“Wha-what… hyung, why are you saying such scary things?”
“Who said anyone would want to be with you? I’m just saying how it sounds.”
“Don’t even say that! Someone might strangle Jooho hyung behind my back because of you.”
Jung Ho brushed his arms down and excused himself to use the bathroom.
The moment he shut the door, Song Hyunsoo’s gaze involuntarily drifted back to the phone on the dining table.
Even on the way here, there hadn’t been a single call or message from Yoon Jooho.
It was just out of anger, he told himself, and when you suddenly shoved the thing I was trying to hide in front of me, I panicked—that’s why I said those things. Even if I try to excuse him like that, I’m not about to just let it slide… but seriously, not even one call??
『“When did I ever say I loved you?”』
Whether he meant it or not, hearing those words and still waiting for a message made Hyunsoo angry at himself.
If a call came, what then? Would I pick up? Tell him where I was as soon as he asked, then rush out if he told me to?
I didn’t want to wait any longer, so I turned the phone off.
I didn’t want to think about anything.
I didn’t want to get hurt.
And right now, I didn’t want to understand Yoon Jooho.
Right now, I only wanted to think about how angry that bastard made me.
I drank all fifteen cans of beer I’d brought to Jung Ho’s place.
Of those, at least ten must have been Hyunsoo’s.
The next day around noon, when I opened my eyes holding my head from the hangover, reality hit me again.
Even in this state, I had to go to work for ‘Jessica,’ and from Wednesday, filming would start again.
It was good that I boldly ran out of the house empty-handed, but I still had to solve the problem of not having any clean underwear or socks to change into.
After angrily flipping the dining table in frustration, I realized I had to clean up the mess myself.
But no matter what worse things happened than breaking up with Yoon Jooho, I wasn’t going to ruin <Dissolve>.
And Song Hyunsoo was sure.
Yoon Jooho must think the same.
Quietly slipping out of the house so as not to wake Jung Ho, who was still sound asleep, I turned my phone back on at the landing.
As expected, there were no missed calls.
Now all I could do was laugh.
Yeah, go ahead, Jooho.
You’re not the only one with a temper.
After wiping his face a couple of times to regain composure, Song Hyunsoo called Director Bang.
“Director, hello. Do you have a moment to talk?”
[Of course, Hyunsoo. What’s going on?]
“I know it’s shameless… but may I ask you a favor?”
■
Director Bang, entering through the front door, went to Monroe’s Room first, as usual.
“Monroe, uncle’s here.”
The little one, playing with Song Hyunsoo’s bunny slippers, perked up his ears at the voice and turned toward him.
Then, almost like a cat, he darted over and clung to Director Bang’s calf.
Bending down, Director Bang smiled warmly and stroked all the spots Monroe loved.
“Oh dear, my pretty baby. Did your dads fight yesterday?”
Meow. Ang. Aang?
As if trying to tattle on the situation to Director Bang, Monroe chirped busily in his still very baby-like voice.
“Really? Isn’t that right? Jooho dad was wrong, huh? He didn’t even try to stop Hyunsoo dad from leaving? It’s obvious, that guy.”
Just when I thought they were getting along…
Sighing, Director Bang stood up holding Monroe.
He tried to leave the room with him, but Monroe twisted free and ran to hide in his spot by the window.
He’d been coming out to play in the living room a lot lately.
Maybe yesterday’s incident unsettled him.
Leaving the door open just in case, Director Bang headed for the living room.
“What is all this? That damn kid.”
I’d heard he came home drunk out of his mind from West Sea Bar.
Apparently, that wasn’t enough—he even dragged people home and kept drinking.
The large dining table in the living room was a mess of traces from the drinking party.
“If he’s going to wreck the place like this after just one night gone…”
The Master Zone entrance, which had been wide open while Song Hyunsoo stayed over, was now firmly shut as before.
Director Bang opened the door with his fingerprint.
Clothes tossed carelessly between the dressing room and bedroom were scattered everywhere.
The bedroom, with blackout blinds and curtains layered twice, felt like midnight.
Approaching Yoon Jooho sleeping beneath the <Poster of Days of Being Wild>, the smell of alcohol hit him immediately.
It felt like going back to the past.
To a time in Jooho’s life before Song Hyunsoo existed.
Frowning, Director Bang threw back the blanket.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, getting drunk and crashing out?”
“Ah, damn…”
Startled, Yoon Jooho raised his head, looked at Director Bang’s face, then turned away again.
He grabbed the pillow beside him and pressed it down over his head.
“Aren’t you getting up? It’s already afternoon.”
“I just slept a little. Leave me alone.”
“What time did you stop drinking? They said you left West Sea Bar at six in the morning. If you were done then, why drink more at home?”
“I was trying to sleep! I was drinking to sleep. Happy now?”
With the pillow pressed over his head, Jooho’s voice sounded like a shout echoing from inside a cave.
If you were trying to sleep, you should have just held onto Hyunsoo instead of pounding down more drinks.
What did you do to hurt him so badly you even drove away the one person who seemed like he’d never leave?
Seeing Jooho curled up, Director Bang felt a surge of anger from deep inside.
“What happened with Hyunsoo?”
“……”
Yoon Jooho, who had been quiet, asked under the pillow.
“How do you know?”
“I got a call—from Hyunsoo.”
Removing the pillow and sitting up, Jooho’s eyes showed no sleep as he pressed Director Bang for answers.
“Where is that bastard now?”
“You curious? Worried?”
“Who said I was curious?”
“If you’re not, then what? Planning to chase after him and fight again? You kicked him out, so why the concern?”
“Hyunsoo said that? That I kicked him out?”
“Do you think Hyunsoo would say something like that?”
“He said he called you last night and told you what happened.”
Getting off the bed, Jooho grabbed a pack of cigarettes.
“Yeah, he called earlier. Do you know how shocked I was?”
His profile softened for a moment as he turned sideways, lighting the filter with the lighter’s wheel.
He stopped his hand and hesitantly asked,
“…Were you crying?”
“If I was? Who made me cry? You think I care about that?”
“……”
Jooho silently spun the lighter’s wheel again.
“Not crying at all. He actually listed out, point by point, what he needed to bring.”
But in the end, he couldn’t light the cigarette.
Holding it in his hand, he frowned deeply as if confirming what he had just heard.
“What… list?”
“You need clothes to wear right away. He said he’d bring the rest of his stuff once he finds a place. What the hell happened?”
Disbelieving, Jooho chuckled several times, rolling the inside of his cheek with his tongue.
Then he crushed the cigarette in his hand, tossed it somewhere on the nightstand, and stormed out of the bedroom barefoot, without even slippers.
Director Bang followed him.
Wearing only pajama pants, Jooho went to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water, and drank it down standing there without pouring a glass.
Director Bang sighed with a worried look from the island counter.
“What’s really going on? Hyunsoo didn’t tell me all this.”
Jooho wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at Director Bang.
“You said it yourself—that because I’m close with Jung Jin, Hyunsoo couldn’t be with me.”
“That was before Hyunsoo knew how special you are to him.”
“Special? Who’s special?”
Jooho slammed the water bottle down opposite the island counter, raising his voice.
Director Bang pointed behind him to the Master Zone.
“Yoon Jooho. Be stubborn if you want, but you let Hyunsoo in that room and even brought him home. If that’s not special to you, then what is?”
“Guess I was blinded by the whole love game. What can’t you do when you’re under a love spell?”
“Yeah, good point. Love game.”
“……”
“Just the fact that you even played the love game with a guy is already special. It took years just to realize that with Actor Jung.”
Mentioning Jung Jin, Jooho glared at Director Bang and stepped back.
Like escaping the question, he walked toward the coffee machine and picked a capsule.
Staring at the thin stream of coffee dripping noisily from the machine, he muttered,
“I found out.”
“What? Speak up.”
“About Jung Jin. He found out.”
“……”
This time Director Bang didn’t open his mouth easily either.
Even after the coffee finished and the machine quieted, Jooho stood there glaring at it.
“I thought if I just shut everyone’s mouth, no one would talk. But that wasn’t enough.”
He should have told him to throw away all his stuff and leave.
That’s what should have been done. — biting his lips as if to break them, Jooho muttered to himself.