If you asked whether Ji Han-ho and I got along before my regression, the answer would be, naturally, no.
That was why it felt so uncomfortable.
But one should have realized by now that I had almost no fellow actors I was close with before the regression.
I had only done one project with him, and neither Ji Han-ho nor I were the types to maintain friendships with actors we had worked with just once.
The Ji Han-ho I remembered was merely that much.
‘The fact that my body is reacting like this means…’
It meant there was more to my history with Ji Han-ho than what I remembered.
Good grief.
I finally understood a bit why the system hadn’t released all my memories at once.
I might have been more of a piece of trash than I thought.
Before the regression, that is.
I stared at the system window, the only thing shining clearly in my blurred vision.
Because the system always chooses moments like this.
**[Rewards for your progress are being issued.]**
**[Discarded memories are returning to their rightful place.]**
**[You may experience temporary, unbearable pain.]**
It gives out these kinds of rewards.
‘Yes, thank you so much, you bastard.’
**[You’re welcome!! ^^]**
**[Still, this memory isn’t strong enough to be the reason why you were killed.]**
**[The reason I’m giving it to you now is…]**
**[It was mixed up with other memories!]**
This little…
As soon as the system window vanished, the memories of Ji Han-ho returned within less than three seconds.
***
I had seen Ji Han-ho privately at a drinking party Jeong Yun-woo had arranged before the regression.
We had already done one project together, but our impressions of each other weren’t very good.
It was a relief to know we hated each other mutually.
‘I wasn’t the only bad guy, then.’
In the first place, Ji Han-ho and I had opposite attitudes as actors on set.
Ji Han-ho was a “great” actor who felt he had to lead everyone and take responsibility for the atmosphere of the shoot, while I believed I just needed to act well enough to earn my paycheck.
There was no way someone like me would look good in Ji Han-ho’s eyes.
He didn’t make a scene, but he clearly had no intention of becoming close privately.
He probably only stayed in that seat because Jeong Yun-woo had spoken well of me.
The next time I heard Ji Han-ho’s voice was because of “the incident that happened to Jeong Yun-woo.”
I couldn’t remember what that incident was yet, but I had made the same choice as usual back then, and it seemed Ji Han-ho wanted to give me a piece of his mind.
I remembered the last thing Ji Han-ho said.
— “Knowing you’re that kind of bastard, who would ever want to associate with someone like you? Only because it was someone like Jeong Yun-woo was he able to stay by your side.”
— “What did you say?”
— “Weren’t you and Jeong Yun-woo acquainted for longer than I was? I heard you two had a connection even before you appeared in together. Yet you’re still like this. Go ahead and live like that for the rest of your life. I’m truly curious to see who will be left by your side after living that way.”
‘Even thinking about it now, I really don’t click with Ji Han-ho.’
I looked at Ji Han-ho, who had walked into the audition room of his own accord.
He was still holding my hand.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
He gave a pleasant smile.
“No, it’s fine. You look very tired.”
“No. That’s not it.”
Jeon Yeo-hu disliked Ji Han-ho.
However, he didn’t dislike Ji Han-ho the actor.
Moreover, Ji Han-ho had risen to stardom immediately after his debut and was a more successful male actor than I was around this time.
If an actor who could be used for marketing has come to a movie that already lacks promotional material, we have to use him properly.
That is the principle of the capitalist market.
But had Ji Han-ho ever appeared in *The Killer Cooking Secret*?
‘I’m certain he didn’t. And he definitely didn’t play this role.’
If Ji Han-ho had appeared, this movie wouldn’t have failed so spectacularly.
If so, this meant that Ji Han-ho’s path had changed after the regression.
I remembered the conversation I had with Ha Je-ban.
— That conversation about how we might not be the only regressors.
Could Ji Han-ho be one too?
‘To say that… nothing in Ji Han-ho’s life has particularly changed except for this audition…’
I knew Park Min-tae was quite close with Ji Han-ho, so did the choice change because I introduced Park Min-tae to the director?
I studied the expression of So Si-in, who was sitting next to me.
She was talking to Ji Han-ho with an incredibly excited face.
“I’m so grateful you’re participating in this audition. Honestly, with a filmography like yours, an audition isn’t even necessary…”
“I reached out first because I wanted to. When Director Park Min-tae showed me the script, I really liked it. It felt like fate that the role of Lee Ju-hyeong was still vacant.”
Ji Han-ho smiled brightly.
So Si-in nodded repeatedly, seemingly pleased with Ji Han-ho’s humble attitude.
After some light ice-breaking conversation, it was time to see his acting.
Ji Han-ho decided to act out a few scenes he liked from the lines for Lee Ju-hyeong that he had received in advance, just like any other applicant.
I also faithfully performed the role of Seon Je-min, just as I had done for the other applicants.
[Me? I have no intention of leaving this place. …Actually, reporters have come here before. Saying there’s a restaurant where the child of a murderer holds a knife. That day, I got some blood on the knife while preparing raw chicken, and they used that as a photo. Haha, it’s not a big deal. It’s just a bit of a trauma for me.]
[It’s so delicious. Is this really not perfect?]
And Ji Han-ho responds to my lines.
[If you’re good at cooking, a new world opens up.]
[Neither you nor I ran away. No, wait, I’m the only one who ran away.]
[Does it make sense for a chef not to be able to hold a knife? If this gets out, it’ll just lead to hateful reviews. It was right for me to quit.]
[You’re quite a good customer. Thank you.]
His level of understanding was certainly different.
It was obvious he had painstakingly researched everything — his voice, attitude, and even his gestures.
So Si-in and the other judges must be thinking the same thing.
‘This is it. It’s this man.’
Lee Ju-hyeong had to be played by Ji Han-ho.
As expected, So Si-in spoke with a satisfied smile, clearly fond of Ji Han-ho’s acting.
“I think this is enough. You’ve really researched a lot… It’s enough to move us.”
“Not at all. I still have much more to study.”
“If you’re comfortable, could we ask for another scene?”
“Ah, if I’m allowed to choose, there is a performance I’d like to do.”
“Of course. Which scene would you like?”
“Then I’ll go with this one.”
The scene Ji Han-ho picked was one that many other applicants hadn’t chosen because it had more lines for Seon Je-min than Lee Ju-hyeong.
Why did he pick this?
“I felt like I wanted to synchronize with Jeon Yeo-hu more. Would that be okay?”
Aha.
“Yes.”
I recognized that look on Ji Han-ho’s face.
“It would be an honor to act with a senior like you.”
It was that face that desperately wanted to lecture a junior.
***
Ji Han-ho had planned to take a break for the first half of this year.
He felt it was time to rest after running without a break for several years to reach this point.
He intended to reorganize himself while finding a new hobby.
‘I already have a Korean cooking license, so should I get a Western one this time?’
That was, until he was contacted by Director Park Min-tae.
— “Brother? What’s going on?”
— “Han-ho, do you want to film a movie?”
— “A movie? Well… I’d like to if there’s something good. But didn’t I tell you I was going to rest? You didn’t get desperate after leaving the agency, did you?”
— “What are you talking about? Do you not trust me? Why would I introduce a project to you for that reason? No, I just thought you were the only actor who could pull this off. You know how to cook. You even have a license. Right? It’s a cooking movie, and honestly, I think it’ll be a huge hit if you’re in it. I’m sending the script. Okay? Sending it.”
— “Fine, I get it. I’ll just take a look. Only a look.”
He figured there must be a reason why Brother Min-tae would go this far, but Ji Han-ho read the script he sent with the intention of only reading it.
Come to think of it, he might have already fallen for Park Min-tae’s trap back then.
Because the character Lee Ju-hyeong in *The Killer Cooking Secret* was perfectly similar to the role Ji Han-ho had been telling Park Min-tae he wanted to play.
‘This is…’
Ji Han-ho, now in his seventh year since debut, was starting to think he wanted to break away from his image as the male lead in romantic comedies and try a different role.
The role of a wealthy team leader from a conglomerate — a decent male lead who had never crumbled — was always a good, high-demand role, but his fans would likely want to see a new side of him now.
In that moment, this script had arrived.
He liked the content as well.
As soon as Ji Han-ho saw the script, he contacted Park Min-tae again.
— “Hey, I can just pass you through the first round. You’ll just have to do well in the second. Actually, I think you’ll get it just by showing up. Honestly, because it’s a movie by an unknown director, most famous actors turned it down.”
— “Then I’ll do it.”
— “I knew it! I knew you’d say that!”
— “By the way, besides Lee Ju-hyeong, has the role of Seon Je-min been cast? I think the role of Seon Je-min is going to be quite important.”
— “That part’s already cast. It’s Jeon Yeo-hu.”
— “The actor Jeon Yeo-hu? The one who cried while talking about Senior Ju Tae-gang?”
— “Yeah, yeah. That kid is really good at acting.”
— “Is he good enough for you to say that? You don’t even tell me I’m good at acting very often. Now I’m feeling a bit hurt.”
— “What are you hurt about? Hey, you. Wait, wait. Don’t you dare do anything weird. I’ve heard all the rumors.”
— “What did I do?”
— “Get rid of that weird, preachy nature of yours. People are only grateful when you take care of them if they asked for it. Anyway, you’re doing it, right? I’m telling them you’re in?”
— “Yes, yes, I’m really doing it. Hah, I was really going to rest this time.”
— “Buy me dinner if it goes well.”
— “Yes, I understand. But I still have to audition, right?”
— “You have to do it even if it’s just for show. There’s no one else but you who’ll fit, anyway.”
As soon as he hung up with Park Min-tae, Ji Han-ho looked up Jeon Yeo-hu’s acting.
Even after looking, all that came up were two commercial series and the first few episodes of *The Prosecutor of Revenge*.
‘He’s good, but…’
Since *The Exorcist*, where he supposedly played a lead-supporting role, hadn’t been released, it was difficult to grasp exactly what kind of acting Jeon Yeo-hu did.
‘Just how good is he for Brother to say that?’
Furthermore, if it’s *The Exorcist*, it’s that drama by Director Woo Hyeon-sik.
There was no way that man would pick just anyone to sit in a lead-supporting role.
With that curiosity, Ji Han-ho headed to the audition for *The Killer Cooking Secret*, and when he saw Jeon Yeo-hu sitting there, he thought he was quite lucky.
He absolutely wanted to see Jeon Yeo-hu’s proper acting right here.
Ji Han-ho’s bad habit that Director Park Min-tae mentioned.
The habit of wanting to teach juniors whenever he saw them.
‘Honestly, this isn’t a bad thing. Any junior would want to learn and grow from their seniors.’
Being in his seventh year, he was now in an awkward position where juniors found it hard to approach him first, so Ji Han-ho approached them in this manner even more.
The juniors were naturally grateful.
‘Well, even if they hated it, they wouldn’t have been able to show it to me.’
While acting, Ji Han-ho watched the expression of Jeon Yeo-hu, who was feeding him lines.
Jeon Yeo-hu was giving him the lines for Seon Je-min, but he didn’t seem to be putting his heart into it.
It made him more curious for some reason, and a bit annoyed.
‘Is he holding back because it’s an audition?’
So Ji Han-ho used the last performance as an excuse to ask Jeon Yeo-hu.
“Please do it as if we’re actually filming.”
Jeon Yeo-hu also responded with a smile.
“Yes. I will try my best.”
With the short sentence, “Then let’s begin,” the acting started.
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