Knowing Brother-Chapter 19

I got on the elevator muttering curses under my breath. My colleagues also ran into the elevator excitedly.

“Won Dae-young from the Asian Games? Wow, daebak. I want to see him in person too.”

The elevator was packed with people who had gathered. When the weight limit warning sounded, the team leader shouted, “Get on the next one, the next one!” Choi Seol-woo was standing in a corner. The team leader squeezed through the narrow space and came next to Seol-woo.

“No, Mr. Choi! When we talked about the track and field gold medal the next day, you talked like everyone else!”

“Oh, I was afraid of getting attention. It’s embarrassing.”

Won Dae-young insisted.

When he got down, it was a strange sight. People were crowding outside the revolving door, asking for pictures and autographs. Even the building security guard was laughing and circling around. When Choi Seol-woo opened the door and came out, Won Dae-young waved his arms high.

He was armed with a ball cap and mask, but he must have been caught in the end. Won Dae-young came out of the crowd and grabbed Choi Seol-woo’s shoulder and shouted.

“I’m sorry, I’ll go now!”

“Are you, by any chance, Choi Seol-woo’s family or relative?”

“No. We’ve been friends since we were kids. We’re going to film something together soon. I wanted to talk about that.”

“......?”

He shot back at Won Dae-young, who was putting his arm around his shoulder.

“Why did you come here? I’m dying.”

“I was just taking a quick look around the building when the security guard caught me.”

He couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or lying. His expression couldn’t be pretty. He couldn’t tell them to get out when everyone at the company was watching. On top of that, Won Dae-young pointed at a car parked nearby.

He twitched his upper lip to show his displeasure, but the eyes of the people pouring out of the building were still focused on him. He couldn’t run away and catch a bus. I was in the back of the rear. I saw the rice cake, and I threw it in the next place. I naturally went left to the intersection. Seol-woo Choi, who figured out the direction Won Dae-young was driving, bit his lower lip. Damn, I got fooled. This kid had been planning to go to Seol-woo Choi’s house from the beginning.

“What was his name? Even interns don’t get visas.”

“You’re kidnapping.”

“Congratulations on being kidnapped by the crown prince with a ransom of 1 billion won.”

His mouth reflected in the rearview mirror was smiling cheerfully. The rest of his face, hidden by his baseball cap, must have been smiling. Even if he got angry, it would only hurt Seol-woo Choi. Seol-woo kept his mouth shut and loosened his tie.

It took about 25 minutes by car from the company to Seol-woo’s house. He had to talk to Won Dae-young without fail during the ride. Since it had come to this, he decided to solve the question he had asked earlier.

“Oh, and. What kind of filming? What the hell are you talking about?”

“There. Read it.”

Won Dae-young nodded and pointed to the A4 paper on the backseat. It was a short 15-minute video proposal. Seol-woo’s eyes hardened helplessly after reading the title of the corner.

A younger sibling I know.

A 5-part series. Won Dae-young’s close childhood friend appears, and as usual, they bicker and delve into the player’s daily life and true nature in a variety show format.

“What are you trying to do, this?”

Won Dae-young didn’t even glance at Seol-woo’s voice, which had noticeably sunken, and brought up a different topic.

“I thought about cutting ties. If that’s what you really want, I’d like to do it.”

“I want to?”

“That’s not the right way, so I can’t.”

“What? Is this a problem of right and wrong?”

“Seol-woo.”

The way he drove without a navigation system, taking various roads like water flowing, showed how familiar Won Dae-young was with this job. Won Dae-young continued talking as he went to Choi Seol-woo’s house as usual.

“Cutting off human relationships like a knife because they’re a bit uncomfortable. Isn’t that evasive rather than decisive? Selfish.”

The unexpected words hit home. Seol-woo looked out the window and searched for something to argue against. Won Dae-young continued speaking in a calm tone.

“You could have asked me that day. What do you think of me as this kind of person? Will you be able to live comfortably in the future?”

“.......”

“I would have answered. Choi Seol-woo, you’re all fine.”

All the objections that had been piling up in his head were scattered. While Won Dae-young continued talking, Seol-woo barely managed to straighten up and find something to say in rebuttal.

“I thought about it. I know you’re not that selfish. I think Director Yoon probably meant for you to sort things out.”

“Not at all. That’s what I meant. It’s not something you can just pass over.”

“Yeah....”

The eyes coming through the rearview mirror were dry. He could tell that he wasn’t listening to Choi Seol-woo.

“Would I be the kind of person who would grab someone’s trouser leg and beg them to leave? If another friend had told him to cut ties like that, Choi Seol-woo, you would be socially ostracized by °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the people around me.”

“Are you stupid? I welcome it.”

“I understand everything you wrote in detail. But to be blunt, my answer is no. I have no intention of cutting ties with you, no matter who you are. Even if you commit a crime and go to prison, you are still my friend. Even if I tell you to cut ties, you are still my friend.”

“...Why, because it’s routine?”

“Routine.......”

Won Dae-young chuckled and threw his baseball cap on the passenger seat, brushing back his short hair.

I had prepared what I would say if he said it was routine, but he didn’t mention it anymore. The smile disappeared from Won Dae-young’s face as he blurted out another direct statement.

“I’ll be honest. Choi Seol-woo, you know this well, but I don’t start if I’m going to be sloppy. Once I get hooked, I’ll go all the way. People are the same. Once you’re mine, you’re mine until the end and I don’t manage you sloppily.”

Is that why he kept in touch with Ha Yeong-seo for so long after breaking up?

If that’s the case, he’d get everything. A spouse, a close friend, a routine.

But Choi Seol-woo’s pain was something no one could ease. Even if he was called selfish and cursed at by people around him, his priority was to avoid the unbearable pain. Choi Seol-woo had no place to retreat to and no choice.

“I can’t just leave you alone. I have to make sure there’s nothing wrong with you. I’m really worried that you’re not going to collapse, but you’re asking me to just live like that? I can’t. But since you really want it, I’m making this offer.”

Won Dae-young turned his head back while they were stopped at a traffic light. He stared at Seol-woo and continued talking.

“Do that. While filming, meet up and talk face to face to organize your thoughts.”

Choi Seol-woo glanced at the <Knowing Brother> plan. It’s not even the divorce mediation deliberation period... ... . As he let out a deep sigh, Won Dae-young broke the silence again.

“As I said earlier, you can’t just break up. Take some time to think about it. Unless you’ve been forced to stay by my side all this time.”

”.......”

“If you think about it carefully while filming and you can’t do it for the same reason, then okay. It’ll be the way you want it to be.”

Those were sweet words. No matter what the process is, isn’t it important to get the ending you want? As long as you get the ending where you leave him.

Choi Seol-woo asked softly.

“If you don’t?”

“I don’t know when our end will be.”

“.......”

“You don’t have to feel pressured because it’s literally a contract. Just pretend to be close like before while filming.”

As expected, the drama between Won Dae-young and Choi Seol-woo is a mess from the synopsis. Real love is about the main character and signing a contract here. A small sneer escaped.

“The appearance fee is generous, I’ll do it. I can coordinate schedules and communicate with the PD.”

Nod.

“There’s no script. Just say whatever you want. You can even swear.”

Nod.

“If my thoughts are the same after this is over, there’s nothing to see.”

Nod halfheartedly.

Since the premise of ‘if my thoughts are the same’ won’t change, it’s a contract that already has an end in sight. I quickly ignored the bitter feeling.

There was nothing wrong with Won Dae-young’s words. Choi Seol-woo knew too well that unilaterally cutting off a relationship was selfish avoidance.

However, I didn’t know Won Dae-young would act like this. When I heard that he was meeting with Director Yoon, I should have distanced myself from him first. As expected, the most important parts of life don’t go as planned.

But it will all end well. Choi Seol-woo thought to himself.

But I can leave Won Dae-young.

... There’s no law that says I have to die.

His stiff face seemed to relax a little. When he took his eyes off the rearview mirror, Won Dae-young suddenly asked him a question.

“Let me ask you one thing. How do you have sex?”

“Crazy, what did you say?”

“I looked into it. It seems that getting caught is extremely dangerous. Are you really dating someone who knows everything?”

“Ha... Don’t cross the line.”

“No, seriously, hyung. What’s your sex position?”

Choi Seol-woo let out a shriek in shock. He glared at the car roof and turned his head to check where he was. He was almost home, so let’s just hold on a little longer. He took out his Bluetooth earphones from his briefcase.

“Director Yoon Ji-hwan, do you trust me?”

Choi Seol-woo answered while putting on the earphones.

“Uh.”

“I wonder why you trust that kid. An old man who doesn’t know who he played with.”

“No matter how much I think about it, you should be the one who hears that, not the manager.”

Won Dae-young, who was laughing, said.

“At least not to you. I’m the safest guy for you.”

“.......”

My heart felt like it was being scratched hard. The title of the filming plan flashed through my mind again.