Could meeting people who are so delighted just to see me ever become exhausting?
Will there really come a day like that?
Right now, everything just feels so amazing, surreal, and purely happy.
Kangsa carefully organized the signed papers into a file so they wouldn’t get wrinkled.
With a cheerful face, he spoke.
“The response to the pictorial is really explosive. People around me are going wild. Your followers have gone up a lot too, right?”
Song Hyunsoo tapped the table with the pen he’d used to sign, smiling awkwardly.
“It’s all thanks to getting to shoot with Senior Jooho, really.”
“That’s not the only reason. Even from my perspective, the chemistry between you two was just incredible. No matter how popular Senior Yoon is, if he’d shot it alone, I doubt the reaction would’ve been this big.”
Senior Yoon.
Kangsa was four or five years older than Yoon Jooho, but in terms of acting career, Yoon Jooho was the clear senior.
They weren’t close enough to be considered old friends, but they addressed each other lightly as Senior Yoon or Jangwoo Hyung, keeping things polite but comfortable.
“It’s rare for a rookie actor to get to do a pictorial with Senior Yoon, but, to flip it, it’s the same for him. With his status, he usually does solo shoots or with a leading actress.”
“That’s true.”
“So pairing Senior Yoon with a newcomer like Actor Song allowed the public to see a side of Actor Yoon Jooho they’d never seen before.”
“Really… you think so?”
The pictorial definitely caused more of a stir than expected, but not all the attention was positive. Some fans of Yoon Jooho criticized Song Hyunsoo, a near-unknown, for riding on Yoon Jooho’s name.
Kangsa nodded with a look of conviction.
“The public’s been watching Actor Yoon Jooho for thirty years. No matter how handsome and charming someone is, after thirty years, people are bound to get a little bored. But suddenly, they got to see Yoon Jooho looking fresh and natural, just like a rookie, just like himself. It’s like finding a new charm in a long-time lover you thought you already knew everything about… and falling for them all over again. Isn’t it that kind of feeling?”
Song Hyunsoo tilted his head.
“Hmm… But I don’t think anyone could ever get tired of Senior Jooho.”
“All the Look Planning actors seem to be Yoon Gyeolho’s people, you know?”
Kangsa let out a small laugh and packed the file into his bag.
Song Hyunsoo scratched his cheek thoughtfully with his index finger.
I was a Yoon Gyeolho fan way before I even joined Look Planning, though.
“But about Senior Yoon.”
“Yes?”
“Do you ever watch those videos?”
During acting lessons, all of Song Hyunsoo’s sessions were recorded.
The videos were sent straight to Yoon Jooho. It was at Yoon Jooho’s own request.
“The company director tells me to send them, so I do. Has he said anything special to you about them?”
“No, not really.”
“He’s never said anything to me, either. Then why does he want them sent? Just for the record?”
Song Hyunsoo had no idea what Yoon Jooho did with those videos.
They talked often about acting. Sometimes, their debates became quite intense.
Whenever Song Hyunsoo had a question, Yoon Jooho would answer seriously and passionately, giving tips and advice.
But when it came to acting lessons, he never interfered.
It seemed he regarded that time as strictly Kangsa’s domain. Maybe it was his way of showing respect.
“Oh? It’s already this late? I took up too much of your time with those autographs.”
Kangsa checked the time and quickly packed the rest of his things into his bag. Song Hyunsoo also picked up his own bag from the chair beside him.
“It’s fine. It’s just thirty minutes.”
“You always had solid basics, but today, I could really see improvement in your voice, pronunciation, and breathing.”
“Oh, really?”
To Song Hyunsoo, nothing was more welcome to hear.
“You must be practicing hard.”
“Actually, I do it whenever I have a chance. In the shower, while driving, even in the elevator.”
“That’s the right attitude. Whether it’s acting or anything else, basics are both the beginning and the end.”
“Yeah, Senior Jooho always says the same thing.”
“A lot of actors, especially rookies, tend to neglect the basics and just try to pick up techniques first. But that kind of superficial approach always hits a wall eventually.”
Song Hyunsoo nodded slowly, a bitter taste in his mouth.
“I know that all too well. I used to be one of those actors myself.”
Kangsa watched Song Hyunsoo lower his gaze and rub the back of his neck, then spoke in a warm, encouraging tone.
“You’re not like that anymore, though.”
Then, spotting something in his bag, Kangsa’s face lit up in surprise.
“Oh, I almost took this by mistake. Here, this.”
What he pulled out was a small Shopping Bag.
“What’s this?”
“Your birthday’s in a few days, right?”
“Wow, thank you! I didn’t even think about it.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
Kangsa blushed and repeatedly insisted it was nothing, telling him not to get his hopes up.
“You always wear such nice things, so I feel a little shy giving you a gift like this.”
“Aw, don’t say that! Thanks, hyung.”
At Kangsa’s suggestion to open it later, Song Hyunsoo placed the Shopping Bag into his backpack and stood up.
As Kangsa followed, he asked a little hesitantly,
“By the way, since we’re pretty close now, can I ask you something?”
“Yes?”
“Are you, maybe, from a wealthy family or something?”
“Huh?? Me? No! Not at all!”
“You’re still a rookie, but your clothes and shoes are all luxury brands, and I’ve never seen that bag before today.”
“Ah… It’s a gift, just a gift.”
Song Hyunsoo awkwardly pulled the bag closer, as if to hide it, slinging it over one shoulder.
“It’s not a crime to come from money, you know. No need to hide it. These days, people actually like it when a celebrity has a well-off background.”
Kangsa’s expression and tone sounded oddly bittersweet as he said it.
“But I really don’t. It just turned out this way… I’ve been getting a lot of gifts lately…”
“Hmm… is that so?”
Though he didn’t pry further, it was clear Kangsa had made up his mind that Song Hyunsoo was denying a privileged background.
Of course, the true source of those frequently changing luxury bags, clothes, shoes, and other items was none other than Yoon Jooho.
Before meeting Song Hyunsoo, shopping was one of Yoon Jooho’s ways of relieving stress.
According to Bang Manager, ever since meeting Song Hyunsoo, Yoon Jooho’s shopping sprees had decreased dramatically.
But once they started dating officially, he began buying things for Song Hyunsoo.
Even before they were a couple, the signs were there.
He’d made excuses to give him suits, shoes, padded jackets, and whenever he returned from business trips, he’d show up with Shopping Bags stuffed like Santa Claus.
They’d even argued about it a few times. But Yoon Jooho never seemed willing to back down.
He didn’t take it as seriously as Song Hyunsoo did, either.
Their conversations often went like this.
‘What’s this?’
‘A travel perfume Case. You don’t have one yet, do you?’
‘Why would I need something like this?’
‘You’ll be traveling more for work. You’ll need it.’
‘I could just wrap the perfume bottle in my clothes… Why buy something like this, and a luxury one at that?’
‘Hey, listen to your elders.’
‘You’re only four years older than me! If you’re an adult, so am I.’
‘Your birthday hasn’t passed yet. That makes it five years.’
‘That’s so petty… Anyway, stop buying me stuff.’
‘Why?’
‘I haven’t even landed a proper role yet, so I can’t give you anything. Always just receiving like this… Honestly, it makes me uncomfortable.’
‘What do you mean, you can’t give me anything? You gave me a Keyring. That was expensive, you know.’
‘Expensive for a Keyring, maybe.’
‘Why are you saying it like it’s nothing?’
‘It is nothing, compared to the things you’ve given me.’
‘Because it wasn’t as pricey? So that makes it nothing?’
‘……’
‘We exchange gifts, right? Does it really matter how much they cost?’
‘……’
‘That was the first thing you bought with the money you earned from your first pictorial. It’s priceless to me.’
‘I appreciate that you think that way, but…’
‘Don’t see the things I give you as just money. They’re not material things; they’re my love.’
He could never quite win against such crafty logic.
But what could he possibly say to someone who insisted that what they gave wasn’t material but love?
Even when Yoon Jooho bought things without visible logos, there were always people who recognized them.
In this industry, everyone knew their luxury brands. Every time, Song Hyunsoo had to scramble for excuses.
Song Hyunsoo emphasized it again to Kangsa.
“Hyung, I’m really not rich. I just want to start working soon and make a lot of money.”
Kangsa laughed, giving Song Hyunsoo a light shove on the shoulder.
“You’re already getting a bunch of Scripts, right? You can start picking and choosing.”
“Huh? Scripts?”
Song Hyunsoo asked back, and Kangsa looked at him, puzzled.
“You didn’t know? I’ve already heard of three or four projects coming your way.”