Come Back

My fingers were trembling as I opened my recent call log. There was only one person on the list. Mr. Carrot Seller.

“Put it on speakerphone.”

He raised his head at the commanding voice. President Cho, sitting loosely next to Park Dong-ha and diagonally across from Choi Hong-seo, tapped his fingers on the cell phone on which the video was playing.

“You know? With just one finger, the video is shared right away. Let’s do it right.”

Then finally I stopped the video.

Choi Hong-seo, who put his phone down on the table, tried to call the ‘carrot seller’. He didn’t even have time to count the number on his fingers. He must have been waiting for the call to come down to the restaurant, because he heard his voice before the signal even went through.

[hello.]

“It’s me.”

I didn’t add, “Mister.” That was a nickname for Choi Hong-seo, not a title, and I had no intention of telling them that.

[Yeah, I know.]

It was a calm and affectionate voice, as usual.

“Um… Can I talk to Dong-ha alone today? I’ll introduce the vice president later.”

[Why? Didn’t the conversation go well?]

“No, on the contrary. The conversation went better than I expected. Today, I thought I could hear Dong-ha’s story and resolve any misunderstandings… I’m sorry for coming all the way here with you. But… is that okay?”

Surprisingly, I didn’t feel any anxiety in my voice or tone at all. On the contrary, the thin knit he had chosen for me was becoming damp with cold sweat.

[If the baby wants to do it, then do it.]

“I won’t move. Let’s talk a bit more here… and then I’ll go straight to my room.”

[Okay. I’ll wait.]

“yes.”

[…don’t be too late. I’ll be waiting.]

After a moment of hesitation, he carefully urged them. He didn’t care that they were listening, and he didn’t care that Lee Hae-seong couldn’t see him. Choi Hong-seo nodded, and a soft, enveloping voice followed.

[I don’t have anywhere else I want to go. I’ll stay here. You know that, baby?]

“Yes, I know. I’ll be there on time.”

This time, Choi Hong-seo nodded and answered. Even though he probably didn’t know the situation here, his voice kept getting choked up by the conversation that seemed to hint at something. After finishing the call, Choi Hong-seo wiped the cold sweat from his face with the napkin that was on his plate.

“baby?”

As soon as the call ended, I heard President Cho’s laughter.

“Are you kidding me, coming from the mouth of the world’s greatest, Hae-seong? Hey… Yoon Hye-an is a kid. The kid froze to death. Or, what, was she playing a game or something?”

He couldn’t tell if the nausea he was feeling now was because of ‘that symptom’ or because of President Cho’s disgust. Choi Hong-seo clenched his teeth and endured the nausea that was building up, twisting the napkin tightly with both hands on his lap.

“Oh, now that I think about it. Compared to how much he acts cool, I guess Lee Hae-seong is a bit of a slut in bed. I know who Lee Hae-seong used to be before you. He was just as much of a slut there as you are.”

“You know, Mr. Cho, that wiping it with a rag is ultimately just dirty waste, right?”

President Cho, resting his elbows on the table and lightly clasping his hands in front of his lips, chuckled.

“If you are a rag, are you saying I am filth? Our Hyean, who came back from the dead, has improved considerably in metaphorical skills.”

“……”

“Then what, do you think Understanding is like a washing machine that washes that rag clean? If I’m filthy, then that kid is filthy too.”

“They say that what you see is what you get.”

In an instant, the smile disappeared from President Cho’s face. With cold eyes, President Cho tapped the screen of his phone and played the video again.

“Yoon Hye-an, can’t you read the mood?”

The shrill, false screams that were made by a voice that was exactly like his current self were terrifying. As if his hearing was being tortured, Choi Hong-seo distorted his face in pain.

“This Sunday. By 9 p.m., bring Lee Hae-seong to my villa in Yeoju. Dong-ha will send you the location.”

“You told me not to come here, and now you’re telling me to bring you out again?”

“Without any bodyguards or escorts. All you have to do is bring Lee Hae-seong there. If you do that, this footage won’t be leaked.”

“How can you believe that?”

“My target is not you, but understanding. What would I gain by fighting with worthless kids like you, right?”

President Cho put his arm around the shoulder of Park Dong-ha, who was sitting next to him. Then, he kissed Park Dong-ha’s cheek, which was trembling with a face that was pale and blue, so loud that it made a sound. Park Dong-ha didn’t react at all to whatever President Cho did. He looked like he had lost his mind.

President Cho let go of Park Dong-ha’s body, which was tilted and staggering, picked up a fork from the neatly placed cutlery, and struck the end of it on the table.

“I know that the only thing I have been doing is that I have a good thing to do.”

There were two or three instances where Choi Hong-seo personally witnessed President Cho being publicly humiliated by Lee Hae-seong. It was the same at the first meeting with Lee Hae-seong, and it was even more thoroughly crushed at the production decision party. After that, President Cho completely withdrew from the investment in . But of course, all of this was the result of President Cho’s own actions.

President Cho, who had been gnashing his teeth at Lee Hae-seong, had found an opportunity for revenge through Yoon Hye-an. It was obvious that he wasn’t just going to ask for money. This man was going to humiliate Lee Hae-seong.

It was almost laughable in a situation that was exactly the same as before death. Whether it was a video of being forcibly raped or a video of going to a sponsor and filming it on one’s own, it could all end up being the same tool of blackmail. Furthermore, the fact that those videos were holding Lee Hae-seong back was the same.

There is nothing he can take from me. His only goal is to destroy him through me. With his eyes growing hot and cold, Choi Hong-seo held on tight, trying not to lose consciousness.

“It’s a very quiet and uninhabited place overlooking the Namhan River. No one would know if something happened there. I think our Hyean-i just went there to get some fresh air for a day.”

“Let’s do it on Saturday.”

“As expected, Yoon Hye-an. So refreshing.”

President Cho nodded with a smile, as if he had expected it to be the case.

“I have an important schedule on Sunday.”

On Sunday, I was supposed to go to America with Lee Hae-seong. Whatever plans President Cho had made, Lee Hae-seong had no intention of ruining the plans he had prepared for himself because of this guy. He would never do that.

This time, President Cho even shook his shoulders and laughed.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s right. She’s destined to become the nation’s porn star, but is it a big deal that she’s dating Lee Hae-seong right now? It’s fortunate that someone like Yoon Hye-an isn’t a global star yet.”

As the satisfied laughter subsided somewhat, President Cho put down the fork as if tossing it down.

“Hye-an, Yun Hye-an.”

The friendly voice and expression added to the abomination.

“I mean, I thought you were just a brat with a pretty face and a bad temper. You don’t have the brains to play in the big picture, you’re not good at anything, and you’re just really greedy.”

“……”

“But who would have thought that you would bring me this opportunity, huh?”

President Cho looked genuinely happy. He lifted the glass of water he had filled to the brim to eye level as if to congratulate them, took a few sips, and then put it down.

“This is why people need to prepare supporting documents in advance. I guess there was no video. Even if Hyean had given birth to Haeseong, she would have just sucked her thumb. Dongha, you too, Inma. Take note. This is a life lesson that will become your blood and flesh.”

President Cho tapped Park Dong-ha on the back, tilted his head, and looked at him with a completely different atmosphere than before.

“But Hyean-ah, you’re still holding back because of something that happened in the past, right?”

Sighs of difficulty followed.

“You know. I can’t date anyone after they turn twenty-five. But you’re so young that I made an exception and dated you for a long time.”

“……”

“What are you going to do, jumping off a bridge because your sponsor changed to someone else? What are you going to do if you do that shit? Are you hoping that I’ll feel guilty or something? Do I look like the kind of person who would do that? You really don’t care about others.”

Tsk tsk, President Cho, who had been clicking his tongue and pointing his finger, took another sip of water and got up from his seat. Park Dong-ha, who had been sitting there in a daze, suddenly got up, causing his chair to fall over. President Cho looked back at Park Dong-ha, who was helping him up, and clicked his tongue again.

It’s almost over. If I just hold on a little longer, I can go back to Hae-seong. Choi Hong-seo was wringing out his napkin while repeating that to himself.

“Yoon Hye-an, let’s do well together?”

President Cho put down his glass of water and waved his cell phone.

“I don’t know if your memory has been completely wiped out or not, but do you remember my temper? If you ask me to, I will.”

It seemed like he would lose consciousness if he let his guard down even for a moment, but Choi Hong-seo never took his eyes off President Cho until the very end. President Cho, who had put his cell phone in his jacket pocket and seemed about to leave the room, suddenly approached Choi Hong-seo.

President Cho’s hand gently brushed back Choi Hong-seo’s sweaty hair.

“What did I do to make you sweat like this? It makes people weak-hearted. You’re not the type of person to be bothered by something like this.”

The gaze that looked down on him was disgusting. It was a gaze that Choi Hong-seo knew all too well. A concentration of lust that evaluated and coveted himself only as a means to satisfy his desires. Ugh, ugh. He didn’t actually vomit, but it was hard to hold back the rumbling. He had to tilt his head forward and groan, ugh.

Ignoring that, President Cho this time grabbed Choi Hong-seo’s chin and lifted it up.

“Is it because you think it’s understandable? I used to eat a lot of it and throw it away, but it still looks sweet to me.”

The thumb that was holding his chin swept over his lower lip as if crushing it. Choi Hong-seo shook his head and shook the hand off. He glared at me with red, feverish eyes while gasping for hot, rough breath.

Looking down at the sight, President Cho smiled briefly.

“I bit and sucked on this taste once.”

President Cho, with one hand in his pants pocket, put his arm around Park Dong-ha’s shoulder and left the private room. He was finally alone.

Taking a deep breath and releasing the tension in his stomach and chest, Choi Hong-seo collapsed. He slowly turned his head to the right as if being led by something. Outside the window, the hazy night fog was still covering the world dimly. Still, still, it was rain, not snow. He wanted to see the snow with him. The snow he was waiting for was still there.

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