By Zephyria As usual, Han Joo-young drank heartily as soon as the company dinner began. His face and eyes flushed with intoxication, he hopped around the restaurant like an excited child.
“Finally, crank-in! Finally, finally! Hyun-soo, Hyo-jin! Aren’t you excited? Huh?”
After circling the table, Han Joo-young draped his arms over Shin Hyo-jin and Song Hyun-soo, who were sitting side-by-side, and stuck his face between them. Shin Hyo-jin burst into laughter.
“Oppa, how many times have you said that today? You’re already drunk.”
“If you’re not going to get drunk, why drink? You might as well drink some other delicious beverage!”
Watching Han Joo-young pull up a spare chair and settle in, Song Hyun-soo asked,
“You don’t seem nervous or anything, Hyung.”
“Me? Don’t I look like I wouldn’t be?”
“You do. I’m envious.”
“This is my first proper role shooting since coming to Korea. I’m just so, so, so excited. Instead of waiting for hours to shoot one cut and going home, I’ll be on set the whole time, participating in the whole process. I’m even looking forward to the stage greetings later. Do you understand why I’m so excited, Hyun-soo?”
“Of course, I understand. Stage greetings were my dream too.”
They clinked glasses, smiling at each other. Han Joo-young, who had initially been awkward, had become someone he got along with well. He had a rather mature thought: life is truly unpredictable. He never would have imagined becoming someone who did all sorts of things with Yoon Joo-ho, who had been so arrogant and prickly when he spilled soju on his coat right here.
They had even fought like dogs, doing all sorts of things.
“Look at Joo-ho Senior. He’s still talking about the script with the director even at the company dinner. They’re too serious, there’s no room to join in. It’s boring.”
“Boring? Where did you hear that expression?”
Shin Hyo-jin burst into laughter at Han Joo-young’s complaint. Han Joo-young’s Korean vocabulary was rapidly improving, focusing on slang, trendy words, and neologisms.
“He’s not even drinking today. That’s why it’s more boring than usual.”
Han Joo-young filled his own glass with soju and then poured for Shin Hyo-jin and Song Hyun-soo in turn, pouting.
What Han Joo-young said was true. Yoon Joo-ho hadn’t touched alcohol since the beginning of the dinner. Song Hyun-soo knew this well because he had been observing him. Normally, he would drink well, considering the atmosphere of the company dinner.
“It’s probably because Joo-ho Senior drove himself today.”
“Senior did?”
Startled by Song Hyun-soo’s overly surprised reaction, Shin Hyo-jin paused her chopsticks, which were reaching for meat, and looked back. Song Hyun-soo rubbed the back of his neck and mumbled,
“Ah… it’s just, I always thought Senior came in a car driven by his manager.”
“He said he drove himself today?”
That wasn’t the only thing that was different. Including Director Bang, Yoon Joo-ho hadn’t brought any manager to the reading today. Even so, he hadn’t expected him to drive himself, especially for a work-related schedule that wasn’t a personal outing.
“Just because he drove doesn’t mean he can’t drink, right? He can just call a designated driver.”
“At Joo-ho Senior’s level of recognition, calling a designated driver might be a bit much. Even for me, it’s not that comfortable. A taxi is better.”
Shin Hyo-jin raised her soju glass at the end of her sentence, and Han Joo-young quickly picked up his own glass, protesting that she was drinking alone.
“But we’re shooting the later scenes first, right?”
Shin Hyo-jin nodded at Han Joo-young’s question.
“It’s because of my and Joo-ho Senior’s hair length.”
As time passes, their hair in the film is supposed to grow longer. Since the actual filming period isn’t long enough to capture that change in length, they decided to shoot the scenes that take place later in the timeline first, and then film the earlier parts while gradually cutting their hair.
“Will it be possible to get into character properly if we shoot the later scenes first?”
“Hmm… watching today’s reading, I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
“That’s true.”
Han Joo-young added.
“Honestly, I almost teared up today. Even though I’m playing Jeon Yu-jeong, I found myself wishing Lee Sol would disappear. Hyun-soo, you were sad too, weren’t you?”
Song Hyun-soo, fiddling with his empty soju glass, nodded.
“I could understand the feelings of both Baek Kang and Lee Sol. I liked that I couldn’t take anyone’s side.”
“Didn’t you dislike Lee Sol?”
Shin Hyo-jin looked at Song Hyun-soo with a surprised expression.
“If Lee Sol had been shameless, I would have. But while she’s drawn to Jeon Yu-jeong, she feels immense guilt and self-loathing. In a way, I think Lee Sol is the most human character in
“Oh… our Lee San is saying something profound.”
Han Joo-young, who had been listening quietly, ruffled Song Hyun-soo’s hair. Song Hyun-soo managed a brief smile at the playful gesture.
But was it his imagination? As he instinctively turned his face away from Han Joo-young’s playful touch, he thought he made eye contact with Yoon Joo-ho for the first time that day. But before he could be sure, his gaze had already shifted elsewhere.
“Ah, Hyun-soo’s words are very encouraging. Thank you. I think it will be very helpful in portraying Lee Sol from now on.”
“It’s my honor that you say that, Senior.”
“Lee Sol is a character who will inevitably be criticized when the movie is released. Without realizing it, I kept defending Sol while acting. From now on, I’ll think of Hyun-soo’s words whenever that happens.”
He wished Yoon Joo-ho could be here with them, discussing acting like this. His gaze automatically sought him out. He was talking with the director, the production company CEO, and PD Kim Yoo-kyung. With the crank-in date so close, they looked more serious than ever.
Today, Yoon Joo-ho and Song Hyun-soo, Baek Kang and Lee San, hadn’t exchanged a single word. No one noticed.
In front of others, Yoon Joo-ho still consistently called him “Hyun-soo-ssi” and mostly used polite speech. Therefore, aside from the fact that the two of them had shared kisses and bodies, no one even knew they were on such close terms. If anything, only two people in the world knew: Director Bang and Seo Hae.
Even if their relationship faded into nothingness, it was a relationship that wouldn’t disrupt any order in the world. Although they were bound by a 10-year contract, it was a part that Yoon Joo-ho didn’t necessarily have to handle directly.
Having drunk alcohol, he felt like his spirits were hitting rock bottom. This wouldn’t do.
Spotting Auntie from ‘Honey’s Place’ coming out of the kitchen, Song Hyun-soo quietly got up and walked towards the counter.
“Auntie! Why is it so hard to see you? Are you busy?”
“It’s because your film crew has so many orders. Why do people want clam soup at a barbecue place?”
“It’s warm and delicious on a cold day.”
“Why, what’s up?”
“I was just waiting for the right moment to say hello.”
“How anticlimactic. We’re not exactly best friends.”
But even as she said that, seeing her aunt’s twitching lips, it seemed she didn’t dislike Song Hyun-soo showing up and hanging around.
“Aunt, shall I show you pictures and videos of Monroe?”
“Mon-ro?”
“Not Mon-ro, Monroe. I told you via text before that I named her Marilyn Monroe.”
“What is that, not margarine?”
“It’s the name of an old foreign actress.”
“Making a fuss over a cat’s name. Jeomdori would have been perfect.”
Even so, she put on her reading glasses to look at the screen of the phone Song Hyun-soo was holding out. As she pushed her phone away and scrolled through each picture, a smile bloomed between the warm wrinkles on her face.
“Oh my, look at this one? He’s really made it big.”
“Right? I told you it’s a complete cat life reversal. Aunt, look at this. All of these are Monroe’s toys.”
Moving the control bar of the video back and forth to show Monroe’s room, Song Hyun-soo passionately briefed Yoon Joo-ho’s devotion to Monroe.
“He only feeds her the best food and treats, too.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s taking good care of her. Anyone can feed them good food if they have money.”
“No, he plays with her so much…”
Song Hyun-soo’s voice trailed off. His gaze wavered as Yoon Joo-ho stood up from his chair. He had only stood up, but his heart sank for no reason.
Is he going out for a smoke? Should I follow him out and try to talk to him?
Maybe I should tell him I overreacted the day before yesterday. That I was upset because he suddenly started taking off my clothes and got angry. Should I say that?
Wouldn’t Yoon Joo-ho just brush his bangs back over his forehead and laugh it off? Wouldn’t he whisper, with a shy look on his face, that he was sorry too?