Chapter 51: Life’s unpredictable

[Finally released: Blue Sky Spring first teaser.]

[Park Jaehoon and Jung Haein to appear on ‘Everyone’s Salon.’]

[Park Jaehoon, the drama king’s return: Blue Sky Spring set to air on February 14.]

ㅅ OMG, the teaser’s finally out!

ㅅ Been waiting for this forever ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

└ Why does he look younger after coming back from the military?

ㅅ How long I’ve waited for a Park Jaehoon drama.

ㅅ Almost a year of waiting ㅠㅠ

ㅅ The teaser’s so good lolol

ㅅ They were rumored to be dating, and now this chemistry? Their face combo is insane.

As soon as the teaser video dropped, online communities buzzed with excitement.

It was Park Jaehoon’s first comeback project after his military discharge—how could it not cause a frenzy?

└ ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I’ve been waiting for this day forever.

└ Why’s the teaser so short? It’s almost time for the broadcast, release more already.

└ The production team’s slacking. Where’s the script reading footage?

└ These days it’s all about YouTube promotion, so why no promo? Work harder!

• Like

Fans of Jaehoon, who hadn’t seen much of him post-discharge, along with drama enthusiasts, were practically whipping the production team.

“Wow~ He really looks handsome like this.”

The moment I played the video, Jaehoon’s face popped up, and even as a guy, I was captivated.

Dressed sharply in a suit, Jaehoon gazed at his reflection in a mirror.

• No one will believe it. The future I heard.

The scene shifted to Jaehoon, blood dripping from his forehead, crying, while the female lead opposite him wore a sorrowful expression, followed by a brief tender kiss scene.

• Whether it’s good or bad, I’ll only believe in you.
  
• If that’s your belief, I’ll make sure to shatter it properly.

Though only 30 seconds long, the video was enough to heighten anticipation for the drama.

How big will this get?

My script-reading instincts were spot-on, so I never doubted its success—just wondered how massive it would be.

****

Blue Sky Spring premiere day.

“Long time no see~”

“It’s been forever!”

“You doing okay?”

Actors and staff, reuniting after a while, were busy catching up and exchanging greetings.

“Been a while.”

“You’ve been well?”

Jaehoon and I were no exception, and meeting him after months, I noticed he’d bulked up from working out.

“What’s up with you two!”

“Congrats!”

As the soon-to-be-married couple entered, all attention turned to them, and they smiled shyly, accepting congratulations.

“Thank you.”

“Haha, you’re all coming to the wedding, right?”

The couple-to-be handed out invitations one by one, and soon, a beautiful invitation landed in my hand.

Wow~ This is cool.

It was my first time receiving a wedding invitation, and it felt novel.

Over food, we heard their love story, then moved to prepare for watching Blue Sky Spring.

“Ugh~ I’m nervous.”

It wasn’t my first time on TV, of course.

But that was as a dog—showing my acting as a human and being judged for it was a first, so I was jittery.

“Don’t worry. You’re not in this one.”

Yongseok, sitting behind me, responded as if he’d heard me.

“Huh?”

“You show up starting from episode 2.”

“Oh? Then I’ll watch relaxed~”

I hadn’t expected much screen time anyway, so I wasn’t disappointed or upset.

A commercial played on the large screen in the bar, with a subtitle in the corner: ‘Park Jaehoon’s comeback, Blue Sky Spring, airing in 60 seconds.’

“Calling it a comeback makes him sound old.”

“You’re not exactly young either.”

“Whoa~ Director!”

“Look at these guys.”

Yongseok pointed to me and Gongjun sitting on either side of him, and Jaehoon quickly nodded in agreement.

“Well, I can’t argue with that.”

“Hey! It’s starting soon.”

The commercial ended, the broadcaster’s logo appeared, and finally, my first drama was out in the world.

“Wow…”

The hour passed so fast I barely noticed.

“Amazing!”

“Director, it’s so good!”

“Woww~”

As soon as it ended, applause erupted from all corners, with some cheering loudly.

It’s turned out so well.

I’d felt it from the start, but Yongseok’s direction amplified the script’s vibe perfectly.

I wasn’t the only one who thought the drama was great—the bar’s atmosphere was electric.

“Hahaha, no way~”

“Oh! That’s why that happened? We totally fell for it.”

Even Jaehoon, who’d been silently engrossed, was now smiling brightly and chatting with those around him.

But… why does he keep glancing at me?

Since earlier, he’d been looking at me like he had something to say, which felt odd.

Maybe I was imagining it, but our eyes kept meeting, so it wasn’t just a feeling.

What’s up with him?

I was thinking about approaching him when Yongseok sat beside me and struck up a conversation.

“You’ve been busy filming lately, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m shooting an OTT web drama.”

“Who’s the director?”

“Choi Heeseung.”

“That indie film director?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“The visuals must be great.”

Yongseok showed interest in my project, asking this and that.

“You’re in tomorrow’s episode, so make sure to watch it live.”

“Of course! Gotta catch every episode live.”

“Good job with the filming.”

He lightly patted my shoulder twice before heading to another actor.

That guy’s really a good person.

Not many directors take the time to talk to each actor, even briefly, and care like that.

Plenty of directors start with insults, especially to young rookies.

As the bar’s atmosphere ripened to its peak, people started to move on.

Guess I should head home soon.

“I’ll get going…”

As I quietly tried to slip away, a senior next to me grabbed my arm.

“Hey, what’s that? The youngest is trying to leave already!”

“My place is far…”

“No way! You haven’t even drunk—sing a song at least! Let’s go!”

“Wait, hold on.”

I tried to escape, but after the last incident, I’d earned the affection of the heavy drinkers and got dragged along.

“Uh…”

“Let’s go!”

Those who escaped successfully waved at me with pitying looks, and I ended up at the third stop—a karaoke bar.

“Don’t we have to hear a duet from the engaged couple?”

“What kind of obvious question is that!”

Entering a karaoke bar I’d only seen in dramas and movies, I raised both hands and feet in surrender within ten minutes.

It’s so damn loud.

The singers were making a racket, and everyone else was busy laughing and chatting—it was chaotic.

I slipped out under the excuse of using the bathroom and hid in a corner.

If no one looked for me after a bit, I planned to bolt home.

No wonder people in dramas dread company gatherings.

Learned something new.

While passing time on my phone, someone called out to me.

“Hey.”

Somehow, Gongjun had found me leaning against the wall.

“What.”

I shot back in the same curt tone.

He staggered over and blurted out something absurd.

“You got a sponsor?”

What nonsense.

Meeting after so long, and this is the worthless thing he asks?

“You drunk? If you’re drunk, go home.”

His face was flushed, and his eyes were slightly glazed—he was clearly wasted, so I waved him off, but he didn’t seem inclined to leave.

“Don’t lie. The clothes and shoes you wear are all luxury brands.”

“What?”

“And recently, there was a huge support package sent in your name.”

It was just me dressing to fit the role of a chaebol heir—how could he misread it like this?

And he’s checking on my support packages?

“If I’m a gold spoon, why would I need a sponsor?”

“Gold spoons have a certain vibe, and you don’t.”

He’s annoyingly sharp about useless things.

“If you’re drunk, go home. Or go back in and have fun. Why pick a fight with me?”

“Damn it, if I had a sponsor, I could’ve made it bigger!”

“What are you talking about?”

Last time, he bragged about landing a drama opposite Jeon Sohyun—why’s he suddenly whining?

Wait, no way…

“Did that drama fall through?”

“Damn it!”

His two-word curse confirmed it instantly.

“How could I lose to a guy like that?”

Gongjun grabbed the hem of my jacket and slumped to the floor.

“Haa… Why take it out on me?”

Now I have to deal with his drunken whining too?

“Get it together.”

“Damn… It’s so annoying. What do I lack compared to that guy? You know, that jerk was called a blockhead at acting school.”

“Okay, okay. The floor’s dirty, so get up. Or at least let go of my clothes.”

“Some guy snags a good sponsor and dares to take my spot?”

Guess I got repaid faster than expected.

When I talked with Hyungkyu, he warned that what you do comes back to you, and in less than a year, it came true.

This is why you can’t ignore experience.

Not a single word from Hyungkyu was wrong.

“I’ll show them how far I can go!”

“I don’t know about that, but if you’re drunk, go home.”

I wanted to leave him, but he was clutching my jacket, so I couldn’t.

“Man, why’s he so strong?”

“You’re just like that guy.”

“Now why am I dragged into this?”

It’s unfair getting blamed for no reason.

“Lucky bastard.”

“Me?”

Maybe he could call me lucky.

I caught a director’s eye by chance for a good project, and the second time, an unexpected good deed got attention, leading to Taewoon’s help.

But what’s the point of all that?

The pain of losing the person I loved most couldn’t compare to this luck.

“Everyone loves you, don’t they? Must be nice.”

“Let go and get up.”

“Life’s unpredictable.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, so get up and go.”

They say rookies can get cut overnight, but with such a weak mentality, how did he plan to stab Hyungkyu in the back?

Is it that I make it and others don’t?

“You saw, right? Kang Ina went down for plagiarism, Choi Jaechul got hit with drugs and an affair…”

“You praying I get into a scandal or something?”

“And… and… ah! Jung Jaehyun…”

“Stop right there.”

I warned him that mentioning my master’s name was unforgivable, but drunken Gongjun didn’t catch it.

“Jung Jaehyun too…”

“I said stop.”

When he recklessly mentioned my master’s name again, I didn’t hesitate and grabbed his collar, pulling him up.

“What, what’s that?”

He looked startled as I grabbed his collar.

“You’re stupidly drunk. Stand up straight. Unless you want to fall.”

I grabbed the wobbly Gongjun by the nape and dragged him to the exit, and he followed without resistance.

“Drink within your limit and don’t talk nonsense.”

“Wa, wait.”

“Go!”

I shoved him into a taxi on the street and sent him off.

“How dare you casually mention that name.”

Every time I heard stuff like this, my heart grew more urgent.

I need to set everything right soon.

As I watched the taxi drive away, someone approached me from the side.