I greeted Director Yoon Pansu with Seo Jimin and sat down. As I passed time exchanging random trivial conversation with Seo Jimin, Oh Jaehyun glanced around and sat beside me. The strong smell of perfume made me rub the tip of my nose, and I put a bit of distance between us.

“Hello.”

“Yes, hello.”

I awkwardly exchanged greetings with Oh Jaehyun. Since we weren’t really familiar, I felt a little uncomfortable. But Oh Jaehyun didn’t seem shy and was quite sociable, because he immediately started talking.

“Did you check the revised script, Shinjae?”

“…Yes.”

“Senior Giju doesn’t seem like he’ll sit still.”

“What’s he gonna do if he doesn’t sit still?”

Seo Jimin snapped back sharply. Sitting in the middle, I just scratched my head. Oh Jaehyun seemed pressured by Seo Jimin’s momentum and gave an awkward laugh.

“And you, it’s senior Oh Giju and Lee Shinjae-ssi? I can’t believe this. What year did you debut?”

“Ah, well…”

“Does that mean because Producer Park has been doting on you lately, you’ve forgotten all sense of seniority and juniority? There’s nothing in your eyes.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You were cocky like that when you filmed Director Lee Sangguk’s movie too. Want me to show you what your true bottom looks like?”

“……”

“You think your fans will keep adoring you forever? Absolutely not. This industry is full of young, fresh faces pouring in by the dozens every single day. How long do you think you’ll keep getting pampered? If you’re a newcomer, act like a newcomer. Get down flat, press your head to the floor, and look dead. Where do you get off calling a senior ‘ssi’ like some brazen brat?”

Oh Jaehyun kept bowing and apologizing before leaving his seat. I looked at Seo Jimin half dazed. He had debuted as an idol at fourteen and had just celebrated his twentieth anniversary not long ago. Seo Jimin, who had built her footing in this industry through every kind of scandal and extravagant fame, definitely wanted to keep hierarchy clear.

If Seo Jimin hadn’t been there, I probably wouldn’t have been able to address the title Oh Jaehyun used. I was grateful to Seo Jimin for speaking up for me.

“Thank you.”

“You should stop backing down in front of people like that too. How long are you going to keep being so soft?”

“……”

“If you give people like that an inch, they’ll climb forever. Then before you know it, they’ll take your bowl too.”

“Yes.”

Just as my conversation with Seo Jimin was winding down, the ritual began. Director Yoon Pansu, the camera director, and the producer all bowed first and stepped back, then the lead actors were called forward one by one. I bowed, praying that filming would proceed without incident.

Once the entire ceremony was over, we got up to eat. After I stepped outside, Oh Giju, who had been absent throughout the ritual, grabbed Director Yoon Pansu. Sensing a commotion about to break out, people gathered in small groups.

“Director, why was my role revised like this?”

“It seemed to fit the flow of the film better, so I revised it that way.”

“You didn’t say anything like that until yesterday! If you were going to revise it, at least tell me in advance,”

“Why should I tell you in advance for my film and my script?”

“If my role were this trivial and unimportant, I wouldn’t have taken this movie.”

Director Yoon Pansu let out a short breath at the sky, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and put a hand on Oh Giju’s shoulder.

“That’s great. I’ve actually been having a hard time because I cast you, Oh Giju. I’ll tell the production company to run a news article saying you withdrew voluntarily.”

“Director! You can’t do this to me. You took money from me.”

“……”

“One billion.”

At Oh Giju’s words, the area around them began to buzz. Did Director Yoon Pansu take 1 billion won in exchange for casting Oh Giju? Everyone held their breath and waited for the director’s answer. Director Yoon Pansu twisted his face in obvious annoyance and barked out fiercely.

“Let’s speak properly. I didn’t get money from Oh Giju, I got it from the investor. Oh Giju is just a useless bonus item attached to that.”

“……”

“If the investor wants to recoup the investment, I’m also willing to pay it back right now, so ask him directly. Oh Giju-ssi.”

The phrase ask him directly carried an odd nuance. I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, because the people nearby all started whispering and looking at Oh Giju.

✿ • ✿ • ✿

“I’m in a bad mood, so want to grab a drink?”

“……”

“Not just the two of us, though. Noh Jiwook is coming too.”

After the commotion died down, Seo Jimin stopped me and suggested we go have a drink. I had wanted to refuse, but because of the way she stood up to Oh Jaehyun and because of the worried look she had given me, I found myself considering it. More than anything, I would have to keep seeing her for at least half a year, so there was no need to become awkward before filming even started. In the end, I accepted.

While moving to the pub, I called Jung Inhyuk, but he didn’t answer, probably because he was busy with work. So I had no choice but to explain the situation and send him a message saying I’d be late. But Jung Inhyuk only read it and didn’t reply at all.

“This is your first time with a Director Yoon Pansu film, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Director Yoon Pansu is passionate, but he can be quite stubborn. If the acting doesn’t come out the way he wants, he’ll keep demanding it until it does, so it can be tiring. But the results are amazing.”

As time passed, I couldn’t focus on the conversation and just kept gnawing at my lips. It was already past 10 p.m. It should have been long past the time Jung Inhyuk got off work, and the fact that he still hadn’t contacted me bothered me.

I was fidgeting and repeatedly looking between my phone and the clock. Seo Jimin lifted her glass and urged me to drink. I thought she might want to end the drinking session once the bottle was empty, so I hurriedly drank, and the buzz hit me hard, spinning my vision.

“Do you know anything about Oh Giju’s sponsor?”

“…His sponsor?”

“That whole scandal happened, yet he was released without charges, and then he makes his comeback through Director Yoon Pansu’s film. That bothers me. Just how incredible is his sponsor that their influence is basically a typhoon?”

“I don’t know much either.”

“If it’s Jung Inhyuk, he’d know, but that bastard didn’t tell you anything?”

Instead of answering, I just smiled faintly and brought my glass to my lips. I never said out loud anything I had learned through Jung Inhyuk unless absolutely necessary. Since Oh Giju’s real sponsor, Jung Suhyeok, was even putting up a face man as a smokescreen, I definitely couldn’t say anything.

“Does that asshole Jung treat you well?”

“…Huh?”

The topic suddenly shifted to Jung Inhyuk and me. Seo Jimin brought her glass to her lips and smiled seductively.

“Jung Inhyuk was always a little different, even when we were young. How should I put it? Kind of like a total weirdo?”

Just as I was putting my glass down, pshaaah, the alcohol that had gone down my throat surged back up and sprayed out of my mouth. Seo Jimin clicked her tongue and handed me tissues. I hurriedly wiped my mouth and cleaned the alcohol from my clothes.

Honestly, before I became an adult, I had never thought Jung Inhyuk was unusual or had a rotten personality. He had always treated me gently and warmly in front of me, so I had no idea what he was really like. That was why I was even more shocked after learning his true nature.

“There was a girl in our elementary school class who liked Jung Inhyuk. So she worked hard folding flowers and writing him a letter to give him. But that asshole tore the letter to pieces and threw it in her face.”

“Huh…”

Noh Jiwook, who had briefly stepped away, glanced at me and sat down beside Seo Jimin.

“How humiliated and mortified must that girl have been? Every time I think about it, I… grind my teeth.”

“Manager Jung went too far.”

“Right? But that girl was me. Don’t misunderstand, though. Back then my taste in people was on the floor, so it happened.”

I forced my sluggish, alcohol-fogged brain to work and tried to understand what she was saying. Seo Jimin had liked Jung Inhyuk? Just imagining the two of them standing side by side made me feel unpleasant. Noh Jiwook shook his head and removed the glass in front of Seo Jimin, then placed a cup of water down for her.

“Seo Jimin, you’re drunk.”

“I’m not. I’m not drunk.”

“You are. Let’s get up now.”

“Ah, no. I’m going to drink more.”

“Then you can drink more alone and send Lee Shinjae off.”

I had been staring listlessly at the pattern on the table with my head down when I jerked up in surprise. Noh Jiwook motioned for me to go. I grabbed my phone and the bill in a panic and stood up. Seo Jimin reached toward me, but Noh Jiwook wrapped her in his arms, blocking her movement and even cutting off her line of sight.

I quickly settled the bill and left the place. I took out my phone and told Park Suwon that the drinking was over, then called Jung Inhyuk again. But only the boring automated voice saying the call could not be connected kept repeating. My nails chewed anxiously as I waited, and then Noh Jiwook came out of the pub. He stood in the smoking area set up beside the place and pulled out a cigarette.

“Make sure you talk to Jung Inhyuk properly.”

“…Huh?”

“Tell him to keep Jimin from getting caught up in anything unnecessarily.”

Noh Jiwook tapped ash off his cigarette, sounding casual but speaking to me in earnest. Worry for Seo Jimin was evident in his tone. Suddenly I remembered him saying that he had liked Seo Jimin for 20 years. What would it feel like to like one person for 20 years?

“Yes, I will. Don’t worry.”

Just then Park Suwon’s car arrived. I bowed to Noh Jiwook and got in the car. Leaning back in my seat, I let out a short breath. My nerves were entirely focused on Jung Inhyuk, who still wasn’t answering his phone. Even after I called again, the same mechanical voice saying the call could not be connected kept coming back.

“Suwon, did Manager Jung get off work?”

“Probably?”

“Then please drive a little faster.”

Park Suwon glanced at me through the rearview mirror and increased the speed. After driving for quite a while, we reached near my house. I gave Park Suwon a brief goodbye and got out of the car.

I brought my hand close to my lips and blew out a breath. It smelled strongly of alcohol. I frowned in defeat and took a deep breath. Please let Jung Inhyuk not be home.