Chapter 50
UB and the production company had already reached a considerable agreement on the contract terms over the phone. The meeting was for fine-tuning the details and putting the final signature on the contract.
For me, the conditions were good enough that there was no reason to raise any objections.
It was a role with high importance, and perhaps because it was a work with a production budget of over 20 billion won, not only the appearance fee but also the detailed terms regarding filming environment and obligations and welfare during the subsequent promotional period were arranged relatively favorably for the actor.
It seemed to proceed quickly and smoothly until signing the contract, yet when I left the office with an escort from the production company, it was time for the long summer sun to melt into sunset in the western sky.
The production company had suggested entertainment after the meeting. However, since it was a sudden contract, the director and Jaewoo had other actors’ schedule management remaining afterward. It was fortunate for me. I didn’t have particularly pleasant memories of drinking sessions under the pretext of entertainment with production company people I wouldn’t even encounter during filming.
It was difficult to drink comfortably in front of gazes that explored with primitive interest what ‘actor Jung Jiin in private settings’ was like. After becoming bold from drinking, there would invariably follow a barrage of questions about ‘the truth behind rumors circulating in the entertainment industry,’ most of which were stories I was hearing for the first time myself.
By the time such drinking sessions ended, ‘Jung Jiin in private’ would be evaluated as either a boring guy who didn’t know how to have fun, or an arrogant guy who didn’t get along with non-celebrities.
With this kind of personality, even attending drinking sessions for business purposes rarely brought any benefit. It would be fortunate if I just didn’t fall out of favor with important people for spoiling the mood. I sometimes became curious about what kind of business Hyunsoo, who seemed to have no talent for flattering in a different direction from me, was doing at drinking sessions.
Only after sitting in the back seat of the car Jaewoo was driving could I catch my breath and satisfy my hunger with a roll of kimbap. Until then, I hadn’t even realized I was hungry.
After quickly devouring a roll of kimbap and a bottle of water, my body, which had been tightly wound with tension, finally seemed to soften somewhat.
“On a day like today, we should have a drink of soju. What should we do about this disappointment, hyung?”
Jaewoo said while glancing at me through the rearview mirror.
“Let’s set a date soon and meet with Gayoon, the three of us. You’ll suffer because of the drama for the next few months, so I’ll buy you something delicious. Something expensive.”
“Then this time I’ll eat something expensive without worrying.”
Looking at Jaewoo’s reliable shoulders as he laughed like a playful child with a ‘hehe’ that didn’t match his build, I chuckled along.
The farther we got from Wellmade’s office, the more livable it became. Once it became livable, the thought of wanting to contact him raised its head again. However, after the initial intense excitement subsided, I hesitated whether that would be excessive behavior.
Officially, we were still just sleeping together. I wouldn’t deny that more things had started to pass between us.
But reporting trivial changes in my circumstances seemed like suddenly acting like lovers.
Wellmade said they would distribute materials to the media immediately, so articles would have been released by now anyway. He might already know. He was someone who followed my SNS account and had already checked magazine pictorial articles before I even told him.
I thought I shouldn’t weigh this and that. This time I wanted to let him hear it directly from me.
But before I could contact him, Taeyoon called me first. Before I could even respond with ‘hello,’ an excited voice poured out rapidly from the other end of the phone.
[Hey, Actor Jung, when you have such good news, you should report quickly. Why make me find out from reading articles? No, that’s not what’s important in something like this. What is this? Huh? Am I only left with becoming best friends with a Hallyu star? I’m so excited I can’t concentrate on work, what should I do?]
Taeyoon’s rambling words made me laugh.
[The article was only released less than 10 minutes ago. Are you my stalker?]
[I heard from Gayoon. She said you were going to sign a contract so don’t bother you needlessly, so I waited until the article came out before calling… No, this stuff isn’t important. Come to the restaurant when it’s time to close. I’ll make you something delicious. How can we just let a day like today pass? What do you want to eat?]
While talking, the car was getting close to my accommodation. Jaewoo, who had parked in front of the franchise coffee shop where he always dropped me off, pressed a button to open the back door. I waved to Jaewoo, who looked back, and got out of the car. The sun had set considerably in the meantime, but the air was still muggy.
[No, I should be the one buying. You helped me choose a housewarming gift last time, so I’ll buy this time.]
[I need to make a good impression in advance with someone who’s going to become a top star. Don’t pay back debts, just accumulate them all. So you can’t pretend not to know me after you become famous later. If you go out to eat, I’ll just worry about you. You’ll already be the subject of attention after this article comes out. Come to the restaurant. Let’s have a drink together after a long time.]
[Then I’ll buy some good snacks and alcohol. You’re tired after finishing work, so don’t prepare anything separately.]
As soon as I ended the call, my phone vibrated in my hand almost like a baton touch with Taeyoon. I flinched like someone who had committed a crime and hurriedly checked the number on the screen.
There was no point in deceiving myself further about whose contact I was waiting for, or why I felt disappointed when I confirmed the caller was Ian.
It had been too long since I felt such emotions. I chuckled to myself, embarrassed by my unfamiliar behavior. I took off the jacket I was wearing, draped it over my arm, and checked Ian’s message. The content said he had arrived home and to contact him if I needed anything.
I suddenly felt deeply fatigued. I wanted to change into comfortable clothes, lie down on the bed, and make a phone call, so I hurried my steps.
I was taking off my shoes at the front door when Hyunsoo opened his room door and came out. It was almost 8 PM in the evening, but he looked disheveled as if he had just woken up.
“Were you home?”
“I was just… going to wash up and go out. Where did hyung go?”
“I went to work out…”
I said that without much thought as I stepped up into the living room, then soon closed my mouth. I didn’t feel like talking about this news in front of someone whose work wasn’t going well, but he would find out one way or another anyway. Unnecessary consideration might hurt his pride even more. Since we lived in the same house, it would be unnatural for him to learn the news by reading articles or hearing from other people.
“Hyunsoo, I got cast in <Eternal Night>.”
“……”
Holding the handle of the half-open bathroom door, Hyunsoo looked at me silently for a moment. Then he soon chuckled and swept up his messy hair.
“But why are you talking about it so seriously? It’s good news. Congratulations.”
The congratulations didn’t seem fake, but his face looked complicated in various ways. Maybe it looked more so because his face was rough.
“Uh… right. Thanks. I was going to buy dinner, but if you’re going out, I’ll have to buy it next time.”
“You’ll buy something expensive, right? Can we go somewhere like a hotel buffet?”
“We can eat course meals at a French restaurant.”
“That would be too much like a date.”
I watched Hyunsoo’s back as he smiled weakly once more and disappeared into the bathroom, then I also turned away. I needed some rest. I went into my room, threw my jacket over the chair, and plopped down on the bed. Massaging my neck from the fatigue that felt like I’d been away from home for days, I called Ian.
After somewhat rough connection sounds mixed with noise, I could hear Ian’s voice.
[Was the trip fun?]
[It’s a place I always go to, so what’s special about it?]
Even though he said that, his voice was cheerful as if he had quite enjoyed it.
[Still, when the people you go with are different, the excitement is different too.]
[Did Yui tell you?]
I joked that I could guess that much just from hearing his voice without anyone telling me, and not to underestimate hyung’s intuition. But it had already been over four years since we lived apart. The twins who were twenty when I came to Korea were now twenty-four, and in the meantime, they were gradually becoming people I didn’t know well as they experienced, chose, and achieved many things.
Hearing condensed news from a distance was different from living life together. Paradoxically, whenever I heard new news from them, I often felt that I was becoming increasingly separated from my family.
[You know that bookshelf in my room. Not the one by the window, but the one at the bottom with drawers. There’s a dark green box in the bottom drawer.]
[I know, that miscellaneous stuff box?]
[Could you call it a treasure box, little brother?]
Ian’s pleasant laughter was layered over the sound of slippers dragging on the tile floor.
[There should be a black notebook in there. It’s a notebook with a leather cover, and there’s a note stuck inside the front cover. If it’s not there… could you just rummage around in the box? It’s a small note with an email address written on it. Take a photo of it and send it to me.]
[A note? Got it, I just got out of the shower so I’ll take a photo and send it right away.]
I wondered if I should bring up the story about being cast in <Eternal Night> now. But that was equivalent to meaning that my visit to Paeli was canceled. I momentarily lost courage.
After ending the call, I leaned back from my sitting position and flopped down horizontally on the bed. Because there were many people relative to the space, all the beds in the accommodation were bunk beds. When I lay down properly, I could see the bottom of the bed above my head.
I turned to lie on my side and unlocked my phone screen.
Somehow, it felt like whenever I tried to contact him, other contacts kept interfering and getting in the way.
While typing a message asking if he could talk, he called me. I let out a silly laugh at the feeling that we were in sync. Finding ridiculous meaning in such trivial things and being happy about it made me laugh at myself, so I covered my eyes with my arm and answered the phone.
[I was going to contact you first.]
I didn’t bother trying to hide the laughter in my voice.
[Then I should have waited a little longer. I lost out because I have no patience. Hyung has never called me first.]
Listening to the playful voice that deliberately emphasized the syllable ‘hyung,’ I pulled my legs that had been dangling below the bed up onto the mattress. I pulled the pillow under my cheek and curled up on the cramped bed from lying sideways.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
