By Zephyria 
[You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into it. Is it because he’s a senior you’ll be filming a movie with, and you want to make a good impression?]
“Y-yes! There’s no downside to making a good impression, right?”
Jung Ji-in, who had seemed reluctant about the million-won birthday gift, seemed to have finally made up his mind.
[Within that budget… I think a prop would be best.]
“That’s probably right, isn’t it?”
Besides props, I couldn’t find any products within the million-won range.
“Hyung, what about… a lighter?”
[A lighter?]
“That senior, he loses lighters so easily, so it probably wouldn’t be good, right?”
[Hmm… I doubt it would last even a week.]
Actually, a lighter was the first thing that came to mind. Every time they ran into each other in the smoking area at ‘Honey’s place,’ Yoon Joo-ho would borrow a lighter from Song Hyun-soo. But what if I gave him a lighter and he lost it quickly too? Even if a million-won lighter meant nothing to Yoon Joo-ho, Song Hyun-soo himself would be hurt if he knew he had lost the gift he gave.
[How about a hat or sunglasses? He often needs to cover his face, so he always keeps one or two in his car.]
“But wouldn’t he already have too many hats? He probably receives tons as gifts too.”
[If you start thinking like that… there aren’t many gifts you can give Yoon Joo-ho.]
“That’s true.”
Song Hyun-soo nodded bitterly and tapped the railing of the bus stop with the toe of his sneaker.
“I do have a few hats I’ve looked at.”
Not just hats. I had scoured every luxury site, set the price range around a million won, and screenshotted everything that fell within that category. For Song Hyun-soo, it was a huge sum of money, and even a single hat that looked somewhat nice invariably exceeded a million won.
“I’ll send you a few I’ve found. Can you pick one for me, Hyung?”
[Well… it’s a gift, though. It would be better if you chose it yourself…]
“Ah, Hyung, please. I really have no eye for this.”
[…]
“I really don’t want to say this, but think about the clothes I used to wear.”
[Hmm…]
“And you know Yoon Joo-ho Senior’s taste better than I do. Right?”
[Choosing one isn’t difficult in itself…]
“Is it because you haven’t reconciled with Yoon Joo-ho Senior yet?”
[Huh?]
“So you’re uncomfortable picking out a gift for him?”
[No. Yoon Joo-ho said that? Did he fight with me?]
“He didn’t say anything like that, but I can tell from the atmosphere. Honestly, rather than a fight, I think he must have done something wrong to you.”
Haha… Jung Ji-in chuckled awkwardly, as if embarrassed.
“You probably know better than I do, Hyung. But that senior, if you look closely, he does have some good points somewhere, right? I don’t know what he did wrong… but you and that senior, you’re still quite old friends…”
[Hyun-soo.]
Jung Ji-in called out to Song Hyun-soo, as if gently coaxing him.
“Yes.”
[Like I said last time, we really didn’t fight or anything.]
“…”
[You know we didn’t see each other often to begin with. It’s not like we’d meet up for drinks, so calling to check in… neither of us are that kind of warm personality. And now that I’ve moved here, we just naturally drift apart, that’s all we think.]
Isn’t that too lonely?
I wanted to say that, but decided to keep it to myself. If a third party interfered any further, it would be meddling.
I just wished Yoon Joo-ho wasn’t so lonely, even a little. I wished he had at least one more person on his side. And it would be even better if that person were someone like Jung Ji-in. As for me… I haven’t learned much and my thoughts are shallow, so I’m not much help.
On the side advertisement board of the night bus heading home, Yoon Joo-ho’s face was printed.
“Forget that coffee. Drink only NUBO from now on.”
The fact that I was going in and out of the house of this beautiful person, known to the entire nation, and acting with him. The fact that the jumper I was wearing right now was a gift from him. Suddenly, it felt like a secret between the two of us, and I boarded the bus with a secret smile.
Jung Ji-in quickly chose one from the six or seven options. Sitting in the very back seat of the bus, I ordered Yoon Joo-ho’s birthday gift. It was a huge sum for Song Hyun-soo, but I didn’t regret it at all. It wasn’t because I calculated it as a profitable deal after receiving a multi-million won padding jacket from Yoon Joo-ho.
When I was in my hometown, I had no interest in luxury goods. I thought Nike was the best, and I was popular even wearing old jeans and a t-shirt. I might not have been as good as Yoon Joo-ho, but I was quite famous for my looks back home.
When I stepped into the Gangnam scene, hoping to make money and perhaps get cast by someone in the entertainment industry if I was lucky, my spending started to exceed my means. It was because I didn’t want to feel intimidated. I didn’t want to be looked down upon.
But even back then, I had never spent a million won on a single item. At most, I could only afford relatively low-priced items like t-shirts, belts, or ball caps. They were items meant to show off to others, so after buying them, I always felt a bitter aftertaste. It felt like a waste of money.
This time was different. Even though I was buying luxury goods, I felt refreshed. It even felt rewarding, like when I sent the entire contract fee for
If it had been the middle of summer, the sky would have been brightening to a clear blue, but the city was still huddled in darkness, lost in deep sleep.
Despite the casting news being released, no one recognized me, the few comments were mostly malicious, and my follower count didn’t explode. Yet, Song Hyun-soo’s heart was filled with a strange excitement and hope. A smile kept forming on my lips.
Jung Ji-in chose Yoon Joo-ho’s first birthday gift. I would give the gift Jung Ji-in chose to Yoon Joo-ho.
Without even imagining that I would regret that moment so painfully.
■■■
Yoon Joo-ho’s SNS, with its 44.72 million followers, remained un-updated. Nevertheless, his birthday messages continued to be added to the most recent post, pushing the comment count over 60,000.
Fans from all over the world, and Korean phrases awkwardly translated by machine, flooded in to congratulate him on his birthday. In the morning, there were about 40,000 comments, meaning he received 20,000 congratulatory messages just today.
No matter who criticized him, Yoon Joo-ho was still going strong.
Song Hyun-soo smiled broadly as he scrolled through the congratulatory comments and put his phone in his padding jacket pocket. Then, before getting off the elevator, he checked his reflection in the mirror one last time.
They say clothes make the man. Wearing a luxury padding over a luxury suit, I look quite like a celebrity, don’t I?
The hairstyle Jung-ho had meticulously styled also looked quite good.
Would Yoon Joo-ho be surprised by this? Would he be so stunned he couldn’t look away the moment he saw me? With that expectation, I grinned and rang the doorbell.
However, the person who opened the door was not Yoon Joo-ho or Director Bang. It was Cha Gyu-min, the manager from Look Planning, whom I had met once before.
“The senior is waiting inside.”
Managers usually referred to celebrities older than themselves as ‘senior.’ The senior Cha Gyu-min was referring to was, of course, Yoon Joo-ho.
Manager Cha led Song Hyun-soo into the acting practice room, where the door was wide open. Unlike usual, it had been set up like a temporary waiting room. The atmosphere was completely different.
There was a rack with several outfits covered in garment bags, and several transformer-like mobile makeup carriers were laid out. And Yoon Joo-ho, dressed in a robe, sat on a high stool in front of a mirror, receiving makeup.
“Ah. Hyun-soo-ssi.”
Yoon Joo-ho, spotting Song Hyun-soo through the mirror, greeted him first. Startled by the unexpected, unfamiliar scene, Song Hyun-soo glanced around furtively and gave an awkward bow towards Yoon Joo-ho.
“Where’s the director?”
“Hyun-soo-ssi only asked for Sang-ho Hyung as soon as he got to our place?”
Because I needed something to say to break through the awkwardness. Especially in such an unfamiliar situation.
The awkwardness doubled because Yoon Joo-ho was speaking formally.
“Hyung has already gone ahead for the party preparations.”
“Ah…”
Yoon Joo-ho gestured for the hesitant Song Hyun-soo to come closer. As he approached the stool, Yoon Joo-ho grabbed Song Hyun-soo’s wrist over his padding jacket and pulled him closer.
“Manager-nim. This is actor Song Hyun-soo. He’ll be working with me on
“Ah, I saw the article! So this is the actor who broke through the 2000-to-1 competition!”
“Hyun-soo-ssi, please greet them. This is Director Jeon, who’s doing my makeup, and over there is Director Shim for hair.”
Besides the makeup director and assistant staff gathered around Yoon Joo-ho, two or three more people were waiting on the sofa. These were famous directors whose names anyone who had dabbled even a little in the entertainment industry would have heard of at least once. Yoon Joo-ho introduced Song Hyun-soo to them, and Song Hyun-soo bowed deeply. It was Song Hyun-soo’s rule to at least greet people properly.
“Hello. I’m Song Hyun-soo.”
“Yes, darling, let’s see.”
The director, who was doing his makeup, lightly held Song Hyun-soo’s chin and tilted it up slightly.
“You look much better in person.”
“Really?”
Yoon Joo-ho asked back with a pleased expression, as if he were being complimented. Then, crossing his legs while seated, he brought the cup in his hand to his lips and added,
“I told them to reshoot your profile picture anyway.”
“Yes, I think we need to. The photo really didn’t turn out well. Hyun-soo-ssi, shall I make you look even more handsome later? Your features seem like they’ll shine with just a little touch, so my hands are itching for the first time in a while.”
After finishing his makeup, Yoon Joo-ho stood up, entrusted Song Hyun-soo’s transformation to the staff, and left the practice room.
Everything happened in an instant. An assistant approached, took the backpack slung over Song Hyun-soo’s shoulder, and almost snatched off his padding and jacket.
By the time I came to my senses, I was sitting on the stool wearing a salon gown.
I felt like Julia Roberts from the classic movie
After his hair and makeup were done in an instant, Song Hyun-soo sat blankly on the stool for a while, even after Yoon Joo-ho had left the practice room. I felt like I had been possessed by a ghost.
Then, I slowly stood up from the stool and approached the mirror that covered an entire wall. The work of the industry’s top professionals, which I had received for the first time, was on another level. It wasn’t heavy makeup; in fact, it was almost unnoticeable, yet it made me look like a different person. It was like the effect of tracing features drawn with an HB pencil with a 4B pencil.
“You look like an actor now that you’re all dolled up.”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had returned without me noticing, stood leaning against the practice room entrance, looking at me.
Dressed in a chic black tuxedo, he looked like someone from a year-end awards ceremony. No, he looked like a prince who held balls every night, waiting for Cinderella to return.
“…”
Would Yoon Joo-ho be surprised by this? Would he be so stunned he couldn’t look away the moment he saw me? I had expected that. But the one who was stunned and couldn’t look away the moment he saw me was Song Hyun-soo.