By Zephyria 
“Huh? A film adaptation? Of ‘Children of November’?”
As soon as Yu-jin heard the news from Grant, he exclaimed in surprise. Seeing Yu-jin standing there with his mouth agape, utterly dumbfounded by the unbelievable fact, Grant couldn’t stop grinning and nodded his head.
“Yes, they want to adapt ‘Children of November’ into a film. And guess who it is? None other than P Entertainment. P Entertainment itself has made an offer to adapt ‘Children of November’ into a movie!”
He repeated the name ‘P Entertainment’ twice. And understandably so. ‘P Entertainment’ was a massive production company with immense influence across the entire film industry. Yu-jin’s favorite movie was also produced by this very company. The same production house behind the film he would rewatch multiple times, often moved to tears and spending entire days replaying scenes in his mind, was now proposing a film adaptation to him.
“I really can’t believe it.”
Yu-jin barely managed to mutter that. His mind was still in a daze, and that was the only phrase that came to him. Grant nodded as if he perfectly understood Yu-jin’s state, then quickly added,
“I’ll ask about the details first. Is that okay? If the terms aren’t good, we can just pretend it never happened.”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
He answered reflexively, but part of Yu-jin wondered, ‘Is it okay to be negotiating terms?’ ‘Children of November’ had been translated and sold worldwide, earning an enormous amount of money. It was a genuine ‘blockbuster’ success, yet he still couldn’t fully grasp it. And now a film adaptation? Shouldn’t he just be grateful if it even gets made?
Unaware of Yu-jin’s internal thoughts, Grant continued.
“If it does go through, it might be nice to release a special edition to commemorate the film adaptation. How about a hardcover with premium paper for the interior, maybe a limited signed edition? Just imagining it feels amazing!”
Grant’s face was already lit up with excitement, as if the deal were already sealed. Of course, Yu-jin would be overjoyed too—if it actually became reality.
After Grant left the mansion, Yu-jin stayed behind alone, sipping tea and replaying each of his words. Film adaptation, P Entertainment, a new edition of the book.
They were all thrilling words. Even if the possibility of them becoming reality was set aside.
His excited mind began to expand the imagination further. If it really becomes a movie, who would be cast? There would be many child roles needed, so auditions would be held, right? Who would be the adult actors? How would the filming be done…
“…Jin, Yu-jin, honey.”
He snapped back to reality at the sudden call. Looking up, he was surprised to see Winston standing there, looking down at him. Yu-jin, who had been sitting dazedly on the tea table chair lost in thought, belatedly came to his senses and flusteredly stood up to greet him.
“When did you get here? You’re early.”
“Just now.”
Answering Yu-jin, Winston naturally wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed his lips. After softly pressing their lips together and repeating light pecks a few times, he buried his nose in Yu-jin’s neck and took a deep breath. Since he always did this whenever they met after even a short separation, Yu-jin smiled faintly and waited for him to lift his head. But today, it felt unusually long. Slowly tracing his nose from Yu-jin’s neck to his shoulder, he finally took a deep, very deep breath, slowly exhaled, and only then lifted his face.
“Done?”
Yu-jin finally asked with a smile. Just as he was about to say, ‘You took your time today,’ Winston spoke first.
“Grant came by, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
Yu-jin nodded obediently and continued.
“We talked about the book… and he also came to share some new news.”
He added the latter part after a slight pause, and Winston asked curiously.
“New news?”
“Yeah.”
Yu-jin nodded again before answering.
“He said there’s an offer to adapt ‘Children of November’ into a film.”
Even though he was just relaying what he’d heard, his face instantly flushed bright red. Still unable to believe the news, he wondered, ‘Was it okay to say this?’ but Winston’s reaction was the complete opposite. His eyes widened in surprise, but then he broke into a bright smile and pulled Yu-jin into a tight hug.
“Congratulations, Yu-jin. That’s amazing news. Well done, really well done.”
“Uh, uh, th-thank you.”
Flustered by Winston’s repeated congratulations, Yu-jin felt his chest swell with emotion. But Winston didn’t miss the trace of doubt still lingering on his face.
“What’s wrong? Did you hear something bad?”
“Huh? Ah, no. It’s not that.”
Seeing Winston’s concerned expression, Yu-jin quickly shook his head. He opened his mouth, but the words didn’t come easily. Winston waited for him without saying anything. After hesitating for a moment, Yu-jin took a deep breath and continued in a subdued voice.
“It’s just… I can’t believe it’s about a movie… and it’s not confirmed yet, so it feels too early to celebrate. It’s just an offer, so if the terms don’t match, it might just fade away…”
“Of course. Not every offer leads to a contract.”
Winston lightly brushed aside Yu-jin’s words and added gently.
“But the fact that a film offer came is true, and it’s good news, right? Just enjoy this moment, okay?”
He wasn’t wrong. But instead of nodding readily, Yu-jin gave a bitter smile.
“Since when did you become such an optimist?”
“You chose me, so what reason would I have to be a pessimist?”
Once again, he retorted without hesitation. This was probably due to his innate confidence. Yu-jin felt a flicker of envy. He disliked his own timidity, but on the other hand, this was just who he was, and there was nothing he could do about it.
“What’s wrong? Is something worrying you?”
Winston, sensitive to his emotions, asked again. Feeling suddenly sorry for causing worry after sharing good news, Yu-jin hesitated briefly before reluctantly opening up.