, as Euiju was debating whether to accept it or not, Jang Yeonguk, who was watching from the side, snatched it away. Then he ripped it in half.
“Why? Does your company still lack good-looking people that badly? Well, the kids you put in place to succeed keep causing trouble, so you must be desperate for talent. I guess nothing’s changed in terms of business acumen, then or now?”
“…What?”
“Take it easy, hyung. You’re still barely running the company on your mother’s money. Aren’t you ashamed?”
At Jang Yeonguk’s sneering, Choi Won’s face noticeably reddened. His breathing quickened as if getting heated, and soon unable to hold back, Choi Won swung his fist.
“You little shit…!”
The fist, sluggish from drunkenness, was slow enough to catch in one’s field of vision. Jang Yeonguk reached out his arm, but Euiju’s action from behind was faster.
Pak-!
Euiju caught the fist flying slowly but heavily in one swift motion.
“Yeonguk. Haeseong is inside, right.”
“Yes.”
As an unhesitating answer flowed from Jang Yeonguk, resolute and grave pupils looked directly at Choi Won. It was the moment when the image he’d thought was kind shattered in an instant.
“It would be better if you don’t cause a disturbance.”
He couldn’t add more to Haeseong, who was already at the center of controversy. Choi Won looked back and forth between the caught hand and Euiju’s face, then suddenly burst into unexpected laughter.
“Aha, ahahaha!”
As he laughed for a while, bending over from whatever was so funny, Jang Yeonguk and Euiju looked at each other with faces full of questions. Choi Won, who had been giggling while bending down to his waist, reversed the caught hand and suddenly grabbed Euiju’s hand.
“Aah. I see. Our friend came to see Haeseong too? Does he really appeal that much in that way? What a thing. Hahaha.”
“What are you…?”
“Yeah, if you want to see him you should see him. This hyung is really close with Haeseong. Should I let you watch Haeseong?”
He began to pull Euiju’s hand with a terrifying strength unthinkable for someone drunk. Perhaps because he had bulk, his grip strength to drag an adult male while drunk was tremendous, and Euiju was dragged by him without being able to do anything.
When they reached the hall entrance, Euiju, unable to bear it any longer, roughly pulled his hand away. Choi Won rather converted that into an opportunity, wrapping his arm around Euiju’s waist and began to push him inside.
“Let go of this…”
“Friends! I’ve brought another friend who wants Haeseong. Anyway, our Haeseong has fucking lots of this kind of luck. Hm? Oh, there he comes.”
As soon as they entered the hall, two people, a man and woman, were walking toward the entrance as if to leave. Choi Won made a meaningful smile, then suddenly pushed Euiju’s waist area with all his might.
“Ugh-!”
How could the strength of someone soaked enough to reek strongly of alcohol be this strong? Euiju, helplessly pushed, missed his footing and fell into the chest of the man coming toward him. The man’s hand reflexively grabbed Euiju’s arm. The man’s solid and thick body that caught Euiju didn’t waver even an inch despite the strong recoil.
An artificial scent of deep wood and faint cigarette smell tickled Euiju’s nose. How tall was he—even Euiju, who had above-average height and build, had his head barely reach the man’s chin. The man’s chest that he ended up touching accidentally was so solid, but Euiju had no leisure to think about such things.
It was the moment when he barely caught his balance and raised his head to offer an apology to the man.
“…!”
Euiju’s eyes widened more than ever as he confirmed the man’s face.
The pupils looking directly at Euiju were deep enough that one couldn’t tell what emotion they held, but the movement of the gaze scanning each part of Euiju’s face was persistent and fierce. As if needing confirmation that what he was seeing now was correct, his eyes repeatedly narrowed as he scrutinized Euiju’s face carefully.
“…Haeseong-ah.”
The trembling voice cut through the silent interior. At that call, Haeseong, as if finally certain of something, had a strange light flash through his eyes looking down at Euiju.
The real thing of the child he’d seen on screen, in photos, was beautiful and handsome beyond words. Even if to others he might only appear as an actor with an outstanding appearance, to Euiju, Jin Haeseong had a different meaning.
-Don’t leave me behind. Never…
It was the child who had collapsed on top of him, pleading not to leave, begging as if he were his entire life. The child who appeared like a comet in a life where family was everything, leaving a deep mark on his heart, the child who had torn his heart apart time and time again.
That child now appeared before Euiju as a fully-grown adult. Meeting him so suddenly without any mental preparation, he didn’t know what words to say or how to say them.
“……”
“……”
“What. You know each other? Fucking boring. Missed out on a good show.”
Jin Haeseong had a temper that would absolutely go apeshit if a male bastard touched his body. He’d tried to mess with him because he was annoyed at the guy looking at him dismissively, but no matter how he looked at it they seemed to know each other, so Choi Won twisted his face as if displeased. As if deflated, he spat on the floor with a tuk.
“Hyung. What are you doing right now! What if someone got hurt!”
“Fuck, he didn’t get hurt, did he? Why are you going crazy?”
Jang Yeonguk followed belatedly and confronted Choi Won. He dug his ear as if annoyed and retorted.
That’s when it happened.
Jin Haeseong’s gaze, which had been staring at Euiju with unreadable eyes, slowly turned toward Jang Yeonguk. His eyes watching Jang Yeonguk worrying about Euiju and getting angry narrowed subtly. The pitch-black pupils looked alternately at Jang Yeonguk and Euiju, then suddenly an absurd laugh burst from his mouth.
Euiju, who noticed he was still leaning on Haeseong’s body, quickly straightened himself up. It was the moment he was about to open his mouth to say something.
“Hyung.”
Jin Haeseong’s languid tone turned toward Choi Won. The powerful and low voice had the power to make everyone in the hall pay attention.
“Want to see a good show?”
Everyone felt puzzled at the unexpected words, but only briefly, as Jin Haeseong turned his body. Lee Juyeon’s arm, which had been linked with his, slipped off smoothly.
A wine bottle placed on the table was caught in a large hand. Spanish Romanée-Conti. The red wine that Choi Won had used when tormenting a rookie actor an hour ago passed into Jin Haeseong’s hands.
Jin Haeseong, who walked back in front of Euiju, brought it above Euiju’s head.
And then…
“Kyaaa-!”
Red wine like the color of blood ran down the slightly wavy chestnut-colored hair and covered his face. Red wine flowed down over the smooth, pale skin. The white shirt and beige jacket became soaked in red.
As if he had to pour out every last drop, he shook the bottle thoroughly, and Euiju’s entire body became covered in red liquid.
“You should never have appeared again.”
The gaze looking down at Euiju was mixed with deep disgust. The look in his eyes, as if looking at trash that couldn’t even be recycled, was a kind he had never once seen from Haeseong in the past.
Only then did Euiju properly realize.
The reason the child hadn’t contacted him was a very simple reason.
