Come Back - Ch 173

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Go Ji-woon lived on the western edge of Seoul. The five-story one-room building, which seemed to be built over 20 years ago, was located in a remote corner of the one-room district, far from the main road.

Lee Hae-seong and Choi Hong-seo, who got out of the car, slowly looked around the shabby building and its surroundings. The paint was peeling or scaly here and there in the building, as if the owner had neglected it, and traces of red rust running down the old building’s surface were clear. Unlike other buildings in the area, there was no door lock on the first-floor common entrance, and there was a lot of dust in front of it.

The Go Ji-woon that Choi Hong-seo knew was not the kind of person who would go into debt to live in a studio apartment in the outskirts like this. He couldn’t believe that Go Ji-woon was living here.

Back when Choi Hong-seo was fine, Go Ji-woon was also invited to the housewarming party of ‘Layered’. Go Ji-woon was a friend of another ‘Layered’ member, but strangely enough, he followed Choi Hong-seo well. Even though he followed him well, he was so prickly that he didn’t really care about him.

While Go Ji-woon was away that day, someone mentioned his new sponsor. Go Ji-woon received an apartment in Gangnam from his sponsor. If that sponsor was President Cho, he probably didn’t buy the apartment in Go Ji-woon’s name.

Go Ji-woon lived on the fourth floor of a five-story building. There was no elevator, so Lee Hae-seong and Choi Hong-seo went up the stairs with the gifts they had prepared.

The windows hanging on each landing had not been cleaned for a long time, and the dust had hardened and turned gray. Because of this, the atmosphere was darker and more gloomy than it actually was. Regardless of the private life or morality of the person, it was not pleasant to face the downfall of someone you had once greeted and spent time with. Choi Hong-seo’s steps as he climbed the stairs naturally slowed down.

As if he had noticed my feelings, Hae-seong Lee, who had arrived on the 4th floor first, was looking down at me with a complicated expression.

As I climbed up the last step, he reached out and wrapped his arms around the back of my neck. He slowly took in Choi Hong-seo, who was wearing a neat shirt and coat instead of the oversized hooded sweatshirt and padded jumper he usually wore, and his warm hands gently rubbed my neck.

“Why do I look younger when I’m dressed like this?”

Choi Hong-seo looked down at his appearance.

“You said earlier that I looked like a new college graduate.”

“Um… did I?”

Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows and looked away. Then, he slowly ran the hand that was supporting his neck down the shoulder and sleeve of his coat.

“The clothes definitely fit well. The shoulder line seems to come down a bit, and the sleeves look longer than the arms. It looks… loose, like I’m wearing my own clothes. Why is that?”

“That’s because you keep looking at me as if I’m young.”

“Yeah, to me, he looks like a kid wearing his dad’s suit. He’s just cute, and he makes me laugh when I see him, and I hope he never has to suffer again.”

“……”

“So, how about Hongseo going to the car and waiting right now? I’ll go and come back alone.”

Choi Hong-seo shook his head a couple of times. He had heard the same question twice in the car on the way here, so he was able to strengthen his resolve.

“In reality, I’m not just a cute kid, I’m really strong-minded, so don’t worry. And… you’re the one who gets anxious when you’re away from me. Why do you keep telling me to stay in the car?”

“I think it’ll be okay since you’re joking.”

Only then did his face relax a little and something like a smile appeared on his face. Hmm… He let out a long breath through his nose and wrapped his arms around Choi Hongseo’s neck again, pulling him slightly. Then, unlike usual, his bangs were down, and he pressed his lips to her forehead, which was straight and exposed. His dry lips were dry but warm.

“Don’t be disappointed even if nothing comes out of Go Ji-woon. Director Kang is currently investigating from various angles. There are plenty of ways to do it. Okay?”

Choi Hong-seo looked up at Lee Hae-seong and nodded.

At the housewarming party of the ‘Layered’ dormitory, Go Ji-woon was unable to socialize with people and was a loner. When Choi Hong-seo found Go Ji-woon sitting alone in the living room after leaving the restaurant where everyone was gathered, he looked quite unstable. The moment he found the photo he took with ‘Goliath’ on SNS, the conversation at that time came back to life more vividly.

『People with money and power. Isn’t there a way for people like us to exploit their weaknesses?』

Go Ji-woon, who was sitting in the dark that day and asking Choi Hong-seo for advice, looked quite desperate.

“If I could just give this person one reason why he won’t be able to abandon me easily… I wouldn’t have to worry about anything from now on.”

It seemed like he would do anything to make sure his sponsor wouldn’t abandon him. Go Ji-woon was different from Park Dong-ha. If it was Go Ji-woon at that time, it seemed like he would have definitely gotten something.

The doorbell was broken. When Hae-seong knocked on the door a couple of times, the front door opened without asking who it was. Choi Hong-seo was greatly surprised by Go Ji-woon’s appearance through the crack in the door, but he didn’t show it. Go Ji-woon glanced at the faces of the visitors one by one and stepped back to let them in.

“Come in.”

The one-room apartment, which was about 7 or 8 pyeong in size, looked like it had been cleaned up hastily and carelessly. However, no matter how I put it, it wasn’t a house that had been cleaned neatly. It was different from the fact that I had been busy for a few days and hadn’t been able to do anything. There was evidence everywhere that the owner of the room had lost his will to live.

“I have nothing to give you since you are someone who lives like this. I am sorry.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about appearances.”

Lee Hae-seong gave a concise answer to Go Ji-woon, who was mumbling with an expressionless face. And the three of them sat down in a cramped space next to the bed.

If it were the old Go Ji-woon, he would never have thought of living in a house like this, but even if he had no choice but to live there, he would never have invited anyone to his house. But Go Ji-woon said he didn’t want to go out and chose his house as the meeting place. That must mean he was mentally exhausted…

“I know you must have been surprised by my sudden contact, but thank you for meeting me. It’s a gift. Please keep it.”

Lee Hae-seong pushed the large shopping bag he had brought in front of Go Ji-woon. It was a shopping bag from a very expensive brand known as the best of the best, but Go Ji-woon only nodded and showed no interest in the gift. The Go Ji-woon that Choi Hong-seo knew seemed completely different. A person with no hope, joy, or even obsession in life.

“But why did you want to see someone like me…”

Go Ji-woon, who had practically retired from the entertainment industry and lived in seclusion after the suicide incident, showed no interest in the story of Yoon Hye-an, with whom he had no connection, wanting to meet. If ARA’s Lee Hae-seong had not secretly told him that he had something to offer and that they had to meet and talk, today’s meeting would not have happened.

“I think it’s probably not a bad story for Mr. Go Ji-woon either. You know President Jo Seong-hyeon, right?”

Lee Hae-seong got straight to the point without hesitation. When President Cho’s name was mentioned, Go Ji-woon’s expression changed noticeably. He looked at the two people sitting in front of him with anxious eyes alternately, and he sat down and stepped back hesitantly.

“T-Why is that? No matter what that human said, I… I didn’t commit a sin!”

“No, that’s not it. I came to see if Go Ji-woon knew of Jo Seong-hyeon’s weaknesses.”

“Weakness…?”

“We are having a bit of a headache because of Jo Seong-hyeon. We are trying to find a way to quietly silence him. We are hoping that Go Ji-woon can help us in that regard.”

There was no impatience or impatience in Hae-seong’s voice, so much so that it sounded like they were discussing some trivial, everyday matter. He didn’t even press for an answer so as not to frighten the other person.

Go Ji-woon swallowed dry saliva several times. His eyes, which were glancing at Lee Hae-seong while chewing his lower lip, had a brighter glow than before.

“There is a video… uh, there is.”

Choi Hong-seo took a deep breath without realizing it. Lee Hae-seong stretched out his arm and firmly grabbed Choi Hong-seo’s hand, and Choi Hong-seo held onto Lee Hae-seong’s fingertips tightly. Go Ji-woon’s gaze glanced at the two hands that were entangled together.

Some more time passed in heavy silence.

Go Ji-woon, who had been sitting silently with his head down and chewing his lips, suddenly stood up. He opened the small refrigerator, took out a bottle of soju, poured it into a mug, and drank it down while standing.

Go Ji-woon turned his back on the two people and stood in front of the sink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and breathing heavily for a while, shaking his shoulders.

“I secretly took these pictures so I could threaten you if you tried to leave me later…”

After a self-deprecating snicker, Go Ji-woon returned to his seat holding a mug.

“When it was actually thrown away, I couldn’t even bring up the video.”

After taking a few more sips of soju, the bitter voice continued.

“If I had to be specific, what I had was more like a nuclear bomb… but I was still scared.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The money and power that man possesses.”

Go Ji-woon answered with a crooked smile, “Why are you asking such an obvious question?” and reached for the soju again.

“I’m a B- or C-class actor who can barely get a role if that person gives me money. That person may not be a tycoon, but he has enough money, power, and connections to bury someone like me. That kind of video is useless in the hands of someone like me… It’s just trash…”

“Yes, I understand why you think that way.”

Understanding said, nodding in a dry voice. And then added.

“But if that image is in the hands of Lee Hae-sung, then it’s a different story, right?”

“……”

This time, Go Ji-woon’s expression also changed. His collapsed posture gradually returned to normal, and his eyes showed interest.