RACA 57

‘It’s okay to be by his side like this?’

Had he not become transmigrated in the drama, Eunsol would never have had a day to stand by Pyo Jaebeom’s side.

In a way, that accident might have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Eunsol.

“I brought him back after meeting with President Kim.”

“Huh? If it’s President Kim… then you mean it’s his cat?”

“That wasn’t the case.”

Pyo Jaebeom chuckled dryly and spoke again.

“The strange thing is, after talking about it, memories from back then that hadn’t surfaced in a while suddenly came flooding back.”

“Flooded back?”

“Yes, just like typing into a computer.”

Eunsol blinked at the strange story. As he stared blankly at Pyo Jaebeom, who nodded as if reading his thoughts.

“Isn’t it strange? When an incident occurs, it’s as if people start acting like their roles are predetermined. Just like players inside a game.”

“Ah…”

Strangely enough, the moment he heard those words, Eunsol felt goosebumps rise all over his body. Perhaps it was because he, too, had once had the same thought.

But the current situation felt far too vivid to dismiss as a game or a dream.

If that were the case, Jaebeom and him wouldn’t have come face to face.

“Just one more question. Lee Eunsol-ssi, how far back do your memories go before coming here?”

“The moment I was riding my motorcycle. I remember up to the point where the paper blocked my vision and I couldn’t avoid the oncoming car.”

Because it was so vivid, Eunsol could immediately recall that memory. It was so intense he could even feel the sensation of his body floating in midair before crashing down.

“I see. I had a rough idea. Do you remember seeing anyone after that?”

“Who?”

“Hmm… For example, a woman who looked to be about seventy years old, I suppose.”

Huh? What was that about? Eunsol stared at him, completely taken aback by the unexpected question.

Pyo Jaebeom’s brow furrowed slightly. He rolled his eyes, pondering something for a moment before continuing his explanation.

“Her hair was half-gray, meticulously groomed to give an elegant impression.”

Even from this brief description, Eunsol immediately thought of someone. But, still unsure, he waited for Pyo Jaebeom’s words.

“Her face was finely wrinkled, but when she smiled, deep lines carved around her eyes and mouth. That smile wasn’t forced; it was a smile naturally drawn from the weight of life.”

“Did her face happen to be fair, with almond-shaped eyes that changed like this when she smiled?”

Unable to hold back any longer, Eunsol touched his eye area with his index finger and made a certain expression.

“Ah, right. She had a strong, authoritative look, but when she smiled, her face softened. She wore a sky-blue T-shirt, a black jacket, and jeans. She was older, but that outfit was just as youthful as anyone’s.”

At this point, Eunsol couldn’t deny it anymore either.

‘Grandma….’

Before he became an adult, she had been Eunsol’s steadfast support, and when it was time for him to leave for Seoul, she was also the one who pushed him out the door.

“So Eunsol-ssibsaw that person before he lost consciousness too.”

Noticing Eunsol’s expression change, Pyo Jaebeom asked with certainty.

“No.”

Eunsol shook his head nervously. How on earth had Grandma appeared in Pyo Jaebeom’s consciousness?

“I didn’t see her.”

“But you look like you know her?”

That was true.

“She is…”

He hesitated, unsure whether to tell the truth that she was his maternal grandmother or to simply make up a story that she was just someone he knew by sight.

“I think she’s my grandmother.”

“You mean Lee Eunsol-ssi’s grandmother?”

“Yes, my maternal grandmother, to be precise.”

Once again, Pyo Jaebeom frowned. Eunsol didn’t take his eyes off him for a moment, trying to gauge his mood.

He didn’t seem upset. Rather, his face showed a hint of confusion over the unresolved suspicion.

“That’s strange. I’ve never met that person before. Could your grandmother have known about me?”

“No. Grandma passed away before I came up to Seoul.”

At those words, Pyo Jaebeom paused for a moment.

“I’m sorry. I think I misspoke.”

“No, it’s fine. I just meant Grandma probably didn’t recognize you.”

“Then why on earth did she…?”

Eunsol opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. A sudden memory resurfaced in his mind.

‘Grandma has everything ready, so don’t worry.’

The day before coming up to Seoul, the day he talked with her, came to mind. Back then, she said she had prepared everything for him.

Grandma probably wouldn’t know. When Eunsol arrived in Seoul and faced Grandma’s care, he felt relieved yet sad, grateful but overwhelmed with guilt.

“Grandma was a very anxious person. She worried so much about her grandson being left alone after she was gone, about me struggling, that she prepared an enormous amount for me.”

“He must have truly loved you.”

Though he might have been flustered by the sudden topic, Pyo Jaebeom kindly understood Eunsol’s feelings.

‘Right, that’s the kind of person he is.’

The reason Eunsol became increasingly drawn to the actor Pyo Jaebeom as he got to know him wasn’t simply because he was a good actor, nor because he was known for having a clean, respectable private life.

It was because he witnessed how sincerely he treated even minor actors he had only encountered a few times.

“Yes, to the point of being a bit extreme.”

“Hmm… It was all in a dream, but… That wasn’t the impression I got. She seemed quite refined.”

That’s true. Eunsol’s grandmother is indeed a stylish woman with a keen sense of fashion, just as Pyo Jaebeom assessed. Her attire was simple yet exuded an air of sophistication; even when wearing just a T-shirt, she knew how to make it stand out.

Thanks to that, who knows how popular she was in that sparsely populated rural village. And thanks to that, her grandson Eunsol also got his share of affection and a generous allowance.

“People aren’t always what they seem, you know.”

But despite her refined appearance, her speech was rather coarse. Having weathered every storm and been in business for so long, she was quite adept at dealing with people.

“Like Lee Eunsol?”

“Me?”

Where do you see that? Eunsol thought no one wore their emotions on their sleeve quite like he did. It was so bad that colleagues and staff he met on set advised him, “You should act tough even in everyday life to avoid getting taken advantage of.”

Of course, he couldn’t even manage that properly and ended up being called a terrible actor.

The reason he tried to act like the omega protagonist the moment he had possessed him, while still subtly weaving in his own traits, was precisely to make his acting feel as natural as possible.

“You look soft and optimistic, but you’re more determined than expected, and above all, you’re strong and courageous.”

“I do have good drive.”

What does that have to do with his looks? Perhaps his inner thoughts showed on his face or not, Jaebeom chuckled and added.

“It’s closer to reckless than bold. You know that yourself, right?”

“Reckless? I don’t just charge headlong into things I can’t accomplish.”

When I first realized I’d possessed a character in a drama, you have no idea how hard I tried to grasp the situation and strategized how to act!

Eunsol found himself looking at Pyo Jaebeom like he found it unfair.

“I recall it was you, Eunsol-ssi, who rushed into having a child despite all that.”

“No, that was unavoidable given the circumstances! And I didn’t force myself on the CEO, it was an accident that happened because I was drunk.”

Cornered, Eunsol didn’t realize he’d switched back to calling him CEO instead of “Actor.”

Moreover, he was also unaware that Pyo Jaebeom had deliberately said those words to tease him.

“Above all, it was the CEO who gave me the drink back then!”

Pyo Jaebeom had to cover his mouth with his fist as he watched Eunsol glare at him with his hands clenched.. Otherwise, the laughter he couldn’t hold back would spill out.

“What? Are you laughing right now? Wow, I’m being serious here, and you’re being too much.”

“I’m not mocking you. But I’m saying that back then, it was clearly you, Lee Eunsol, who took the initiative.”

“I told you it was the alcohol. And don’t you dare accuse me of having a hazy memory.”

As he got angry, Eunsol tried hard to recall his memories from that time. But he’d been so drunk that he couldn’t clearly remember what had happened.

‘And we did it almost every day after that?’

It was a situation where it was hard to pin the blame on anyone in particular. It was probably more accurate to say that both him and Pyo Jaebeom had become slaves to alcohol and pheromones.

“If anything, you could say we both went crazy and did it.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Why stir things up when you’re just going to admit it anyway? Pyo Jaebeom, who had been watching Eunsol stroke his belly, apologized.

“I’ll apologize again. I’m sorry. As Lee Eunsol-ssi said, what happened back then wasn’t anyone’s fault, it was something that Pyo Jaebeom did at that time. Of course, that Pyo Jaebeom was me. So, about that…”

Perhaps Pyo Jaebeom brought up this story just to lead into what he was about to say next. If he’d known it would shake him up this much, he would have braced himself better.