By Zephyria 
“Then shall we meet on Thursday? Hyo-jin said she wouldn’t schedule anything else besides
Han Joo-young, who asked the question to Yoon Joo-ho, seemed unfazed, but Song Hyun-soo’s heart skipped a beat.
Even though everyone was subtly observing Yoon Joo-ho’s mood since the script reading, Han Joo-young seemed to be an exception. He was certainly strong-hearted.
Yoon Joo-ho kept fiddling with the cigarette pack on the stainless steel table, only drinking alcohol. Though it wasn’t apparent on the outside, he seemed to have drunk more than Han Joo-young.
Yoon Joo-ho raised his soju glass to the level of his lips and shrugged his shoulders.
“If it’s Thursday, I’m free after 7 PM.”
“…Are you okay? Really?”
“Why, was that just a polite question to me?”
“No, no. I just thought you might not come.”
Yoon Joo-ho narrowed his eyes slightly.
“So, are we going, or not?”
“We’re going, we’re going!”
Han Joo-young’s voice rose a notch. He seemed to enjoy organizing these gatherings.
“Oh, great! Then, the evening of the last Thursday of the month. I’ll decide the place and time and let you know in the group chat.”
Once the plan was settled, Yoon Joo-ho swallowed his soju and immediately stood up, taking his cigarette pack with him. All eyes around him, which had been pretending to be normal until then, silently followed Yoon Joo-ho’s retreating back.
That guy, he probably doesn’t have a lighter again.
Song Hyun-soo, who was contemplating whether to follow Yoon Joo-ho, was intercepted by PD Kim Yoo-kyung before he could make a decision. As soon as Yoon Joo-ho left, she scurried over to Yoon Joo-ho’s empty seat, which was next to Song Hyun-soo.
And in the noisy restaurant, filled only with
“Hyun-soo, the article.”
“Article?”
“The one about actor Yoon and you joining
“Ah, yes.”
“It looks like that will be postponed by one or two weeks.”
Having said that much, PD Kim glanced towards the direction Yoon Joo-ho had disappeared, though he wasn’t even in the room anymore. She was signaling that it was because of Yoon Joo-ho.
“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
PD Kim patted Song Hyun-soo’s hand. Then, as if asking for a drink, she picked up an empty glass lying around and placed it in front of her. Song Hyun-soo immediately poured her some soju.
“Honestly, we’re in a difficult situation too. It’s not like he gambled or did drugs, it’s not drunk driving, nor is it a dating scandal… so we don’t have to pay damages or anything, but it’s still a troublesome situation.”
After downing the glass Song Hyun-soo had filled in one gulp, she winced at the sharp aftertaste of the soju and added.
“The investors are in a panic.”
“Then will Joo-ho Sunbae be fired… his casting canceled?”
Han Joo-young leaned his upper body over the table and asked with curious eyes. Realizing that “fired” might not be the right word to use for a senior, he changed his wording mid-sentence, but it was still not pleasant to hear.
Song Hyun-soo found it difficult to control his expression for a moment. He almost kicked Han Joo-young’s shin under the table. Is this guy really not good with Korean, Korean culture? Or is he pretending not to know and saying whatever he wants?
“No, that’s not it. It’s the first time the Crown Prince has filmed a movie in 30 years. That alone is huge publicity. We’re reassuring the higher-ups that there’s no problem.”
“Right. Even I, as a fan of Joo-ho Sunbae, am looking forward to it.”
Shin Hyo-jin nodded in agreement.
“And most importantly, the director has completely decided on Yoon actor for the role of Baek Kang. He has no intention of changing it.”
PD Kim poured soju for the remaining three actors and raised her glass first, proposing a toast.
“I’m sorry to you all too. It feels like we’re creating unnecessary noise before filming even begins.”
Clinking glasses and emptying their soju cups, Song Hyun-soo picked up the scissors and tongs. Not wanting to participate much in the conversation, he pretended to focus on flipping the meat and cutting it into bite-sized pieces.
“But, Senior, I was surprised because you seemed so unfazed.”
Shin Hyo-jin carefully whispered, picking up a piece of skirt meat from the grill. PD Kim’s eyes widened, and she chimed in.
“Right? Me too! I thought he wouldn’t even show up for the reading today, let alone the company dinner.”
I thought Senior would show up.
If he’s the type to skip a reading for just this much, he wouldn’t have been the first to arrive.
“Ah, that news! I heard about it too… I was a little scared. I don’t think I could ever do something like that to my parents.”
Han Joo-young’s phrase “something like that” grated on Song Hyun-soo’s ears. Even if he’s not fluent in Korean, what do you mean “something like that”??
Your parents must not have done anything worthy of receiving a certified letter from their child. You’re lucky to have good parents. Why are you speaking so carelessly without knowing anyone else’s situation?
Song Hyun-soo subtly pushed a piece of meat, more burnt than the others, towards Han Joo-young. It was a petty act of revenge.
“He seems unfazed on the outside, but I don’t know if I should call his mentality strong or scary.”
Shin Hyo-jin said bitterly, rubbing her arms, and PD Kim shook her head and sighed.
“He’s tough, so tough. You can’t be a top star without that. It takes real grit.”
Yoon Joo-ho had not only attended the script reading and after-party as scheduled, but he had also arrived first again today, just like last time. When Song Hyun-soo opened the conference room door 40 minutes before the reading, Yoon Joo-ho, who was already there, smiled triumphantly and leisurely. With a look that said, ‘How about that? I arrived first again today?’ Seeing him exactly as he was last week, Song Hyun-soo felt relieved yet bewildered.
Throughout the reading, Yoon Joo-ho acted with seriousness, and at the after-party, he played mischievous pranks, smirking like a cartoon villain, and responded sharply whenever Han Joo-young said something he didn’t like. In short, it was the same as last week. Jung-ho’s prediction that the atmosphere would be tense turned out to be wrong.
However, his inner feelings couldn’t possibly be unaffected.
Even a guy like me, who ranked 38th out of 40 in my hometown, knows this. Do these people really not know?
Song Hyun-soo finished finely chopping the last piece of meat and put down the scissors and tongs. He felt there was no point in staying any longer. He might end up causing trouble out of anger.
For top star Yoon Joo-ho, with 30 years in the industry, he could bear the criticism for sending a certified letter to his parents, but for an unknown actor like himself, there was no room for error. If he caused even a small problem, he would be cut immediately.
As Song Hyun-soo slowly got up, PD Kim looked up, tilting her chin.
“Where are you going?”
“Just for a cigarette.”
Han Joo-young frowned from across the table.
“Hyun-soo, you smoke too? It’s not a good habit for an actor.”
Look at him, he knows Yoon Joo-ho is a smoker, yet he’s saying this. He wants to criticize Yoon Joo-ho too. Even if he smokes, Yoon Joo-ho is a hundred times better actor than you.
“Haha. Yes. I should quit.”
His inner thoughts and spoken words were different. Song Hyun-soo tasted bitterness as he left the restaurant.
Before he could even put his arms into his coat, he hurried towards the smoking area. He wanted to check if Yoon Joo-ho or someone else was already there smoking. The dimly lit open space was empty. Only then did Song Hyun-soo feel relieved and began to pour out his suppressed monologue.
“They’re ridiculous. How great of a filial son are they themselves?”
The grumbling filled with anger continued.
“They say they’ve sent three certified letters. They kept ignoring all contact and are now suddenly giving interviews, is that how a parent should treat their child? No, if they were so concerned about Yoon Joo-ho’s image, would they be giving that kind of interview? It’s so obvious, why are they only blaming one side?!”
After grumbling for a while, he felt a little better… not really. As he spoke, his anger flared up again.
He took a cigarette from the pack and brought the filter to his lips.
“They loved Yoon Joo-ho so much, making him number one in every vote.”
Song Hyun-soo shook his head heavily.
“You can never know what’s in a person’s heart.”
Meow, meow. A faint cry could be heard from somewhere.
Song Hyun-soo stopped his hand from flicking the lighter’s flint.
A few of the kittens from last time were running towards Song Hyun-soo.
“Oh, the tricolor family.”
Mimicking Han Joo-young’s tone, Song Hyun-soo crouched down. The anger he felt moments ago completely vanished, and his face brightened.
“How have you been? Hey, you guys have grown, haven’t you?”