Chapter 44

In Da-yeon’s eyes, Ha Eun was an unavoidable competitor.

An audition without Ha Eun was hardly meaningful.

Therefore, I wanted Ha Eun to definitely participate in the lead audition for <Busan> that I found out about recently.

Going to Ha Eun’s house without any proper pretext was part of that intention.

“Da-yeon, there are roles I don’t want to play either.”

However, the responses I received from Ha Eun were all refusals.

After that, I tried provoking Ha Eun by asking if he wasn’t confident, and pleaded with an uncharacteristically anxious voice for him to please watch the audition with me, but Ha Eun’s answers didn’t change much.

In the end, I found myself wanting to ask why he dreaded acting out painful roles so much.

But all I was met with was silence.

‘…What is it, really?’

What circumstances could make him refuse Da-yeon’s proposal so obstinately?

After all, it was just acting.

After all, it was just a simple patient role that ended with a few coughs and sneezes.

“I don’t want to play a patient… Never again.”

What I faced was the muddied emotions swirling within Ha Eun’s two eyes. It was a stark contrast to the time when he only showed the emotions the camera demanded.

As a result, I had no choice but to give up on this audition proposal.

But I had to prevent Ha Eun from making excuses to avoid competing with me in the future.

“Lee Ha-eun, if my <Busan> surpasses your next-door uncle’s film, then you have to do what I say after that.”

Da-yeon set an unrealistically high condition to eliminate Ha Eun’s chance of avoiding competition with her.

After a moment of contemplation, Ha Eun finally nodded.

“Okay. If <Busan> surpasses 7 million, I’ll do what you say. Whether it’s an acting competition or rock-paper-scissors.”

“And one more thing. Go watch the movie with me on opening day.”

“Alright… I’ll do that.”

Knowing the eventual outcome of <Busan> thanks to memories from my past life, Ha Eun decided to let the audition pass as an excuse to honor Da-yeon’s promise.

After all, the acting competition was something that needed to happen eventually.

I thought that if I passed it with the 7 million box office achievement that would be reached anyway, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing for Ha Eun either.

Thus, in an audition without Ha Eun, Da-yeon successfully secured the lead role, surpassing all competitors.

With the sole determination and obsession of showing Da-yeon’s acting to Ha Eun, she put in a long and arduous filming process.

A few months later, the long-awaited opening day of <Busan> finally arrived.

“Hey, students. This is a 15+ movie; you need to have a guardian.”

“…Just wait a moment. I’ll bring my guardian.”

There was a small crisis that nearly turned everything to waste before we even entered the theater.

But I managed to overcome the crisis by calling Da-yeon’s manager, Kim Jin-soo, who was wasting time at a PC room near the cinema.

The problem arose shortly after entering the theater with Ha Eun, as a bizarre scene that could only be seen in the script filled the screen in an instant.

[ Ggggggrr…..!! ]

Startled, Da-yeon screamed in a high-pitched voice and jolted violently.

Almost simultaneously, Ha Eun’s two arms tightly wrapped around Da-yeon’s arm and mouth.

Just after Da-yeon’s popcorn bucket was narrowly saved from spilling all over the floor by Ha Eun, he whispered softly in Da-yeon’s ear that if it was too much, we could just go out.

“Da-yeon, you don’t have to force yourself.”

“I’m… I’m not forcing myself…?”

“Well, your expression shows you’re forcing it.”

“What about my expression…!”

Unfortunately for Da-yeon, who was desperately trying to pretend everything was fine, just a few minutes later, an even more bizarre and horrifying scene filled the screen.

[ Kyaaaaaaaaah!!!! ]

“!?!??!!??!!?”

As expected, Da-yeon jolted again.

And again, her heart sank.

“No matter what, I can’t make a nuisance for others.”

“Ugh! Ughhh!!”

“That’s just how it is. Let’s go before you spill your cola again.”

“Uuuhhhhhh!!”

In the end, Da-yeon couldn’t show Ha Eun the climax scene she had worked so hard on.

Given Ha Eun’s clear memories from his past life, he already knew what scene Da-yeon wanted to show him.

But revealing it to Da-yeon would only result in being treated like a weird person rather than being believed.

“The acting you’ve done until now was good enough. So, don’t be too disappointed.”

“No one can say anything!”

“I’m being serious.”

Right now, all I could do was console Da-yeon, who was huffing for quite a while.

Da-yeon also didn’t dare to think about going back into the cinema, so she had no choice but to calm down.

Either way, the condition of the promise was that <Busan> had to achieve a score similar to or better than <Next-door Uncle>.

Since it was practically impossible for the newly released film to reach 7 million, I had to wait and wait.

Two weeks later.

Finally, on the day Da-yeon’s <Busan> achieved the incredible figure of 7 million.

“I’ve heard the news. Congratulations, Da-yeon.”

Ha Eun called first, saying that Da-yeon had achieved the condition she had set.

However, once I received a competitive promise from Ha Eun, strangely, none of the dramas or films Da-yeon could choose seemed sufficient for a competition with Ha Eun.

“I haven’t forgotten at all, so be prepared!”

“…Okay. I’ll be prepared.”

Then, after a week and three days had passed, when <Busan> finally achieved the milestone of 10 million, I only relayed empty warnings to Ha Eun over the phone and kept postponing the competition.

However, perhaps because no dramas or films that matched Da-yeon’s standards came up for quite a while.

“Hey, Da-yeon. You’re going to take a picture with Ha Eun later, right?”

“If he asks first.”

Time passed, and eventually the day of the elementary school graduation ceremony came.

Even after several months, after donning a neat school uniform instead of the casual clothes I used to wear.

“Oh, we’re in the same class again.”

“…They’re doing it for the teachers’ convenience, I suppose.”

“Well, Da-yeon, not ‘teachers’ but ‘teachers.'”

“Isn’t it better than calling them old geezers?”

I held the promise with Ha Eun deep in my heart.

Since both Ha Eun and Da-yeon were still continuing their acting careers, I believed there would definitely come a time for a face-to-face confrontation.

However, unlike Da-yeon, who had been continually filming for any drama or movie, Ha Eun, who acted rarely, did not sit well with me.

“Lee Ha-eun, do you have plans to retire from acting?”

Just a few days after entering the third year of middle school, I earnestly and sharply asked Ha Eun about his true feelings.

In response, Ha Eun merely shook his head side to side.

“I like acting.”

Having been close to Ha Eun for nearly nine years, I understood that he wasn’t lying with that statement.

But I still couldn’t grasp why he would only act once in a blue moon for something he liked.

“You said you were fully prepared for the audition at Seongdong. Is there still something left to ‘prepare’?”

I revisited an old memory, once again asking Ha Eun about his true intentions.

After a brief silence, I heard the same calm voice as usual.

“I finished preparing back then. However, if I act on a whim, I think I’ll get bored quickly.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. How can acting be boring?”

“But just in case. If I keep filming without a break, my image will be consumed quickly.”

‘…Is this guy dissing me right now?’

It sounded like Ha Eun had treated acting as a mere hobby until now.

Despite the fact that Ha Eun’s acting had always been more enthusiastic and serious than could be deemed just a hobby in Da-yeon’s eyes.

“Don’t worry too much, Da-yeon. I won’t quit acting for any reason until I keep my promise to you. There are still projects I really want to shoot.”

This answer also felt like a type of sincerity that didn’t showcase any deceit.

Nonetheless, I couldn’t shake my skeptical gaze, so I resolved to determine a project for our competition with Ha Eun before becoming an adult.

Strictly speaking, neither Da-yeon nor Ha Eun was in a position where they must audition for any role.

However, even if it wasn’t an audition, there were plenty of ways to compete with Ha Eun.

For now, I decided to focus solely on ensuring that Ha Eun wouldn’t stray from the path of acting.

*

“Um… Where should I start organizing?”

Na-yeon’s hands hastily flung open Ha Eun’s door, and that was all well and good.

Since the owner of the room wasn’t home, and it wouldn’t be fair to exclude Ha Eun’s room on this rare day of major cleaning.

However, once I entered Ha Eun’s room, it was hard to decide where to start.

I began by examining the various pieces of furniture in Ha Eun’s room.

The first thing that caught Na-yeon’s eye was a bookshelf filled with old notebooks and novels.

Next was a bed where a large stuffed bear intended for cuddling while sleeping sat all alone.

Finally, at the center of the furniture.

The large white soundproof booth that took up more space than any other furniture in the room.

‘…When did he even buy a lock for that?’

It wasn’t like Na-yeon was responsible for cleaning everything else, but the pristine soundproof booth was a secret sanctuary Ha Eun had invested in as a graduation gift from middle school, so she didn’t feel the need to clean it for him.

I also understood well that as a mother, it’s necessary to respect my child’s privacy.

However, the memory of little Ha Eun singing a children’s song with the cutest expression in front of Na-yeon briefly resurfaced.

‘It feels like it was just yesterday he was taking his first steps. Time really flies…’

It was inevitable to miss that bright and youthful voice from back then without feeling shy.

Shortly after, I noticed that one of the display cabinets in Ha Eun’s room was slightly tilted.

– Clank.

Taking out each trophy from the display cabinet carefully.

I gathered the display cabinet’s alignment back to horizontal with a little effort.

After that, I picked up several wet wipes to make the faded trophies shine.

Each time I read the names inscribed at the base of the trophies, memories began to resurface.

“Best New Actress for the first film, Best Young Actor for the first drama… Our daughter is truly amazing.”

For a while, I silently gazed at the various shaped trophies, momentarily lost in past nostalgia.

About 30 minutes later, I started returning the trophies to their original places after they regained their former shine.

I then continued to tidy up different parts of Ha Eun’s room until everything felt neat and orderly, where Na-yeon felt a sense of pride.

To be fair, it wasn’t really that messy, but Ha Eun would certainly notice Na-yeon’s attentive touch.

Thus, with the hope that Ha Eun would be surprised or pleased upon returning to the organized room finally concluding.

The wide-open white door that had remained open was slowly closed by Na-yeon.

Then, just a few minutes later.

– Bang!

The door closed by Na-yeon was forcefully opened by Ha Eun, who had been wearing an unusually urgent expression since entering the front door.

Not even the slightest glimmer of joy at seeing the clean room Na-yeon had expected could be found.

Of course, Ha Eun had his reasons.

It was precisely because the application deadline for the Virtual YouTuber group <Fantasy Land>, which he thought was until next week, was actually due today.

For Ha Eun, who had been preparing for this dream of being a Virtual YouTuber for quite some time, it was only natural to be in a hurry.

So, he hastily filled out the application forms and sent them to Da Ramji’s work email at lightning speed.

[Unread]

– Click.

[Unread]

– Click.

– Tap tap…

[Read]

“…!”

Only after a long time that exceeded five hours did the ‘read’ message surface, and he let out a sigh of relief.

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