Chapter 408 (1/2)

-Are you free to talk to me now? I think I couldn’t reach you just a moment ago.

“I had no choice since your popularity was through the roof.”

-What do you mean?

“Haha, it’s nothing important. But what made you call me?”

-Hm, to get straight to the point, I’d like your help again.

“My help?”

-I want you to appear again in the drama we shot last time.

“Wasn’t that a one-off thing?”

-They added an interrogation scene. It seemed that the director talked to the writer about it. Your pay is 80 thousand, and it should end within 3 hours.

“I’m of course okay with that. It’s an opportunity for me to show my face anyway.”

-Then come to YBS’s main HQ by eight.

“You mean tonight?”

-Yes.

“What were you going to do if I had a schedule and wasn’t able to go?”

-If that happened, we’d just get someone from the academies. We can’t provide you with comfort on top of the opportunity, can we?

He looked at the school field as he heard those words. He could see several students aiming for one ball. There were many people that wanted it, but there was only one ball. A minor actor who would be discarded after being used once had no choice.

-So you can’t come?

“I’ll be there even if I break my leg.”

-I thought you’d say that. Oh, I heard that the movie shoot starts this week.

“Yes. Have you heard that from Bangjoo?”

-Just yesterday. Please watch out for him so that he doesn’t cause any accidents on set. My brother has the tendency to go wild if he gets excited.

“I’ll tie him up and put him right next to me.”

-Bangjoo looked like he was looking forward to it since it’s his first shoot and all, but you know how hard it is. You’ll have to repeat the same scene over and over again until you get a good cut, and you’ll have to wait indefinitely if you aren’t playing an important role. It’s quite pressuring, isn’t it? Even though I know that he isn’t the type of boy who’d get pressured by anyone, I’m still worried. After all, he’s doing this as a job, not to play around.

“Those words, don’t say them to me and tell them to Bangjoo instead. It’ll help him out a lot.”

-He’s matured since a long time ago, so it’s not hard to joke with him, but it feels somewhat embarrassing to have a serious talk. It’s also funny since I feel like I’m overly worried for a grown-up kid. Actually, he doesn’t want to receive help from me. He said he wanted to take care of his own matters by himself. I felt this when I talked to him honestly before, but I think he’s grown up too early.

“He’s been living alone since middle school after all. There are many men who eat alone even when they’re old, and Bangjoo’s been way past that point for a long time now. It’d be strange if he didn’t grow up.”

-That’s true.

Joohyun’s laugh could be heard over the phone.

-Alright. Please take care of my brother then.

“Yes. Good luck with your work.”

After hanging up, he visited the school cafeteria to get some cold drinks. He returned to his class and peeked inside. Everyone had fallen asleep at their desks. It seemed that the storm had gone past. He sat down and gave his two friends a drink. As for Dojin, he put one inside his desk.

“You’re still alive.”

Maru looked at Daemyung who had half of his soul escape his body.

“I barely managed to cling to life.”

“That’s karma for you having a girlfriend.”

“But you have one too….”

“I don’t go to the same school as her. Alright, what did Jiyoon say?”

“She just greeted me. The problem was Aram. Thanks to her, I’m like this.”

Daemyung spoke as he pulled on his tattered shirt.

“Good. Since it’s like this, you should hold hands when you walk together. Since you’re public and all.”

“...Should I?”

“Whew, that was fast.”

He drank the drink he bought from the cafeteria before patting Daemyung on the shoulder. Daemyung smiled in embarrassment before scratching his head.

“Is that your phone ringing?”

His phone, which he placed on the table, was vibrating. Maru picked up the phone and held it against his ears.

“Hello?”

-Oh, Maru. It’s me, Byungchan.

“Yes, hyung.”

-I called you since you got some work. But I can’t give you a ride since I have to drive away from the city with Sooil. Oh, you know who Sooil is right?

“Yes, I met him before. Also, don’t worry about me. I can just take the bus or the train or whatever.”

-Thanks for saying that.

“So? When is it? I guess it’s not tomorrow since there’s the historical drama.”

-It’s today. You don’t have anything to do right? The TV station was looking for you, oh, I mean YBS, by the way. I don’t know the reason for that, but it’s a public TV drama. It’s just one scene, but apparently, there’s a part where you’d be on screen by yourself. For now, I hung up after telling them that I’d look into it. How about it, you can do it, can’t you?

“I don’t think I can do today.”

-Why? You don’t have any schedule today. Is there something else you’re doing? This is too big of an opportunity to give up.

“I got a request.”

-A request? What request?

“For a drama. A senior I know wanted me to appear in it.”

-Really? What drama is it?

“I think it should be The Witness.”