Chapter 109: The Meaning of Success

“Are you joking?”

“I’m serious. Not a metaphor—I really hit him.”

Hearing that sometimes fists can be the quickest solution, Wooju wondered if this person might actually be quite scary.

“And the reason Jitae said that to you is probably because I was the one who gave him a chance to dream a new dream.”

“Huh?”

Back then, Sunhyeok worked various broadcasting-related jobs—small theater groups, photography gigs, anything he could find—to support himself while studying, and Jitae would always follow along, saying he wanted to help.

Then one day, Sunhyeok was assigned to assist at a fairly large fashion show, and of course, Jitae went with him.

As models confidently walked out onto the glamorous stage, receiving everyone’s attention and spotlight, Jitae couldn’t take his eyes off them.

“After that, he said he wanted to try modeling, so we looked into whatever we could together.”

“Then Jitae… originally dreamed of being a model?”

However, Jitae had a short modeling career before switching to acting and achieving great success.

Some people even said that he must have originally dreamed of becoming an actor rather than a model.

“More than that, Jitae was probably chasing success. Back then, those models in luxurious designer clothes, receiving admiration in a huge show venue, must have looked like the embodiment of success to the younger him.”

Writer Baek, who had said he was close to Jitae, had said something similar before.

“He said he had a feeling he could be more successful through acting. He used to say that a lot—that he had to succeed quickly and prove himself.”

He said Jitae seemed like someone obsessed with success.

“Jitae wanted to succeed quickly. Because he thought that only then could he stand beside you.”

Unable to continue playing volleyball, Jitae chose a different path without hesitation and kept challenging himself through relentless effort.

Everyone wants to achieve great success in life.

And most of the time, that reason is the fulfillment of one’s own desires.

There are probably very few people who would continue walking a difficult path purely for someone unrelated to them.

Wooju’s eyes trembled greatly.

His chest felt tight, as if he suddenly couldn’t breathe.

“I might not be in a position to say this… but, player, please don’t resent Jitae too much.”

“…I don’t know.”

The ice floating in the cup was slowly melting away.

Wooju didn’t even touch his coffee and simply stared blankly at one spot.

“Who am I to hate Jitae? It’s just… I keep thinking that my existence might be a wound to him.”

A considerable amount of time had passed since his last conversation with Jitae.

He tried hard not to think about it, but ultimately failed.

Even when he tried not to recall it, the feeling kept clinging to him, poking at him uncomfortably, eventually settling into guilt.

If he hadn’t called him a rival, would Jitae have gone through such painful choices and experiences because of him?

Even when they met again after seven years, Wooju only felt simple emotions like amazement and happiness—but it probably wasn’t the same for Jitae.

Seeing “Kang Wooju,” who was directly tied to his past wounds and pain, could Jitae really have not thought about those moments even once?

This wasn’t just about liking someone.

“Player.”

“Yes?”

“You’re being surprisingly timid for someone who doesn’t seem like it.”

Coach Kim had said the same thing.

That someone who didn’t look like it could be oddly timid at times.

“I’m not really in a position to say more since I’m not directly involved, but if there’s one thing I can say—Jitae will be fine as long as he has you.”

“……”

“Have you read that magazine you two participated in?”

Wooju shook his head.

He had put it somewhere out of sight because he didn’t think he could read it right now.

“Try reading it. Jitae’s personal interview.”

Sunhyeok’s voice was filled with certainty, as if he had already read it.

After that, their conversation naturally came to an end.

“Then, player, I’ll see you again next time.”

“Yes, get home safely.”

After seeing Sunhyeok off to his car, Wooju returned home.

After quickly washing up, it was already well past 10 p.m.

“……”

Wooju, who was about to enter the bedroom, stopped midway and stared intently at one spot.

Then, as if making a firm decision, he walked toward it.

In the study, which he rarely used, there was a bookshelf combined with a display cabinet and a long table.

Inside the cabinet were neatly arranged trophies and medals he had collected since middle school, along with gifts from fans during his career.

On the table, a high-performance computer he had impulsively bought after being persuaded by Choi Seokhyun to play games was left unattended.

Wooju approached it, sat down, and pulled over the magazine he had placed beside the computer earlier, opening it.

The magazine consisted of three main parts: a photoshoot of Wooju and Jitae, interviews and commentary related to Living Together as Two, and individual in-depth interviews with each of them.

Wooju flipped through the pages while checking the table of contents.

Every time he saw photos of himself with Jitae, his chest ached again.

After flipping through several pages, he reached Jitae’s interview section.

He didn’t know how Sunhyeok had read a magazine that hadn’t even been released yet, but he wouldn’t have said that without reason.

Wooju straightened his posture and began reading the interview carefully.

At first, it contained simple greetings and introductions from Jitae.

Then followed questions tracing the journey of “actor” Won Jitae and the works he had been part of.

As Wooju carefully read through everything and turned a few more pages—

[What kind of student were you during your school days?]

Wooju had received the same question.

He recalled the editor explaining that, as part of an in-depth interview, they wanted to show glimpses of the individuals’ lives beyond just their public image.

• In elementary school, I was just a quiet student. I didn’t have many close friends, and I was calm and reserved for my age, so my homeroom teacher was often worried. But that personality changed a bit when I entered middle school.

Wooju slowly moved his eyes, tracing Jitae’s life.

[Was there a particular reason for that change in personality?]

• That’s when I started playing volleyball. I joined the middle school volleyball team and began training seriously, and I found my aptitude for it. Being on the court made me happy, and hitting the ball and scoring points was just exciting, so my personality naturally changed a lot.

[Then volleyball must hold a special meaning for you.]

• Yes. Through volleyball, I learned and felt many things. I used to be bad at feeling and expressing emotions, but by facing things like achievement, competitiveness, and rivalry, I realized a lot. When I played volleyball, it felt like I was truly alive, like I was finally breathing properly.

[When did you stop playing volleyball, and was there a specific reason?]

• I only played until high school. Many people have been curious about this, but I was injured at the time and couldn’t continue. After that, as I mentioned earlier, I went through various jobs and eventually debuted as a model.

At the word “injury,” Wooju’s eyes shook greatly.

This was a deep pain for Jitae.

Was it really okay to reveal something like this in a public interview for everyone to see?

But before the interview, they had received the questionnaire in advance through the staff.

It was so they could indicate any questions they didn’t want to answer.

Which meant all of these answers had been approved by Jitae himself.

Confused, Wooju continued reading.

[What made you start playing volleyball?]

• When I was in elementary school, I happened to go to a community sports center and saw a kid my age jump high and spike the ball. It looked really cool. Like it was shining. Seeing him smile so brightly on the court, I think I just wanted to become like him and follow him.

[Can you tell us more about that ‘kid’?]

• That kid holds a very special meaning for me. Because of him, I started volleyball, and even at a young age, I had my first dream. He made me realize there were so many emotions in the world and gave me hope and curiosity about the future.

[You said you couldn’t continue volleyball due to an injury. Do you regret it?]

• To be honest, I do. I used to think that if I hadn’t been injured, I might have become a great player, and I often regretted it.

[What about now?]

• Now, I don’t regret it. Through volleyball, I saw the world, and through that kid, I learned emotions. The moments I spent running and competing on the court are priceless memories I wouldn’t trade for anything. Even if I went back in time and got injured again, I would still choose volleyball. I used to think it was just a painful memory I wanted to hide, but recently, I realized that’s not true.

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