By Zephyria 
Jung Joon-hee’s new film
Rookie Song Hyun-soo, who broke through a 2,000:1 competition, becomes Yoon Joo-ho’s younger brother in
Will Song Hyun-soo become another star discovered by director Jung Joon-hee?
Newcomer Song Hyun-soo joins
⤷ Did you spend all the production budget casting Yoon Joo-ho? There are levels to obscurity.
⤷ No, this is an article about casting a rookie actor, right? The title is all about Yoon Joo-ho or director Jung Joon-hee.
⤷ I clicked thinking it was an article about Yoon Joo-ho based on the title. I’ll leave a comment while I’m here.
⤷ What must the other 1,999 people have been like…
Waiting for the night bus at the bus stop, Song Hyun-soo searched for news articles for perhaps the twentieth time that day. The situation hadn’t changed much from the last time he searched.
The casting news he had waited for was released last Friday.
However, his daily life remained unchanged.
It was embarrassing how he had been excited, thinking someone might recognize him while working at ‘Jessica’ all weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Although his follower count increased slightly more than usual over the three days, it wasn’t a significant amount. Barely a hundred people? Compared to his expectations, the reaction was quiet.
The only ones who responded enthusiastically were his grandparents, Jung-ho, Chae-young, and Jung Ji-in.
Furthermore, Yoon Joo-ho also responded, though not enthusiastically.
《Retake your profile picture.
If your photo is like that, you won’t get roles.》
Even though the feedback was irritating.
Still, the fact that he even looked up the article was something. Yoon Joo-ho’s sharp tongue was nothing new.
《And don’t mind the comments unnecessarily.
The losers babbling there are talking nonsense.
No one cares about them either.》
And a few minutes later, he added a message.
It was the first time an article with his name on it had been released, and he had received his first-ever malicious comment. If it weren’t for Yoon Joo-ho’s firm advice, he might have been fuming and arguing in the comment section for three days straight. But after looking at the comments with Jung-ho and Chae-young, even if they swore, the anger didn’t linger in his heart for long.
If someone he looked up to since childhood, the top actor Yoon Joo-ho, told him not to worry about it, then it felt like a trivial matter that truly didn’t need worrying about.
It felt like Yoon Joo-ho was protecting him from the nonsense.
It felt like Yoon Joo-ho was covering his eyes and plugging his ears from behind, telling him not to look or listen. That he only needed to think about the path he had to take.
“Haa.”
Song Hyun-soo let out a long sigh as he shoved his phone into his pocket.
The night bus he was waiting for had a 40-minute interval. Standing idly in the pocket of his jumper, bored, Song Hyun-soo stopped moving as he saw his reflection in the advertisement board at the bus stop.
His face was just a blurry shape, but his bright orange padding jumper stood out clearly.
When he wore it to ‘Jessica’ on Friday, Jung-ho and Chae-young recognized the brand and made a fuss. They even took turns trying on the jumper.
‘Hyung, you said you quit luxury brands. Where did you get the money? Did you buy this on installment???’
Jung-ho, who was taking a selfie with his reflection in the mirror while wearing the luxury padding, suddenly widened his eyes towards Song Hyun-soo. If he said he bought it on installment, he looked like he would grab him by the collar.
‘Am I crazy? Senior Yoon Joo-ho…’
‘Yoon Joo-ho bought it for you???’
‘He gave it to me because he wasn’t wearing it.’
It would be strange to say he received this after buying him books, a notebook, and an 11-color pen set as a Christmas present. And if he said he received it in exchange for bartending at his birthday party, that would also sound strange. So he just said it like that.
‘Wow… Even if you don’t wear it, this must be worth almost four hundred. It must be pocket change for Yoon Joo-ho.’
‘Do you think he gave it to me because it’s pocket change? He cherishes his juniors.’
The down, made of 90% goose down and 10% feathers, was different from padding filled with wellon, which was like cotton, and was exceptionally warm. It felt like it was made from the feathers of geese with particularly warm down, not just any geese. He could feel the warmth instantly just by putting his hands in the pockets.
Song Hyun-soo gazed intently at his reflection in the advertisement board.
If it were his past self, he would have liked this padding because of the logo on the left sleeve. But now… he kept looking at this outfit because Yoon Joo-ho had given it to him. Believe it or not, that was the truth.
Song Hyun-soo looked up at the electronic billboard. There were 28 minutes left until the bus he was waiting for arrived.
It was a little past 2 AM after ‘Jessica’ closed. It would be a little past 7 PM in Paris. It was a suitable time to call Jung Ji-in.
[Hey, Hyun-soo.]
After a few rings, he was connected to Jung Ji-in’s voice, which always brought him peace.
“Hyung. Are you free to talk?”
[I’m just resting at home.]
“What about dinner?”
[I’ll eat around 8.]
“People there really eat dinner late.”
After a brief chat, Song Hyun-soo got to the point.
“Hyung, actually, I have a favor to ask.”
[A favor?]
“I’ve been invited to Senior Yoon Joo-ho’s birthday party.”
[Huh? What?]
“Senior Yoon Joo-ho’s birthday party.”
[Ah… really? You must be quite close now.]
The words “quite close” felt somehow embarrassing. When they were together, he said all sorts of things to Yoon Joo-ho. But when he wasn’t around, the fact that he was the actor Yoon Joo-ho felt more vivid.
I’ve become close with actor Yoon Joo-ho. The person close to Yoon Joo-ho wasn’t me, but Ji-in hyung. I was always the one who envied him inwardly.
Tucking his chin into his jumper, Song Hyun-soo grinned silently.
“Well, he probably invited me out of courtesy since we’re going to be in a movie together.”
[He’s not the type to invite someone to his birthday party just because you’re working on a project together.]
That was true. Shin Hyo-jin had also said she was invited for the first time.
“Anyway. I feel like I should buy a gift… but I want to match the level somewhat. I’m not very good with gifts, you know.”
[…]
“You’re the only person I can ask about this.”
Ever since they lived together in a dilapidated multi-family house, Jung Ji-in had seemed different from him, right from his background. He owned several expensive wristwatches, and the clothes he brought when moving into the shared house, though simple in design, were made of high-quality materials and were expensive luxury brands. He and Choi Hong-seo had speculated that he might be the son of a wealthy family whose parents’ business had failed, which was why he was living in a shared house.
One part of the speculation was correct, and the other was wrong.
It was true that he was from a wealthy family, and his family’s business was still thriving.
In any case, thanks to his affluent upbringing, Jung Ji-in had a good sense for these things. He didn’t just follow trends; his taste and discernment were refined.
From the day he was invited to the birthday party, he had agonized over it, but he couldn’t narrow down the options for a birthday gift for Yoon Joo-ho, who was said to be worth tens of billions. Anything seemed too shabby to give to Yoon Joo-ho.
Jung-ho also had good taste, but he didn’t know much about the preferences of the wealthy. In the end, he felt he had no choice but to seek advice from Jung Ji-in.
“He likes scented candles, so I thought about that too. But within what I can get, he probably already has everything…”
[Scented candles?]
“Senior Yoon Joo-ho. He has a ton of scented candles, doesn’t he?”
[Really? I didn’t know.]
“Ah… that’s what I heard. I only found out recently.”
Yoon Joo-ho’s close friend Jung Ji-in would surely know, so Song Hyun-soo unconsciously changed his wording.
It wasn’t exactly a secret that I was practicing lines with Yoon Joo-ho. But Director Bang had advised me to keep the fact that it was a paid part-time job as quiet as possible. Even though it was Jung Ji-in, I was cautious about letting slip that I had been going in and out of Yoon Joo-ho’s house.
“The budget is about a million won. What would be good?”
[A million won? Do you really have to buy a gift, going to such lengths?]
Jung Ji-in, who knew Song Hyun-soo’s financial situation well, seemed reluctant.
“Well… I’ve received a lot from that senior… so I felt I should do something of that magnitude.”
[Received a lot?]
“This and that. He’s given me a lot of acting guidance.”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell Jung Ji-in that I had received a luxury padding jacket worth millions of won.
[Hmm. He’s a difficult person to buy gifts for. He doesn’t even glance at anything that doesn’t suit his taste.]
“Tell me about it! His taste is so particular? He’s picky about food, has high standards, is sensitive to smells… and he absolutely won’t do things he dislikes. I worry if he’s like that in bed too.”
[…]
“Anyway, I don’t think the gift I picked would suit him. Do you have any ideas for something good around a million won? Preferably something he can use regardless of the season, carry around all the time, and something he really needs.”
Jung Ji-in let out a light laugh over the phone.
[It sounds like you’re looking for a gift for a girlfriend?]
Conversely, Song Hyun-soo pressed his lips shut.
After agonizing over it, I had even searched for ‘birthday gift for a 30-something boyfriend’ on the portal.