Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 107
As soon as the next day came, I regretted it.
There was no need to get so upset. No matter how I thought about it, it was too emotional a response.
I sighed deeply and took responsibility for my actions.
“―He, hello?”
“In-joon hyung. This is Lee Yeon-jae.”
“―Yes, yes. No, uh, yes!”
A tense voice came from the other side of the phone.
I called as soon as I got the number from Kang Se-hyun, and the call connected immediately, without even a waiting tone. He must have been waiting.
“I’m sorry for calling so early in the morning. I wanted to apologize for yesterday.”
When I apologized for being too emotional yesterday, Choi In-joon seemed flustered.
“―No, Yeon-jae. I should apologize for being annoying while drunk and repeating myself. I’m more sorry.”
We kept apologizing to each other endlessly until I finally said I understood and ended the call.
I tried to close the call with the typical Korean farewell of “let’s have a meal sometime,” but I received an unexpectedly enthusiastic response.
“―Oh, I would love that! Bambi, no, when are you free? You’re coming to Se-hyun hyung’s exhibition, right? Should we have lunch together then?”
“……Yes. That sounds good.”
It wasn’t a situation where I could refuse.
I ended up making a promise unintentionally. I scratched my head and left the room.
“Hyung, did you sleep well?”
“Yes. Did you have a good dream, actor? Breakfast is almost ready, so go wash your hands.”
Manager An Jin-bae was really diligent. I had never seen him wake up later than me.
I quickly moved to the dining table, which was already set neatly.
As I was about to place the utensils, I hesitated at a familiar side dish.
“This….”
I couldn’t help but open my mouth.
Unbelievable, I turned my head, and Manager An Jin-bae was smiling proudly.
“Sit down quickly, actor.”
“……When did you buy this?”
“It’s a trade secret.”
We had come home at 11 p.m. last night, and it was now 8 a.m.
I stared in disbelief at the braised lotus roots that were definitely not in the fridge yesterday.
“I’ve picked up my chopsticks, actor.”
“Did you want to do this all along?”
“You just figured that out?”
Geez. I chuckled and sat down.
When I filled my spoon with rice, he neatly placed the braised lotus roots on top of it.
Watching his calm chopstick movements that matched his personality, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
“……Thank you for the meal.”
“Eat a lot.”
I looked at his kind smiling face before picking up my spoon.
The chewy braised lotus roots tasted much better than the ones I had during filming.
* * *
Today was the day of my last counseling session.
Feeling relatively light-hearted at the thought of finally being free, I headed to the counseling center.
But the face of the doctor greeting me was different from usual.
The tired expression, as if he was about to yawn, was gone, replaced by an excited look.
“…? Hello, doctor.”
“Nice to see you. It’s your last session today!”
The doctor wasn’t holding a pen and paper like usual, nor was he lazily reclining in his chair.
His bright eyes made me feel quite pressured.
“Doctor, is something wrong?”
“Huh? Why?”
“You seem different from usual.”
I tried to hide my discomfort as much as possible, and the doctor finally snapped back to reality.
“Oh, sorry. Actually, I’ve been curious about something since last weekend.”
“Curious?”
“Yes. I’m not sure if I should say this, but….”
Seeing him trail off made me involuntarily tense up.
What is he going to say? Surely, he’s not suggesting more counseling sessions?
The question I received while I was fully on edge was….
“Why did Hanna reject the confession?”
“……What?”
“I just can’t understand it. How could she turn down such a heartfelt confession from Ho-yoon? Is that even possible?”
“…….”
The doctor, who was talking about the character ‘Ho-yoon’ I had played, kept talking for a long time.
I was dumbfounded and dazed for a moment before I finally came to my senses.
“Uh…. I didn’t know you watched our drama, doctor.”
“It’s a stereotype to think doctors only watch medical dramas. But anyway, why are you dodging the question? Why did she really reject it?”
The doctor’s persistent questioning made him seem genuinely curious.
I was bewildered by this unfamiliar side of him, but I answered with a smile.
“There will be a scene in the next episode where Hanna and Ho-yoon talk. I can’t say more because of spoilers, but your questions will be answered then.”
“No matter what reason they give, I think I’ll still be puzzled.”
The doctor added that if he were Hanna, he would have started looking for a wedding venue right after the confession.
His unexpected reaction made me feel embarrassed but also somewhat amused.
‘It’s amazing that there are people who are so invested in the show.’
Of course, I checked the comments regularly.
But it was the first time I had met someone who spoke like this in person.
“How could she reject a confession from someone with that face…?”
“…….”
The softly muttered words seemed more fitting for a fan than a doctor.
I had no words and kept my mouth shut, but I didn’t feel bad.
When I first came here, I was uncomfortable, and I felt relieved when I realized he wasn’t very interested in me. But now, I felt a sense of excitement.
‘I’m really fickle.’
Despite my awkward thoughts, my mouth was busy answering the doctor’s questions.
“How do you think Ho-yoon felt when Hanna rejected him? From his expression, it seemed like his heart just sank.”
“Yes. That’s the feeling I aimed for while acting. I’m glad you noticed.”
“I think I would have felt the same if I were Ho-yoon. I might have regretted confessing right away too.”
The doctor spoke of Ho-yoon and me separately.
It seemed more accurate to say he was a fan of Kim Ho-yoon rather than of me.
That made me feel less embarrassed and made the conversation easier.
“I didn’t regret it. Oh, I mean, I acted under the assumption that Kim Ho-yoon didn’t regret confessing.”
“Why?”
“Because Kim Ho-yoon isn’t a very patient character. He does what he feels he needs to do immediately, and he knows it. Confessing was just a matter of time.”
“Uh-huh….”
“If Kim Ho-yoon had any regrets, it wouldn’t be about confessing but about falling for Hanna in the first place. He didn’t want those feelings, so he would have felt conflicted, yet at the same time, seeing her would have made him happy, which would have frustrated him even more and made him cry.”
I still vividly remembered the emotions I felt when I played Kim Ho-yoon.
When Hanna rejected the confession, my heart was torn apart, and when I came home and my mother hugged me, I couldn’t hold back my tears.
The way he cried, both childlike and mature, struck me.
The fact that he could fully handle his emotions.
I was lost in thought when I suddenly realized the doctor was staring at me silently.
“You’re really an interesting person.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You’re indifferent to your own emotions, but you’re extremely attentive to the emotions of characters that don’t even exist.”
“…….”
“Thanks to that, I ended up liking Ho-yoon. He really seems like he could exist somewhere.”
The doctor smiled gratefully and suddenly spoke.
“A counselor’s role is not to solve the client’s problems. It’s to listen to the problems and help the client solve them themselves.”
Though the sudden words surprised me, I already knew this, so I just nodded.
“The term ‘helper’ rather than ‘solver’ means that the client’s will to solve the problem is most important. Without the client’s will, nothing changes, no matter what we do.”
“…….”
“Come back anytime you’re ready. I’ll give you a proper session instead of the half-hearted ones we’ve done so far.”
The doctor took out a business card from the desk and handed it to me.
I had already received one on the first day, but I took it without refusing.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I hope to see you again. Not necessarily as doctor and patient, though.”
Could there be any other reason for us to meet?
The doctor chuckled at my puzzled expression.
Then he pulled out his phone, tapped a few times, and showed it to me.
I froze as soon as I saw the screen.
“I joined a fan cafe for the first time in my life.”
“……Thank you.”
“Please give me your autograph next time we meet, Bambi.”
I thought he was just a drama fan….
Seeing the screen with the fan cafe membership badge, I felt embarrassed.
The relaxed atmosphere suddenly became awkward, and I hurriedly stood up.
I made my final farewell and closed the door behind me.
But because of the laughter seeping through the door, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time.
* * *
“Yeon-jae, you seem to be doing well these days.”
“Huh?”
I turned my head at the sudden comment.
Baek Seo-jin, who was eating ice cream with me in front of the convenience store, was quietly watching me.
“It’s just~. Before, you seemed so busy every day like someone being chased, but now you seem more at ease.”
“Yeah. The drama filming is over, and I decided to take a break for a while.”
The ‘Twins’ I filmed with Director Yoon Kang-yeon was still in editing, and ‘Goodbye, My Summer’ was set to air its final episode next week.
The counseling sessions were over, and my meetings with Mist continued without any issues.
Perhaps the peace I felt was evident, as Baek Seo-jin smiled and replied.
“That’s a relief. It’s nice to see you often at school these days.”
Her gentle kindness wasn’t hard to respond to.
“I feel the same way.”
We ate our ice cream in silence for a long time. It was peaceful.
Baek Seo-jin, who had awkwardly avoided me for a while after the new semester started, began talking to me again a few days ago.
She didn’t act burdensome as before, and her gaze didn’t show any particular emotions.
Who knows, she might be hiding her feelings since she’s also an actor.
But I wasn’t curious if she still liked me. I just thought she was amazing and admirable.
“Seo-jin, you’re really cool.”
“Suddenly?”
I gently laughed at her eyes, which had grown round like a rabbit’s.
Both Kim Ho-yoon and Baek Seo-jin were impressive.
Their courage to confront and enjoy their feelings without avoiding them.
“Yes, you’re really cool.”
“Whatever it is, I’ll take it as a compliment! Then I’ll give you the chance to watch a movie with cool me. How about it?”
This time she added, “As a friend,” with a mischievous smile that made me laugh.
“Sure. Let’s go watch.”
“Yeon-jae, then please, let’s go just the two of us. Without Noh Bi-hyuk.”
“Huh? Did you invite Bi-hyuk?”
“……Sigh.”
With an abrupt voice and a weight on my shoulder, Noh Bi-hyuk appeared.
Ignoring Baek Seo-jin’s sigh, he took my ice cream.
“What’s this? You’re eating chocolate flavor.”
“Seo-jin bought it for me. It’s a new release.”
“Hey! I bought it for Yeon-jae. Why are you eating it? Spit it out.”
“Wow, you’re not managing your image anymore?”
“Who cares? I got rejected anyway.”
I watched Baek Seo-jin and Noh Bi-hyuk bicker.
A cool autumn breeze brushed against my back. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I hope things stay peaceful like this.”
Noh Bi-hyuk looked back at me with a puzzled face at my mumbling.
“You know that’s a flag statement, right?”
Flag? What’s that?
* * *
Two days later, I stood alone in an unknown place.
With a camera.