Chapter 59
Soon the doorbell rang, and Mo Eunje, who had pressed the building entrance door button, couldn’t wait even a moment and went out to the elevator. The numbers changed, and when it reached the fifth floor, the elevator doors opened. Mo Eunje extended both hands toward the opening doors.
“That’s me. Just hand it to me. I placed the order. Thank you.”
Without giving the delivery rider time to step out, he quickly took the food and went inside. After setting everything on the table, his mouth watered. The New York Brunch consisted of pancakes, an omelet, bacon, sausage, french fries, chicken leg, roasted cherry tomatoes, roasted mushrooms, coleslaw, and green salad, while the Eggs Benedict looked almost too pretty to eat.
Unlike Tae Igyeol, who immediately started eating, Mo Eunje and Ban Hajun first took photos for social media. But after seeing Ban Hajun’s camera screen, Mo Eunje quietly put down his phone and picked up his fork.
“Share yours with me.”
“Then I want an iced Americano.”
Normally, Mo Eunje would have prepared drinks before the delivery arrived, but today his eyes stung and he felt too lethargic to do anything, so he just sat in the dining chair spacing out. Though it was troublesome, they needed drinks, and he also wanted the high-quality photos, so he reluctantly started to get up. However, Tae Igyeol left the table faster than the dawdling Mo Eunje.
“Acting like a butler as usual. Ugh, can’t stand to look at it.”
“I’ll have an iced tea with an extra shot.”
Ignoring Ban Hajun’s sour mood, Mo Eunje cheerfully spoke as he sat back down. While the homeowner bestowed his grace on the poor creatures with doubled eyelids, Mo Eunje received the shared photos from Ban Hajun and deleted the ones he had taken.
“Why does my coffee taste like a curse? Did you only add curses to mine?”
Ban Hajun took a sip of the Americano he received from Tae Igyeol and complained.
“You’re still not gone?”
“I’m telling you, I’m going to eat this before I leave.”
“You can take it to go.”
“Why go that far? I just asked because I like the taste of curses.”
Since Tae Igyeol had the type of personality that would have kicked him out by now, Ban Hajun quickly changed his attitude. Mo Eunje clicked his tongue and shook his head. The fact that Ban Hajun always picked fights despite never winning showed he truly had an indomitable spirit.
Mo Eunje cut the pancake into bite-sized pieces, soaked one thoroughly in maple syrup, and put it in his mouth. The sweetness spread to the top of his head, and he began to feel energized.
“But if I keep holding out, there’s a good chance I’ll lose my studio apartment too. I’m sorry for interfering with your honeymoon, but could I stay here for just a bit?”
“…”
“Surely they wouldn’t take away the studio apartment too.”
Tae Igyeol was too openly ignoring him while focusing on eating, so Mo Eunje, who was sitting next to him, responded instead—of course, ignoring the nonsensical honeymoon comment.
“If I insist on continuing acting, they’ll probably drag me back home. The studio apartment was also set up by my mom when I turned twenty.”
“You’re… planning to continue acting?”
“Hey, why are you asking so cautiously? It’s fine. Even my friends can’t bring themselves to tell a white lie about my skills, so what about my parents? They’ve seen all kinds of acting in their industry throughout their lives. And it’s not like I don’t know my own acting abilities.”
Mo Eunje had thought he didn’t know. Even after filming just one background shot, Ban Hajun always claimed he had given an outstanding performance, brazenly calling himself a “god of acting,” so Mo Eunje thought he genuinely believed he was a good actor. He assumed that’s why Ban Hajun kept trying without giving up or despairing despite repeatedly failing auditions.
But though he hadn’t shown it to his friends, Ban Hajun had also been fighting a lonely, intense battle by himself. For all Mo Eunje knew, there must have been countless moments when he wanted to give up, and tearful times when he tried to endure by hypnotizing himself.
“I know my acting is hopeless. But I still can’t let it go because I love it and enjoy it—what should I do?”
Mo Eunje quietly exchanged glances with Tae Igyeol. Just as Tae Igyeol had taken him in, he thought it would be nice if they could sympathize with Ban Hajun’s situation and accommodate him temporarily in the worst case. However, the expressionless eyes revealed a determination not to let him into the house, regardless of the circumstances.
“So if I really do get kicked out, please help me. I’ll be quiet as a mouse and just sleep, so I won’t interfere with your honeymoon.”
“Seriously… Give it a rest. When you’re eating, just focus on the food.”
Finally, Tae Igyeol frowned. Mo Eunje had known this was coming since Ban Hajun first made the honeymoon comment. Tae Igyeol particularly hated this kind of teasing, and he wasn’t the type to tolerate it a second time after ignoring it once. Besides, how much more would he dislike it given that he had someone he was in one-sided love with?
Mo Eunje was about to go crazy with curiosity about Tae Igyeol’s one-sided love, but he had no idea when he’d get to hear about it.
“You think I want to be like this? I’m anxious, that’s why.”
“Why are you making trouble by worrying in advance when you haven’t even been kicked out yet?”
“I’m not making trouble—I’m planning ahead. Tae Igyeol, you don’t know my parents. They’re so relentless. Taking away the studio apartment would be just the beginning.”
“Then you can go back home.”
“Are you crazy? I’d rather die than do that. I’d sooner swallow my pride and crash at friends’ places, moving from one to another.”
Ban Hajun shuddered in horror. Mo Eunje, who had voluntarily stayed at home even when his dad told him he could live on his own, couldn’t understand this reaction.
Once, when Mo Eunje had wanted to become a poet, Ban Hajun’s family home was featured on a TV program. It was a documentary titled “Masters’ Studios,” introducing the workspaces of authorities in various fields. At that time, Film Director Ban Cheol-ung and Drama Writer Kim Heera’s studio, a two-story detached house in Ilsan, was also introduced. According to Ban Hajun, that well-maintained detached house with a pretty garden was both their workspace and main residence.
“Then should I talk to you again when it’s confirmed I’m getting kicked out? I only need the sofa, like yesterday.”
“Didn’t you say you’d move between friends’ places? You have lots of friends—just exclude my house from the list.”
“Argh, you heartless, cruel bastard. Look, even if I end up on the streets, I won’t come to this house—it would be too dirty and petty.”
“Good thinking. Stick to what you said.”
Ban Hajun dug his own grave when he could have gotten at least half by staying quiet. Seeing how he fell for it every time despite knowing Tae Igyeol’s tactics, Mo Eunje wondered whether Tae Igyeol was intelligent or Ban Hajun was simple-minded. But more than that, Mo Eunje was curious about something else.
“Why don’t you want to live at home? Ilsan might be a bit far, but it’s still manageable to commute from. You even have a car.”
“Just breathing in the same space as my parents stresses me out.”
“That’s a bit… They’re still your parents.”
“When my parents are working on projects, they become extremely sensitive, and you can’t even make breathing sounds in the house. No matter if they’re my parents, do you know how much I have to walk on eggshells? Why do you think I escaped as soon as I got into college?”
“Ah…”
This was an unexpected issue. Mo Eunje’s parents were out every day going to work, and they were so busy with academic conferences and such that he could comfortably write at home alone. Even on days when they were home together, they never invaded his privacy, so if it wasn’t mealtime, he would occasionally forget they were in the same house.
Although Mo Eunje spent more time at Tae Igyeol’s house than at his own regardless of whether his parents were home or not, if that was the reason, he could understand to some extent why Ban Hajun so terribly hated the idea of moving back home.
“By the way, yesterday when I was sobbing so hard, you guys couldn’t give me a single positive word? Like, ‘Don’t give up,’ ‘Keep your dream,’ ‘Try until you have no regrets’?”
“Hajun, life is only once, you know.”
Mo Eunje said with eye smiles, in a tone as if he were gently admonishing him, before taking a big bite of sausage. Ban Hajun’s expression darkened slightly, perhaps due to how he interpreted the “life is only once” comment.
“So… you’re against it too?”
“What right do I have to be against it? Life is only once, so just do whatever you want.”
“…”
“Nobody will live your life for you. It’s your life to choose and your responsibility, so why listen to others’ opinions?”
“Wow, look at Mo Eunje drawing the line.”
“It’s not drawing a line… What we can do for you is, regardless of what choice you make, to support and cheer you on unconditionally, without questioning anything.”
Mo Eunje wasn’t sure how much strength their support and encouragement would provide, but he had nothing else to offer. Even if peers exchanged various opinions and debated, it was more likely to increase confusion and end in lamentation than to be helpful. If Ban Hajun wanted advice, it would be more practical to ask someone who had walked the path ahead of him and succeeded, just as Mo Eunje had sought advice from Writer Kwon Jiyeon.
“Right. Actually, I’ve already decided. I’m going to find a part-time job.”
“Are you sure about that decision? Don’t you need to think more seriously about it?”
Mo Eunje’s question was cautious. If all support was cut off and he even lost the studio apartment, he might endure somehow at first, but it would get increasingly difficult. Mo Eunje worried whether Ban Hajun could withstand that. However, Ban Hajun shrugged and wore a rather unburdened expression.
