By Zephyria 
A quiet space with only the two of them.
A comfortable conversation, creating a friendly atmosphere.
A little alcohol to ease the tension.
Good. He had all the ‘conditions for a successful confession’ he’d read about online.
Measuring cranberry juice and pineapple juice one after another, Song Hyun-soo said casually,
“I’ve practiced a scene, could you watch it?”
“Dissolve?”
“No. It’s called ‘Notting Hill.’ Do you know it?”
“Is there anyone who doesn’t?”
“It’s an old movie.”
“Works like that aren’t called old movies, they’re called film classics.”
Yoon Joo-ho took a sip of the provocatively red ‘Sex on the Beach’ and stirred the drink with his straw, asking,
“But why did you suddenly practice that?”
‘Because I confessed to my crush and succeeded!’ someone wrote in a review, saying they used lines from this movie to confess. Although it was a different scene.
“You told me, Senior. That practicing changing lines into your own words is important. Because Korean subtitles for foreign films are usually awkward. They say it’s good for practicing changing them into natural dialogue.”
“Hmm.”
“Please bear with me, it’s a one-man show.”
Even though I was pretending to be calm on the outside, like a proper actor, my throat felt parched. So much so that I wanted to gulp down the cocktail in the shaker I was holding, without even pouring it into a glass.
As I poured the drink from the shaker, my cup trembled. I spilled a little cocktail. It was a mistake I rarely made.
I had never stayed up all night agonizing over how to confess beautifully to someone.
My personality was such that if I liked someone, I’d say it right away, and luckily, Song Hyun-soo’s feelings were almost always accepted. To be honest, I had never felt intimidated by the possibility of rejection.
Though, that was all from my teenage years, as my twenties were a dark period.
While wiping away the spilled drink, Song Hyun-soo delivered the lines he had practiced countless times, kneeling beside Yoon Joo-ho last night.
“Last time you visited England. You were photographed with a man then, weren’t you? What was that about?”
Across from me, Yoon Joo-ho chuckled and nodded. He seemed to have recognized the scene immediately.
America’s top star, Julia Roberts.
England’s ordinary bookstore owner, Hugh Grant.
I learned about that movie from a post detailing a successful confession to a crush, and I loved the premise from the start.
The feeling of being insignificant in front of the superstar, the anxiety that it could never work out because their worlds were so different. Yet, he was someone who cherished her more than anyone, someone who could be her respite. Not because he was similar to her, but because he possessed the things she had lost.
Hugh Grant, who visits Julia Roberts’ press conference before she has to leave for America, blends into the crowd of reporters and gets a chance to ask her a question in front of everyone. His last chance to confess his true feelings.
“That.”
“We’re just friends. We still are.”
“……”
Yoon Joo-ho cut in with Julia Roberts’ line.
It was an unexpected turn of events, but perhaps it was for the better. It might lead to another moment of connection like the one I had with Myung Hae-ri.
To ensure Song Hyun-soo stayed true to Hugh Grant’s role, Yoon Joo-ho also played the part of Julia Roberts’ manager.
“Alright, next. The person in the pink shirt… no, pajamas. Please ask your question.”
Yoon Joo-ho glanced over Song Hyun-soo’s attire and changed the line spontaneously. Yoon Joo-ho’s joke allowed Song Hyun-soo to manage a clumsy laugh.
Song Hyun-soo wiped the sweat from his palm on his pants and coughed twice into his fist.
“Ah… yes. Hmm. Mr. Yoon Joo-ho.”
Inevitably, Song Hyun-soo’s voice trembled, and Yoon Joo-ho struggled to suppress his laughter. He didn’t grasp the gravity of the situation.
“Um, is there… any possibility of becoming more than friends with that man?”
“I wished for that too, but it doesn’t seem like it will happen.”
Yoon Joo-ho continued Julia Roberts’ lines with a calm expression, tinged with sadness.
Song Hyun-soo gripped the edge of the counter tightly. The next part was the real test.
“But, still, if… I mean, if that man… realizes his feelings and begs on his knees, would you accept him?”
Yes, of course I would.
That was the original line.
A tense silence filled the press conference hall, and Julia Roberts replied with a slight smile.
Then Hugh Grant says, ‘That’s very good news,’ and another reporter asks Julia Roberts, ‘How long will you be staying in England?’
As she looks at Hugh Grant and replies, ‘indefinitely,’ the confession concludes successfully with her bright smile.
But my Julia Roberts hesitated for a very long time before delivering the next line.
Yoon Joo-ho’s face, which had been smiling all along, slowly cooled. He licked the back of his tongue against his teeth. He looked troubled.
Song Hyun-soo had a premonition.
He had completely realized that this wasn’t just an acting practice, but a confession disguised as one.
Yoon Joo-ho’s thin lips parted. It felt as if his life depended on those lips.
Just then. The doorbell rang throughout the house, announcing someone’s arrival. Ignoring the sound, Yoon Joo-ho continued the act, the answer.
“No. I don’t think I can.”
A line different from the script.
“…Why, why?”
Yoon Joo-ho, fiddling with his half-empty cocktail glass, looked up and met Song Hyun-soo’s gaze.
“As I clearly told him, I don’t date men.”
He stood up from the stool, pushed the glass towards Song Hyun-soo, and added,
“I don’t need a second drink.”
It was a clear rejection.
Song Hyun-soo, who had been looking down at the half-empty glass, quickly turned his head.
He shouted urgently at Yoon Joo-ho’s retreating back as he walked out the door.
“You got all the lines wrong?? No ad-libs without prior agreement!”
Then he collapsed onto the floor and clutched his head, tearing at his hair.
Ah… it didn’t unfold like this in the reviews.
Did I pick the wrong scene? Or, did I pick the wrong movie?
Confessing with movie lines in the first place. That was lame from the start. It’s my fault for trusting the internet.
But surprisingly, I didn’t feel like I shouldn’t have done it. Instead, I felt refreshed, a strange sense of defiance flared up, and I felt energy burning within me.
From the hallway, I could hear Yoon Joo-ho talking with Director Bang.
Song Hyun-soo shot up and downed his own cocktail in one go. It was so cold it made his head throb. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and put down the glass.
‘Sex on the Beach’ was the bitter taste of a failed confession.
■■■
Slipping out into the hallway, I could hear Yoon Joo-ho and Director Bang talking from the living room. The two, talking while standing in the kitchen area, looked more serious than usual.
“Hello, Director.”
Director Bang turned and smiled when he saw Song Hyun-soo.
Even though Song Hyun-soo was wandering around the house in his pajamas at this hour on a Sunday, with no work, Director Bang didn’t seem particularly surprised. Yoon Joo-ho had probably told him in advance.
“Ah, Hyun-soo. I heard you decided to sign a contract with Joo-ho. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. But… is something wrong?”
Normally, I would have been more playful with Director Bang, but judging by the atmosphere, it wasn’t a time for congratulations. Neither Song Hyun-soo, nor probably Yoon Joo-ho, were in the mood for it.
“Can I talk about this in front of Hyun-soo?”
Director Bang leaned against the kitchen sink, took a swig of beer, and glanced at Yoon Joo-ho. Yoon Joo-ho’s face was stiff. He neither encouraged nor discouraged the conversation.
Yoon Joo-ho and I made eye contact across Director Bang, who was standing by the island counter. It was awkward, as expected. I couldn’t tell if his sharp gaze was due to the news Director Bang brought, or my confession from a little while ago. But it was clear his eyes were simmering with something. Something I couldn’t identify as sadness, anger, or disappointment.
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been staring at Song Hyun-soo as if piercing him, averted his gaze first.
It might have been a meaningless action, but it struck Song Hyun-soo, who had just been rejected.
“Well, Hyun-soo is part of our family now, too.”
Director Bang sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, as if making up his mind. Song Hyun-soo’s gaze shifted from Yoon Joo-ho to Director Bang.
“You’ve met him a few times, right? Manager Cha Gyu-min.”
“Yes.”
“He caused trouble and disappeared.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Recently, Joo-ho’s watch, jewelry, designer coats, shoes… those things went missing. It’s almost certain it was Manager Cha. We confirmed it with CCTV. He also seems to have used Joo-ho’s car for personal trips.”
Director Bang let out a disbelieving laugh and shook his head.
“He even went car camping with his girlfriend in the Escalade.”
Song Hyun-soo’s jaw dropped in surprise as he looked at Yoon Joo-ho.
Early this morning, when we were entangled in the car at the empty lot in Myung Hae-ri. Yoon Joo-ho had complained that the bag he always kept in the car was a mess. The towel he needed wasn’t in its place, so he had used his expensive cashmere sweater to wipe Song Hyun-soo’s backside. Could it be that Manager Cha…
No, what manager? Manager Cha, that guy, took Yoon Joo-ho’s car and went car camping with his girlfriend, using Yoon Joo-ho’s towel?
“That’s not just causing trouble, that’s a crime.”
“He joined our company right after graduating high school and worked for 8 years. I put him with Joo-ho because I thought he was reliable. But… you really can’t know what’s in a person’s heart.”