SDM 27

“Why a new phone? Did you lose it?”

“No. I need one that can record calls.”

“Why now, after all this time?”

Since his manager and the company took care of all work-related matters, Sang-hyun didn’t particularly need such an advanced phone.

“Did something happen? Like a legal dispute…?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions.”

Sang-hyun’s manager was good in all respects except for his tendency to assume the worst from a single incident. They went to a nearby store where Sang-hyun chose the latest Ryu Shin Electronics smartphone and connected it to his personal phone number.

“Why do you need call recording?”

“…I have something to check.”

“What is it?”

“……”

After staring at his manager silently for a moment, Sang-hyun gave him a task as well.

“Find out more about Ryu Chae-yoon for me.”

He wasn’t sure how much a mere manager could discover about a chaebol’s pampered youngest son, but still.

“Ryu Chae-yoon? Don’t you see him more often these days? At school, I mean.”

“I need things I can’t ask directly.”

“Well… alright. Oh, wait, here’s the Ryu Shin Electronics CF draft, and the ‘Orbit Collision’ script is out too, so I brought it.”

The manager pulled two file folders from his bag and handed them to Sang-hyun. Sang-hyun pushed aside the CF draft and opened the script.

“Didn’t they say the production would be delayed due to script revisions?”

“The schedule hasn’t changed, or so they say. It’s just a draft, so it might be revised… they also said to let them know if you have any suggestions for changes.”

Sang-hyun passed through the villa gate and sat on a nearby garden chair. Knowing he wouldn’t move until he had thoroughly read and digested the script, the manager left Sang-hyun briefly to buy coffee. As expected, Sang-hyun read the script, moving only his hands and eyes. Then he chuckled.

“Is there something funny?”

“Looks like Director Lee Junho really took a liking to Ryu Chae-yoon.”

“Oh?”

The role had been significantly modified. Ryu Chae-yoon’s role was originally ambiguous – too impactful for a bit part but too small for a supporting role. Now its identity had been completely changed, appearing almost until the end with a much greater impact.

“Upgraded from an undercover cop to a double agent.”

It changed from a double agent infiltrating the organization for the police to an original organization member who became a police officer and then infiltrated back into the organization to pass misleading information. From a simple trigger for the police’s awakening, he became a supporting character, no, a major supporting character crucial to the plot.

“Did Ryu Chae-yoon get lucky?”

“His acting…”

He did exceptionally well. The fuss the director made after he left was no joke. Could the acting and improvisation shown at the audition come from someone who had only played a minor role once? He’s not even a hidden master…

Of course, Sang-hyun also received good reviews for his debut work, but that was acting created through intense polishing by the director and surrounding actors. Moreover, he had been obsessively watching Korean dramas and movies for nearly 10 years, and had watched one person’s acting so many times he could memorize it all, so he absorbed it quickly.

But Ryu Chae-yoon wasn’t like that, was he? Without anyone teaching him, he came into the camera as though he were a veteran on set for 30 years, delivering a performance that wasn’t awkward at all.

Sang-hyun abruptly stood up from his chair and quickly walked into the house, leaving his manager behind. Then he turned on “Human Justice” on the large TV screen.

Anyway, Ryu Chae-yoon only appeared for the first 3 minutes. Sang-hyun, quietly watching the screen, rewound and replayed Ryu Chae-yoon’s acting several times.

“…”

Sang-hyun despised Ryu Chae-yoon. He tried to remain indifferent, but unable to contain his anger, he uncharacteristically sneered a few times. However, Ryu Chae-yoon acted as if he was unmoved and unaffected.

Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu on the set of “Human Justice,” he had even visited the director’s editing room. In the footage shown in the editing room, Ryu Chae-yoon emitted a faint light that was very familiar to Sang-hyun.

Nevertheless, Sang-hyun doubted his eyes, ignored it, and thought it was nonsense. It really was nonsense. But…

Could there be someone who moves their muscles so identically? The nape revealed when pulling back the chin, the delicate adjustment of eyes and mouth, eyes always sparkling as if covered with water.

Despite looking nothing alike, how could a person act so identically? Baek Sang-hyun could guarantee that if Jin Seong-woon had performed that acting, it would have been no different except for the appearance.

Sang-hyun frowned as he briefly recalled how Ryu Chae-yoon usually smiled and spoke. He didn’t have any good feelings towards him, so he hadn’t really looked at him properly and couldn’t remember well.

* * *

Seong-woon had a fever all night. He thought it wasn’t that serious, and believed he would get better if he slept. Unfortunately, Ryu Chae-yoon’s stamina, enhanced by the quest, was still much worse than an average person’s, so he couldn’t get up from bed.

“Chae-yoon.”

“Mmm…”

“Your fever is too high.”

A cold palm touched the hot face. It felt good, so when he rubbed his face against the palm, a yell sounded out from above his head.

“You think that’ll stop me from taking you to the hospital?”

He didn’t particularly mean that, but he really didn’t want to go to the hospital. Seong-woon felt like he understood why people who have been sick for a long time hate hospitals so much.

“Come on, put your arms around my neck.”

Chang-yoon lifted Seong-woon up and carried him. With his chin resting on Chang-yoon’s shoulder, Seong-woon opened his eyes slightly. His head ached and felt foggy due to the raging fever.

“Executive Director, I…”

“Go downstairs and prepare some tea.”

The stairs were swaying. Feeling dizzy as if his semicircular canals were broken, Seong-woon couldn’t hold his head up properly.

When Chang-yoon was halfway down the stairs, Seong-woon’s stomach turned completely. Without any chance to try and hold it in, he vomited, and Chang-yoon just stood still and waited without any particular reaction.

“You haven’t even eaten anything.”

With a voice devoid of any irritation, Chang-yoon was only worried about Seong-woon’s diet. After throwing up everything and looking a bit more comfortable, Chang-yoon took off his jacket and wiped Seong-woon’s mouth with the clean part.

“Do you feel better after throwing up?”

“Yeah…”

“I’ll give you some water downstairs, rinse your mouth and let’s go.”

“I want to brush my teeth…”

“I’ll give you some mouthwash, make do with that for now.”

Chang-yoon, supporting Seong-woon, headed straight for the car and handed him the bottled water and mouthwash that the secretary had prepared. As Seong-woon was lying limp without strength, Chang-yoon brushed back his sweat-soaked hair.

“What? Should I feed you water like a baby?”

“…I’m fine, you know?”

When Seong-woon fumbled trying to open the bottle because he couldn’t grip it properly, Chang-yoon took it and opened it for him. He wanted to use the mouthwash more than water, but not knowing where to spit it out, Seong-woon thought he’d just endure being a bit dirty.

“Use the mouthwash and spit here.”

As if reading his mind, Chang-yoon handed him a tumbler with a wide mouth.

“It’s dirty.”

“What is? The tumbler?”

When Seong-woon glared at him, Chang-yoon nonchalantly opened the tumbler lid. Having passed the point of being able to endure, Seong-woon used the mouthwash and drank water, disregarding any inconvenience or rudeness.

“…You use a tumbler too?”

“The company cafe gives stamps if you use a tumbler.”

“Stamps…?”

“If you collect 10, you get a free drink.”

You go to the company cafe in the first place? And you collect tumbler stamps? 

When Seong-woon looked at him in disbelief, Chang-yoon just shrugged.

“Why are you enduring being sick? You have no patience.”

“I’m not that sick. It’s hot, can you turn up the air conditioning…”

“I’ve already turned it on. Your body can’t regulate temperature right now, so you’re feeling hot.”

“We could just turn it up more. I’m sweating…”

“No.”

He was getting annoyed that nothing was being done his way while he was sick. Seong-woon found himself whining without realizing it, then shut his mouth tight, thinking what on earth he was doing. He got goosebumps at how his tone had turned into a whine.

“Why did you stop talking?”

The more he spoke, the more he felt drawn to Chang-yoon. Seong-woon closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. Despite the air conditioning being on, he was sweating, and it felt unpleasant as his skin stuck to the leather seat.

“Get an IV and be admitted to the hospital.”

“…I don’t want to be admitted.”

“Then should I call Ho-yoon?”

“……”

Even if there were dozens of employees at home, these family members wouldn’t leave Ryu Chae-yoon alone without blood relatives. Today, both parents were on overseas business trips, Hae-yoon and Chang-yoon had to work despite it being the weekend, and Ha-yoon said she had to watch over the exhibition hall. So the only one left was Ho-yoon…

“What will you do?”

“…I’ll stay with Ho-yoon hyung.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

After getting an IV at the hospital and resting for a while, his body temperature returned to normal. The cold sweats disappeared and feeling somewhat refreshed, Seong-woon returned home, belatedly regretting that he should have listened to Chang-yoon.

“Chae-yoon, I bought porridge! Let’s eat porridge.”

“I want to sleep…”

He had read the script to Sang-hyun until past 1 AM last night, missing his usual sleep time and not getting proper rest. Thinking that might have worsened his fever, he wanted to recharge with sleep first, but Ho-yoon wouldn’t leave Seong-woon alone.

“I should have just had you admitted to the hospital yesterday!”

“Mm-hmm…”

“I told you to get admitted! You should listen sometimes.”

“I was wrong…”

“Chae-yoon, but did something really happen yesterday? Did that director say something bad to you?”

No, rather… it was a problem because he was too nice. Saying he definitely wanted to work together next time while holding my hands with both of his, how gentle it was.

“I should… that damn director… no, I’ll tell aunt and make his life miserable…”

“Hyung, please don’t say anything to aunt… I really want to sleep.”

“Oh, oh… sorry. Go ahead and sleep.”

Ho-yoon covered Seong-woon with a blanket and patted his chest. It was a pat he had never received from anyone as far as he could remember. He smiled a bit incredulously, and Ho-yoon cupped his cheek and sighed deeply.

“Our Chae-yoon’s face has become half its size in just one day.”

The worry hidden behind the playful tone was certainly sincere, making his heart noisy. Everyone was pouring love and concern from their hearts for Ryu Chae-yoon, but the person receiving it was Jin Seong-woon.

They say Ryu Chae-yoon’s soul is inside him, but the problem was that Seong-woon couldn’t feel its presence at all. If there was even a little sense of Ryu Chae-yoon’s existence, maybe this guilt would ease somewhat.

“Sleep well.”

The gentle hand patting his chest felt like a heartbeat. Falling into an illusion of being embraced by someone, Seong-woon drifted into a deep slumber.