By Zephyria The park nestled between the skyscrapers was today’s filming location. The area was quite bustling with preparations for the shoot. Unlike studio shoots, outdoor filming often required more personnel due to numerous variables.
Director Kang Woo-hyun and Park Dong-ha were visible among the staff setting up and checking cameras and lighting. Today’s shooting schedule involved a scene with only Park Dong-ha.
After Lee Hae-sung and Choi Hong-seo returned from Bali, Park Dong-ha had also returned from Hawaii, where he had been hiding, a few days later. Although they had a brief phone call, this was the first time they were seeing each other in person. Romeo, who had spent a few more days with Lee Hae-sung, Choi Hong-seo, and Tiffany until Park Dong-ha’s return, was taken to Park Dong-ha by Lee Hae-sung’s attendant.
“Director, hello. Happy New Year.”
“Ah, yes… Ji-woo. Our Ji-woo. Yes. Thank you.”
Choi Hong-seo bowed respectfully and greeted him. Director Kang nodded with a bewildered expression and patted Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder.
The year had changed in the meantime. ‘Yoon Hye-an’ had turned twenty-eight, and if he were alive, ‘Choi Hong-seo’ would have been twenty-nine. Lee Hae-sung… he had become a very dashing forty-one-year-old. More dashing than any actor his age that Choi Hong-seo knew.
“Our actor Yoon has truly… appeared as Hwang Ji-woo even more since I last saw you?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I’ve been watching you since you walked over from there. I thought I was seeing things.”
“Ah…”
Kang Woo-hyun couldn’t take his eyes off Choi Hong-seo.
Choi Hong-seo could vaguely guess what those wide eyes were trying to convey.
He probably meant that ‘Yoon Hye-an’ who appeared before him looked too much like ‘Choi Hong-seo.’ Since he couldn’t say it directly, he used Hwang Ji-woo’s name.
For the role of Hwang Ji-woo, Choi Hong-seo had cut his long hair so that his ears were visible. After returning from Bali, he had adjusted his diet and undergone professional training, shaping his body in a short period. He ate and slept well, so his skin became smoother and his complexion improved.
Choi Hong-seo unconsciously looked down at the back of his hand.
The spots had vanished without a trace.
“Yes, you’re exactly the image of Ji-woo I had in mind.”
Director Kang Woo-hyun, nodding as if entranced, repeated the words. Then, changing the mood, he raised his voice with energy.
“Alright then. How shall we plan this scene amongst ourselves? No need to be nervous just because it’s the first scene. If it doesn’t snow, well, our Investor will surely sort it out! Our Investor is a demigod, so what’s there to worry about?”
Director Kang, speaking as if joking, laughed loudly to ease the tension of the young actors.
Thanks to the thorough preparation by both Choi Hong-seo and Park Dong-ha, the rehearsal went smoothly. They quickly became immersed and exchanged various ideas.
As they worked passionately, a pleasant warmth rose from their bodies. Midway through, he had to take off his padded jacket and entrust it to Yong-jae. During the rehearsal, the slightly awkward atmosphere with Park Dong-ha also naturally eased.
As he had felt during script studies and readings, Park Dong-ha was an actor who approached his craft with great seriousness. Choi Hong-seo couldn’t dislike someone so purely passionate about their work.
“We’ll start filming as soon as it snows. Actors, please wait a little longer until then.”
As Choi Hong-seo nodded at the production staff’s announcement, Park Dong-ha hesitantly approached him.
“Hyung. Can we… talk for a moment?”
“Sure.”
They found a spot on a bench in a corner where they could watch the filming preparations. Steam rose from the warm coffee they received from a snack truck sent by ‘The Investor.’
“How’s Romeo? Is he doing well?”
“Huh? Romeo? He’s either adjusting to the new house, or he’s still sulking because you left him behind… he’s still grumpy.”
Park Dong-ha replied with a chuckle.
After returning to Korea, Park Dong-ha had left his previous officetel. The new place he moved to was not far from the detached house where his family lived.
Choi Hong-seo empathized with a smile.
“Tiffany too.”
“Tiffany too? Ah… you also went somewhere with the Vice President, right? Was it Bali?”
Choi Hong-seo nodded and brought the coffee to his lips. He replayed the unbelievable events in Bali in his mind.
And then, he broached the subject that Park Dong-ha might have found difficult to bring up first.
“You haven’t heard from Jo Seong-hyeon or anything since then, right?”
“Huh?”
Park Dong-ha asked back with a bewildered expression.
“No. If you get calls from dead people, that’s a total horror movie, right?”
“…He died?”
“What? You didn’t know?”
“Jo Seong-hyeon is dead?”
His body had been much sicker, he had sought out Teacher Lee Jong-ik, and he had gone to Bali to resolve the issues… he had been so busy. He hadn’t had the time or reason to pay attention to Jo Seong-hyeon, whom he thought had been settled with the agreement with Lee Hae-sung.
But he had died in the meantime.
“He was bribing people everywhere and embezzling company funds… it made big news because of that.”
Showing the news articles he had searched himself, Park Dong-ha spoke gravely.
“The scale of the bribes was huge, and there were many people involved. High-ranking officials. Jo Seong-hyeon burned all the evidence and it was concluded that he committed suicide.”
The articles Choi Hong-seo was looking at said the same thing.
Park Dong-ha looked around and lowered his voice further.
“There were probably video materials of us in that villa too.”
“……”
“They must have all burned.”
He didn’t have the look of relief that the terrifying videos, which he had no choice but to follow Jo Seong-hyeon’s orders for, were gone.
It wasn’t because he sympathized with Jo Seong-hyeon’s death, but because these were matters of such weight that they couldn’t be easily dismissed. Choi Hong-seo understood that feeling.
They sat in silence for a while.
When the warmth of the coffee, which had been hot, turned lukewarm, someone from the filming site shouted cheerfully.
“Oh, oh? It’s snowing! It’s snowing! Snowflakes are falling! Hurry up with the filming preparations!”
The two sitting side-by-side looked up at the sky simultaneously. One by one, sparse snowflakes began to fall.
“Are we going? We need to get ready for standby too.”
“Hyung.”
As Choi Hong-seo, who was about to stand up, was about to move, Park Dong-ha suddenly stopped him. Looking down at him, Park Dong-ha’s face was earnest.
“I believe you now. For real.”
“……”
“The fact that Hyung can’t remember anything, that he’s a completely different person from before.”
Choi Hong-seo reached out with his free arm and lightly ruffled Park Dong-ha’s hair.
“I believe it too. That you believe it.”
Only then did a faint smile of relief appear on Park Dong-ha’s face.
“It’s much smaller than the house we lived in before… When we have the housewarming, Hyung, will you come? Invite Yong-jae Hyung too.”
“Yes, I’ll definitely come. Is there anything new you need? As a housewarming gift.”
Let’s fix the hair and makeup. The stylist was gesturing from over there. Choi Hong-seo raised his hand in response, indicating he’d be there soon, and turned back to Park Dong-ha.
“Since it’s a small house, there’s nothing else to give… Teach me how to make that. The cat treats Hyung gave me.”
“……”
“Romeo eats them really well.”
Without saying he was sorry, Park Dong-ha offered the most sincere apology. It was a relief to be able to accept it.
Choi Hong-seo smiled even more brightly. Then, he pulled Park Dong-ha, who was still sitting on the bench, up to his feet.
“Yes, I’ll teach you.”
Park Dong-ha, dusting off his pants, looked a little more at ease than before.
It looked like they would start filming soon once the equipment setup was finished. Instead of returning to the van, they decided to quickly touch up their makeup at a corner of the set.
The stylist, who was working with them for the first time for this movie, was a famous general manager known for her skill. She was quite expensive for a small agency like ENA Entertainment to contract. It was thanks to Lee Hae-sung.
“The movie is almost in the latter half, so the skin needs to look rough. It’s not easy to make good skin look bad, you know?”
She said with a smile as she meticulously touched Choi Hong-seo’s face.
“Ah, Hyean-ssi. Is Lee Hae-sung not coming today?”
“Yes. What?”
At the mention of his name, which came as a surprise in his unguarded state, Choi Hong-seo once again reacted excessively without realizing it.
“I heard Lee Hae-sung is the biggest investor in this movie. I thought he might come for the first day of filming.”
“Ah… I don’t know. I’m not really…”
“Well, even if it’s a movie he’s investing in, he wouldn’t show up on set in this cold weather, would he? He’s the great Lee Hae-sung. He’s probably just providing the money.”
“No, he came often during script studies and readings too.”
“Really? Lee Hae-sung?”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Even though he seemed very busy, he came almost every time. If his schedule didn’t match, sometimes he’d come late and join us for the after-party. We had about ten script study sessions, and he came to seven of them. He also treated us to delicious food often.”
“Hmm… Is that so? That’s quite unexpected.”
She, with a look of disbelief, switched to a different brush. Then, she chuckled as if finding it amusing.
“But, Hyean-ssi, do you remember all that in detail?”
“…What?”
“Seeing as you remember he came seven out of ten times. Lee Hae-sung must have treated you really well. Is he really that handsome in person?”
“Ah, it’s not that… it’s just… he came often. It just happened… No, he is handsome in person, but…”
He knew she hadn’t meant anything by it. Yet, it wasn’t easy for Choi Hong-seo to steer the conversation naturally. He had always thought of himself as much more tactful.
He felt as if she might tickle his face with a small brush and ask, ‘Are you perhaps dating Lee Hae-sung?’
But, of course, that didn’t happen.
“Hyean-ssi, you’re unexpected too.”
“Me?”
“I hesitate to say this, but I heard some not-so-good things about Hyean-ssi. But rumors are just rumors, and I haven’t experienced it myself. Director Kang’s work was something I really wanted.
Finishing the makeup, she continued her story while touching his hair.
“That’s why I accepted this job. After meeting you, I felt it was the right choice. I’ll only see the Hyean-ssi I’ve experienced myself. That’s what I wanted to tell you… that’s why I… brought it up…”
Her voice trailed off as her gaze shifted behind Choi Hong-seo. He hadn’t noticed, but the people around them were glancing in one direction.
He had a feeling he knew who was approaching from behind.
“Hyean-ssi.”
Two heavy hands landed on his shoulders. A husky but gentle voice.
“I’m here.”
He had clearly said he couldn’t come this morning…
Even though he had heard that voice this morning. His heart pounded.