Morning Routine

The next day went smoothly as Joon-won woke up, went for his jog, and took a quick bath. He slowly ate some cereal with milk while thinking about the tasks ahead. After his shift, he needed to go to Do Hwan's production company to get his audition script. Do Hwan mentioned he needed to learn a two-page script from which they could ask him to perform any part. The script they would give him wasn't part of the original movie but a random practice script made for auditions.

He had only two days to prepare for the audition, which was scheduled for Wednesday. Thinking about all this, he noticed it was almost time and quickly washed the bowl before heading out. As he walked towards the store, listening to some music, he heard his phone notification. Checking it, he saw a text from Hea-Jung.

[When are you going to the company for the script?]

He looked at the message for a few seconds before deciding to ignore it. He didn't have the energy to deal with her and could guess why she asked—she likely wanted to tag along for amusement. As he ignored the message, more texts came in, but he turned off the notification sound completely.

He reached the store and saw Eum Kyung at the counter, scrolling through his phone. Greeting him, Joon-won went to the back and changed into his uniform. Sitting beside Eum Kyung, he noticed the tiredness in his eyes, likely from the previous night's party and drinks with the owner. Eum Kyung's early shift meant he probably didn't get enough rest.

Joon-won, who never liked the taste of alcohol, only drank a few sips of beer because Gim Da forced him. Both of them worked in silence, Joon-won not wanting to disturb the tired man. The 30 minutes went by quickly as Gah Soo walked in, and Eum Kyung left promptly.

Time passed as Joon-won and Gah Soo worked and chatted. Gah Soo still had classes, as her Financial Management course was longer than acting. She had two more weeks of classes before starting an internship for her final year.

In the quiet store, they were having a small talk when the door opened, and Hea-Jung marched in like a demoness. She noticed Joon-won behind the counter and said, "Why didn't you reply to my messages? You do know I can see if you've read them, right? You didn't even bother to check the others."

Her tone could easily be misunderstood, and Gah Soo did just that, wanting to walk away to give them space, thinking it was something personal.

Joon-won noticed this and said to Hea-Jung, "Quiet down and think before you talk. The way you spoke could cause misunderstandings."

Hea-Jung paused, considered his words, then replied, "Don't have the brain of a monkey. Do boys always misunderstand so easily?"

Joon-won raised an eyebrow but didn't bother correcting her. He sighed and asked, "Anyway, why are you here? Is it about the messages this morning?"

Hea-Jung just nodded, arms folded, looking down on him. Joon-won didn't bother standing up. "I know you'd want to come along if I told you when I was going to the company. That's why I didn't reply. I want to go alone; your presence would draw too much attention."

"Well, you clearly forgot I know where you work. Now that I'm here, I'll wait until you go," she said, taking a seat behind the counter.

"Why do you even want to come? It won't be any fun for you. Don't you have other things to do? Go give some auditions or improve your acting—you're still majoring in it, after all."

She looked at him with her head held high. "What auditions? I don't need to audition. I'm already cast in a film, and shooting starts soon," she revealed, surprising herself.

This revelation took Joon-won aback. He had never seen her act and, though one shouldn't judge by appearances, it was surprising to him.

"Wait. You're in a film?"

Realizing what she had blurted out, she looked around to ensure no one else was listening. Seeing Gah Soo busy with the shelves, she whispered, "Little brother, don't tell anyone about this. I wasn't supposed to reveal that I'm in a movie."

Joon-won looked her up and down, wondering which director took a chance on her. "Alright, I won't tell anyone. Now, which movie are you acting in?"