MHD - 3

“Heesoo.”

Jaehyuk, who had pulled Heesoo outside the villa, remained silent for a while.

The night had deepened, and each exhale turned into a white mist that disappeared into the cold air.

Hah...

As he took a deep breath, the long exhale soaked the night air and vanished, but Heesoo stayed silent.

“...Don’t come to places like this anymore.”

The first words Jaehyuk managed to speak after a long sigh were a feeble warning. As much as he hated to admit it, there was nothing money couldn’t buy, and that included people.

Of course, this was only true when Heesoo had put herself up for sale.

Whatever had driven Heesoo to this place, if the root of it wasn’t resolved, it was obvious that she would be dragged back to such places again tomorrow, or the day after.

Jaehyuk didn’t want to worry about that just yet. Actually, he didn’t want to know.

If possible, he wanted to pretend tonight had never happened. There was no point in dragging things out. If he did, only pain would remain. Heesoo was a person of the past.

Maybe it was better to see the current Heesoo as someone entirely different from the past. That way, if he thought of his first love as already dead, he could stop caring about whatever she did now.

Amidst the complicated thoughts that felt like they might explode his head, Heesoo spoke up.

“It’s none of your business.”

It was a habit of hers that reminded him of old times. Jaehyuk couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh in this absurd situation. It was a laugh full of frustration.

In truth, Heesoo didn’t call him “oppa” unless it was a situation where it was disadvantageous for her. With just a one-year age difference, she never called him that, always addressing him as “you” in a defiant tone.

“Now it’s ‘you’? When you used to call me oppa when I was trying to stop you.”

Jaehyuk clicked his tongue and looked at Heesoo, who stood before him.

Her pretty features and figure were just as he remembered. No, actually, she seemed even thinner than the Heesoo he remembered. Her hollow face and pale complexion looked almost translucent.

As far as he could recall, until just a few years ago, Heesoo had been at the center of South Korea.

But looking at her now, the Heesoo standing before him was like a drenched mouse, pitiful and pathetic.

What happened to you?

He wanted to ask, but he didn’t. She was not the type to give an answer willingly.

She still had the same temper, proven by her slapping Donghwan twice. But how did she end up here? What had pushed Heesoo into this situation?

But whatever it was, she would somehow manage, as always.

Jaehyuk tried to cut off the thoughts that were tangling in his mind. Even a brief encounter like this was enough; any more would be dangerous.

“You shouldn’t be saying that to the person who saved you and took a punch for you.”

He said it in a tone that tried to sound nonchalant, as if it didn’t matter to him anymore.

He spoke with a faint smile, as if joking with an old friend, his stance one that dismissed her situation entirely.

But even after his words, Heesoo kept her head down, not meeting his gaze.

It must have been humiliating. For someone like the proud Heesoo, this reunion, after ten years, had turned into a gathering of worn-out people at a drinking party.

“If you have nothing to say, go. You didn’t think I was expecting a warm reunion after disappearing like that, did you? Especially after showing up at a place like this.”

Despite throwing a farewell-like statement, Jaehyuk still didn’t turn his back.

The more time he spent facing Heesoo, the more he hesitated in her presence.

“I’m leaving.”

The final words were more for himself than for her. It was a promise to walk away, to stop being tangled in her gaze and head on his own way.

“Hey, oppa.”

For a moment, as he heard her call him “oppa,” the past washed over him like a wave, soaking his entire body.

He recalled the young Heesoo, who would call him “oppa” and smile shyly whenever things weren’t going her way.

Ha, what an idiot.

His unavoidable feelings made his steps heavy once again. When he raised his gaze to look at Heesoo, she was looking elsewhere.

Following where her gaze landed, he saw the Starcraft van hidden in the shadow of an alley. And in front of it, a large man was smoking a cigarette.

“Will you stay with me just tonight?”

“Why?”

“I can’t go like this.”

“Go where?”

“...I can’t go home. I have to stay out all night... I need to get inside.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It was an audition, but it’s obvious I didn’t get the role. I think I need to buy some time...”

Hah.

Heesoo, who had been nervously shifting her eyes, looked back at Jaehyuk. He, as if to shake off her gaze, forced a smile, curling one corner of his mouth.

“How did you end up like this? Now you’re even being followed around by a bodyguard.”

“...That’s how it happened.”

“Always giving me vague answers... As usual, you’re living recklessly, just like back then.”

Should he listen or not? Jaehyuk kept a calm, nonchalant expression on his face.

As a boy, he used to be swayed by every word Heesoo said, but now, he stood at a position where he was being considered as the head of a group.

Yet...

Although he wasn’t the same Lee Jaehyuk as before, Heesoo probably wasn’t the same Heesoo either.

So why was his heart racing so much at her request to spend the night together?

What a complete idiot.

He had mocked the many women who had been called to Donghwan’s drinking party as dirty, yet now he gave Heesoo a free pass, as if it was nothing.

Whatever her circumstances were, he would no doubt find countless ways to justify it.

One word from you and everything I’ve built falls apart, Heesoo.

Jaehyuk kicked a small stone at his feet, then called out to Heesoo, gesturing toward his car.

“Let’s go. Get in my car.”

As Heesoo started moving toward his car, the man who had been hidden in the shadow of the alley rushed over. When he had closed half the distance between them, Jaehyuk raised his palm to stop him.

“How far are you planning to follow? Are you going to watch over me even when I’m in bed?”

The manager, looking irritated by Jaehyuk’s tone, furrowed his brow.

“Where are you taking Heesoo-noona?”

“Forget it. Send a car to Yeonwoonam Hotel tomorrow morning.”

Jaehyuk gave his orders firmly, then, as he turned to leave, added one more sentence.

“No, wait until Heesoo contacts you. Don’t call unnecessarily.”

Even with Jaehyuk’s words, the manager couldn’t hide his worried expression as he looked at Heesoo.

“Yunseok, he’s someone I’ve known for a long time. It’s fine.”

When Heesoo spoke in her soft voice to clarify, the manager’s expression finally softened, and he relaxed.

“Unnie, I’ll wait at the hotel. Contact me.”

The manager politely bowed to Heesoo and turned toward the van.

“He’s a good person. You didn’t have to treat him like that.”

Once Jaehyuk got in the car, Heesoo, already inside, protested in a calm voice. Despite the clear protest in her tone, she kept her voice level, so it didn’t upset him.

Without realizing it, Jaehyuk almost responded with an “Okay, sorry,” but he bit his lip and swallowed it.

Even though it had been ten years since their reunion, her way of addressing him was as natural as if they had met yesterday. Just a few minutes ago, she couldn’t even make eye contact, yet now she was acting as if nothing had changed.

It was the same face he remembered—the face that immediately rejected his confession.

That indifferent face, which had torn his heart apart with such disregard for his feelings.

He had never forgotten that face because he hated it.

Seeing it again in front of him now, Jaehyuk was involuntarily reminded of who she was back then.

Heesoo was a woman with this strange quality.

He hated her, he hated her so much, yet that made him obsess over her even more.

How have I lived since that day?

Jaehyuk, not wanting to continue the conversation, sealed his lips.

Heesoo didn’t speak again either, sensing his silence. The car was filled with an uncomfortable stillness, and even the sharp-eyed Manager Oh kept quiet.

As the car left the outskirts of Namyangju and entered the highway, Jaehyuk deliberately avoided looking at Heesoo. He knew she was stealing glances at him, but he pretended not to notice.

If their eyes met, he was certain unnecessary words would spill out.

“Go back home,” that kind of thing.

But once the thought crossed his mind, it kept rising in his throat, teasing him. Jaehyuk clenched his jaw, trying to suppress it, but in the end, he blurted it out.

“If you’re going to go to that kind of place, at least take my call.”

“I’ll get out.”

She probably didn’t mean to get out, but as she grabbed the door handle, Heesoo’s expression froze in an instant.

It was as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have, her face filled with horror.

“It was just a careless remark. Forget it.”

It didn’t really need to be said, but Jaehyuk maintained a nonchalant expression, trying not to show surprise. Then, he turned his face toward the opposite side and looked out the window.

The car, just exiting the highway, entered the shadow of the city’s night. As always, the flashing billboards lit up in vibrant colors, but the atmosphere still felt dull and boring.

Through the reflective window, Heesoo’s face appeared in glimpses. She was staring at him silently as he turned his head away.

Jaehyuk didn’t look at her again until the car reached the hotel.

The Yeonwoonam Hotel had a suite on the top floor that Jaehyuk used as an office-cum-temporary accommodation whenever he returned to Korea.

Although he hadn’t officially set up a residence in Seoul yet, it was where he planned to stay tonight—but tonight, he intended to give it to Heesoo.

The spacious suite, which took up about half of the top floor, was bigger than most apartments. It was so large, it almost seemed vast.

When Heesoo entered the room, she hesitated, walking to the window. She stood there for a moment, gazing at the cityscape below, then muttered to herself.

“This room seems too expensive.”

“It’s where you’re staying.”

The words came out habitually.

Since the moment the name Seo Heesoo was etched into his mind, Jaehyuk had always left the best for her. Always, without exception.

“You’ll have it.”

“You’ll eat it.”

“I’ll keep it by your side.”

The words, which he had said like a habit in the past, slipped out without thinking. They were words that brought back memories of just the two of them.

For a moment, he hesitated, but Jaehyuk didn’t bother to explain further, brushing it off as if it was nothing.

But from that point on, Heesoo’s expression twisted in some way.