# Chapter 40
The rain showed no signs of stopping. Staff members were busily moving filming equipment, and several people were taking temporary shelter in places where the rain couldn’t reach. That annoying Kim Jinha had slipped into his spacious private waiting room all by himself.
‘But where is Seo Hanryul?’
Seo Hanryul came to mind. When we first arrived here, he said he was going to the waiting room.
‘Where is the waiting room?’
The rain was falling harder than expected, so I suddenly thought I should bring Seo Hanryul clothes and an umbrella.
I hurried toward the van to get clothes and an umbrella. The rain was pouring down as if there was a hole in the sky, and although the distance to the van was less than 5 minutes, my clothes got completely soaked.
‘Ugh… So damp.’
As soon as I opened the car door, I went inside and brought out Seo Hanryul’s spare clothes and umbrella. Then, to find the waiting room he mentioned, I grabbed a passing staff member to ask for directions.
“Excuse me. Where is the supporting actors’ waiting room?”
“Over there~ It’s that way.”
One person’s answer wasn’t enough, so on my way there I grabbed 2 more people to ask for directions and finally found the waiting room.
‘Found it.’
Unlike the leading actors’ waiting rooms, the environment of the supporting and minor actors’ waiting room looked very poor. To make matters worse, with the rain coming down, the facilities were even stuffy.
Seo Hanryul must have found the inside of the waiting room stuffy too, as he was sitting slumped under a temporary canopy tent set up next to the waiting room, reading his script. The weather had suddenly turned chilly and with the rain and wind blowing, Seo Hanryul had no choice but to sit there wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, getting hit by the scattering rain.
I immediately approached Seo Hanryul and casually tossed him the umbrella and clothes.
“Hey, how can an actor be sitting out here in this cold? If you catch a cold, you’ll probably take out all your bad temper on me again, right? Use the umbrella too. It’s cold, so put on some clothes.”
“…”
Hearing my voice, Seo Hanryul looked up at me. But even after seeing me, he didn’t give any response. His expression didn’t even budge, making it hard to read his emotions.
‘What’s gotten into him now to make him act like that?’
“When someone embarrassingly talks to you, at least give an answer.”
“Hey, are you an idiot?”
Starting with picking a fight again from the first words. I should have just left when he wasn’t saying anything earlier. Now his reactions were so predictable that I wasn’t even angry.
“Right, I’m an idiot. So what, do you have a problem with that?”
“Look at your condition. Looking like a drenched rat…”
I knew I was soaked through. This is what happened trying to take care of someone. When Seo Hanryul looked over my entire body, I looked at myself wondering if being wet was such a big deal.
Ah… I belatedly realized that I was wearing a white t-shirt. With the white shirt completely soaked by rain, my skin was showing through without any filter. Did I walk around the streets like this? Embarrassment washed over me. But I didn’t show any particular expression to Seo Hanryul. It would be troublesome if he found fault with me.
“I got all wet bringing this to you. Just put on the clothes.”
I was about to go straight back to the van to change clothes, but the rain got heavier, so I had no choice but to take a seat next to Seo Hanryul.
“And where did you go and hurt your hand to make it look like that? Where were you fluttering around…”
Seeing my hand, Seo Hanryul picked another fight.
“I accidentally hurt it earlier. It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it, okay? And well… with your personality, you probably don’t care anyway, but don’t take it personally.”
I casually threw that at Seo Hanryul, remembering what happened earlier. Seo Hanryul looked at me again without saying anything. Does that mean I should stop talking?
“…Hey, can a person change so drastically? Did you accidentally take the wrong medicine at home or something?”
Again, that’s the kind of thing he says.
Looking at Seo Hanryul’s temperament made me really want to summon the real Cha Jaehyun and beat him up a few times. But if that happened, I’d be finished too, so I had no choice but to be gentle with Seo Hanryul. Naturally, from Seo Hanryul’s perspective, Cha Jaehyun would seem strange.
“Do you always say stuff like that to everything a person says? I’m trying to live well too. What’s your problem with that? Don’t say anything different later after the 6 months are over. If you do, I’ll really kill you then.”
Seo Hanryul casually ignored my answer and looked at his script again. I also didn’t speak and just looked at the rainy scenery.
The silence continued, but the sound made by the pouring rain filled that silence completely, so it wasn’t awkward at all. Just the unique quietness and sound of rain combining to create a distinctive atmosphere. Like a scene from some unknown sentimental movie.
‘It finally stopped.’
After about 10 minutes, the rain seemed to be gradually stopping, and then clear skies returned as if nothing had happened.
“Hey, I’m going to change clothes.”
As soon as the rain stopped, I headed toward the car to change clothes. As expected, Seo Hanryul had no particular reaction to my words.
* * *
Celebrity. It was a job Hanryul had always dreamed of, but the process wasn’t easy. Especially on days like today, fatigue and anxiety doubled, and the weak parts of his heart endlessly reared their heads. Entertainment industry life where you couldn’t see an inch ahead. A merciless industry where even making your three-character name known was difficult.
Bastards like Kim Jinha, whose insides were transparently visible, weren’t even on his radar. He’d met more than a truckload of such guys so far. These types were so predictable that they were easy targets who would tire themselves out and fall away if you just didn’t react when they picked fights.
However, what troubled him was the unknowable future. Could he really do well? People around him always said things like “someone like you is a natural-born celebrity, you just have one thing left to do – become famous,” but honestly he wasn’t very confident. People like him would pour into the entertainment industry by the dozens and hundreds every year.
**NEW** Youth Entertainment’s public audition wasn’t far away. A snobbish audition where they’d only pick 1 person, or if no participants caught their eye, 0 people could pass. Talented people from all over the country would come.
‘If I fail… what should I do after that?’
As if sensing Hanryul’s gloomy mood, dark clouds began to gather in the clear sky and soon rain started pouring down.
“Hey, how can an actor be sitting out here in this cold?”
Then some idiot appeared in front of him, grinning foolishly. He had an umbrella but his clothes were soaked as if he’d been completely drenched by rain. Also, his finger looked like he’d hurt it somewhere and roughly wrapped it with tissue.
Hanryul usually thought of colors that suited people when he looked at them. From colorless, odorless gray that left no impression on Hanryul’s memory, to red that left intensity, and even to sinister black that he absolutely didn’t want to get close to.
Yellow.
His mother and the manager hyung who left him were warm yellow to Hanryul. A cozy color that became a support to help him live in the world.
And Cha Jaehyun.
Jaehyun couldn’t even be black to Hanryul. He was the color of sewage that seemed to scrape together all the filth in the world, gathering unknown splotchiness in one place.
But right now, there was only a boy-like man smiling brightly in front of him. Seeing that smile, Hanryul thought of light green. A color that, once seen, was hard to pass by easily – the color that only fresh spring wildflowers could have.
His mood felt strange. The ‘Cha Jaehyun’ he’d known until now was someone who could only give vile and lowly smiles. From those smiles, there seemed to be an indescribable rotten stench.
But how could he now smile so purely and clearly in front of him?
Looking at his smile, Hanryul thought that anyone, not just himself, who saw Jaehyun’s appearance right now would be able to smell the fresh fragrance of wildflowers.
Just a few days ago at the gym, he’d told himself not to be deceived by a snake’s tricks. He absolutely had to get revenge on that bastard. But seeing his smiling face, his heart seemed to flutter little by little. He felt pathetic about himself for this inexplicable feeling.
‘I’m crazy, really crazy.’
Before he knew it, the rain had stopped and the ground had hardened. Jaehyun disappeared from his sight as soon as the rain stopped. Just like how rainwater is absorbed into the ground after rain and the earth hardens more solidly, Hanryul tried hard to deny the fact that the bastard’s fresh smile had also quietly soaked into his heart and hardened.
* * *
“Filming is all finished. Everyone worked hard!”
I thought it would never end… Fortunately, filming proceeded without major problems and could be finished efficiently.
The initial atmosphere wasn’t great due to Kim Jinha’s special tardiness, but fortunately the results were good, so a warm atmosphere was formed when it ended.
The hard work of countless people to create one movie. I’d only heard about this in words, but actually experiencing it… it wasn’t an experience I’d particularly want to go through again.
‘It’s not like this is some life experience field trip… Still, it was rewarding.’
I was sitting in the driver’s seat having some alone time and feeling a kind of satisfaction when Seo Hanryul opened the door and came in.
“You’re here? Should we head back now?”
“Hey, what’s with your clothes?”
Another fight.
“Actor Seo. Today’s filming went well too, and everyone’s tired, so let’s take it easy~.”
I didn’t have the energy to fight with him, so I wanted to end things nicely.
“Aren’t you the one who’s taking it the wrong way? Still walking around in just a short-sleeved shirt. Do you think manager work is a joke?”
“Wow~ Now you’re even worrying about me? Unlike someone who’s frail, I’m an iron man so don’t worry.”
Seo Hanryul had no response again. As expected, he had nothing to say to my correct words.
I was starting to understand Seo Hanryul’s personality. His heart softens when he sees something pitiful. He’s also weak to smooth and slick strategies. And he can’t really argue back about getting angry in situations that warrant anger. Even if it’s words from Cha Jaehyun, whom he so dislikes.
‘Right~ Seo Hanryul. I think I’m starting to understand you now.’
With a light heart, I started the engine and began driving cheerfully toward Seoul.
