“Thank you for your hard work!”
A staff member’s voice rang out loudly across the set.
Starting with his voice, people all around the place smiled and exchanged words, telling each other they had worked hard.
“Seongtae. I’m just going to move this luggage and come back, so can you wait here a bit?”
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“No. Ah. You can just grab the bag you brought.”
“Yes. Ah, hyung…”
By the time Han Seongtae tried to open his mouth to add something, Jung Dusik had already left.
Watching his back as he ran off, apparently in a hurry, Han Seongtae let out a laugh and started walking.
‘I think I left my bag around here.’
As Han Seongtae looked around the spot where he had been sitting during filming, he was able to spot his bag among the luggage the staff were organizing.
Just as he picked up the bag and slung it over his shoulder,
Tap, tap.
Someone came up beside him and nudged his arm.
“Rogers?”
At the sound of his manager calling him, Rogers, who had been out of sight a moment ago, had already come over.
He could see Ivy standing beside him too.
“Han. You worked hard again today. Are you heading straight back to the hotel now?”
“I should. I’m a little tired, so I’m going to catch up on some sleep.”
“Yeah, there was a lot of action today. I was tired too.”
At Han Seongtae’s words, Rogers nodded as if he completely understood.
Han Seongtae was smiling at that when Rogers immediately continued.
“I heard from the director. He said you got invited to dinner too.”
“Ah. Yeah. He asked if I wanted to eat dinner together, so I said okay.”
“I’m going too. Ivy is too.”
“The director said he’s treating us to something good today. Let’s really drain his wallet once.”
Watching her speak up after Rogers, Han Seongtae smiled and nodded.
“Sounds good. I still haven’t eaten anything because he said he’d buy dinner.”
“Ugh… hey. How much are you planning to eat?”
“Just enough to get full?”
“You already eat twice as much as everyone else usually, don’t you? And now you skipped eating too… the director’s going to cry.”
At the sight of Rogers shaking his head, Han Seongtae shrugged.
His basal metabolism had gone up from working out, and because of that, the amount he ate had increased a lot too.
On top of that, today’s filming had a lot of action scenes.
“Still, he makes good money, right? Won’t it be fine?”
“Well, you’re not wrong. The director will handle it. We’ll just enjoy the free food.”
“Yeah.”
“Ah. But is it just going to be us?”
“That’s what I heard. Han, did you hear anything?”
At Ivy’s question, Han Seongtae immediately shook his head.
He had, in the first place, only just now learned that those two had been invited to the dinner too.
That was not a problem.
Han Seongtae had grown fairly close with them, and in Rogers’s case, they were at the point where they could talk comfortably.
He always welcomed chances to spend time with people he was building a friendship with.
“There must be a reason the director invited just us. See you later!”
“Yeah. See you later, Ivy. See you later too, Rogers.”
“Yep!”
“Okay. See you at the restaurant.”
After they left, Han Seongtae picked up his bag and headed toward where the car was.
He was planning to get in the car in advance and at least close his eyes for a little while.
“Han.”
“…Michael?”
But with Michael’s appearance, he had to drop that thought immediately.
At the sight of Michael speaking to him, Han Seongtae paused and turned toward him.
“What is it?”
“Han. Don’t you think it’s about time you toned it down a little?”
‘What kind of nonsense is this now?’
“Do you really want to keep standing out like that? Don’t you think about the people around you?”
At Michael’s words, Han Seongtae could not help but feel baffled.
He had no idea what Michael was trying to say.
All Han Seongtae had done on set was greet people properly, not turn anyone away when they came to him, and work hard at acting.
If it was not something he was supposed to do, he did not step in unnecessarily either.
“Let’s keep things in moderation. If you want to keep staying in Hollywood, you need to know how to bend too.”
“…”
“I don’t know what you talked about with the director and Rogers earlier, but you should keep in mind that not everyone looks at you favorably.”
Michael gave him a look as if to say, Just you wait, then left without even waiting for Han Seongtae’s answer.
At the sight of him leaving, Han Seongtae narrowed his eyes slightly and looked into the air.
[‘The One With a Thousand Faces’ shakes his head, saying picking fights really is a talent too.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says it would have been fine to hit him once, and admires your patience.]
Looking at the gods’ messages, Han Seongtae let out a small laugh.
He had been momentarily taken aback, but it was not really a problem.
It was something he could laugh off easily enough.
“What were you two talking about? The atmosphere didn’t look very good.”
“It was nothing. He just told me to work hard.”
“To you? Who’s working harder than you? That actor really is strange.”
At Jung Dusik’s words, Han Seongtae shrugged.
From the start, he was not particularly bothered by what Michael had said.
It was far more useful to read even one more line of the script with that time than to waste it worrying.
“Ah. Hyung. The director invited me to dinner, but what are you going to do? Will you be okay eating alone?”
“Me? I actually already had plans. Emily wants to go sightseeing together. She says she’ll show me around.”
“Emily?”
“Yeah. I think we’ll look around a bit, eat dinner, and come back.”
At Jung Dusik’s words, Han Seongtae nodded.
If he had plans too, then Han Seongtae could eat dinner without worrying much.
Han Seongtae smiled and got into the car with him.
Since there was some distance from the hotel to the restaurant, Jung Dusik gave him a ride.
“Go enjoy your meal.”
“Yes. You too, hyung.”
After Jung Dusik left, Han Seongtae stood in front of the restaurant and slowly looked it over.
There was a small grove right beside the building, and it blended very well with the restaurant.
It felt like a restaurant that had become one with nature.
The interior of the restaurant was also done very luxuriously.
“Do you have a reservation?”
“It should be under the name Britton Lee.”
“Ah. I found it. I’ll show you to your table.”
Han Seongtae followed the waiter while taking in the restaurant, and he could not hide his admiration for the stylish interior.
Slide.
The place they arrived at was an outdoor private room.
An outdoor table, with a barbecue grill beside it.
“Han. You’re early.”
“Ah. Director. You were here first. If I’d known, I would’ve come a little earlier.”
“No. I just got here too.”
At Han Seongtae’s words, Britton Lee laughed and shook his head.
Not long after the two of them started talking, Rogers and Ivy arrived as well.
Sizzle!
Meat was placed on the grill.
A delicious sound came from the vivid red meat.
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says beef is the best for replenishing protein and tells you to eat a lot.]
[‘The One Who Made Laughter from Tragedy’ smacks his lips and says he’s confident he could eat beef well too.]
[‘The One Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ looks at you all with a strange smile.]
“You all worked hard filming today. Eat a lot.”
“You too, Director.”
“Thank you for the meal!”
At Britton Lee’s words, they nodded.
Han Seongtae picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of meat, and his eyes widened.
With that one bite, he could immediately understand why this place could be called a great restaurant.
Was this what it felt like for something to melt the moment it touched your tongue?
“Han really does eat food like it tastes amazing.”
“Right? In Korea, I heard there’s an expression for someone looking like that when they eat. Something like, they say it looks blessed?”
Han Seongtae, who had been busily picking up meat, lifted his head at the stares pouring onto him and realized his coworkers were all staring at him.
Had he really just been silently eating meat the whole time?
Embarrassed, Han Seongtae stopped the chopsticks that had been moving nonstop.
“Where did you learn acting, Han?”
“Acting?”
Han Seongtae, who had been lifting his water glass, paused at Ivy’s question.
Where had he learned acting?
‘I don’t think I really learned it anywhere in particular.’
He had not gone to an acting academy because he did not have money, and he had dropped out without staying in university very long either.
“Ivy. Han’s only in his second year since he started acting.”
“…His second year?”
“Yes. Isn’t it amazing? That acting you saw was built in only two years. If that’s not genius, what is?”
“Is that true? It doesn’t make sense that someone could act like that in just two years.”
“I couldn’t believe it at first either, but it’s true.”
At Britton Lee’s words, Ivy looked at Han Seongtae in great amazement.
Rogers, too, was looking at Han Seongtae with a strange smile.
At their stares, Han Seongtae scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.
‘If you really count it, it’s been over ten years.’
But he could not talk about his previous life.
If he looked only at this life, then it was true that it had only been two years since he properly started acting.
“Then when did you start driving? It’s not like that’s only been two years too, right?”
“…Actually, it is.”
“That’s possible?”
“It’s only been about two years since I got my driver’s license too…”
“Wow… that’s incredible. I practiced for five years.”
At their words, all Han Seongtae could do was smile.
He knew why they were reacting that way.
Because neither his acting nor his driving were things that could be achieved in a short time.
Things that required time and more than enough effort.
To others, Han Seongtae would look like some kind of monster who had accomplished all of that in a very short time.
‘How am I supposed to tell them the gods of acting are with me.’
Han Seongtae could not tell them his secret.
How could he possibly say that gods were with him?
Even if he did say it, they would just think he was crazy.
Han Seongtae gave them vague answers and turned his head, then noticed Britton Lee glancing down at his phone over and over.
When the director looked up, his eyes met Han Seongtae’s. Britton Lee paused for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“Ah. There’s something I didn’t mention. We’ll have one more guest coming tonight.”
“A guest?”
“Who is it? If it’s someone the director is inviting, then it can’t be an ordinary person.”
At the director’s words, all of them showed great interest.
Seeing them like that, Britton Lee smiled, then at the buzzing message, spoke again.
“They’ve just arrived.”
Slide.
At the same time as the director’s words, the door opened and someone stepped inside.
“Huh?”
“My God…”
At his appearance, Han Seongtae, Rogers, and Ivy all went blank.
“Lee. It’s been a while.”
“It really has. Have you been well?”
The man stepped inside and exchanged a warm greeting with Britton Lee.
Han Seongtae could not take his eyes off him.
[‘The One Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ has his eyes shaken.]
[‘The One Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ lets out a groan, asking why you are showing up here.]
The lead of Instinctive Rush, and the man who had shaken the hearts of men all over the world.
Dominic was looking at Han Seongtae.
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