By Zephyria 
Lukewarm water… Should I mix some cold water with hot water?
He poured a cup of water from the equally well-hidden water dispenser. How much should I add? He poured the whiskey into the glass first, then slowly poured about half a cup of lukewarm water from a glass on top.
“Your insomnia, it’s gotten worse since this movie was confirmed. Maybe you should go to the hospital…”
Yoon Joo-ho, who was preparing the whiskey, stopped and rolled his eyes towards Director Bang.
“Alright, alright. I won’t bring up the hospital.”
“How can you trust people who leak patient privacy, even if they’re doctors?”
“Not all doctors are like that.”
“Three of them were. Is it worth taking more risks?”
Only then did Director Bang agree with a tut and fall silent.
Insomnia had been Yoon Joo-ho’s lifelong companion.
When he was stressed, the symptoms worsened, pushing him to the brink. About a year ago, after finishing
I’ve even tried seeking treatment at a hospital. When a life of only snatching sleep in the car continued for over two weeks, it’s natural for a person to want to get a prescription for medication. But neither sleeping pills nor sleep aids agreed with Yoon Joo-ho. It was merely a last resort, a last resort reached out to out of necessity when pushed to the extreme.
“What can you do? It’s Yoon Joo-ho’s private life. I understand the urge to spill the beans.”
Yoon Joo-ho shrugged and raised his glass to eye level. At least the color looked plausible.
“Why are you talking about it like it’s someone else’s business?”
“That’s why I didn’t reveal the real story even at the hospital.”
“Then can you get proper treatment?”
“Hyung, if I had told them everything, we would have been truly finished back then.”
“…”
Director Bang fell silent because Yoon Joo-ho’s words were true.
“If you can’t even tell them the real story, what’s the point of going to the hospital?”
“At least I can get a prescription.”
“After taking the medicine and sleeping, I feel strangely awful.”
“Still, if you take medicine, you can sleep for five or six hours, can’t you?”
“Anyway, I’m not at the point of needing medication yet.”
He had been diagnosed with a mental health issue and had undergone counseling. And the things he told the counselor had leaked, leading to calls from reporters. They asked if they could publish articles about actor Yoon Joo-ho with various details.
The content wasn’t extremely serious, but it was still information that was better not leaked. It cost quite a bit of money to block it. Even though the articles were blocked, the rumors couldn’t be stopped, and various hearsay circulated on YouTube for a while. However, the impact of the public encountering the same content on YouTube versus a formal news article was different. Blocking the articles was a hundred times the right decision.
His mother and father were furious, criticizing Yoon Joo-ho. They asked why he went to the hospital when he could have just taken Zolpidem and slept, and that counseling showed he still lacked awareness as a top star. Director Bang, who had recommended the hospital out of concern for Yoon Joo-ho’s struggles, did not escape their harsh scolding.
“Those bastards. I should have sued them back then.”
Director Bang muttered, sounding resentful.
“Is that all you have to say after 20 years as a manager in the entertainment industry?”
Yoon Joo-ho chuckled at Director Bang and tasted the mixed whiskey. The color was fine, but the taste was the worst. The aroma had vanished, leaving only a bitter aftertaste, making it undrinkable. He poured the liquid in the glass into the sink.
“It’s not as easy as I thought.”
He took out a new glass, added ice, and poured whiskey.
The display cabinet held all sorts of liquor, cocktail ingredients, and wines of various price ranges, but he didn’t know much about drinking.
This room wasn’t created out of a deep appreciation for alcohol either. The house was too large to live alone, with rooms left over, and there was nothing more to fill it with; he just wanted a space to lounge around decadently.
He drank anything – soju, beer, wine, whiskey – without discrimination. Perhaps it was because he learned to drink the wrong way. As long as it made him drunk, as long as it made him fall asleep drunk, anything was fine.
“Give me a drink too.”
Director Bang stood up from the sofa and walked towards the bar, saying,
“Isn’t drinking in the middle of the day a bad thing?”
“Talking about those doctors makes me want a drink.”
Yoon Joo-ho took out another glass, added ice, and repeated the process of pouring whiskey. Director Bang, leaning his arms on the bar opposite him, asked with concern,
“If you really can’t sleep, should I sleep here? I’ll sleep with you?”
“Hmm… I can be with men too. But you’re a bit too far outside my type. Sorry.”
“Stop joking around, you punk.”
“What do you mean, sleep together? Am I a child scared of ghosts?”
“If you need the TV on to sleep, you’re still a child.”
“…”
“And a variety show at that.”
Handing Director Bang a glass, Yoon Joo-ho pointed to his lower body and squinted, smiling.
“You’ve seen plenty in the sauna that I’m not a child, Hyung.”
“With that face, please refrain from such lines.”
Yoon Joo-ho walked out from behind the bar and put his arm around Director Bang’s shoulder, who was frowning. Then, he deliberately grinned mockingly, intending to annoy him.
“What kind of line is that? A line implying the size of my dick?”
Director Bang recoiled in disgust and fled from Yoon Joo-ho. He sank into the black leather sofa, shaking his head with a deep sigh.
“Sigh… You were so cute when we first met. I can’t believe that cutie grew up to be such a vulgar man.”
“Vulgar? Wasn’t I the best in Korea?”
“The best! You’re the best as an actor.”
Even while chiding him for being vulgar, Director Bang never denied that Yoon Joo-ho was the best actor. Yoon Joo-ho’s lips twitched as he sat on the sofa opposite him.
“And vulgar as a man?”
“Haa, I have my conscience. I can’t say you’re high quality.”
“That cutie has been like this for a long time, Hyung. Get used to it now.”
Yoon Joo-ho had just graduated from elementary school when Director Bang, or rather, Bang Sang-ho, and Yoon Joo-ho first met.
Bang Sang-ho, in his mid-twenties, was working as a road manager at another company, and Yoon Joo-ho’s mother had managed to poach him. Diligence? Honesty? It wasn’t for reasons like that.
‘At least if he looks that good, he won’t tarnish our Joo-ho’s image by being by his side.’
Whenever Yoon Joo-ho caused trouble, Director Bang would lament, recalling how adorable Yoon Joo-ho was back then. And Yoon Joo-ho would enjoy watching Director Bang.
Bang Sang-ho, who survived countless manager changes for Yoon Joo-ho, becoming a team leader, then a director, and finally a board member at Look Planning, was legendary. How he endured Yoon Joo-ho’s temper for 15 years was a mystery. Rumors circulated in the industry about “Bang Sang-ho, the living Buddha.”
“And if we’re talking about the past, I have something to say too, Hyung?”
“What is it?”
“Once upon a time, our Sang-ho Hyung was a manager so handsome he had his own fan club.”
“He did. So what, punk?”
“But now… you know.”
Crossing his legs and sipping his whiskey, Yoon Joo-ho scanned Director Bang from head to toe.
“Who made me like this?”
As Director Bang bristled, a satisfied smile spread across Yoon Joo-ho’s smooth face.
“Don’t smile like that! Don’t smile like an angel, you devil!”
However, the more Director Bang got agitated, the brighter Yoon Joo-ho’s smile became.
In fact, Director Bang still maintained a handsome appearance for his age. For one thing, he had thick hair despite being over forty, and his gentle demeanor gave him a pleasant impression. He hadn’t developed a belly either, thanks to doing some exercises with Yoon Joo-ho. Yoon Joo-ho just wanted to tease Director Bang.
“I know. You missed your prime marriageable age because you were supporting me. That’s why I’ll take responsibility for you, Hyung.”
“Don’t say such dreadful things. The moment I meet my soulmate, I’m done with you.”
“Anytime.”
Leaning back on the cushion and stretching his legs out on the sofa, Yoon Joo-ho shrugged.
“I don’t hold onto people who come, but I don’t stop those who leave.”
“You’re hilarious. In Shanghai. Don’t you remember?”
“…”
“You threw your schedule away and insisted on going to see Actor Jeong… Ah, you…”
Sensing Yoon Joo-ho’s gaze, Director Bang trailed off and changed his words entirely.
“It wasn’t Yoon Joo-ho, it was Bang Joo-ho for a moment then. You were very tired because of Eternal Night. Yes, the pressure was immense.”