Chapter 59: The Smile that meant nothing anymore.

“How childish….”

Apart from the displeasure of the leech he barely shook off clinging to him again, laughter flowed out.

They say people laugh when something is too absurd and dumbfounding; it must be because of that.

When he saw Sayoung at the audition venue, he was too flustered to think properly, but looking back, he started to understand everything.

The divorce, which Jaewoo thought was the end, was actually the first step for Sayoung.

The first step of a grand plan to properly win Han Jaewoo’s love.

It was clear he devised such a scheme because he couldn’t find an answer anymore in the marriage life that was broken beyond repair.

Making him feel an unexpected emptiness by distancing himself, causing that feeling to evoke guilt, and ultimately making him regret and crave Sayoung’s return.

There must have been such a movie conceived in Sayoung’s head.

“Funny. It’s funny, Yoon Sayoung….”

Even for Jaewoo, who prided himself on knowing Sayoung better than anyone, it was an unexpected move he hadn’t anticipated at all.

If he intended to give Jaewoo a different impression than before with this move, honestly, he succeeded a little.

Jaewoo hadn’t expected at all that he would step forward so actively to get him.

Jaewoo had tried for a very long time to make Sayoung a passive person.

He carefully molded and molded him into a person who unconditionally obeyed his words, couldn’t think for himself, was weak, and could only live relying solely on Jaewoo.

He made him unable to even think that the treatment he received was unjust.

He made him dare not even think of rebelling.

Indeed, Sayoung had changed thoroughly just as Jaewoo wanted.

But now, how could he think of moving in this way?

Judging the current situation calmly, Jaewoo should be feeling a sense of crisis.

He should be angry.

Isn’t it practically throwing ashes into Jaewoo’s rice bowl, who had been looking forward only to the days he would spend with Yoojun?

Normally, he would be furious to the top of his head and threaten to prevent Sayoung from taking that role somehow.

But Jaewoo didn’t do that.

Not only did he not do that, but Jaewoo was even feeling a very strange excitement right now.

The fact that the broken Yoon Sayoung was struggling desperately to get him even by doing this evoked a fresh sense of satisfaction.

There was clearly a time when he thought even such satisfaction was tiresome, so what changed now?

He had tried so hard to make Sayoung submit, yet now he felt attracted to the appearance of not submitting easily.

If this was a bad taste, it was a bad taste.

Jaewoo slowly got up from the bed.

And after sweeping the empty space with his eyes once more, he walked out again.

When he first saw Kim Yoojun and Yoon Sayoung together, his stomach turned and it was hard to calm his irritation, but strangely now, he was very much looking forward to the filming set he would share with the two.

It didn’t seem so bad to see Sayoung clinging anxiously behind him while he narrowed the distance with Yoojun.

A very long time ago, the inferiority complex, possessiveness, misery, and obsession he felt when he first saw Yoon Sayoung shining like a star at a distance he felt he could never reach—complex and desperate emotions that could never be explained in a few words—came to mind after a long time.

It was a very good opportunity.

Now it was Yoon Sayoung’s turn to feel those emotions watching him on the filming set.

****

The filming of the movie Summer Solstice finally officially began.

As a work that garnered tremendous attention from the casting stage, a huge number of reporters flocked to the gosa (ritual for good luck) held along with promotion.

Their greatest interest was naturally the sight of Kim Yoojun, Yoon Sayoung, and Han Jaewoo together in one place.

Perhaps conscious of the excessive heat, the three actors stayed in their respective cars and didn’t show themselves until the gosa preparation was completely finished.

Whether there were special instructions, none of the staff opened their mouths easily either.

Still, the reporters were not disappointed.

Anyway, they would see the three standing side by side if they waited just a little longer.

Even if the gosa time was short, there would be enough time to get what they wanted.

“Hello. Please take good care of me.”

The first to reveal himself in front of them was Kim Yoojun.

Greeting leisurely with a bright face, he boasted tremendous proportions and lines even wearing a long padded jacket.

Needless to say about his face.

He seemed to have lost a little weight compared to the previous filming, and perhaps because of that, his sharper jawline deepened the atmosphere he possessed.

Reporters started pressing shutters frantically.

“Hello!”

The next actor appearing with a likewise cheerful greeting was Han Jaewoo.

Even though the day was quite cold, he was in a coat.

A firm body was glimpsed between the unbuttoned coat.

In front of the gosa table, the two shook hands and exchanged greetings.

Since both were actors recognized for both looks and acting skills, there were quite a few people who had been looking forward to the two meeting in one work.

Occasionally, ‘aggro-type’ articles pretending to worry about whether the two would engage in a battle of nerves on set appeared, but at least the atmosphere of the two exchanging greetings while meeting eyes now looked extremely harmonious.

“Finally met. I really wanted to act together.”

With a voice not excessively loud but loud enough for reporters to hear, Jaewoo spoke to Yoojun first.

This one sentence from Han Jaewoo was sure to spread in real-time.

“Indeed. I’m looking forward to it… let’s do well, us.”

Yoojun deliberately put emphasis on the word ‘us’ and added it at the end.

His gentle smile and gaze flawlessly revealed his favor toward Han Jaewoo.

Making a good work by acting well was a given, and from today, there was only one additional goal Yoojun had to achieve.

Making Han Jaewoo lose his mind, fall for him, and cling to him.

For that, Yoojun finished preparing to willingly sacrifice all his temper and whims.

Reporters couldn’t relax their tension throughout, even while taking pictures of the two and sending out articles immediately.

Because today’s biggest issue maker was scheduled to appear soon.

However, contrary to their expectation, the one who revealed himself first was Director Jung Myeong-cheol.

It was the director’s consideration wanting Sayoung to be exposed to reporters as little as possible.

Some reporters openly made disappointed expressions, but the director didn’t care, exchanged greetings with the actors, and left a short greeting and request to take care of them to the reporters.

When those words ended, an unknown tension began to linger at the gosa site.

It became a sequence that could no longer be delayed.

Unless Sayoung wasn’t participating in the gosa at all, it was the timing for him to appear.

And finally, the person who had been at the center of all kinds of topics throughout since the news of joining was released got out of the car and revealed himself.

It was Yoon Sayoung.

Sayoung walked amidst the fiercely ringing camera shutter sounds.

Zipping up the long padding to the end of his chin and walking carefully, Sayoung’s face was somewhat pale but didn’t look greatly nervous.

Yoojun, who couldn’t go to check his condition in advance for fear of catching Han Jaewoo’s eye, looked at Sayoung with a rather more nervous expression.

Sayoung walked straight without looking toward where the reporters were with his gaze slightly lowered and stood at the end of the line.

Because they stood in the order of Director, Kim Yoojun, and Han Jaewoo, Sayoung naturally ended up standing next to Jaewoo.

Reporters’ eyes twinkled with interest.

“Did you dress warmly?”

Just then, the person who spoke to Sayoung in an affectionate tone was Jaewoo.

Reporters started buzzing.

Sayoung reflexively raised his head and looked at Jaewoo.

He saw gentle eyes.

The voice full of warmth he just heard buzzed in his ears.

The buzzing of reporters and the commotion of the scene receded in an instant, and in the end, nothing but Han Jaewoo’s voice remained in his ears.

There were days when he could do anything to obtain this affection.

“Sayoung-ah, are you okay?”

What pulled Sayoung, whose body felt afloat and mind became distant, back to reality was again Jaewoo’s voice speaking while slightly holding his arm.

Only then did Sayoung snap to his senses and look around.

Significant expressions were focused on him and Jaewoo.

He almost burst into laughter.

The fact that the person who poured out verbal abuse coercively until the last time they met was now pretending to be the world’s most affectionate person without being surprising was an even more amusing point.

It was the same before death.

When others were present, Han Jaewoo always became the person who loved Sayoung the most in the world.

Realizing anew how futile the love he clung to and obsessed over was, instead of getting drunk on that false affection or despairing as before, Sayoung smiled lightly at him likewise and opened his mouth.

“I’m okay. I dressed well. Thank you.”

At Sayoung’s calm and relaxed answer, Jaewoo’s eyes wavered slightly.

Sayoung didn’t place his gaze on him anymore and looked straight ahead.

And just as he was about to offer a greeting to the reporters.

“Mr. Yoon Sayoung.”

A voice calling Sayoung was heard from the side.

It was the director.

To Sayoung answering ‘Yes?’ with a puzzled expression, the director said.

“Stand between the two. That suits the work.”

Smiling good-naturedly, the director recommended Sayoung to stand between Kim Yoojun and Han Jaewoo.

He seemed to know nothing at all about rumors circulating among the three recently.

Come to think of it, considering the movie’s content, it was natural for Sayoung to stand in the middle.

People around seemed surprised by the director’s request, but Sayoung didn’t get flustered, bowed slightly to the director, and moved his steps between Yoojun and Jaewoo.

His two walking legs trembled, but he didn’t show it.

He raised his head more confidently on purpose.

Han Jaewoo was standing so brazenly, there was no reason he couldn’t do so.

“Hello, I am Yoon Sayoung.”

As Sayoung opened his mouth, the surroundings became quiet in an instant.