SDM 28
by Soraii“Why is your face half its size?”
“…Sunbae-nim, your face looks really good too?”
Seong-woon’s face, which had been so gaunt it made others worry, had improved tremendously.
Did he go somewhere and eat something good?
Meanwhile, he had been suffering for two days, enduring Ho-yoon’s nursing and playfulness.
“Got a problem with that?”
“No…”
Sang-hyun barged into the cafe terrace, which had now become Seong-woon’s designated spot. He usually only showed up right before lectures started, but today, who knows what prompted his actions.
“When you come, Sunbae-nim, too many photos get taken.”
“Can’t be helped.”
Seong-woon wrinkled his nose at the nonchalant response, and the sunglasses moved up and down.
“Coffee?”
“Chamomile tea.”
Seong-woon pointed to the mug in front of him as he answered.
“You don’t drink coffee?”
“No.”
They absolutely forbid him from drinking it, saying even decaf has caffeine. It’s obvious that some security guard is probably watching him from somewhere even now, so Seong-woon chose hot chamomile tea again.
Sang-hyun chuckled and went to order coffee. Meanwhile, Seong-woon briefly scanned the cameras focused on them. Even when he’s alone, there are always three or four pointed his way, but with Baek Sang-hyun’s appearance, the number became uncountable.
“Your senior’s here, shouldn’t you take off your sunglasses?”
What an old fogey. Seong-woon frowned and took off his sunglasses. Ryu Chae-yoon must have weak eyes too, as it was difficult to be in the sunlight without sunglasses.
“Is it bright?”
“Yes.”
Baek Sang-hyun was being quite gentle as if that one phone call on Friday night had given him some unwarranted sense of familiarity. Should he consider it worth reading the script for two hours… Even so, it’s only about 30% compared to how he treats Jin Seong-woon. It hasn’t even reached half that level yet.
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Ryu Chae-yoon was definitely a fan of Baek Sang-hyun, so what on earth did he do to make Baek Sang-hyun dislike him so much? After pondering for a moment, Seong-woon suddenly raised his head.
“What?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Sang-hyun picked up Seong-woon’s sunglasses that were carelessly placed on the table and put them on his face. Seong-woon opened his eyes, feeling more comfortable.
“What brought you here?”
“Why should I leave just because you’re here?”
It doesn’t really matter whether he’s here or not. The gazes and cameras filling the surroundings are a bit uncomfortable, but Seong-woon had been a celebrity for a long time and lived surrounded by CCTV even at home, so this level was nothing.
“Did you see the script?”
“…What script?”
“It hasn’t reached you yet, I guess.”
“What is it?”
Sang-hyun, who had slightly widened his eyes at Seong-woon’s eager attitude, took out a script from his bag. It read “Orbit Collision” on a white background.
“…The script is out already?”
“It’s still a draft.”
Of course it wouldn’t come to him then. The role Seong-woon got has a small part. They probably sent it to the lead actors to get their opinions.
“It was quite interesting.”
“…Can I read it?”
As soon as Sang-hyun nodded that it was okay, Seong-woon opened the script. It was a script for a two-hour movie so reading it didn’t take much time.
While reading the script with his eyes, Seong-woon was already half-acting with his lips. Even with sunglasses covering half his face, one could see his muscles moving subtly.
“I don’t think this role was supposed to be this significant.”
“The director must have liked you. They might have delayed the start of filming because of you?”
What nonsense. Seong-woon, now drinking his cooled tea, immersed himself in the script again. No matter how small the role or how bizarre the dialogue in the script, Seong-woon loved getting lost in the script.
“…Do you enjoy acting?”
“Pardon?”
“You seem to be enjoying it.”
It is fun. That’s why I… couldn’t give it up and kept doing it. Maybe if I had quit and changed to a job where I didn’t have to meet people, it might have been a bit easier. The evaluations I had to face every time I showed myself to the public were quite painful.
“…Well, I’m not sure. I’ve only acted once.”
Recalling Ryu Chae-yoon’s position, Seong-woon barely managed to answer accordingly and handed the script back to Sang-hyun. He actually wanted to read more, but it was obviously confidential, and even showing it to him could cause problems.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t see the script.”
“…Was ‘Human Justice’ really your first acting role?”
“Huh? Yes…”
“Really?”
“…Why do you ask?”
“You seemed seasoned both then and now.”
“……”
Did I act too naturally without being cautious?
Seong-woon, fidgeting with the corner of the script with his fingertips, threw his manager under the bus.
“My manager hyung taught me well.”
“…Your manager must be quite capable.”
“Yes. He used to be an actor, so he taught me a lot.”
It wasn’t a lie. Hyun-seok was always full of worries and would pour out all sorts of information. Although Seong-woon already knew all of it.
“It’s about time now, you’re going to class, right?”
“Yeah.”
Seong-woon drank the remaining tea in one gulp and stood up.
I’m not sure what strange thoughts he’s having, asking these probing questions… Who would believe that a person’s soul and body could switch?
Even the family who loves Ryu Chae-yoon unconditionally would immediately hospitalize him if they heard such a thing. Not in the cardiology department, but in psychiatry.
After attending the lecture, Seong-woon had dinner with Sang-hyun at a rice noodle restaurant near the Business School. With midterms approaching, he was in a desperate situation and Sang-hyun’s help was absolutely necessary, so he couldn’t push away the strangely clingy Sang-hyun.
Throughout the meal, Seong-woon felt Sang-hyun’s gaze intently observing his mouth and hands. At first, thinking he might have gotten food on himself, he wiped with a tissue when he noticed the gaze, but seeing nothing there, he decided to ignore it from then on.
“What are you working on so hard?”
Park Si-hoo, the group leader, asked Seong-woon who was solving practice problems with his head buried in books.
“…I have to work hard.”
“You’d probably get a C just by attending, right? You don’t really… need to get good grades, do you?”
Ryu Chae-yoon is from a chaebol family and has started his entertainment career, so that statement isn’t wrong. It’s strange enough that he’s attending school so diligently in the first place.
“I just tend to work hard at everything. That’s who I am.”
“You’re diligent.”
Things that were difficult to explain was brushed off as personality traits. As Seong-woon buried his head again and turned away, Park Si-hoo chuckled and packed his things.
“We’ll go first. We’re leaving now, sunbae-nim.”
“Alright.”
“…Goodbye.”
Left alone with Baek Sang-hyun again today, Seong-woon said goodbye in a gloomy voice and picked up his pen again. After writing down what he had memorized on scratch paper, Seong-woon collapsed onto the desk. A piece of paper fluttered to the floor.
“Get up.”
“…I can’t do it.”
“Then don’t do it.”
“I need to get at least 80 points.”
“…You have a clear goal, huh?”
“Yes.”
Reluctantly getting up again, Seong-woon gripped his pen tightly and read the problem several times. It doesn’t seem like his comprehension is lacking, but maybe his application skills are weak. After reading the problem once more, underlining parts, Seong-woon slowly wrote down the answer.
“…Aren’t you going home, sunbae-nim?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because someone is really bad at solving problems.”
“…What does that have to do with you?”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
This is much better than when he was treating me rudely… but not knowing the reason for his sudden change in attitude made Seong-woon a bit uneasy. He gave up on the conversation and focused again.
As Seong-woon tilted his head while reading and re-reading the problem, Sang-hyun interjected brilliantly, clearing up the confusing part. …Although he didn’t know why Sang-hyun was still here, Seong-woon decided to be genuinely grateful since his presence was incredibly helpful.
Satisfied with having gone through all the practice problems for today, he decided to head home. It was getting late, and everyone would worry if he stayed out too long. His phone was already receiving messages. Even though the bodyguard or Hyeong-seok had likely reported, they couldn’t help but worry.
“…Thank you, sunbae.”
“If you’re grateful, buy me a meal.”
“Okay.”
If he really scored over 80 points, Baek Sang-hyun would be nothing short of a saviour. Seong-woon nodded and gathered the scattered papers. Sang-hyun picked up the ones that had fallen on the floor, and they roughly organized them before stuffing them into the bag.
As they were cleaning up, Seong-woon’s phone started ringing. This time it was a call. Glancing at the screen, he saw the name of someone he hadn’t expected at all.
Hae-yoon hyung
“…”
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
“Ah, I should.”
Why was Ryu Hae-yoon calling? Of all people, Seong-woon had hardly ever had a personal conversation with Ryu Hae-yoon. The twins were always so noisy, and Ryu Chang-yoon was such a control freak when it came to Ryu Chae-yoon that there was never an opportunity for Ryu Hae-yoon to speak to him.
“…Hello?”
─ Chae-yoon.
“Yes, hyung-nim.”
Reflexively, Seong-woon spoke formally to Hae-yoon. When the other end of the line went quiet, Seong-woon realized his mistake. Clearing his throat and barely suppressing his awkwardness, he said:
“Yeah, hyung. Sorry, I thought it was someone else.”
─ Sorry for calling so late. You’re not home yet, right?
Everyone tends to be affectionate towards Ryu Chae-yoon, but Ryu Hae-yoon was the real deal. Seong-woon flinched at the loving voice that made his whole body tingle. Well, who wouldn’t be affectionate towards a sibling 17 years younger?
“I’m about to leave now.”
─ Is that so? I’m at home because I have something to talk to you about.
“Something to talk about?”
─ I’ve already mentioned it to Chae-yoon’s agency, but I wanted to tell you personally.
“Oh… Okay. I’ll be there soon.”
He probably wouldn’t use that tone even with his own child. Rubbing away the goosebumps that were rising, Seong-woon left the seminar room. He was a bit surprised to see Sang-hyun waiting in the corridor a little way off.
“You didn’t leave?”
Without answering, Sang-hyun just nodded towards the exit, indicating they should leave. As they exited the dark building, Hyeong-seok, who had been anxiously checking his watch while parked right in front, approached with a relieved expression.
“You’re late, young master.”
Seong-woon sighed, expecting Baek Sang-hyun to make some sarcastic comment at the “young master” address, but Sang-hyun just waved goodbye without saying anything and disappeared. Don’t they have managers following them around there? It’s a bit enviable.
“Let’s hurry. The president is waiting.”
“Okay.”
Ryu Hae-yoon was referred to as “president” and Ryu Chang-yoon as “executive director.” What could Ryu Hae-yoon want to talk about in person? Seong-woon pondered for a while with his chin in his hand, but couldn’t come up with an answer.
As soon as he entered the house, Ryu Hae-yoon greeted him with a welcoming face and presented him with… the new phone model from Ryu Shin Electronics.
* * *
“Me… as a phone model?”
“Yes. Not the main model… They’re planning to put it in as an ad on NewTube. Chae-yoon will be focusing on explaining the camera features…”
Ryu Hae-yoon explained in great detail, more like a project manager than a company president. He even showed rough drawings, as if the ad storyboard was already complete.
At first, Seong-woon thought it was ridiculous. Ryu Shin Electronics was a company that sold phones worldwide and owned a brand big enough to claim leadership in the industry. How could they have Ryu Chae-yoon, who had barely dipped his toes into the entertainment industry, shoot such an important ad?
“Chae-yoon is famous on social media, you know. Especially for taking beautiful photos.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. So we want to emphasize that and explain the selfie features. We’ll also include shots of someone taking pictures of Chae-yoon from afar to showcase the optical zoom feature.”
“…”
“NewTube ads often feature influencers or NewTube creators… so I don’t think it would be a problem for Chae-yoon to do it.”
When he first heard about it, Seong-woon thought it was nonsense. That the eldest brother, unable to think straight about his youngest sibling, was making a reckless decision. But as he listened, it seemed like a surprisingly rational choice.
“I wanted to recommend Chae-yoon from the start, but I kept quiet because I was worried it might backfire. But then the advertising agency said they wanted to work with you first.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. So separate ad designs and contracts should have been sent to RBS Entertainment. I wanted to tell you about it personally first, that’s why I came here.”