Chapter 54: One Call Away!

“However, rather than me….”

—”Hmm, is there something bothering you?

“I thought it might be uncomfortable for Mr. Han Jaewoo rather than me.”

Of course, it wasn’t really that he was worried about Han Jaewoo.

Yoojun was just worried that if Jaewoo strongly opposed this casting, the director or the production company might break their will.

There was also a not small possibility that investors would disapprove of Sayoung’s casting.

Han Jaewoo had already overturned the casting the director originally had in mind and inserted himself into the role of Kang Museong.

Just looking at that, one could tell that he and his company could exert quite some power on this movie.

The director opened his mouth with a relaxed voice.

—”Hmm, when Actor Han said he wanted the role of Kang Museong… he very desperately told me he would work hard doing whatever I asked as long as I let him join.”

“Ah….”

—”That’s why I took a step back… surely he wouldn’t say now that all that determination was a lie.”

This time, Yoojun burst into laughter.

A light disapproval toward Jaewoo was evident in the director’s voice.

Come to think of it, he wondered how many clashes there must have been to make Director Jung cast Han Jaewoo instead of the actor he originally had in mind.

Even without knowing for sure, Han Jaewoo’s company probably didn’t hesitate to ask favors from the investors’ side.

It was natural for Director Jung’s feelings to be hurt in that process.

Only then did Yoojun feel relieved.

In a situation where Director Jung had already made a big concession regarding casting, it would be difficult for Han Jaewoo’s company to raise their voices loudly over Yoon Sayoung’s casting.

Feeling somehow exhilarated, Yoojun suppressed the laughter that kept trying to escape and said.

“I really have high expectations for this work, Director. I want to start filming quickly.”

—”Me too. Let’s make a good work together.”

“Ah, and one thing….”

And before finishing the call, Yoojun carefully broached a topic to the director due to a thought that suddenly occurred to him.

At the director’s answer to speak comfortably, Yoojun continued carefully.

“If it’s okay with you… may I be the one to first deliver the news to Mr. Yoon Sayoung after it’s confirmed?”

Yoojun wanted to personally deliver the news to Sayoung that he had taken the role of Seo Danwoo.

To be a bit more precise, he wanted to see with his own eyes the reaction Sayoung would show the moment he heard the news.

Whether he laughs, cries, or makes a bewildered expression because he can’t believe it.

Yoojun wanted to see every single emotion he displayed directly.

—”Did you have a close acquaintance with Mr. Yoon Sayoung?”

The director asked back with a somewhat puzzled voice.

Pretending not to notice his heart pounding since earlier, Yoojun tried to say it as if it were no big deal.

“No. It’s not that, but there was an incident where Mr. Sayoung had an accident instead of me not long ago.”

—”Ah, if it’s that matter, I’ve heard about it too.”

“So… although it’s not exactly repaying him directly, I wanted to deliver the good news myself.”

—”Well, that’s not a difficult thing. Do as you wish. I’ll tell them to let Actor Kim know once the decision is made.”

“Thank you.”

Yoojun didn’t relax his tension until the end, worried that his voice answering ‘Thank you’ might tremble.

After that, the two exchanged ordinary greetings about having a meal together before filming and ended the call.

Only then did Yoojun realize he was still standing in the middle of the living room.

“Haa….”

With a deep sigh, Yoojun lay down on the sofa as if collapsing.

He had only made one phone call, but it felt like he had no strength left in his whole body.

Then, chuckles kept escaping him again.

If a camera had been installed, he would undoubtedly have been filmed looking like a crazy person.

“Decide quickly.”

Yoojun muttered to himself for no reason and pressed his phone screen to find Sayoung’s number in his contacts.

He was dying to call him right away and tell him this fact, but since it wasn’t completely decided yet, he had to endure.

It hadn’t even been a minute since he hung up, but he was already anxious inside.

Should I laugh? Or cry? Or should I try to manage my expression pretending nothing happened?

Even just imagining Sayoung’s reaction all day long seemed fun.

He knew his current state was very laughable, but Yoojun’s mood right now was the best, enough that he didn’t care.

He wished Sayoung would smile if possible.

Although tearing up a little would be fine, still, he wanted to see Sayoung happy.

“…….”

And right at that moment.

Yoojun realized.

That the way to draw out a different reaction from him without hurting Sayoung lay right here.

If he makes him happy.

If he makes him happy and joyful.

Then Sayoung might show Yoojun a different appearance than the ghost-like face he had seen until now.

Yoojun put down his phone carelessly on his chest and stared at the ceiling with a blank face.

How would it feel to see Sayoung’s genuinely happy face?

Gauging his emotions here and there which he couldn’t guess just by imagining, Yoojun spent a long time like that.

****

Sayoung spent each day meaninglessly.

Whether he got cast in the movie or not, filming had to start for the planned revenge to proceed.

Because it was only possible to move to the next step after Yoojun properly won Jaewoo’s heart.

Therefore, Sayoung had nothing else to do until the casting was confirmed and filming began.

Before death, Sayoung spent most of his time waiting for Han Jaewoo.

Sayoung just sat like a doll, waiting for Jaewoo to come, and to look at him when he came.

It wasn’t like that from the beginning, but since Jaewoo disliked Sayoung going out in any way, Sayoung withered away just waiting for Han Jaewoo like that.

So Sayoung was a little flustered.

He had a lot of time but didn’t know what to do.

The things Sayoung did before death, such as reading books or growing plants, all belonged to ‘acts of waiting for Han Jaewoo’.

From a certain moment, he felt empty and sad watching others act, so he hardly watched TV either.

Sayoung was a person whose daily routine was to make a cup of coffee, sit blankly, and watch the sun go down outside the window.

So he could hardly know how to spend the time not waiting for Han Jaewoo.

How could he endure such a life?

How could he love someone to that extent?

Was it love in the first place?

Except for the beginning when he fell in love, weren’t all the remaining days merely brainwashing?

Sayoung circled the living room, chased by questions he didn’t necessarily want to know the answers to.

Then when his legs hurt, he sat blankly on the sofa, and when he got energy, he obsessively wiped and cleaned the whole house where there was nothing more to wipe.

It was a ritual that could no longer be called cleaning.

Before death, he couldn’t understand how he could endure a life where nothing was allowed.

Probably because of that, Sayoung became more and more obsessed with Han Jaewoo.

Because all he could do was only things related to Han Jaewoo.

When he first experienced death and decided to take revenge on Jaewoo, he felt he could shake off all the stupidity of the past.

Like becoming a new person.

Like gaining a superpower to overcome everything at once and become the person he wanted, he thought he could overcome everything.

But reality wasn’t like that.

Sayoung mocked him openly in front of Han Jaewoo but was still affected by his pheromones.

He didn’t want to fall in love with him again, but he was still trapped in the house circling in place.

He didn’t know who performed this miracle, but he thought the one who allowed him to go against death and time was unnecessarily realistic.

If that entity is God, God seemed to have quite an eccentric personality.

How many days did he spend like that?

A single stone flew into Sayoung’s daily life, which was still spending meaningless time like a hamster on a wheel.

Sayoung looked at the vibrating phone with little battery left because he hadn’t charged it properly.

It was Kim Yoojun.

Seeing that name, he felt as if the time that had stopped strangely started flowing again.

The boundary, which was faint enough that he couldn’t distinguish between present and past, became clear in an instant, and Sayoung could realize where he was stepping.

Regardless of personal feelings or favor toward Yoojun, he was a kind of indicator for Sayoung in itself.

He was the one who divided life and time to show the path Sayoung should go.

So Sayoung gained comfort from Yoojun.

Whether Yoojun said cold and cruel words or not, such trivial things didn’t matter.

The fact itself that the person who was like Han Jaewoo’s weapon hurting Sayoung in the past was now joining in his revenge had meaning.

“Ah….”

How long had he been staring at Yoojun’s name like that?

Only after the ring cut off abruptly did Sayoung make a flustered face and let out a short groan.

He suddenly remembered being interrogated for not answering the phone last time.

Sayoung’s finger wandered on the screen for a moment.

His head knew he should call first, but perhaps because it was unfamiliar, it wasn’t easy to readily press the call button.

Sayoung’s finger repeatedly hovered ambiguously over the call button.

“……!”

It was right at that moment that the phone in his hand started vibrating loudly again.

Startled, Sayoung pressed the call button in a flurry and answered the phone with stiff movements.

“H-Hello.”

—”Why do you make me call twice every time?”

As expected, Yoojun scolded Sayoung with a curt voice from the start.

But that didn’t feel like making a person shrink either.

Strangely, Sayoung felt a peculiar sense of stability in Yoojun’s voice and answered while carefully curling his body in a corner of the sofa.

“I’m sorry. I was trying to answer but I was late.”

—”Then shouldn’t you call back?”

“I was going to… but just then Mr. Yoojun called again….”

Silence followed from the other side at Sayoung’s answer.

He had waited quite a long time in his own way before calling, but hearing Sayoung’s words, he felt embarrassed thinking he called back too immediately, so Yoojun lost his words, but there was no way for Sayoung to know that.