But that wasn’t true at all. It was true that he felt sorry for Yeojun and was worried about him, but he didn’t want to offer him cheap sympathy. If that had been the case, given his personality, he wouldn’t have bothered going to his house diligently these past few days.
The door opened again. The door that had seemed permanently closed suddenly opened. Yeojun appeared, and Euntae brightened, opening his mouth to seize the opportunity to defend himself.
“Go. You’re bothering the neighbors, so stop knocking.”
However, before Euntae could say anything, Yeojun cut off any hope and closed the door again. This time, no matter how long he waited, it truly never opened again.
* * *
“Hey, Park Euntae. Got nothing to do?”
In a corner of the office where the manager team was gathered, Director Kim and Jaehyun nudged Euntae, who was slumped over a table. They seemed to want to assign him some work or errand, whatever it was.
“I actually have a lot to do.”
Euntae retorted in a languid voice without even bothering to lift his body. Anyone could see that he truly had nothing to do and desperately wanted to keep it that way. Though he wasn’t an extremely passionate or energetic type, Euntae had always been quick and lively enough, so this demeanor was unexpected. Wondering what had happened, Jaehyun briefly turned to ask another nearby employee what was wrong with him through gestures and glances. However, the employee just shrugged, indicating they had no idea either. For a junior road manager who hadn’t even been with the company for a year to act this way towards Jaehyun, one of the managers overseeing the management team, was uncommon. Plus, wasn’t Director Kim known as a tiger? Of course, Jaehyun had a particular fondness for Euntae, and everyone in the office, including himself, knew that fact.
“Stop talking nonsense and get up. Quickly.”
Jaehyun kicked the legs of Euntae’s chair. When Euntae still didn’t move, Jaehyun, after looking at him for a moment, decided to just give him the task as he was.
“Go ask Yeojun if he wants to do ‘Seven Falls, Eight Rises.’ The lead was confirmed yesterday, so if he’s going to do it, we need to finalize the contract and set schedules soon.”
“Director, just call him yourself and ask.”
This time, Jaehyun finally couldn’t hold back and grabbed Euntae’s hair, pulling it, which made Euntae lift his head with “Ah, ah.” Euntae, immediately sitting up, shook his head to escape the grasp, and Jaehyun readily let go of what he was holding.
“While you’re at it, check how he’s doing and ask if there’s anything else he wants.”
Yeojun hadn’t yet told the company about his divorce, but there were rumors circulating within the company, so Jaehyun seemed concerned. There hadn’t been a scandal between Seungju and Dogyeong, nor had they revealed their relationship, and Yeojun wasn’t saying anything either, so why was this small rumor spreading so far and wide? Euntae, having ears to hear, found that there seemed to be more sightings of the two together. According to some, they were seen holding hands, or shopping together in an affectionate manner. But he thought some of these specific details might be exaggerated. Is this why the life of a celebrity is tiring? From what he knew, there was a commotion when they got married, but to see even marital issues being talked about by people…
Euntae wanted to say that Yeojun’s condition was very fine. He had been kicked out of Yeojun’s house the day before yesterday and hadn’t gone yesterday, but based on his observations over the past few days, Yeojun seemed quite peaceful. However, if he reported this, it would mean losing the justification he had just found, so Euntae kept his mouth shut.
“Who’s the confirmed lead?”
“Han Seungju.”
Euntae unknowingly lifted his head to look at Jaehyun. Jaehyun, meeting Euntae’s eyes, remained silent. Interpreting what the silence meant was up to each individual, but they probably had similar thoughts.
“That hyung is really prickly.”
The “hyung” Euntae referred to was Yeojun. It was an unnecessary complaint, and Jaehyun, knowing this, merely patted Euntae’s shoulder.
“But you’re the one who gets along best with Yeojun.”
“We don’t get along.”
“That prickly guy even gave you his front door password.”
Though there was some intention to match Euntae’s mood, it wasn’t a completely baseless statement either. Yeojun was never a gentle personality to begin with, but as he wandered between his continued decline and past glory, he had become more closed off and prickly, and there had been consistent talk among managers that he wasn’t the easiest to deal with. Sometimes, when there was friction, some people even questioned whether their company needed to care for him to this extent. In short, a washed-up actor acting high and mighty. But after Euntae joined, he was getting along with Yeojun more comfortably than expected. Whether they clicked well or what, Jaehyun thought it might be because Euntae had a flexible aspect. Though he hadn’t known Euntae for many months, how long had he been in this field? A glance was enough. Euntae had the ability to easily gain favor and get close to people. It could be due to his handsome appearance or his distinctive slickness, but in any case, his reputation among others was quite good.
“Alright. I’ll go after I drop Junho off at home.”
Though he had appeared to be idling, he wasn’t really playing around. It seemed he had been waiting for another actor. Jaehyun left with the final word of “please do.”
* * *
Euntae hesitated. He debated considerably whether to enter the familiar door in front of him by typing the password as always, or whether he should ring the doorbell. Before that, he also wondered if the password might have already been changed. However, his deliberation didn’t take as long as expected. Euntae quickly pressed the password and opened the door. Beep beep. Click. When the door actually opened, he was slightly taken aback and paused momentarily before cautiously stepping inside, one step at a time.
Yeojun was in the living room. He seemed to be cleaning, moving busily. And despite knowing someone had entered, he didn’t give Euntae a single glance. Rather than feeling hurt by this, Euntae thought it was fortunate that he wasn’t being kicked out immediately.
“You didn’t change the password?”
“I thought you weren’t the type to just enter even though you know it.”
“Be honest. You don’t know how to change it, do you?”
The person who had been moving the mop without paying any attention to Euntae suddenly stopped and finally looked at him. Partly because he’d been hit where it hurt, and partly in admiration of Euntae’s brazenness.
“If you know how, will you change it for me and then leave?”
“Wouldn’t it defeat the purpose if I changed it?”
“Then just leave.”
Yeojun turned his gaze away from Euntae and started moving the mop again. Though his words were cold, one could tell that his anger had subsided to some extent. Despite being kicked out before and now being told to leave again, Euntae had his own guilt to bear, so with good humor, he approached Yeojun and took the mop from his hands. Along with saying that he would do the cleaning, he told Yeojun to sit comfortably on the sofa. Yeojun didn’t refuse and readily handed over the mop before plopping down on the sofa. Though the atmosphere seemed harsh, it felt like he had returned to his usual self.
“Director Kim wants me to bring back your answer. About ‘Seven Falls, Eight Rises.’ Whether you’ll do it or not.”
“Wasn’t it already set that I’m doing it? Who’s the lead?”
From being asked to bring back a definite answer, it wasn’t hard to guess that the lead had been decided. So he asked, but Euntae hesitated to answer. Though it wasn’t confirmed, the rumors still bothered him. However, as the silence lengthened and seemed like it might become more awkward, he quickly answered.
“Han Seungju.”
“Okay. Tell Director Kim I’ll do it.”
Yeojun seemed to answer nonchalantly. But Euntae sensed a subtle gap between “Okay” and “Tell Director Kim I’ll do it.” Ah, being sensitive to people’s feelings is quite tiring. That was his immediate thought after sensing the gap. He also wondered when he had become the type to be sensitive to others’ feelings, and thinking that, he wondered if what he was doing now was unnecessary. He also thought he might be overstepping his bounds a bit, and suddenly understood why Yeojun had kicked him out.
Yes, let’s just stop caring now. Whatever happens, it’s Yeojun’s life, and I don’t want to waste energy trying to force my way into it.
“Euntae.”
At Yeojun’s call, Euntae, who had already reached the far end of the living room near the glass door, responded with a dutiful “Yes” while diligently moving the mop.
“Do you also think I’m foolish?”
Euntae paused and looked at Yeojun. Yeojun’s gaze was indifferently directed forward. Then, as Euntae remained silent for a while, his gaze slowly moved towards Euntae. A nonchalant face, neither particularly sad nor resentful.
“Yes, you seem foolish.”
If he smiled, or cried, or got angry, he would be more beautiful.
“Could you at least ask me why I think that? Before answering.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
