7.
Outside the hospital building, the smoking area at the end of a small walking trail was surrounded by trees. The cicadas were loudly making noise as if they knew summer was coming to an end. Thanks to that, it was possible to momentarily forget that they were in the middle of the city.
In the smoking area with a roof, there were about five or six benches, but perhaps due to the midday heat, there were only three people smoking, including Yongjae.
Yongjae stared at two people sitting on a bench diagonally across from him. They were guys in patient gowns, giggling while holding a cigarette between their fingers and looking at a phone. They didn’t look any older than sixteen or seventeen, and both had bleached yellow hair.
Having lived a strict communal life as a baseball player in high school, Yongjae’s fists clenched whenever he witnessed such scenes. Even if they smoked, he wanted to lecture them that it’s not something to be proud of. His personality, which was usually described as overly gentle to a fault, found it hard to stay calm in such situations.
“Let it go. Kids these days won’t listen to you.”
“…”
Someone pressed down on his shoulder and then sat down next to him with a thump. It was CEO Im. How did he know what I was about to do? Yongjae glanced at CEO Im with his eyes narrowed to slits.
“Those kinds of kids won’t be scared even by your size. They live without fear.”
Taking off his jacket and pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, CEO Im loosened his tie’s knot. The heat must have been annoying as his already fierce-looking face was deeply furrowed.
“What did the doctor say?”
“There’s nothing wrong with the test results.”
“Then why…”
Lighting the cigarette, CEO Im blew out a long stream of smoke and replied lethargically.
“The doctor said that even if there’s nothing wrong physically, it can still happen. The mind is like that, and he went on a long and complicated explanation…”
He took another drag from the filtered cigarette and continued.
“Anyway, it’s a relief that there’s nothing wrong. Chances are high that it will naturally improve over time.”
“…”
“Don’t stress him out too much. Don’t keep pushing him.”
“What do you mean by not pushing?”
“If he insists he’s Choi Hong-seo, don’t deny it and just let him be.”
CEO Im tilted his head as he aggressively chewed the filter, staring at Yongjae’s stone-like profile as he nodded.
“But you know…”
“Yes.”
“Why of all people, Choi Hong-seo?”
“…”
“Did Hye-an have any connection with Choi Hong-seo? Were they close without me knowing?”
Yongjae shook his head. He looked puzzled himself.
“No, they just exchanged greetings a few times while crossing paths on music shows before you left ‘Titan’. And even that wasn’t often.”
“Even though Choi Hong-seo was doing well back then, he wasn’t a top star. Hye-an wouldn’t have been jealous of someone who wasn’t a top star… I just don’t get why, of all people, it’s Choi Hong-seo, whom he didn’t know well.”
“Come to think of it, there were some rumors going around that they look alike.”
“Were there? Do they look alike? I can’t really tell.”
CEO Im tilted his head more, looking even more puzzled.
“Both have youthful appearances, and their facial features look cold but become cute when they smile. Maybe that’s why people think they resemble each other.”
CEO Im looked unconvinced.
“When did Hye-an even smile, even fake smiles, in front of the camera? Ever since he met President Jo, he sat anywhere with his mouth shut, acting aloof. His image is entirely different from Choi Hong-seo, who did everything asked on various programs to get the group noticed.”
Sneering, CEO Im brought the filter to his lips. He took a drag and expelled the smoke along with his next words.
“Well, Choi Hong-seo was also X under that refreshingly pretty face. Thinking of what Choi Hong-seo did behind the scenes with that face, they might be alike.”
“Still, Choi Hong-seo was concluded to be a victim, wasn’t he?”
“Do you trust the court’s verdict? Just because the court says he’s a victim means he is? There must’ve been a reason he ended up at a host bar; truly innocent kids wouldn’t be in that kind of environment in the first place.”
“Well, yeah, but… not being innocent isn’t a crime, after all.”
“What kind of nonsense are you saying now.”
Im’s unfriendly gaze swept up and down Yongjae.
“It’s common knowledge that the owner of that host bar, Mr. Myung, carefully planned and lured him in. Even after that, Mr. Myung cornered him step by step. With all his weaknesses caught, he had no way to escape. Choi Hong-seo wasn’t the only one who fell for his trap.”
“When did you start talking about things step by step and get all educated?”
“Well, I watched closely because it happened in the industry I work in. Just because someone works in the entertainment industry doesn’t mean they deserve to be exploited.”
Clicking his tongue and shaking his head, CEO Im responded to Yongjae’s timid protest.
“You’re too soft, that’s your problem. How will being so kind help in this field?”
Then, as if it didn’t matter anymore, he squinted his eyes and took another drag of his cigarette.
“Anyway, the point is, why Choi Hong-seo out of the blue?”
“Because Hye-an had so much pride in his appearance, people often said they looked alike. Even though it bothered him a bit, it wasn’t serious. There wasn’t any significant interaction.”
“If he’s going to insist he’s someone else, I wish his personality would change too.”
It was a brief sigh of relief when Yoon Hye-an regained consciousness.
In the past few days, the patient insisted that he was not Yoon Hye-an but Choi Hong-seo. He cried, shouted in anger, and pleaded to be believed. Due to that, he had to undergo all sorts of detailed brain examinations and psychological tests.
“After a few days of this, I’m starting to think he was better off just lying there with his eyes closed.”
CEO Im stood up from the bench, mumbling a short curse. How could he say such frightening words? Glancing at Im’s broad back, Yongjae also got up.
As he picked up the jacket he had draped over the bench and gave it a shake, CEO Im suddenly turned towards the two guys on the bench across.
“Students.”
The two boys, who had been holding their phones, looked reflexively over. CEO Im smiled and pointed to the cigarette butts on the ground with his chin.
“Cigarette butts should go in the ashtray.”
“…”
“Quickly?”
The kids frowned. It wasn’t that they were being told not to smoke but to throw the butts in the ashtray. They looked bewildered. Alternating glances at the two burly men, they reluctantly picked up the butts and threw them in the ashtray.
Satisfied, CEO Im smiled and started walking toward the hospital building. Sometimes I just don’t get him. Shaking his head, Yongjae followed.
When they went up to the hospital room, the patient was standing in front of the window-side cabinet, rummaging through the drawers. CEO Im carefully entered the room, trying not to provoke him.
“Hye-a… No, fine, Hong-seo. How are you feeling today?”
Choi Hong-seo stopped and stared at CEO Im’s face. No matter how much he insisted he was not Yoon Hye-an but Choi Hong-seo, no one had listened to him in the past few days.
Even the face he saw in the mirror was undoubtedly Yoon Hye-an’s.
Now, even he began to wonder if he might be crazy. Maybe I am really Yoon Hye-an, but the accident caused something to go wrong, making me firmly believe I am Choi Hong-seo? Such thoughts crossed his mind.
But then, why could he remember every detail about Choi Hong-seo so clearly? His birthdate, family relations, debut date, and career matched perfectly with what he found online and his own memories.
In contrast, he had no memories of Yoon Hye-an.
All he had were basic information and rumors that he’d heard from here and there as someone in the same industry. Going through Yoon Hye-an’s Wikipedia page meticulously didn’t jog any memories either.
However, one thing had become clear to Choi Hong-seo after a few days.
No matter how much he claimed he wasn’t Yoon Hye-an and even if he detailed everything about Choi Hong-seo, no one was going to see him as anyone other than Yoon Hye-an.
That might be inevitable.
Who would believe that someone else’s soul could inhabit somebody’s body?
He himself would think the person was not in their right mind if someone made such a claim. It was a story that wouldn’t even make it onto quirky TV entertainment shows. He was lucky not to be locked up in a mental hospital.
So he had changed his mind.
Even if he wrote down every detail of Choi Hong-seo’s life and showed it to them, it wouldn’t change their minds. It would just become proof that he was a stalker of Choi Hong-seo.
“I want to be discharged.”
“Discharged? Why?”
“My body is fine, and there’s nothing wrong with my head, so there’s no reason to stay. Hospital bills are a waste too.”
