༺ A New Face ༻
The next day, Yoomyeong came down to Suwon with Hansung.
Hansung was initially reluctant, but he couldn’t refuse when Yoomyeong affectionately addressed him as ‘Hyung’ (Brother).
Asking someone who had lived that way for seven years to move immediately was unreasonable.
However, having them spend some time away from that space and letting them see the problem being resolved might change their mind.
Above all, seeing Hansung’s kitchen, which seemed unused for a long time, made Yoomyeong want to share a warm meal with him.
“Mom.”
“It’s really Mr. Yoon Hansung. Oh my!”
Yoomyeong’s mother, Mrs. Park Mi-hye, jumped excitedly like a young girl.
“Hello, ma’am. I apologize for the intrusion.”
“Don’t apologize, it’s an honor. Please come in. Have you had lunch?”
Hansung awkwardly took off his shoes and scratched his head while Yoomyeong carried his suitcase to his room.
“I felt indebted…”
Hansung insisted on bringing something. He held a bottle of whiskey and a set of health supplements in his hands, offering them to her with a bow.
“Please take care of me.”
“Yoomyeong said he brought you here by force for acting studies. Our child is the one who’s indebted to you, so why bring gifts? What kind of food do you like?”
“I eat anything.”
“You’re too thin. You should gain at least 2kg before you leave our house!”
Mrs. Park’s enthusiastic attitude made Hansung smile slightly. It was a warm atmosphere he hadn’t felt in a long time.
A sunny, warm home that explained Yoomyeong’s stable personality. His frozen heart felt a bit relaxed.
*
“Wow…”
A little while later, Hansung was amazed as he sat at the dining table.
The table, which was prepared in a hurry after receiving a call in the morning, was filled with steaming soybean paste stew, spicy pork stir-fry with chewy fat, various side dishes, and a thick rolled omelet.
“You prepared all this in the time it took us to get here?”
“These were all at home, haha. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a reaction like this, so I’m excited~ Please eat a lot.”
Hansung scooped up a spoonful of stew. The soft tofu and ripe yellow squash glistened, bathed in savory broth. He stared at it for a moment before taking a bite.
‘Ah, it’s hot.’
The hot soup stung his mouth, the resilient tofu mashed against his cheeks, and biting into the squash released a burst of absorbed broth.
Feeling Mrs. Park’s expectant gaze as if asking how it tasted made Hansung’s heart grow heavy. It was a taste and atmosphere he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
“It’s really delicious. Your mother seems to be very good at cooking.”
“Hoho, what are you saying? It’s just passable.”
“Wow… you’re usually so proud of your cooking, but in front of guests…”
“Shin Yoomyeong!”
Hansung scooped a full bowl of rice while watching the playful bickering between mother and son. His throat felt unexpectedly tight.
*
That evening, Jiyeon’s jaw dropped when she returned home.
“Yoon… Yoon Hansung is in my house!”
*
Wounds left unprobed healed at a surprisingly fast pace.
Hansung had feared that leaving that house would cause Bo-eun to fade from his heart, but that was not the case.
Her face still came to mind several times a day, but he could end the feeling with longing before it turned to sadness. Warm homemade meals and smiling faces prevented him from sinking into himself.
“Hyung, have some snacks.”
“Ah. Thank you, Yoomyeong.”
It was French toast soaked in egg and fried until golden, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Yoomyeong’s mother was clearly determined to fatten him up. Hansung thought that it lucky that the role of Jeong Mong-ju didn’t require him to be thin.
They sat at a folding table in Yoomyeong’s small room, reviewing various scripts.
They also jogged in masks at the park in front of the house, discussed acting and directing after watching late-night movies, and became close like brothers.
Outside of discussing acting, Hansung’s nickname for Yoomyeong changed to a more casual one.
Near the end of the week, Hansung spoke up.
“I should… move out.”
He felt that his habit of slipping into sadness while acting had improved a lot in just a week.
Yoomyeong’s words as he asked if Bo-eun would want him to live like this kept echoing in Hansung’s mind. Stepping back a bit, it seemed true.
“That’s a good idea.”
“I plan to keep the house in Gwacheon and rent a separate place for now. I’m not ready to let go of it yet.”
“That’s fine. You have plenty of money, hyung.”
Yoomyeong playfully punched Hansung’s shoulder as he spoke.
“Which neighborhood are you thinking of?”
“I don’t know. I don’t really have a neighborhood in mind, so maybe I’ll pick somewhere near the company.”
Yoomyeong paused for a moment before asking Hansung.
“Hyung, is Suwon far away?”
“Huh?”
“Why not consider moving to our neighborhood? It’s a bit far from Gangnam, but it’s nice here.”
“Uh… well… that’s…”
Hansung hesitated, realizing Yoomyeong’s intention. He was grateful to Yoomyeong, but he didn’t want to be a burden.
Yet, the fact that he was struggling to refuse indicated his subconscious desire for it.
Yoomyeong spoke before Hansung could refuse.
“As you’ve seen these past few days, my mom cooks a lot and there’s always extra food. I haven’t been home much since I started acting, and she misses having someone to cook for.”
“…”
“Dad loves playing Go, but he always nags me because I don’t know how to play. Having you play with him makes him really happy. I also get off the hook from his nagging.”
“…”
“Jiyeon really likes you, too. She’s been annoyed her whole life that her brother whom she should be calling ‘oppa’ is the same age as her. But when she calls you ‘Oppa’, she says she feels like she’s using the term correctly and that it relieves her stress a lot.”
“…Haha.”
Hansung finally laughed when Yoomyeong relayed Jiyeon’s absurd comments, his face slightly crumpling with affection.
“I can’t stop you if you want to go to Gangnam because it’s hard to commute that far, but it would be great if you could move here if that’s not the case. We could have dinner together sometimes, you could play Go with my dad, and it would be nice to exercise and practice acting with you when you’re free.”
Smiling persuasively, Yoomyeong looked at him. Hansung, gazing at his younger brother-like friend, eventually nodded in agreement.
“Thank you, Yoomyeong.”
“I should be the one thanking you, hyung.”
It was late February. While a late winter chill lingered, the house was exceptionally warm.
*
“Morning. The morning’s condition sets the tone for the day.”
“Bed, I don’t want to leave the bed~”
“Roadside. I’ve seen a suspicious woman by the roadside three times already.”
“Toilet. The toilet is clogged! What a healthy morning!”
Pfft—
Yoomyeong burst into laughter at the last line.
They were in Hansung’s new apartment, one near Yoomyeong’s home. Once Hansung decided to move, he quickly rented an apartment nearby.
Lately, they were spending almost every day together, analyzing scripts and practicing acting.
Just yesterday, they fell asleep during practice without even realizing what the time was. Waking up, Yoomyeong playfully started an impromptu acting game with a sleepy Hansung, a game with a play on words.
With the word ‘morning’, Yoomyeong crafted simple sentences, infusing them with acting. It felt like opening an act in a play, and he narrated each line deliberately.
Hansung took the word ‘bed’, portraying a tired middle-aged man lamenting life, perfectly immersed in his current state.
The genre shifted to suspense with ‘roadside’. Yoomyeong spoke with the cautious tone of a suspicious, fussy man.
And then, Hansung brought in a comic twist.
“Hahaha, you’re the best, hyung.”
“Haha.”
Their lives recently revolved around delicious meals, a compatible colleague, and acting, acting, and more acting.
After eating a hearty meal from the fridge full of side dishes packed by Yoomyeong’s mother, they sat down at the dining table with their scripts.
However, they didn’t open them. The scripts were now more for jotting down ideas that came up during practice since they had memorized them.
“Should we try Scene 48?”
“Sounds good.”
Yoomyeong thoroughly enjoyed his time with Hansung, a colleague committed to acting and a warm, human-like older brother. Living as long as he had, Yoomyeong even sometimes felt that Hansung was more like a friend.
Compared to his past life of forming passive relationships, he now had a ‘real friend’ in Hansung, someone he could give and take with, challenge, and collaborate with.
*
A month later, Yoomyeong was in Hansung’s car, heading to the film studio.
Today was the main and supporting cast’s reading for <The Late Goryeo Dynasty & the Early Joseon Dynasty>. It was also the first time the actors would see each other.
“The director didn’t say anything, but I think he plans to retire after this film.”
“…Really?”
Director Son Chi-wook had apparently always intended this to be his last film. That was why he was so meticulous in choosing actors and filming intensely, which unfortunately led to the project’s downfall in Yoomyeong’s past life.
The thought of not being able to finish his last film properly must have filled his final years with regret.
“Yeah. All the actors cast are known as part of the ‘Son Chi-wook faction’. Even the senior actors, usually in lead roles, accepted supporting or cameo roles. Everyone seems to be anticipating it.”
The ‘Son Chi-wook faction.’
Director Son, now a more relaxed figure, was said to have been a fierce ‘tiger director’ in his youth. He created scenes with strict discipline and sometimes scolded the actors if their acting wasn’t up to par. But unlike many common directors of the 80s and 90s, he didn’t mix personal feelings or insult the actors’ dignity, earning him much respect.
As a result, those who had worked with him on multiple projects were called the ‘Son Chi-wook faction’.
“So, does that mean that everyone knows each other and I’m the only new face?”
Reading Yoomyeong’s slightly anxious mind, Hansung smiled mischievously.
“You’ll get a lot of attention, sure. But they’re all good people, so they won’t give you a hard time. Oh, there’s one more new face.”
“Who?”
“They asked me to keep it a secret, so it’ll be a surprise. Haha, you’ll see when we get there.”
As Hansung playfully dodged the question and Yoomyeong prodded curiously, the car entered the parking lot.
*
Entering the meeting room, Yoomyeong bowed and greeted everyone loudly.
“Hello! I’m the rookie actor Shin Yoomyeong. I’ll do my best!”
“Uh-huh. Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jin-Beom. I enjoyed the drama.”
“Thank you, senior.”
Watching the disciplined rookie actor, the senior actors chuckled.
“You’re the hottest actor here right now, aren’t you? My daughter went crazy when she heard we’d be in the same project.”
“Oh no, I’m not. Please teach me a lot.”
“Can I get an autograph later?”
Actor Kim Jin-Beom, playing the role of Byun Jung-ryang, and actor Min Gyeong-Guk, playing the role of Jeong Do-jeon, greeted him with a smile. Hansung started engaging in warm conversations with the actors of similar age.
Yoomyeong sat in his designated seat, observing the empty chairs with name tags. The role of Lee Seong-gye was assigned to actor Bae Geohyeong, renowned for his solid build and charismatic acting. Yoomyeong admired him and was thrilled to learn he would be playing Lee Seong-gye.
Then, who could be the last person Hansung kept a secret…?
As Yoomyeong was about to shift his gaze to the name tag of another empty seat, the door to the meeting room opened.
“Hello~”
A reassuring, warm smile.
The owner of this gentle presence, who seemed to bring the spring sunshine into the room through the open door, was…
“Ah, hello…”
“Hi, Yoomyeong~”
…Lee Seon-ha.
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