„See, hyung,” Gi Hoon continued, „I did some research into the last months of Lim Seung Kyu’s life. I was so haunted by what could have driven him to end his life, especially since the drug case he was nearly winning wasn’t the real reason.”

„And?” Dong Hoon wanted his brother to spill everything, hoping it might bring him some relief.

„I’m not entirely sure, but it seems he got entangled with a strange woman who at some point gave him a suspicious pill, which started the whole drug scandal. Later, it turned out—this woman was blackmailing him by claiming that someone else was blackmailing her.”

„Hold on, Gi Hoon,” he interrupted, „I’m getting lost. What was his relationship with this woman? How did the police learn he was taking something? And explain again, who was blackmailing whom?”

„It appears they might have been having an affair. I saw (now probably deleted from the internet) footage of him embracing her, caressing her in some odd gatherings. Some reports reached the police, and one officer leaked the information to the media, which is how the drug scandal broke. The police tracked down two women; one owned a venue where Lim Seung Kyu frequented, and the other somehow seduced him. It was she who posed as the supposed blackmailer trying to extort a substantial sum from him since he was a celebrity, but she told him over the phone that she was the one being blackmailed, threatened with exposure of their affair. You get it?”

„I think so, but it all seems very complicated,” Dong Hoon admitted.

„It only seems so,” Gi Hoon, who had his own theory, asserted. „In my opinion, Seung Kyu realized he’d been duped. Moreover, the police were already onto this blackmail, and it was about to go public. I think it was about his unfortunate affair. Remember, he has a wife, also an actress, and two teenage children! Hyung, that’s where the main issue lies. Understand?”

„Indeed, it’s a serious matter,” Dong Hoon conceded.

„Furthermore, imagine this—he starred in two dramas that were literally anatomies of marital infidelity, except his roles were always the victims of such betrayals. So, he had emotionally and mentally dissected the feelings and destructive consequences of such tragedies. I reviewed key dialogues, and they are so emotionally charged, it breaks your heart. For instance, his wife in the series, apologizing for her infidelity, outright says she seriously thought about killing herself out of guilt for hurting him and from shame. If you want, I can show you those scenes, or you can watch the dramas yourself.”

„OK. If you want, I’ll watch them,” Dong Hoon listened patiently to his troubled brother.

„So, I believe the reason for Lim Seung Kyu’s tragic decision was guilt over the affair, the realization of how much he had hurt his wife, the shame of being seduced by such a foolish and vicious woman, and the shame before his audience, for whom he was a role model. He might have also considered financial factors, but those were probably less significant.”

„Maybe he hoped that if he died, the investigation would close, and the affair wouldn’t come to light,” Dong Hoon observed.

„Possibly. I consider that too,” Gi Hoon agreed. „But ultimately, nothing can be done for Seung Kyu now… Nothing…” He again sank into sorrow, regretting that it was all irreversible and beyond repair.

„It really is very sad…” Dong Hoon summed up.

„Do you think, hyung, if I had reached out to him earlier with my offer, would it have changed anything?” Gi Hoon asked suddenly.

„Hmmm, hard to say…” Dong Hoon didn’t want to push him back down the spiral from which he had slightly emerged. „It seems to me you weren’t close enough for him to confide in you about the real reasons for his despair and intentions…” he said, monitoring his brother’s reactions.

„But it might have given him some hope, right? Eh, anyway, it doesn’t matter now! I need to pull myself together. Thanks for listening, hyung! I feel a bit lighter, as my Yu Ra would say.”

„But write this conclusion down somewhere in gold,” Dong Hoon noted.

„What conclusion?” Gi Hoon was taken aback.

„That if you can support someone in a tough spot, don’t hesitate and don’t wait for a better time because there might not be one! Comfort that person right away! Sincerely and simply!”

„Ah, right! That will be my rule now, and I’ll spread it in my projects,” Gi Hoon promised.

„Shall we head back, then?” Dong Hoon felt tired.

„Ne! Kah jah!” Both stood from the bench and made their way back to Dong Hoon’s apartment.