“That’s right. For me, you could say he’s like a benefactor.”
“It’s been a while since you’ve seen him, hasn’t it?”
“Almost a year.”
This trip to Paris included a long-awaited meeting with Jung Jin.
With only two nights and three days of free time, and a need to make the most of it, I arranged to meet Jung Jin at a café for about two hours.
If I had traveled alone, I probably would have stayed at Jung Jin and his partner’s place and spent more time together, but this time Yoon Jooho was with me.
I couldn’t leave my travel companion alone for too long.
After all, this was… a trip for lovers.
Our first trip together, at that.
“We’ll catch up on things and chat—sounds nice. I’m jealous.”
From the look on Hyunseo’s face, it wasn’t just a polite thing to say. She seemed genuinely envious.
Was it Paris she envied that much?
Or maybe it was the fact that I had a hyung I was that close to?
Well, I guess she never seemed like the type to have a lot of friends.
After tossing out a vaguely-meaningful remark, Hyunseo took a sip of her cocktail, her expression a bit complicated.
“What about you, Hyunseo?”
“Me?”
“Are you not acting anymore?”
“Ah…”
“You must’ve gotten tons of offers after <Cream Mansion>, right?”
“That’s true.”
“But these days, it seems like you only focus on composing.”
After changing her stage name from Yoon Hyean to Hyunseo, she had originally debuted as part of an idol group like Choi Hongseo.
Her team never made much of a splash, but within the group, she was known as the ‘visual,’ and that brought her quite a bit of popularity.
She eventually started acting, but controversies over her acting skills never seemed to die down.
Then came a string of slip-ups, gossip, and rumors about her personality, and her popularity faded fast.
After an extreme choice, she spent months in a coma before miraculously waking up, but she couldn’t remember anything from before.
Her body was an adult’s, but she was like a newborn child.
She had absolutely no memories as Yoon Hyean.
In the beginning, many people didn’t believe her when she said she couldn’t remember anything.
They thought it was just a matter of time before her old self reappeared and her lie was exposed.
I remember Jungho and Chaeyoung saying the same thing while watching videos.
But gradually, people began to believe in Yoon Hyean’s change.
In the end, the answer was consistency.
As her personality changed, so did her expression, her eyes, even the impression her face gave off.
And that change constantly reminded Song Hyunsoo of Choi Hongseo.
Recently, Hyunseo had been focusing on composing, working quietly.
It was the exact opposite of the old Yoon Hyean, who loved the limelight and a flashy life.
“From now on, even if I do act, I think I’ll focus mostly on movies.”
“Really? Your fans would be happy to see you in dramas, though. They’re probably a bit disappointed since they don’t see you as often, but your own happiness is important, too.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
The way her lips moved, smiling without a sound, made her resemble Choi Hongseo even more. Watching that smile quietly, Song Hyunsoo suddenly confessed,
“I like the songs you’ve composed, too, Hyunseo.”
“My… songs?”
“I especially love ‘Come Back To Me, Baby.’ I listen to it often.”
“That song, the lyrics are so cheesy, right?”
“Whoever wrote those lyrics must’ve really been in love, don’t you think?”
A bit embarrassed by the compliment, Hyunseo quickly checked her phone when a message notification popped up.
Her face lit up with a smile as she typed her reply. She probably didn’t even realize it herself.
Every time I visited ‘Jessica,’ she always left after getting a call or a message.
Hyunseo definitely had a lover. And a very overprotective one at that.
Screee.
After a while of quiet, Song Hyunsoo’s own phone vibrated with a message.
[Workshop Cafe Alley.]
Pfft. Song Hyunsoo couldn’t help but laugh. Workshop Cafe Alley.
At night, it was deserted, a place where Yoon Jooho often parked and waited.
Wait a second, does that mean he’s already arrived? Did he leave home earlier and pretend he hadn’t?
Trying to act all nonchalant…
I really had no right to call Hyunseo’s unknown lover overprotective.
Maybe Monroe’s dad at my place was even more ridiculously overprotective, just pretending not to be.
“There aren’t many days left where I’ll get to see you here, Hyunsoo.”
Flipping her phone over and setting it down, Hyunseo added with a regretful look.
“But you’ll be more active as an actor, so I shouldn’t feel sad about it, right?”
“Is this the only place we can see each other? We can meet outside, too.”
“Outside?”
“You don’t use SNS, right? Want to share your phone number?”
Hyunseo looked surprised as she glanced down at the phone Hyunsoo offered.
“Hyunsoo… you don’t mind me?”
“Why would I?”
I could roughly guess why Hyunseo was asking that.
Is it because I seem like I’m copying your friend? Mimicking them? Does that bother you? Maybe that’s what she meant.
But instead of explaining at length that it wasn’t like that, Song Hyunsoo chose silence.
As if he genuinely didn’t understand the question.
If it had felt like imitation or mimicry, my heart would have sensed it first.
Song Hyunsoo didn’t think of himself as an easy person.
Life in Seoul hadn’t been kind, so he was always cautious about trusting or praising others.
Watching Hyunsoo’s face for a reaction, Hyunseo looked like a frightened child, then finally seemed relieved, smiling softly as she shook her head.
“No, not at all.”
Then she entered her contact info into Hyunsoo’s phone.
Song Hyunsoo called the eleven-digit number, confirming the call signal, and slipped the phone into his apron pocket.
“That’s my number, so save it.”
“I will.”
“And tonight’s cocktails are on me.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a bit late, but I want to celebrate your award.”
“Oh… then I feel bad, though.”
“In times like this, you shouldn’t feel bad. Just say thank you, and that you enjoyed it.”
Without showing her teeth, Hyunseo smiled again.
That very smile made her look even more like Choi Hongseo.
It reminded me of the way Choi Hongseo always felt awkward about receiving help or being indebted to someone.
Was it just because of their similar faces?
No, that wasn’t the only reason.
During her days as Yoon Hyean, her features had resembled Choi Hongseo, but the overall vibe was completely different.
That’s why people were always debating whether they looked alike or not.
But now, Hyunseo looked astonishingly similar to Choi Hongseo.
The way she used her facial muscles, the unique angle she raised her lips when smiling, the way she handled her gaze, her tone of voice…
To someone like Song Hyunsoo, who knew Choi Hongseo well, these were all eerily familiar. Enough to be startling at times.
It’s been over two months since the filming of <Dissolve> wrapped up.
Song Hyunsoo still hadn’t found Choi Hongseo’s columbarium.
He thought that once the crank-up was over, he’d finally have the courage to go find him.
But that wasn’t the case. Even after nearly two years, he still wasn’t ready to face it.
Maybe that’s why thoughts of him only grew stronger whenever he saw Hyunseo.
Hyunseo picked up her coat and stood from the stool.
“Thank you, Hyunsoo. I enjoyed the drinks. Have a good trip to Paris.”
“I’ll make sure to ride the Bateaux Mouches.”
“And have a good time with your hyung.”
“Now that we have each other’s numbers, I’ll send you messages sometimes. So don’t you go stalking me.”
Smiling with that Choi Hongseo-like face, Hyunseo left ‘Jessica.’
As usual, after she left, Song Hyunsoo felt both happy and strangely empty, rubbing the back of his neck.
Screee.
Another vibration in his apron pocket. Absentmindedly, Song Hyunsoo pulled out his phone and couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
《You’re slow to reply. Is this the end of the honeymoon period already?》
Because of you, I laugh, Prince.
You too, Sunbae, right?