Episode 40

“Ah, Yeon-woo, you’re here.”

“Ah, sorry. I thought it was empty, so I was just using the computer for a bit… Is the meeting over?”

Yeon-woo, who normally didn’t come to the agency building except for contract renewals, was unusually close to the staff because he practiced acting there every day.

“Huh? An acceptance letter? Wow! You got in!”

“Wooaah!”

“Congratulations!”

The members of the homecare team clapped as they looked behind Yeon-woo.

It was only then that Yeon-woo realized a projector had been left on for the meeting behind him.

“Ah, I didn’t know this was on. Thank you.”

He hadn’t intended to show off, but he expressed his thanks to the congratulating staff.

Yeon-woo quickly closed the browser, said his greetings, and went to the practice room, informing his family and friends about his admission.

His mother, Lee Sun-ok, seemed happier than when he had appeared in dramas or movies.

Her joy was palpable even over the phone, as she felt she had countless places to brag about.

Unlike Yeon-woo, who hadn’t intended to brag, the homecare team had received several inquiries from reporters since morning.

The admissions office of Korean University didn’t disclose personal information, so they had contacted the agency. Soon articles poured out, and Yeon-woo’s phone was inundated with texts and calls congratulating him.

“In this new life, I really am living a 180-degree different life.”

This life was so different from his lonely previous life, where he had never had a close relationship and had been reluctant to open up.

Of course, Yeon-woo was extremely satisfied with his new life.

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Kim Joo-hyung had also been admitted to Korean University’s Economics department as a freshman of the 19th class.

Like Yeon-woo, Joo-hyung received numerous congratulatory calls.

However, having been the top student in his entire school for three years, Joo-hyung’s acceptance was sort of expected, and everyone who called said the same thing.

[So you’re classmates with Ryu Yeon-woo?]

“I’m sick of hearing that. I’ve heard it at least a hundred times.”

Joo-hyung sighed, and his youngest aunt laughed.

[Haha, can’t be helped. He’s hot right now. Become friends and get me an autograph.]

“He’s a celebrity; he probably won’t come to school much. If I meet him, I’ll try to get one. But I’ll need like 50, there are a ton of people asking.”

[Hey, even if you can’t get others, you have to get mine. Check your bank account.]

“Oh! Auntie, did you send a gift?”

[It’s a gift to celebrate your acceptance. Cash is king.]

“I love you, Auntie.”

After hanging up, Kim Joo-hyung lay on the sofa in an empty house, scratching his stomach as he watched TV.

“Ah, is this what happiness feels like?”

Engrossed in exam preparation, Kim Joo-hyung hardly ever watched TV and had led a high school life devoid of all temptations.

In fact, he didn’t even know who Ryu Yeon-woo was, only learning about him through a quick online search after people kept asking.

Right at that moment, a commercial featuring Ryu Yeon-woo, an aspiring friend and classmate, started airing on the TV he was watching.

“Huh? Isn’t this the guy?”

Joo-hyung was captivated by the ad, where a handsome Ryu Yeon-woo in white pants and a blue shirt is seen studying in a classroom before picking up his smartphone.

The camera follows him in slow-motion, and soon he flips and lands, rhythmic pop music playing in the background.

The atmosphere turns dynamic as he hands the smartphone to someone else and the camera follows the phone from hand to hand.

Ryu Yeon-woo’s narration then kicks in.

[Direction is more important than speed, they say. But in life, your direction can change too.]

The screen shows Yeon-woo and others fist-bumping each other, exuding youthful vibes. Then the narration continues.

[Even if your direction changes, it’s okay as long as you don’t stop. ST Telecom.]

“Wow, that’s really cool.”

Joo-hyung, who is now genuinely interested in this potential friend Ryu Yeon-woo, began to look up articles about him.

Upcoming roles in a drama and a variety show, and a movie set to be released tomorrow. With nothing else to do at home, Joo-hyung decided to dive into the drama and ends up binge-watching an entire variety show called ‘Summer Table’. He even buys a ticket for Yeon-woo’s movie “Spring Lover,” mostly out of newfound cultural enthusiasm.

On the other hand, Yeon-woo heads to a local theater near his lodging, wearing a mask and a hat. He’s keen to feel the audience’s reactions firsthand. He pre-books a seat at the end of the row, expecting it to be empty next to him. However, a man around his age surprisingly sits right next to him.

‘Is he watching a movie alone too? Well, so am I.’

Both young men, future classmates, find each other peculiar but enjoy the movie nonetheless.

After the movie, Yeon-woo eavesdrops on couples discussing the film and is pleased with the reactions. The movie garnered a lot of attention, selling out 647 theaters nationwide on the first day and attracting 260,000 viewers. Within a week, the accumulated number of viewers hit 1.02 million.

In a boardroom at LN Entertainment, the CEO, a middle-aged gentleman named Kim Joo-seong, inquires during their regular Monday meeting.

“Team Leader Jeong, how is the Master Plan project coming along?”

“We’re almost done with casting. The lead actor to pair with Ryu is Ma Seok-do

CEO Kim raises an intrigued eyebrow.

“Isn’t Ryu playing a problem-solver in Master Plan?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, so Ma Seok-do is playing the role of a hacker? Interesting.”

Technically, he’s not a hacker but a genius programmer, but Team Leader Jeong simply nodded.

Ma Seok-do is an actor famous for action movies where he uses his large physique to plow through everything.

The boisterous action films he stars in are usually successful.

He debuted at a relatively late age, and his acting career is just over 10 years, but if you measure by box office, he’s a top actor.

Planning Team Leader Yoon Mi-yeon adjusted her full-framed glasses.

“Casting the action star Ma Seok-do in a role where he’s easily frightened seems like an attempt to bring in a comedic element. It’s a fresh choice.”

“Yes, it’s exciting. If it goes well, Actor Ryu’s name value will go up by at least two steps because of this movie.”

CEO Kim Joo-seong nodded in satisfaction.

From the first drama casting, he had been a promising actor worth the early investment.

At that moment, Yeon-woo was struggling with SNS alongside stylist Ye-eun.

“So even you can’t do something perfectly.”

“Hmm, this is difficult.”

Setting up an SNS account and uploading was relatively easy for him.

There were no barriers for Yeon-woo, who could smoothly operate tactical equipment.

What Ye-eun referred to as ‘something he can’t do’ was taking selfies.

After Ye-eun, on a whim, asked him to take a selfie, the result made her scratch her head.

“How can someone with that face take a picture like this…? It looks like it’s been auto edited, but in a bad way.”

“Just give it to me for now, Yeon-woo. I’ll take the shot.”

-Click.-

She clicked randomly, but a perfect “boyfriend shot” was automatically generated.

A natural smile with a beam of warm sunlight filtering through the blinds.

“What is this light? How can a single ray of sunlight touch the face and turn into art?”

“Wow, you should try debuting as a photographer.”

Ye-eun, who was looking at Yeon-woo, gave the smartphone back while shaking her head.

“Let’s upload this for now. From now on, let people around you take pictures. If you upload your selfies, you’ll unfairly spark plastic surgery rumors.”

Yeon-woo made a mental note never to take selfies.

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Hae-woon watched the Pilates students coming out in a row and adjusted his disheveled appearance in the reflection of the elevator.

Although he researched her family and life online, there was surprisingly little information.

He had found out that she was married and had a daughter, but other familial ties or additional information was nowhere to be found.

It was as if someone had deliberately deleted it.

The commercial building where the Pilates studio was located also had a café opposite and a dental clinic on the floor above, so it wasn’t strange for men to be there.

After waiting about 15 minutes, he saw the back of a woman closing the studio with a security card.

Then Jeong Hye-min walked toward the elevator.

As their eyes met, Han Hae-woon froze on the spot.

“…Ugh.”

Overwhelmed by a sudden headache and a whirlpool of unrecognizable memories, he let out a faint moan and collapsed against the wall.

“My God, are you okay? What should I do?”

Jeong Hye-min rushed over to him.

“119! Right, I’ll call 119! Just hang on!”

‘What is this … what memory is this …?’

As his vision started to blur, he watched Jeong Hye-min frantically dialing on her smartphone.