As time goes by, modern conveniences continue to advance.
From his previous life to his current one.
Although Han Seong-tae had benefited greatly from these modern developments, at this moment he could only feel resentment.
‘I shouldn’t have bought wireless earbuds.’
He was wearing earbuds that could be connected wirelessly to his smartphone.
“Huff! Huff!”
With the wireless earbuds in his ears, he kept on exercising.
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says that cheap tricks won’t work on him.]
‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ wouldn’t allow Han Seong-tae to rest.
Crunch.
Han Seong-tae’s face contorted as he did a deadlift with a 50kg barbell.
— “…Seong-tae, you can actually talk right now, right?”
“Urgh… Huff! Yes, that’s right!”
Thud.
Setting the barbell down, Han Seong-tae took a moment to catch his breath.
Hearing Kim Mi-so ask again, “You’re really okay?” he answered that he was fine.
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ laughs, saying you’re finally getting a proper anaerobic workout.]
[‘He Who Defined His Era’ looks at you with pitying eyes.]
[‘The One of a Thousand Faces’ suggests that if you can talk on the phone while working out, then you can also practice acting, so let’s figure out a way.]
Those messages from the gods of acting crowded his vision, but they didn’t interfere with the call at all.
— “If you’re sure you’re okay, that’s fine. But isn’t it better to take a break from exercising while you’re on the phone?”
“That’s what I’m going to do.”
He couldn’t keep going even if he wanted to.
Han Seong-tae plopped down on a chair, exhaling deeply.
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ threatens that he’ll let you off easy today, but there’ll be no mercy starting tomorrow.]
Nodding weakly, he focused on the call.
“So, what’s up? I heard you’ve been busy lately.”
— “I have been busy, but not so busy that I can’t call. Don’t worry about it.”
“You’re working so hard.”
He had heard from Kim Min-seok just how busy she was. She often had hundreds of incoming orders a day, so busy that she barely had time to rest. Sometimes, he worried about her.
— “Well… working hard is just part of the job. Oh, right, the reason I called was to let you know the new product just launched.”
“The new product this time…”
— “The one you and Ha-rin took photos for. It’s only been three days since its release, but the reaction’s explosive. If you look at the reviews, everyone’s going on about how great both the clothes and the models are.”
“I’m glad they like it.”
— “They sure do. Actually, we somewhat expected it to do well.”
She murmured that it was a shame the photoshoot couldn’t fully show off everything it had to offer, sounding a bit disappointed.
Hearing that, Han Seong-tae let out a small laugh.
— “Check it out when you have a moment.”
“Sure thing, noona.”
— “Great. Oh, by the way, if you have time, drop by the office sometime. Thanks to you, we’ve sold a lot of clothes. I’ll buy you a meal later.”
“I’m fine. I’ve already received so much from you.”
He felt the clothes he wore were already more than enough compensation.
— “I owe you way more than just a meal. Right, and I sent a few more outfits through Min-seok.”
“Noona?”
— “I saw you wearing the ones I gave you last time, and it looked good. It’s just unsold stock, so don’t feel pressured. It’d be weird if our shopping mall’s model didn’t wear our clothes out and about.”
“…Thank you.”
He knew all too well that refusing wouldn’t change her mind.
[‘He Who Defined His Era’ starts brainstorming ideas for how to coordinate your next outfits.]
Deciding to repay her in some way down the line, all he could do for now was express his gratitude.
— “Take care, then.”
“Yeah. See you next time, noona.”
After hanging up with Kim Mi-so, he immediately went to the “Smile” shopping mall’s homepage.
Just like last time, the banner featured the pictorial he had taken—this time with Seo Ha-rin.
[‘The One of a Thousand Faces’ nods, saying it looks great.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ mutters that it would look even better if there were more muscles.]
[‘He Who Defined His Era’ smiles contentedly, saying it’s obviously good if he’s involved.]
It really did look fantastic.
“…Hey.”
Hearing Kim Min-seok’s voice, Han Seong-tae turned his head.
He saw Kim Min-seok giving him an exasperated look.
“Hoo… What?”
Han Seong-tae’s breathing was a bit ragged.
“What are you… doing right now?”
“Doing what?”
“I’m asking, what are you doing right this moment?”
Pausing for a moment, Han Seong-tae noticed:
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says resting is not an option and tells you to keep repeating the exercise.]
He stopped only briefly before resuming his lunges.
Feeling the pull from his thighs to his waist, he grimaced without meaning to.
“I’m working out.”
“But… why do you have to do that on your way to school?”
“Don’t pro athletes train whenever they can?”
“You’re not a pro athlete.”
That wasn’t wrong, exactly, but…
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ advises that good action acting requires constant preparation, even in everyday life.]
Someone was telling him to keep training, and in any case, Han Seong-tae himself agreed.
He believed that a good actor should be ready to perform anytime, anywhere.
“Aren’t you embarrassed?”
“If I were the kind to get embarrassed over something like this, I wouldn’t have become an actor in the first place.”
Actors are people who live on the attention of others.
If you can’t do anything under their gaze, you can’t be an actor at all.
“It’s not that what you’re saying is wrong, but…”
“Huff… I get it. Anyway, I was going to stop here.”
Upon arriving at the university entrance, Han Seong-tae relaxed his posture and took a deep breath.
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says that once you get used to this intensity, you can always add ankle weights.]
As soon as the workout ended, he heard the gods of acting speaking to him again.
It might be because nearly three months had passed since his return, but by now, he was getting used to their messages.
“For real, I don’t get you these days.”
“That’s part of my charm.”
“You know you’ve become quite the smooth talker, right?”
With a shrug, he followed Kim Min-seok onto the campus. It took more than ten minutes to get from the main gate to the Theater and Film Department’s lecture halls.
“I feel like people have been staring at us for a while. Is that just my imagination?”
“Hmm… I don’t think it’s just you. Look over there.”
Following Kim Min-seok’s gaze, he saw a group of students who quickly looked away the moment they met his eyes.
Han Seong-tae recognized them.
They were students from the Theater and Film Department, heading to class. Their gazes were trained on him.
“Didn’t you notice on the way here? Everyone was looking at you.”
“Oh… I didn’t.”
“You should pay attention to your surroundings. You’re always reading a script or something, so you haven’t heard the rumors going around about you, have you?”
Rumors?
Han Seong-tae had no idea what Kim Min-seok was talking about.
“Open your ears. Ever since that day, people have been talking about you. You really didn’t know?”
“What day?”
“The after-party. You left early with Director Choi Ye-chan, remember?”
He did remember.
That was when he’d been invited to work with Director Choi Ye-chan and had gone to the office.
“Apparently, someone saw you leaving with the director, and now everyone’s making a fuss about it.”
“Hmm.”
“And that’s not all. You were the only one who got a business card from someone at an entertainment agency, right?”
Putting it all together, it made sense that everyone was curious.
He was the only one in the play to receive a business card.
Not only from Director Choi Ye-chan, but from Jeong Du-sik at PAN Entertainment as well. From the students’ perspective, it was only natural they’d talk.
‘I was surprised by it myself, so of course everyone else would be as well.’
[‘He Who Found Laughter in Tragedy’ says this is the sort of attention you’ll get from now on, so walk with confidence.]
[‘The One of a Thousand Faces’ nods, saying that people’s attention is only natural for anyone who acts.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ offers some training methods to help you walk with confidence.]
The last message was unsettling, but Han Seong-tae just laughed and turned his head.
“There goes Han Seong-tae.”
“I heard he got a business card from Director Choi.”
“They said someone from an agency came to see him too?”
He could hear the students whispering.
It was quite a buzz for a single stage performance.
‘Still, this is a bit uncomfortable.’
Smiling awkwardly at their stares, he continued walking.
“What kind of preparation do you think is necessary for acting?”
Professor Lee Hye-yoon’s voice rang out.
Her words were diligently taken down by the students, including Han Seong-tae.
He jotted down her tips, answering questions here and there.
Anyone could see he was the model student of the class. Seeing him so focused, a soft smile graced Lee Hye-yoon’s lips.
[‘The One of a Thousand Faces’ mutters that kids these days have it easy learning to act.]
[‘He Who Defined His Era’ says it’s fascinating and listens with bright eyes.]
[‘He Who Found Laughter in Tragedy’ imagines how wonderful it would have been if he’d attended a school like this.]
After listening to the gods of acting throughout the lecture…
“That’s all for today’s class.”
When the lecture ended, the students began packing up to leave the room.
“Seong-tae, what are you doing over break?”
Kim Min-seok moved over to him as he gathered his things. Despite having dozed through class, Kim Min-seok now seemed full of energy.
“I have to practice and work a part-time job.”
“Wow… You’re gonna do that all vacation long? Come on, let’s go somewhere.”
Shaking his head, Han Seong-tae replied.
“Sorry. I already made some plans.”
He had his schedule set:
He needed to practice for Director Choi Ye-chan’s project and also audition for the entertainment agency.
There was a lot to do, and not much time for leisure.
“Let’s do it another time.”
“When exactly is ‘next time’?”
“When things calm down a bit?”
“…Haven’t you literally never cleared your schedule?”
Seeing Kim Min-seok’s dubious expression, Han Seong-tae just offered an awkward smile and stood up.
In his past life, not a day went by when he wasn’t busy.
“I’ll make some time eventually. Let me just finish up what I’m working on now, and then we can hang out.”
“You promise?”
Kim Min-seok looked suspicious, but Han Seong-tae simply nodded.
If there comes a day when he actually has free time, he won’t mind meeting up.
‘I’m not sure when that day will be, though.’
But there was no need to mention that much.
[‘He Who Found Laughter in Tragedy’ says you’re remarkable in many ways.]
Han Seong-tae chuckled.
Leave a Reply