# Chapter 66
“Are you trying to build your body because it’s summer now? You already have excellent natural physique without working out, so why are you exercising like your life depends on it? You’re already intimidating enough.”
“If I don’t exercise to death, I’m afraid I might cause trouble.”
Though Mo Eunje didn’t understand what that meant at all, with his mind completely occupied by thoughts of his new work, he stopped asking questions. Due to his tendency to become completely immersed in a single thought—continuing to think about it while eating, showering, or lying down to sleep—paying attention to anything else right now was a luxury.
“I know you get intensely absorbed once you focus on something, but take breaks while you work.”
“Ah…”
“Even though you love sleep, you’ve been sitting at your desk constantly and haven’t slept more than five hours.”
“But it feels like a waste to sleep…”
“Don’t you care about your health deteriorating? If you end up bedridden for days, that would be an even bigger loss.”
His heart was touched by the affectionate nagging. Only Tae Igyeol worried about him like this. Even when living with his parents, true to their philosophy of teaching self-reliance, they never nagged when Mo Eunje stayed up all night, believing that one should take care of one’s own body and trusting that he would manage well on his own.
So Tae Igyeol was the only person who nagged Mo Eunje, and he didn’t mind it. Maybe that’s why he came here to write and revise his manuscripts before too.
“Then shall I clock out for today and play with my butler for a bit?”
“I never said I would play with you.”
“What? You told me to rest. For me, playing with you is resting.”
“What play? Just go to sleep.”
“I can’t fall asleep, so what sleep are you talking about…”
While Mo Eunje was speaking, the doorbell rang. His voice trailed off as he met Tae Igyeol’s eyes. He wondered who it could be, as no one was expected at this hour.
“Did you order delivery?”
“No. I’ll go check.”
Tae Igyeol squeezed Mo Eunje’s shoulder once more before leaving the alpha room. Mo Eunje organized the papers he had copied from books and turned off his laptop. He stacked the books neatly, planning to return them to the library tomorrow, then went to the living room.
“Who is it?”
“…Ban Hajun.”
Why does that bastard keep coming and making a fuss?
Mo Eunje pretended not to hear the muttered complaint that followed. Expecting Tae Igyeol to start cursing as soon as he opened the door if the bell rang again, he pushed Tae Igyeol aside and went to the entrance himself.
Come to think of it, after passing Ban Hajun’s name and contact information to Tae Hyunseok, he’d been so busy starting work that he completely forgot to tell Ban Hajun about it. Since profiles were largely a formality, he had sent the profile Ban Hajun had made a few months ago and asked him to review via email. It didn’t matter since Ban Hajun would use that same profile for the audition anyway.
The doorbell rang again, and Mo Eunje, who had been waiting at the entrance, opened the door. Ban Hajun, who seemed to have just come from a salon with perfect hair and makeup and dressed to the nines, greeted him with a big smile, raising the heavy bags in both hands.
“Oh, pretty Eunje! Let’s eat meat—I brought meat!”
“All of a sudden?”
“I just came from an audition at Ila Actors.”
“Did you pass? Did they agree to sign you?”
“No? They said they’d discuss and contact me later.”
Though he didn’t want to dampen his spirits, Mo Eunje thought it was premature and jumping the gun to bring meat and soju when the results weren’t even out yet. Mo Eunje sprayed disinfectant on Ban Hajun while making a puzzled expression. He worried that Ban Hajun might be disappointed as Tae Igyeol had cautioned, because of something he had done.
“Aren’t you popping the champagne too early then?”
“I brought this to thank you, regardless of the contract.”
“Huh? What did I do…”
“The casting director at Ila Actors—no, the director himself called and said he was contacting me based on Mo Eunje’s recommendation. My heart nearly burst. If you had been there, I might have hugged and kissed you.”
As Ban Hajun made a big fuss, Tae Igyeol’s expression gradually turned grim. Mo Eunje, sharing the load of bags, quickly led Ban Hajun to the rooftop terrace. Since Tae Igyeol had heard Ban Hajun say he brought meat, he would probably prepare and join them.
Honestly, when eating something on the rooftop terrace, it was better to sit at the table under the canopies where the lighting and atmosphere were nice, but Ban Hajun had brought meat. So he set up at the deck table next to the barbecue fire pit. Ban Hajun, helping with the barbecue preparations, continued his story excitedly.
“I was about to call you right after I got the call, but Tae Igyeol said you’re busy with work these days and told me not to contact you if possible, so I held back.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t have been able to answer anyway. My phone’s been on silent recently.”
“I figured. Am I barging in without notice while you’re busy? But you still need to eat, right?”
After already causing the disruption, Ban Hajun belatedly pretended to be considerate. If Mo Eunje hadn’t finished his work, he would have apologetically told them to eat without him, which would have led to an affectionate attack starting with, “What masterpiece are you writing that you don’t even have time to eat?” Then Tae Igyeol would have brought grilled meat to the alpha room, and he would have eaten deliciously while working. Today’s timing was good because he had changed his mind after Tae Igyeol’s nagging.
“You did well. I was planning to stop working and rest today anyway.”
“That’s good. Anyway, so I called Tae Igyeol, right? But his reaction was so damn cold that I almost got hurt.”
“It’s not like it’s the first time he’s been like that, so why take offense at every little thing? It’s exhausting.”
“Right. It’s exhausting just for me. Meanwhile, Tae Igyeol doesn’t even care.”
“That’s what I’m saying. You’re just too sensitive. But when did the company contact you?”
“Yesterday afternoon. They asked when I was available, and I said I’d go right away today. It’s not like my acting would suddenly improve if I prepared for another week, so I went and appealed with my devastatingly handsome face.”
By now, Tae Igyeol had brought the solid fuel, lit the fire, and placed the grill on top. Mo Eunje went back inside alone to fetch chopsticks, glasses, plates, tongs, scissors, and other necessary items. The delicious smell of cooking meat spread, and in that brief moment, Tae Igyeol and Ban Hajun were bickering.
“You didn’t listen at all when I said not to come because he’s busy.”
“He just said he was planning to stop working and rest today, so why are you picking a fight? The timing was perfect.”
“Now that he’s already here, do you think he’d tell him to leave with his personality? You deliberately came without contacting him, counting on that, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, that’s true. Honestly, if I just kept quiet on a day like this, I’d be too shameless.”
“A guy with a conscience wouldn’t bring this much alcohol when he knows the person is working.”
“Hey, you little brats, knock it off. I’m only going to drink somaek until this one can of beer is finished, so stop putting me on the chopping block.”
After Mo Eunje’s mediation, Tae Igyeol shut his mouth despite his displeased expression, and Ban Hajun grinned and gave a thumbs up. Though Mo Eunje hadn’t particularly taken Ban Hajun’s side, somehow it ended up looking that way.
Still, with Ban Hajun’s high spirits today, it seemed better to go along with him. Mo Eunje had planned to have a beer with Tae Igyeol even if Ban Hajun hadn’t come, so thinking this would be a good change of pace and refreshing, he spoke cheerfully.
“How was it? Do you think you did well? What was the atmosphere like?”
“The atmosphere was amazing. Everyone kept bursting into laughter every time I acted.”
“Really? Your uncle too? I mean, the CEO too?”
“The CEO said he’d give me a perfect score since you recommended me, so he didn’t attend the audition for fairness issues. Only the casting director and staff were there. But I was so nervous that after I finished and came out, I couldn’t even remember how many judges there were.”
“No matter how much Mo Eunje recommended you, my father isn’t that easygoing,” Tae Igyeol said dryly as he grilled the meat. Mo Eunje agreed. It was highly likely that Tae Hyunseok had made that joke to help ease Ban Hajun’s nervousness.
Tae Hyunseok, who had briefly worked as a film actor, hadn’t built his once-small company into the major corporation it is now through luck or coincidence. Ila Actors became one of Korea’s top talent agencies solely because of Tae Hyunseok’s abilities. With his meticulous management philosophy, Tae Hyunseok wasn’t the type to give special treatment just because Mo Eunje had made an introduction. That’s why he probably chose not to attend the audition—to prevent any disappointment and resulting complaints if Ban Hajun had high expectations based on personal connections but didn’t get good results.
“I wanted to greet your dad while I was there, but they said he wasn’t in.”
“Maybe my father deliberately left to avoid your greeting.”
“Hey! I had no disrespectful intentions at all—I just wanted to greet my friend’s dad with pure intentions.”
“And if you made a good impression after greeting him with pure intentions, that would be nice.”
“That’s beyond my control, isn’t it?”
The meat was cooked to some degree, and the three filled their glasses. They toasted out of habit and drank. Tae Igyeol drank soju, and Ban Hajun downed his somaek in one shot. Mo Eunje took just a small sip to taste it, planning to conserve it since he had declared he would only drink somaek until the 500ml can of beer was empty. Although he could easily drink five cans without affecting his condition the next day, he knew he would want to keep drinking once he started, so he decided to exercise restraint and just go with the flow.
