Chapter 12: Separate Paths, Lingering Thoughts

The toast Won Jitae made was decent enough.

As they were getting close to finishing it, the walkie-talkie buzzed briefly.

The caller was Producer Kwon, and as usual, he said just one thing—telling them to spend the day comfortably—before ending the transmission.

“But is it usually like this?”

“Like what?”

As Wooju put the walkie-talkie back in its place, he tilted his head.

“It’s a broadcast, but it’s strange how they don’t really tell us to do anything.

It’s a variety show, after all.”

“That’s just the PD’s style.

Just take it easy.

By the way, Kang Wooju, do you have any schedule today?”

“Not really.

I was just planning to stop by the gym for a bit later.”

The team members had already been showing great interest in the filming.

The club had also agreed to actively cooperate with the shoot, so as a courtesy, he planned to show his face at least once.

“That’s it?”

“After that… ah, I think I’ll meet a friend briefly.

What about you?”

Wooju checked his phone for a moment.

At the word “friend,” Jitae’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“I have an interview schedule in the afternoon.”

From the sound of it, aside from schedules related to the film Rail, Won Jitae hadn’t taken on any other projects for now, focusing solely on Living Together.

Although Rail had been out for quite some time, its achievement of surpassing ten million viewers meant he was still being called around here and there.

“Alright.

Do well.”

Wooju gathered the empty plates—including Jitae’s—and headed to the sink.

Fortunately, the bleeding had completely stopped while they were eating.

After finishing their meal, the two prepared to head out separately.

They had already shared their schedules with the production staff in advance, and as expected, each of them would be followed by a camera.

Won Jitae, who had to leave first, changed his clothes and came down to the first floor.

Wooju, rummaging through the fridge, spotted him and called out.

“Take this.”

He casually tossed over a juice pack he was holding, and Jitae easily caught it.

Jitae stared blankly at the juice pack with a cute character printed on it.

“…Kang Wooju.”

“Huh?

You haven’t left yet?

Why?”

“What time are you coming back later?”

“I don’t know.

Well, probably before dinner.”

“Me too.”

“Huh?”

“My interview will be over before dinner too.

And that’s my only schedule……”

So what was he getting at?

Wooju rubbed his chin and stared at Jitae, who somehow looked like a puppy that needed to poop.

Was he just trying to share schedules?

“Then contact me when you’re done.

We can come back together.”

He didn’t know Jitae’s exact intention, but hearing that, it did seem more efficient to return together.

Wooju stuck a straw into a juice pack identical to the one he’d given Jitae and took a long sip.

“Alright then.

Give me your phone.”

As if he’d been waiting for those words, Jitae held out his hand.

“Why do you need my phone?”

“If we’re going to contact each other, we need numbers.”

Ah, right.

Wooju took his phone out of his pocket and handed it over.

Won Jitae cautiously tapped the screen while glancing at Wooju.

Then his expression stiffened slightly.

“Done?”

“Ah, wait a second.”

He touched the screen again, made a quick call to his own phone, and handed it back.

“Hmm, then I’ll contact you.”

As if something had gone down the wrong way, Won Jitae cleared his throat awkwardly and headed toward the shoe cabinet.

“Hey, if just juice feels lacking, you can take this too—”

Wooju tried to hand him some rice crackers, but Jitae frowned deeply and glared at the innocent snack.

“No thanks.

You eat it.”

The door closed, and Won Jitae disappeared from sight.

He wanted to lecture that brat about not knowing the true taste of rice crackers, but thankfully, the fact that the cameras were rolling was etched into his bones, allowing him to hold back.

Clicking his tongue, Wooju crushed the rice crackers and ate them.

Then he began getting ready to head out himself.

Baekyoung Construction’s home base was Seoul.

Naturally, their home stadium was located around Jung-gu, and the clubhouse—where the players gathered to train and practice—was situated not far from the stadium.

In fact, most volleyball clubhouses were built near corporate training centers or in different regions altogether due to land cost issues.

But Baekyoung Construction kept everything gathered in Seoul, their home city, to reduce travel time and improve the players’ condition.

It wasn’t like he was coming here after a long absence, but perhaps because things had been hectic lately due to variety show filming, the place felt strangely unfamiliar.

Wooju slowly entered the gym building with the cameraman accompanying him.

“Oh?

It’s Wooju hyung.”

Baek Yoonkwon, the team’s youngest member and libero, who had been warming up on the court, spotted Wooju and shouted loudly.

At that, some of the other team members preparing for training also turned their heads with delight.

“Oh, Wooju!”

“Look who it is.

Isn’t that our super top star?”

As expected, seeing Wooju arrive with a camera, the team burst into laughter.

“Top star, could I get your autograph?”

Among them, the one who enjoyed teasing him the most was Choi Seokhyun, one of the team’s opposite spikers.

He was the same age as Wooju and had joined the team around the same time, making them especially close.

“Ah, cut it out.

Go away.”

“Wooju, you’re here?”

Hearing the commotion from inside, Lee Yooseok, Baekyoung Construction’s captain, hurried out.

“Hyung, hello.”

Wooju bowed politely toward the captain.

“Did you come to train?

I thought you wouldn’t be able to come for a while with filming during the off-season.”

Lee Yooseok warmly placed a hand on Wooju’s shoulder.

The camera busily captured the scene.

Everyone acted a bit awkwardly because of the camera, but they sincerely welcomed Wooju.

“I’ll probably properly join training in a few weeks.

I just came by briefly to see everyone.”

“Yeah, yeah.

Make yourself comfortable.

Haha.”

Perhaps feeling pressured by the persistent camera, Lee Yooseok’s laughter became stiff and almost robotic.

Despite telling him to be comfortable, he didn’t look comfortable at all.

Wooju had worried that filming might inconvenience the team, but fortunately, the members expressed a positive attitude toward it.

Moreover, since the very reason for the filming stemmed from the incident Wooju caused during a friendly match, he felt all the more self-conscious.

Still, rather than blaming him, the team encouraged him instead.

Choi Seokhyun even joked that if Wooju hadn’t jumped in, he would have run over and crushed that guy himself.

“Hey, hey, Wooju.”

Choi Seokhyun approached carefully, slung an arm around Wooju’s shoulder, and whispered in a low voice.

“If you end up getting close with celebrities and all that, you can’t ignore this hyung, got it?

You know I’ve been single for four years now, right?”

“If you’ve been single for four years, doesn’t that mean the problem is probably you?”

Wooju brushed Seokhyun’s arm off and delivered the blunt remark.

The nearby teammates burst out laughing.

“Ah, right.

Hyung, I have something I’m curious about.”

At that moment, Yoonkwon came up beside Wooju.

“I saw the article.

Are you really appearing together with actor Won Jitae?”

“Huh?

Yeah, that’s right.”

“Wow, hyung, you’re filming with such a famous person.

You’ve made it.”

As Yoonkwon clapped innocently, Lee Yooseok pinched his cheek, saying he really said things he couldn’t say to his hyung.

“Do you all know Won Jitae well?”

“Of course!

His latest movie passed ten million viewers.

It was really good.

He’s a great actor too.”

Before long, the team members gathered around, each adding something about “the Won Jitae they knew.”

“I know him too.

My girlfriend really likes him.

She says he has a god-given face.”

When Lee Yooseok said that with a slightly bitter expression, Choi Seokhyun offered words of comfort.

Through their conversation, Wooju learned more about celebrity Won Jitae than he ever had before.

Apparently, Jitae started out as a model, then appeared in dramas as a minor actor before switching to acting just two years into his modeling career.

The dramas he later appeared in as a supporting actor achieved modest success, earning him the reputation of a “handsome rookie actor.”

In particular, his appearance in a romance drama dubbed a miracle for surpassing 20% viewership brought him widespread recognition.

Then, being cast as the lead in the film Rail, he quickly established himself as a rising star.

Currently, he was considered the most valuable among actors his age.

“Hyung, could you get me that actor’s autograph?”

“Huh?

Wooju, if possible, me too.

For my girlfriend.”

And among all the things they said, there was not a single mention of Won Jitae being a volleyball player back in high school.

Well, not many people would remember those student days.

And even if they did, they surely wouldn’t connect that memory to actor Won Jitae.

The only person here who remembered that version of Won Jitae was Kang Wooju.

After promising Yoonkwon and Yooseok that he’d get them autographs, Wooju left the training facility.

Then, he headed to his next destination a bit earlier than expected.

There was at least one person Wooju knew who remembered Won Jitae not as an actor, but as the student he’d been back then.

For some reason, Wooju’s steps quickened as he went to meet that person.