Chapter 22 : The Meaning of White (6)

I sat in the cafeteria, lost in thought as I ate lunch.
Two unresolved issues were swirling in my mind.

One was the interpretation of the “Hundred” script I had received from Saeron, and the other was the feedback I received from Haerin during rehearsal. The latter was my priority, so I decided to set aside “Hundred” for now.

‘Adjust my performance and hold back?’

I understood the concept intellectually, but I had no idea how to put it into practice.

My acting, unlike that of trained actors, wasn’t built on a solid foundation. It was the result of an obsessive focus in my past life. So, when faced with unfamiliar challenges, I was like a lost hiker, wandering aimlessly.

I chewed on the end of my metal chopsticks, lost in thought. Hyelin’s worried voice snapped me back to reality.

“H… Haram?”
“Hmm? Oh, hey. What’s up?”
“N… Nothing. You just seemed… spaced out.”
“Just thinking about something.”
“Thinking about…?”
“Yeah, about the play. It’s nothing serious.”

I scooped some rice and vegetables onto my spoon and ate. The cafeteria food was surprisingly good. Hyelin, looking at my tray, asked,

“Don’t you like sausages, Haram?”
“No, I like them. Why?”
“You… You haven’t touched them.”
“I save the best for last.”

I glanced at Hyelin’s tray. She had already finished her sausages and only had the less tasty side dishes left. She was clearly the type to eat her favorite foods first. I smiled wryly.

It was interesting how our personalities influenced even the way we ate.

“Want some of mine?”
“N… No, it’s okay.”

We continued chatting as we ate, and our trays were soon empty.
I had tried to savor every bite, but as always, the best things disappeared too quickly.

As I was returning my tray, I saw Dojun. He, surprisingly, initiated a conversation.

“Lee Haram, are you free tomorrow?”
“No, why?”
“Yuri Noona asked me to ask you. She probably wants to hang out.” (TL Note : Yuri Noona refers to Dojun’s Older sister, Gu Yuri)
“The three of us?”
“No, just you two. I’ll let her know.”

He scratched the back of his head and walked away. I tilted my head, puzzled.

Why didn’t she contact me directly? What was the point of exchanging numbers? I couldn’t understand her at all.

***

I sat in a cafe in Hyehwa, sipping on to my iced Americano. Or rather, what *was* an iced Americano. Only ice remained, the liquid having long since vanished.

I decided that as long as the container was involved, it would still remain an iced Americano. Surely ice floating in a cup should qualify? Which meant that the person I was meeting was an hour late.
The bell above the door chimed, and a blonde woman entered. She spotted me and looked apologetic.

“Sorry I’m late. Have you been waiting long?”
“Yes, very long.”
“Wow, you’re honest. No filter.”
“Well, someone was an hour late to our second meeting.”

Yuri chuckled awkwardly.

“I think I’m starting to understand why you and Dojun get along.”
“Is that… an insult?”
“It’s a compliment. Coming from me.”

I gave her a suspicious look, and she quickly averted her gaze.

“So, why did you want to meet?”
“I wanted to hang out with my daughter-in-law. Shall we go?”
“Just a second, let me send this.”

I excused myself and sent a text to my father.

“Who was that?”
“My dad. I’m telling him not to drink too much tonight since I’m out with a friend.”

Yuri glanced at my phone and winced at the sheer number of messages I had sent.

“You’re the clingy type, aren’t you? Your dad must be tired of you by now.”
“You never know. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“Your dad seems to like his drinks. You’ll push him away if you’re too controlling.”
“Then so be it.”

I smiled coldly at her advice. Yuri sighed and shook her head. She had seen through my stubbornness.

“You know why I brought you to Hyehwa, right?”
“To see a play?”
“You catch on quick. Have you seen any plays before?”
“Yeah, I saw one with Dojun a while ago.”
“Just the two of you?”
“Yes, but if you keep implying things, I’m going to get angry.”
“Oh, you know what I’m implying?”

I sighed and shook my head. Talking to this woman was exhausting.

“What are we watching?”
“A junior of mine is putting on a play.”
“A junior?”
“I used to be a ghost of Daehangno too. Now I’m a ghost of Chungmuro.” (TL Note : Chungmuro is an area of Seoul where many actors and producers have offices, comparable to Hollywood)
“So, still a ghost, then.”
“My, my, such a silver tongue, daughter-in-law.”

Yuri grinned and flicked my forehead. I rubbed the sore spot. She had surprisingly strong fingers.

We arrived at the theater. The play was titled ‘Noise Between Walls.’ I glanced at the pamphlet.

“Looks like a rom-com. Shouldn’t you be watching this with your boyfriend?”
“I don’t have one, so you’ll be my boyfriend today.”
“That’s disgusting. Let’s break up, right now.”

Yuri laughed at my disgusted expression. We continued chatting until the play started.

***

Four doors were lined up on stage, resembling apartment doors labeled 101, 102, 103, and 104.

A man and a woman emerged from rooms 101 and 102, respectively. They looked annoyed with each other. The man, arms crossed, spoke first.

“Do you think this is a gym? Go work out somewhere else!”

The woman put her hands on her hips and yelled back,

“And you! Why do you keep playing your guitar at night?! You are one to talk!”
“Just apologize, and we can be done with this. Besides, your muscles don’t look that great anyway…”
“Are you done yet? And you haven’t thought how bad *your* guitar playing is, have you?”

They continued arguing, then slammed their doors shut simultaneously.

As soon as they were inside, the doors to rooms 103 and 104 opened. A smartly dressed woman with glasses and a scruffy-looking man stepped out. The man spoke first.

“They’re at it again.”

The woman sighed, rubbing her forehead.

“It’s so distracting. I can’t focus on my work.”

The man smiled gently.

“I hope they find some peace. Even the coldest winter eventually thaws, and…”

“Turns into water.”
“Brings spring.”

They spoke simultaneously, giving different answers. The woman adjusted her glasses.

“Excuse me? Thawing snow doesn’t bring spring. Even in winter, the temperature can rise above freezing point during the day.”
“No, I meant thawing the winter in their *hearts*.”
“The winter… in their hearts?”

They stared at each other as if they were looking at alien life forms.
A voiceover echoed through the theater.

‘We’re not on the same wavelength.’

They went back inside and closed their doors, the sound much softer this time.

***

‘Noise Between Walls’ was a romantic comedy about two people living in a poorly soundproofed apartment building. It portrayed the budding romance between a woman who was an athlete and a man who was an artist, two people from opposite worlds, learning to accept each other’s flaws and gradually, sometimes explosively, falling in love.

It also depicted the quiet, understated love between a humanities major and a science major.

It portrayed these different forms of love through realistic apartment-life scenarios and witty dialogue, which I found quite charming.

As the actors took their final bows, I said,

“That was fun. A good play.”
“It was good, wasn’t it? No wonder it’s so popular.”
“I almost lost it when the science girl started talking about horizon coordinate systems when the humanities guy was freaking out about the horror movie.”
“That scene? She said something about the ghost flying away if it wasn’t adjusted properly? I almost burst out laughing too.”

We discussed our favorite scenes.
After the audience left, Yuri and I went backstage to meet the actors.

“Yuri Noona, long time no see.”
“It *has* been a while. Jihoon, your acting has improved a lot.”
“I’ve been living here for years. If I hadn’t improved, I’d have quit acting by now.”
“I still get nervous. Guess some people are just naturals.”
“That’s because you betrayed us and went to Chungmuro, Noona.”

The man who had been talking to Yuri noticed me and his eyes widened.

“Who’s this?”
“My date for the day, my junior in the drama scene, and my daughter-in-law.”
“Daughter-in-law? Noona, you’re growing old.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. How old would I have to be to have a daughter-in-law her age?”

The man, after receiving a playful smack from Yuri, extended his hand to me.

“I’m So Jihoon. You shouldn’t waste your time on theater. Go straight to film.”
“I’m Lee Haram. I enjoyed the play.”

Yuri, watching us, spoke to Jihoon.

“Giving the young ones good advice, I see. Anyway, how long until your next show?”
“About 45 minutes. Why?”
“Mind if we borrow the stage for a bit?”
“Sure, the rental fee is the same whether we use it or not. Knock yourselves out.”

Yuri grinned and beckoned me over.

“Daughter-in-law, show me what you got. Come on.”