After the first script reading, he called Jung Jin to vent a little.
They hadn’t been the type to share every little thing before, but after going through Choi Hongseo’s death together, he found himself relying on Jin more and more.
With a pillow propped up against the wall behind him, Song Hyunsoo leaned back and scratched his cheek with his index finger.
“Mm… I think I’ll manage somehow.”
He didn’t mention that he’d agreed to run lines with Yoon Jooho, and that in return, Jooho had offered to give him some acting tips.
The non-disclosure agreement didn’t prohibit sharing that part, but even so, it wasn’t really in his nature to spill every little detail of his life, no matter how much closer they’d gotten.
[I’ve seen your acting before, you know. You’ve been solid with the fundamentals, so I know you’ll do well.]
There was weight in Jung Jin’s words.
They weren’t just hollow platitudes meant to make him feel better.
“This is all thanks to you, hyung.”
[What do you mean, thanks to me? I didn’t do anything.]
“Pronunciation, projection, breath control, delivery… Whenever I doubted if focusing solely on the basics was the right path. If I was actually improving, you were the one who kept me grounded. You told me not to rely on tricks, that building a solid foundation was the right way, even if it took time. You know how easily I get swept up in things. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be out there putting on some cheap imitation out of impatience. So yeah, it’s thanks to you.”
[Anyone can give advice. You’re the one who listened and followed through. So the credit’s yours.]
Jin’s calm yet firm voice had a persuasive power that outmatched even the most passionate speech from any seasoned orator— at least for Hyunsoo, it did.
Not used to being complimented, Hyunsoo grinned awkwardly, twisting the edge of his blanket in his hands.
He wasn’t used to it, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
“Hey, hyung.”
[Yeah?]
“That… um, did you maybe have a falling-out with Yoon Jooho? I mean, with Jooho sunbae?”
[…A falling-out?]
“It just seemed like he didn’t know how you were doing.”
[There’s nothing to fight about between grown adults. We were never the type to check in with each other all the time anyway.]
True. Now that he had a sense of Jooho’s personality, it wasn’t hard to imagine how things stood between them.
Jooho didn’t exactly strike you as the kind of guy to call up a friend abroad every week without fail.
Jin, for all his warmth, also had a dry side.
Their relationship had always seemed pretty no-nonsense.
Even if they were close, they weren’t the kind of friends who exchanged sweet words and spent every day glued at the hip.
Hyunsoo had never seen Jin light up at the sight of a call from Jooho.
They’d just grumble at each other in that gruff, guyish way, then throw on something comfortable and go out for a drink.
Just your average, no-frills kind of friendship between men their age.
“You might not know, but things aren’t going so great for him these days. Something about his parents—some kind of proof or lawsuit or… I don’t know, but they’re not on good terms. People are badmouthing him over it, too…”
[Ah…]
“If it’s not that you’re on bad terms, maybe just reach out sometime.”
[Yeah… Thanks for letting me know.]
“It’s not that I’m super worried about him or anything. Just… from what I can tell, he doesn’t seem to have anyone around he really clicks with…”
As he rolled a loose thread from the edge of his blanket between his fingers, Hyunsoo kept talking, offering half-hearted excuses.
He felt like he was overstepping, or like it might seem he was too concerned about Jooho.
“Hey, hyung.”
[Yeah.]
“That Yoon Jooho sunbae…”
[…Yeah.]
No one thought of Song Hyunsoo as the serious type.
So it wouldn’t have been strange if he’d asked the next question in a casual, offhand way like he usually did.
“I get the feeling there was someone he really liked once. Like, really liked. Doesn’t seem like it ended well either. Do you… know who it was?”
But for some reason, this time he couldn’t say it lightly.
The words wouldn’t come.
He wasn’t even sure if he actually wanted to know the answer.
Maybe he was afraid of what he’d hear.
Not that it mattered— Jin wasn’t the type to gossip about other people’s private lives anyway.
“So, how’d you and that sunbae even become friends? Your personalities couldn’t be more different.”
In the end, he dodged the question with a throwaway joke, just like always.
He went on to tell Jin about some lighthearted moments from the table read earlier, then reached for the crewneck sweatshirt he’d tossed on the bed.
He pulled it toward him and gave it a sniff.
The scent was rich and luxurious— far too extravagant for a rooftop apartment like this.
It was past midnight now.
Officially Friday.
Next week’s rehearsals with Yoon Jooho were set for Monday,
Tuesday, and Wednesday.
The weekend hadn’t even properly begun, but already it felt unbearably long.
■
『Next stop: CHA Hospital CHAUM, CHA Hospital CHAUM. The following stop is Cheongdam-dong Community Center.』
Seated in the designated seat on the bus, Song Hyunsoo checked the time on his phone.
The appointment was at 2 p.m., but it was barely 1.
To be precise, it was 12:54.
He must’ve left way too early.
On top of that, the bus wasn’t hitting any red lights today, there was no traffic, and the transfer bus had arrived in less than a minute.
It was as if the whole world was trying to help him get to Yoon Jooho’s place as quickly as possible.
Thud.
Hyunsoo leaned his temple against the window.
Should I kill some time at a café nearby?
There was one by the main road, if he remembered right.
Showing up a whole hour early didn’t sit right with his pride.
He’d look like someone who’d spent the entire weekend just waiting for today.
Even if that were true, letting it show was a whole different matter.
Suddenly, Hyunsoo lifted his head from the window.
I’ve got time.
Maybe I should go see the Samsaekis?
Those two were getting adopted this week.
He figured it might be nice to see them one last time.
His SNS followers were curious about the Samsaeki family, too.
Lately, it felt like they were more excited about videos of the cats than photos of Hyunsoo himself.
Anyway, if he stayed on this bus and crossed the Yeongdong Bridge, he’d end up in Seongsudong.
Hyunsoo passed Cheongdamdong Community Center.
Looking back as the bus drove across Yeongdong Bridge, he caught a glimpse of Yoon Jooho’s mansion gleaming in the winter sunlight right beside Olympic-daero.
For some reason, even that building seemed to wear the same smug, arrogant expression Jooho always had.
Hyunsoo chuckled to himself and shook his head.
It wasn’t a script reading day, but getting off at Seongsu and heading to “Kurine’s Place” felt oddly refreshing.
Like going to school on a weekend when no one else was around.
Since he wasn’t there to eat, he headed straight for the empty lot next to the restaurant.
The Samsaeki family was out front, basking in the sun.
As soon as they saw someone approach, the mother cat tensed up in alarm.
Hyunsoo crouched down and slowly inched closer.
“Samsaeki, how’ve you been? It’s okay, it’s me. You didn’t forget me, did you?”
The cat remained low to the ground, eyes locked on him, her guard up.
But the kittens didn’t care what their mom thought— they ran up and greeted him right away.
As expected, the striped-tail kitten was first.
And the one with the spot next to its nose stayed loyally by the mother’s side, as always.
The striped-tail bounced over and, the moment it brushed against Hyunsoo’s hand, flopped down and rolled on its back, rubbing against the ground from head to tail.
“Are you sure you’re a cat and not a dog? Why do you love people so much?”
As Hyunsoo rubbed its belly, the kitten grabbed his hand with its tiny front paws and opened its mouth slightly.
Its expression was oddly serious, and Hyunsoo couldn’t help but snort a quiet laugh.
While stroking the striped tail, he glanced back at the mother.
She seemed to have let her guard down completely now— midway through grooming her fur, she let out a long, lazy yawn.
The kitten with the nose spot stood next to her, gazing blankly in Hyunsoo’s direction.
She’s not sitting down… Just standing there like that. Bet she wants to come over.
“Ddakji, you should come here too. You’ve got to learn some social skills if you want to get adopted into a good home.”
The kitten hesitated, took a few small steps forward, then circled in place and scurried back to its mother.
Hyunsoo pulled back the hand he had extended toward it, smacking his lips with a faint bitterness.
Then suddenly, a gruff voice called out behind him.
“What’re you doing, skulking around like a stray cat?”
It was the auntie from “Kurine’s Place.”
Hyunsoo straightened up, startled.
AJUMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA