Lee Han finished his glass of wine in a single gulp, then stood up from his seat.
Before climbing into the back seat of the black sedan, he waved his hand toward Song Hyunsoo and Jung Jin.
Despite such gestures, Song Hyunsoo simply couldn’t see him as someone the same age.
“Lee Han, you really are cool.”
“Really?”
“Anyone can see it. Hyung, you know that, right? You’re just pretending not to.”
“Cooler than Yoon Jooho?”
“Well… To be honest, he’s a top actor. His followers are about to hit fifty million, you know.”
“Ah… So you’re saying Yoon Jooho is cooler?”
“If we voted, honestly, he’d win.”
“That wouldn’t be fair to Han. Their fame is just on a different level.”
In the end, it was a childish debate about whose boyfriend was better.
Realizing it only after the fact, the two of them couldn’t help but laugh helplessly.
Jung Jin, too, had sides like this. Being introduced to his lover, seeing aspects he hadn’t known, feeling like he understood him better—it made him happy.
He was glad they’d managed to meet, even if only for two hours.
Just as hazelnut ice cream with apricot and cherry compote was served for dessert, another message from Yoon Jooho arrived.
After a rare silence, he was kindly reminding them it was time to part.
Two hours weren’t nearly enough to catch up on everything they had to say.
Both faces showed obvious regret as they checked the time.
“Those two hours went by way too fast.”
“They really did.”
“No matter how much we want to stay, I guess it’s time to return you to Yoon Jooho.”
Jung Jin added, glancing at Song Hyunsoo’s phone as it vibrated for the third time.
“If we don’t, that guy might barge in here. He’d probably start charging late fees by the minute.”
Right on time, the car to pick up Song Hyunsoo appeared around the corner.
After paying, the two of them stood up.
Jung Jin gently patted Song Hyunsoo’s drooping shoulder.
“I’ll be in Seoul at the end of the year. We’ll see each other then.”
“That’s right.”
“I have to watch Song Hyunsoo’s first film at the theater.”
“This time, let’s spend even more than two hours together, hyung.”
“Let’s do that. And at ‘Jessica,’ I’ll have you make me a cocktail for old time’s sake.”
By the time Jung Jin visited Seoul with Lee Han at the end of the year, Song Hyunsoo would have left ‘Jessica’ for good.
<Dissolve> would premiere, and he’d be walking the true path of an actor.
The fact that he’d see Jung Jin again in about two months was a huge comfort.
Even so, the two of them lingered, unable to part ways so easily.
“Hyung, I’m still grateful, you know.”
“For what?”
“For that time… you didn’t pretend not to know me.”
Back then, on the verge of breaking down in the aftermath of the X-gun Scandal.
“I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life.”
“I’m grateful to you, too.”
“What do you have to thank me for?”
“If I’d had to lose Hongseo alone, I don’t think I could have endured. You and I—we were comrades who got through the same times together, Hyunsoo.”
Jung Jin squinted against the yellow autumn sunlight, smiling even warmer than that light.
“Maybe that’s why neither of us froze to death.”
It wasn’t about surviving alone, but about guiding each other toward the light beyond the darkness.
With each other’s warmth. With the comfort and solidarity of being together.
Song Hyunsoo couldn’t help but agree with those words.
Jung Jin said he planned to stop by an actor friend’s studio nearby.
“You go ahead first, hyung. Once I can’t see you anymore, I’ll get in the car.”
He slipped a pocket-sized book into his coat, sunglasses of a simple design on his face, and turned away first.
Before disappearing around the corner, he looked back once more and waved at Song Hyunsoo.
Hyunsoo waved back, watching him disappear into the shimmering golden sunlight.
Suddenly, it really felt like the time had come. Not so much a thought, but an instinct that naturally surfaced in his heart.
When he returned to Seoul, he’d seek out Choi Hongseo. Just as he’d promised Yoon Jooho—together, the two of them.
The backseat window of the waiting car rolled down, and a dissatisfied voice sounded.
“What are you staring at so longingly?”
It was Yoon Jooho.
â–
The two of them moved to Mongso Park nearby.
It was close enough that even walking from the restaurant where they’d met Jung Jin to the south gate took only five minutes.
Despite its size, the park was far enough from major tourist spots and downtown that it was mainly visited by locals rather than travelers.
Walking into the park itself made it feel even larger. The trees were so thick, it was like entering a small forest.
They entered through the quiet south gate and started strolling slowly along the path by the edge of the park, heading toward the pond.
“Want some? Do you want a drink?”
On the way, Song Hyunsoo had bought a bottle of water and now offered it to Yoon Jooho.
“No, I’m good.”
“You’re not thirsty?”
Yoon Jooho shook his head.
“What did you do while I was gone?”
“Just spent some time by myself.”
“Where did you go?”
“Nowhere special. Here and there.”
Song Hyunsoo glanced behind. Two bodyguards in casual clothes, not easy to spot, were following at a distance.
“Did you go out with your bodyguards?”
“I did.”
“What about lunch?”
“Nothing as delicious as what you had. Looked like you had a great time, huh?”
Passing by a bench where a couple sat together, the two of them took the narrower path.
“It wasn’t so much that… I was just happy to see hyung after a year.”
“You’re really fine now, aren’t you?”
“About what?”
“About Jung Jin. He doesn’t bother you anymore?”
It was a question he hadn’t expected at all. Song Hyunsoo stopped in his tracks and opened his eyes wide.
“What, do you wish I was bothered?”
“Not exactly…”
Seeing Yoon Jooho’s uncharacteristically evasive face made him feel even more amused.
After all the fuss in the past, now that he seemed unfazed, did he want Hyunsoo to show some jealousy?
This time, Song Hyunsoo found himself smiling. Ah, such a difficult man.
He glanced around, then caught up to Yoon Jooho in a few steps and lightly took his hand.
Back in Paris, every time Yoon Jooho touched him first, Hyunsoo had worried someone might recognize them.
Now, it was Yoon Jooho who looked surprised as he glanced down at their joined hands.
“How about you, sunbae.”
“Yeah?”
“What would you do if I said I liked someone else?”
“That bastard with the guitar?”
Yoon Jooho frowned, as if he might dash off to find ‘that bastard’ immediately.
“Just imagine it. Just as a thought experiment.”
“Why would I imagine that?”
“Even if you knew I was dating and sleeping with that guy, would you be patient and try to win me back slowly?”
Yoon Jooho, lost in thought, finally spoke.
“Want me to be honest?”
Nod.
“Whoever it is, you couldn’t even go on a date with that guy, let alone sleep with him.”
“Why not? I could if I wanted to.”
“Sorry, but I have no intention of breaking up with you, no matter who you might like.”
A runner in workout clothes and earphones passed by. To make room, the two of them moved a little closer together.
As they continued walking like that, Song Hyunsoo said,
“That’s why I’m fine now.”
“About what?”
“You were always weak when it came to me, sunbae.”
“Who was?”
“You were. With me.”
“Think whatever you want.”
“You chased after me and asked me out the moment I ran away, didn’t you?”
“……”
“If I went to another guy, you wouldn’t be able to stand it. Not even for five minutes.”
“……”
“No matter what happens, you’ll never let me go.”
Yoon Jooho stopped walking. Song Hyunsoo stopped a couple steps ahead and looked back.
Without letting go of his hand, Yoon Jooho silently gazed at his lover.
A strong wind swept through the tall trees overhead.
It sounded as if, in the midst of that rushing noise, only Yoon Jooho stood facing him.
“I told you, didn’t I.”
“Told me what?”
“That I’m pretty confident in your love for me.”