—Due to production circumstances, an entire scene was cut. It’s something that happens often during drama shoots.
“…Cut?”
—It’s the restaurant scene in Episode 14… It’s a pity.
Even with only the voice, he could clearly picture the other’s awkward expression. Heewook paused for a moment, then slowly exhaled.
“Thank you for everything up to now. I’ll drop by set with Eunseong sometime to say hello.”
—Yes, see you then.
With a wish to have a good day, the FD hung up.
The cut he was supposed to film with Kyungseo was gone. Holding the phone after the call ended, Heewook stared blankly into space.
With the final scene he was to appear in gone, his schedule as an actor was now empty. He plopped down on the sofa. In a mix of emptiness and helplessness, he let out a sigh of “Ah.”
“I should’ve asked to take a selfie.”
Only belatedly did he recall what Heemin had urged him again and again. That he’d think of this in the middle of a muddle, he gave a hollow laugh. His mouth turned bitter even as his heart thumped uncomfortably.
For the first time in a while, he felt like drinking.
He flopped onto the sofa and fiddled with his phone.
Even if he wanted to drink, there wasn’t really anyone to call. After he became a company trainee, his already-not-so-wide social circle had shrunk further.
He always said he preferred relationships that were narrow and deep, but to be honest he wasn’t even sure they were deep.
[Want to drink today?]
He messaged team members Jaegyu and Youngwoo. Both replied that they didn’t have time.
He put off calling Eunseong on purpose, thinking he’d be busy with filming, and slotted him as third choice. Feeling the crease between his brows, Heewook ended up calling Eunseong after all.
—Drinking? Sounds good.
Surprisingly, Eunseong answered readily. As Heewook parted his lips, Eunseong continued.
—I heard about it, actually. That your scene got cut wholesale…
“You heard?”
—I think we’ll finish filming early today. If you’re up for it, want to come here and drink together? Donghun might join, too.
He hadn’t particularly wanted to drink with Donghun as well. Still, it was far better than drinking alone. Switching the phone to his other ear, Heewook answered,
“Okay, I’ll head over there.”
—Yes, hyung. Call me when you arrive!
Eunseong replied brightly.
Hanging up, Heewook stood. At least today’s shoot wasn’t way out in the provinces but in the capital region; he was relieved about that.
The filming location was a drama set in Gyeonggi-do. There was no one outside, and without a pass he couldn’t enter, so he contacted Eunseong immediately. But Eunseong didn’t pick up. Luckily, a staffer returning with coffee spotted Heewook, and he was able to get inside.
“Here to watch?”
It was a staffer he recognized from running into him several times. Sharing the coffees and moving to the waiting area, Heewook nodded.
“Yeah, and to meet up with Eunseong.”
“Really? Going to have dinner together?”
The staffer’s eyes lit up, then he quickly made an awkward face.
“But, uh… this is awkward. I think Eunseong’s shoot will be pushed back a lot.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, he just went for wardrobe adjustments, and the main hasn’t even started.”
He handed over a sheet with the schedule. Eunseong’s call time, originally set for 4 p.m., had been changed to after 7. A filming delay was one of the variables he’d anticipated, but hearing it confirmed was still a hassle.
Heewook clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking he’d come all this way for nothing, when—
“Ah, Kyungseo! Are you wrapped?”
At the staffer’s call, Heewook startled and looked up.
Dressed in a black suit with all his bangs slicked back, Kyungseo was entering the waiting area. With jet-black hair and an all-black suit, face knotted as if it had been hot, striding in, he looked like a great black lion.
With an irritable flick of his hand, he undid a shirt button and lifted his head.
“Huh?”
Kyungseo’s eyes went round when he spotted Heewook.
A white pinprick of light seemed to appear in those pitch-dark pupils.
Why is he so surprised? Feeling oddly embarrassed, Heewook raised a sheepish hand.
“Hey.”
“How did you get here, hyung?”
Kyungseo hurried over. The staffer who had spoken first to him quietly stepped back, gathered the coffees, and left the waiting area.
Heewook gave an embarrassed smile.
“I came to have a drink with Eunseong when he wraps. Looks like he’s going to be late getting off.”
“Ah, right. He’ll probably need a few more hours.”
“Then I’ll just wait.”
Heewook slid into a chair. If he had to wait here for hours, his back would probably ache. After watching him for a moment, Kyungseo turned his head and slipped off his jacket. The shirt pulled taut.
“Why are you drinking?”
His gaze still hung in the air. His tone was casual.
“Well, it’s not that there’s some big reason, just…”
It was awkward to explain the reason, and he gave a wry smile.
With his drama scene cut, he’d returned to being jobless earlier than expected, and he felt pathetic.
A popular actor like Cheon Kyungseo, whose every day would be packed with schedules, probably couldn’t imagine his situation or mood. So he couldn’t say why.
“It’s just… my heart’s a bit like that.”
Moisture was left on the table where the staffer had set down the coffees for a moment. For no reason, Heewook rubbed it with a fingertip. Then a voice dropped from above his head.
“Then want to drink nearby with me?”
“Huh?”
“I’m done after this cut today. Let’s have a drink until Eunseong hyung finishes.”
All in black shirt, Kyungseo said, standing tall in front of him. Heewook looked up at him with a vacant expression.
“You’ve got time?”
“Yeah.”
The answer was quick. Arms folded, a crease between his brows, chin tilted up arrogantly, he added in a highly intimidating tone,
“I’ve got plenty of time.”
“Heh.”
“No schedule today. I’ll listen to you.”
He raised his phone. He glimpsed the manager’s name on the screen.
Watching him place the call, Heewook snapped shut the mouth he hadn’t realized was hanging open.
The words “I’ll listen to you” jabbed at his tender heart and made it heave.
“You’re a lot more…”
“Free than you thought?”
Seeing him shrug with a faint grin, Heewook halted and laughed awkwardly.
“Yeah.”
That wasn’t what he’d meant to say, but he answered that anyway. His chest was all a-flutter. He thought to himself that Kyungseo was softer than he had expected.
‘Unlike the first impression… he’s kind.’
Somehow his whole body seemed to ache. Heewook quietly got to his feet.
“What do you want to drink?”
Kyungseo handed over the menu and asked. After sending Eunseong a message with their current location saying he’d wait, Heewook looked up.
The izakaya Kyungseo brought him to wasn’t far from the set, and the inside was larger than it looked from outside. Even without a reservation, they could sit in the most interior, partitioned space.
“Is this a place you already knew?”
“Yeah, I like it because it’s quiet. The booths are separated.”
Heewook took the menu. He flipped pages slowly, then set it down.
“Are you a good drinker?”
“Not really.”
Watching him with arms folded, Kyungseo unfolded his arms and leaned back. At the questioning look that asked for a reason, he added,
“Because it tastes bad.”
With his brows drawn, the reply made Heewook snort.
With a decadent face that looked like he could put away strong liquor without blinking, he shuddered at the thought of bitterness, it was quite a dissonance.
He felt anew that Kyungseo had only just come of age.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It doesn’t fit your image.”
At his answer, Kyungseo snorted as if he understood.
“I know what you mean. That’s why I pretend to like it in front of others. If they ask what kind of alcohol I prefer, I say wine or Western liquor, that sort of thing. The company even coaches me so I can talk about fancy-sounding drinks. Even though I don’t know what they taste like.”
With a cynical face and tone, he spoke smoothly. Smiling as he listened, Heewook gradually fell into a strange mood. It sounded odd that he wasn’t grouped under “other people.”
‘Why is that?’
He says he doesn’t like alcohol, so why did he suddenly come to a bar with me? Even if they’d gotten a bit closer, they hadn’t known each other long, and they weren’t close enough to confidently declare they were friends.
He was a celebrity with enough distance that his younger brother had begged him to at least ask for a selfie.
“Why do you say something different to me?”
He finally asked. Kyungseo, who had been idly scanning the drinks on the menu, looked up.
“Why?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, just because.”
The fingers gripping the menu moved. Tap, tap, they nudged the corner twice.
While Heewook’s eyes were on his fingers, Kyungseo spoke.
“If I tell too many lies, I’m the one who has a hard time later.”
It was a short sentence, but it weighed heavily on Heewook’s ears.
He watched him carefully. Though his gaze was fixed on the menu, it didn’t seem like he was seeing it. It felt like he was turning over negative memories.
Frowning, Heewook opened his mouth.
“In this line of work, you can’t help but have a lot of lies and secrets. Don’t take it too hard.”
It was something he’d realized from living through the entertainment industry himself.
Sometimes being too honest was a minus. A few lies for the image the public wanted were, if anything, close to virtues one had to keep.
Head tilted, eyes lifted, Kyungseo looked at him.
Having given earnest advice, Heewook tapped the menu.
“I’m fine with any kind of drink. I’m good with stronger stuff, too.”
“I’ll order something reasonable. What’s your capacity, hyung?”
“Me? If I’m in good condition, I can do three bottles of soju.”
He said it without thinking. When Kyungseo’s eyes sparkled with interest, Heewook cocked his head.
“Why look at me like that?”
“I was wondering if you say that to fans too.”
“I used to tell fans I could drink a bottle and a half.”
“Why?”
“Image management?”
The truth tossed out like a joke made Kyungseo snicker.
“If you’d said three bottles, they probably would’ve thought that was cool, too.”
“Fans? You think so?”
Rolling his eyes, he nodded. Heewook shrugged once and reached out.
He grabbed two stacked cups and poured water.
“Anyway, since a lot of the fans were young, I tried to avoid alcohol talk as much as possible. There were really little fans, too. Middle schoolers.”
With a grin, he took a sip of water.
“I wonder if they’ve grown up well.”
Leave a Reply