Chapter 27: Dissolve: His Last Choice

“Right! That guy also became a star by appearing in that drama with the Crown Prince. Though now he’s disappeared after some scandal or another.”

“Auntie, that’s not it.”

First of all, <Eternal Night> was a vampire drama, not a Dracula story.

But that wasn’t the important issue right now.

The misunderstanding that Jung Jin had caused some scandal and was no longer on TV— how could she think that?

To keep his composure, Song Hyunsoo closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and swallowed dryly.

“He… no, actor Jung Jin became famous because he’s talented and good at acting. Not because of the Crown Prince. And he’s not ‘disappeared’—he retired, so he’s not appearing anymore.”

“Someone like me wouldn’t know about that. If someone’s not on TV, I just assume they messed up somehow.”

“He absolutely, absolutely didn’t mess up. He’s the kind of person who could live without laws, you know?”

“Oh? How would you know that, young man?”

The aunt narrowed her eyes and gave him a sidelong glance.

Hyunsoo straightened his chest and shoulders, raising his eyebrows proudly.

“Because I’m really close with him.”

“……”

“We’re really close!”

“Who said otherwise?”

“You were giving me such a skeptical look just now!”

“……”

She didn’t deny her suspicion.

“Look at me, forgetting I still have more meat to prepare.”

Then, with an obvious excuse, she awkwardly changed the subject.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“Ah, no, I’m gonna smoke one more cigarette.”

He didn’t want to say that Yoon Jooho had told him to wait.

The aunt pointed at Samsaeki, who was still busy eating, and said,

“Fine, then. Bring the empty bowls in when you come back.”

“Got it. Go on in.”

“Make sure to put the butts in the ashtray!”

“Of course, of course.”

On her way back to the restaurant, the aunt noticed cigarette butts scattered on the ground and fumed.

“Even with an ashtray right there, these brats just toss them on the ground— I swear, if I catch them, they’re dead!”

“Auntie, Jooho senior put his in the ashtray!”

Hyunsoo shouted after her retreating figure.

(Well, technically I picked it up and put it in the ashtray, but the result is the same— Yoon Jooho’s butt ended up in the ashtray, so it counts.)

“What’s so great about him that I’m even defending him? Right, Jool-moo-ya?”

He looked down at the little one nestled in his arms, drowsily nodding off.

Even in his cheap, low-wool-content coat, the kitten seemed warm and cozy.

Watching its eyelids droop slowly made him smile.

So that’s how it is. 

Next time I come here for a company dinner, this little guy won’t be around.

Gently scratching under its tiny chin, he muttered flatly,

“You’ll live well from now on. Take care, buddy.”

The kitten closed its eyes contentedly.

Had he even spent enough time with it to get attached?

He didn’t have the environment or the means to take it in and raise it.

He was used to detaching rather than attaching— that was the life he’d lived.

Even if his chest ached with regret and longing, all he had to do was force a smile, turn around, and walk away.

That was all.

What his heart felt didn’t matter.

He’d never lived a life where such things were important.

Mother Samsaeki was still eating, and the other kittens had already slipped inside through the plastic curtain.

Hyunsoo crouched in front of the Samsaeki family’s home and carefully tucked the striped kitten back inside.

The mother paused her meal to glance at him but soon resumed eating.

Just holding that tiny creature and then letting it go— strangely, he felt much colder now than before.

“But when the hell is this guy coming? I’m freezing to death…”

As he stood up, fishing his cigarette pack from his jacket pocket, Yoon Jooho appeared around the corner.

Good. He was far enough away that he probably hadn’t heard the muttering.

Song Hyunsoo bowed his head slightly, pretending to understand.

Then he tried to put the cigarette back into the pack.

“Just smoke it.”

“Still…”

“You probably couldn’t smoke because you were busy holding the cat.”

Yoon Jooho walked closer, chuckling.

Feeling provoked, Song Hyunsoo immediately straightened his face and denied it.

“What are you talking about? I’ve never held a cat or anything like that.”

“Then explain the fur on your coat, junior.”

Fur?

As Yoon Jooho took out a cigarette from his pocket, his gaze pointed somewhere around Song Hyunsoo’s chest.

Reflexively, Song Hyunsoo’s eyes followed downward.

“……”

A few strands of white fur from that striped-tailed creature were stuck to his black wool coat.

Song Hyunsoo clenched his eyes shut and bit his lower lip.

Damn that little bastard…

“What’s the big deal? Some people might even envy you for being popular with cats. Somewhere out there.”

Yoon Jooho giggled as he put the cigarette filter between his lips and held out his palm toward Song Hyunsoo— a gesture asking for a lighter.

Song Hyunsoo, not bothering to hide his displeased expression, slapped the lighter onto Yoon Jooho’s palm.

Yoon Jooho continued to smirk while looking at Song Hyunsoo’s face.

After lighting his cigarette first and handing the lighter back, Yoon Jooho shot him a sidelong glance.

Song Hyunsoo deliberately spoke in a stiff tone.

“Then I’ll smoke too, if you don’t mind.”

They stood a few steps apart, silently smoking their cigarettes.

Occasionally, the lively laughter of the ‘Dissolve’ team leaked out from inside the restaurant, but the residential area on a weekday night was quiet.

The mother calico had already finished her meal and gone home.

Song Hyunsoo stole glances at Yoon Jooho.

In some ways, he seemed completely unbothered.

In other ways, it seemed like he was just adept at hiding his emotions.

One moment, he appeared strict about seniority and hierarchy, and the next, he casually shared a smoke with a junior he wasn’t even that close to.

At times, he seemed like a reckless maverick who said whatever he wanted without caring about anyone’s judgment, yet at other times, he spoke with surprising common sense.

But one thing remained unchanged: he was not someone to let your guard down around.

From what Song Hyunsoo had observed so far, Yoon Jooho was like a wild animal— unpredictable, capable of turning at any moment.

“You still work at that bar in Daehakro, right?”

The conversation started abruptly, without warning, from the wild animal— no, from Yoon Jooho.

“Yeah.”

“When?”

“Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Three days on weekends.”

“Things will get hectic once filming starts, won’t they?”

“I’ll have to manage on days without shoots. Acting alone isn’t stable enough for income yet.”

“Lucky you.”

“Lucky me?”

What the hell?

Even for someone who speaks bluntly, this was too much.

Telling someone struggling to make ends meet that they’re lucky—

“I was thinking of introducing you to a good part-time job.”

“……”

Song Hyunsoo stared blankly at Yoon Jooho.

Yoon Jooho, who had been bringing the filter to his lips, felt the gaze and turned to look at him.

Then, with a furrowed brow, he scrutinized Song Hyunsoo.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Like I’m some shady scammer.”

“Because you look like a shady scammer.”

Yoon Jooho laughed incredulously.

Then, shifting his cigarette to his left hand, he reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled something out.

It was a slim, sleek stainless steel case and a pen of the same material.

The steel glinted coldly in the darkness.

Yoon Jooho scribbled something on the back of a piece of paper from the case.

Then, he stretched his arm out toward Song Hyunsoo, who stood about five steps away.

“Here.”

“What is this?”

“The scammer’s business card.”

Yoon Jooho shook the paper as if urging him to take it quickly, and Song Hyunsoo, bewildered, found himself holding it.

It was Yoon Jooho’s business card.

The front only had the company’s official phone number, with no personal contact printed.

When he flipped it over, he saw the series of numbers Yoon Jooho had just handwritten.

Song Hyunsoo couldn’t tear his eyes away from those eleven digits.

“Tomorrow’s your day off from the part-time job, right?”

Without even looking at Yoon Jooho, staring only at the business card in his hand, Song Hyunsoo nodded mechanically.

“Around noon? Text the number on there. I’ll tell you where to come.”

Again, as if entranced, he just nodded.

Even his handwriting is annoyingly pretty, just like his face.

So unlike his personality.