Chapter 29: Dissolve: His Last Choice

“A lover who lets you live in a luxurious villa with a view of the Han River. I’m so jealous I can’t sleep.”

Despite Song Hyunsoo’s teasing, Choi Hongseo only gave an ambiguous smile.

Though he was worried, Song Hyunsoo fully supported Choi Hongseo seeing that man.

One hundred percent in favor.

Because that man had taken Choi Hongseo out of this cramped dorm and put him up in a lavish villa in UN Village.

That alone was proof he cared for Hongseo.

At the very least, it was clear he didn’t see him as just some temporary plaything to discard after a short fling. 

If things went well, Hongseo might even settle in as his second.

Well, since the man didn’t have a wife, it wouldn’t technically be a “second.”

But whatever. 

What did it matter if he was a second or not?

Anything was better than being trapped as Myung Dohoon’s dog.

“He treats you well, right? Still?”

“What?”

“That man. Is he still good to you?”

“Yeah, he treats me well.”

Choi Hongseo nodded.

“How? How does he treat you well?”

“What do you mean, how?”

“Like, does he buy you things?”

Unlike Hongseo, who believed in sincerity, Song Hyunsoo was calculating.

At least, he liked to think so.

In his opinion, if a third-generation chaebol heir was dating an idol, sweet whispers and verbal promises were worthless.

What Song Hyunsoo wanted to know was how much money the man was actually willing to spend on Hongseo.

“He just got us a new car. A Sprinter.”

“A Mercedes? A Mercedes Sprinter?”

Choi Hongseo nodded. 

Song Hyunsoo felt a little relieved.

Leaning in slightly, he lowered his voice as if someone might overhear.

“Look for the right moment and bring it up.”

“Bring up what?”

“Tell him you want to live only for him! Ask him to get you out of Myung Dohoon’s grip.”

Song Hyunsoo pressed impatiently. 

Seeing Hongseo just smile faintly made his blood boil.

“You idiot. Do you really think working as an idol will get you out of Myung Dohoon’s clutches?”

“……”

“Only a man like that can pull you out of this hell.”

“I can’t say that.”

“Why the hell not? Even if you don’t realize it, that man probably knows everything. He must know it’ll take money to completely free you from Myung Dohoon.”

Choi Hongseo shook his head.

Crinkling his beer can in his hand, he kept shaking his head.

“It’s not about money.”

“Then what is it? Love?”

“Anyway, he’s not that kind of person.”

“What do you know about chaebols?”

“And you do?”

“…Still, I know more than you.”

They stared at each other for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.

It was ridiculous— two fools arguing over who was smarter.

“Hyunsoo, let’s grab a drink sometime.”

Choi Hongseo tried to change the subject.

Song Hyunsoo took a sip of his lukewarm beer and answered half-heartedly.

“What do you mean ‘sometime’? We’re drinking right now.”

“Not like this. A proper drink. Just the two of us, like old times. Remember before debut, when we used to drink sometimes?”

“Back then, the only thing we had was time.”

At Song Hyunsoo’s words, Choi Hongseo smiled weakly.

On closer look, beneath the flashy hairstyle and layers of makeup, his under-eyes were sunken, his skin was dry, and his lips were pale.

“You’re so busy you barely have time to sleep. What do you mean, ‘grab a drink’? You can’t even hold your liquor. If you have time to drink with me, just sleep more. What if you get ugly and that man starts disliking you?”

“I told you, he’s not like that.”

“Yeah, yeah. Fine. Your man is some rare kind of chaebol who’s genuinely sincere, truly in love with you, and won’t care even if your looks fade. Got it.”

“Don’t say it like that— it’s real. He really is like that.”

“If it’s such true love, then tell him to kill that bastard Myung Dohoon first.”

“……”

Seeing Choi Hongseo’s expression darken abruptly, Song Hyunsoo felt a twinge of regret for his last words.

But his conviction that Myung Dohoon was a bastard who deserved to die remained unshaken.

In fact, if Choi Hongseo couldn’t bring himself to say it, Song Hyunsoo was willing to step in himself and ask that man to take care of Myung Dohoon.

“You haven’t seen our new place yet, have you? If you came over for a drink…”

“I’m not going there.”

“Why not?”

Song Hyunsoo drained the last of his beer and crushed the empty can in his hand with a sharp crack.

“You know why. The other members— I can’t stand those bastards. Even if they don’t know the full story, seeing them leech off you makes me sick.”

“Then I’ll come here. It’d be fun to crash here together like old times.”

But they both knew he didn’t even have time for that.

‘Layered’ was barely keeping afloat, and on top of that, he was squeezing in time for a relationship.

“How many hours of sleep are you even getting these days?”

“I catch bits here and there while commuting.”

“I mean proper sleep, lying down. Do you even get two hours?”

“Being busy is a good thing. Remember when we couldn’t even get work?”

“Once you wrap up this single, take a break. Then let’s really make time to drink. If you call me out and then get tipsy after two shots, I won’t let it slide.”

“Yeah, next time… Let’s have a drink for sure.”

Choi Hongseo smiled faintly as he said it, then stood from the table.

“I should go. My manager’s waiting.”

“Alright.”

All they did was raise their hands slightly in farewell through the gap of the door.

That was it.

Left alone, Song Hyunsoo picked up Choi Hongseo’s can to throw it away.

The beer was almost untouched.

What’s with this guy suddenly pushing drinks on me…

He chuckled dryly, then downed the remaining beer in a few gulps while still standing.

Maybe I should’ve packed the fried peppers for him to take.

He could’ve eaten them in the car…

He hastily shoved on his sneakers and rushed out after him.

At the landing, he leaned over the railing and scanned the alley, but there was no sign of him.

He sprinted down the stairs and out the gate, turning the corner— but Choi Hongseo was nowhere to be found.

Weird.

There’s no way he could’ve gotten that far already.

The empty alley was bathed in an eerily bright sunlight, so stark and bleached-white it looked more like artificial lighting than real sunshine.

Without realizing it, Song Hyunsoo clenched his fists and muttered,

“Hey… take the fried… eat it on the way…”

Suddenly, tears fell.

This was strange.

Like the beer that had been oddly lukewarm despite being straight from the fridge.

Neither I, nor Choi Hongseo, nor anyone else lives in that dorm anymore.

Everyone’s gone.

Uncontrollable tears surged.

It felt like he was the only one left— not just in this alley, but in the entire world.

There was no sound, as if the air itself had vanished, and not even the faintest breeze brushed his cheek.

Staring at the motionless white clouds, he realized— this was a dream.

And the day he could share a drink with Choi Hongseo would never come again.

■

When he woke up, Song Hyunsoo was drenched in cold sweat.

Though his entire body was soaked, his mouth was parched, and he gasped for breath like someone who had been crying bitterly.

Trying to steady his breathing, he touched his cheek with his hand.

His face was wet.

He raised his arm and wiped his eyes and cheeks.

Swallowing dryly, he slowly sat up.

It had been a while since he had that dream.

Whenever he dreamed it, he always felt worse than if he had been sleep-paralyzed.

His whole body ached as if someone had beaten him up while he slept.

What time had he fallen asleep yesterday… 5 a.m.? 6 a.m.?

The cold air hitting his bare, sweat-drenched torso made him feel even colder. 

Pulling the blanket over his shoulders, he checked the time.

10 a.m.

So he had only slept for four or five hours, but he felt worse than if he had slept just one or two.

He had thought he’d been sleeping a little better these past few days.

With the movie casting and preparing for script readings, he’d been busy.

He’d been under a lot of stress, too.

But that dream had come for him again. 

As if to tell him he could never escape.

『What brings someone who hates messy places all the way here?』

At the familiar voice, he turned his head.

On the TV, Yoon Jooho was acting.

Before sleeping, he had been rewatching ‘Eternal Night’ from episode 1, but now episode 7 was playing.

How many episodes had he watched before falling asleep yesterday? Three? Four?

He usually set the auto-off timer, but it seemed he had fallen asleep before it activated.

『Stay away from that person. I warned you clearly last time.』

This time, the camera cut to Jung Jin.