By Zephyria 
First, to distribute a profile, they needed to take profile photos. Getting pictures done at a studio known through word-of-mouth among aspiring actors instantly cost them 200,000 won.
200,000 won for simple makeup, hair styling, and photos—it was unbelievable. Park Hae-jun modified his plan and decided to earn money first.
“Hyung is going to earn some money.”
When he informed Lee A-gon after setting up a part-time job interview, chaos erupted. Lee A-gon spread his arms to block the gate, preventing Park Hae-jun from leaving.
“Move. I need to earn money.”
“No. You can’t go out.”
“Lee A-gon. We have no money.”
Park Hae-jun sighed, making him recognize the reality.
“Woomyung decided not to sponsor you anymore, remember? We need money to live.”
“Then I’ll earn it. You stay home.”
“How are you going to earn money?”
“I’ll do construction work if I have to.”
Construction work? Park Hae-jun looked Lee A-gon up and down. Saying he’d do construction work was nonsense. How could he possibly do that?
Manual labor isn’t something to take lightly. The most important things at a work site are quick wit and the ability to understand instructions perfectly. Lee A-gon had neither. His body was also weak—it would be a miracle if he didn’t get injured and end up bedridden.
“No. Construction work would damage your face and you couldn’t be an actor.”
Unable to say that Lee A-gon was too slow-witted to do the job, Park Hae-jun made up another excuse.
“I can do it.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I will.”
“I said you can’t.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Are you talking back to me?”
At this threat, Lee A-gon became intimidated. But his eyes still showed clear defiance.
Park Hae-jun sighed deeply and put down his bag. This would take some time to resolve.
“You should focus on becoming an actor quickly. That’s how you can help.”
“And meanwhile you’ll go out and work hard for money?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want that. I want to earn money too.”
“Don’t be childish. I’m telling you to be an actor.”
“I don’t need to be an actor!”
“Hey!” Park Hae-jun shouted.
What? Not be an actor? What was this kid saying when he should be acting?
“I don’t need to act. I didn’t really want to in the first place. I started only because I wanted to meet you, and after you left the industry, I wasn’t interested anymore.”
“What are you saying…”
“So I’ll work. I’ll do manual labor or whatever to earn money.”
Wow, how to handle this?
Park Hae-jun rubbed his face dry. He felt the frustration of dealing with a friend who wanted to drop out of school to become a successful rapper. His chest tightened with exasperation.
“Fine. Then what do you want to be? What’s your dream?”
“Your husband.”
“…”
“I want to live peacefully with you. That’s my dream. And if possible…”
“If possible, what?”
“I also want to… have children with you.” Lee A-gon confessed with a blush, embarrassed.
Park Hae-jun looked at Lee A-gon quietly and chose his words carefully.
“…First.”
Setting aside the fact that two men can’t have children, for now.
“Lee A-gon, do you dislike acting?”
“It’s not that. It just doesn’t matter either way.”
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?”
“I only need you. If you’re by my side, I don’t mind doing manual labor. You stay at home. I’ll do whatever it takes to support you.”
Silence passed for a while. Park Hae-jun crossed his arms and after organizing his thoughts, asked, “Lee A-gon, you want to be my husband?”
At that moment, Lee A-gon’s face turned bright red. His pale face turned a clear, pretty peach color.
“And you want to have children too?”
“Haaap.”
Lee A-gon gasped, holding his cheeks with both hands. He couldn’t hide his excitement at the words “husband” and “children.”
“Hmm,” Park Hae-jun crossed his arms. “But what should we do, Lee A-gon? I like men who are good at their jobs.”
“What?”
“I like men who work well and earn good money. I’d prefer someone with a good education too. Lee A-gon, did you graduate from high school? Can you go out right now and earn a lot of money?”
“…”
Lee A-gon’s eyes shook widely from side to side. Education, career, money. His hyung said he liked men who had those things. He didn’t have any of them.
“Lee A-gon, acting is the only thing you’re good at. How else could you earn good money? To get hired at a company, you need a diploma and qualifications, but you’ve never studied for those things and don’t know how.”
This merciless assault of facts deflated Lee A-gon completely. He removed his hands from his face and hung his head. Then he mumbled in a small voice, “I’m stupid… I’m really sorry…”
“That’s not it, Lee A-gon. You’re not stupid.”
Park Hae-jun quickly corrected Lee A-gon’s words.
This guy really misunderstands everything.
“What I mean is, I like men who are good at acting.”
Lee A-gon looked up with teardrops clinging to his eyelashes. His eyes were wide open.
“I want to date a man who gives his best at what he does. And a man who’s good at acting.”
“…!”
“You know,” Park Hae-jun leaned in slightly and whispered, “I wish you could be that man.”
“H-hyung.”
Lee A-gon was immature enough to talk about marrying a man and having children together. Park Hae-jun decided to use this unexpected topic to cleverly instill in Lee A-gon the will to act properly. And to establish why he needed to go work alone.
“About having a baby too. If a child is born and their father is unemployed… how embarrassing would that be.”
Gasp! Lee A-gon’s mouth fell open in shock. His Park Hae-jun hyung had called him the baby’s father. The baby’s father… His hyung just called him a father.
“Did you just call me the baby’s father?” Lee A-gon placed his hand on his chest, breathing heavily. “Are you saying I could be the father of your baby?”
“…Yeah.”
When Park Hae-jun answered, Lee A-gon closed his eyes and panted. His heart seemed to be hurting.
“T-then. Marriage too? Will you marry me too?”
“…”
“Please answer me. If we have a baby, will you marry me too?”
“Well… if we have a baby. Then I’ll marry you.”
Knowing it could never happen, Park Hae-jun gave a casual answer.
“Ha.”
Having finally received an answer to his proposal, Lee A-gon breathed heavily in that position for a while before making a determined face. Park Hae-jun avoided Lee A-gon’s direct gaze, feeling uncomfortable.
“Hyung, I’ll work hard. So I can marry you. So that o-our baby won’t be ashamed, I’ll become a good actor.”
“…Yeah, do that.”
Whatever you say.
“Then hyung, should we make one now? The baby… should we do it now?”
He was so excited that his speech became incorrect, something that hadn’t happened in a while. Park Hae-jun put his hand on Lee A-gon’s shoulder and patted him.
“Calm down. What’s the point of making a baby when both parents are unemployed?”
“Ah, I see. We shouldn’t make a baby while unemployed.”
“Right. So what should we do first?”
“I need to audition and become an actor.”
“Exactly that.”
Bingo. Finally, the right answer.
When Park Hae-jun smiled brightly, Lee A-gon seemed to melt.
“Hyung. Hyuuung.”
“Yes. What?”
“But you still can’t go earn money.”
Park Hae-jun’s smiling face froze.
Lee A-gon said seriously, “I’m the breadwinner. Absolutely not.”
“You little…”
Park Hae-jun clenched his fist and trembled. They had to have another long persuasion session.
∞ ∞ ∞
There was no way to earn money. Wherever he tried to go, Lee A-gon clung to him like a leech and wouldn’t let go. With the absurd logic that he was the breadwinner and would earn the money.
Park Hae-jun was frustrated to the point of madness. What kind of job could Lee A-gon possibly do when he didn’t even know that two men couldn’t have children?
Then the maintenance bill arrived. Park Hae-jun’s eyes bulged when he saw it. The maintenance fee was 600,000 won.
“600,000? 600,000?”
How could maintenance fees be 600,000 when it wasn’t even rent? Park Hae-jun was bewildered.
And that wasn’t all. When he checked carefully to see what cost so much, ridiculous expensive items kept appearing. The basic maintenance fee without utilities was enormous, and the electricity bill from using it freely, along with the water bill from enjoying leisurely warm showers morning and evening, were substantial.
Park Hae-jun immediately turned off the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He had often kept it on because he liked the soft yellow light rather than harsh brightness, but now he realized it was an electricity-consuming monster.
“Let’s move.”
Park Hae-jun decided to move immediately. This place cost 1 million won a month just for breathing. They couldn’t live here.
He immediately checked real estate apps for listings. What he wanted was two rooms for less than 400,000 won monthly rent.
The problem was the deposit. With the deposit from his semi-basement apartment, he couldn’t find a place to move into right away. If he lowered the deposit, the monthly rent went up. After adjusting the conditions, there wasn’t much difference from staying here.
Park Hae-jun chewed his lip, thinking hard. Whether they moved or not, he needed to earn money first. That was the most urgent matter.