Chapter 112: The First Snow Finds Its Way Back

“Yeah, that’s it. Take this copy of the contract…”

Incheol carefully tucked the contract handed to him by the person in front of him into his coat.

“The actors haven’t been decided yet, right?”

“Ah… No. But I do have someone in mind.”

“Really? Can I ask who?”

The distribution company employee was curious about who would be the lead in this project.

“Jung Hyunjae.”

“Huh? Jung Hyunjae?”

And the moment he heard Jung Hyunjae’s name, he doubted his ears.

“Yes.”

“Jung Hyunjae… Ah…”

Normally, he would have said something like “He’d be perfect~” or “I hope he gets cast.” 

But right now, those words weren’t coming out.

He’s way too mismatched, isn’t he?

The protagonist of the indie film ‘Collision’ was a character who rolled in the gutter, living fiercely at rock bottom, but Jung Hyunjae had a bright, cute, and upright image.

“He looks good, right?”

Incheol looked excited, as if the casting was already done.

“Haha. Ah yeah, well…”

All he could do was laugh awkwardly; he couldn’t say anything else.

Jung Hyunjae in this project? He’d never do it.

He was rising through dramas and variety shows right now, even taking on male leads. 

Suddenly doing an indie film at this point? 

No agency in their right mind would allow it.

He was on hiatus for so long; guess his sense hasn’t come back yet.

The distribution employee inwardly mocked Incheol for dreaming big.

“Then, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Director Yoo Byunghyun specifically asked, so of course we’ll do our best on our end.”

While the employee was mocking Incheol, Incheol was desperately feeling the reason behind the saying that even dog poop has its uses in medicine.

I never thought it’d be used this properly.

He’d be grateful if they didn’t throw obstacles in the way of making the movie and just helped find staff to work with. 

But Byunghyun had kindly connected him to the distribution company while letting everyone know about their friendship.

Idiot.

He had a guess as to why he was being so proactive about his film.

“Then, looking forward to the movie.”

“Yeah, I’ll make it well and bring it over.”

Obviously thinking it would flop. 

If it was going to flop anyway, he clearly wanted to make sure it didn’t flop unnoticed—instead, he wanted the whole world to know his work had bombed.

Without even reading his script properly.

“Well then…”

The distribution employee stood up, and Incheol bowed before leaving the company.

“Haa…”

As soon as he stepped outside, the cold air made him shiver, and white breath puffed from his mouth.

While preparing for filming, he’d learned just how low his reputation had fallen, and he’d realized how foolish it was to go around with just a script, asking people to join.

This is the last one. Let’s do it right, no regrets.

It was the moment Incheol pulled out the contract from his coat to check it again and was about to take a step forward.

“Huh? Snow!”

“Wow! It’s snowing!”

White snowflakes were falling one by one from the black sky.

“There was no forecast for snow today—is this the first snow of the year?”

“First snow, nice!”

A couple nearby looked up at the sky as they talked, and some passersby eagerly held out their hands to catch the year’s first snow.

“First snow.”

Normally, Incheol would have grumbled about trash falling from the sky and found it annoying, but not now.

“Well… Not bad.”

It felt like it was falling to celebrate his new beginning.

***

‘Rural Three Meals’ final shooting day.

Since it was the last shoot, I got to do the final farewell with the two of them who’d been there till the end.

“This season feels especially bittersweet. I’ve grown really attached to this village…”

“Right? I thought it was just me, but it leaves such a lingering regret.”

Seungkwon and Haejin expressed their reluctance to leave.

“Come visit anytime.”

“Hahaha, you sound like the homeowner.”

“I have that much pull, ahem!”

At my joke, Seungkwon and Haejin burst out laughing.

“Hyunjae, you worked hard. You suffered a lot between us old folks.”

“Yeah, we couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Aw~ No way. You guys worked harder. Farming’s no joke.”

We exchanged some warm words, and with the house cleanup done, the camera’s red light turned off.

“Great job, everyone!”

“You all did well~”

We bowed and greeted the hardworking staff.

“Hyunjae, good work.”

Youngjae gave me a light hug in greeting.

“No, what did I even do? I’m the one grateful to you, PD, and the hyungs.”

This variety show had boosted my recognition and improved my image, so it was way more beneficial for me.

“If I ask you to come on later and you say you’re too busy, I’ll be upset?”

“No chance. Call me anytime, and I’ll come right away!”

Who would turn down a program like this?

“For real? Everyone here’s a witness.”

“Of course we’re doing season 7 together, right?”

“Why state the obvious~”

We nailed down the next season appearance for sure, wrapped up filming in good spirits, and all headed to a nearby restaurant for a final meal and wrap party.

“Huh? Hyung, is that a cut there?”

During the meal, I spotted a slight tear behind Haejin’s ear.

“Ah~ Got scratched a bit during filming. It’s fine.”

“During our shoot?”

“No, the movie.”

I already knew Haejin was in the middle of movie filming.

“What was the movie again, hyung?”

“It’s a comic crime action.”

“Ah~ Action~”

Righteous justice and thrilling action were steady movie staples.

“It’s fun. I’ll invite you to the premiere—come watch.”

“Of course!”

“How’s your drama going?”

Haejin asked about my updates.

“Only a few shoots left now.”

“You were busy in the thick of it, and now that our shoot’s ending, your drama’s wrapping up too.”

“Yeah. I’ll feel empty when both are done.”

“Any word on your next project?”

The mention of next work made ‘Collision’s script flash in my mind, but I quickly erased it.

That’s not my project.

“No. Not decided yet.”

“This is when you gotta choose carefully.”

“Yeah, pick wisely.”

“Scripts are coming in, though.”

Unlike before when I auditioned everywhere, now scripts were coming to me, asking me to take roles. But the roles in those scripts were mostly the same.

“They all seem like similar roles.”

“What kind?”

“High schooler, college student.”

Probably because of my age, they were mostly webtoon adaptations or student roles. 

And mostly kind-hearted, good-at-studies, model student types.

“It’s normal for early 20s to not get many scripts.”

“You still have that babyish feel for adult roles.”

Seungkwon and Haejin empathized with me.

“Just wait a bit more. They seem similar, but there’s always one that’s different.”

“I guess?”

“So you’ll rest for a while then?”

“Probably.”

No particular schedules from Hyungkyu after filming ends.

“Okay… Got it.”

Haejin nodded slightly at my lack of schedule.

“Why are you saying ‘got it’ when the kid says he has no schedule?”

Seungkwon asked incredulously at the sight.

“I was thinking of getting him a special appearance in our movie.”

“Special appearance?”

“Yeah, but…”

“If you’re asking, hyung, I can do it anytime! What role?”

If Haejin was asking, I could do it no problem. 

No special schedules anyway, and with one experience already, I’d be happy to.

“Ah… Well…”

“Weird role?”

Seungkwon sensed something off from his hesitation and asked.

“No, not weird, but…”

“But?”

“The special appearance isn’t for Hyunjae, it’s for Jayden…”

“Jayden?”

“Jayden?”

The special appearance request wasn’t for me, but Jayden?

“Yeah. We need a smart, obedient dog for the movie shoot, and the director saw our program and picked Jayden right away.”

“Ah… Y-yeah, our Jayden’s smart alright.”

“Pfft haha! You got beat by Jayden!”

Seungkwon clutched his stomach laughing at the Jayden talk.

“Sorry. That’s why you should’ve let me finish.”

“It’s fine. Guess I need to work harder…”

I hadn’t even been asked, but I’d confidently said I could do it anytime—embarrassed, I hung my head low.

“I didn’t mean it like that… Anyway, Jayden’s available, right?”

Haejin asked about Jayden’s availability till the end.

“Of course. He’ll say yes for treats.”

“Then I’ll tell the director it’s a go?”

“Yeah…”

“Hey hey, don’t look so down. Losing to Jayden’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Seungkwon offered non-comforting comfort with a grin full of laughter.

“You’re worse, hyung.”

“Kahaha, come on, have a drink!”

Seungkwon raised his glass, and we toasted with Haejin.

***

Kingdom Entertainment.

“Jayden? Special appearance?”

Hyungkyu was dumbfounded by Hyunjae’s call.

“Not you? Jayden?”

-Yeah, not me, Jayden. They need Jayden.

“A dog special appearance? First I’ve heard of it.”

-The movie director needs a smart dog and pinpointed Jayden.

“Well… I’ll try to fit it into your free dates. But what movie?”

If Haejin was in it, it couldn’t be low quality.

-What was it… I heard comic crime action genre, but can’t remember the title.

“Comic crime action?”

-Yeah.

“Got it. Finish up the wrap shoot well and hang up.”

Hyungkyu ended the call and searched for the movie Haejin was filming.

“Ah~ This director’s film?”

A director with a solid fanbase for commercial movies.

“Perfect for making an impression.”

Having Jayden special appear was a good chance to naturally introduce Hyunjae to the director. 

With calculations done in his head, Hyungkyu called the marketing staff.

“Minhee, send a coffee truck under Hyunjae’s name.”

-Huh? To who?

“To Choi Haejin. To the movie set. Date… I’ll confirm and let you know later.”

-Okay, got it.

After giving work instructions, Hyungkyu looked for new scripts Hyunjae could do.

All similar stuff, huh.

Probably because his variety image was kind, diligent, upright—the roles coming in were all alike.

He was still a rookie, so no real image transformation yet, but it wasn’t good for his image to solidify in one direction.

“…”

While pondering and searching for new scripts, there was a knock on the CEO’s office.

“Yeah~ Come in.”

Assuming it was an employee, he answered while looking at the door. 

And as the door swung open, an unexpected figure appeared.

“Hello, CEO.”

And with a confident stride unlike before.

“Huh? How did you…”

“I told you, didn’t I? That we’d meet again.”

Incheol looked at the flustered Hyungkyu with a confident smile.