Chapter 170
Just yesterday, before going home after filming, Mitchell had a conversation with the director. He received a preview of the scenes to be shot later in the waiting room. It wasn’t a long time, but Mitchell could hardly focus on the conversation. This was because Geon-woo’s driver, who had been on the phone, had looked around the waiting room and disappeared. He assumed he was talking to Geon-woo.
After finishing his conversation with the director, Mitchell returned to Logan’s house. He stood at the door and looked inside, but Geon-woo was nowhere to be seen. When he went to the parking lot, Geon-woo’s car was gone.
Even if they didn’t ride together, he thought Geon-woo would at least show his face before leaving, but it seemed he had left early. Mitchell got into his car, hiding the disappointment welling up inside him.
“I guess Geon-woo is going to the hotel?”
As soon as he heard the stylist’s words, Mitchell straightened up in his seat. Turning his head to follow the already-passed hotel with his eyes, he asked her back.
“What do you mean?”
“I thought I saw Geon-woo going into the hotel.”
“That can’t be.”
“Maybe I saw wrong?”
“There’s no filming tomorrow. You must have seen wrong.”
The place the stylist mentioned was the Pearson Hotel near the set. It was a place rented by the production company for staff to stay comfortably when filming ended late like today or when they needed to rest. Geon-woo and Mitchell had used the hotel exactly once.
“But… I think I’m right.”
At the stylist’s murmur, Mitchell called Geon-woo just in case. He glared at his phone when he heard the voice message saying it was turned off.
When he arrived home, he looked for Geon-woo first. After confirming no one was there, he immediately went down to Geon-woo’s apartment. He entered the familiar password, but that place was empty too. Clicking his tongue, Mitchell immediately called Geon-woo’s driver. When he asked if he had dropped Geon-woo off at home, he received a disappointing answer.
– He said he had somewhere to go and told me to go ahead. I left first.
“Did he say where he was going?”
– He didn’t mention anything like that.
“I see. Thank you. Get some rest.”
Even after hanging up, Mitchell stood still for a while, unable to move. It seemed the stylist’s claim of seeing Geon-woo enter the Pearson Hotel was true.
Why would he turn off his phone too?
He wanted to rush to the hotel in one breath, but various thoughts held him back. Mitchell had confessed his love to Geon-woo last night. Although it was impulsive, it was something he had wanted to say all along, so he definitely didn’t regret it.
But Geon-woo didn’t answer. He clearly knew Geon-woo was awake. Why did he pretend to be asleep?
That’s where things started to go wrong.
Later, on the set, they talked about the confession again. Geon-woo brought it up, saying he had heard the confession of love, and then what did he say?
“Well… I originally like women, you know.”
The conversation was interrupted due to filming, so he didn’t hear what came after, but he believed it wouldn’t be a negative response.
On the other hand, he had the terrible thought that the opening statement about originally liking women might be the reason for not confessing.
‘I have feelings for you, but I’m straight, so I can’t confess to you.’
Mitchell nervously took off his coat while imagining this stupid, idiotic, fucking assumption.
It couldn’t be. While thinking it obviously couldn’t be, he didn’t know why he felt so anxious. He couldn’t calm his mind for a long time after that. He indulged in self-destructive thoughts, imagining only bad scenarios. He felt like his throat was tightening.
He had felt his self-control weakening recently, and now it exploded like this again. Unable to hold back any longer, Mitchell kept calling Geon-woo’s phone. He listened to the voicemail guidance message over and over as if it were Geon-woo himself.
He repeated the unanswered calls until he arrived at the Pearson Hotel. But he didn’t intend to barge into the hotel room where Geon-woo might be.
He was aware that his current state was serious. If he confronted Geon-woo like this, he would obviously act like a crazy psychopath.
The rationality he had maintained for decades collapsed at once with the sudden appearance of his biological father. Thoughts and emotions swirled like floodwaters breaking through a dam.
Mitchell had spent all day today looking for his biological father. He searched the parking lot and the surrounding area where Geon-woo had encountered the stranger while busy with filming. The reason he was certain the unfamiliar man was his biological father was because of the number on Geon-woo’s phone. It was the phone number of the house he had lived in before being adopted. Only his biological father would remember a long-defunct number that now comes up as non-existent when called.
Even with Brandon’s help and the use of official authority, he couldn’t find much. His biological father had vanished again, and Mitchell returned to the set with a tattered heart.
His mood sank lower and lower throughout the filming. He was hurt and secretly miserable at Nathan’s curses towards Logan. The conversation with Geon-woo right after left him feeling numb, but the very person who had shaken Mitchell so violently was not in front of him.
Geon-woo had disappeared.
Despite begging him not to leave.
Mitchell sat in the car, staring at the hotel entrance, taking the full brunt of his surging emotions. His eyes grew red and swollen. Though he was clearly sitting in the car, he felt like he had returned to the small room of his childhood. Despite the wide world clearly visible outside the car window, Mitchell felt isolated just like that day. Still, no one opened the door for him. No one.
***
“Ah.”
Mitchell’s eyes flew open. Everything was bright, and it wasn’t yet 7 o’clock. He immediately called Geon-woo, but his phone was still turned off.
Unable to wait any longer, he went to the hotel. He asked for Geon-woo’s room, mentioning the movie schedule. Although they usually don’t disclose customer information, the person in question was none other than Mitchell. Thinking it must be due to an urgent filming schedule, the employee willingly obliged Mitchell’s request.
“Ah, just a moment…”
The man who had been talking with another employee returned, tilting his head.
“There’s no check-in record for Mr. Bae.”
“That can’t be. He should have been staying since yesterday. Could you please check again?”
“I’m truly sorry to say this, but from yesterday until now, not a single person related to the movie has come.”
The employee looked at Mitchell with a polite but somewhat puzzled expression.
“…No. I must have misunderstood something. Thank you.”
Mitchell left the hotel and headed straight home. He first went to Geon-woo’s apartment, then came to his own place to confirm once again that it was empty. From that moment, he felt that something had gone seriously wrong.
He contacted Brandon and David separately to ask for help. He tried to think of places Geon-woo might have gone or people he could contact, but nothing particular came to mind. Geon-woo only had Mitchell around him. Besides home, were there any places Geon-woo might visit in a foreign country?
Still, just in case, he looked around the neighborhood and thoroughly searched Central Park. Reluctantly, he also searched internet news. With an ominous feeling, he didn’t let go of his phone.
He also checked the LA area and contacted Kim Dong-san, Geon-woo’s friend in Korea. He even had people track the movements of Inbeom Yoon and Jeff, but couldn’t get any news of Geon-woo.
As the sky began to darken at dusk, Mitchell couldn’t bear the anxiety and turned the whole house upside down. He tried to soothe his falling heart by breaking things. Yet, the stifling feeling in his chest wasn’t resolved, and it became harder and harder to breathe.
His heart sank at the timely ringing of his phone, but it wasn’t the call he was waiting for. It was a message from David with today’s news article. He had asked to look into and relay any news about Geon-woo.
Mitchell’s eyes flickered as he read the article.
The article contained Geon-woo’s ambition to return to Korea after finishing the filming of “Mirror Match” and aim for a comeback. Reading the full article, it was clear that he wanted to work in Korea.
When did he do such an interview?
Mitchell didn’t want to believe the content of the article, but he couldn’t shake off the rising anxiety. Blood formed on his bitten lips.
It felt like everyone was determined to leave him. Every person he desperately wanted to stay by his side only tried to distance themselves from him. Regardless of the truth, that was how Mitchell felt right now.
Like a madman, Mitchell walked over and took out alcohol from the refrigerator and drank. As the effects of alcohol gradually increased, he felt he could somewhat understand his biological father’s feelings.
As he struggled to escape this nightmare for a while, complete darkness settled outside the window. He thought it would be better to search through the flames for the person who wouldn’t even confess, rather than dying painfully in silence.
Wine bottles were rolling around here and there. He also received consecutive calls saying they couldn’t find Geon-woo. Mitchell called someone else and asked for a key. Then, pulling his hat down low, he went straight outside.
