Spark Chapter 3.1 - Detonation

“You really are, cruel.”

Those words were saturated with all sorts of filthy emotions.

“Keep it safe. You’ll have to return it, it looks expensive.”

Go Baekwoo made him hold Jo Yeosa’s earrings tightly, as if pronouncing a sentence.

Cha Hongjo put a cigarette to his lips, then absentmindedly opened his palm and looked down. The wound where the earring post had pierced him had completely disappeared, but it still tingled as if he were being punished.

“Good work, everyone!”

“You all worked hard.”

Filming for <Youth Chronicle> had ended. The faces of the staff dismantling the set were exhausted, but at the same time, smiles were widespread. They celebrated the rewarding finale together, sweating even in the middle of winter. Yang Seohee, whose condition hadn’t been good after the scandal, and Kim Hyunwoo, who as the lead hadn’t received the full spotlight and had been gloomy. Even their faces were bright today.

Only Cha Hongjo, watching them from a corner of the set, was dark.

He still couldn’t accept the end. It felt like he was the only one who noticed a missing melody, dwelling on it while everyone else gave a standing ovation after the orchestra’s performance.

Until the very, very end. Go Baekwoo didn’t come.

Go Baekwoo, who had visited the set at least two or three times a week, hadn’t come once since ‘that day,’ and he hadn’t appeared today either. There hadn’t even been a single phone call during that time.

Severance. It was the end of all relationships. It was the first time he hadn’t been the one to sever a relationship, but it was decided to end like this anyway. From the very first moment he became entangled with Go Baekwoo.

At the very, very end. Cha Hongjo just, laughed.

“You really are, cruel.”

Go Baekwoo had endured the cruel him for a long time.

🔥

“…There’s not even a minute left, the New Year’s bell will ring soon!”

Gulp. Cha Hongjo swallowed his wine while listening to the excited anchor’s voice. Jo Yeosa, leaning on his left shoulder, snuggled closer.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven…”

Regardless, Cha Hongjo continued to tilt his wine glass. Jo Yeosa’s wine glass was empty. Normally, she would have told him to refill it, but she didn’t, just snuggled closer. She wanted something other than alcohol.

“Six, five, four, three…”

As it got closer to midnight, the voice counting down the time became more and more excited. Meanwhile, Cha Hongjo, listening to it, felt like he was sinking to the bottom of a swamp. His body went limp. Jo Yeosa’s hand, resting on his chest, began to explore inside his gown.

“Two, one!”

It didn’t matter anyway.

“Happy New Year, viewers!”

Along with cheers, dang— dang—. The bell rang from the TV. Cha Hongjo, who emptied his wine glass in one gulp, responded to Jo Yeosa, who had somehow come right in front of him. As he tilted his head and closed his eyes, the strength drained from his limbs. The wine glass slipped from his hand. It fell. Thanks to the soft carpet under the sofa, it seemed like it hadn’t broken. There was no shattering sound. He couldn’t even hear the TV anymore. He couldn’t feel… anything. Like he was dead.

Jo Yeosa, who had called Cha Hongjo to the hotel in the early afternoon and gone out saying she had ‘business to attend to,’ returned late in the evening, and seemingly quite tired, fell asleep earlier than usual. Cha Hongjo also felt no particular emotion, so he figured it was for the better and got out of bed, intending to drink more.

Returning to the living room where he had been watching TV with Jo Yeosa, Cha Hongjo poured new wine directly into the glass stained with reddish smudges. He was about to drink it straight away when he saw the lipstick mark on the rim and put the glass down. Instead, he grabbed the wine bottle by the neck.

He didn’t like the sweetness that lingered on his tongue even after swallowing the liquid, as if it were a sin. He had been drinking it to suit Jo Yeosa’s taste, but originally, wine wasn’t to his liking. He thought of soju. Along with that, someone came to mind…

“… .”

Cha Hongjo picked up a small box placed on the glass table. The box, wrapped in dark red velvet, was a New Year’s gift from Jo Yeosa. The contents were a watch. Had Jo Yeosa said it was more expensive than his <Youth Chronicle> appearance fee?

But it didn’t matter whether the watch was worth a car or a house. He hated things like watches, bracelets, and necklaces. Cha Hongjo didn’t wear accessories because he hated the feeling of being constricted. He wore a watch during filming because he had to, it was work.

Staring blankly at the watch stuck on the cushion, Cha Hongjo put the case back down and got up. Four in the morning. Since it was New Year’s Day, there were bound to be bars still open.

Jo Yeosa would be bothersome if she woke up. Cha Hongjo purposely went to the bathroom attached to the living room, not the bedroom, to wash.

After showering, the alcohol hit him harder. Along with that, the desire to drink soju surged.

The shower gown he had been wearing before smelled unpleasant, so Cha Hongjo left the bathroom naked, having only dried himself off.

“Did you wash up?”

Jo Yeosa, whom he thought was deeply asleep, was lying stretched out on the living room sofa, as if she had woken up at some point. Her usually spotless face was smudged with makeup, and she looked tired. Cha Hongjo responded with a deliberately indifferent look and shook his wet hair. Where had he left his clothes?

“Are you going out?”

She was a woman with uncanny perception. Cha Hongjo spotted his clothes lying on the floor behind the sofa and looked up to meet Jo Yeosa’s gaze.

Perhaps interpreting his gaze as an affirmation, Jo Yeosa slightly furrowed her brows.

“Where to.”

“To drink.”

“There’s alcohol here, too.”

“Not expensive alcohol, cheap alcohol.”

“Ha…”

Jo Yeosa sighed, rolling her eyes as if displeased.

“Alone?”

“I don’t know.”

Cha Hongjo mumbled carelessly while picking up his clothes scattered on the floor. Jo Yeosa’s gaze, following his every move, was sharp.

“Stay here.”

As he haphazardly put on his pants and reached for his shirt, Jo Yeosa grabbed his forearm tightly and spoke in a commanding tone. Cha Hongjo put down his shirt and, in turn, grabbed Jo Yeosa’s forearm. No, rather than grabbing it, he gently wrapped his hand around it.

“Yeosa.”

He called her softly, rubbing her forearm as if to tickle it, and Jo Yeosa gave a faint smile. That was the moment. Cha Hongjo pushed Jo Yeosa away from him as if discarding her and pulled his shirt over his body.

“Don’t you listen?”

Her voice was sharp as she asked. Cha Hongjo, having finally crossed Jo Yeosa’s nerves, straightened his clothes with an indifferent expression before finally looking at her.

“I said stay here.”

Jo Yeosa grabbed his forearm again.

“Why should I?”

Cha Hongjo’s tone was also laced with annoyance. Jo Yeosa let out a breath of disbelief.

“Hongjo.”

Cha Hongjo expected her gaze to turn cold, but Jo Yeosa instead smiled.

“Shall we live together?”

Jo Yeosa asked. It wasn’t fresh or exciting enough to be a confession. It had a coercive tone to be a proposal. But it was also too vague to be a command.

“Do you want to live with me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because…”

Trailing off, Jo Yeosa looked for her cigarettes. She placed a thin, long cigarette into a black holder and brought it to her lips.

“Light me up.”

Cha Hongjo went to Jo Yeosa’s side and flicked his lighter. Jo Yeosa tilted her head, holding the gold-rimmed holder between her lips. When smoke drifted from her lips, faintly stained with lipstick, Cha Hongjo also took out a cigarette.

“Because.”

Jo Yeosa continued her interrupted sentence.

“I don’t want to give you to another bitch.”

Jo Yeosa’s answer was honest and obvious.

“Ah.”

Cha Hongjo nodded, as if understanding. And then.

“But Yeosa, you’re married, aren’t you?”

He casually spat out the uncomfortable truth. As expected. Jo Yeosa let out a scoff with a ‘pfft.’

“Does that matter now?”

🔥

Even though Chairman Go wasn’t the type to exaggerate…

“Mr. President, you’ve arrived.”

Go Baekwoo was momentarily at a loss for words at the respectful attitude of Manager Kim Yongmin, who addressed him as “Mr. President.” He reflexively rubbed the back of his head and lowered his gaze.

“…Yes.”

He had studied diligently for this day, something he wasn’t accustomed to, and had received repeated assurances from his father and Manager Moon, but now that the time had come, it felt unfamiliar. It was also embarrassing. Truth be told, regardless of his age, he wasn’t qualified to be called “Mr. President.” He was a classic case of an incompetent person rising to the top through nepotism.

“This way, please.”

Despite having given up his position to a young man, even though he was Chairman Go’s son, Manager Kim’s expression was composed. He could understand why his father had entrusted Hi Entertainment to Manager Kim in the first place. He was no ordinary person. Go Baekwoo felt a strange mix of respect and guilt.

“We emptied the floor below last month and moved all the regular employees there. This floor has your office, Mr. President, my office, and a reception room.”

It was just as Manager Kim explained. The office looked quite different from when he had visited before. Go Baekwoo simply nodded and followed Manager Kim.

Past the reception room, a room blocked by a glass wall appeared.

“This is my office.”

Manager Kim pushed open the door and showed him inside. His office was largely unchanged from before, aside from its new location. The nameplate on his desk was the same as before: ‘Manager 金龍民’. Go Baekwoo stared at it for a moment. His face flushed.

Although the previously vacant president’s position had been filled, Kim Yongmin’s work remained the same. In other words, while Go Baekwoo was the president, he didn’t have much to do. To put it bluntly, he was a figurehead. A situation befitting a young and incompetent parachute kid.

“This is the office you will be using, Mr. President.”

Finally, when he followed Kim Yongmin and checked the CEO’s office, or rather, when he saw the nameplate on the desk, he felt a sense of shame.

[CEO 高白雨]

The nameplate was far too grand for him, having just barely come of age.

He had said he wanted this position for ‘someone’s’ sake, but now that it was a reality, his shoulders felt heavy. His father, as if he had foreseen this day, had told him, “It was originally yours, so don’t feel burdened,” but it couldn’t help but be a burden for Go Baekwoo, who hadn’t possessed much of anything in his life.

“I’ve placed the documents you need to review there, Mr. President.”

Manager Kim, whether he knew Go Baekwoo’s feelings or not, gently explained things to him. Go Baekwoo kept nodding and then…

“Please have a seat.”

He froze at the unexpected invitation. He didn’t have the courage to sit down yet. It was clearly his seat, with his name on it, but it felt like it didn’t belong to him. Only then did Go Baekwoo realize his own limitations and reprimanded his arrogant and presumptuous younger self. He had coveted something beyond his reach…

But in the end, he couldn’t refuse Manager Kim’s persistent invitation and sat down. The office chair, covered in black leather, was comfortable as if custom-made, but his heart was uneasy. Manager Kim sat on the sofa across the desk, meant for guests.

“It’s still awkward, isn’t it?”

He spoke with a friendly face.

“Yes… a little.”

Go Baekwoo answered honestly, but not bluntly. The back of his neck was hot. His suit felt constricting. His tie choked him. He felt suffocated.

“You’ll get used to it soon.”

He hoped so. Go Baekwoo tried to give an awkward smile but stopped himself.

“Would you mind if I had a cigarette?”

Manager Kim pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his inner jacket pocket and asked politely. Go Baekwoo ‘granted’ permission, saying, “Feel free to smoke,” and lit his own cigarette.

Silence and grey smoke filled the space. Go Baekwoo continued to feel awkward and uncomfortable, but he realized that Manager Kim was keeping his mouth shut for his sake. Giving him time to adjust.

The seat he was sitting in was now his, so he couldn’t just leave. It was too late to back out.

It was when his cigarette had burned down to the filter. He had been intending to remain silent like a meditating monk, but something came to mind.

“Manager Kim.”

Go Baekwoo stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray on the desk and opened his mouth.

“Yes, please speak.”

“… .”

There was a slight pause before Go Baekwoo continued.

“…Where can I access information about our contracted celebrities? Contracts, things like that.”

“Ah, that.”

Manager Kim, having just finished his cigarette, gestured with his open hand towards the metal filing cabinet next to the bookshelf.

“I’ve organized the contracts and such in there.”

Go Baekwoo visually confirmed the spot Manager Kim had indicated and nodded, thanking him. Kim Yongmin was quick-witted.

“Then.”

Kim Yongmin got up, placing his hands on his knees, and bowed deeply.

“Please take your time looking around, and if you need anything, let me know. You can also call the accountant. You can use the intercom there. The numbers are listed in the notebook next to it.”

Manager Kim spoke softly but quickly, bowed again, and left the office. Go Baekwoo immediately rummaged through the metal filing cabinet. Flipping through a pile of papers, he found what he was looking for. Cha Hongjo’s contract.

He read everything related to Cha Hongjo. He focused intently, as if studying for an important exam, engraving each and every letter into his mind. This was why he had dared to covet this position. To find out even the things Cha Hongjo hadn’t revealed. To bring Cha Hongjo within his fence. To do that, he first had to build the fence, and now that the fence was built, all he had to do was put Cha Hongjo inside.

But the documents before his eyes didn’t meet his expectations. They weren’t enough to thoroughly understand Cha Hongjo. Quite disappointed, he looked for the album containing the profile pictures of the contracted celebrities. Cha Hongjo’s picture was tucked away on the very last page.

Go Baekwoo lit a cigarette and stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar Cha Hongjo in the photograph. Then he picked up the phone. This wasn’t all he had intended to do today. This was just the beginning. He would start by replacing Cha Hongjo’s manager.

🔥

“Does that matter now?”

If he had cared about the fact that Jo Yeosa was married, he shouldn’t have gotten involved with her in the first place. Saying it didn’t matter now would be a ridiculous lie and hypocritical. But a careless reply could be taken as agreement. So Cha Hongjo kept his mouth shut and finished dressing.

Jo Yeosa didn’t push Cha Hongjo, who ultimately offered no response. But that didn’t necessarily mean she was giving up.

“Take my car. I’ll call the driver.”

It meant that if he wasn’t going to spend time with her, he should go home quietly instead of wandering around outside. Jo Yeosa used all her strength, fueled by alcohol and sleepiness, to lift herself from the sofa. Cha Hongjo watched her back as she walked unsteadily towards the console where the phone was. Her nightgown slipped, revealing her bare shoulders. Inside the shiny gown was her naked body. Even if he ran away now, she wouldn’t be able to chase him in that state.

“It’s me.”

Jo Yeosa turned around as she spoke to the person on the other end of the line. Cha Hongjo looked at her with an impassive expression. And at the moment she continued, “Call the driver, now,” he slipped out of the hotel room. “Cha Hongjo…!” Her scream-like cry was cut short by the slamming door.

As expected, Jo Yeosa didn’t run out of the room in her disheveled state. But there was staff outside to act on her behalf. Cha Hongjo bypassed the elevator and used the emergency stairs. From the top floor of the hotel to the very bottom. He walked. The sweet smell of wine emanating from his body gradually faded, and the thought of soju intensified.

He exited through the back door leading to the parking lot, not the main entrance of the hotel. It was a secret route he had learned while having his rendezvous with Jo Yeosa at this hotel. His face was already quite well-known, so anyone who would recognize him would recognize him anyway, but people were good at keeping secrets when money was stuffed in their mouths.

Luck was with him. As soon as he turned the corner from the back alley onto the main road, he was able to hail a taxi.

“Where to, sir?”

The driver asked, turning up the heater. Cha Hongjo took a deep breath, “Haaaa,” then…

“…Wonseon-dong.”

He blurted out a neighborhood name completely different from ‘Tanjeon-dong,’ which he had been thinking of. It was a place that no longer had any connection to him. His mouth moved on its own. It must have been the alcohol.

“Yes, Wonseon-dong.”

The driver turned the steering wheel.

He hadn’t intended to go to Wonseon-dong, but Cha Hongjo didn’t correct the destination in the end. It was just a temporary stop anyway. Anywhere he could drink would do.

As they entered Wonseon-dong, the driver asked for specific directions. Cha Hongjo spotted a familiar alley outside the window and told the driver he would get off here, opening his wallet. It was crammed with bills. Jo Yeosa always filled his wallet like this every time they met. It was payment for his services.

Grabbing a handful of bills, Cha Hongjo paid much more than the fare displayed on the meter. The taxi driver, his face beaming, cheerfully said, “Happy New Year!” Money could shut people’s mouths, but it could also make them chatter unnecessarily. He felt nauseous. He quickly got out of the taxi.

Early New Year’s morning. Unlike Seoji-dong, Wonseon-dong was deathly quiet. The sparse lights made the shabby residential area look even older and darker. A biting wind blew as if chasing away a pedestrian standing at the entrance of the alley. Flyers attached to a utility pole flapped precariously. The lit cigarette in his hand dimmed, then flared up again before finally dying out. Cha Hongjo spun the lighter’s flint again, chewing on the filter.

A dark figure, its cigarette flickering, slowly passed through the alley. He thought he hadn’t decided on a destination, but his steps were unhesitating. He soon arrived. Cha Hongjo, his hand pausing mid-cigarette, silently read the sign shrouded in darkness. ‘Promise Coffee Shop’…

“You really are, cruel.”

“Me too… I know I am.”

Muttering to himself, Cha Hongjo turned his back on Promise Coffee Shop and walked again.

A street stall, brightly lit as if to attract all sorts of things, looked out of place in the dim Wonseon-dong, like it had been pasted onto the scene. He had been here once before. With Go Baekwoo… and Tae Pyunghyun, and one of Tae Pyunghyun’s lackeys whose name and face he couldn’t recall.

There were three or four people at the street stall, each wearing their desolation like clothing. Each alone, they were separated like islands. Before them, green bottles stood solitary, like sparsely grown trees. Cha Hongjo went to the only remaining empty seat. As soon as he sat down on the bright blue plastic chair, he ordered a bottle of soju. He wasn’t interested in food. He felt like he would throw up if he ate anything. But the stall owner, perhaps pitying the young man drinking alone in the early hours of New Year’s Day, brought him a bowl of noodles along with the soju, even though he hadn’t ordered it.

He filled his glass to the brim with the soju he had craved so much and downed it in one gulp. He had expected it to be sweet, but it tasted bad. Ah, soju always tastes bad. Cha Hongjo laughed weakly and dropped his head. With his posture like someone whose neck had been broken, he filled the empty glass again. He drank and filled it again. He only lifted his head when tilting the glass back. He was listless, like an old man counting down his days. He wanted to get so drunk that he didn’t even know if he was alive, and just die…

“Hey.”

A shadow fell over Cha Hongjo’s head, which was almost touching the table. Then came the scraping sound of a chair being pulled. The man who had spoken to him had joined him without asking. Cha Hongjo belatedly managed to lift his head and looked at the other person. He didn’t recognize the face.

“Aren’t you Baekwoo’s friend?”

But the man seemed to know him. Of course, it wasn’t true. He and Go Baekwoo had never been friends.

“…I’m not.”

He mumbled with a slurred tongue, and the man immediately retorted.

“Eh, you are.”

I’m telling you I’m not. Cha Hongjo furrowed his brows and looked at the man’s face again. No matter how he looked at him, the face was unfamiliar.

“Do you know me?”

He asked the man, who seemed older than him, informally. The man’s eyebrows twitched for a moment, but then he composed his expression and smiled.

Ah. Behind the smile, someone vaguely flickered into view belatedly. A middle-aged woman who resembled Go Baekwoo. The man didn’t share a single feature with Go Baekwoo, but he did have some resemblance to the woman.

“I’m Baekwoo’s uncle. We ate together before, don’t you remember? At the coffee shop.”

“Ah, I remember.”

Cha Hongjo wagged his index finger at the man.

“You piece of trash.”

“What?”

He spoke his mind, and the man bristled. The smile disappeared from the man’s face. Without the smile, he didn’t resemble Go Baekwoo’s mother either.

‘So, just 500,000 won today.’

‘I don’t have it, really…’

‘You want your only sister to starve to death?’

The man, his expression hardened, was just as he remembered from their first impression. A man with venom smeared all over his face, and especially disgusting yellowish eyes.

After the man left then, Go Baekwoo had looked at him cautiously. Pale-faced, even while exposed to the scorching summer sun on the rooftop.

‘Were you… uncomfortable?’

‘With what?’

‘Earlier.’

He hadn’t asked back then, and he didn’t care now either, because other people’s circumstances weren’t his concern. But just like there’s a villain in everyone’s life, it was easy to guess that this man played the villain in Go Baekwoo’s life.

Judging by his appearance, the man was at least in his mid-thirties. Yet, he came to his older sister, a single mother, begging for money. Moreover, he was drinking alone at a secluded street stall on New Year’s Day. He was definitely a good-for-nothing living a pathetic life. Though he himself, sitting across from him, wasn’t in a position to judge. Birds of a feather flock together, after all.

“What did you say?”

The man, having been abruptly called trash, asked again.

“Trash… or beggar?”

“…You little… Forget it.”

Lee Taekjin, who had brought a curse to the tip of his tongue, swallowed it and, as if suppressing his anger, flapped his shirt and asked the owner for another bottle of soju and a glass.

“Here.”

Lee Taekjin filled the new glass and pushed it forward. Cha Hongjo touched his own glass, thought for a moment, and then clinked glasses with the man.

“In the newspaper.”

“These days.”

The two men spoke simultaneously as soon as they set their glasses down. After their words tangled, Lee Taekjin moved his lips. Cha Hongjo, unconcerned, continued.

“Have you seen it?”

“Seen what?”

Lee Taekjin, though uncomfortable with Cha Hongjo’s informal speech, didn’t complain and asked back. Complaints were only for those who would listen.

Cha Hongjo, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand, looked up at the empty air and then back at Lee Taekjin.

“Go Baekwoo…”

As he said ‘woo,’ a lump formed in his throat.

“It’s been a while… since I’ve seen my nephew…”

Lee Taekjin made a ‘ssup’ sound, wiping his lips that hadn’t been asked anything.

“Hasn’t it?”

That would be the case. There was no reason for Go Baekwoo, now a ‘young master,’ to meet with a shabby connection from his past.

A shabby connection from the past.

Cha Hongjo repeated the foul-smelling phrase and drank his soju.

He must have become the same to Go Baekwoo.

Even though he knew it, the alcohol tasted bitter and unpleasant.

“…In the newspaper.”

Lee Taekjin resumed his interrupted sentence.

“I was surprised to see your picture. I thought your face was familiar, and then I remembered my nephew bringing you along as his friend.”

Cha Hongjo, neither curious about what the man would say next nor wanting to respond, just drank. Lee Taekjin continued to mutter as if talking to himself.

“Wow, that guy has this kind of friend. I went to my sister’s place thinking I’d get an autograph.”

No, it was probably because he needed money. Cha Hongjo shifted his gaze, which had been fixed on the blue plastic table, to Lee Taekjin and chuckled.

“Baekwoo went to his father.”

“…”

“Ah… are we not close enough for you to know these kinds of details?”

Lee Taekjin asked, watching Cha Hongjo’s expression carefully.

Putting on an act in front of an actor. For some reason, Cha Hongjo felt irritated.

“I told you we’re not friends.”

“Oh, right.”

Cha Hongjo took his hand off his glass and rummaged through his pockets. He took out a pack of cigarettes, and the man also pulled out a cigarette.

“…”

Oh, really. Cha Hongjo raised an eyebrow and looked at the man. Lee Taekjin offered him a light, even though he hadn’t asked. When he didn’t tilt his head towards the flame, the man stretched his arm further and lit his cigarette for him. It was an uncomfortable kindness.

“Mister.”

Cha Hongjo tossed aside the cigarette he hadn’t even taken a puff of.

“Why are you doing this?”

He asked directly.

“Are you giving me money?”

“…Seriously, fuck…”

Lee Taekjin gathered some phlegm and spat it on the ground, then shot him a disgustingly shiny look.

“What do you take me for?”

“Then what?”

“Just.”

The look in his eyes, which had seemed ready to pounce on Cha Hongjo at any moment, softened considerably. But Cha Hongjo didn’t trust the man’s thinly veiled friendliness.

Lee Taekjin smiled slyly, revealing his yellowed teeth.

“Let’s become friends, since we’re both lonely.”

“…”

Thud. Lee Taekjin, placing both forearms on the table, leaned in, bringing his face closer. His cloudy eyes darted around, as if checking their surroundings, before returning to Cha Hongjo.

“You’re the same age as Baekwoo, right?”

His voice was much lower now. As if whispering a secret.

“On TV, you look twenty-two, twenty-three? At most.”

Anyway… Ahem. The man cleared his throat and murmured again, confidentially.

“Want to go somewhere fun?”

Lee Taekjin held up his hand, a cigarette pinched between his index and middle fingers. Then he rubbed his thumb and index finger together.

Gambling. A typical man’s suggestion. Terribly boring. Cha Hongjo rubbed his sleepy eyes with his fingers. As if he wasn’t interested. Lee Taekjin looked disappointed.

Screech. The plastic chair scraped against the cement floor as it was pushed back. Lifeless eyes looked up at Cha Hongjo, who was now further away. Cha Hongjo looked down at the man as if he were a lowly insect, then…

“…”

He jerked his chin towards the outside.

“…Well, well, well.”

Lee Taekjin, realizing belatedly that Cha Hongjo had agreed, exclaimed with a wide grin and jumped to his feet.

Lee Taekjin paid for the drinks at the street stall.

The man called the gambling den a “flower shop.” They left Seoul in a cheap car caked with mud. It seemed to be somewhere in Gyeonggi Province. Soon, the car was driving on an unpaved road. Crackle, crackle… The sound of gravel crunching under the tires echoed in the gloomy night.

The first thing the car’s headlights illuminated when they stopped was a rusty fence.

“We’re here.”

Turning off the engine, Lee Taekjin motioned outside with his chin as if telling him to get out, and threw open the car door. Cha Hongjo also stepped onto the dirt ground. Crunch. A pebble crumbled under his shoe.

The scene visible through the diamond-patterned wire fence was dim. Cha Hongjo furrowed his brows to get a better look, but gave up, following the man who was already walking. He would see what was beyond with his own eyes. He didn’t have high expectations. It would probably just be a typical gambling den.

He hadn’t followed the man because he was suddenly interested in card games. He had initially intended to refuse when the man gestured with his card-dealing hands. But what changed his mind in an instant… was boredom.

He had come to Wonseon-dong to avoid Jo Yeosa, so he wasn’t in the mood to meet another woman. He had drank soju because he wasn’t satisfied with the wine, but even that didn’t taste good. He had no friends to share the tasteless alcohol with and lament. All he had were cigarettes, a lighter, a wallet fat with bills, and Go Baekwoo’s uncle.

Even though he had found something to do, his mood didn’t improve. Cha Hongjo lit a cigarette, staring at the man’s back as he walked ahead. Would he have felt better if the man even slightly resembled the pretty boy… No, that was excessive delusion.

Finally, the man, stopping abruptly, pushed the middle of the fence. He hadn’t noticed in the darkness. There was a gap between the fence sections. Creak—. The fence opened, creating a path. The man closed the entrance carefully after Cha Hongjo had entered. Again. The space transformed into a fence with no entrance or exit.

It was pitch black, as if covered by a blackout curtain.

“Aren’t you scared?”

The man laughed eerily. Cha Hongjo didn’t respond to the pointless joke and just kept walking. The man, seemingly in high spirits before the gambling, whistled. How unlucky, in the middle of the night.

A square silhouette came into view as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was a crude prefabricated warehouse, hardly deserving to be called a building.

As if it were a treasure vault, a hulking figure stood guard at the entrance.

“Sir, your name?”

“Pigeon.”

He was asked for his name, but the man gave an irrelevant answer. But it seemed that was the correct answer. The large man nodded and turned his gaze to Cha Hongjo. As soon as he saw his smooth face, his narrow eyes widened slightly. He seemed to know who Cha Hongjo was. But real names weren’t the key here. The large man asked,

“And this gentleman?”

“Ah, this friend…”

Lee Taekjin, as if waiting for this moment, put his arm around Cha Hongjo’s shoulder and shook him.

“He’s here for the first time.”

“I’ll escort you to the manager’s office.”

The large man nodded and immediately turned around.

There was another prefabricated warehouse a few steps away. The large man knocked three times and then bowed towards them. Lee Taekjin, who still hadn’t released Cha Hongjo’s shoulder, entered the warehouse familiarly, even though no invitation or permission had been given.

There were three men in the ‘manager’s office.’ One was standing near the entrance, and the other two were sitting across from each other at a table, smoking. The men were dressed like salarymen, but they couldn’t hide their unsavory aura. Anyone could see they were gangsters.

“This gentleman here is a familiar face, but the one next to him is new.”

One of the seated men, who looked older, perhaps due to his white hair, stood up to greet them.

“Sit here.”

The white-haired man pointed to the seats in front, and the man who had been sitting there vacated them. Lee Taekjin and Cha Hongjo sat down side by side.

“I said you’re new, but…”

The white-haired man stared intently at Cha Hongjo.

“You’re much more polished in person.”

“…”

Cha Hongjo looked at the gold tooth the white-haired man revealed with a grin. He felt no particular emotion at being recognized. He was just annoyed that he had to go through this unexpected ‘procedure’ when he had thought he would start gambling as soon as he arrived at the ‘flower shop.’

The man who had vacated his seat earlier returned and placed paper and a pen on the table. The white-haired man pointed at the paper and pushed it towards Cha Hongjo.

“Now, you’re not illiterate, so read it carefully.”

Despite his words, there was hardly anything to read on the paper. At the top, there were ten square boxes arranged in two rows of five. Below that were written ‘Date,’ ‘Name,’ and ‘Signature.’ That was all.

The white-haired man brought a black container from the corner of the table and opened the lid. The bright red contents were revealed. It was an ink pad.

“Press your right-hand fingers, all five, in the top boxes. And your left-hand fingers in the bottom boxes.”

Cha Hongjo didn’t hesitate and immediately pressed his right thumb into the ink pad. He pressed the reddened fingerprint onto the white paper. He transferred all ten fingerprints, one by one, into the boxes. Then, without needing to be prompted, he picked up the pen and wrote the date and his name. ‘Cha Hongjo.’ Followed by his signature. The signature he had been forced to create under Tae Pyunghyun’s nagging was used for the first time here.

As soon as his hand stopped drawing the flowing signature, the white-haired man took the paper and handed it to another man. Then, flashing his gold tooth, he chuckled.

“Your ID?”

Cha Hongjo handed over his resident registration card, the ink still slightly wet. Perhaps to check if it was fake. The white-haired man looked back and forth between the ID card and Cha Hongjo’s face several times.

“I thought you looked older than twenty on TV.”

The white-haired man flipped the ID card over and over again.

“…Well, it’s not like it’s the first time entertainers have lied about their age. Hwangso, take this.”

“Yes.”

The other man took the resident registration card.

“Don’t worry, we won’t do anything with that. Gamblers, swindlers. All sorts of crooks gather here, so we need some insurance, eh? Of course, those bastards don’t suddenly become polite just because they’ve handed it over. But still… You know what I mean, right?”

For that reason, the card with Cha Hongjo’s identity printed on it wasn’t returned to its owner.

“Now we just need to give you a name.”

The white-haired man continued to chatter on his own, even without a response, and after humming for a moment, he began to smoke. Lee Taekjin’s fingers itched to hold cards, but he endured. Cha Hongjo stared blankly at the smoke drifting from the white-haired man’s nostrils.

“What was your name again, sir?”

The white-haired man asked Lee Taekjin. Lee Taekjin replied, “It’s Pigeon.” The white-haired man twitched his eyebrows as if dissatisfied, and after humming again, he suddenly exclaimed,

“That’s it!”

He slapped his knee.

“Since Pigeon brought you, another bird would be good. How about Eagle?”

Whether it was Eagle or Chick, Cha Hongjo didn’t care, so he didn’t respond. Instead, Lee Taekjin and the two men standing nearby exaggeratedly chimed in, saying it was a very good name. The white-haired man looked extremely pleased.

“That’s it then. Have fun.”

The white-haired man sank back into the sofa and waved his hand dismissively. Lee Taekjin stood up as if he had been waiting. Cha Hongjo also stood up. The man at the entrance had already opened the door. As soon as the fluorescent light spilled out, a large moth flew in. The man called Hwangso swatted at the fluttering insect with his hand. The strangely tense atmosphere inside immediately became busy.

Regardless, Lee Taekjin left the ‘manager’s office.’ The game he had been anticipating was right in front of him. Cha Hongjo also strode out confidently.

“Don’t overdo it.”

The white-haired man muttered vaguely, staring at the backs of the two mismatched men.

“It’s your first game… Heh.”

His eyes glinted as he scanned the slender figure.

“Tsk, so fearless…”

🔥

“You damn bastard!”

Cha Hongjo, returning home only after daybreak, was greeted with curses from Tae Pyunghyun. He guessed that Jo Yeosa had contacted him about what had happened yesterday.

“I’ll wash up first.”

The smell of cigarettes, alcohol. And the unidentifiable stench that permeated the ‘flower shop.’ He felt like he had been dipped in filth. Cha Hongjo, ignoring the furious Tae Pyunghyun, carelessly tossed his clothes aside and headed for the bathroom. But Tae Pyunghyun followed him. Had he not understood?

“I said I’m going to wash up.”

“Now’s not the time to wash up, you punk! Come out!”

“Ha…”

Pressing his fingers to his forehead and lowering his eyelids, Cha Hongjo sighed weakly. How many hours, or days, had it been since he last slept?

His body reeked, and his mind was exhausted. Moreover, the images of the playing cards he had stared at for hours in the dark, poorly ventilated room were swirling before his eyes. He felt dizzy and a headache was building.

How could Go Baekwoo’s uncle, or the other bastards, stay cooped up in that place day and night, staring at the cards? It wasn’t something to do in one’s right mind. Then again, none of them seemed to be in their right minds. Their eyes were all cloudy. Their rotten gazes only gleamed like madmen when checking their cards or when they won a game. They were a bizarre bunch… But the game was more fun than he had expected.

“Hurry up and get dressed!”

“Why?”

In any case, he was exhausted and needed rest immediately. He felt like he could pass out as soon as he scrubbed himself clean with cold water and lay down. But Tae Pyunghyun’s untimely fussing was incredibly annoying.

“What the hell, did a war break out or something?”

“It would be a blessing if a war broke out!”

Tae Pyunghyun, who would normally have reprimanded him for his language, responded differently. Something must have happened.

“I… really, fucking, I… Hongjo.”

He’s really something. He thought the man was just angry, but now he looked like he was about to cry. His ugly face looked even worse with a mournful expression. Seeing it made his temper flare even more. Whatever it was, he just wanted to hear it quickly, do whatever he needed to do, and sleep. Cha Hongjo irritably re-buckled his pants and picked up his shirt.

“Yeah.”

“…Hongjo. You know I’m the one who saved you, right?”

“What?”

“Ah, so! Thanks to me, you live here without paying a penny in rent, you can study acting! You became an actor, didn’t you! Do you know or not?”

Did he suddenly want to hear thanks? Or praise?

“Ah… I know.”

Cha Hongjo, buttoning his shirt, looked up at Tae Pyunghyun.

“Thanks to big brother, I got to film movies and fuck a lot…”

The words “fuck off” came to mind.

“It’s all because I’m good.”

“…You, you, you little…! You ungrateful bastard!”

He didn’t want to waste his already depleted energy on looking at that annoying face. Cha Hongjo looked down and continued buttoning his shirt. Even putting strength into his fingertips required effort. His fingertips, which had been pressed against the bright red cards all night, felt rough, and his knuckles were tingling.

“You call that talking back! There’s a limit to ingratitude!”

“Ha, shut up.”

He wished he could open and close his ears like he could his eyes.

“So where are you going? Did Jo Yeosa tell you to stay?”

“Well, Bae- No, what about Jo Yeosa? Weren’t you with your Yeosa?”

Tae Pyunghyun, about to say something, asked with wide, bloodshot eyes. Cha Hongjo, putting on his jacket, asked back in a monotonous tone.

“…Wasn’t it because of Jo Yeosa?”

“What the… Fuck, Hao… I’ll tell you later, let’s go to the company with me.”

It wasn’t because of Jo Yeosa. Let’s go to the company. Then was it Director Kim? He didn’t know. His head, the yellow living room floor, was spinning. Without saying or asking anything further, he went to the entrance and slipped his feet into his shoes. Left foot first.

Meanwhile, Tae Pyunghyun grabbed the car keys, put on his slippers, and rushed out first.

🔥

Was it a hallucination? Cha Hongjo lowered his heavy eyelids, then lifted them again.

[CEO 高白雨]

The letters engraved on the nameplate, which he stared at again, were the same. The unimaginable combination wasn’t a hallucination. CEO, Go Baekwoo.

“Cha Hongjo.”

A low voice pronounced his name clearly.

“…It’s been a while.”

The beautiful face, still perfectly beautiful despite having aged another year, was also real.

“It has.”

His bewilderment at the unexpected encounter was brief. Cha Hongjo rubbed his drooping eyelids and, without asking for permission, sprawled on the sofa. The person who should have been reprimanding him by now wasn’t here. More accurately, he hadn’t been allowed in. Tae Pyunghyun had been stopped and dragged away by security at the company entrance. He still hadn’t heard the reason for the commotion. But judging by the circumstances, he could vaguely guess.

“…”

He was sure he would fall asleep as soon as he lay down. But the black world just spun and spun. The world of sleep felt distant. Was it because of the heavy, pointed gaze, as if a physical presence were there? Cha Hongjo opened his eyes, knowing his gaze would immediately meet Go Baekwoo’s.

“…Pretty boy.”

“…”

They were not in a relationship that required casual conversation. Not in a relationship that allowed for comfortable eye contact. A relationship that was already over, that should have been over. A relationship that was nothing, and would become even more insignificant in the future. So words wouldn’t come easily. Cha Hongjo parted his lips, then closed them, and deliberately shifted his body. He turned from facing the ceiling to lying on his side, only moving his eyes upwards to look at Go Baekwoo. Go Baekwoo was motionless, like a plaster statue. His still gaze felt like a judgment.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He felt like he was being dissected.

“Want to have sex?”

“…”

Go Baekwoo’s brow furrowed slightly. Even that faint reaction sent shivers down his spine. Cha Hongjo had to consider what emotion was dominating him at this moment.

“Did you hear?”

Go Baekwoo, who seemed as if he would remain silent forever, opened his mouth. Cha Hongjo brushed aside the hair covering his right eye and answered slowly.

“No.”

“I changed your manager.”

Go Baekwoo spoke faster than usual.

“Ah… I see.”

“And your house.”

“…”

“Today. You just need to go. People will move your things.”

“Where to?”

Go Baekwoo’s gaze, which had been fixed on Cha Hongjo, shifted slightly towards the window to the left, then returned.

“Next to the company.”

“Ah.”

Cha Hongjo moved his arm, which was dangling off the side of the sofa. He placed his hand on the table. He lightly pressed the cool glass with his still-numb fingertips. The cold sensation wasn’t unpleasant.

“That’s too close…”

Do, Re, Mi. He spoke, tapping his five fingers like playing the piano.

“So you can keep an eye on me?”

“Yes.”

Go Baekwoo answered immediately.

“Twenty-four hours a day.”

…Mi, Fa, Sol.

“I’ll watch everything you do, everyone you meet.”

His finger play stopped.

“Why?”

“Because that’s what I decided.”

“…”

Do, Re, Mi… Cha Hongjo started tapping his long fingers again.

“It’s a waste of time.”

“No.”

Fa, Sol…

“It’s not even enough for you.”

Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol. Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol… He repeated it over and over.

🔥

Cha Hongjo’s new residence was about a ten-minute walk from the building housing High Entertainment. It wasn’t exactly a stone’s throw away from the company, but it was ‘excessively’ close. Cha Hongjo felt a strange unease as he looked up at the grey building he had arrived at with Go Baekwoo. He rolled his tongue in his dry mouth. Meanwhile, Go Baekwoo, who had walked ahead without looking back, was already some distance away. He slowly followed.

“You found a house so quickly.”

The elevator doors closed, and as soon as Go Baekwoo pressed the button marked ’10’ amongst the buttons numbered one through twelve, Cha Hongjo spoke sarcastically.

“You’re quite capable, just like a CEO.”

Go Baekwoo’s gaze, which had been fixed on the rising numbers on the display, shifted down to Cha Hongjo. That was all. After briefly glancing at Cha Hongjo, his eyes returned to their original position. A strange silence and coldness hung between them.

Ding—. Even the arrival chime couldn’t break the chilling stillness between them.

After stepping out of the elevator and turning a corner, a short hallway appeared. There were two doors. One on the right, and another on the left, a few steps further down. Go Baekwoo went to the left door at the end of the hallway.

“This was used as an office in the early days of the company.”

Go Baekwoo, who seemed like he would never speak, said casually as he began to peel off the flyers plastered on the metal door. Rip, thud. The sound of tape peeling from the metal door filled the brief silence.

“It was being rented out, but it recently became vacant.”

Tear, thud. Cha Hongjo stared blankly at the tape residue left behind after the removal of the flyers that seemed to have been there for a long time.

“It was lucky.”

It sounded like he was referring to Cha Hongjo’s sarcastic remark in the elevator. Rip, tick. But the movement of his hands peeling off the flyers, the way his gaze lingered on them, his voice – all were ordinary. It was a hollow performance. Cha Hongjo narrowed his eyes at the unpleasant feeling spreading in his chest. Go Baekwoo had never treated him casually, from their first meeting to their last.

“This is going to take all fucking day.”

Muttering without hiding his displeasure, Cha Hongjo swung his arm, crumpling and tearing off the remaining flyers. A few actually ripped. Corners of the cheaply printed paper dangled, clinging to pieces of tape.

Cha Hongjo threw the crumpled papers to the floor and held out his empty hand.

“The key.”

Go Baekwoo’s brow furrowed. Like a flower bud closing imperceptibly, barely noticeable to the naked eye, at the moment it was touched. But Cha Hongjo, with his senses sharpened, caught it.

The unpleasant feeling subsided slightly when Go Baekwoo’s face, which had been stiff like a plaster cast, wavered. Cha Hongjo, staring directly at Go Baekwoo, curved his lips into a smile.

“The key.”

“…”

Go Baekwoo pulled a set of keys from inside his coat. Cha Hongjo looked at Go Baekwoo’s hand before the keys themselves. There was a scar on the back of his fair, delicate hand. It was the scar he got from breaking the bathroom glass with his bare hand after finding Jo Yeosa’s earring at the hotel. If it had been treated promptly, it wouldn’t have left such a gruesome scar…

His gaze, lingering on the scar as if licking it, then landed on the object in Go Baekwoo’s long fingers. Two identical keys and another, differently shaped key, hung together on a silver ring. Go Baekwoo removed one of the identical keys from the ring and placed it in Cha Hongjo’s palm. And then, squeeze—, Cha Hongjo abruptly bent his fingers and gripped Go Baekwoo’s hand, as if to crush his fingers.

“I’ll keep it safe.”

He gripped so tightly that his hand, from his fist to his forearm, trembled.

“I have to return it to its owner later.”

“…”

Cha Hongjo was equating the unknown woman’s earring with the house key he had been given.

“…You.”

Go Baekwoo struggled to maintain his composure. His jaw tightened, forming a hollow beneath his chin as he suppressed his unproductive frustration.

He shouldn’t get angry at Cha Hongjo. He shouldn’t try to clear up Cha Hongjo’s misunderstanding. He shouldn’t expect anything from Cha Hongjo. He had been hurt before for doing so. He shouldn’t forget. The painful truth that his feelings were an unreasonable demand from Cha Hongjo…

His role was only to give. Even if Cha Hongjo threw it away.

“…Let go of my hand.”

Cha Hongjo, who had been wearing a mocking smile as if he had seen through his cowardly defense mechanism, put on a blank expression and released his grip. He turned his back. He inserted the key and turned it. Click, the lock opened.

“If you need anything, tell me…”

Go Baekwoo spoke as if representing the empty house.

“The furniture will arrive by the end of this week.”

Perhaps because it was empty, the house was freezing. Go Baekwoo turned up the heating.

“It’s too big.”

That was Cha Hongjo’s only comment after barely glancing around his new residence. Go Baekwoo checked the boiler again to make sure it was working properly, then walked towards Cha Hongjo. Cha Hongjo had gone to the end of the living room. Slide—. He pushed the large window leading to the balcony all the way open. A cold draft rushed in, negating the effort of turning on the heating.

But Cha Hongjo sat down on the still-cold floor, took off his jacket, and unbuttoned his shirt. He thought he would be wearing something underneath, but his bare chest was revealed. Go Baekwoo frowned at the sight of his exposed back. Taking off his own coat, he sat down next to Cha Hongjo and draped it over his bare shoulders. Cha Hongjo had already put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

“Is your cold better?”

Go Baekwoo asked casually, draping his coat over Cha Hongjo’s shoulders.

“Yeah.”

He hadn’t been to the hospital since he was discharged, but since the coughing had stopped and the fever had subsided at some point, he assumed it was better.

After his brief reply, Cha Hongjo lay down. Go Baekwoo’s coat, which had been covering his shoulders, was now spread on the floor beneath him. His skin pressed against the wrinkles of the stiff coat.

Go Baekwoo saw the deep exhaustion on Cha Hongjo’s face as he looked up at the ceiling with half-closed eyes.

“Are you tired?”

“Fucking tired.”

Cha Hongjo rubbed his face and took a drag of his cigarette.

“I was going to wash up and sleep, but that idiot made a fuss about going to the company…”

Even without a subject, it wasn’t difficult to understand. The ‘idiot’ who had made a fuss and called Cha Hongjo to the company was Tae Pyunghyun. Go Baekwoo imagined Tae Pyunghyun helplessly watching the people he had sent moving Cha Hongjo’s belongings. He felt no remorse, no, he did. Tae Pyunghyun had been an obstacle to meeting Cha Hongjo before.

“What did you do yesterday?”

Go Baekwoo changed the subject, taking out a cigarette. Yesterday was January 1st, New Year’s Day. He had spent it alone at home, drinking and watching Cha Hongjo on TV. He had resented him for looking so cheerful. He regretted the past year he had spent knowing him, yet he still missed him. He had imagined Cha Hongjo sharing a bed with someone else and agonized over it, but he couldn’t help but love him. His feelings hadn’t been renewed with the new year.

“Yesterday…”

Cha Hongjo trailed off, as if he couldn’t remember what he had done just yesterday. Sleep clung to the corners of his eyes.

“I drank.”

“…With whom?”

With Jo Yeosa. Later, alone. Then with Go Baekwoo’s uncle.

“With this person and that person.”

“Who were they?”

“Ah… who were they…”

Muttering, Cha Hongjo suddenly turned his head. A cigarette butt was thrust towards Go Baekwoo. Go Baekwoo took the butt, from which a thin stream of smoke was rising, and tossed it towards the balcony.

“What did pretty boy do?”

Cha Hongjo, using Go Baekwoo’s arm as a pillow, blinked sleepily, changing the subject.

“I drank.”

Go Baekwoo answered without hesitation.

“With whom?”

“Alone.”

“And?”

This time, he paused for a moment before speaking.

“…I watched you.”

“‘Entertainment News’?”

“Yeah.”

“How was it?”

Go Baekwoo, who had been looking outside, lowered his gaze to meet Cha Hongjo’s. Cha Hongjo gave a smile that seemed like it would melt away.

“Did I look good on screen?”

“You look better in person.”

Go Baekwoo’s gaze was like hot iron.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck…”

Cha Hongjo turned over again and lay on his back. Go Baekwoo flicked the finished cigarette towards the balcony, just like before. He didn’t care, as the cleaning lady would come and take care of it tomorrow morning.

“You said it was hard.”

Go Baekwoo waved his hand as if to dispel the lingering cigarette smoke, then placed his arm behind him, supporting himself as he leaned over and looked down at Cha Hongjo. Cha Hongjo was on the verge of sleep. He closed his eyes.

“What was?”

“The last scene of the movie.”

“…Yeah.”

“What kind of scene was it?”

Go Baekwoo asked, recalling Cha Hongjo’s interview on Entertainment News. ‘I can’t say yet. It’s the ending.’ The Cha Hongjo confined to the screen had remained silent. He planned to watch the movie when it was released, so he wasn’t particularly curious. But he asked anyway. Because he wanted to talk to Cha Hongjo a little longer, even though he knew he was tired.

“Ah, that…”

Cha Hongjo mumbled sluggishly, his voice thick with sleep.

“Yeo Jitae…”

“Yes.”

‘Yeo Jitae’ was the character Cha Hongjo played.

“…But, this is… a secret.”

Cha Hongjo said after a pause.

“…”

Go Baekwoo regretted not reading the script for <Youth Chronicle>.

“It’s light…”

Cha Hongjo muttered then, out of the blue, as if talking in his sleep.

“What?”

“That’s the last line.”

“…I see.”

Go Baekwoo stood up and closed the window. With the outside noise blocked, the world became deathly quiet. Breathe in, breathe out… Only the sleeping Cha Hongjo breathed in that space.

🔥

The white snow had melted and mixed with oil and dirt, turning into sludge. A car sped down the highway, creating a biting wind. The sludge, crushed under the tires, splattered like screams, staining the trouser legs of a man walking unsteadily. Whether stained or not, his legs kept moving. Forward, forward, forward…