By Zephyria 
As the trembling of his laughter subsided, Yoon Joo-ho lifted his head. However, a joyful energy still lingered on his lips. Yes, he clearly looked happy, and Song Hyun-soo couldn’t tear his eyes away from that face.
Yoon Joo-ho returned to the box where he had been sitting and picked up the script, handing it to Song Hyun-soo.
“You don’t have to memorize it completely, just read it naturally while looking at the script.”
“Here?”
Yoon Joo-ho, fiddling with his phone, said without looking up from the screen.
“What, shy again? Should I turn off the lights?”
His side profile, mentioning the night they slept together and asking to dim the lights, provoked him.
“Shy? I’m the one who enjoys 69 in your bed.”
Yoon Joo-ho smirked and turned the lens of his phone camera towards him.
“Start.”
“You’re filming too?”
“You need the tension of being filmed. Go on. If you do well in front of me, you’ll definitely do well in front of the camera.”
“How can you be so confident?”
Yoon Joo-ho, checking Song Hyun-soo’s image on the screen, looked up and met the real Song Hyun-soo’s gaze.
“Because you’ll be more nervous in front of me.”
■
The after-party venue was ‘Honey’s place’ again today.
Snow was falling outside, and the edges of the rattling glass windows were fogged up by the indoor warmth.
The menu was the same as always, and the atmosphere was boisterous as usual. Except that Song Hyun-soo was emptying his soju glass faster than usual.
“Hyun-soo, aren’t you drinking a bit too fast today?”
Shin Hyo-jin, watching from across the table, lightly touched the tip of her chopsticks to her lips and asked with concern. Song Hyun-soo, refilling his glass, widened his eyes and pointed to his chest.
“Me?”
“Yes, you’ve already had three glasses while I’ve had one.”
Han Joo-young joined in this time.
Song Hyun-soo, having filled his glass, held it up over the grill and smiled brightly.
“I guess I got carried away because I’m in a good mood! Seniors, let’s drink! Cheers.”
“Cheers, my foot.”
The glass, brimming with soju, was snatched from Song Hyun-soo’s hand. Yoon Joo-ho, sitting next to him, had grabbed it. Song Hyun-soo, looking forlornly at his empty hand, lunged at Yoon Joo-ho.
“Ah, why? Give it back.”
“You’ve already had more than a bottle in less than an hour.”
Yoon Joo-ho blocked Song Hyun-soo with his left arm, turned his head away, and drank the soju in the glass himself. Then, he placed the empty glass in front of him and glanced at Song Hyun-soo.
“Is it because of the video filming?”
“…”
Song Hyun-soo closed his lips and lowered his gaze.
Yoon Joo-ho had left the set during filming after Song Hyun-soo said he’d be too nervous to do it with him watching. Not knowing what had happened, he looked back at Song Hyun-soo and asked,
“Was it that bad?”
“No. It wasn’t bad. You just didn’t see it, but Jooho oppa and I also made many NG cuts.”
Shin Hyo-jin shook her head, denying it. Song Hyun-soo looked at her with dejected eyes.
“30 times in a 20-second video?”
“…”
This time, Shin Hyo-jin couldn’t answer.
Song Hyun-soo felt he had no face to show Yoon Joo-ho. He had even helped him revise the script and practice.
“Still, the atmosphere was fun for everyone, right? PD Kim? Hyun-soo’s video filming wasn’t that bad, was it?”
Feeling they were insufficient on their own, Shin Hyo-jin drew in Kim Yoo-kyung PD from the next table.
“Hyun-soo? Hyun-soo was cute. Weren’t you like that when you were a rookie? That’s just a little bit of charm. Everyone stumbles and sweats when the camera rolls. Hyun-soo, you weren’t like that when you were acting during the camera test.”
“I’m fine when I’m acting, but that kind of filming was my first time…”
“Most actors I know were like that when they were rookies. Shall I tell you one thing?”
Kim Yoo-kyung PD leaned towards Song Hyun-soo.
“The better the actor, the more they were like that?”
“Really…?”
“Yes, really. The filming crew also praised Hyun-soo, saying he looked good on camera, was fresh and cute like a rookie. In the end, the last cut turned out well.”
Hearing PD Kim’s straightforward words, Song Hyun-soo felt a little relieved.
He regretted not asking Yoon Joo-ho to watch the filming site. Yoon Joo-ho would have been the only one to tell him the truth without any empty words. The problem was that he might shatter his mental state with his bluntness.
“Hmm.”
Yoon Joo-ho, sitting next to him, let out a displeased sigh.
“You wouldn’t let me in, but you were being cute in there, weren’t you, Song Hyun-soo?”
“C-cute? What are you talking about.”
Although he spoke in a voice only Song Hyun-soo could hear in the noisy room, it was still a terrifying sound, fearing someone might overhear.
“It’s obvious you’re just trying to comfort me. I was sweating so much my shirt was soaked. I thought I was going to die.”
“Everyone just laughed it off, so what’s the problem?”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny.”
I wanted to do it coolly and naturally, like a senior, because you worked so hard watching me… I wanted to do well enough to get praised by the director and then brag about it.
Song Hyun-soo, taking back his drink from Yoon Joo-ho, refilled it with soju and downed it in one gulp before he could stop him.
“Hey.”
It was when Yoon Joo-ho called him in a rather stern tone.
—Happy birthday. Happy birthday.
Suddenly, all the lights in the restaurant went out at once, and a few staff members from a corner emerged carrying a large cake with lit candles, approaching them.
Happy birthday, beloved actor Yoon Joo-ho.
After the song, crammed with many words into the rhythm, cheers erupted that seemed to shake the restaurant. The aunt and staff of ‘Honey’s place’ also clapped. The production crew, having planned this in advance, set off confetti poppers from various tables.
The protagonist stood up and received the cake.
“Happy birthday, actor! We wanted to give it to you before your birthday, but the cake production took longer than expected.”
“Thank you. Wow, this cake is amazing! My fans will love it if I post a picture.”
Yoon Joo-ho admired the cake, turning it around. He knew how to react normally, and at times like these, he seemed like a proper adult.
Looking up at Yoon Joo-ho with that thought, Song Hyun-soo also clapped.
The cake that arrived in front of Yoon Joo-ho was a three-tiered cake lavishly decorated with fresh flowers. Yoon Joo-ho’s face was printed on the very top.
“A superstar is indeed a superstar.”
Song Hyun-soo turned his head at Han Joo-young’s lamenting voice.
“I had filming around my birthday a few months ago. I couldn’t even dream of this kind of treatment.”
Han Joo-young, who always seemed confident, rested her chin on the table and looked up at Yoon Joo-ho with envy.
“There’s no place where ‘it’s best to just do well’ applies more than in this industry.”
If there was one thing Song Hyun-soo could agree with, it was Han Joo-young’s words.
Leaving Yoon Joo-ho, who was busy taking photos with the director, production company CEO, Kim Yoo-kyung PD, and others, the three actors continued their conversation. Han Joo-young, stirring the meat on the grill, asked as if she just remembered.
“Ah, Hyun-soo, what happened on Joo-ho Sunbae’s birthday?”
“Yes? Why? What about it?”
When Yoon Joo-ho’s birthday came up, Song Hyun-soo’s feet felt strangely tingly.
It was the day he had his first kiss with Yoon Joo-ho, and the day they rolled around in his bed.
“You were going together in his car that day, weren’t you?”
“Ah… that.”
Song Hyun-soo casually turned his head and glanced up at Yoon Joo-ho. He was still holding the cake and taking photos. Numerous phone cameras were capturing his image. It was almost like a photoshoot or an advertisement.
Song Hyun-soo refilled his empty glass and replied.
“Senior received a lot of gifts that day. I went with him to help move them.”
“You must have gotten quite close with Joo-ho Sunbae.”
“I was in charge of the bar that day. So, by chance, a little…”
It wasn’t just a little, though. We saw each other naked and rubbed those naked bodies in various ways.
“Right, that day! At the bar! I was really surprised. You were like a different person, Hyun-soo. The cocktail you made for me. Can you tell me the recipe? It became my life’s cocktail.”
“Of course. I’ll send you the recipe via message later.”
He was genuinely happy that she called the cocktail he made her life’s cocktail. It was also true that Han Joo-young’s attitude towards Song Hyun-soo had changed somewhat since Yoon Joo-ho’s birthday party.
Whether Yoon Joo-ho’s request for him to manage the bar was a grand plan calculated in advance, he didn’t know, but it was true that it was thanks to Yoon Joo-ho.
I have so much to be grateful for, so I really wanted to succeed brilliantly in the filming. Then, even while pretending not to care, he would be happier than me. Like Ji-in hyung, like Choi Hong-seo.
With a mix of regret and apology, he looked back at Yoon Joo-ho once more. He, who looked perfectly at home in the spotlight, was now taking commemorative photos with the staff in turns.
“Hyun-soo, isn’t this person your former company’s CEO?”
“Yes?”
Song Hyun-soo, who had unconsciously looked at her at Kim Yoo-kyung PD’s call, heard unexpected words.
“Myung Do-hoon, isn’t he the president of UB Entertainment?”
As soon as he heard the name, his body felt like it was freezing. A light chill ran down the back of his neck. Song Hyun-soo forced himself to stay calm, swallowed dryly, and asked.
“Yes, that’s right. But is there something…?”
“They say he died in prison?”
“…”
“Breaking news just popped up on the portal.”
Kim Yoo-kyung looked at her phone with a serious expression and spoke to another production staff member next to her.
Behind them, Yoon Joo-ho’s mini birthday party was still in full swing. Joyful laughter continued without pause.
“Shall we take a picture with the actors too?”
Pushed by the situation, Song Hyun-soo also got up dazedly. He awkwardly took his place next to Yoon Joo-ho with Shin Hyo-jin and Han Joo-young.
“What’s wrong with your face again?”
Yoon Joo-ho, still holding the cake, turned to Song Hyun-soo and asked.
“What’s wrong with my face?”
“You were tipsy and dazed just a moment ago. Is it still because of the filming?”
“No. Let’s take a picture.”
He pushed Yoon Joo-ho’s back, urging him to look forward.
“Look here and smile. Actors, smile.”
He tried to mimic a smile, but it was a terrible performance, even in his own opinion.
Myung Do-hoon is dead.
“Kill Myung Do-hoon too! Only then can Hong-seo close his eyes!”
His own voice, shouting at Choi Hong-seo’s lover, echoed in his ears.
“You say you love Hong-seo! Then kill that son of a bitch! Kill him!”
His heart began to pound like crazy.