# Chapter 60
“Yeah. I realized there’s no need to confront them head-on.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“First, I’ll say I understand and pretend to quit acting while buying time. That way I can keep my officetel, right? In the meantime, I’ll do part-time jobs and save some money. This is about my life, so I’m not going to be picky about methods anymore.”
“…”
“You said it yourself. Life only happens once. So I want to do what I want to do as far as I can. I don’t want to resent my parents later with regrets. I don’t want to make excuses even if I fail. So support me and cheer me on.”
“Yes. They say if you hold onto your dream, the time for it to be realized will definitely come. If you really can’t continue at some point, you can quit then. No one will say anything even if you give up, so just do it as far as you can.”
Now that Ban Hajun had made his decision, Mo Eunje intended to support and encourage him. That was separate from Ban Hajun’s acting abilities. In truth, he knew intellectually that Ban Hajun’s parents’ choice was right. After all, it was a decision made by people who cherished, valued, and loved Ban Hajun more than anyone else.
But when one has to make a choice, if even a small element of force is involved, it leads to different feelings depending on the outcome as time passes. One might think it was good to have listened to one’s parents, but as Ban Hajun said, regret and lingering attachment might remain, leading to resentment. So it’s best to respect the current choice, and if that choice changes later, respect that too.
“Have you thought about what part-time job you’ll do?”
“Café, pub, convenience store, delivery rider—there are plenty of options if I’m willing to work, right?”
“Once you start a part-time job, you won’t be able to adjust your schedule as easily as now, even to do a single-cut role as an extra… Can you really manage it?”
“No.”
It was a determined answer without even 0.1 seconds of hesitation.
“I can’t miss precious opportunities because of a part-time job. Sigh… it’s really overwhelming. Isn’t there a high-paying part-time job where I don’t have to commute and can use my time freely?”
“Are you a gangster? Why would anyone pay you a lot when you don’t commute and use your time however you want?”
The nasty-tempered Tae Igyeol shattered Ban Hajun’s morale in one go as he elegantly sipped his coffee. It wasn’t wrong, but Mo Eunje wondered if he really had to say it right now. While eating his Eggs Benedict, Mo Eunje tried to think of part-time jobs that would meet Ban Hajun’s conditions.
First, what is Ban Hajun good at…
“Ah! Photography! You’re good at taking photos, right?”
“Hey, photography is just a hobby. If I want to make money from photography, I’d need to study for 10 more years. Otherwise, I’d need to work at a studio, but do you think I’d get to handle cameras? I’d just be an assistant all the time, and even for that job, I’d still have to commute.”
“No, no. You could do it yourself. Like follow-snap or date-snap photography. These days, couples and friends casually take a lot of photos, so wouldn’t that be good?”
“…Wow?”
Life returned to Ban Hajun’s eyes, which had only been thinking of conventional part-time jobs, and color came back to his face. Though it was unclear how much money he could earn, if he didn’t take too many appointments, it seemed possible to manage alongside his occasional acting jobs.
“Amazing… Mo Eunje, you’re a freaking genius!”
“I’ll model for you and promote it on my account.”
Emboldened by the praise, Mo Eunje volunteered for the troublesome task. Tae Igyeol looked at him as if wondering why he was creating more work, while Ban Hajun, who had plenty of pretty and handsome juniors, seniors, and peers around him, seemed puzzled.
“Huh? Model? What kind of model?”
“You need a portfolio for promotion, and people need to see sample photos before they book with you. The concept is so important for that.”
“So you’re saying you’ll model for date-snap photos that couples might take? Those date-snap photos that women take with their partners, you’ll model for those?”
“Yes. My face isn’t something to be ashamed of, right? To be precise, it’s a face that the CEO of Ila Actors covets. It would be a huge advantage for you if I model. Opportunities like this don’t come easily, you know.”
Knowing that Ban Hajun had talent for photography, even though Mo Eunje himself knew nothing about photography, he laid the groundwork to take major credit later if things worked out well.
However, instead of nodding enthusiastically and being immensely grateful as Mo Eunje had expected, Ban Hajun exchanged glances with Tae Igyeol with an awkward smile. Sensing something suspicious, Mo Eunje also looked at Tae Igyeol, but he continued to sip his coffee elegantly without changing his expression, as if uninterested.
“Um, well… Hey, I appreciate it, but I’ll take care of the sample photos by giving them as gifts to my friends who are actual couples, so let’s just take profile photos of you. In the studio and outdoors.”
“Why? I can really do a great job as a couple model. Want to see?”
Mo Eunje’s competitive spirit was triggered, thinking Ban Hajun didn’t trust him. He speared a roasted cherry tomato with his fork, held it in front of Tae Igyeol’s mouth, and looked at him as if he were madly in love. Tae Igyeol naturally opened his mouth and ate the cherry tomato.
“Hey, what are you staring at blankly? Why aren’t you taking photos?”
“I was supposed to take photos?”
“Of course. There’s a world of difference between what you see with your eyes and what’s captured in a photo in that fleeting moment. You’re a photographer and you don’t even know that?”
When Mo Eunje scolded him, Ban Hajun took out his phone with an expression that said he’d rather die than do this. After confirming that the camera app was running, he cut a small piece of pancake, speared it with a fork, and held it in front of Tae Igyeol’s mouth while acting out an expression. If it had been for himself, he would have soaked it generously in maple syrup, but considering Tae Igyeol’s taste, he offered just the plain bread. Again, Tae Igyeol accepted it with an expressionless face.
“This is the concept of having a picnic in the park, sitting on a mat and feeding each other. How about it? Didn’t I look like a really caring boyfriend? If you take photos in bursts, you’ll get at least one good shot.”
“…”
When Ban Hajun remained silent, Mo Eunje thought of another concept. He followed a travel-related SNS account and had seen many beautiful photos there. Of course, the backgrounds were generally beautiful landscapes, but the feel varied depending on the expressions and poses of the people in the frame.
“Stand up for a moment.”
Mo Eunje, rising to his feet, asked Tae Igyeol. Since Ban Hajun needed to see and take photos for an objective evaluation, there was no choice but to employ Tae Igyeol. Initially, it felt like he was volunteering for a troublesome task, but seeing Ban Hajun’s lukewarm reaction, it turned into a matter of pride.
“…”
However, Tae Igyeol, assigned the mission of support, calmly ate his Eggs Benedict with a serene expression, as if he hadn’t heard a word. As always, he was too haughty to comply at once. But Mo Eunje, accustomed to such disdain, never gives up.
“Igyeol, just once. Please, okay? Okay? Please, please… okay?”
“Oh, seriously. Stop being so clingy. What are you doing in the middle of eating?”
He tried shaking his shoulders and his whole body in a whiny tantrum, but it failed. The narrowed eyes glaring at him and the annoyed voice made him feel as if he had been beaten. Left with no choice, he decided to skip straight to the third stage to save time. Mo Eunje brought his face close to Tae Igyeol’s.
“Pweez do it for Eunje just once, kay? Kay? Kay?”
“Sigh…”
Just as expected. When Mo Eunje used baby talk aegyo, Tae Igyeol got up from the table with a frown and a sigh, as if he couldn’t bear to see such uncomfortable and terrible aegyo for even one more second.
“Just stay still for a moment.”
After instructing Tae Igyeol, Mo Eunje bent slightly and wrapped his arms around Tae Igyeol’s solid thighs. Now he just needed to lift him up… but somehow, like a giant tree with deep roots in the ground, Tae Igyeol didn’t budge at all. After struggling and trying a few more times, Mo Eunje cleanly gave up as he always did without minding.
“Let’s switch positions. You hold my thighs and lift me up.”
“Hey…”
“Don’t you know what pose I’m talking about? You know, that famous pose where the guy holds the girl’s thighs and lifts her high.”
“…”
“I mean, I’ll take care of the expression and pose, so you just hold my thighs… Whoa!”
He was about to give additional explanations since Tae Igyeol was just staring blankly without making any move. Suddenly, Mo Eunje’s body was lifted up, and his eye level immediately became much higher than Tae Igyeol’s. It was puzzling why he had delayed when he knew exactly what to do.
Mo Eunje tentatively removed his hands from Tae Igyeol’s thick shoulders, which he had grabbed reflexively. Even though he must be quite heavy as a man, Tae Igyeol stood in a stable position without wavering. Feeling reassured, Mo Eunje bent one knee, lifted his foot backward, and wrapped his arms around Tae Igyeol’s neck.
“How is it? Good, right? Hurry and take a photo. Did you take it?”
“…Yeah.”
“Ah! But I think this is prettier than that.”
Mo Eunje lowered the foot he had been holding up and wrapped both legs around Tae Igyeol’s waist. Tae Igyeol adjusted to the changing posture and supported him stably. Wondering why he had been so reluctant when he could do it so well, Mo Eunje held Tae Igyeol’s jaw and nape with both hands.
“…”
“…”
Their eyes met in a silence so eerie it sent chills down the spine. Mo Eunje couldn’t read anything in those light-colored eyes looking up at him with a perfectly blank expression that concealed all thought. Mo Eunje widened his eyes as if intoxicated with happiness, put on a splendid smile, and very slowly narrowed the gap between their faces. Then he stopped at a distance of about one hand span.
“…”
Tae Igyeol’s face had completely frozen—it must have been incredibly disgusting and unpleasant for him.
