Chapter 62: The Distance That Returned

But now they had both become adults walking different paths.

Even though they were tied together through this ridiculous filming, Wooju didn’t think the moments they had spent together in this house would have absolutely no effect on their current relationship.

Yet after hearing Won Jitae’s words just now, it felt like everything had returned to square one.

For some reason, the chicken no longer tasted as good as before.

The week that had seemed like it would never end had finally reached its final stretch.

Today was Wooju’s last day acting as Won Jitae’s manager.

Over the past week, Wooju had spent hectic days handling quite a busy schedule.

He had to play the role of a manager while also filling up the hobbies he needed to complete during the week.

Because of that, the only thing he could remember lately was constantly moving around busily.

But once today passed, he would probably be able to catch his breath a little.

“Won Jitae, are you ready?”

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

Moreover, today’s schedule was very simple.

It was just the interview that had been canceled last time.

It seemed the media company that requested the interview and Jitae’s agency had adjusted their schedules as much as possible and set the date again for today.

“They said we just have to go to your agency, right?”

“Yeah.”

Jitae swung his long legs as he came down the stairs.

The moment Wooju looked at his face, he could immediately tell something wasn’t normal.

Unlike usual, his eyes drooped slightly.

Not only that, he looked a bit swollen, as if he hadn’t slept well.

Normally, when he went out for schedules, he would at least set himself up neatly, but today he was dressed comfortably with a cap pulled low over his head.

“What?”

Noticing the staring gaze, Jitae asked with curiosity.

Unformed words bounced inside Wooju’s mind.

Normally he would have simply asked whether he hadn’t slept or whether he was feeling sick, but strangely, his voice didn’t come out.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

Wooju became certain that Won Jitae’s condition wasn’t very good while they were driving along the now-familiar highway.

Usually Jitae would fall asleep around the time they arrived, but today he put on an eye mask and neck pillow the moment the car started and settled into a proper sleeping posture.

At first he tossed and turned a little, but before long his head slowly drooped.

Had his insomnia returned again?

It didn’t seem like he had simply missed a night of sleep.

Wooju felt a bit of regret for not asking earlier.

Come to think of it, even if asking about worries might be a bit intrusive, asking whether someone’s body condition was okay shouldn’t be a problem, right?

If someone’s complexion looked bad, even a stranger passing by might ask if they were okay.

“Won Jitae, are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

The moment they parked in the underground parking lot and got out, Wooju immediately acted on his thoughts after seeing Jitae’s face look even darker.

“You don’t look well.”

“Ah….”

As if realizing something, Jitae suddenly rubbed his face with both hands.

Then he pulled his cap down low and shook his head.

“I just didn’t sleep well.”

“……”

It was the answer Wooju had expected.

He knew Jitae would say something like that, yet the uneasy feeling wouldn’t leave him.

Wooju stared at Jitae’s back as he walked toward the elevator first.

Won Jitae’s agency was an entertainment company specializing in actors.

It wasn’t a huge company like the large agencies people often talked about, but it still had several prominent actors under its wing, including Won Jitae.

In addition, by recruiting promising rookie actors with bright futures, it could be said that the company was currently experiencing significant growth.

Today’s interview was scheduled to take place in an interview room inside Jitae’s agency.

Since it was quite different from a typical company, Wooju’s eyes naturally wandered around the interesting structures here and there.

“Jitae, you’re here?”

As they arrived on the third floor and were about to enter the prepared room, a middle-aged man suddenly ran toward Jitae from afar.

His face looked extremely bright.

“Hello, President.”

“I haven’t seen you at all lately because of the filming. I barely made time to come down today after hearing you had an interview here.”

Park Junghwan, the CEO of Sodam Entertainment where Won Jitae belonged, had another nickname—

“Won Jitae’s biggest fan.”

If you looked closely at the moment when the company began to grow steadily without major setbacks, it was right after they signed a contract with Jitae.

As actor Won Jitae started gaining fame, the company he belonged to naturally began receiving attention as well.

This kind of story was quite common in the entertainment industry.

Sometimes a single celebrity could support and grow a small company.

Because of that, Park Junghwan often called Jitae a “lucky treasure.”

“Ah, you must be Player Kang Wooju, right? You’re filming together with Jitae this time.”

“Yes. Today I came as his manager because of the filming concept.”

After enthusiastically greeting Jitae, Park Junghwan finally noticed the camera and Wooju behind him and greeted them warmly one by one.

“President, my interview time is almost up.”

“Ah, sorry. I kept you too long.”

The excited expression he had when he ran over to greet him turned awkward.

That was understandable because Jitae’s tone had become slightly sensitive.

Jitae gave a small nod, opened the interview room door, and went inside first.

“Um… President.”

Wooju called out to Park Junghwan, who was still smiling casually.

It felt a little strange to address someone else’s boss like that, but he couldn’t think of another proper title either.

“Yes?”

“Won Jitae seems a bit sensitive because he hasn’t slept well.”

Wooju’s eyes conveyed the message: please don’t take it to heart.

Park Junghwan seemed to understand a moment later and burst into an easy laugh.

“I know. That guy Jitae has been like that for years. I don’t really mind.”

“Ah, I see.”

If that was the case, then it was a relief.

But if that behavior wasn’t just a one-time thing…

Then by ordinary standards, Won Jitae’s personality really could be considered a bit rude.

He even acted that way toward the president of his own company.

For Wooju, who always treated directors with absolute respect, it was a little hard to understand.

“Then Player, please go inside as well.”

“Huh? I can go in too?”

“Of course. Managers usually help adjust questions that might be difficult to answer. Though the reporter today is someone friendly with our company, so you probably won’t have much to worry about.”

So he could go in.

Wooju had been a little curious.

What kind of questions would be asked, and how Won Jitae would answer them.

Fortunately, the reporter conducting the interview today had already been informed that Jitae was currently filming a variety show and that Wooju was playing the role of his manager as part of the concept.

Wooju entered the interview room with slight excitement.

At that moment, the reporter who had already arrived was greeting Jitae.

Then the reporter noticed Wooju and approached him with a bright smile.

“You’re the temporary manager, right?”

The reporter held out a white business card.

On it was written: Reporter Kim Yula, Myeongguk Daily.

“Yes, I’m Kang Wooju.”

“Please take care of us today. Shall we begin the interview right away?”

The reporter skillfully took her seat and set a laptop and recorder on the table.

“Kang Wooju, come over here.”

“Ah, okay.”

Wooju sat beside him following the gesture.

He wondered whether it was really okay for him to sit there, but Jitae explained that managers usually sat next to the person being interviewed.

“Then we’ll begin the interview. Please answer honestly, and if there’s anything you’d prefer not to appear in the article, feel free to tell me.”

“Yes.”

Perhaps because she was a reporter, her voice was quite calm.

For some reason it felt like he had come for a job interview, and Wooju felt a bit nervous.

He was familiar with dealing with reporters, but it was rare for him to sit face-to-face in such a serious setting.

When he glanced to the side, Won Jitae was sitting calmly as if none of this bothered him.

“First of all…”

Kim Yula seemed quite experienced as a reporter and led the interview very smoothly.

Most of the questions were about the recent movie that Jitae had filmed.

The film had already achieved the milestone of surpassing ten million viewers and still showed no sign of losing popularity.

Even though it had been quite some time since its release, it was still showing in some theaters.

Recently it had also been receiving very positive reactions overseas.

This interview was apparently planned as part of a special feature article connected to that film.

“While playing the protagonist ‘Kang Hyun’ in Rail, were there any major difficulties?”

“To be honest, there weren’t many difficulties. From the moment I first received the script, I had a feeling I would be able to do it well.”

“May I ask why you had that feeling?”

“I thought the way Kang Hyun appeared in the early part of the story resembled me a little.”

As the interview continued, Wooju’s role became almost nonexistent.

All he had to do was sit there and listen to the conversation between the two.

Yet he didn’t feel bored at all.

Maybe it was because Won Jitae’s voice sounded deeper than usual and was pleasant to hear.

Or maybe it was because he was very curious about what words would come out of that mouth.