The next day, Yoomyeong came down to Suwon with Hansung.
Hansung had been reluctant at first, but he couldn’t refuse once Yoomyeong started affectionately calling him Hyung.
It was unreasonable to expect someone who had lived that way for seven years to move out immediately.
However, if he could spend some time away from that space and see his condition improve, it might change his mind.
Above all else, seeing Hansung’s kitchen — which looked as though it hadn’t been used in 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, Park Mi-hye, bounced 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 the back of his head while Yoomyeong carried his suitcase into his room.
“I felt indebted...”
Hansung had insisted on bringing something with him. Holding a bottle of whiskey and a set of health supplements, he offered them to her with a bow.
“Please take care of me.”
“Yoomyeong said he practically dragged you here for acting practice. Our child is the one 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 two kilos before you leave this house!”
Mrs. Park’s enthusiastic attitude drew a small smile from Hansung. It was a warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time.
A sunny, welcoming home that explained Yoomyeong’s stable personality.
His frozen heart loosened slightly.
A little while later, Hansung stared at the dining table in amazement.
The meal, prepared in a rush after receiving a phone ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) call that morning, was overflowing with steaming soybean paste stew, spicy stir-fried pork with chewy strips of fat, various side dishes, and a thick rolled omelet.
“You prepared all of this in the time it took us to get here?”
“I already had everything at home, haha. It’s been a long time since someone reacted like this, so I’m excited~ Please eat a lot.”
Hansung scooped up a spoonful of stew. Soft tofu and ripe yellow squash glistened in the savory broth. He stared at it briefly before taking a bite.
“Ah, it’s hot.”
The steaming soup stung his mouth, the soft tofu broke apart against his tongue, and the squash burst with broth as he bit into it.
Feeling Mrs. Park’s expectant gaze, as though asking how it tasted, made Hansung’s chest tighten. It was a taste and atmosphere he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
“It’s really delicious. Your mother must be an excellent cook.”
“Hoho, what are you saying? It’s nothing special.”
“Wow... you’re usually so proud of your cooking, but in front of guests...”
“Shin Yoomyeong!”
Hansung filled a bowl with rice as he watched the playful bickering between mother and son.
His throat suddenly felt tight.
“Yoon... Yoon Hansung is in my house?!”
Hansung had feared that leaving that house would cause Bo-eun to fade from his heart, but that wasn’t what happened.
Her face still surfaced in his mind several times a day, but he was now able to end those thoughts with longing before they deepened into sorrow. Warm homemade meals and smiling faces kept him from sinking inward.
“Hyung, have some snacks.”
“Ah. Thank you, Yoomyeong.”
It was French toast soaked in egg, fried golden brown, and dusted with powdered sugar.
Yoomyeong’s mother was clearly determined to fatten him up. Hansung thought it was fortunate that the role of Jeong Mong-ju didn’t require him to stay thin.
The two sat at a folding table in Yoomyeong’s small room, reviewing various scripts.
They jogged through the park in front of the house wearing masks, discussed acting and directing after watching late-night movies, and gradually became close like real brothers.
Outside of acting discussions, Hansung’s way of addressing Yoomyeong also became more casual.
Near the end of the week, Hansung finally spoke up.
“I should move out.”
In just a single week, he could already feel that his habit of slipping into sorrow during acting had improved considerably.
Yoomyeong’s words — asking whether Bo-eun would truly want him to live this way — continued to echo in his mind. Now that he had taken a step back, it really did seem true.
“That’s a good idea.”
“I plan to keep the house in Gwacheon and rent another place for now. I’m still not ready to let it go completely.”
“That’s fine. You’ve got plenty of money, hyung.”
Yoomyeong lightly punched Hansung’s shoulder as he spoke.
“What neighborhood are you thinking about?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t really have anywhere in mind, so maybe somewhere near the company.”
Yoomyeong paused briefly before asking,
“Hyung, is Suwon really that far away?”
“Huh?”
“Why not move into our neighborhood? It’s a little far from Gangnam, but it’s really nice here.”
“Uh... well, that’s...”
Hansung hesitated as he realized what Yoomyeong was trying to do.
He was grateful to him, but he didn’t want to become a burden.
And yet, the fact that he couldn’t immediately refuse revealed what he subconsciously wanted.
Before Hansung could turn him down, Yoomyeong continued.
“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, so she misses having someone to cook for.”
“My dad loves playing Go, but he’s always nagging me because I don’t know how. He’s really happy when you play with him.”
“And I get spared from all the nagging.”
“Jiyeon likes you a lot too. She’s spent her whole life annoyed that her brother, who’s supposed to call her Oppa, is the same age as her. But she says that when she calls you Oppa, it finally feels correct, and that it relieves her stress.”
“Haha.”
Hansung finally laughed at Jiyeon’s absurd logic as relayed by Yoomyeong. His expression crumpled slightly with affection.
“I can’t stop you if you want to move to Gangnam because the commute’s too difficult, but if that’s not the case, it’d be great if you moved here. We could have dinner together sometimes, you could play Go with my dad, and it’d be nice to exercise and practice acting together whenever we’re free.”
Smiling persuasively, Yoomyeong looked at him.
Hansung gazed at his younger brother-like friend for a long moment before finally nodding.
“Thank you, Yoomyeong.”
“I should be the one thanking you, hyung.”
It was late February.
Though the chill of winter still lingered, the house felt exceptionally warm.
“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’s clogged! What a healthy morning!”
“Pfft—”
Yoomyeong burst out laughing at the final line.
They were in Hansung’s new apartment, located near Yoomyeong’s home. Once Hansung decided to move, he rented a nearby apartment almost immediately.
Lately, they had been spending nearly every day together, analyzing scripts and practicing acting.
Just the night before, they had fallen asleep during practice without even realizing how late it had gotten. After waking up, Yoomyeong had spontaneously started an acting game with the still-drowsy Hansung — a wordplay-based improvisation exercise.
Using the word “morning,” Yoomyeong created simple sentences and infused them with acting. It felt like opening a stage play, and he deliberately narrated each line with intention.
Hansung took the word “bed” and portrayed a weary middle-aged man lamenting life, perfectly immersed in his current state.
Then the mood shifted into suspense with “roadside.” Yoomyeong delivered the line in the wary tone of an overly suspicious, fussy man.
And finally, Hansung added a comedic twist.
“Hahaha, you’re the best, hyung.”
“Haha.”
Recently, their lives revolved around delicious meals, a compatible acting partner, and acting, acting, and more acting.
After finishing a hearty meal from the refrigerator full of side dishes packed by Yoomyeong’s mother, they sat down at the dining table with their scripts.
But they didn’t open them.
At this point, the scripts existed mostly as notebooks for jotting down ideas that surfaced during practice, since they had already memorized everything.
“Should we try Scene 48?”
“Sounds good.”
Yoomyeong genuinely enjoyed spending time with Hansung — a colleague devoted to acting and a warm, human older brother figure.
Having lived as long as he had, Yoomyeong sometimes even felt that Hansung was more of a friend.
Compared to his previous life, where his relationships had always been passive, he now had a real friend in Hansung: someone with whom he could exchange ideas, challenge each other, and grow together.
Today was the script reading for the main and supporting cast of <The Late Goryeo Dynasty & the Early Joseon Dynasty>. It would also be the first time all the actors met one another.
“The director didn’t say anything directly, but I think he plans to retire after this film.”
“Really?”
Director Son Chi-wook had apparently intended this to be his final film from the start.
That was why he had been so meticulous about casting and so intense during filming — which, unfortunately, had contributed to the project’s collapse in Yoomyeong’s previous life.
The thought of being unable to properly complete his final film must have filled his later years with regret.
“Yeah. All the actors cast are known as part of the Son Chi-wook faction. Even senior actors who usually play leads accepted supporting or cameo roles. Everyone seems to have been waiting for this project.”
The Son Chi-wook faction.
Director Son, now a more relaxed old man, had apparently been known as a tiger-like director in his youth.
He ran his sets with strict discipline and sometimes harshly criticized actors when their performances fell short. However, unlike many directors of the 80s and 90s, he never mixed personal emotions into his criticism or insulted an actor’s dignity, which earned him tremendous respect.
As a result, actors who had worked with him repeatedly came to be known as the Son Chi-wook faction.
“So does that mean everyone already knows each other, and I’m the only newcomer?”
Sensing the slight anxiety in Yoomyeong’s expression, Hansung smiled mischievously.
“You’ll definitely get a lot of attention. But they’re all good people, so no one’s going to give you a hard time. Oh, and there’s one more new face.”
“Who?”
“They asked me to keep it secret, so it’ll be a surprise. Haha, you’ll see once we get there.”
Hansung playfully dodged the question while Yoomyeong kept pressing him curiously. Soon, the car entered the parking garage.
“Hello! I’m rookie actor Shin Yoomyeong. I’ll do my best!”
“Uh-huh. Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jin-Beom. I enjoyed your drama.”
“Thank you, senior.”
Watching the disciplined rookie actor, the veteran actors chuckled.
“You’re the hottest actor here these days, aren’t you? My daughter went crazy when she heard we’d be working on the same project.”
“Oh no, not at all. Please teach me a lot.”
“Can I get an autograph later?”
Actor Kim Jin-Beom, who would play Byun Jung-ryang, and actor Min Gyeong-Guk, cast as Jeong Do-jeon, greeted him warmly.
Hansung naturally joined conversations with actors around his own age.
Yoomyeong sat in his assigned seat and looked over the remaining empty chairs with name tags attached to them.
The role of Lee Seong-gye belonged to actor Bae Geohyeong, famous for both his imposing physique and charismatic acting. Yoomyeong admired him greatly and was thrilled to be acting alongside him.
Then who could be the final actor Hansung had kept secret?
Just as Yoomyeong shifted his gaze toward another empty seat, the meeting room door opened.
“Hello~”
A warm, reassuring smile.
The owner of that gentle presence — someone who seemed to bring spring sunlight into the room the moment the door opened — was
“Ah... hello.”
“Hi, Yoomyeong~”
Lee Seon-ha.
