By Zephyria 
“……”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been crushing his cigarette in the ashtray, looked at Song Hyun-soo with a questioning gaze. Song Hyun-soo averted his eyes slightly and mumbled.
“No, I just… I don’t understand. You’re a top star, a national actor, Senior. Who on earth would break up with Yoon Joo-ho? Why would they break up with you?”
One corner of Yoon Joo-ho’s mouth lifted crookedly.
“You’d break up too within a month, probably.”
“……”
Song Hyun-soo didn’t reply.
Instead, he looked out the car window at the Han River and brought the remaining cigarette to his lips. The car, finally off the Olympic Expressway, was now driving over the Hannam Bridge.
He had definitely been shocked by the scandal involving Kang Mi-yeon and the rookie actor, but somehow, that matter had been pushed to the back burner. The initial shock had been displaced by a greater shock that followed.
The car passed the Hannam Bridge intersection and turned onto Seobinggo-ro.
Song Hyun-soo pointed to the right side of the overpass.
“That way. You can drop me off at the entrance of that alley.”
Exit feeling or not, there wasn’t a single person walking on the street. It was a secluded area to begin with. But whether fortunately or unfortunately, Song Hyun-soo had no interest in such things now.
As Song Hyun-soo opened the passenger door and began to get up, Yoon Joo-ho spoke from behind him.
“Wake me up tomorrow if I’m sleeping. It doesn’t matter.”
Holding the door, Song Hyun-soo bent down to look into the driver’s seat at Yoon Joo-ho.
“I will. Thank you for the ride.”
“Take care.”
It was a brief, unremarkable farewell.
Song Hyun-soo closed the passenger door, and with a rumbling engine, the 911 rejoined the stream of cars.
Song Hyun-soo shoved his hands into the pockets of his padding jumper and watched the car’s rear, then let out a small laugh. He thought the car, with its explosive wildness of sports car DNA hidden beneath a sleek, pretty exterior, suited Yoon Joo-ho himself perfectly.
A sudden wave of fatigue washed over him. It felt as if he had just returned from a few days of filming in the provinces. He had felt elated, floating, only to be plunged into dizziness moments later. How much his mood had swung throughout the day.
The slope of the uphill path leading to his home felt steeper than usual. His steps, heavy as lead, slowed.
Yoon Joo-ho’s ‘trade secret’ of only sleeping with top stars and only dating top stars.
Amusingly, Song Hyun-soo felt rejected before any confession had even been made. You’re not it. You, who aren’t a top star, aren’t even on the shortlist.
At the same time, it was a story about Yoon Joo-ho’s own past. A past where he had only slept with top stars and only dated top stars.
Song Hyun-soo’s slow, dragging steps came to a complete halt. If that was the case, was the unrequited love interest who had rejected the formidable Yoon Joo-ho also a top star? The person who made the emotions possible when he played Baek Kang.
As if Yoon Joo-ho’s car were still parked at the alley entrance, Song Hyun-soo quickly turned his head back. The Han River, bathed in the last rays of the sunset, flowed serenely.
He took his left hand out of his pocket and gently touched his left cheek. The spot where Yoon Joo-ho had touched him still felt hot.
“You’ll break up within a month, you say?”
Tucking his chin into his padding and hunching his shoulders, Song Hyun-soo muttered.
“Don’t be so sure of yourself, Senior.”
Turning his back to the Han River, he started walking uphill again.
■■■
Yoon Joo-ho, His First Film Appearance!
Director Jung Joon-hee’s New Film
Yoon Joo-ho, First Traditional Melodrama Film: ‘Anticipation vs. Concern’
The theater, visited after a long time, was just as it always was.
The dim interior, the ridiculously shoddy stage, even the old seats covered in red fabric.
He only needed to show his face at the theater when help was needed with stage or prop production, or when he took on a role in a production. Therefore, he didn’t have to go to the theater every day. Instead, when a performance schedule was set and rehearsals began, he had to clear his time, making it difficult to hold a proper 9-to-6 job. Because of this, most theater companies nowadays only recruit actors when there’s a performance and disband afterward.
In the past, actors used to belong to theater companies in large numbers and dedicate themselves solely to their troupe. Nowadays, even the largest theater companies rarely operate that way. The theater market hasn’t shrunk. The audience for plays has actually increased compared to the past. What has decreased are the actors willing to endure the extreme economic instability to persist in the theater world.
However, no matter how the theater system has changed, the closed operational method, dictated by a few powerful individuals, remained the same. It was difficult to secure significant roles unless you pleased the theater company’s management or a central senior figure.
And for some reason, Song Hyun-soo was not a particularly favored junior.
“
“Yes.”
He thought it would be good to discuss it beforehand before the production went into filming. Although the company only gathered for performances, he had been active as if he were a regular member.
The director was not present, but the most influential senior among the actors was rehearsing on stage with the juniors. However, despite one of the juniors getting a good role, his expression was not bright.
“Director Jung Joon-hee?”
“Yes.”
“The film that came out in the news today with Yoon Joo-ho as the lead?”
“Yes.”
From the senior’s tone, Song Hyun-soo sensed the nuance of, ‘You? Someone like you in such a film?’ He wondered if it was his own inferiority complex, but soon realized it wasn’t his problem.
“There wasn’t any news about you?”
“They said it would come out next week. After Yoon Joo-ho Senior’s first.”
The senior shook his head and sighed.
“Director Jung Joon-hee has lost his mind too.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard everything, so why ask?”
“I’m asking to confirm what you meant.”
“Confirm?”
Raising the end of his sentence unpleasantly, the senior looked at Song Hyun-soo askance. Song Hyun-soo responded with a smile.
“You said Director Jung Joon-hee has lost his mind. I’m asking what that means. Senior, you heard everything too, so why are you acting like this?”
“Are you going to act recklessly now that you’re leaving?”
“I believe you were the one who started speaking recklessly.”
He had never thought of the senior as having a great personality, but he never expected him to reveal his true colors like this at the end. He had humbled himself, endured the unpleasantness, and even accepted small roles with just ten lines of dialogue, all in the hope of learning something. Yet, this person had always viewed Song Hyun-soo with more displeasure than other juniors.
As if daring him to fight, the man crossed his arms and looked directly at Song Hyun-soo, lifting his chin.
“I thought he was a respectable director who only chose artistic films, but in the end, he’s just chasing money. Why? Am I wrong?”
“You are wrong. What’s your basis for saying the director is chasing money?”
“Why else would he cast Yoon Joo-ho, who has only done dramas until now? A guy with a pretty face—what does he know about acting in films? He’s just going to use Yoon Joo-ho’s name for marketing. The film can be a disaster for all he cares.”
The senior glanced Song Hyun-soo up and down with an unpleasant look and added,
“As if that weren’t enough, a supporting role for someone with no basic acting skills? The film is doomed to fail.”
“Is using Yoon Joo-ho considered chasing money? Or, fine, let’s say the director is chasing money. Is that a crime? What’s so noble about doing unpaid theater?”
The actors scattered around the stage, resting, glanced over, wondering what was happening.
“At least I have the pride of not compromising on artistry.”
Pfft. Puh-huh-huh.
Song Hyun-soo burst out laughing and waved his hand at the senior.
“If it were other seniors, maybe. But you shouldn’t say that. You just like telling juniors what to do while making them sit around and talk about acting. Everyone in this industry knows how much you envy successful seniors in film.”
The two men, sitting side-by-side with a seat empty between them, were practically sparking.
“You’ve been thinking that all along, but you smiled at me? You’re creepy.”
“If I don’t smile, will you give me a role? You, who have to smile because you have no choice, are creepier than me, who bullies juniors.”
Song Hyun-soo smiled at the senior, who glared at him with venomous eyes, and stood up.
“I didn’t learn a damn thing from you, but for the sake of courtesy, let’s say I’m grateful.”
“You…? Damn?”
Leaving the senior, who stood up indignantly, Song Hyun-soo strode out of the seating area. He should feel relieved after saying everything he wanted to, but he felt like shit. Muttering curses, he ran his hands through his hair.
A shout, throwing all dignity to the wind, grabbed Song Hyun-soo’s ankle.
“Go ahead and try it! The moment you debut, I’ll expose your entire personality!”
Song Hyun-soo, who had almost reached the stairs at the end of the aisle, licked his lips with his tongue and turned back. Then, with a smile, he tilted his head slightly.
“What about my personality? I only remember saying ‘Yes, yes’ to your bullying. Go ahead and do what you want. Let’s see who has more to say, you or me.”
He stopped halfway up a couple of stairs and returned to his spot. No matter how he thought about it, he felt indignant and wronged, and he had to say this.
“And as they say, even if your mouth is crooked, speak the truth. Ask a hundred, a thousand passersby. Who is a better actor between Yoon Joo-ho and you?”
“……”
“Ah! You probably don’t even know a hundred or a thousand people.”