Chapter 24: Dissolve: His Last Choice

“Then shall we meet on Thursday? Hyojin said she doesn’t have any other schedules besides Dissolve. Jooho sunbaenim, how about Thursday?”

This time, Han Jooyoung directed the question to Yoon Jooho. 

For some reason, Song Hyunsoo felt a pang in his chest. 

Ever since Yoon Jooho’s father’s interview article came out, everyone had been subtly walking on eggshells around Jooho during the script reading. 

But Han Jooyoung either hadn’t seen the article or simply didn’t care.

Yoon Jooho was silently drinking, fidgeting with the cigarette pack he had placed on the stainless steel table. 

He didn’t show it, but he seemed to have drunk more than Jooyoung.

He lifted his soju glass to his lips and shrugged, as if it didn’t matter. 

“Thursday’s fine after 7.”

“…Are you sure? Really?”

“Why? Were you just asking out of courtesy?”

“No, no. I just thought you wouldn’t come.”

Jooho narrowed his eyes slightly. “So, am I coming or not?”

“You’re coming, you’re coming!”

Jooyoung’s voice went up a tone. He clearly enjoyed hosting these kinds of gatherings.

“Great! Then it’s settled—Thursday evening, the last week of the month. I’ll pick the place and time and post it in the group chat.”

Once the plan was finalized, Yoon Jooho downed his soju and stood up with his cigarette pack in hand. 

Everyone had been acting like nothing was wrong, but now their gazes silently followed his back as he walked away.

Bet he doesn’t have a lighter again.

Just as Song Hyunsoo was about to get up, possibly to follow him, he was caught by PD Kim Yookyung. 

The moment Jooho vacated his seat, she scooted right over to take the spot beside Hyunsoo.

Then, in the noisy restaurant full of Dissolve crew, she lowered her voice for no real reason.

“Hyunsoo, about the article.”

“Article?”

“The one about you and Jooho joining Dissolve. They said it would start rolling out this week, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

“Well, it’s probably going to be pushed back a week or two.”

Having said that, PD Kim glanced toward the direction Jooho had gone, even though he was no longer there. 

A silent cue that the delay was because of him.

“That’s totally fine. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

She patted the back of Hyunsoo’s hand. 

Then she picked up an empty glass from nearby, as if asking for a drink. 

Hyunsoo promptly filled it with soju.

“We’re actually in a really tough spot right now. I mean, it’s not like it’s gambling, drugs, or DUI. And it’s not even a dating scandal… So it’s not a breach of contract or anything like that. But still, it’s a mess.”

She downed the soju in one go and grimaced at the sting of the alcohol.

“The investors are in panic mode right now.”

“So then… is Jooho sunbae going to be… uh… dropped? Like, could his casting be canceled?”

Leaning forward across the table, Han Jooyoung asked with wide, curious eyes. 

He seemed to realize mid-sentence that saying “dropped” was inappropriate for a senior actor, so he rephrased it, but the sentiment was still blunt.

Hyunsoo struggled to keep a straight face. 

He almost kicked Jooyoung under the table. 

Is this guy really unfamiliar with Korean language and culture? 

Or is he just pretending, so he can say whatever he wants?

“No, nothing like that. I mean, this is the Crown Prince’s first film in 30 years. That alone is huge for promotion. Even though there’s concern from the top, we’ve been reassuring them that everything’s fine.”

“Right. I’m even excited as a fan of Jooho sunbae.”

Shin Hyojin nodded in agreement.

“And most importantly, the director is totally set on Jooho playing Baekgang. He’s not even considering a replacement.”

After pouring a glass of soju for the remaining three actors, PD Kim raised her own glass for a toast.

“Sorry to you all too. I feel like this whole mess blew up even before filming started.”

They clinked glasses and emptied their shots. 

Hyunsoo picked up the scissors and tongs, pretending to focus on cutting the meat instead of continuing the conversation.

“But sunbae seemed so normal today— it kind of surprised me.”

Hyojin carefully whispered as she picked a piece of grilled pork from the pan. 

PD Kim widened her eyes and nodded.

“Right? I know! I thought he wouldn’t even show up for the read-through, let alone the team dinner today.”

I thought you were going to show up, sunbae. 

Someone who’d skip a reading over something this minor wouldn’t be the first to show up anyway.

“Oh, that news! I heard about it too… It kind of scared me. I don’t think I could ever do something like that to my parents.” 

Han Jooyoung’s use of “something like that” grated on Song Hyunsoo’s ears. 

Even if she wasn’t fluent in Korean— how could she call it that?? 

So your parents never did anything to warrant a formal notice, huh? 

Must be nice. 

Must be lucky to have decent parents. 

Why are you talking like you know everything when you don’t know a damn thing about other people?

Hyunsoo subtly pushed a slightly more charred piece of meat toward Jooyoung’s plate. 

A petty form of revenge.

“From the outside, you look totally fine, sunbae. I don’t know whether to say you’re mentally strong or just… scary.” 

Shin Hyojin spoke with a bitter tone, rubbing her arm. 

PD Kim shook his head and sighed. 

“Relentless. That’s what it takes. You don’t get to be a top star without that.”

Yoon Jooho had not only shown up for the reading and the dinner afterward as scheduled— he’d arrived first again today, just like last time. 

Even after passing the bus stop, when Song Hyunsoo opened the meeting room door 40 minutes before the reading, Yoon Jooho had already been there, smiling easily. 

His face said, See? 

I beat you here again, didn’t I? 

That look, that vibe— completely unchanged from last week. 

It both reassured and unsettled Hyunsoo.

During the reading, Jooho had acted with sincere focus. 

At the get-together, he joked around like a cartoon villain. 

Every time Jooyoung said something annoying, he fired back with a spicy retort. 

In short, he was exactly the same as last week. 

Jeongho’s prediction that the atmosphere would be tense had totally missed the mark. 

Everyone else had been cautiously reading the room, but Jooho himself hadn’t changed a bit.

But there was no way he was truly unaffected inside. 

Even someone like me, who used to rank 38th out of 40 back in my hometown, could tell that much. 

Do these people really not get it?

Hyunsoo, having neatly cut the last piece of meat, set the scissors and tongs down. 

There was no point sticking around any longer. 

If he kept listening to the conversation, he’d probably end up saying something he’d regret.

As he quietly rose from his seat, PD Kim tilted his chin up and asked, “Heading somewhere?” 

“Just stepping out for a smoke.”

Across the table, Jooyoung frowned. 

“You smoke too, Hyunsoo? That’s a pretty bad habit for an actor.”

Look at her. 

She knows full well that Yoon Jooho smokes too, and she’s still saying that. 

She’s trying to throw shade at him too. 

But guess what? 

Even if Jooho smokes, he’s a hundred times better at acting than you. 

“Haha. Yeah. I should quit.”

His words came out light, but the bitterness lingered on his tongue as he stepped out of the restaurant. 

Sliding his arm into the coat sleeve, he hurried toward the smoking area. 

The dim, empty lot was deserted. 

Hyunsoo let out a breath of relief and began muttering to himself, finally unleashing what he’d been holding back.

“What a joke. Like they’re some kind of perfect little filial angels.” 

The angry murmuring continued. 

“They say he sent a certified document three times already. Three times! And they ignored it all, never called him back, just ghosted him. And now they suddenly go and do an interview? What kind of parent does that to their kid? Seriously, if they really cared about Jooho’s image, would they be doing crap like that? It’s so obvious what they’re after, so why is everyone only blaming him??”

He thought venting would help him feel a little better. 

Yeah right. If anything, it was making his blood boil all over again.

He took out a cigarette from the pack and brought the filter to his lips. 

“Everyone was fawning over Jooho, voting him into first place in every poll— what happened to that?”

Hyunsoo shook his head heavily. 

“People are impossible to understand.”

Meow, meeeow. 

A faint cry echoed from somewhere.

Hyunsoo paused, his finger resting on the lighter’s flint wheel. 

A few of the stray kittens from last time came scampering toward him.

“Ohh, the calico family~” 

Imitating Han Jooyoung’s tone, Hyunsoo crouched down, a smile spreading across his face. 

His anger momentarily forgotten, the kittens lit him up. 

No matter how mad he was, he couldn’t help but smile when he saw them.

“You have been good? You guys got a little bigger, huh?”