By Zephyria “What is it? Why are you so desperate?”
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
“You really can’t let me see?”
“I told you, no.”
Yumin lunged towards Tae-jun’s forehead without warning. He had only intended to snatch the laptop, but in his excessive excitement, he ended up headbutting Tae-jun’s chin.
“Ugh!”
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Tae-jun was helpless. While he writhed in pain, Yumin quickly closed the laptop cover.
Tae-jun clutched his chin and scowled.
“Go Yumin, what are you doing?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you acting like this?”
“I’m really sorry.”
For Yumin, the only important thing right now was to prevent Tae-jun from seeing the laptop. Honestly, he wanted to throw the laptop out the window, but since the installments weren’t finished yet, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“You really…”
Tae-jun seemed angry. Yumin regretted it. He regretted that perhaps it would have been better to hit Tae-jun hard enough to make him faint. With his half-hearted effort, the atmosphere between them only grew colder.
It seemed like sex and everything else was off the table for today.
“I’m leaving.”
Tae-jun stood up, rubbing his swollen red chin.
“Are you really leaving?”
“It hurts too much to stay.”
“I, I’m sorry.”
Yumin, flustered, grabbed Tae-jun’s sleeve. Tae-jun thought Yumin’s pale face, saying he had ruined the mood, was so cute he wanted to bite it. Tae-jun almost bit Yumin’s cheek but held back, pretending to be even angrier. Yumin’s expression immediately turned as if he were about to cry. It was hilariously amusing.
“Enough, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sorry… Goodbye.”
Tae-jun turned and walked away, chuckling. He felt like he was starting to enjoy teasing Go Yumin.
Yumin felt upset but also relieved. After all, Tae-jun’s attention had been diverted from the laptop.
‘I must never let him find out again.’
Waving at Tae-jun’s retreating back, Yumin reaffirmed his resolve.
As soon as Tae-jun left the room, Yumin turned on the laptop and began writing his report. Similarly, he created another new folder instead of finishing the one he had started in the ‘Robin’ folder. It seemed he now needed to secure his folders as well.
What Yumin was writing was a document about tonics. He meticulously recorded the number of tonics Tae-jun had consumed, their effects, and especially how they stabilized the fetus and aided the mother’s blood circulation. After finishing, as Yumin was about to close the file, he hesitated for a moment and added a few more words.
I took some too.
He had been unconsciously concerned. He thought nothing would happen, yet Yumin’s animal instinct whispered to him to stop taking the medicine now. But Yumin, fully immersed in human life, ignored that small warning.
After that, there was no contact from Tae-jun.
‘Did I hit him too hard? Still, he’s the one who’s going to have my baby, was I too harsh….’
Yumin was restless all day, worrying about trivial things. It was imperative that no harm came to his precious one.
As soon as class ended, Yumin tried to call Tae-jun. The moment he was about to press the call button, his phone rang. The caller was none other than Yumin’s great-uncle.
“Yes, Great-uncle.”
Yumin-ah, I heard everything. You’re still seeing that Beom family son?
“Yes, I am.”
Why haven’t you broken up with him yet?
“No, Great-uncle. I have no intention of breaking up with him.”
‘He’s so pretty and cute. I will definitely have his babies.’
Yumin muttered to himself, letting his great-uncle’s angry voice go in one ear and out the other.
Are you going to defy me when an elder is speaking?
“Yes, it’s defiance. I absolutely cannot break up with him.”
Hmph…
“I don’t care what you say.”
You are going to Seoul to bear offspring on behalf of our clan. Listen to the elders when they speak kindly. If you keep this up, I’ll cut off your allowance.
“What… what did you say?”
Yumin felt like the sky was falling. The monthly allowance from the clan association was substantial. Frankly, he had lived comfortably relying on that allowance. He didn’t have to work part-time, and he even had enough left over to treat Tae-jun.
Moreover, Tae-jun’s birthday was this month. He absolutely needed the clan association allowance to buy him a nice birthday present. He couldn’t just give Tae-jun any gift.
He had been determined to buy a lavish and excellent gift that would impress Tae-jun. But now, the allowance was being cut off. Yumin’s hands began to tremble.
“No, please give me my allowance!”
If you don’t listen to the elders, why would I give you an allowance? From now on, you won’t get a single cent.
“Great-uncle!”
The call abruptly ended. Yumin clutched his head in pain.
‘This is a disaster. It’s not just about living expenses, but what about Tae-jun’s birthday gift?’
Yumin fell into deep contemplation. Having lived abundantly by spending the clan association allowance lavishly, he found it hard to accept the immediate reality.
‘If I had known, I should have saved some instead of spending it all.’
Regret was useless now. Yumin sighed deeply.
In fact, there was a way to solve his financial crisis. It was to get a part-time job. However, Yumin, who had never worked in the human world, was clueless about what kind of job to do. He casually looked up part-time hourly wages, but it wouldn’t be enough. To earn the amount he desired, he would have to work almost the entire month. Tae-jun’s birthday was just around the corner, and he couldn’t work for over a month and then save money.
As Yumin was lost in deep thought, someone called him from the end of the hallway.
“Yumin-ah!”
“Oh, Juwan.”
Juwan approached Yumin with a wide smile.
“What’s wrong? You don’t look happy?”
“Well, you see… I need some allowance. I’m trying to find a part-time job, but it’s so overwhelming.”
“Really?”
“I need a place with a high hourly wage.”
Seeing Yumin’s slumped shoulders, Juwan paused in thought, then snapped his fingers.
“Want to go find a part-time job together?”
“What kind of job?”
“You only have to work on weekends, and it pays quite well.”
“What is it?”
“Extra.”
“Extra?”
“Yeah. Filming a movie.”
Yumin’s expression brightened at the unexpected words.
‘It’s a bit early for my debut….’
He himself thought he had the face of someone destined to debut as an actor someday, but he wasn’t mentally prepared yet. However, he felt it was a waste to keep his already handsome face idle. Yumin blushed slightly with embarrassment and waved his hand.
“Debuting in a movie already… it’s a bit overwhelming.”
“Ah, it’s not that grand. It’s a job offer I received, and they asked me to bring one more person.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. It’s just a minor role. Don’t get your hopes up too high.”
“Haha, when did I ever get my hopes up.”
Yumin said, trying his best to act nonchalant. But in his heart, he was kicking his blankets.
Still, just in case, Yumin asked again as if to confirm.
“Is it really just a minor role?”
“Yeah. Like crowd member 1?”
“I see… Still, I like it. It’s nice to be in a movie.”
“Then you can contact this number. There’s a spot available starting this weekend.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Yumin’s mood lifted. Thanks to Juwan, he could solve his immediate financial needs and also got an opportunity to appear in a movie.
Yumin immediately sent a simple profile to the contact information Juwan gave him. His casting was confirmed right away, and he was instructed to take a shuttle bus early Saturday morning.
‘What if I get cast unexpectedly? It would be troublesome if they decided to change the main cast on set.’
Yumin waited for the weekend, worrying about trivial things. In the meantime, he took care of his skin. His already cute and delicate face looked even more charming with the added care. Of course, that was just Yumin’s opinion.
And then it was Friday. Tae-jun contacted him.
Beom Tae-jun
Yumin-ah, the bruise on my face is all gone now.
That’s a relief.
Beom Tae-jun
Let’s have dinner together this weekend.
What should I do? I have plans this weekend.
Beom Tae-jun
Where are you going?
I’m going to work part-time with Juwan.
Beom Tae-jun
All weekend?
Yeah, it’s 1 night and 2 days.
“What kind of part-time job takes 1 night and 2 days?”
Tae-jun was so dumbfounded he felt dizzy. He knew Juwan had ulterior motives for Yumin.
“That impudent fellow…”
Tae-jun muttered and called Yumin. But even after calling multiple times, Yumin didn’t answer. He had fallen asleep while doing his pack. Unaware of Tae-jun’s anxiety, Yumin was happily strolling in dreamland.
A few hours later, Yumin woke up, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He checked his phone and saw missed calls from Tae-jun. He wondered what was going on, but it was the crack of dawn, and he had to leave immediately, so he decided to call back later.
He had also received a message from Juwan overnight. Something urgent had come up, so he couldn’t go to the shoot today and apologized, asking Yumin to go alone.
Lee Juwan
Sorry, I’ll buy you a meal next time.
It’s okay. Thanks to you, I got a job lead.
Yumin took the first train to the shuttle bus meeting point. Various people gathered and boarded the chartered bus. They said the filming would be in the mountains, and indeed, after more than two hours of driving from Seoul, they neared the filming location.
As the sun began to rise, the bus climbed a winding mountain road. The air was clear, the sunlight was warm, and the forest was dense with trees. The scenery felt like home, refreshing his mood.
“Alright, everyone, please get off. We’ve arrived at the filming site.”
Yumin followed the others off the bus.
“I’ll give you a brief explanation. Your role today is to fill the numbers. The female protagonist goes up the mountain alone and injures her leg, and passersby ignore her. That’s the scene. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll simply be going up and down this hill in front of us, but your movements must be strictly coordinated. If people wearing similar colored clothes cluster together, it won’t look good on screen. We will provide the routes, so follow them in line, and only move when the staff signals you to pass.”
“Yes, understood.”
Yumin was relieved by the surprisingly easy directions. Getting paid just for walking around? How great is that.
However, once filming began, Yumin’s feelings changed 180 degrees.
“Ready, go!”
As they tried to stage a scene of 30 to 40 people hiking simultaneously, their steps kept getting tangled. He was scolded for starting late or walking too fast.
“Hey, student! Walk slower!”
“Yes, sorry.”
“No, why are you walking backward? You need to walk forward.”
“Sorry.”
“Wait, why are you looking at the camera? Don’t you know you shouldn’t make eye contact with the camera?”
“I’m really sorry.”
He ended up causing an NG because he unconsciously focused on the camera, or he acted awkwardly out of fear that the director might notice him. It was a complete mess.
Finally, after two hours, Yumin, exhausted, could walk naturally.
‘I’m hungry… How much longer do we have to walk?’
It was almost noon, but the filming showed no signs of ending. He wanted to call Tae-jun as soon as lunch break started, but he hadn’t had a moment to respond yet.
“Please eat. The food truck has arrived.”
Finally, a break was given. Yumin quickly ran to the food truck and lined up. As he received his lunch box and bottled water and sat down at a table under the shade, someone suddenly sat down opposite him. He looked up and was surprised to see Tae-jun.
“Tae-jun!”
“Were you doing well?”
Tae-jun replied with a smile. Thinking Yumin’s surprised face looked like a squirrel’s, Tae-jun lowered the sunglasses he was wearing on his head.
“How did you get here?”
“How? I asked Juwan. You weren’t answering your phone.”
“Right, I’m sorry. I tried to call this morning but didn’t have time.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you did.”
Tae-jun suppressed the rising anger within him and smiled gently. In fact, he had gone to Yumin’s dormitory that morning. Although outsiders were prohibited from entering the dormitory, Tae-jun didn’t care. He grabbed a passing dormitory student and asked them to open the door, and the kind student, overwhelmed by Tae-jun, opened it for him.
He had already figured out Yumin’s room password by intuition. Of course, Yumin had never officially given him the password.
However, Yumin had vanished. The room was piled high with clothes he had taken off and discarded.
From then on, he started grilling Juwan. But Juwan simply replied that he himself hadn’t gone to the part-time job and that Yumin had gone to the filming location alone.
Amusingly, the film director knew Tae-jun. To be precise, it wasn’t a personal acquaintance, but the filming location was land owned by Tae-jun’s family.
Ah, so this was the location rental deal he had briefly discussed with his parents when he visited home recently. What a coincidence. Thinking it was fortunate, Tae-jun drove straight to the filming site without rest.
To the film crew, simply saying he was from the Beom family granted him free passage.
“Tae-jun, did you come to work part-time too? Did Juwan ask you to fill in?”
“No, it’s not like that. I came to give you a ride home later, so you won’t have trouble.”
“Really? Thank you.”
Yumin, naive as ever, was touched. He thought Tae-jun would be angry that he was going to work part-time with Juwan, but Tae-jun was indeed broad-minded. He was indeed a suitable mate for pairing.
‘It was good I came.’
Tae-jun found Yumin’s obliviousness irritating. Anyone could see that Juwan had ulterior motives for Yumin. And they were very blatant and dirty. Didn’t he look like a wolf eyeing its prey? And Yumin, unaware of this, was foolishly hanging out with Juwan.
Moreover, the filming schedule included an overnight stay, which meant Yumin could have been “devoured” by someone like Juwan. Tae-jun clenched his fist.
Just then, someone behind Tae-jun greeted him. It was the director.
“Hello, Tae-jun-ssi.”
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
“I heard the story. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Not at all, it’s nothing.”
“You look quite handsome in person. I thought you were an actor.”
“Thank you.”
“Actually, I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“Actually, one of our cast members couldn’t make it today, so could you take on a role?”
“A role?”
“Honestly, I’ve thought your face was too good since earlier. You have such a good image and presence. So I wanted to give you a role, helping the female protagonist as you pass by.”
“I’ve never acted before…”
Tae-jun expressed his hesitation. But the director was persistent.
“Please, I beg you. I really want to capture that face on camera.”
“No. I’m not interested in this kind of thing.”
Tae-jun firmly declined. However, Yumin, standing beside him, started to get excited.
“Tae-jun, are you being cast now? Are you becoming a movie actor? Oh my gosh, you’re a celebrity!”
As he exclaimed, Tae-jun paused to think. He wasn’t interested in this field, but seeing how much Yumin was enjoying it, he thought it might be okay to play along for a bit. Tae-jun changed his mind.
“Alright. Leave it to me.”
“Really? Thank you, Tae-jun-ssi. Then let’s prepare for filming immediately. Someone, please attend to his makeup. And his costume!”
Yumin’s jaw dropped as several people instantly surrounded Tae-jun. The other extras watching from afar began to murmur.
“Who is that?”
“He must be a new actor, he’s really handsome.”
“Why haven’t I seen him before? Someone that good-looking should be well-known.”
“This might be his debut.”
Yumin puffed out his chest at the reactions around him. He was having a hard time suppressing the urge to grab anyone and boast that such a handsome man was his.