AES Ch1.2

“Kiyeon just showed me a synopsis a while back.”

“Ah, so that’s why he was complaining to me about you stealing you away?”

“Weren’t you close with Director Jeong, Writer Shin?”

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Yeo Joohee asked Chaeyeon with interest. Heetae observed their conversation carefully. Yeo Joohee, one of the lead actors, was playing the role of Jang Yijin. Jang Yijin is the perfect heir to a conglomerate, the sister of the protagonist Jang Icheon, and the source of his inferiority complex. Yeo Joohee’s striking features and sharp acting skills would certainly fit the role well.

Heetae scanned the room as most of the actors had arrived. There were many known for their acting prowess, including Yeo Joohee, and he was confident that the casting was something the production team was proud of. He was starting to get a little interested in this script reading.

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“Mr. Sihyeon, you’re here?”

At the sound of Chaeyeon waving and calling out, Heetae turned his gaze towards the door. Ryu Sihyeon was walking in with a snack from the refreshments provided by the production in his mouth. Heetae looked intently at his face, which he hadn’t seen in a while. He wasn’t particularly eager to see him, but since they were going to work together, he figured he should take a look.

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Under the fluorescent light, his face looked delicate and almost like a blank canvas, with a sharp yet innocent expression.

When their eyes met with Chaeyeon’s, Ryu Sihyeon paused from unwrapping the snack and bowed. It was a gesture Heetae remembered seeing before.

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“Hello, Writer Shin.”

If he thought back, Ryu Sihyeon had greeted in the same manner before. He greeted everyone around him in that way before sitting next to Heetae, where his name was written. Of course, he greeted Heetae as well, but no conversation followed. He seemed to be the quiet type, and Heetae wasn’t one to initiate conversation either. In Heetae’s social circle, it was normal for others to approach him first.

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Instead, Heetae looked down at Ryu Sihyeon sitting beside him. From this angle, he noticed his sharp nose and long eyelashes. When he was eating the snack, he seemed playful, but sitting quietly like this, he also had an unstable air about him.

His quiet demeanor was like the calm sea surface before the waves start crashing.

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Director Cha came in, and the script reading began. The overall atmosphere was good, and those with cameras were busy filming the making-of. Soon, it was time for the main and supporting actors to introduce themselves.

“Hello, I’m Seo Heetae, playing the role of Prosecutor Lee Joohwan.”

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There was brief applause in the conference room. Next, it was the turn for the lead actor whose name would be at the top of the credits to greet. Ryu Sihyeon, sitting next to Heetae, stood up and greeted with a lackluster expression.

“I’m Ryu Sihyeon, playing Jang Icheon.”

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His voice sounded like he hadn’t eaten, which might explain why he was snacking. Regardless, his unenthusiastic attitude was both irritating and confusing, but compared to what was to come, this was nothing.

Ryu Sihyeon was terrible at the reading.

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After the reading of the first episode, the expressions of Director Cha and Chaeyeon had turned serious, and the camera crew seemed to have given up on filming Ryu Sihyeon, focusing instead on other actors. Heetae glanced at Ryu Sihyeon, who had just finished his lines. He looked surprisingly calm.

What’s with this guy?

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It was just ridiculous. Now that he had gained some popularity and was playing the lead, was he just going to slack off? Many in the room probably thought the same.

He improved slightly by the second episode’s reading, but he seemed not to care about his performance, maintaining an indifferent expression. He watched Yeo Joohee, who was deeply focused on the reading, without even blinking. It was impossible to fathom what he was thinking.

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Then came a scene where Heetae and the actress playing his colleague, Prosecutor Han Seyeong, Min Hyejin, had a dialogue. As Min Hyejin started, Ryu Sihyeon’s gaze shifted to her. Then it was Heetae’s turn to speak his lines.

“Why would KI bribe Congressman Kang Jiwon?”

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At that moment, he felt a scrutinizing gaze from beside him, as if being dissected.

“Obviously, KI has something shady going on.”

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That gaze then turned to Han Seyeong,

“So…”

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And back to Lee Joohwan.

At that moment, Heetae looked at Ryu Sihyeon beside him. He continued his lines while meeting Ryu Sihyeon’s eyes.

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“Why Kang Jiwon?”

Ryu Sihyeon didn’t avert his gaze. With an expressionless face, he continued to stare at Heetae.

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“I don’t know either. I was chasing Jang Yijin from KI, but it wasn’t Jang Yijin who did this.”

Even when Min Hyejin spoke her next line, Ryu Sihyeon didn’t look at her. He only watched Heetae speaking.

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“If not Jang Yijin, then who? Could it be KI’s illegitimate child, Jang Icheon?”

Ryu Sihyeon’s brown eyes met Heetae’s cold gaze head-on.

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“Does he even have the capability for that?”

Heetae’s lips curled into a sneer directed at the person in his sight. Suddenly, it was as if ‘Jang Icheon’ was right there in front of him.

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Jang Icheon responded with a twisted smile.

It was the end of the second episode. Since the reading only went up to the second episode, everyone had relaxed, focusing only on Ryu Sihyeon, who played Jang Icheon, and Na Seon-young, who played Jang Icheon’s mother, Chairwoman Yoo.

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Veteran actress Na Seon-young, with her incredible voice and aura, perfectly portrayed the real power behind the conglomerate KI. Every line she delivered toyed with Jang Icheon’s complex. Her seasoned acting was so draining that even the audience felt exhausted.

Normally, Jang Icheon would submit unconditionally to his mother’s sarcasm. But in this scene, Jang Icheon rebels against his mother for the first time. From then on, Jang Icheon becomes even more ruthless and vile, his ambition filling the void where guilt and conscience should have been.

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Only the final moment, the catalyst for this change, remained.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Ryu Sihyeon, who was about to speak his last line. As Ryu Sihyeon opened his mouth, a self-deprecating laugh escaped.

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“F*ck, why is it only me that you do this to?”

 

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Ryu Sihyeon looked directly at Na Seon-young and spoke. The conference room fell silent for a moment. The lead actor, who had been a mess throughout the reading, had finally delivered that one line well. It was an unexpected moment. Na Seon-young’s eyebrows furrowed. At the same time, the sound of a camera shutter clicking from one of the staff members behind was heard.

Heetae observed Na Seon-young’s peculiar expression, wondering what she had seen both as actress Na Seon-young and as Chairwoman Yoo of KI.

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The silence was broken by Chaeyeon’s cough.

“Actors, you know that ‘fuck’ might not pass the censorship, right?”

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“Yes, I’m sorry. I was just really nervous…”

Ryu Sihyeon apologized with a shy smile. People started laughing. Actor Joo Yong-jin, who played Congressman Kang Jiwon, dismissed it with a hearty laugh, saying, “Oh, it’s okay.” Ryu Sihyeon, now laughing along, was no longer the person Heetae remembered who spoke in a meek voice or looked at the ground. With this sudden laughter, Heetae couldn’t tell which was his real self. Heetae quietly watched this unfamiliar face laughing.

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After the reading ended and while it was still chaotic, Heetae headed towards the tea table for an electrolyte drink. As he picked one up, Ryu Sihyeon approached and began to pick up the remaining snacks one by one.

Heetae was about to leave when he spotted Chaeyeon’s favorite chocolate snack and picked one up. Then he felt a gaze following the last of those snacks. That gaze then looked up at Heetae.

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Could he want this one?

“Here, have it.”

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Heetae handed over the snack. Ryu Sihyeon accepted it with both hands and replied,

“Thank you.”

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His voice was quite clear. Heetae looked down at Ryu Sihyeon. He wasn’t good at estimating height, but he guessed Ryu Sihyeon was somewhere between late 170s to early 180s in centimeters. Strangely, he seemed taller now than before, perhaps because he was making eye contact.

“Sure.”

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With that, Heetae turned away, thinking he wouldn’t have to see him for a while.

Just when Heetae thought the schedule was over, he found himself in an empty room with Ryu Sihyeon. More precisely, with a member of the PR team. The staff member had suddenly detained the lead actors, saying they couldn’t leave yet.

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“We’re going to film a video to be released later, just some comments and a brief greeting would be great.”

The employee spoke cheerfully about what seemed to please him. The two actors stood side by side awkwardly against one wall. The employee with the camera looked puzzled through the viewfinder and took a step back. Then, still looking baffled, he stepped back one more time.

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He kept stepping back until he… hit the wall. The employee looked back and forth between the wall blocking his retreat and the actors, then said with a troubled expression,

“I’m sorry, could Mr. Seo Heetae bend his knees a little? The room is too small to fit both of you in one frame.”

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“Yes,” Heetae answered. Being unusually tall, this wasn’t an uncommon request. He often added this to make the other party feel less awkward,

“Sorry, I’m just too tall.”

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This was his way of humbling himself, implying ‘it’s not because you’re short.’ At those words, Ryu Sihyeon looked up at Heetae, their eyes meeting again.

His gaze was different from before.

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As soon as that strange gaze was withdrawn, Ryu Sihyeon spoke to the employee almost dismissively,

“Why not just sit on chairs?”

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Surprisingly direct. It piqued Heetae’s interest a bit, and he stared at Ryu Sihyeon.

“Oh, right…”

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The flustered employee quickly dragged two chairs over. The sound of the chair wheels resonated loudly in the room, making the employee seem particularly embarrassed. He must have thought he’d made a mistake because his earlier cheerful demeanor was gone.

Heetae sat down with Ryu Sihyeon. The employee even brought a script. While reading the script on the tablet PC, Heetae found something amusing: he had to speak first before Ryu Sihyeon. Probably because the name ‘Seo Heetae’ had more recognition, they considered it for promotion.

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Heetae handed the tablet PC to Ryu Sihyeon after checking the script. While the act of giving was the same, it felt different from when he gave him the snack. It wasn’t because of the space or the item being handed over. It wasn’t Heetae’s problem either.

It was Ryu Sihyeon. It was because Ryu Sihyeon had changed. He wasn’t looking up with that yearning gaze from before. Now, Ryu Sihyeon took the PC with an air of entitlement, without even a thank you.

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What is this?

Heetae watched the back of Ryu Sihyeon’s head as he read the script on the tablet but still hadn’t found an answer. Even when Ryu Sihyeon handed the PC back to the employee, he was still pondering.

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Not being one to obsessively seek answers, Heetae just followed the employee’s request and did the filming. All he had to do was give a simple thank you to future viewers. Following the script, he said, “Hello, I’m Seo Heetae, playing Prosecutor Lee Joohwan, who fights against corruption in the prosecution and conglomerates in the TBS Wednesday-Thursday drama <Thirst>.”

Then it was Ryu Sihyeon’s turn. Heetae glanced at Ryu Sihyeon beside him, who seemed to be smiling more brightly than he had ever seen. In the movies Heetae had seen, Ryu Sihyeon had always portrayed a gloomy character, and even when receiving a major award, he didn’t smile, giving off an arrogant vibe. So this smile was somewhat refreshing.

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However, that impressive smile, seen even from the side, vanished as soon as the employee said, “Thank you.”

“Thank you.”

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After leaving a simple greeting, Heetae stood up. Ryu Sihyeon nodded slightly to the employee and walked towards the door first. As Heetae followed, Ryu Sihyeon opened the door for him.

“Please go first, senior.”

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His expression bore a subtle smile, one of forced politeness. His eyes hid hostility. Heetae’s mind flashed to scene #83 from episode 4 of <Thirst>, where Jang Icheon first encounters Prosecutor Lee Joohwan, feeling a sense of crisis. Jang Icheon’s expression towards Lee Joohwan would have been exactly like this.

This guy’s a con artist of an actor.

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Heetae let out a hollow laugh. This kid was using this moment to become Jang Icheon. It was an unexpected move, making Heetae feel like he’d been outsmarted.

 

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Clearly, the claim of being a fan was a complete lie. No one would be this insolent in front of an actor they admired.

🌸🍓🌸

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Shin Chaeyeon hadn’t yet completed the full 16 episodes of the drama. There wasn’t necessarily a need to do so, but by nature, she was someone who needed to materialize her ideas before she could feel satisfied. Because of this, she hadn’t come out of her studio for a while, so Heetae bought some desserts and visited her personally.

While Chaeyeon took a break eating cake, Heetae skimmed through the ending of <Thirst>, which was only half-completed. As he read the script, Chaeyeon looked up at him and said,

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“You’ve got a lot of screen time, huh? You’ll have a lot of lines to memorize.”

It was funny that she spoke about it as if it were someone else’s business when she wrote it.

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“This much is nothing.”

“Well, Ryu Sihyeon was the problem during the reading.”

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“Ah, him.”

After the reading that day, the only line from Ryu Sihyeon that stayed in Heetae’s memory was one. Just one line in the last scene. He was that bad. But that one line was quite impressive. It wasn’t because it was the last line or because it contained an unexpected curse. There was something inherently compelling about the way Ryu Sihyeon delivered it.

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“Seems like he got the hang of it by the end.”

As Heetae reminisced about that moment, Chaeyeon exhaled something like a sigh of relief.

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“Yeah, that’s why I was somewhat reassured. They say he’s not good at readings usually. He gets better after watching other actors and after some time passes.”

Heetae let out a low laugh at what sounded like an excuse from Chaeyeon.

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“What an oddball.”

“Oh, come on, there are actors like that.”

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There are, indeed. But if a young actor who had success right after debuting was like this, he wouldn’t hear anything good. If he had gotten away with it so far without any trouble, it must mean he’s been lucky to meet good people.

“What university did he graduate from? How did he do in practical exams?”

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“He probably didn’t go to university.”

“Really?”

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…Could he have been scouted off the street because of his looks? It’s possible. If he was that bad at readings, he likely wouldn’t have done well in auditions either.

“Whatever the case, his agency hit the jackpot with him. It’s a small place.”

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Actually, it was a place he’d never even heard of, size aside.

“Yeah. The manager there does everything from road managing. He works so hard. He even asked us to take good care of our Sihyeon.”

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“Does the manager have to go that far? Must be one fussy actor.”

“I don’t know. They say he’s shy, though.”

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“Shy? I doubt that.”

Heetae remembered the rational suggestion Ryu Sihyeon made about just bringing chairs. He didn’t seem shy at all. If anything, he might be considered impolite.

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“Really? Wasn’t he quiet during the reading?”

“You won’t be on set much, so you won’t know, but I can assure you, he’s not shy at all.”

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“Is that so?”

“Be honest. Ryu Sihyeon didn’t say he was my fan directly, did he?”

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“Hmm, now that you mention it, I think it was his manager who said that.”

Just as expected. He was already a handful, needing people around him to clean up after him. Even the writer was covering for him after such a messy reading. The thought of having a lead actor like this already gave him a headache.

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“Anyway, you must be happy. You got the Ryu Sihyeon you wanted so much.”

“I am happy. He’s popular these days, so he’ll bring some buzz. And if you give him time, he’ll act well.”

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Chaeyeon took another bite of cake before continuing.

“And he’s got charisma.”

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“Does he?”

“If you watch his drama before <Field of Freedom>, wow. He’s a scene stealer.”

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“I haven’t seen it.”

“You should.”

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Heetae responded with disbelief at his friend’s urging.

“No, why should I?”

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“But there are plenty of good-looking people, but he really… has charm.”

It was rare for Shin Chaeyeon to talk about charm, as she was usually stingy with compliments, especially about men’s looks. Heetae, slightly taken aback, touched his chin and asked,

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“What kind of charm? Sexual, by any chance?”

“Hmm… Objectively speaking, that would be included too.”

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He had meant it as a jest, but he didn’t expect such a serious response. Intrigued, he asked another question.

“That’s something. Shin Chaeyeon feeling sexual attraction to a guy?”

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“It is something.”

When Chaeyeon responded playfully, Heetae asked with interest,

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“So would you sleep with him if he asked?”

“Why would you ask that? It’s not like you to ask such things.”

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Chaeyeon, who had been eating her cake without comment, added,

“But maybe once…?”

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“What, you’ve been deceiving me all this time?”

At Heetae’s look of disbelief, Chaeyeon made a frantic gesture with her hand.

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“Don’t think it’s strange. He’s definitely not my type. I’ve never lied. It’s just curiosity, you know. If everyone wants to sleep with him once and he wants to sleep with me… I could be curious enough to try it.”

“I’ve known you were strange for a long time, but…”

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“Thanks for the compliment.”

Heetae watched his friend, who was laughing brightly, with an indifferent face, but inside, he was thinking quite a bit. For instance, wasn’t she supposed to only like pretty girls around her age as she always claimed? Or maybe Ryu Sihyeon was that charming.

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Shin Chaeyeon had come out to Heetae back in high school. But since then, she rarely talked about her love life, so he was occasionally curious. Did she actually date? Did she genuinely like anyone?

In fact, one doesn’t necessarily have to be in love. Love is a very difficult thing. Yet, most people live their lives according to the script given to them. They date and get married when the time comes. Even if they divorce someday, there’s a reason everyone lives like that. It’s because it offers a certain level of comfort and stability.

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Thus, Seo Heetae also planned to live that way, but he knew that path wasn’t available for Shin Chaeyeon. She usually lived on the fringes of typical life. Watching from afar, he felt a mix of concern for his friend and a defensive thought that he wouldn’t be in such a position himself.

Of course, he didn’t show these thoughts to his friend. Instead, he replied in a teasing manner.

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“I guess I need to look at Ryu Sihyeon in a new light. Even getting a lesbian interested. I haven’t even managed that.”

“No, listen, it’s not like that, it’s just that he has charm.”

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“Yes, I’m sure he does. I’m not the type to get curious like you, so I wouldn’t know.”

Heetae focused on reading the script while teasing her back. There was no need for him to worry about a problem his friend couldn’t solve herself. He wasn’t the type to diligently seek answers to his curiosities, especially if they were unanswerable questions. He lacked talent in that area and wasn’t the type to challenge fields where he had no aptitude.

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🌸🍓🌸

The production team of <Thirst> decided to have a small get-together with some of the main cast, the CP, and key staff before the official start of shooting.

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Heetae had skipped all previous after-parties using the excuse of scheduling conflicts, but when Director Cha personally arranged a spot at a regular meat restaurant, he couldn’t make up another excuse. Though he usually preferred reading the script one more time over attending meaningless gatherings with lots of people, it would be rude not to go, so he reluctantly got into the car.

“Do we really have to go to these things?”

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Heetae muttered. His manager, Hyeonghun, who was a few years younger and driving, knew a bit about Heetae’s personality beyond his public image. So, even when Heetae grumbled, he responded calmly.

“I agree. I find it bothersome too.”

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“People who are meant to get close will do so without this. If you don’t click, no amount of gatherings will help. It’s inefficient and a waste of production money.”

“You’re right, hyung. But since we’re not that kind of relationship, next time, you can treat us to meat.”

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“Alright.”

“You have plenty of money, so I don’t need to thank you particularly, right?”

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“Right. Just a little thanks will do.”

It didn’t seem hard when he thought about how hard his manager always worked. He wasn’t hard to understand; he was the type to appreciate kindness and show loyalty. He was sociable, making him a convenient person to have around. While humming along to a song, he glanced at the backseat.

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“I’ll take you to a better place next time so you won’t feel jealous, but I’m still jealous about you eating meat with Yeo Joohee.”

“Yeo Joohee? You like that type?”

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“Isn’t that obvious? You didn’t know Yeo Joohee is short for ‘Goddess Joohee’?”

Heetae laughed and retorted at the absurdity of it.

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“I prefer Min Hyejin over Yeo Joohee.”

“Hyung, you like the innocent type?”

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“Min Hyejin is my colleague, and Yeo Joohee is the enemy. I’m on Team Min Hyejin until this drama ends.”

“That’s no fun.”

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Whether it was fun or not, he wasn’t interested in women he’d meet on set. He was already busy enough, and if a romance went wrong, it would only create headaches.

When they arrived at the reserved meat restaurant, many people were already there. Heetae didn’t particularly enjoy these places where you had to grill your own meat, which would leave a smell, but since it was a popular menu choice, he had no objections to the selection. Sure enough, people seemed to like meat; when they entered, there were hardly any empty seats despite arriving on time.

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Originally, Heetae intended to sit near Min Hyejin, who played his colleague prosecutor, or Park Yeeun, who played Detective Hong, to discuss scenes they would have together. But Ryu Sihyeon was already seated next to them.

He was diligently grilling meat, and Min Hyejin was pouring him a drink. They seemed to have gotten quite close, chatting amiably, which caught Heetae’s eye. He knew Min Hyejin quite well since they were from the same university, but it was the first time he’d seen her being so friendly with someone she’d only met a few times. As expected, Ryu Sihyeon was the type women would like for his good looks.

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Heetae had no choice but to sit in front of Yeo Joohee, who was at the end of the table. Since he already knew Yeo Joohee well, there was no point in this gathering for fostering camaraderie. Yeo Joohee, who had been raised as the youngest daughter and had never grilled meat before, happily ordered meat when Heetae sat across from her.

It almost turned into just a meat-eating session, but fortunately, the director of photography, who had just arrived, sat next to them. When he arrived, it was time for introductions. After that, Heetae shared drinks with the two at his table.

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The director next to him was originally from the film industry but had happily taken on the drama because he wanted to expand into that field. He was knowledgeable about films, so he and Heetae got along well in conversation. As their talk turned to the commercial film he had recently worked on, the director drank with pride.

“I was in a good mood last year because <Field of Freedom> did well. Some called it a patriotic film, but it was made pretty straightforward. Otherwise, how could it have drawn 7 million viewers? Right, Sihyeon?”

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Suddenly, he called out to Ryu Sihyeon, who was grilling meat at the other table. Ryu Sihyeon looked over and answered with a smile, “Yes.”

Today, he did little more than grill meat and didn’t talk much. At the next table, Min Hyejin and Park Yeeun were leading the conversation, with an actress who was an ex-idol named Haeun responding enthusiastically. Oddly, the director, sitting far from Ryu Sihyeon, was the one actively talking to him.

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“Sihyeon is very diligent. Didn’t you say you did a lot of part-time jobs? That’s why you’re good at grilling meat.”

“Yes. I worked at a meat restaurant for about half a year.”

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Now, seeing Ryu Sihyeon, he wasn’t arrogant for someone who had achieved success at a young age, nor did he have any barriers with other staff. At last year’s awards ceremony, Heetae had thought he had an arrogant side, so this was somewhat surprising. However, what happened next went beyond surprise and made Heetae feel uncomfortable.

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“Grill that and come over here to eat.”

At the director’s words, Ryu Sihyeon excused himself from the actors nearby and sat in the empty seat opposite the director, next to Heetae. He immediately poured a drink for the director, who drank it naturally and took another. It was like how one would treat the youngest member of a film crew. It was hard to tell if this was friendliness or rudeness.

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“I can grill well too, but let’s stop with the drinks and have more meat.”

Heetae said this while placing meat on the director’s plate. Only then did the director’s attention turn to Heetae.

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“Speaking of which, Actor Seo, you’re close with Director Jeong Ki-yeon, right?”

“I haven’t seen him much lately.”

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Heetae answered immediately. In reality, he was in frequent contact with Jeong Ki-yeon, but he found it bothersome when people approached him just because he was close to the director.

Unintentionally, there had been talk in the industry about Seo Heetae having good connections, but he didn’t want to show off about it. He also didn’t want people to become friendly just because of his connections. Heetae gave brief answers to a few questions about Ki-yeon before pretending to go to the bathroom and left the table. Later, he went to Chaeyeon’s table and had a few drinks.

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🌸🍓🌸

As winter approached, <Thirst> finally started shooting. The filming went smoothly. Actors who started shooting first would occasionally post pictures from the set in the group chat. Heetae would quickly check the pictures and reply with brief messages. Most of his time was spent reading the script or watching reference films.

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Two days later, Heetae was also shooting on a set in Paju. He liked the unique atmosphere of the set, and this drama’s set had an even more enthusiastic vibe, which he enjoyed. Naturally, he got closer to some of the staff, including Assistant Director Seungjae, whom he had briefly greeted at the get-together.

“But on the first day, wow, Ryu Sihyeon was something else.”

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Seungjae, who always asked about workout routines claiming to be a fan, this time brought up Ryu Sihyeon.

“What about Ryu Sihyeon?”

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“There’s that scene where he’s about to commit suicide on the balcony, right? That was the first scene we shot.”

“Ah, that scene.”

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“It was an emotional scene for the first shoot, so I was a bit worried. Would he do well? Even though he’s good at acting, he doesn’t have that much experience. But wow, his acting was just…”

The assistant director knew how to tell an interesting story. He paused for effect, making Heetae curious.

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“Just what?”

“It was hair-raising, I tell you. You could feel that Jang Icheon was really ready to die. Even though you know it’s acting, watching it, you’re like, ‘Oh my God,’ and then suddenly, he actually falls off the balcony.”

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“What?”

Heetae couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. The assistant director smiled, satisfied with the reaction. He had clearly brought up the story to get this response.

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“It was a low set, so jumping off wasn’t dangerous, but he jumped before the cut!”

“In the script, Jang Yijin is supposed to catch him before he falls.”

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“Ah, right. But this was a one-shot of Jang Icheon without Yeo Joohee catching him because she was back in the dressing room. Maybe because there was no one to catch him, he turned around after his lines and just… fell!”

What kind of crazy person does that? He really was full of surprises.

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“Was he hurt?”

“No, he landed well.”

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“Scaring people like that.”

“Ha ha.”

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“Still, he should be scolded for that. It’s dangerous.”

“Well, the director did warn him. But since the shot came out so well, they went with it for one take.”

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How did it turn out? Heetae wanted to see that cut. It was only natural to be curious after hearing such an interesting anecdote. Since the final cut would alternate between Jang Yijin and Jang Icheon, he wouldn’t be able to see the full shot. So, the unedited raw footage would be valuable. While Heetae was lost in thought, Seungjae kept chattering away.

“But you know the Director of Photography, right? When Ryu Sihyeon jumped, he didn’t even flinch. The camera didn’t shake at all. He wasn’t fazed at all. When I asked, he said Ryu Sihyeon sometimes does these crazy things because he’s a method actor. The DP said he’s always mentally prepared for it. They said during <Field of Freedom>, he did almost all his stunts without a stunt double… Even though he’s been in the industry for a while, he’s still full of passion, it seems.”

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Seungjae was babbling on, but it wasn’t particularly important information. Heetae waited for him to finish talking before speaking quietly.

“Seungjae.”

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“Yes, hyung.”

“Can you do me a favor?”

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As expected, Assistant Director Seungjae handled the request well. A few days later, he brought a copy of ‘that cut’ on a USB drive for Heetae. Heetae put the USB in his pocket, thinking that if everyone acted so predictably, life would be quite convenient.

Seungjae begged him not to leak it, but it was easy to handle him. Heetae promised to buy him dinner later and also said he would connect him with another production company once his contract ended. Seungjae seemed satisfied but couldn’t hide his last bit of curiosity.

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“But why do you need this?”

“Since you explained it so interestingly, I got curious.”

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He smoothly shifted the blame to Seungjae, satisfying his storytelling instincts. As expected, Seungjae didn’t question it further.

Once home, Heetae played the video he had received. The screen was filled with Ryu Sihyeon’s face as he played Jang Icheon. The last time he saw Ryu Sihyeon grilling meat, he seemed quite innocent. But on screen, Jang Icheon looked both pitiful and sharp, especially his gaze towards his sister. His trembling lips looked like they might shatter if touched.

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Then Jang Icheon speaks to his sister:

“You’ll have KI, and I’ll have nothing. I’m different from you. I’m pitiful and unhappy.”

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