Chapter 123
Mitchell hadn’t expected Geon-woo to come either. He thought Geon-woo would be at the park as he had said. These days, Geon-woo rarely set foot in the house when Mitchell wasn’t there.
He would walk to a park quite far from the house and spend half the day there, usually practicing acting or reading books. Walker, who was assigned to Geon-woo, was doing his job well.
Today, as usual, after confirming Geon-woo’s location, Mitchell had called Inbeom Yoon, intending to talk with him alone.
But when Walker, who had run an errand for Mitchell, entered the single road to retrieve his camera, he discovered Geon-woo.
Mitchell wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for Walker’s message saying he had just passed through the iron gate. No one had expected Geon-woo to appear suddenly.
Mitchell estimated Geon-woo’s walking speed and inferred how far he might have come. Geon-woo would have seen Inbeom Yoon’s parked car, so he must have known Yoon was here. As Mitchell imagined Geon-woo approaching quietly, he measured the timing to reveal what happened at the gym.
He had originally intended to tell Geon-woo directly, but unintentionally ended up revealing the truth in a way that made Geon-woo overhear it. Although Geon-woo seemed unaffected, punishing Inbeom Yoon was a separate issue.
“What should we do with that guy?”
Mitchell didn’t trust Inbeom Yoon’s mouth. He knew their secret. But he wouldn’t be stupid enough to reveal everything. Of course, judging by his actions so far, he couldn’t be considered smart either.
“If you want, I can make it possible for you to report him to the police.”
Brandon, who solved all problems with money, would handle it. Brandon’s secretary, Gordon, was particularly skilled at handling discreet matters. Although it wasn’t easy to persuade the police Inbeom Yoon had bribed or find the baseball bat used as a weapon, he managed to produce results and present them to Mitchell.
“No. Let’s not report to the police.”
Mitchell understood Geon-woo’s words. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Although they wouldn’t report to the police, they still needed to call Inbeom Yoon separately and receive an apology. Mitchell also planned to make sure he kept his mouth shut.
While Mitchell was lost in these thoughts, Geon-woo suddenly mumbled.
“This isn’t forgiveness, it’s forgetting. It’s better for me to erase it completely from my memory. Well, I could accept an apology, but…”
Mitchell nodded. He liked Geon-woo’s decision. It was better if Geon-woo didn’t have to worry about it.
“He did it because he likes me. He probably thought I’d come to his side if he broke me. That’s his way of asking to be put on my list of interests. To like him.”
Geon-woo analyzed why this had happened, voicing his thoughts.
“It’s shocking that this is the first man to like me this much. Is love between men always this violent? It’s really over the top.”
Listening to Geon-woo’s words, Mitchell was truly bewildered.
The first man to like him this much?
If we’re talking about violent love, he wasn’t far behind.
Looking back, it was stranger not to know. No matter how much Geon-woo deviated from the norm, he wasn’t that oblivious.
Was he in a state of not realizing it himself?
If not that, could he possibly be pretending not to know?
Geon-woo unknowingly dropped pieces, and Mitchell didn’t miss them. Grasping a piece of Geon-woo’s true feelings, he looked down at him.
He also planned to pretend not to know for now.
They might both know and be pretending not to, or only one side might know. Or it could all be wrong, and that wouldn’t be surprising either.
Whatever the truth, what mattered to Mitchell was that Geon-woo was in his arms. He had already captured the body; now he just needed to capture the heart.
***
I sat in the same place where I had met Director McKenney, looking around. It had been a few days since our meeting.
There were about ten minutes left until the appointed time, but for some reason, I didn’t think the director would arrive on time.
He probably wouldn’t stand me up, but I had a feeling he would be late. My first impression of the director was that he seemed free-spirited and unbound by rules. Like someone living life as they pleased.
Finally, the appointed time arrived. Just as I was rummaging through my bag, thinking I should look at the script, someone pressed their finger firmly on the back of my head.
“Oh! Hello.”
It was Director McKenney. Contrary to my expectations, he had arrived right on time.
“It’s been a while. You seem to have been well. Your face has filled out nicely.”
“Me?”
I hadn’t even slept three hours because Mitchell had been tormenting me yesterday. Mitchell had no filming today, so he spent his rare break with me in bed.
The intimacy that started late last night paused briefly at dawn, then continued for a second round after sunrise. He wouldn’t leave me alone, doing all sorts of things like biting, sucking, and rubbing, but at least he only put it inside twice, supposedly for my sake.
If it weren’t for my appointment with Director McKenney, I would still be sprawled on the bed.
Mitchell’s hands would probably still be exploring some part of me.
I would understand if he said I looked tired or thin, but to say I had filled out after all that… I felt unfairly upset and my face fell.
“I have good news. Bae-”
“Ah, just a moment, Director.”
“Yes?”
“Please call me Geon-woo from now on.”
Usually, when introducing myself, I would ask to be called Geon-woo. It was easier to hear than my surname, but recently, another reason had been added.
“I don’t want other people to call you Bae.”
It’s because of Mitchell.
We often fell asleep talking about trivial things while lying in bed. As sleep was approaching, Mitchell had said those words and hugged me.
I fell asleep right after, so I couldn’t ask about the reason. But since that day, I had been asking people to call me by my first name.
Actually, I didn’t care whether I was called Geon-woo or Bae, but I changed my mind because of Mitchell. I liked how he was involved in my life, and I often had the sudden thought that I wanted to give my whole life to him.
“Oh, okay. Geon-woo. Anyway, I have good news!”
“What is it?”
“Just yesterday, I received a call asking if I was interested in producing ‘Mirror Match’ as a film.”
“Really?”
The film had been stuck in the production stage. The screenplay was complete and the director’s will was firm, so a ray of light had come down in a situation where only capital was needed to make the film.
At one point, I had considered asking Mitchell for help, but it seems someone else showed interest before I could bring it up to him.
“My goodness. I couldn’t believe it either. To receive a call from a production company right after casting you. It makes me wonder if you’re a lucky mascot.”
Even if it was just flattery, it felt good.
“No, it’s because the screenplay is good. I told you it was interesting, didn’t I?”
Director McKenney nodded, unable to hide his face full of emotion. He still looked up at the sky like someone wandering in a dream. He took a deep breath and rubbed his chest.
“They’ve left the casting entirely up to me. They said it’s okay even if it’s a high-paid actor. They’re allowing me to hold auditions too.”
“That’s really great. Congratulations, Director.”
“Right?”
Director McKenney fiddled with the sunglasses resting on his forehead, then lowered them to wear them properly. His eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses, but I thought I saw tears.
Opportunities often come at unexpected times.
“Um, Director.”
I felt sorry for the director who was lost in his own emotions, but I had something to say to him.
“Director, do you know who I am?”
“You?”
“Yes, me.”
“I know. Geon-woo Bae.”
“No, I don’t mean my name.”
“Hmm, aren’t you just an aspiring actor?”
“I’m an actor. I’ve been in films too.”
“Oh, really? I’m sorry. I haven’t been able to watch recent films, and I don’t really know how the industry is going. I don’t have colleagues to share news or small talk with.”
He laughed loudly while saying pitiable things.
“I thought your acting was pretty good, but you’ve already debuted.”
“You said it wasn’t great before.”
“I was just saying that. But if you reduce your distracting thoughts, your acting will come alive more.”
“Distracting thoughts?”
“When you act, it seems like you’re thinking about other things. Like someone who left a precious treasure at home.”
I resonated with his words.
I had been trying to show off, recalling my old fame, and thinking about Mitchell with the determination to become a better person. Unlike before, I hadn’t been able to focus properly on acting.
At this moment, it felt like Director McKenney knew me better than I knew myself.
“If you can control that well, you’ll become a great actor.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I bowed my head without realizing it. It felt like I had received refreshing advice for my stagnant acting.
“Director, would you like to see this?”
I soon came to my senses after being lost in thought. I took out my laptop from my bag to show him my demo reel that I used for auditions. To think that what I had uploaded to the platform would be used like this.
I handed Mitchell’s laptop to the director and pressed the play button. As videos of my past performances poured out continuously, the director’s mouth gradually opened.
“You… You really weren’t just an aspiring actor! Or I thought you were just an unknown actor at best?”
“I am unknown in Hollywood. But not in Korea. All the Korean films I’ve shot have ranked number one at the Korean box office. They’ve all been successful enough to easily surpass the break-even point.”
“Oh. Oh…”
The director couldn’t continue speaking as he watched my demo reel. He looked at me as if I had hidden some great identity. Even though I had never hidden anything in the first place.
After hearing that a production company had joined “Mirror Match,” I couldn’t hold back anymore. As I felt the desire to do it properly, I became ambitious.
“Director, you know that I’m ‘Nathan,’ right?”
So right now, I’m pitching myself to the director.
“No, you…”
“The role of Nathan. You have to give it to me.”
I acted shamelessly like Mitchell, grinning. No, I’m originally a shameless person, aren’t I?
Anyway, I was ‘Nathan’ in “Mirror Match.”
