By Zephyria 
Song Hyun-soo smiled back awkwardly, looking at Yoon Joo-ho’s smile. He clenched his fist with the hand tucked inside his pajama pants, wetting his lips with his tongue. Sweat beaded on his hands, but his lips were dry.
Yoon Joo-ho, pushing the door open with his back, playfully gestured like a courteous gentleman, inviting him inside.
Thanks to that, Song Hyun-soo was able to relax his tension for a moment.
Even though he had been here before, it was still an impressive space that elicited admiration.
“This room doesn’t feel like a home at all. It feels like a lounge bar that’s actually in business.”
“That’s how I decorated it.”
With Yoon Joo-ho in the space, it felt even more complete. It didn’t matter that he was wearing comfortable loungewear and a robe.
Song Hyun-soo’s steps paused for a moment as he was about to go behind the bar. His eyes fell on the several scented candles placed on the long cabinet in front of the large window. Candles that could be seen everywhere in this house.
“Senior, I’m really sorry about the scented candles and perfume.”
“Why do you keep apologizing? Is it someone’s fault?”
“If I was going to encourage you to get a cat, I should have researched everything thoroughly.”
“I decided to adopt him because I was prepared to accept any variables.”
Picking up a pack of cigarettes from the cabinet where the scented candles were displayed, Yoon Joo-ho playfully placed his hand on Song Hyun-soo’s head and then pushed it away. It felt like a touch imbued with romantic feelings, or perhaps like a playful gesture between close friends.
Tossing the cigarette pack onto the bar, Yoon Joo-ho sat down on a stool and added,
“Instead, every time you come here, you have to take care of the cat too.”
“Me too?”
“You said yourself that you were the one who pushed for it.”
“You said it was okay earlier…”
“So? You don’t like it? Is it just about petting him?”
“N-no! I love it, I’d love to! Every time I come, I’ll definitely play with him, change his litter box… and… oh, brushing! I’ll brush him too.”
“Good. Then this conversation is over.”
Yoon Joo-ho spun his stool around, turning his back to Song Hyun-soo. It was a firm declaration that the matter was settled.
Song Hyun-soo went behind the bar.
It was still a magnificent bar. Anyone who enjoyed handling alcohol would feel uplifted.
Behind the bar was almost the only place where he could show his skilled and confident side. He felt like he could deliver a great confession here, at least one that would leave an impression on Yoon Joo-ho.
“Do you… want some help?”
Yoon Joo-ho asked, looking over the bar, and Song Hyun-soo shook his head.
“There’s no need for help. It’s a simple cocktail.”
He then served an Old Fashioned glass with cold sparkling water and a lemon garnish.
After taking a sip of water and setting the glass down, Yoon Joo-ho rested his arms on the bar. Then, hunching his broad shoulders inward, he leaned his upper body slightly forward.
“So. Have you made up your mind?”
“…What? About what?”
Song Hyun-soo, who was choosing a glass for ‘Sex on the Beach,’ almost dropped an expensive-looking crystal. ‘Have you made up your mind?’ It felt like a question that peered into his own heart, as he was preparing to confess.
“It’s Monday. Don’t you remember you were supposed to give me an answer by today?”
“…”
“The contract.”
“Ah, the contract!”
Song Hyun-soo nodded and placed the glass he was holding back in its original spot.
“I remember. I remember.”
“And your answer?”
He had been so preoccupied with his confession that he had forgotten today was the day. But it wasn’t because he took it lightly. Rather, the decision had already been made.
From Song Hyun-soo’s perspective, there was no reason not to sign.
According to the contract, Yoon Joo-ho was ‘B’ (effectively ‘A’ as in most contracts), so his credentials couldn’t be more solid, and the contract terms were like a dream for an unknown actor, or any actor for that matter.
It was unheard of for a company to offer an unknown actor a signing bonus of fifty million won, let alone a 6:4 profit split between an unknown actor and the company. He had never heard of such a ratio in his time in the industry.
The profit split in Song Hyun-soo’s contract with his previous company, UB Entertainment, was 2:8. It was an unfair contract, of course. Most contracts typically started at 3:7 or 4:6.
A 6:4 profit split was a level that only a select few actors who achieved high popularity during their initial contract period could negotiate and secure.
The only drawback was the 10-year contract period, but that wasn’t an issue either. It included a clause allowing for renegotiation every two years from the contract date. Moreover, being tied to Yoon Joo-ho for a full 10 years was something Song Hyun-soo welcomed wholeheartedly.
Based on the contract terms alone, it was equivalent to a top star’s transfer.
Setting down a tall Collins glass for the cocktail on the counter, Song Hyun-soo scratched his cheek with his index finger.
“But before I sign, I have something to ask.”
“Anything.”
On one side of the bar sat a long, round tin case. Yoon Joo-ho scooped some of the nuts inside into a small dish, shrugging his shoulders.
“Do all actors under Look Planning… sign contracts with these terms?”
Yoon Joo-ho’s hand slowed at the question. He closed the lid of the tin case, tilted his head sideways, and looked up at Song Hyun-soo from below at an angle. Then, popping a chocolate-covered macadamia into his mouth, he asked,
“…What do you think?”
In his eyes, Song Hyun-soo felt a sense of certainty.
His feeling of being favored by Yoon Joo-ho was not a delusion.
If he was going to be favored, he had no intention of refusing.
Song Hyun-soo bowed respectfully.
“I’m an inexperienced rookie, but please take good care of me.”
“Yes, try not to be inexperienced. The company will support you as much as possible.”
“I will. I promise I won’t embarrass you, Senior.”
Yoon Joo-ho chuckled, popped another macadamia into his mouth, and crunched it loudly.
“That’s a good resolve.”
Song Hyun-soo lined up vodka, peach liqueur, cranberry juice, and pineapple juice instead of the commonly used orange juice on the counter. Then, measuring them in his own ratio, he began adding them to the shaker.
“By the way, can I tell Ji-in hyung about me signing the contract?”
“…”
Yoon Joo-ho across from him wore a displeased expression. He wiped his napkin on his hand, which was covered in nut crumbs, and pushed the nut bowl away. It was the reaction he expected.
“I know you two haven’t reconciled yet. But still, he’s a close hyung to me. I want to tell him about signing the contract… but I thought it would be better to ask you first.”
Yoon Joo-ho picked up the cigarette pack and replied,
“Later.”
“Later, when?”
“When I get the company back and officially list it under Look Planning, then you can tell him.”
“So, I shouldn’t tell anyone until then?”
Taking out a cigarette and placing it between his lips, Yoon Joo-ho looked up at Song Hyun-soo. Then, he exhaled the first puff of smoke thinly.
“If I tell you to, can you do it?”
“Of course. What’s so difficult about that?”
“Then, you, I…”
“What about me?”
Yoon Joo-ho fixed his gaze on Song Hyun-soo and paused uncharacteristically. Then, he brought the cigarette back to his lips and shook his head. As if trying to shake off some bad thoughts.
“Never mind. Just keep quiet until you join Look Planning.”
As everyone in the country knew, Yoon Joo-ho, his parents, and Look Planning were in a precarious situation. Even so, he felt he could tell Jung Ji-in, but now that he was the company’s representative, he had to comply.
Shaking the shaker to mix the ingredients well, Song Hyun-soo poured the contents into an ice-filled glass and garnished it with a cherry. The cocktail, with a higher proportion of cranberry juice, had a particularly vivid crimson color.
He placed a coaster down and set the glass on it.
“Your order, ‘Sex on the Beach’.”
Yoon Joo-ho stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and pulled the cocktail closer to him.
“I ordered this on my birthday. Isn’t it taking too long?”
Yoon Joo-ho, making a joke, picked up the cherry with its stem. Tilting his head back, he put the red fruit into his mouth and looked at Song Hyun-soo from under his lowered eyelids.
“Bartender, have a drink too.”
“Me?”
“I landed a great contract today. I’ll buy you one.”
Yoon Joo-ho’s faint smile, barely visible, was charming. His roguish look, chewing on the cherry stem, was also endearing.
The fact that he took extra time just for him to practice before the interview shoot.
The fact that huge strawberries always appeared as snacks when he came to this house for script practice.
The fact that despite his cold appearance, he showed a gruff kindness that overlooked his mistakes without a fuss. He liked it all.
What if he lost all those moments by confessing unnecessarily? Ah… maybe he shouldn’t confess? He wasn’t expecting a one-time acceptance anyway.
No, no. If he dragged things out in an ambiguous relationship, he’d just hear Yoon Joo-ho say, ‘It’s over between us now.’ That’s right, he had to push forward. Of course, he might not have completely forgotten the person from before. But surely, Yoon Joo-ho wasn’t completely uninterested in him?
But what if Yoon Joo-ho was more of a coward than he thought?
Ah… damn it, maybe he shouldn’t just do it?
It was a cycle he had gone through dozens of times in his mind the previous dawn.
But if Yoon Joo-ho was an INTJ, Song Hyun-soo was an ESFP.
While INTJs were theoretical, cautious, and difficult to handle, ESFPs left tomorrow’s problems to tomorrow’s selves and followed today’s impulses.
He didn’t want to end up as just ‘someone who does this kind of thing’ with Yoon Joo-ho.
He didn’t want Yoon Joo-ho to shed tears over someone else’s memory anymore. To be more honest, he never wanted to see that look again.
Song Hyun-soo, measuring vodka to make another ‘Sex on the Beach,’ set the heavy liquor bottle down on the counter.
“Senior.”