After signing the contract for the movie and getting the script, Woojin had thought about Cha Hyunseung the entire time, studying his character. As a result, he had been able to think of a new version of ‘Cha Hyunseung’ while retaining the writer’s intentions to the best of his abilities. However, he had been disappointed with the ambience during the table read, so he decided to get rid of the Cha Hyunseung he had created and just follow the script.

“Maybe it’s possible...” Woojin mused to himself.

Remembering Director Choi’s words from a while before, Woojin got up from his seat and went to look for him. After receiving the staff’s directions, he found Choi Yigeon elegantly sipping on some tea. Contrary to his initial enthusiasm, Woojin hesitated a little. 

Moon Seungkwon was the only director Woojin had known before this movie. To put it tactfully and honestly throughout the shoot, Director Choi was very different from the sloppily dressed, plump, and heavyset Director Moon in every aspect, be it genre or appearance. There was not a single thing that was out of place in the neat suit that Director Choi was wearing; even his necktie was perfectly secure, without leaving even a single inch of space. He looked as though he could attend a board meeting right away; it was very difficult for Woojin to approach him.

“What’s the matter?” Director Choi asked.

“I have something to discuss with you. Do you have time to talk?” Woojin replied. As he had never had a personal conversation with Director Choi, he started to become self-conscious without realizing it.

“If it’s related to Cha Hyunseung, I’m always free to talk whenever.”

Contrary to Woojin’s concerns, Director Choi readily pointed to the chair across the table with his right hand and invited him to sit. Director Choi watched quietly as Woojin sat down, before leaning his back against the sofa with his arms folded.

“You mentioned that this is your second time acting, right?” asked Director Choi. 

Originally, there was supposed to have been an interview or a test conducted by the director before the casting call, but all of those things had been omitted in their case. Thus, in truth, they did not know much about each other.

“Yes,” Woojin replied.

“I’m sorry, but what was the movie? I’m just asking because I don’t know,” Director Choi continued.

“It hasn’t been released yet. I heard it’s going to be released in early July, but I don’t know the exact details yet.”

“Supporting role?”

“Initially, it was a minor role, but I was called back for additional shooting. I’m not sure how much of it will be used in the movie after they’re done editing it.”

Woojin scratched his head in embarrassment for not being able to give a proper answer to any of Director Choi’s questions thus far; in particular, the fact that he himself did not know whether he had a minor role or a supporting role was rather hilarious. That said, Woojin realized that he had definitely lucked out. It was evident that he was lucky, as he had landed a significant supporting role in his second movie after playing a minor role in his first, taking the success or failure of the movie out of the equation.

“If it’s going to be released in July, that means it’ll only be released after our shooting ends. As you may have already known, we won’t need more than a month to shoot our movie.”

The movie did not have any action scenes, and there was no need for fancy techniques to portray the love story of two college students. If everything went smoothly, they would be done with the shooting in a month. The movie’s runtime was only 100 minutes. As such, it was understood that the movie would be released in mid to late August. It was not as if the audience would suffer from heatstroke while watching a passionate love story in midsummer, but at least that was one excuse they had for the impending box office flop.

“If both movies are in early July and mid to late August, they might overlap if your previous movie becomes a hit. However, since you’re not the main character, it’ll be okay.”

Hearing that the movie would be released in early July, Choi Yigeon had a hunch that Woojin’s movie was a blockbuster. If that movie was a hit, it would be highly likely that both of Chae Woojin’s movies would overlap in terms of screening, as that film would stay in the theaters for a longer period of time. If that was the case, this film’s public relations agency might adjust the release schedule for Glooming Day.

However, judging from the fact that he was not the main character, but a minor or supporting character, it appeared that it would not pose a major problem. Hence, Director Choi nodded.

“I don’t have any information about you so I wanted to look for it, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find it. So, I wonder if it would turn out okay if we went with just your looks, in accordance with CEO Choi’s expectations. I’m glad you don’t have any lines,” Director Choi said.

“Looks? What’s there to believe in?” Woojin responded.

People often told him that he was handsome, but Woojin himself could not see it. Even when he looked at Woohee, who looked more like him than anyone else, he felt that she was cute because she was his younger sister, but he did not find her pretty. Hence, whenever someone called him ‘handsome’, he merely took such words as compliments people said out of courtesy. To him, it was similar to the way people called anybody who was tall with clear skin good-looking.

Thus, he could not help but be taken aback when he heard Director Choi telling him that he had gone ahead solely based on Woojin’s looks. What reason exactly did Director Choi have to believe in his looks so much? For a moment, Woojin wondered if he had been cast as another excuse for the box office flop.

“I believe in your looks,” Director Choi insisted.

“If you do that, the movie will be ruined,” Woojin replied.

“Our movie is already ruined.”

Seeing the director speak so confidently, Woojin became dispirited. Even though they both knew that for a fact, he had been unable to say it because he had wanted to cling to the hope that it might work out. 

“When it comes to being a hit at the box office, who would pay to watch an old-fashioned movie like this in today’s world? Still, my goal is to make a film I won’t be ashamed of. Just because it’s a box office flop or it isn’t interesting doesn’t mean that the film itself will be a wreck. I can’t produce something like that with my name on it. It’d be freaking embarrassing.” 

Director Choi, who was sitting elegantly in an expensive suit, uttered slang that did not fit his image without hesitation. Despite that, he still looked dignified, throwing Woojin off. That man was a movie director with the good looks of a movie star.

“In any case, what does the Cha Hyunseung you are trying to portray look like?” Director Choi asked. To a certain extent, he was able to guess why Woojin had decided to look for him at this time.

“In your opinion, what kind of man is Cha Hyunseung?” Woojin asked back.

“A depressed loser who struggles with an inferiority complex,” Director Choi said.

It was a firm assessment that was void of sympathy, but it was not that different from Woojin’s thoughts, and so Woojin nodded. Most of the audience would feel the same way too when watching the movie. However, he asked, “Can I portray Cha Hyunseung in a different way?”

“Is there anything you’re not allowed to do? Didn’t I explicitly tell you to portray your character according to your wishes? It’s just that you have to do it ‘well’. Otherwise, I’ll chew you out like I did to those two earlier on. Have you seen any lovers who were truly in love with one another, acting like them? Have they never been in love before?”

Director Choi clicked his tongue. He gestured in the air, not wanting to think about it. He asked, “Mr. Woojin, what kind of person do you want to portray Cha Hyunseung to be?”

“To me, Cha Hyunseung is someone with a brighter personality and a little more enthusiasm. However, the title of the movie is Glooming Day…”

He was concerned because the word ‘glooming’ was in the title itself. There would be a fundamental error if Cha Hyunseung, the only person who should be depressed by seeing the bright and vibrant young lovers, became a more positive and upbeat person.

“The lovers are breaking up anyway. Isn’t it depressing for them to accept reality and go their own way in the worst way possible? The main characters have a sad ending, but what does that have to do with the supporting character’s sad disposition?”

“Ah! Ah…”

Woojin blushed and turned his head away for a moment. He was at a loss for words. It was said that children thought they were at the center of the world. Likewise, Woojin, the rookie, had made the mistake of thinking for a moment that he, the supporting character, was at the center of the movie. He had been unable to pay attention to the ending of the main character, as he had been too caught up in the burdensome sense of duty that came from the thought that he was the only one responsible for the melancholic and depressing theme of the film.

Director Choi chuckled when he saw how Woojin struggled to lift his head, covering his red face with his hands. This trait of his, that rookies usually had, was not a bad thing. At the very least, Director Choi liked his attitude so much that he seriously thought about putting Cha Hyunseung at the center of the movie.

“Come to think of it, you don’t have a single line, but you always participated seriously at every table read.”

At that time, the two main leads had been busy working with one another for their scenes, and had paid no attention to Cha Hyunseung. Nevertheless, Woojin had looked at both of them with eyes that sparkled. He seemed to have been looking forward to the performances of the two actors who had already made it big, and he had looked extremely curious as to how they would portray the love between the two characters. There was no ugly jealousy or any inferiority complex.

“The way you looked at the main leads at the time wasn’t bad. I would be okay with Cha Hyunseung looking at them with those eyes. The same way there are multiple interpretations of a single sheet music, isn’t it the same for scripts? Even with the same lines, the mood changes entirely depending on the pronunciation and emphasis, as well as the facial expression. However, the problem is that Cha Hyunseung doesn’t have a single line to express his emotions.”

Woojin, whose face was not as red as before, made eye contact with Director Choi. As he looked Woojin in the eye, Director Choi had a mischievous look on his face. He asked, “How can we express Cha Hyunseung’s changed image without any lines, our dear actor, Mr. Chae Woojin?”

After taking an early lunch, the actors and the staff, who had used up the two-hour grace given by Director Choi, went back to the shoot with a serious attitude. Kwon Sungmin and Song Jaehee were also immersed in their roles with a completely different attitude from before, maybe because they had just wasted two hours.

***

Park Jihyuk and Na Miyeon were sitting at the table across from one another in an empty room, teasing each other. It was not much of a story, but when they laughed, holding each other’s fingers and looking each other in the eye before pecking each other on the lips, it gave off the impression of young love. Their acting this time was better than their uninspiring acting the first time around. They looked like lovers, tickling the audience who were watching them. These actors, who lived up to their names, were proving the fact that they were extraordinary, as they had the ability to change the ambience in an instant with their acting.

“Ah! When did you get here, Hyunseung?” Na Miyeon was the first person to discover Cha Hyunseung, who was hesitating by the door. She waved at him. In response, he tapped Na Miyeon’s head lightly with a book that was in his hand, before glancing at the clock on the wall.

“We skipped our class.”

“Please let us off this time, Hyunseung.”

Cha Hyunseung smirked looking at the young couple, because he felt that it was pathetic how they had made their way to the department room of all places after skipping their class.

“Well… I wanted to drink the coffee you made for me, so I’ve been waiting for it!” Na Miyeon exclaimed.

In truth, both of them had wanted to be alone in silence, so they had chosen to go to the department room, but it was not necessary for her to say that. Everyone present knew the truth. The lovely woman’s lie was a witty excuse to some, and an offensive joke to others.

Cha Hyunseung placed the book and materials he had been holding on the desk, and made a cup of coffee for Na Miyeon without saying a word. He poured the coffee mix into a paper cup, and added hot water from the water purifier before stirring it with a teaspoon.

Park Jihyuk grimaced at the sight of it. “Miyeon, how can you drink something like that?” he asked. The young master, who could never imagine drinking instant coffee in a paper cup, tried to snatch the paper cup from Cha Hyunseung.

However, Miyeon was a little faster than him, saying, “Thanks for the drink. Ah, it’s hot!” She grabbed the paper cup with both hands and tried to drink it quickly, but ended up scalding herself with the hot coffee.

Park Jihyuk was startled and asked her why she drank it. He placed his hands on Na Miyeon’s face and looked at her lips. They looked each other in the eye as he blew on her sore lips. They smiled at each other, becoming lost in their own world.

They had already forgotten about Cha Hyunseung, who was still sitting next to them. Cha Hyunseung looked straight at them as he sat on the chair with his chin resting on his hand. It was only after they said goodbye to him and left the department room that the look in his eyes, which had not had a tinge of darkness or sadness, turned into regret.

Now that he was alone, he got up from the chair and carefully grabbed the cup of coffee that Na Miyeon had tried to drink from earlier. He carefully rubbed the faint lipstick mark left behind on the paper cup and walked toward the window. Leaning one of his shoulders slightly against the window, Cha Hyunseung brought the paper cup to his lips.

In the original script, Cha Hyunseung was supposed to place the part of the cup with Na Miyeon’s lipstick stain on his lips, but Woojin did not follow that direction. After hesitating for a moment, he stroked that part with his finger before drinking from the other side of the cup. He looked at the faint lipstick stain with kind eyes and nothing more.

It was a sunny day. He drank the fragrant coffee with his eyes half closed, basking in the light that poured in through the window. The world was a very beautiful place to the man, drunk on his affection for someone who was more fragrant than the cup of coffee.