By Zephyria ■■■
After getting off the bus, Song Hyun-soo crossed the crosswalk and headed down towards Exit 3 of Shinsa Station. It hadn’t been long since he came outside, but his ears were already aching. He heard it was minus 10 or 15 degrees Celsius today. But the cold was no problem for Song Hyun-soo at all. He even hummed along to the music playing through his earphones.
“Open your eyes while washing your hair- It’s okay if foam runs down, I’m an adult- Because I’m an adult-”
It was a song called
Fortunately, the bus he was waiting for soon appeared. It was an odd weekday afternoon, so there were a few empty seats scattered around.
Song Hyun-soo took a seat by the window in the very back. As soon as he sat down, he pulled out a booklet from his backpack. His eyes, stroking the cover, were full of contentment.
Production Representative: Lee Kyung-hyun
Chief Producer: Kim Yoo-kyung
Director & Screenwriter: Jung Joon-hee
Song Hyun-soo’s eyes rolled towards the top right of the cover.
To Song Hyun-soo.
Seeing his name confirmed once more, a smile spread across his face.
Everything had happened faster than Song Hyun-soo had expected, in an instant. He had anticipated it would take up to two weeks for the final decision after the audition, but he received a call the very next day. When he heard the news of his acceptance over the phone, he let out a shriek. And today, two days later, Song Hyun-soo was on his way to attend the script reading for
Until now, his acting experience had been limited to roles with only one or two lines, or extras. Today was the first script reading for the movie
The commute from Bogwang-dong, where Song Hyun-soo lived, to Seongsu-dong, where the production company’s office was located, was not very convenient. He had to transfer buses and walk for about 15 minutes. But even that was not a problem for Song Hyun-soo. He felt like he could go anywhere, even over mountains and across rivers, for three days and nights.
Eight years. It had been eight years since he set foot in Seoul, and only now did he receive a script with his name on the cover. It had taken a ridiculously long time.
And to top it off, it was a project starring Yoon Joo-ho, a name known to everyone in the country.
When he told his grandmother he would be filming a movie with Yoon Joo-ho, she had even teared up on the phone.
‘Oh my, my grandson is going to film a drama with the Crown Prince. After all your hard work, my Hyun-soo has finally succeeded, succeeded.’
Information like whose film it was, or how recognized the director was, didn’t impress his grandmother at all. But even to his grandmother, who barely knew the difference between a drama and a movie, the name Yoon Joo-ho held immense power.
Jung Ji-in, who had left for Paris, also couldn’t hide his excitement when he heard the news. His usually calm voice trembled with emotion, which made Song Hyun-soo’s nose tingle for no reason.
His grandmother and grandfather back home, and then Jung Ji-in in France. After sharing the news with them, Song Hyun-soo’s thoughts naturally turned to Choi Hong-seo.
Choi Hong-seo. How happy he would have been if he knew. They would have gone wild together.
Smiling bitterly as he looked down at the script, Song Hyun-soo then tightened his lips and lifted his head.
The bus slowed down as it approached the signal at Dosan Park Intersection. A building stood tall right on the corner of the intersection, with a rather stylish and unique exterior that looked familiar. Song Hyun-soo tilted his head back and looked up.
LOOK Entertainment.
A simply designed sign was attached to the top of the building. It was Yoon Joo-ho’s agency.
The imposing 15-story building housed a plastic surgery clinic, a dermatology clinic, a dental clinic, a high-end Korean BBQ restaurant, and a major travel agency whose name you’d recognize. Yoon Joo-ho was the owner of this building, which he had purchased for thirty billion won.
Thirty billion won. To Song Hyun-soo, it was an astronomical figure, no different from thirty trillion.
The money itself, thirty billion won, felt unreal, and he couldn’t even grasp what kind of person would possess that much money. Isn’t there a saying that above God, there are building owners? He’d probably act like a god. Besides, he was that much of a superstar. It would be strange if he wasn’t arrogant.
He only drinks water that costs 400,000 won per bottle. He frequently throws tantrums and changes managers. He openly dismisses actors he deems beneath him. Even if the restroom is shared, he stations a manager to prevent anyone from entering when he uses it… Song Hyun-soo mentally listed all sorts of negative rumors about Yoon Joo-ho.
If all of that were true, filming
But even if the path was laid with sharp blades instead of thorns, nothing could break Song Hyun-soo’s spirit. And for some reason, he had a feeling he would get along well with Yoon Joo-ho.
A week before the audition for
As he got closer to his destination, the script became unreadable. While nervously tapping his leg, the bus arrived at its stop. The first stop right after crossing Yeongdong Bridge. There was still over an hour until the reading started at 4 PM. Great, just as planned. Song Hyun-soo smiled with satisfaction. He believed that arriving the earliest and leaving the latest were the basic virtues of a junior on set, and he intended to practice them diligently.
The production company building was located in a quiet residential alley, away from the bustling hotspots of Seongsu-dong.
It was a pretty building, a remodeled old two-story detached house. He had visited once the day before yesterday to sign the contract, so it was easy to find. There was even a ‘Profile Box’ by the red brick wall. A profile box, as the name suggests, was where actors would leave their profiles.
Just then, a man who looked like an aspiring actor was putting a profile into the box. He turned around and his eyes met Song Hyun-soo’s. He then quickly hurried away, avoiding eye contact as if he were a criminal. Song Hyun-soo watched the man’s hunched back for a moment.
He could understand his feelings perfectly. Song Hyun-soo himself had dropped off his profile in that same box just last month. It felt like seeing himself from a month ago.
The man would probably visit other production companies nearby with his profile. Unknown actors usually visited a series of production companies in similar areas, distributing their profiles. Actors called this a ‘profile tour.’
It seemed there were even companies that offered profile tour agency services these days. Of course, Song Hyun-soo was the type to pound the pavement himself to save every penny.
Song Hyun-soo’s heart swelled with emotion as he confidently entered the production company’s entrance. It was worth it, distributing his profiles while eating cup noodles for meals. Even a rat hole gets sunlight sometimes, and the saying that pleasure follows hardship was surprisingly true.
Entering the first floor, he bowed deeply and said clearly and crisply.
“Hello. I’m actor Song Hyun-soo, here for the
The office space was open, without any walls. Several people’s gazes turned towards him. He made eye contact with one of them, and Song Hyun-soo intuitively knew this person was the one who would guide him.
“Um, where should I go?”
“You can go to the conference room on the second floor.”
“Yes, thank you!”
Even with the soulless response of a work-weary office worker, Song Hyun-soo wasn’t discouraged. As he half-ran up the stairs, he saw a door with a printout that read ‘Dissolve Script Reading.’ Smiling silently, he pulled out his phone. The first script reading for actor Song Hyun-soo, he couldn’t miss capturing this historic moment.
He assumed no one would be there, but he couldn’t help but be cautious as he reached for the door. Creeeak.
As the door opened halfway, he saw the back of someone sitting at a table. He was sure he would be the first one, so who on earth was this idle person who came an hour early…
“Sol-ah, I understand you.”
It was Yoon Joo-ho. Yoon Joo-ho’s voice.
“We were apart for 8 years.”
He was reading the script alone.
Instead of entering the conference room, Song Hyun-soo stopped in his tracks. He mumbled the next line under his breath.
“What do you mean you understand me, after all this time?”
It was the line of the female lead, who played Song Hyun-soo’s older sister in the play.
“I wasn’t by your side for 8 years. So… I understand. That’s why I understand.”
“So what?”
“Even if you brought someone else into my old place. I understand you.”
Yoon Joo-ho’s voice, sweet and sorrowful, yet so heartbreakingly fragile, unlike anything he had ever heard. Hearing such lines in that beautiful voice made his heart ache.