Chapter 20: The Unraveling

It was uncomfortable just to imagine facing him, but he decided to think of it as a chance to finally and definitively end this relationship that kept threatening to continue.

Yoonseo took a heavy breath and slowly tapped the screen to type a message to Taekyung.

[Hello, this is Choi Yoonseo. I have something to ask. Can we talk for a moment?]

A bitter regret washed over him after he pressed the send button.

But he couldn’t undo what he had already done, so he just tried to calm his breathing.

Time ticked by, but there was no reply from Taekyung.

About five minutes had passed, with him holding his phone tightly and tapping the screen with his thumb every time it was about to go dark.

Then, a call came from the number he had just texted.

Even though he was alone in the small editing room, he felt strangely self-conscious.

Yoonseo let out a slow breath and carefully answered the call.

“…Hello.”

– I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to contact me first, PD-nim.

Taekyung’s first words were in a slightly excited voice, as if he were genuinely surprised.

He could hear someone’s voice in the background, and it seemed he was in a place not suitable for a phone call.

After some rustling and mumbling, all the noise suddenly subsided, and it became quiet.

It seemed Taekyung had moved.

– What did you want to ask?

A moment later, Taekyung’s voice, now much calmer, came through.

But Yoonseo could easily read the underlying interest.

Even though he couldn’t see his face, he could easily imagine the expression he was making.

He would be wearing a mysterious smile, with a hint of playfulness.

His curved lips would be raised high.

The feeling of being drawn into Taekyung’s pace was still uncomfortable, but he tried to ignore it and opened his mouth.

“A few days ago… the PD I saw when we were at the cafe.”

– PD Kim Injun?

Even though he had spoken vaguely, feeling uneasy about mentioning his real name even though he was alone, Taekyung understood immediately.

In a way, that confirmed for him that Taekyung had some connection to Kim Injun’s disappearance.

But Yoonseo didn’t jump to conclusions and continued.

“…Yes. I heard he suddenly didn’t come to work.”

– Really?

Taekyung asked back as if he were hearing it for the first time.

His voice was so nonchalant that he almost fell for it.

If Taekyung hadn’t then uttered a remark tinged with a smile, that is.

– Ah, so you called because you were curious if I really got rid of him.

His face flushed as his inner thoughts were read so accurately.

He felt he would have no excuse if Han Taekyung thought of him as a snob who had been cold to him all along and then suddenly changed his attitude.

As Yoonseo couldn’t even make an excuse and just bit his lip, Taekyung continued in a voice still laced with a smile.

– I’m tempted to tell you, since you contacted me first, but… it’s a bit of a shame to do it over the phone. I have a lot to talk to you about.

“…”

– Shall we have a meal together?

“…A meal?”

Yoonseo, who was bewildered by the unexpected proposal, asked back hesitantly.

Taekyung continued, unfazed.

– It’s not a busy time for me yet, so I can fit into your schedule. When are you free? Hmm… are weekdays busy? Then is the weekend okay? I don’t have anything special this weekend either.

Yoonseo, who had come to his senses after Taekyung’s barrage of questions, quickly parted his lips.

But Taekyung’s voice was a step faster.

– Are you going to refuse again?

A hint of disappointment was in his voice.

– I’ve already helped you twice.

“…”

– And I was going to pay for the meal.

“…”

– Do you dislike me that much?

It was like a child’s whining or a tantrum.

But it was enough to fluster Yoonseo.

“Ah, no. I just wasn’t expecting it…”

– That’s a relief. So, what time are you free?

Taekyung didn’t give him any room to escape.

Yoonseo had encountered many different people, but he had never met someone like Taekyung, who was so difficult to figure out how to deal with.

Just a brief encounter with him felt draining, and now he had to have a meal with him.

It was an unwelcome proposal, but Yoonseo couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Because he knew now that he couldn’t end this relationship by just avoiding it.

“…I’ll check my filming schedule and get back to you.”

– Okay. Don’t make me wait too long.

Taekyung’s gentle voice, laced with a smile, tickled his ear.

Yoonseo, who flinched at the strange feeling of his hands and feet tensing up, hurriedly ended the call with Taekyung.

He turned off the screen and lay back down, letting his exhausted body go completely limp, only letting out intermittent breaths.

A disbelieving laugh came to him belatedly.

Looking back, he had been constantly swayed by Han Taekyung.

Perhaps Taekyung had deliberately waited without contacting him first.

Yoonseo, who sat up with an exaggerated movement to shake off the unpleasant feeling, picked up a piece of paper from his desk.

It was the filming proposal he had printed out in the morning.

After confirming the filming schedule written at the top, Yoonseo gripped his phone with a determined face.

His fingers, which moved diligently, typed a message to Taekyung.

[This weekend should be fine.]

It’s better this way.

Let’s think of it as the last chance to completely end his relationship with Han Taekyung.

Yoonseo, who had comforted himself with that thought, was about to pack his things and leave the editing room when he checked his phone one last time.

Taekyung’s reply had already arrived.

[Then shall we meet for lunch tomorrow?]

After almost finishing getting ready to go out, Yoonseo opened his closet to get dressed and was immediately at a loss.

Most of the clothes hanging in the small built-in closet were casual, easy-to-move-in types.

Even the colors were mostly gray and black, making it look drab.

But his 고민 was short-lived.

Given the location of their meeting, he had no choice but to pick the one coat he had.

The oatmeal-colored coat that Yoonchan had bought him two winters ago still looked new, as he had only worn it a few times.

Yoonseo took out the coat and carefully placed it on the bed, then checked the time.

There was about an hour and a half left until their meeting time at 1.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he checked the message Taekyung had sent again.

[See you at the 7th-floor lobby of the Younghyeon Hotel at 1.]

At first, Taekyung had asked for his address, saying he would pick him up.

But Yoonseo had firmly refused.

He was reluctant to give out his address, and he didn’t want to spend more time with him.

Fortunately, instead of being stubborn, Taekyung had given him the location.

Yoonseo opened his navigation app and set the destination to the Younghyeon Hotel.

The recommended route had many red sections.

After confirming that the estimated travel time was 50 minutes, he then checked the subway schedule.

That also took about 50 minutes.

It’s the weekend, so parking will definitely be a hassle.

The Jamsil area is also complicated, so it’s better to leave the car.

Yoonseo decided to take the subway and put on his coat.

It took some time to walk from his house to the station, and although it didn’t seem difficult to find his way, he concluded that it would be better to leave early, considering it was his first time there.

As Yoonseo was about to leave the house after grabbing his wallet and phone, he paused for a moment at the entrance.

It was because he couldn’t remember taking his suppressants after waking up this morning.

Yoonseo turned back and headed for the refrigerator.

As he hurriedly swallowed the pill with water, he noticed that the number of pills left in the container had decreased significantly compared to when he had last checked.

A decrease in pills meant that his check-up date was approaching, and it also meant that his heat cycle was not far off.

“…It’ll be okay.”

Muttering a weak reassurance to himself, Yoonseo put the water bottle back in the refrigerator.

It’s not far off, but the symptoms aren’t appearing right now.

Yoonseo, who had calmed his restless stomach with a deep breath, left the house.

The sky was a dazzling blue, but his body shivered at the cold that pierced through to his bones.

But breathing in the crisp air made his chest feel refreshed and cool, so it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Come to think of it, he wondered when the last time he had gone out for a personal appointment, not for work, was.

Ever since he had come up to Seoul alone for college, he only had memories of living a busy life, even cutting back on sleep.

At least in college, he had kept in touch with his high school friends here and there, but now, worn down by reality, that had also been cut off for a long time.

It had been even longer since he had seen their faces.

But to think that the person he was meeting after a long time was not an old friend, but Han Taekyung.

It felt so unreal that only a hollow laugh came out.

I have to maintain my composure no matter what Han Taekyung says.

I have to respond calmly, without being at a loss for words or flustered.

Yoonseo chided himself for getting so sharp only in front of Taekyung and repeated it to himself several times.

Today will be the end of my connection with Han Taekyung.

Thinking that he was heading to a place to end it all, Yoonseo hurried his steps toward the subway station.

Thinking that, the steps he took forward felt a little lighter.