By Zephyria 
“Yes, come in.”
Seeing a door lock, it must be an important room. Was it okay to let me into such a space? My mouth went dry at the thought of entering Yoon Joo-ho’s secret room.
Director Bang used a door stopper to prop the door open about half a span. This was to prevent the door lock from engaging.
“Wow… This place. It’s like a bar!”
Song Hyun-soo stepped into the room, marveling. It wasn’t what he had imagined, like piles of expensive art or gold bars, but this was far more appealing to him.
“I can’t believe this is a room in a house…”
“This is a room Joo-ho decorated like a lounge bar.”
The dark-painted walls were adorned with large, vibrantly colored paintings, and a table large enough for about ten people to drink and dine together occupied the center of the room. Like the living room and practice room, a sofa set was arranged in front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Han River. Furthermore, a built-in stainless steel bar occupied one wall.
“I’d believe it if you told me this was an actual operating bar.”
The shelves of the bar, illuminated by the lights, were filled with various liquors and an assortment of glasses. Whiskeys costing millions of won per bottle were mixed in. Was the door lock installed because of all the expensive alcohol?
As Song Hyun-soo was engrossed in looking at the bottles, Director Bang asked, “Have you eaten, Hyun-soo?”
“I’ve already eaten.”
“You live alone, right?”
“Yes.”
“You probably just ate ramen, I suppose.”
“…”
He was right.
“I don’t eat ramen every day.”
Sitting on a chair in front of the table as Director Bang suggested, I gave an awkward smile, feeling a bit embarrassed. I don’t eat ramen every day. I make kimchi fried rice in a pot, and sometimes I make braised potatoes and mix them with rice, eating it wrapped in seaweed…
“What do you want to eat? I’ll order something delicious.”
Director Bang, sitting opposite me, took out his phone. He seemed to be opening a delivery app.
“It’s okay, I’m paid well for my part-time job.”
“Order whatever you want. Our Joo-ho has a lot of money.”
That was true. I had heard stories about the building being worth thirty or fifty billion won, or that he had earned over a hundred billion won in thirty years. It was annoying that he was sleeping so peacefully, unaware of others’ feelings. I felt like I could spend some of Yoon Joo-ho’s money.
“Please order tangsuyuk, Director.”
“I told you to order something expensive, and you only want tangsuyuk? Fine, I’ll order beef tangsuyuk. I know a good place.”
Alright, Yoon Joo-ho. I’ll waste at least 50,000 won of your fortune.
While Director Bang was ordering food on the app, Song Hyun-soo looked around the room again. His gaze, wandering around the space, settled on a long display cabinet in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“…”
Several candles were placed on top of the cabinet.
Even to someone like me, who didn’t know much, they looked like expensive, fragrant candles with high-end labels. I had only recently learned they were called scented candles after searching online. I was almost shocked when I saw the prices.
I knew perfume was expensive, but candles costing hundreds of thousands of won each? I had thought the countless scented candles placed all over Yoon Joo-ho’s house must be worth tens of millions of won. My feeling that Yoon Joo-ho’s scent was expensive wasn’t a mistake.
I had thought about buying one for myself, the smallest size, after getting a high-paying part-time job, but I gave up when I saw the price. They just burned away and disappeared, and even the smallest one cost over a hundred thousand won…
Still, there was no doubt that these scents suited Yoon Joo-ho.
“Um, Director.”
“Hmm.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to turn off the TV if you want to sleep soundly? Should I go turn it off?”
Song Hyun-soo’s butt was already halfway off the seat, fidgeting. But Director Bang waved his hand, stopping him.
“No, there’s no need. Joo-ho needs the TV on to sleep. The volume is always at 5.”
“…”
“Oh, there’s no strange reason. It’s just a habit.”
Director Bang added, as if making an excuse.
“Lots of people sleep with the TV on. I do too.”
“Right? It’s nothing special. When it comes to Joo-ho, people tend to make up elaborate stories about even the smallest things.”
“I signed the contract, so I won’t talk about it outside.”
“Yes, please do that.”
Director Bang smiled gratefully, but there was a hint of bitterness in his smile.
Having been around Yoon Joo-ho for even a short time, I felt I could somewhat guess the meaning behind that smile.
Whether it was broadcast staff, stylists, or managers rumored to have been fired by Yoon Joo-ho, countless people must have passed through Yoon Joo-ho’s life. Some of them must have seen him as merely an interesting specimen, like a zoo monkey to observe up close, and spread rumors.
“Order complete. It’ll be here soon.”
Watching Director Bang put down his phone, Song Hyun-soo nodded and then tapped the glass table, as if suddenly remembering.
“Ah! About the delivery. It’ll be noisy when the bell rings. To avoid waking the senior… no…”
Song Hyun-soo’s voice trailed off. I had been annoyed seeing him sleeping so peacefully after coming with such anticipation. Now, I was worried about him waking up. What was I doing?
“I wrote down to send a message instead of ringing the bell. It says the baby is sleeping.”
The baby is sleeping… Perhaps it wasn’t entirely untrue. A ridiculously large, incredibly disobedient baby was sleeping on the living room sofa.
Director Bang and Song Hyun-soo chuckled, looking at each other.
“This place has express delivery, and the food is amazing. Joo-ho can’t eat this kind of food because of his diet, so let’s eat quickly while he’s asleep. Okay?”
Yoon Joo-ho was sleeping at least 20 meters away, separated by several walls. Yet, Director Bang whispered as if he were right outside the door, eavesdropping.
“What should we do until the delivery arrives, Hyun-soo?”
He was a man in his forties, but with his neat appearance and smiling face, Director Bang had a certain charm. He didn’t seem like someone who had worked in the entertainment industry for decades, especially as a top star’s manager.
Song Hyun-soo gestured to the bar behind him.
“If it’s okay with you, Director, shall I make you a cocktail with the liquor over there?”
“Huh? You know how to do that, Hyun-soo?”
“I work at a small bar. I know how to make a few simple ones.”
“I heard from Joo-ho that you work at a bar, but I didn’t know you were a bartender.”
“Did Senior say that?”
“He mentioned that you have a part-time job on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, so we’d have to schedule script practice for days other than those?”
Yoon Joo-ho remembered something about me and told someone else. It was actually a small thing, but I felt strangely excited. What else might he have said about me?
“I’m not a professional bartender. I learned by watching over someone’s shoulder in the past, and now I’m self-taught… I experiment with making things on my own, so it’s a bit rough.”
“Still, that’s cool! Make me one.”
To be able to use a bar like this freely. Song Hyun-soo immediately got up and went behind the bar. Whiskey, rum, gin, brandy, tequila, vodka, various liqueurs, and even wine in the cellar. There was literally everything. The drawer-type refrigerator under the bar was fully stocked with garnishes for cocktails, drinks, and ice.
“Wow… I want to live here.”
“It’s heaven for someone who likes alcohol, right?”
“Director, are you good with alcohol?”
“As long as it’s not too strong.”
“Then I’ll make it low in alcohol content.”
“I’m not good with alcohol, but I do like carbonation.”
Based on the information Director Bang gave him, Song Hyun-soo selected the ingredients from the shelves. Rum, gin, vodka, tequila, the orange liqueur Cointreau, powder for making sweet and sour mix, and he also took out lemons from the drawer refrigerator.
“Hyun-soo, the way you move, you look just like the owner here. How do you find things so well?”
“Most bars have similar layouts.”
He first mixed the sweet and sour mix powder with water in a 1:2 ratio and then picked out a tall highball glass from the display cabinet. It was a beautifully crafted, high-quality crystal glass. How pretty would a cocktail look in a glass like this?
This bar itself felt like a gift Yoon Joo-ho had prepared for himself.