By Zephyria “Of course, I’m not a top star, so we’re not in an equal position where we have nothing to lose by sharing secrets, but I believe I’m a trustworthy person, despite appearances.”
“Trustworthy…”
It wasn’t a sarcastic tone. It was more like he was contemplating Song Hyun-soo’s words.
“How many people do you think have told me that?”
“……”
Unlike his usual sarcastic remarks, this felt genuine, so Song Hyun-soo couldn’t joke about it.
As if regretting what he had said, Yoon Joo-ho clicked his tongue bitterly and shook his head.
“It’s not that I think you’re untrustworthy.”
“Then?”
“It’s that humans are inherently untrustworthy beings.”
“You’re human too, Sunbae.”
“Yes, including myself.”
“Then you don’t trust Sang-ho Hyung either?”
“……”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been crushing his own cigarette in the ashtray, slowly raised his gaze to meet Song Hyun-soo’s. The Adam’s apple on his long neck bobbed up and down as he swallowed dryly.
“Why is that name coming up here?”
“Why? Because Hyung is your close friend, and Sang-ho Hyung is precisely the person you can trust.”
“Did Jung Ji-in give you a watch or something? Your loyalty is immense.”
“Then contact Hyung first.”
“…What?”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had reached for his coffee, which must have gone cold by now, stopped. He frowned and looked at Song Hyun-soo as if he had heard something unbelievable.
“I don’t know if you fought or whatever, but you’re currently unable to contact Hyung. Don’t let your pride get in the way and contact him first.”
Yoon Joo-ho, wetting his lips with his tongue, withdrew the hand that had been reaching for his coffee cup.
“And even though you’re a reliable person, you’re not in Korea right now. If you need someone to have a drink with, please reach out to me. I know I can’t be as dependable as you, of course. But you can at least vent to me over a drink, right?”
Yoon Joo-ho lowered his head, shrugged his broad shoulders, and let out a hollow laugh. Then, he ran his hands over his face several times.
“Ha… This is ridiculous.”
“Why? What’s ridiculous? Do I seem that untrustworthy?”
“You’re offering to keep me company because Jung Ji-in isn’t here?”
“That’s why I added that. I said I couldn’t be as dependable as you…”
Yoon Joo-ho raised his palm and shook his head.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what?”
“No. No, never mind. I must have been mistaken about something. Let’s move on.”
Yoon Joo-ho straightened his upper body and picked up the script he had put down on the table again. After that, it was all about acting. He didn’t give them any room to bring up other topics.
It was a cloudy Wednesday, just before Christmas.
■■■
Han Joo-young chose an Italian restaurant as the venue for the year-end party for the young actors. It was a restaurant with a high ceiling, large windows, and a heavy color scheme that gave it an exotic feel. As it was the end of the year, the main dining hall was full of customers even on a weekday, but fortunately, their group was able to use a private room.
“When I made the reservation and mentioned Yoon Joo-ho Senior’s name, their attitude changed completely?”
Han Joo-young, seated opposite Song Hyun-soo, said with a glint in his eyes, as if intrigued.
“They said they weren’t sure about table availability due to the year-end rush. Then, suddenly, they offered us a private room.”
Shin Hyo-jin chuckled lightly, as if she understood, and nodded.
“If I had known that Senior’s name carried that much weight, I should have called a better restaurant. I thought about it after hanging up, and it felt like a bit of a waste.”
Han Joo-young clicked his tongue, shrugged his shoulders, and picked up the wine list left by the manager along with the menu.
“Hyun-soo, how have you been? You must be busy with the year-end events?”
Shin Hyo-jin, next to Han Joo-young, asked Song Hyun-soo how he was.
“Actually, there were no script readings, and my part-time job… was also canceled. So I was more free than usual.”
No one would have guessed that the part-time job Song Hyun-soo was referring to was his acting practice with Yoon Joo-ho. Song Hyun-soo looked away unnecessarily and took a couple of sips of the water the waiter had poured.
“What kind of part-time job was it that you had off during the peak season?”
Shin Hyo-jin asked with interest. His acting practice had been canceled, but his job at ‘Jessica’ was still ongoing. Monday, Christmas Day, was usually a day off, but he had gone in at the manager’s request. However, his previous statement made the explanation complicated.
“Right, what kind of part-time job is it? I’ve even worked as a dog walker for a part-time gig.”
Han Joo-young also joined the questioning, adding his own information that hadn’t been asked for.
Just then, after a knock, the door opened, and the restaurant manager announced Yoon Joo-ho’s arrival. Thanks to this, Song Hyun-soo was able to avoid answering.
It had been almost a week since last Wednesday since he last saw Yoon Joo-ho. Strangely embarrassed, Song Hyun-soo didn’t look in his direction and just gulped down water.
As Yoon Joo-ho took off his coat and sat down, the manager spoke to the table in an excited voice.
“This room is normally only available for reservations of 8 or more people. However, since Actor Yoon Joo-ho requested it, we’ve specially secured a private room for you.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Yoon Joo-ho said briefly as he sat down next to Song Hyun-soo. Given the manager’s emphasis on it being ‘specially’ arranged for him, he felt he couldn’t not offer a greeting.
“Not at all, we should absolutely do this! Please feel free to ask for anything you need!”
Even with other actors present, and Shin Hyo-jin being quite a popular actress, the manager’s attention was overtly focused on Yoon Joo-ho. He seemed ready to practically sit Yoon Joo-ho on his lap and feed him. Come to think of it, it wasn’t the manager but another waiter who had guided Song Hyun-soo to the private room.
The manager left the private room after telling them to take their time looking at the menu. Han Joo-young scanned Yoon Joo-ho’s upper body and casually remarked,
“Why did you dress up so much for a simple meal with us?”
“Dress up? It looks like I’m just out for a stroll in the neighborhood.”
Yoon Joo-ho replied indifferently, lifting his own glass of water.
Shin Hyo-jin supported Yoon Joo-ho’s statement.
“He’s right. I ran into Senior at a neighborhood cafe once, and I was surprised by how perfect he looked, from his hair to his outfit. I thought he was coming from a schedule, but he wasn’t. I was wearing a hood and a baseball cap pulled low.”
Unable to blend into the conversation between the three, Song Hyun-soo flipped through the few pages of the menu. Yoon Joo-ho nudged Song Hyun-soo’s elbow and spoke to him first.
“Someone’s here, and you’re not even acknowledging them?”
Perhaps it was because Shin Hyo-jin and Han Joo-young were present, but he used formal speech for the first time in a while.
“I greeted you earlier.”
“When?”
“You bowed your head when you came in. You must not have seen.”
To the curt reply, Yoon Joo-ho simply chuckled. Then, he placed his large hand on the back of Song Hyun-soo’s head and lightly ruffled his hair a couple of times.
“……”
Song Hyun-soo was speechless. He didn’t look at Yoon Joo-ho, trying to act nonchalant, but his eyes widened and his pulse quickened. He kept his gaze fixed on the menu, but nothing registered.
What was this? What kind of service was this? Did Senior eat something wrong?
However, Song Hyun-soo seemed to be the only one surprised by Yoon Joo-ho’s actions.
“So, what about the wine for everyone? They don’t even have a wine pairing course here.”
Han Joo-young said with dissatisfaction, slamming the wine list he had been looking at shut.
“I wanted to book a better place, but there weren’t many tables left because it’s the end of the year.”
Song Hyun-soo looked around and said, trying to comfort Han Joo-young, who looked upset.
“This place is nice enough too. This is my first time at a place that serves proper course meals like this.”
But Han Joo-young shook his head firmly.
“Hyun-soo, this isn’t truly fine dining.”
“It isn’t?”
“It’s just a place that imitates it. The wine list is also boringly ordinary.”
I tried to say something nice about the place he chose, but he’s just like Yoon Joo-ho in a different way.
“That’s good.”
Saying that, Yoon Joo-ho took a heavy bottle of liquor from his bag, which he had placed on the chair beside him, and put it on the table.
“Let’s pay the corkage¹ and drink this.”
Han Joo-young’s face lit up as he checked the wine label. He leaned forward, looking as if he were about to pounce on the wine.
“Oh, this is my favorite wine among the BDM. That’s good enough to make the meal worthwhile.”
Han Joo-young hummed and flipped through the menu. Shin Hyo-jin was carefully reading the menu, while Yoon Joo-ho, in the seat next to him, seemed to have already made his decision. He put down the menu and leaned back against the armrest, fiddling with his phone.
The manager returned and asked if they were ready to order.
Shin Hyo-jin started ordering, followed by the others in turn, and Song Hyun-soo felt a sense of urgency.
Korean beef tenderloin steak, lamb ratatouille, sea bass steak.
He had to choose one of the three main courses. Ratatouille? He didn’t even know what kind of dish that was. Moreover, the prices varied depending on the main course. This stingy capitalism… No, maybe it was for the best. Without further hesitation, Song Hyun-soo decided to choose the cheapest dish.
“Then I’ll have this…”
He pointed to the fish dish with the tip of his index finger at the manager who had approached him.
¹ Corkage: The service fee charged by a restaurant for providing glasses and serving wine that a customer brings themselves.