By Zephyria 
While quietly glaring at Yoon Joo-ho as he opened a new bottle of liquor served at the table, Han Joo-young puffed himself up and took something out of his bag.
“Well, is it my turn this time?”
“Oh? Are you giving a gift too, hyung?”
“What do you think of me?”
“I didn’t think you’d remember my birthday.”
“I didn’t intentionally remember. The messenger told me.”
Song Hyun-soo was already used to Han Joo-young’s subtle tsundere tendencies. Inside the small, slender box he handed over were black horn-rimmed glasses.
Song Hyun-soo couldn’t easily take the glasses out of the case.
“Hyung, this…”
“How is it? My sense isn’t bad, right?”
“This is…”
“I saw you wearing them in the photoshoot, and they looked good on you.”
They were the glasses he had worn in the photoshoot with Yoon Joo-ho in Paris. In fact, there were one or two cuts of him wearing these glasses in the magazine. Thinking of Han Joo-young remembering his birthday gift after seeing that photo made the tip of his nose tingle a little.
“It was hard to get that, you know?”
Han Joo-young continued in a boastful tone.
“There are a lot more people looking for it because of that photoshoot.”
“Come on, no way.”
“I heard it directly from the store staff. I barely got it by asking a favor from a stylist I’m close with, you know?”
Song Hyun-soo, who had been lost in thought while fiddling with the glasses, shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Still, it probably wasn’t because of me. The glasses are pretty, so they would have sold well even without the photoshoot, it was just the timing.”
Han Joo-young shook his head as if he was frustrated.
“Hyun-soo, you know I’m not usually one to say nice things about others, right?”
“I know.”
“But face reality a little. You’re an actor with almost 200,000 followers.”
“Honestly, you can’t even hand out a business card with 200,000.”
“He’s really saying frustrating things. That’s that much before any promotional activities. Once the production briefing is out and articles start being released, it’ll quickly hit 500,000, 700,000, you know?”
He said that 200,000 followers was a world where you couldn’t even hand out a business card, but even that number was like a dream to Song Hyun-soo. But 500,000, 700,000… It felt as unreal as 1 trillion, 2 trillion.
Han Joo-young urged him, asking if he wasn’t going to try on the gift. Song Hyun-soo took out the glasses and put them on.
“Oh, they actually look better on you in person than in the photoshoot?”
“Really?”
At Han Joo-young’s compliment, Song Hyun-soo smiled and adjusted his glasses. Shin Hyo-jin’s reaction was also good.
“They seem to suit Hyun-soo’s face shape. You’re going to have a lot more times when you need to disguise yourself, so these will be perfect.”
A life where he has to hide his face even with glasses. He still couldn’t quite imagine it. But he liked the glasses. Even though it was his own face that he was most familiar with in the world, he felt somehow new when he wore the glasses.
“What about Jooho Sunbae?”
Shin Hyo-jin asked Yoon Joo-ho, who had been quiet throughout the gift presentation.
“What about me.”
“It’s Hyun-soo’s birthday, don’t you have anything?”
Yoon Joo-ho slowly turned to Song Hyun-soo with a nonchalant gaze.
“Do I have to personally take care of even the birthdays of distant juniors?”
Others might not have noticed, but his voice was subtly subdued.
“Hyun-soo was called to Sunbae’s room every day during filming. Just the help he gave you then is worth a good gift, right? Sunbae has scale.”
“Whether he came to my room to help or to turn it upside down, you don’t know that.”
Han Joo-young, who was listening, nodded.
“Well, Hyun-soo is in Look Planning. That alone is a huge gift.”
“That’s right! I’ve already received so much that I don’t need to receive a gift from Jooho Sunbae. Absolutely.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been aimlessly stirring the pickled onions, put down his chopsticks and raised his eyebrows. Something was clearly bothering him.
“Hyun-soo, what are you doing on your birthday? Do you have plans?”
Song Hyun-soo glanced at Yoon Joo-ho and answered Shin Hyo-jin.
“Just… I’m going to visit my parents’ house.”
“Where is your parents’ house?”
“Gyeonggi-do. Almost all the way to Chungcheong-do.”
“Is it the countryside?”
Han Joo-young also showed interest.
“It’s not the countryside, but it’s not a city either… There are rice paddies and apartments, that kind of atmosphere.”
Looking at Han Joo-young’s expression, it seemed like he couldn’t quite imagine it.
“The movie promotion will start in earnest soon, so it would be good to visit once before that.”
At Shin Hyo-jin’s words ‘movie promotion,’ something that he had temporarily forgotten resurfaced in Song Hyun-soo’s mind. Like a child facing overdue homework on the last day of vacation, Song Hyun-soo made a frustrated expression.
“Ah, promotion! Did everyone see the promotion schedule?”
“I saw it. I was excited because I thought it was finally starting.”
“Wow… Hyung, you’re more daring than me. Have you ever done a variety show, hyung?”
The fact that even Han Joo-young, the only comrade with a career that was as good as a rookie, wasn’t intimidated made Song Hyun-soo’s shoulders droop even more.
“No, who would have called me to a variety show? But I want to try it! You’re even going on ‘Chef’s Living Room’? My parents are subscribed to that channel, so I called them earlier and bragged about it.”
“Hyung, aren’t you nervous at all?”
“Well, it’s not live. They’ll edit out any mistakes.”
Han Joo-young shrugged his shoulders with a nonchalant face and downed a shot of soju in one gulp. Song Hyun-soo also felt like he needed to drink more.
Shin Hyo-jin filled Song Hyun-soo’s glass with a surprised expression.
“Hyun-soo, I think you’d do well on variety shows. Are you nervous?”
“To the point of throwing up.”
“That much?”
“You saw how many NGs I made even for those 1-2 minute videos back then. I’d rather act.”
“Variety shows aren’t that different. The script is all prepared in advance based on the content of the interviews, and the hosts are usually veterans, so they make you feel comfortable. Right, Sunbae?”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been resting his chin on the edge of the table and stirring the green onion salad with his chopsticks, raised his eyes and looked this way. His attitude towards participating in the gathering had been poor since earlier.
Shin Hyo-jin gave him a signal with her eyes to say something encouraging.
“Variety shows. You just have to follow the script, so there’s not much to worry about.”
Yoon Joo-ho’s gaze slowly moved from Shin Hyo-jin to Song Hyun-soo. He briefly looked at Song Hyun-soo’s eyes, which were hoping to be reassured that there was nothing to worry about, then put down his chopsticks and muttered nonchalantly.
“Hmm, those who can’t do it can’t do it no matter what when it comes to variety shows.”
Song Hyun-soo’s complexion rapidly darkened.
“Hyun-soo, it’s okay. Sunbae is just teasing you on purpose.”
Shin Hyo-jin tried to smooth things over in a flustered manner, but it didn’t improve Song Hyun-soo’s complexion.
“Noona… I have a feeling that I’m going to be the one who can’t do variety shows no matter what.”
“It’s not a solo appearance, anyway. Sunbae will help you a lot from the side. Right, Sunbae?”
“Well. I’m up to my neck in my own problems.”
Yoon Joo-ho shrugged his shoulders and downed his share of alcohol.
It was something he had heard somewhere before. Song Hyun-soo’s eyes narrowed as he rummaged through his memories. Was it déjà vu?
『“As I said, I’m up to my neck in my own problems.”』
It wasn’t déjà vu.
Yoon Joo-ho’s cold face, rejecting his request for help, clearly came to mind. It was right here in the empty lot of this restaurant.
I can let it go that time because we were still strangers, but you’re saying the same thing now? You always say I’m your adorable lover that you wouldn’t trade for the world, but bullshit.
A dark shadow fell over Song Hyun-soo’s face as he secretly glared at Yoon Joo-ho and downed his glass. It was because Yoon Joo-ho had gotten up from his seat.
Shin Hyo-jin looked up at him and chided him.
“Sunbae, where are you going after making the kid cry?”
Yoon Joo-ho, who was about to leave, stopped and bent down to look at Song Hyun-soo’s face. Song Hyun-soo unknowingly leaned his upper body back. His face was too close. No, this guy, in front of everyone…
“What, you’re not crying?”
“Of, of course I’m not crying! Do you want me to cry?”
“Hmm, I was thinking of being a little lenient if you were really crying.”
He muttered spitefully, then took out a cigarette from his coat pocket and leisurely left the restaurant.
You’ve changed, Yoon Joo-ho. You used to say you didn’t like me crying anywhere but in bed. Now you want me to cry a little?
Song Hyun-soo, who had been glaring at the direction of the exit where he had disappeared, soon awkwardly got up and followed him.
“Um, I’m going to have a smoke too.”
“Hyun-soo, you’re not going to fight, are you?”
Song Hyun-soo smiled reassuringly at Shin Hyo-jin, who was speaking with a serious face and worriedly.
“He’s been a senior for several years, how dare I fight him.”
I’m not fighting, I’m scolding him.