“Jooho, hold on a second.”
Someone approached from behind and cautiously tapped Yoon Jooho’s shoulder.
It was his manager.
He must have been waiting for their conversation with the director to end.
The manager apologized and led Jooho away.
The two exchanged serious looks as they headed toward an empty table in a corner of the restaurant.
Watching their retreating figures, Song Hyunsoo recalled the phone conversation he had overheard from Jooho in the meeting room.
A lawyer. A law firm.
And the whole nation knew about the discord between Yoon Jooho and his parents.
It was impossible not to connect the dots.
“Guess dramas and movies really are different, huh?”
Han Jooyoung lowered her voice, smirking slyly.
“Telling us not to ruin the project, and yet even a senior with 30 years of experience ended up getting scolded just like us.”
In an instant, Hyunsoo clenched his fist under the table.
He had always prided himself on keeping a calm exterior no matter what storm raged inside— a skill honed from years of playing the subordinate.
But this time, he wasn’t sure he could keep his expression in check.
Seriously, you can criticize anything else, but tearing down Yoon Jooho’s acting?
That’s just low.
Office dramas, action, romance, mystery, fantasy, historical, even sitcoms— there wasn’t a genre Jooho hadn’t tackled, nor a project where his acting had been questioned.
And here was this nobody, this butter-coated bone who’d crawled out of who-knows-where…
But they were co-stars who’d have to face each other for months.
Lashing out in front of them wasn’t an option— he was still in the subordinate’s position.
Hyunsoo unclenched his fist and downed two shots of soju in quick succession.
“But what did he mean by ‘don’t stand out too much’ while giving me a completely different accent? Hyojin, do you get it? Should I ask the acting coach?”
Seizing the moment while Han Jooyoung and Shin Hyojin were talking, Hyunsoo slipped away from the table.
He rummaged through the mountain of coats piled on the rack in the corner of the restaurant, struggling to find his own black padded jacket.
The plain, logo-less design made it hard to spot among the others.
As he turned to leave, he glanced over—Yoon Jooho and his manager were still deep in conversation, the air around them heavy.
Hyunsoo stopped the owner of Honey’s at the counter and asked cheerfully,
“Auntie, where can I smoke?”
“Go outside and turn right. There’s an ashtray in the corner of the parking lot.”
“Got it.”
“And make sure you throw your butt in the ashtray! No spitting on the ground!”
“Got it.”
Half-listening to the owner’s grumbling about how messy people were and how hard it was to clean up after them, Hyunsoo pushed open the sliding door and stepped outside.
“Haah… That’s refreshing.”
The crisp winter air rushed at his face, sharp and invigorating rather than just cold.
Following the owner’s directions, he turned right around the building and found a fairly spacious parking lot.
It looked less like a proper lot and more like a flattened construction site— an empty patch of land cleared for some future building.
Yoon Jooho’s massive SUV, like a humpback whale, was parked there.
“Damn, that’s a killer car.”
Its sharp, masculine design and imposing weight gave the impression it could shrug off a collision without a scratch.
“Right? With how much he’s worth, of course he’d drive something solid.”
Hyunsoo was about to light a cigarette, marveling at how a hunk of metal could exude such authority, when he froze.
Something was squirming beneath that majestic hunk of metal.
â–
“Meow. Meow.”
From beneath the shadow of the car, a kitten peeked out— a little one with black fur covering part of its left eye.
Judging by the size of its head, it was still very young.
Hyunsoo took the cigarette from his mouth and crouched down, tilting his head to get a better look under the car.
“Hey, what’re you doing under there?”
Meow.
“Huh? There’s more than one?”
Under Yoon Jooho’s SUV, four kittens and what looked like their mother were huddled together.
The tiny mewls of the kittens sounded more like chirping chicks or yapping puppies than actual cat cries.
Glancing around, Hyunsoo spotted a pet shelter tucked under the restaurant’s eaves.
It wasn’t brand new, but it was sturdy enough to shield the little family from the winter wind.
Nearby, there were food and water bowls.
“That your house over there?”
Meow. Mrroow.
“If you’ve got a house, why’re you all the way out here? It’s cold. Go home.”
One kitten tilted its head at him, then suddenly leaped out from under the car and flopped right in front of his sneakers before immediately attacking the laces.
“Hey, these are new, you little punk. Bought ’em just for the script reading.”
But cats couldn’t care less about human concerns.
The little furball gnawed and tugged at the shoelaces like they were its sworn enemy.
Soon, its siblings took notice.
Flattened under the car, they watched their brother’s new toy before deciding Hyunsoo wasn’t a threat— then they all pounced.
“You guys really asking for a beating? I’m not one of those people who think this is cute, okay? I’m actually scary.”
Meow. Meow.
They didn’t seem convinced.
Only one kitten— the one with a tiny black spot near its nose— stayed behind, still pressed against its mother under the car.
“Hey, Spotty, why’re you all alone? C’mere.”
The kitten watched him with curious eyes but couldn’t muster the courage.
It took a few hesitant steps forward, then startled at nothing and scrambled back.
Eventually, it scurried over to its mother.
“Where are you going? C’mon, your mom’s eating. Play with me.”
Even by its mother’s side, the kitten kept glancing at him.
Little brat. Just come over already.
Hyunsoo sighed in defeat and tucked the cigarette back into its pack.
Smoking was clearly not happening.
He picked up the kitten climbing his calf and said to the mother:
“You saw that, right? I didn’t start it. Your kids jumped me first. Don’t come complaining later.”
The mother sniffed a couple of times before calmly walking toward her shelter and starting to eat.
“Oh, so now I’m babysitting while you have dinner?”
She ignored him.
“Yeah, yeah. Raising quadruplets must be tough. Enjoy your meal.”
Hyunsoo plopped down under the eaves, settling the striped-tailed kitten on his lap and stroking it while trying to coax the last one out.
“Hey, Snot-nose, why’re you still under there? Come here.”
The kitten stared with wide, curious eyes but kept hesitating— creeping forward, then startling at nothing and darting back.
Eventually, it scampered to its mother.
“Where are you going? Just come play.”
Even by its mother’s side, it kept watching him.
Little punk.
Just come over already.
Song Hyunsoo gently massaged the striped kitten’s forehead while the other two continued their assault on his shoelaces.
“Hey, Stripes, what do you think? The director told me to ‘create my own Isan.’ That’s way too deep for a guy like me.”
The kitten purred, eyes closing in contentment, making him smile.
“‘Don’t be a puppet.’ But all I’ve ever been is a puppet.”
Then, out of nowhere—
“Got a lighter?”
Hyunsoo whipped his head around.
Yoon Jooho stood there, pulling a cigarette pack from his coat pocket, having just rounded the corner.
“…Huh?”
Jooho held a cigarette between his fingers and mimed flicking a lighter with his other hand.
“A lighter. Can’t find mine. Probably dropped it somewhere again.”
Hyunsoo carefully set the striped kitten down and stood up, fishing his lighter from his jacket pocket.
“Here.”
He offered it with both hands, half-expecting Jooho to nitpick, but the man just stared at him instead.
His unfairly handsome face tilted slightly, studying Hyunsoo with an intensity that made his face heat up— even though they were both guys.
Jooho, cigarette still between his lips, spoke.
“Not gonna light it for me? Or should I do it myself?”
Song Hyunsoo’s eyes darted around, unsure how to react, until Jooho let out a soft laugh.
“Why so serious? Just messing with you.”
Then he snatched the lighter.
Cupping his left hand around the cigarette to block the wind, Jooho flicked the flame to life.
The orange glow illuminated his sharp features as he took a drag, the tip burning bright red.
Hyunsoo stood there, momentarily forgetting his irritation, just staring like he was under a spell.