Chapter 181: Dissolve: His Last Choice

From a spot a little away from the entrance, there was a faint sign that a car was moving.

Soon, the massive Escalade slowly came into view, approaching them.

The new Escalade didn’t look much different from the last one, at least on the outside.

But the important thing was that he’d changed the car for me, because of me…

Song Hyunsoo pulled his chin down into his scarf, eyes fixed on the approaching car.

And as soon as the car stopped, he quickly leaped into the passenger seat.

“I ran into Hyojin sunbae at the Elbe on the way here.”

The moment he got in, Song Hyunsoo started with that, in a sulky tone.

Yoon Jooho couldn’t help but chuckle at his profile.

“And so?”

“I got all flustered over nothing… I told her I was going for a walk at this hour, you know?”

Yoon Jooho turned the wheel to enter the spiral road leading outside and tossed out a joke.

“You should’ve just told her honestly you were going on a date.”

“I—it’s not a date, you know?”

“Even if you’re not dating, you can still go on dates. Getting to know each other and all that?”

The air inside the car was more than warm enough.

As he unwound the scarf that was wrapped tightly around his neck, Song Hyunsoo shot back at his profile, enunciating every word.

“I already know enough about you, sunbae. You seem to keep forgetting your position, so let me be clear: you’re my ex. Ex. Boy. Friend.”

Yoon Jooho’s expression hardened, his profile looking a bit bitter as he stared ahead.

“You don’t just strike a nerve, you smash the bones to pieces.”

He nodded, turning the wheel again.

“Right. I’ll remember my place and keep my mouth shut.”

The way he so obediently agreed was a new sight.

He said it wasn’t a date, or that they weren’t seeing each other, but there was a thrill that felt different from when they’d actually been together.

Song Hyunsoo turned his face to the window and stifled a silent smile.

So, he can say nice things with those pretty lips too. How nice is that?

But maybe he hadn’t given up yet, because Yoon Jooho shot a sidelong glance at Song Hyunsoo’s outfit.

“I just thought, seeing you in that padded jacket and scarf, you were dressed for a date.”

“Y-you’re the one who told me to wear it!”

“Yeah. Wear it. It’s yours.”

Seemingly satisfied that Song Hyunsoo was wearing his gift, Yoon Jooho bit his lower lip, but couldn’t hide his smile.

That smile tickled more than the warm breath by his ear, so Song Hyunsoo cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.

“So, where are we going?”

After exiting the parking lot, the car stopped briefly, the turn signal blinking.

Yoon Jooho took a rare pause, merging onto the road at a slow pace, his face showing a hint of nerves, maybe even excitement.

“You probably wanted to go there today, too.”

Somewhere I wanted to go today?

Yoon Jooho glanced at Song Hyunsoo to check his expression.

“Your face says you have no idea, huh?”

Since a hint of disappointment came from him, Song Hyunsoo felt a twinge of guilt, like he was a boyfriend who’d forgotten an anniversary or a special place.

“Never mind. You’ll know when we get there.”

After passing an apartment complex standing tall in the middle of nowhere, the car drove into deeper darkness.

This time, Song Hyunsoo spoke first.

“Monroe’s getting neutered soon, right?”

“How’d you… Ah, it must’ve been Sang-ho.”

Of course, after leaving Yoon Jooho’s house, Song Hyunsoo had deleted the Homecam app the next day.

Naturally, though, he was just as curious about Monroe’s well-being as Yoon Jooho’s.

After all, a cat can’t know what’s going on, and you can’t explain or ask for understanding.

Even though Yoon Jooho is the owner, Song Hyunsoo still worried the cat might be anxious when the person he saw every day suddenly disappeared.

Maybe understanding that, Bang Manager would send news of Monroe with photos or videos every few days.

“Still not… coming out of his room?”

“Did he tell you that too?”

Yoon Jooho grumbled, adding, “He never tells you I’m sick, but he tells you the cat’s still sulking in his room?”

“You were sick?”

“I was. Threw up all night, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep…”

Listing the symptoms, Yoon Jooho sneaked a look at Song Hyunsoo.

“I’m telling you this so you’ll feel sorry for me.”

“Why should I? Y-you’re fine now, aren’t you?”

Even as he denied it, Song Hyunsoo’s concern was obvious, making Yoon Jooho smile gently—the same gentle smile he wore in Nubow Coffee commercials.

“I was in denial, even back then.”

“About what?”

“I thought we’d just had a fight, and if you heard I was sick, you’d come back, pretending not to care. I was hoping for that, honestly.”

“……”

“And that night, after you turned me down at the bar… it really felt over.”

Even looking back, that moment seemed painful; at the end, Yoon Jooho’s voice wavered.

“You said you don’t pity me anymore.”

“I never said that…”

“So I felt like I’d become Monroe, left all alone in the vacant lot.”

“……”

He tried to sound matter-of-fact, but couldn’t quite erase the emotion.

Maybe to lighten the mood, he smiled as he looked at Song Hyunsoo.

“It feels like just yesterday I carried him off the wall, and now he’s getting neutered. Time really flies, huh?”

Watching his profile as he drove through the same countryside darkness, Song Hyunsoo asked, carefully,

“Can I come along on the day of the surgery?”

“Of cour—”

Yoon Jooho reached out his right arm. He started to ruffle Song Hyunsoo’s hair, then hesitated, curling his hand into a fist.

It was the hesitation of someone who’d been rejected before.

But this time, perhaps determined to be brave, he opened his hand again and gently tousled Song Hyunsoo’s hair—just like he used to, even before they’d started dating.

“Of course. Monroe will feel more at ease.”

“……”

“And me, too.”

After a brief pause, Yoon Jooho added that.

It felt like starting over.

They’d grown fond of each other, had struggled to confirm those feelings, and now, they were carefully drawing closer… as if going through that ordinary, tentative beginning for the first time, together.

As he gazed out the front windshield, thinking maybe this wasn’t so bad, Song Hyunsoo suddenly spotted a familiar landscape amid the unchanging darkness.

“Wait—this is near the filming site, isn’t it?”

“Still don’t get it?”

With a smile, Yoon Jooho drove on, passing the village where Lee Sol and Lee San’s siblings lived.

Only then did Song Hyunsoo realize where they were headed.

[‘You probably wanted to go here today, too.’]

The reason Yoon Jooho was so sure.

His guess had been right. After filming today’s scene, Song Hyunsoo had indeed thought of ‘that place.’

The spot where, the first time they’d come to Myeonghaeri together, they’d parked the car.

The place where, after a deep connection, they’d held hands, run to the car, and tangled together in a blissful mess.

Even the car they were in now was the same Escalade—though it was a new one.

With a rattle, the car passed through a short alley and entered the Myung Haeri Vacant Lot.

The ocean spread out before them, the endless darkness unchanged. It felt just like going back in time.

Parking in the exact same spot as before, Yoon Jooho turned off his seatbelt but left the engine running.

“Wait in the car for a bit.”

“Why?”

“It’s cold, so just wait here for a minute.”

He repeated himself, then got out.

Soon the trunk opened, and there were rustling sounds as he took something out.

What’s he doing?

Song Hyunsoo tried looking back, peeking in the side mirror, but with the second-row seat blocking his view and the thick darkness, he couldn’t see.

The first time he’d come here, it had seemed deathly quiet, but he later learned while filming that all five or six houses next to the vacant lot were empty.

Because of that, there wasn’t even a single streetlight—only moonlight and starlight to rely on.

Unable to endure the curiosity and boredom, Song Hyunsoo eventually grabbed his scarf and stepped out from the passenger seat.

“Why’d you come out? I told you to wait inside.”

Yoon Jooho, kneeling on one knee in front of a portable heater, looked up at him.

Two camping chairs were spread out side by side in front of the trunk, with thick blankets draped over them.

On a small, folding camping table sat a tumbler and mugs.

“What are you doing?”

“Date.”

As the outdoor heater glowed red, Yoon Jooho dusted off his knee and stood up, then pointed to the chair closer to the heater.

“Sit down.”

“Are we supposed to look at the stars by the sea or something?”

The March night sea still felt like winter.

The idea of sitting side by side under blankets in front of a red heater, enjoying the cold seaside night, seemed unlike Yoon Jooho.

“You complained I never set the mood, didn’t you.”

“……”

“I know this sort of thing doesn’t suit me. But if it makes you happy, I’ll do it.”

He really didn’t seem the type, and Song Hyunsoo wanted to tease him, but looking at his earnest face, he couldn’t.

He didn’t want to trample on someone’s sincerity.

What mattered was the effort.

Song Hyunsoo sat and spread out the blanket. Yoon Jooho came over, tucking it carefully around him, then took the seat next to him.

In short, he was nailing the mood.

Even without a special light, the heater cast a round halo around them.

Yoon Jooho unscrewed the tumbler and poured a warm drink into a mug.

His already handsome face was lit up by the outdoor orange glow, giving the scene a definite atmosphere.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“How could I be cold, all bundled up like this?”

Sipping the drink in the mug, Song Hyunsoo replied.

It was instant coffee, his favorite.

All the little thoughtful gestures made his back itch with embarrassment, so he changed the subject.

“Wow, this little thing’s pretty powerful. Didn’t know they made portable heaters like this…”

“I actually researched it a lot.”

“Heaters?”

“Ways to apologize to your girlfriend.”

“……”

Song Hyunsoo nearly spat out his coffee.

What… ways?

“And ways to cheer up a girlfriend when she’s upset.”

“Wait. Why am I the girlfriend?”

“Well, usually, guys are the ones who screw up. So ‘ways to cheer up your boyfriend’ wouldn’t cut it.”

Ah… So that’s it…

Yoon Jooho took a sip and continued.

“Handwritten letters, flowers, romantic dinners, jewelry…”

“……”

“At first, I just planned to do everything on the list. I thought maybe you’d at least appreciate the effort.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Maybe he really would have.

“But after looking into it, I started thinking.”

“……”

“Rather than use some cliché trick every guy’s tried before, wouldn’t something I came up with myself—no matter how awkward—mean more to you?”

That he’d thought that far was, honestly, surprising.

More than what Song Hyunsoo had expected—a dazzling bit of growth.

Whenever silence lingered, the sound of waves filled it in.

Yoon Jooho’s voice mingled with the waves as he cradled his mug in long, beautiful fingers.

“Something I’ve never given to anyone else, and that’s most precious to me. I want to give that to you.”

“What is it?”

Before he knew it, Song Hyunsoo was hanging on his every word, gazing at his lips with anticipation, like waiting for the end of an exciting story.

Tense, but with a confidence he’d never shown before, Yoon Jooho looked at him warmly.

“Acting.”

“……”

“Acting, just for one person.”