13.
“That’s interesting. Did you interpret the scene yourself?”
“Yes.”
“I haven’t seen an actor express Lebedev trying to persuade Nikolai that way. Most actors tend to deliver it more like… a speech to evoke Nikolai’s passion. But it’s unique how you expressed it with such regret, Hye-an Yoon.”
“Even though Nikolai receives the passionate and pure love of Sasha, he remains in a state of lethargy. He feels that no joy in life can save him… I thought that maybe Lebedev might feel a deep sense of pity.”
“Hmm… I see, well done. Does anyone else have any questions?”
Thankfully, the director’s expression wasn’t bad.
“Do you like Anton Chekhov?”
This time, it was Hae-sung Lee’s question. And before Hong-seo Choi could answer, he added aggressively.
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
“I wouldn’t say I love him, but I’ve practiced his works a lot. I know that other actors besides me also handle Anton Chekhov’s works frequently. After all, he is a very famous writer.”
There was no noticeable change in his face after hearing the answer. That lack of change actually revealed his low spirits. He seemed to dislike everything about ‘Hye-an Yoon’ standing in front of him.
Folding his fingers to ease his nerves like Hong-seo Choi, choosing Anton Chekhov’s works like Hong-seo Choi.
“You knew in advance that this role originally belonged to Hong-seo Choi, right?”
“…Yes.”
“So, did you refer to Hong-seo Choi?”
“……”
“To put it bluntly, I’m asking if you calculated that mimicking him would be advantageous.”
He was using rather strong words. He didn’t raise his voice at all, but the displeasure he felt was fully conveyed.
Only then did he realize that being hated by him made his whole body ache.
On the outside, he was Hye-an Yoon, but everything else was Hong-seo Choi. Memories, habits, preferences, skills, and even the heart to love someone.
From beginning to end. He had never seen such cold eyes from Hae-sung Lee looking at him.
He had always cautiously, warmly, generously, and lovingly looked at Hye-an with eyes full of affection. He had never received any other kind of gaze from him. The pain he was giving now was so unfamiliar.
“I just acted according to my feelings. I did not mimic.”
Trying to look into his eyes and answer calmly, his voice was trembling as he held back his sorrow.
His lips pursed, and his gaze easily shifted away from Hong-seo Choi. As if no longer interested or curious. As if it was not worth it. He put down his pen, leaned back, and crossed his arms tightly. Then he spoke in an even voice.
“If there are no more questions from others, let’s move on to the designated role.”
Sorrow, huh.
Even when indifferent parents only reacted to the money he earned, even when he was used and threatened by President Myung, he had never felt such an emotion.
Sorrow, to Hong-seo Choi, was a privileged emotion that only children who received an overwhelming amount of love could feel. An indulgence that could not allow even a momentary shift of interest and affection away from oneself. An emotion exclusive to those children who always took such love for granted.
And so, for the first time in his life, he felt sorrow at Hae-sung Lee’s coldness. Hae-sung Lee was the only person who could make Choi feel sorrow.
As soon as the car left the hotel’s underground parking lot, Hae-sung Lee reached for the cigarette pack stored in the armrest. The way he took out a cigarette was slower than usual, as if deeply lost in thought.
Resemblance, he thought.
That thought did not occur to him at all.
The face with a gentle forehead and cheeks but a sharp jawline, eyes that seemed mild yet intense, skin that was not simply fair but translucent. Comparing individual characteristics one by one might make them seem similar, but there were countless people in the entertainment industry with such features.
Looking out the window but not actually seeing anything, Lee’s eyes squinted. His cheeks hollowed deeply as he took a deeper puff than usual.
Seeing the fingers fold one by one while taking a deep breath, he could no longer maintain his composure. It was an old habit of Hong-seo Choi, and one that had transferred to Hae-sung as well.
It was a well-known routine among fans, and it wasn’t particularly peculiar. It was something that could definitely overlap. When he tried to convince himself of this, Hye-an Yoon started performing Anton Chekhov’s work.
It wasn’t about being similar to Hong-seo Choi; it could only be thought of as deliberately imitating him.
Am I reacting too sensitively?
The fact that Hong-seo Choi had performed Anton Chekhov’s work on the day they first met was only known to those present in that drawing room. Information might have leaked from one of them, but, well, it could have been an unexpectedly coincidental series of events.
Although he tried to think this way, the discomfort didn’t seem to easily subside.
It felt as if the actor had stolen Hong-seo’s inherent uniqueness. It felt as if even his memories were taken away, and just like a precious cake he could only gaze at without touching, someone cruelly forked it without a second thought.
As he flicked off the half-burnt ash, Lee spoke in a tired voice.
“Director.”
“Yes, Vice President?”
Director Kang, who was in the passenger seat, turned halfway and answered.
“About actor Hye-an Yoon.”
“Yes.”
“Was he close to Hong-seo?”
“No. I did not see such a name on the list.”
There was no way Director Kang would remember the information incorrectly.
During the trial related to the ‘Xhoon Scandal,’ separate from the prosecution’s investigation, Lee had instructed Director Kang to meticulously investigate Hong-seo and his surroundings. Just in case the trial took an unfavorable turn for Hong-seo, they intended to gather as much evidence as possible.
Relationships with family, few close acquaintances, and colleagues he had worked with in the past.
They had also contacted President Myung of UB Entertainment, who was on trial under custody. At that time, Myung Doo-hun, having been completely betrayed by Executive Director Lee Seo-kyung and having no support, readily gave information to Hae-sung’s side. Myung might have hoped this would help reduce his sentence, and he might have sought revenge on Executive Director Lee for betraying him.
‘Not all parents are the same. Some abandon their children without a care. There are more of such parents than people think. When I hear about kids like that from the players, I tell them to bring them once. Let them have a drink and sing a song in the bar. If there’s a kid who looks like a valuable asset, we treat them well. Not as a host, but just as a friendly older brother. This removes any reluctance they might have about visiting the bar.’
President Myung had opened up like that.
He said such methods were not uncommon in that field. Although there were plenty of self-proclaimed ‘players’ seeking work, the ones who genuinely brought in money, the ‘sellable players,’ were rare. To find the pearl in the mud, they didn’t just sit and wait.
‘We start by inviting them to hang out. Have them bring their friends, have a drink, sing some songs, and enjoy themselves. Then, if there’s a kid who seems like they can bring in big money, we treat them exceptionally well. Not as a host, but just as a friendly older brother. This removes any hesitation about coming to the bar.’
Among the kids Myung spotted as potential big earners was the unfortunate Hong-seo Choi.
‘By the time they’ve lost any resistance to the nightlife, we suddenly claim we’re short on players and ask them to help just this once. Just to make up the numbers. So, because they like the older brother and don’t want to let him down, they help willingly at first. And then we give them as much money for their week-long cafe waitressing as a tip. A token of gratitude.’
That’s how they gradually, step by step, lead them into the trap they had carefully laid, without the kids even realizing.
‘We don’t put in the effort for just anyone. We handpick the high-class kids who seem like they could be milked to the bone by VIPs. If a VIP specifically picks a kid, then the grooming begins. It’s safer that way. It’s not illegal, and it doesn’t seem coercive on the surface, so VIPs prefer it. On the surface, it looks like the kids willingly walked into the nightlife and fell right into our mouths; there’s nothing illegal about it.’
And in the recording Director Kang brought, President Myung added the following.
‘The one Lee Seo-kyung picked was Hong-seo.’
