Kang Hyeon pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a shallow sigh. Just today, he’d changed outfits three times—and there were still the clothes from yesterday.
“All of these?”
–Do we really have to go over this again?
“What kind of gift…”
He remembered what Yoon Do-yeong had said about not turning it into a matter of money and corrected himself.
“I’ll just take the coat.”
–If you don’t like the rest, toss it.
“Do-yeong…”
–I paid for a full year at that paid parking garage you used. It’s cold—don’t suffer with public transport. Just drive the car.
“Why do you get to do everything your way?”
–Then just park it at the garage and come pick me up every time we meet.
“You come instead!”
–Where? Your place?
“…”
–If you’re not home, can I just go in and wait? You’re not changing the door code, right? What’s the last digit again?
Kang Hyeon was so stunned he couldn’t respond. The voice on the other end faltered.
–You said you’d show me the ocean…
“…”
–Said we’d get dinner and watch a movie…
“…”
–You made all the plans.
“If the car gets scratched, I’m not responsible.”
–It’s fine. I’ll just scrap it.
That nonchalant tone left him blank. He turned his head with a sigh, only to lock eyes with the agency CEO, who was glaring daggers at him. The temp manager glanced nervously at the CEO before awkwardly looking away.
“…Fine. I’ll return it when you come back.”
–No need to return it.
“We’ll talk when you’re back in the country.”
Feeling the stares around him, Kang Hyeon hung up and looked toward the stylist, his expression torn. She ignored the CEO and asked,
“Is that a problem?”
The CEO, watching her blunt behavior, muttered “See you later,” and walked off. The temp manager followed after him. Kang Hyeon bowed politely and turned back to the stylist with concern.
“Is this okay?”
“What is?”
“What if you get on the CEO’s bad side?”
“Oh, I’m from Edith’s boutique.”
“…”
“Do-yeong gets his makeup done by the boutique’s CEO. You didn’t know?”
“Ah…”
Right—Do-yeong had someone dedicated to his makeup. Now that he thought about it, she’d always touched up his makeup even when he came from the agency, and today, she’d even done his hair and makeup on set.
“Wait… was my makeup today arranged by Do-yeong?”
“Who knows? I just get sent when the company calls. But I think I’m your personal stylist now.”
The mischievous smile said it all—this was Do-yeong’s doing. The fact that the CEO hadn’t said anything also confirmed it.
After saying goodbye to the director and staff, Kang Hyeon headed to the parking lot with the stylist, where an assistant director approached.
“Are you joining a new agency?”
“No. I’ll be working solo for a while.”
“Ah… I’m working on a new project with Director Yoo Ji-ha. Could I get your contact?”
“Oh, thank you.”
He bowed politely and handed over his number. The AD nodded casually and went back to his work.
Later, Kang Hyeon dropped the stylist off in front of Edith’s boutique while driving Do-yeong’s sponsored sports car.
“Call me if you ever need anything.”
He accepted the business card she handed him and saved it into his phone. Once alone, a wave of emptiness came over him. Now that he had no agency, the reality of going solo was daunting. He thought of some senior actors he’d kept in touch with… and Goo Seong-do came to mind. He wondered how things had turned out with the middle-aged actor role.
He scrolled through his contacts and hit the call button.
–Hey, Hyeon! I was just about to call you! Thanks, man!
The voice on the other end was so cheerful, it brought an involuntary smile to his face.
“Have you been well?”
–I wasn’t—but starting yesterday, I am! Thanks to you, Hyun-sook landed a role!
“It got confirmed?”
–Hell yeah! It’s for a 14-episode drama on a major network. She’s playing the female lead’s boss. Pretty good screen time, too!
Excited by Goo Seong-do’s tone, Kang Hyeon’s voice lifted in turn.
“That’s great! What’s the title?”
–‘Glass Garden.’ How about you? Is your shoot going well?
“Wrapped it up today. I was thinking of doing a profile tour, so I called to ask for some advice.”
–I’ll do it for you.
“Wait, really?”
–This is my job, isn’t it? I’ll circulate yours while I’m handling Hyun-sook’s. Just drop your materials off at my office. By the way, don’t you have an agency?
“Contract ended.”
–Why?
“Didn’t feel much different from working alone.”
–Ah… I’m just heading into the office. Wanna come have a cup of tea?
“I still have makeup on…”
–Then come after you get your profile photos done. I’ll take them. Better than most studios, I promise. Consider it my way of thanking you for Hyun-sook’s role.
“Ah…”
–Save your money. When you’re not earning, you have to save. Oh, and one more thing—Director Yoo Ji-ha is doing a film next. There’s a serial killer role. Want to audition?
“A serial killer?”
–Production company’s MovieN, so it’s legit. Director Yoo wants an unfamiliar face for the killer. He doesn’t go through connections—does direct auditions even for minor roles.
Hearing Yoo Ji-ha’s name again made something click. That AD earlier had also mentioned working with him.
“Where’s your office, sir?”
–Just plug the company name into your GPS.
Typing “Mpia” into the navigation, he was relieved it wasn’t far.
“I should be there in about thirty minutes.”
–Same here. See you soon.
Following the GPS, Kang Hyeon turned into a street lined with old officetels. He parked in the building’s cramped underground garage and headed to the 5th floor, where the Mpia nameplate hung. No one answered the doorbell. Assuming the CEO hadn’t arrived yet, he sent a message saying he was there. Not long after, the door swung open.
Expecting Goo Seong-do, he was surprised to see a skinny woman in glasses, sucking on a lollipop and smirking at him. Despite being in her 40s, she looked like she was in her early 30s—she looked even younger than her photos. Her eyes lit up fondly at the sight of him before she let out a laugh of disbelief.
“Well, look who it is…”
“Hello, sunbae-nim.”
“I never taught you. Don’t make me feel old—just call me noona.”
“Ah… noona?”
“If you don’t like that, ‘sunbae’ works. But come on, wouldn’t it be nice to keep it youthful and call me noona?”
“Nice to see you, sunbae.”
“It’s freezing—come in.”
As he stepped inside, warmth enveloped him. One side of the duplex officetel was cluttered with two desks, piles of papers and gear, and racks crammed with hundreds of outfits. A vanity loaded with cosmetics and hair accessories took up one corner. The other side had a tiny sink, a washing machine, a fridge, and a backdrop with studio lighting set up.
While he took it all in, she kicked aside a box to clear a path.
“You were cute as a kid, but you’ve really changed.”
“Me?”
“Who else? It’s just you and me here.”
She went to the sink, lifting a boiling pot, and asked,
“I’m making ramyeon. Want some?”
“Thank you.”
“You came straight from the set, huh?”
She kept glancing over, smiling like she found him fascinating.
“Back then, you were so shy—always buried in your script. But the moment you got in front of the camera, you lit up. I was shocked.”
Lost in memory, she smiled and crinkled her nose.
“You’re different now, though…”
Lee Hyun-sook tilted her head as she studied his face, then popped her jaw and snapped her fingers.
“Sexy.”
“First time I’ve heard that.”
“No, no. You’re still rough around the edges, but it’s there—that aura. Who would’ve thought that tiny kid would grow into this kind of appeal?”
She pushed her glasses up, brought the pot over to the table, set down two bowls and chopsticks, then grabbed kimchi and water from the fridge.
“Thanks to you, I landed a supporting role for the first time in forever. What kind of magic did you pull to get me that part? Thanks.”
“I just dropped a word. I’m glad it helped.”
As they shared the ramyeon, the topic naturally shifted to the role.
“I heard you’ve got a lot of lines. You okay with that?”
“Didn’t seem like that many.”
After a few bites, she grabbed her script and showed him.
“Only this part’s a bit heavy.”
She pointed to a section over a full A4 page long, with lines highlighted in different colors. As he scanned it, the doorbell rang again.
“Someone else coming?”
“No one should be. If it were my brother, he’d have called.”
“Goo Seong-do?”
“Yep. And I never open the door when I’m alone. Too dangerous.”
“There aren’t other actors here?”
“Look at this mess. You think I’d let anyone else in here?”
