By Zephyria 
After the first script reading, he had called Jung Ji-in to vent a little. They hadn’t been the type of friends to share small details of their lives before. But after going through Choi Hong-seo’s death together, he had come to rely on Jung Ji-in more and more.
Leaning his back against the wall with a pillow propped up, Song Hyun-soo scratched his cheek with his index finger.
“Um… I think I can manage it somehow.”
He didn’t mention that he had agreed to be Yoon Joo-ho’s script practice partner, and in return, Yoon Joo-ho would help him with his acting. While it wasn’t explicitly covered by the confidentiality clause, even with their increased interaction, it wasn’t in his nature to chatter about every single detail of his daily life.
[I’ve seen your acting before, so I know. You’ll do well, just as you’ve been diligent with the fundamentals.]
Jung Ji-in’s words had strength. They weren’t empty platitudes meant to sound nice.
“It’s all thanks to you, hyung.”
[What did I do to deserve thanks?]
“Pronunciation, vocalization, breathing, elocution… Whenever I wavered, wondering if I should just focus on these, or if my acting was truly improving, you were there to hold me steady. You told me to build my fundamentals instead of relying on tricks. That it would take time, but it was the right path. As you know, hyung, I’m easily swayed, so if you hadn’t been there, I’d still be trying to imitate shallow techniques out of impatience. That’s why it’s all thanks to you.”
[Anyone can give advice. But it’s you who listened to that advice and put it into action, so it’s thanks to you.]
Jung Ji-in’s calm, firm voice had a persuasive power greater than any eloquent speech by a master orator. At least, it did for Song Hyun-soo.
Unaccustomed to praise, Song Hyun-soo crumpled the blanket absently and chuckled. He wasn’t used to it, but he didn’t feel bad.
“Ah, hyung.”
[Hmm?]
“Did you… perhaps, have a fight with Yoon Joo-ho, or rather, Joo-ho Sunbae?”
[…A fight?]
“It seemed like Senior didn’t know how you were doing.”
[What’s there to fight about between grown men? We never kept in close contact anyway.]
Right. Now that he had a general idea of Yoon Joo-ho’s personality, he could easily imagine what their relationship was like. He wasn’t the type to call his friend who had moved abroad every week to check in. Jung Ji-in was a kind person, but he also had a dry side.
Yoon Joo-ho and Jung Ji-in’s relationship had always seemed quite reserved. They weren’t the type to exchange affectionate words and stick together every day just because they were close. Jung Ji-in had never seemed overjoyed when Yoon Joo-ho called. They would bicker with a gruff demeanor, then go out for drinks in casual clothes and come back. It was the friendship of ordinary men their age.
“You might not know, hyung, but Senior’s situation isn’t great lately. Something about his parents, a lawsuit or dispute… Anyway, he’s facing criticism from people…”
[Ah…]
“If you didn’t fight, could you at least contact him once?”
[Okay… Thanks for telling me.]
“Well, it’s not that I’m worried about Senior. It’s just that seeing him, he doesn’t seem to have many friends he connects with…”
He rolled a long loose thread sticking out from the edge of the blanket between his fingers, making excuses. It felt like meddling, and he didn’t want to seem like he was worried about Yoon Joo-ho.
But it was Jung Ji-in, Yoon Joo-ho’s close friend. He figured Jung Ji-in would feel bad if he found out his close friend was going through a hard time too late.
“Hyung, but.”
[Yes?]
“Joo-ho Sunbae.”
[…Yes.]
No one thought of Song Hyun-soo as a serious person. So, it didn’t matter if he asked casually, as he usually did.
That Senior, he seems to have really liked someone, which doesn’t suit him. He says it’s not him, but from what I see, it even looks like unrequited love. Do you happen to know who it is, hyung?
But for some reason, this time it wasn’t easy. The words wouldn’t come out. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to hear the answer. He felt afraid of knowing the truth. Besides, even if he asked, Jung Ji-in wasn’t the type to gossip about other people’s private lives.
“Hyung, how did you two even become friends? Your personalities seem like polar opposites?”
In the end, he changed the subject with a silly joke, as usual.
As he told Jung Ji-in some lighthearted anecdotes from the script reading, Song Hyun-soo pulled the sweatshirt he had thrown on the bed earlier and brought it to his nose. It carried an expensive, luxurious scent, unsuited for a rooftop room.
It was Friday now, past midnight. His script practice sessions with Yoon Joo-ho next week were scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The weekend, which hadn’t even properly begun, felt tediously long.
■■■
“The next stop is Cha Hospital Chaum, Cha Hospital Chaum. The next stop is Cheongdam-dong Community Center.”
Sitting in his designated seat on the bus, Song Hyun-soo checked the time on his phone. His appointment was at 2 PM, and it was only 1 PM. To be precise, 12:54 PM.
He had left way too early, it seemed. And today, the bus wasn’t getting stuck at traffic lights, the roads were clear, and the transfer bus arrived immediately, not even a minute late. The whole world seemed to be helping him. Urging him to get to Yoon Joo-ho’s place quickly.
Thump. Song Hyun-soo rested his temple against the bus window.
Maybe I should kill some time at a nearby cafe. I think there was a cafe on the main road.
Arriving an hour early was something his pride wouldn’t allow. It would look like he had been waiting for this day all weekend. Even if that were true, whether it was revealed or not was another matter.
As if a good idea had struck him, Song Hyun-soo lifted his head from the window.
I have time to spare, maybe I should go see the tricolors?
He heard two of them were being adopted this week. He thought he’d see them one last time before they left. His SNS followers were also curious about the tricolor family’s news. Lately, it seemed they waited for videos of those kittens more than his photos.
Anyway, if he took this bus and crossed Yeongdong Bridge, he would be in Seongsu-dong.
Song Hyun-soo passed the Cheongdam-dong Community Center. On the road crossing Yeongdong Bridge, he looked back. Yoon Joo-ho’s mansion, directly facing Olympic Expressway, glittered in the winter sunlight. He chuckled to himself, thinking that even the building seemed to resemble Yoon Joo-ho’s smug, arrogant expression, and shook his head.
The feeling of heading to ‘Honey’s place’ in Seongsu-dong on a weekend, not even a script reading day, was different. It felt similar to going to an empty school on a weekend.
Since he wasn’t specifically there to eat, he went straight to the vacant lot next to the restaurant. The tricolor family was out in front of the house, basking in the sun. As a person appeared, the mother immediately became wary. Song Hyun-soo lowered his body and approached slowly.
“Tricolor, have you been well? It’s okay, it’s me. You haven’t forgotten me, right?”
The cat remained crouched, watching Song Hyun-soo with suspicion. But regardless of the mother’s stance, the kittens were the first to run out and greet him.
As expected, the striped tail was the first. And the one with the smudge next to its nose was, as always, sticking close to its mother.
The striped tail, bouncing with excitement, rubbed its body from head to toe on Song Hyun-soo’s hand as soon as it touched him, then flopped onto its back.
“Are you a puppy, not a cat? Why do you like people so much?”
The kitten held Song Hyun-soo’s hand, which was stroking its belly, with its front paws and opened its small mouth. A smile tugged at his lips at its serious expression. While stroking the stripes on its tail, Song Hyun-soo glanced towards the mother. She had completely dropped her guard, grooming her fur and letting out a long yawn. The one with the smudge next to its nose stood beside its mother, gazing at him endlessly.
It’s not sitting, it’s standing like that… it must want to come over…
“Takji, you come here too. You need to socialize if you want to be adopted into a good home.”
The kitten, which had hesitantly taken a couple of steps forward, spun around in place and returned to its mother. Song Hyun-soo retracted his left hand, which he had extended towards the kitten, and tasted the bitterness.
“What are you doing, like a stray cat?”
A gruff voice suddenly came from behind him. It was the aunt from ‘Honey’s place.’ Song Hyun-soo straightened up hesitantly.