Chapter 116: Plans Washed Away by Rain

“……”

Wooju clenched his lips tightly, then pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment and slammed his fist against the nearby utility pole.

If he didn’t, he felt like he might shout out loud.

Even then, from the phone he had slightly pulled away, Jitae’s voice continued noisily—saying things like he was cute so it wasn’t allowed, and that he shouldn’t show that side to other people.

Who in the world would call a well-built 27-year-old man cute?

Who would’ve ever imagined hearing something like that when drunk?

If Choi Seokhyun inside heard this, how would he even react?

He might end up throwing up everything he drank today.

“Hey, enough.”

—Nothing is enough. Just hurry and promise me.

“Be quiet before I hang up.”

At that one sentence, Jitae immediately quieted down.

All the talk about promises disappeared, and only a small voice asking him not to hang up remained.

“You said you’re leaving at dawn today, right? What time will you arrive tomorrow?”

—Ah, right. Actually, that’s why I called.

Jitae’s voice suddenly turned gloomy.

Just as Wooju started to worry something had happened—

—Wooju… I don’t think I can go to Seoul today.

For Wooju, those words came as quite a shock.

“Wow, it’s really pouring down.”

At a staff member’s muttered remark, Jitae lifted his head.

Filming had completely stopped due to the heavy rain outside.

The variety show Jitae was guesting on this time was a trendy rural healing program.

A senior actor he had worked with on Rail had personally asked him to appear, so he had agreed earlier to join as a special guest.

Staying in a countryside house prepared as the filming location, Jitae had worked hard for two full days—

sweating, getting covered in dirt while working in the garden, preparing ingredients himself, cooking meals, and even focusing on making things entertaining.

Time would pass anyway, so he pushed himself to work faster and harder, hoping he could return to Seoul sooner and see Wooju.

That anticipation became his driving force.

“Is it already monsoon season?”

“The forecast said it starts next week… This is why countryside shoots are tough.”

But who would have known?

That relentless downpour would completely trap them.

Jitae was currently in a village hall building, a little distance away from the filming house.

Because of the heavy rain, there was a risk of flooding near the filming location, so all staff had evacuated there.

“With rain like this, what do we do? Jitae, you were supposed to leave at dawn today, right?”

The senior actor from Rail approached him naturally.

“Yes. But according to the weather forecast, it’ll keep pouring through dawn, so I don’t think I can leave right now.”

This place was far from Seoul.

Driving for hours through such heavy rain was risky.

On top of that, being a remote rural area, some roads were already flooded.

After discussing with his manager, Jitae decided to stay a bit longer.

It was better to wait until the rain stopped and the roads were safe again.

If something happened while forcing it, it would be a disaster.

“What about tomorrow’s schedule?”

“I have one, but it’s all in the afternoon, so it should be okay for now.”

“Whew, that’s a relief.”

The senior actor, who had been worried about causing trouble, finally relaxed.

The production team busily prepared to spend the night in the village hall.

Thankfully, the villagers were cooperative, so accommodations weren’t an issue.

Everyone felt relieved—but inside, Jitae felt like crying.

What was there to be relieved about?

By now, he should’ve been preparing to return to Seoul.

He had planned to arrive at dawn, rest, and then meet Wooju looking his absolute best.

But something as simple as the weather had completely blocked that perfect plan.

According to the forecast, the rain would continue until 6 a.m.

Even after it stopped, they’d need to check if driving was possible.

Even if he left as soon as possible, he’d only reach Seoul around noon.

And then he’d have to go straight into his packed afternoon schedule.

Which meant—he might not be able to see Wooju tomorrow after all.

“Jitae, we’ve laid out bedding inside. Get some sleep for now. I’ll keep checking the situation.”

His manager came over.

He was preparing ahead, knowing Jitae would have a packed schedule once back in Seoul.

“Okay. You should get some rest too.”

Jitae lay down with the other cast members.

Earlier, he had managed to call Wooju and explain the situation.

When he said he couldn’t come right away, Wooju had simply replied—

‘Really? Well… it can’t be helped. Don’t push yourself in the rain.’

That was all.

He hadn’t expected much, but still…

he wished Wooju had shown at least a little disappointment.

“I just hope he doesn’t drink too much.”

Wishing for the rain to stop as soon as possible, Jitae pulled the blanket over his head.

“Do celebrities not fall under labor laws or something?”

“What nonsense are you suddenly talking while grilling meat?”

Park Hyunjin snatched the tongs and flipped the burning pork belly properly.

“They don’t. Legally, celebrities aren’t classified as workers.”

Next to them, casually picking at side dishes, was Jo Suhyeok—someone Wooju hadn’t seen in a while.

Both were his high school classmates and former volleyball teammates.

They were pretty much the only people he could call close friends from those days.

“Oh, look at you. Acting smart? Showing off that you’re a teacher?”

Suhyeok was now a middle school PE teacher.

“Idiot, that’s just common knowledge. But Wooju, why are you suddenly asking that?”

“Just… I heard celebrities barely sleep. Idols even collapse on stage.”

“Since when were you interested in celebrities?”

He wasn’t.

He used to think it was ridiculous that Kang Saetbyeol skipped expensive college lectures just to go to idol concerts.

But after seeing Won Jitae, he realized—

just how busy successful celebrities actually were.

A few days ago, Jitae had gone for a regional shoot and only returned to Seoul the next afternoon.

They were supposed to meet that day, but he couldn’t because of his schedule.

It was disappointing, but understandable.

Work was work.

And since they were both in Seoul, Wooju thought they could meet anytime.

He hadn’t expected himself to feel like this.

But Jitae proved that thought wrong—

by being insanely busy.

With a confirmed next project, endless related schedules, ads, photoshoots, brand events…

It felt like he was doing everything in the world.

Because of that, it had already been almost a week since Wooju last saw him.

“You guys are drinking, right?”

“Is that even a question?”

“Then I’ll order three glasses?”

“Leave me out.”

As Suhyeok and Hyunjin eagerly ordered drinks, Wooju gulped down cold water.

“What’s this? You called us out and now you’re not drinking? Suhyeok’s here after so long.”

Wooju hadn’t made plans to drink.

He just couldn’t stand being at home, so he thought meeting people might help.

“Whatever, you two drink. I don’t feel like it.”

“Fine. Hyunjin, he’s terrible at drinking anyway. Let’s just drink ourselves.”

As the pork belly sizzled on the grill, the atmosphere relaxed.

From Hyunjin bragging about his relationship to Suhyeok sharing stories about troublesome students, time passed quickly—just as Wooju had hoped.

Even so, Wooju kept checking his phone.

Jitae still hadn’t read his messages.

If they couldn’t meet, at least he wished they could talk more often.

Then, he noticed the red battery warning at the top of the screen.

He thought he had charged it before leaving, but it seemed he was mistaken.

He asked the restaurant owner if he could charge it, but unfortunately, the charger didn’t match his phone model.

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