Chapter 49: The Applause he didn’t expect.

A person who knew everything.

A person who knew all the unbelievable secrets and plans of revenge.

The fact that the one single person who was at least not an ‘enemy’ was sitting in that seat became a breathing hole for Sayoung.

He knew that Yoojun also didn’t have very good feelings toward him.

Still, Yoojun willingly took the sacrifice for Sayoung’s revenge.

For Sayoung, who had no one and nothing right now, that alone was enough.

“Um, are you okay…?”

Just then, someone spoke to Sayoung who was sitting crouched down.

When surprised Sayoung raised his head, someone who looked like a staff member was looking down at him with a worried face.

“Ah… ah, yes. I’m okay. Just felt dizzy for a moment….”

“Can you stand up? Should I call someone?”

“No. No, it’s okay. I’m fine now.”

Sayoung shook his head and hurriedly stood up.

The staff member held Sayoung’s arm to support him.

Sayoung flinched momentarily because someone else’s touch felt so unfamiliar, but he didn’t shake off the hand.

“…….”

And Sayoung, who stood up slowly with support, was lost for words for a moment at the sight before his eyes.

Around him, several actors hadn’t left their seats and were looking at Sayoung with worried expressions.

An awkward feeling started spreading from his fingertips to his whole body.

Sayoung had assumed that if anyone was in this hallway, they would surely look at him with expressions containing contempt or pitifulness.

But those he faced were different.

They were clearly looking at Sayoung with gazes filled with concern.

“Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”

The staff member asked.

Sayoung hurriedly shook his head.

“No. I’m really okay, now. I can go alone. Thank you.”

“Be careful. And….”

“……?”

“The acting… I enjoyed it. I really liked it.”

The staff member, who hesitated about what to say, quickly spat out the last words, bowed his head once, turned his body as it was, and moved away instantly.

Sayoung stood blankly with a dumbfounded face, watching that figure for a moment.

When coming out into the world again, Sayoung assumed there would be no one to cheer for him.

He once built a huge fandom, but since he betrayed their expectations and gave them huge disappointment, he thought there was no way any fans remained, and he didn’t wish for their support either.

He thought he had to act even if no one wanted it, and walk a path no one cheered for.

But today, Sayoung met an actor here who unhesitatingly revealed himself to be a fan, faced a director who seriously watched his acting, and saw a person who said the acting he barely took a step into after a long hiatus was good.

Surprisingly, his heart started pounding.

He scolded himself every time saying the goal of this life was solely revenge, but it seemed there was still a heart that hadn’t died within him.

Sayoung moved his steps, ruminating on the still unfamiliar and awkward emotions.

His body, which had been trembling as if terrified, had stabilized before he knew it.

****

After the long audition ended, the scene wrapped up inconclusively.

The atmosphere, which became awkward after Sayoung’s appearance, ultimately didn’t improve until the end.

Jaewoo said goodbye first and left the place.

Perhaps because his emotions were hardly settled, he didn’t say much to Yoojun either.

The director and writer also didn’t separately invite Yoojun to have a meal together.

Since the main casting wasn’t completed yet, their opinion was that it would be better to have a gathering after Seo Danwoo’s casting was completed.

Yoojun also agreed with that opinion.

The director gave special cards only to the staff who worked hard preparing for the audition as encouragement.

At the director’s words patting his shoulder saying let’s have a light meal together separately later, Yoojun, whose attention was entirely focused elsewhere, sighed in relief.

Because his head was complicated too, he just wanted to get out of here quickly.

It was fortunate, as even for Yoojun, it would have been difficult to refuse if Director Jung had suggested a meal first.

Before leaving the audition venue, Yoojun diligently greeted the staff remaining for cleanup as well.

Yoojun himself was originally a type always polite to staff, and there was definitely a calculation that he needed to score more points on this set.

Han Jaewoo also usually had a good image with field staff.

He always raised his voice for improving staff treatment.

Yoojun intended to try harder to win the staff’s favor than Han Jaewoo at this filming site.

If Sayoung really ended up participating in this work, he would surely receive distrustful gazes on set at first, so wouldn’t he have to sell his handsome face more to speak for Sayoung in front of the staff?

“What a mess this all is.”

“Yes?”

Jeong-min turned his head and asked back at Yoojun’s muttering to himself after barely finishing the seemingly endless greetings, leaving the audition venue, and getting into the car with a tired face.

Yoojun waved his hand as if it was nothing and closed his eyes.

If it were in the past, he wouldn’t have cared even a fingernail’s worth about Han Jaewoo or whatever, but he didn’t like having to be wary of such a guy because of Yoon Sayoung, yet he couldn’t help it.

Only after feeling the vibration of the car starting did Yoojun open his eyes again, take out his phone from his pocket, and bring up a name on the screen.

In fact, he had been anxious to contact him continuously since immediately after Sayoung finished acting and left.

But when the condition to call actually came, he hesitated again.

What would he say if he called?

That he enjoyed the acting? That he did well? Or… ask if he’s okay?

Yoojun smacked his lips in a bitter mood.

Whether he is okay or not is actually none of Yoojun’s business.

His current state wouldn’t influence the audition result either.

No matter how painful it was for him after finishing the audition, as long as the result was good, that was enough.

But ironically, what Yoojun was most curious about right now was Sayoung’s condition, nothing else.

He wanted to know if he was okay.

It had nothing to do with the audition result or Yoojun’s circumstances, but he was so curious about it.

The pale face standing on the stage came to mind.

Even if he nonchalantly said everything he had to say and went down in front of them, it was unknown if he was really okay behind the scenes.

Who knows if he might be foolishly scratching the back of his hand in that space that didn’t even look like a home.

Eventually letting out a sigh, Yoojun spoke to Jeong-min who was driving while gripping his phone tightly in his hand.

“Jeong-min-ah.”

“Yes?”

“Stop nearby for a moment and take a taxi home.”

“…Do you have somewhere to go? I’ll drive you.”

“No. You must be tired, go in first and rest. I can drive myself.”

“…Is that really okay?”

“Yeah. It’s okay. That’s comfortable for me too.”

Jeong-min was curious about Yoojun’s destination since he was trying to move separately without saying where.

However, since he wasn’t someone who would tell even if pried, he just nodded saying, ‘Yes. I will.’

Anyway, Yoojun wasn’t the type to go somewhere and cause trouble, so he wasn’t greatly worried.

He was just personally curious.

“Then I’ll go in first. Contact me if anything happens.”

“Yeah. Go safely.”

Jeong-min stopped the car in a quiet place and got out.

Seeing Yoojun, who likewise got out from the back seat, moving to the driver’s seat and getting in with such a serious expression, Jeong-min wondered for a very brief moment if he should stop him from going alone.

However, without time to stop him, Yoojun hurriedly started the car as if there was something incredibly urgent.

Suddenly left alone, Jeong-min watched the receding car and soon turned his body.

Since it’s Kim Yoojun and no one else, he’ll figure it out well enough.

Stopping the worry about Kim Yoojun, which was called the number one useless worry, Jeong-min hailed a taxi while happily contemplating what to eat when he got home.

****

“I have to see that bastard there without even knowing in advance? Are you not working?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Eunseong just bowed his head unconditionally and repeated that he was wrong like a machine.

However, the voice shouldn’t really sound like a machine.

It must contain something like sincerity.

Eunseong put sincerity into his voice and bowed his head with an expression of reflection as much as possible.

Honestly, Jaewoo must also know that there was no way for Eunseong to find out in advance when it was obvious they hid it on purpose.

Nevertheless, getting angry like fire meant that whether Eunseong really did wrong or not didn’t matter at all.

Jaewoo just needed a target to vent the anger accumulated today.

With Sayoung absent now, the only person to take that role was his manager, Choi Eunseong.

Thanks to that, Eunseong was listening to Jaewoo’s verbal abuse in the parking lot without even being able to start the car yet.

“Yoon Sayoung, seriously coming out this earnestly, huh….”

Jaewoo ground his teeth.

Eunseong held his breath, praying that his turn had passed now.

Instead of shouting at him again, Jaewoo turned his gaze out the window and said, ‘Let’s go.’

Without answering, Eunseong quickly straightened his posture, fastened his seatbelt, and started the car.

“I thought I was escaping from the tedious Yoon Sayoung.”

“…….”

“I knew it. There’s no way that leech would let me go so easily.”

Jaewoo nodded as if he understood and chewed his lip.

It was true he was angry at Yoon Sayoung who gave him no hint beforehand and the production team who didn’t tell him that fact, but contradictorily, Jaewoo also felt a strange relief in this situation.

Jaewoo was hurt in his pride and angry that he became a fool knowing nothing at that place, but the fact itself that Sayoung participated in the audition didn’t piss him off to that extent.

“Yoon Sayoung, what should I really do with you….”

Jaewoo muttered in a voice containing emotions indistinguishable between ridicule, sympathy, or satisfaction.

Listening to that voice, Eunseong recalled the day he visited Sayoung’s house.

Pouring out words he would never have said, could not have said before, Sayoung’s voice was so cold and dispassionate that Eunseong felt like he was a different person.

Could even that really have been all acting as Jaewoo said?

Could it have been planned staging?

Is all of this really his obsession to reclaim Han Jaewoo?

Eunseong hurriedly erased the numerous assumptions rising in his mind.

Knowing the answer wouldn’t help a manager who just did as he was told anyway.