Until the food and drinks arrived, they spent their time talking about the projects they were currently filming.
It was a superficial conversation.
As expected, Jung Sungwon was exceptionally well-mannered and easy to talk to, like a gently flowing stream.
He wasn’t the kind of successful senior who only talked about himself.
But I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.
After all, everything could be hiding a purpose beneath the surface.
Once the food was served and they had shared their first drink, Jung Sungwon began with a worried look on his face.
“Did something happen?”
He carefully added, watching Song Hyunsoo, who couldn’t answer right away.
“It’s about Jooho, isn’t it?”
“H-how did you know?”
With a bitter smile that suggested he had expected as much, Jung Sungwon set his wine glass down on the table.
“Well, I’m with Look Planning too, and I’ve known the CEOs and Jooho since we were kids… So I know the gist of it. I guess you could call me half an insider. So you can talk comfortably.”
Hesitating for a moment, Song Hyunsoo pretended to have a dry throat, as if it was hard to speak, then emptied his glass of wine in one gulp before finally opening his mouth.
“Somehow, I… I think I got caught up in a fight between Jooho and his parents.”
“Caught up? How did that happen, Hyunsoo?”
“You know I’m staying at Seo Hae’s house right now, right?”
“I heard last time, so I know.”
“Well, at Seo Hae’s house, Jooho and his parents had a huge argument.”
“At that house?”
“The conversation started going strangely. And then, his parents… misunderstood things between me and Jooho.”
With a face that looked truly clueless—almost shocked, even—Jung Sungwon waited seriously for the rest of the story.
Whether it was acting or genuine, it was hard to tell just yet.
“To be honest, I actually signed a contract with Jooho as an Actor. For now, it’s a personal contract with him, and later, the plan is to officially join Look Planning.”
“Ah… I see.”
“So he’s been helping me out with all sorts of things. But his parents misunderstood it as… something like, we’re dating or something.”
“……”
“But I’m not even a woman.”
At that added remark, a subtle change flickered across Jung Sungwon’s face.
But it only lasted for a split second.
“To be honest, I’m scared.”
Song Hyunsoo’s voice trembled slightly as he lowered his head.
“A no-name Actor like me feels like I’ve been caught up in something way over my head…”
Movies are lies. Fiction.
But an Actor must deliver the truth through that fiction.
That was something drilled into his ears since his earliest days in the theater troupe.
When you infuse your own experiences and feelings into the script’s fiction, that’s when a performance can move an audience with truth.
Director Jung Joonhee and Yoon Jooho had both told him the same thing.
So Song Hyunsoo added truth to his acting.
“Jooho has only ever treated me well. He offered me a contract, even though I’m a nobody. When I had nowhere to go, he let me stay at his house… I’m so grateful to him, I really don’t want to cause him any trouble. But I’m scared, too. I don’t know what to do…”
“So, you’re saying there’s really nothing going on between you and Jooho?”
Song Hyunsoo nodded a couple of times.
“As far as I know, Jooho has always dated women up to now.”
“That’s true, but…”
Jung Sungwon seemed to be pondering something strange, then smiled awkwardly and confessed.
“To be honest, I thought Jooho thought of you as someone special, too.”
“He does treat me well, that’s true. That’s why, however I can… I want to repay him.”
“But you’re not in the kind of relationship the CEOs think you are?”
I’m a guy, he’s a guy, so why would anyone think that?
Song Hyunsoo looked at Jung Sungwon with an innocent expression, then said with perfect matter-of-factness,
“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have left his house in the first place.”
Jung Sungwon took his time, sipping his wine slowly.
Did he really come out here not knowing anything, or was he, right here and now, having a battle of acting skills with Jung Sungwon?
Song Hyunsoo still wasn’t sure.
Either way, he had no intention of dropping his act first.
After setting down his wine glass, Jung Sungwon spoke up.
“I’ll talk to the CEOs about this. I’ll explain everything to them.”
“Really?”
Seeing hope, Song Hyunsoo’s face brightened up.
“It’s really not a big deal.”
“Thank you. Thank you, Sunbae.”
“And don’t worry too much. They’re not going to block your career over something like this.”
“I’m worried about myself, but after seeing how things were that day, I’m worried about Jooho too.”
Jung Sungwon refilled their empty glasses with more wine.
Just as Yoon Jooho had taught him, Song Hyunsoo lightly pressed the base of the glass with his fingertips as Jung Sungwon poured.
Jung Sungwon didn’t miss that gesture and glanced at his hand.
“Jooho is lucky.”
“Why’s that?”
“To have a junior like you, who’s so innocent… and wants to help no matter what.”
“……”
“When you look at it, it feels like Jooho has everything. It’s almost unfair.”
Song Hyunsoo realized something.
That much, he could tell wasn’t an act.
He couldn’t explain it, but it was an instinct born of being an Actor.
However, when Jung Sungwon set down the wine bottle and lifted his gaze, his expression had already reverted to one he couldn’t read.
With deft hands, he swirled his wine glass and sighed.
“Honestly, I think the CEOs are a bit too much sometimes.”
“Right? You think so too, don’t you, Sunbae?”
“Of course. He’s their son, after all. And Look Planning wouldn’t be where it is now without Jooho.”
What’s going on? Does he really have nothing to do with Jooho’s parents?
While Song Hyunsoo watched him with suspicion, Jung Sungwon took a sip of wine, then brought up another topic, looking concerned.
“Jooho hasn’t been sleeping well because of this, has he?”
“Oh… you know about that too, Sunbae?”
“That he has trouble sleeping?”
“Yes.”
“He was like that even when he was a Child Actor. He always had to have the TV on when he slept.”
“That’s right, he still does that. So he’s always been that way.”
After a few more sips, Jung Sungwon seemed to recall something and fished out a small card from his business card holder, placing it in the middle of the table.
“Hyunsoo, here.”
“What is this?”
“It’s the Sleep Clinic Head Director’s business card.”
Song Hyunsoo picked up the small piece of paper.
“I thought maybe you could recommend some counseling to Jooho.”
“But I heard he really hates hospitals…”
“I know. He’s been burned by some doctors before.”
As Song Hyunsoo looked at the business card with an uneasy face, Jung Sungwon added an explanation.
“But I really want to recommend this clinic. The Head Director isn’t greedy for money or fame at all. Only people in the know go there quietly.”
“Have you gone yourself, Sunbae?”
Jung Sungwon shook his head and smiled lightly.
“I’m lucky—I sleep just fine. But this is a place that someone I really trust recommended. In the Republic of Korea, everyone knows their name. Someone as famous as Jooho. I can’t say who, but…”
“So you mean it’s a place where confidentiality is guaranteed. Is that right?”
“That’s right.”
Nodding, Jung Sungwon even started sharing old stories.
“When we were Child Actors together, there was a time Jooho collapsed on set. Back then, he wasn’t the Top Star he is now, so there were no news articles or anything. But everyone was really worried. The cause was sleep deprivation.”
“……”
“With the CEOs already giving him a hard time, if he can’t even sleep, it’ll start affecting his work too, don’t you think?”
To Song Hyunsoo’s ears, it sounded like he was being subtly threatened.
If he didn’t bring Jooho to this clinic, Yoon Jooho’s film shoot might get ruined—that was the message being planted.
Could it be that he really believed Song Hyunsoo was a naïve rookie Actor who didn’t know how scary the entertainment world could be?
Sorry, Jung Sungwon, but I’ve been around the block a few times, hit rock bottom and climbed back up.
“Even if he won’t listen to me, he might move if you recommend it, Hyunsoo.”
Feeling his guess might be right, Song Hyunsoo looked again at the business card.
Then, with the face of a naïve young man who knew nothing of the world, he cautiously asked Jung Sungwon,
“Do you really think it would help him, Sunbae?”
In that moment, Jung Sungwon couldn’t hide it.
The satisfaction—the thrill—of having everything go according to plan.
“Of course. They say sleep is the best medicine.”
With his signature soft and kindly smile, Jung Sungwon reassured Song Hyunsoo.
It was the same million-dollar smile that had landed him mattress and finance ads.
But Song Hyunsoo didn’t miss the satisfaction that flitted across Jung Sungwon’s eyes and lips, however fleeting.
That he couldn’t hide it, even for a moment—Song Hyunsoo scoffed inwardly, thinking,
Looks like you’ve got a long way to go if you want to catch up to Yoon Jooho, even with your acting.
He was sure of it now.
What Jung Sungwon was after wasn’t him—it was Yoon Jooho.
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