The winding residential streets branching off Wangsimni Boulevard.
In the alley where a compact car passed by, old red brick buildings were mixed with newly built one-room and two-room apartments.
Over the past two days, Song Hyunsoo had looked at several houses in this neighborhood, but there had been no luck.
The real estate agent kept showing him rooms that were far beyond Hyunsoo’s budget, trying to persuade him.
Because of that, today he had made an appointment with a different agency.
“Here it is, this building.”
The agent pointed to a four-story multi-family house that seemed to have been built about twenty years ago.
It looked old but appeared to be well-maintained.
The three of them— Song Hyunsoo, Jung Ho, and the agent—got out of the car and started climbing the stairs.
“There’s no elevator, though. But… huh, the room is clean, and it’s just a 10-minute walk to the station. Huh, for your budget… there’s no house this good.”
The bulky agent panted intermittently as he glanced back.
“This is, uh, the last place we’re looking at… phew, come on in.”
They reached the third floor.
Following the agent in front, Hyunsoo and Jung Ho stepped into the entrance.
As soon as they went inside, the two looked at each other.
The entrance was so narrow that there was barely enough room to take off all three pairs of shoes.
“So? It’s narrow, but clean, right? It was remodeled just a year ago. It’s basically a new house.”
“It’s clean, but still…”
Jung Ho looked around inside and hesitated in his answer.
With a bit of exaggeration, the place was reminiscent of a cheap boarding house.
It was more like a single room than a house, and the kitchen was barely set up as a formality.
“As you saw today, it’s hard to find a place better than this within your budget. Do you have a lot of stuff?”
Song Hyunsoo glanced at the cramped sink and single-burner induction stove, which looked barely suitable for cooking instant noodles.
He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and checked.
No missed calls or messages.
He knew well that Yoon Jooho wasn’t the kind to contact him first, yet somehow he still hoped for something.
He didn’t want to lower his pride, and he wasn’t brave enough either—he felt the same way.
“Hyung, what are you doing?”
“Uh? Huh? Why?”
Jung Ho tapped his shoulder from behind, and Hyunsoo hurriedly shoved his phone back into his pocket.
“You’ve been looking at your phone a lot. Waiting for a call or something?”
“No, just…”
“The agent asked if you have a lot of stuff.”
The agent was waiting for Hyunsoo’s answer.
“I don’t have that much stuff, actually…”
Although that was true, just placing the hanger he currently used in the room would probably fill it up completely.
“You can put a wardrobe here and use a blanket when you sleep. The size should be fine. You don’t really need a bed if it just takes up space.”
The agent threw the window wide open and looked at the two men.
“So, what do you think?” he asked with a triumphant expression.
Even wearing only a padded vest in the middle of winter, sweat was gathering at the agent’s temples.
Wiping it with a handkerchief, he asked,
“What kind of work do you do? The landlords tend to want to know the tenant’s occupation. They worry about the monthly rent, after all.”
“I’m an actor… and I also work at a bar.”
The agent didn’t seem pleased at all.
Actors nobody recognizes are often treated as if they had no job.
Hyunsoo was used to this reaction.
At least there was no mockery of “Oh, you call yourself an actor,” so he considered it a win.
Jung Ho added an explanation beside him.
“He’s still a rookie, but he’s starting a movie with Yoon Jooho.”
“Yoon Jooho??”
The moment the nationally beloved actor’s name was mentioned, the agent’s expression changed instantly.
His face, which had been almost dirt-colored moments ago, brightened noticeably.
“That’s right. Did you know Yoon Jooho is making his first movie in 30 years since his debut?”
“Yeah, I know! It’s supposed to be a really famous director’s film.”
The agent, who looked only a couple of years older than Hyunsoo, showed interest.
“Exactly. It’s called , and this guy plays Shin Hyojin’s younger brother.”
“Oh, really? The younger brother of the main character? That’s a pretty significant role, then?”
“Of course. You can even find videos of Yoon Jooho and Shin Hyojin together on YouTube.”
“No wonder… He was so handsome right from the moment he walked into the office.”
The atmosphere warmed up quickly.
“So, you’ve seen Yoon Jooho and Shin Hyojin in person, right?”
“Yeah.”
“How is Yoon Jooho? I heard he’s arrogant.”
“He’s not exactly humble. Always saying he’s the best. He’s quick to snap. A junior who used to kiss him confessed, but he dodged and then tried to kiss again. Yoon Jooho is a pretty bad guy.”
“I thought so too, but when I met him, he was nothing like that. He treated even an unknown actor like me very well.”
“Really?? That’s totally unexpected??”
The agent tilted his head in disbelief. Then, lowering his voice to a whisper as if Yoon Jooho were nearby and could overhear, he said,
“But why is he like that with his parents? There’s a rumor he’s in debt and trying to get money from them.”
Where did that rumor come from this time…
“I don’t know the exact reason. But one thing’s for sure.”
“……”
“He doesn’t seem like someone in debt or desperate for money. Not at all.”
“Not at all?”
“Not at alllll. It looks like money just flows out of his pockets.”
“Well, of course. He’s Yoon Jooho after all.”
The agent seemed to have expected an answer about Yoon Jooho being broke, but instead was disappointed and smacked his lips.
“Yoon Jooho is in France right now, right? I saw pictures of him all dressed up at the airport in the news.”
“Yes. I think he went for a fashion show.”
“Did you see the photos? He was so overdressed going to catch the plane, it was hilarious. Who goes to the airport like that?”
“Oh, really? I haven’t seen those articles.”
Even though Hyunsoo had searched every news outlet and liked all the posts, watched all the departure cams from Incheon Airport and arrival cams at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, he pretended not to know.
He added casually,
“But I heard the clothes he wears to the airport are all contracted. It’s an ad deal. So he can’t just wear whatever he wants.”
“Oh… I didn’t know that.”
The agent awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and, feeling the chat had gone on too long, began closing the window to wrap up.
“Once the movie comes out, you’ll be a star in no time. Could we take a picture together? I want to brag later. When else will I get to show a house to an actor?”
They took a photo together in front of the car parked in the alley, then the agent drove off first in the compact car, oddly small for his size.
Despite searching around here for three days, Hyunsoo still hadn’t found a suitable place, and the cold bit especially sharply.
“It’s cold, Jung Ho. Let’s buy some warm coffee and walk.”
Hyunsoo pulled Jung Ho toward a nearby convenience store.
Inside, among the heated drinks behind the counter, was NUBO Coffee with Yoon Jooho’s face printed on the can.
For the sake of rebellion or protest, he thought about choosing a different coffee, but in the end, he bought two cans of NUBO Coffee.
It wasn’t that he could ever betray Yoon Jooho.
If I wanted to, I’m a scary enough person to buy the Diet Tea advertised by Jung Sungwon instead of NUBO Coffee.
I just buy NUBO Coffee because it tastes good. Coffee is innocent.
Warming his hands with the hot can, Hyunsoo and Jung Ho began walking slowly toward Wangsimni Station.
“Did you find any place you liked today?”
Jung Ho asked.
“No place that felt right.”
Hyunsoo clicked his tongue with a frown and took a sip of coffee.
“That first house we saw the day before yesterday was really nice. I keep thinking about it.”
“I don’t remember it. How can you pay a million won in rent every month?”
“Nowadays, there are lots of people paying over a thousand won a month in rent while working part-time. Homebodies don’t spend money elsewhere and invest in housing. The new company you’re signing with will provide a car and strong support.”
“Yeah.”
“Then there won’t be much personal expense, right?”
“Enough. I’m going to save up more deposit money for now. I can move somewhere better later.”
“So, are you going to choose that last place?”
“Except for the size, it seems the most reasonable…”
Hyunsoo twirled the can in his hand and stopped his thumb on the spot where Yoon Jooho’s face was printed.
The wavy hair, the gentle smile holding the coffee can.
The Yoon Jooho who had been surrounded by crowds in videos, waving to fans at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport while getting into a car with security, and whose face was printed on this coffee can.
They had acted together, laughed, joked, kissed, and even more than that.
But the face in his hand was distant, unfamiliar— someone completely unrelated.
Last night’s dream came to mind.
On Monday next week, he rushed to Yoon Jooho’s house to work part-time and rang the bell, but Yoon Jooho treated him like a stranger and tried to kick him out.
At first, it seemed like a joke, but in the dream, Hyunsoo realized: the Yoon Jooho in front of him had forgotten all their memories.
Yoon Jooho’s face twisted in disgust and hatred like dealing with a crazy obsessive fan who had chased him home.
Even after waking up and realizing it was just a dream, Hyunsoo wasn’t reassured.
It felt like it could happen at any moment.
They hadn’t meant to end things fighting like that…
As he brushed his thumb over the face on the coffee can, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
It was Kim Taeyoon.
Hyunsoo nearly dropped his coffee in haste.
“Yes, hyung!”
[Hyunsu, I think I found out which store it is.]
“Really?? Where?”
[Maybe to avoid getting caught, it wasn’t in Gangnam but in the Gwanak District. So it took longer than expected.]
“They left it there?”
[Yeah, they entrusted it. A Rolex Day-Date Ice Blue Dial. Short hair, muscular build, neat impression.]
“That’s right!”
[They said the watch hasn’t been sold yet.]
“Hyung, thank you so much! I’ll come by the restaurant to thank you properly soon!”
Just moments ago, he had been completely down, but now he ended the call buzzing with excitement.
Jung Ho’s face was full of questions.
“What kind of call makes you that happy?”
“A call saying we found the thief.”
“The thief?? Someone broke into your place?”
“Do I even have anything worth stealing?”
Jung Ho was surprised, then nodded in understanding immediately.
“That’s true. If a thief came, it’d be a place they’d probably leave something behind, not take.”
Stopping in front of a small hair salon, Hyunsoo searched his contacts for ‘Director Bang.’
“Director Bang, it’s Hyunsu!”
[Oh, Hyunsu. I was going to call you, actually. Did Jooho tell you they’ll provide a car starting tomorrow?]
“Yes, but Director, I’m calling about something more urgent.”
[More urgent?]
“I think we can catch Cha Kyumin.”