“You know
“Of course. It premiered last week and got a great reception.”
‘It was gratifying to see genre series gaining popularity. Someday, I too…’
Nam Yiwon smiled, as if he had anticipated Seungjun’s answer. Smoke curled from between his lips.
“I knew you would. They say it’s good; have you seen it?”
“Well, that’s all anyone talks about these days.”
Not wanting to engage in further chatter, Seungjun gave a noncommittal reply. Nam Yiwon added, almost before Seungjun had finished speaking:
“The script is already complete, and if we secure a filming schedule quickly, we can follow that drama. The time slot is 10 PM. Golden hour, isn’t it?”
It took a few seconds for the meaning to sink in. He was implying that they could secure the most prime time slot, following a hot topic drama currently on air.
‘If only I wanted it.’
The news Nam Yiwon had brought, after feigning nonchalance about needing to show sincerity to persuade him, was utterly shocking. While Seungjun was well aware of the man’s connections and influence, he had never experienced it so directly. Seungjun swallowed a hollow laugh.
PD Gu Wonho was slated to follow
Nam Yiwon had effortlessly pushed aside Gu Wonho, a reasonably well-known PD in the industry. He had done so with nothing more than a synopsis that had been floating around for years and a mere four episodes of a script.
“…I heard the follow-up was already decided,” Seungjun retorted curtly, exhaling a long plume of smoke. He concentrated on his cigarette, hoping the man’s persistent gaze hadn’t detected the shock on his face. As he puffed out thick clouds of smoke, the lack of an immediate reply made his stomach clench.
‘Did this bastard just test me?’ No sooner had he furrowed his brow than Nam Yiwon’s lips curved into a smirk. He clasped Seungjun’s shoulder affectionately, then spoke with an air of playful banter.
“What do you mean, ‘decided’? If there’s a good project, the schedule can always change.”
“Your sister said she’d make it happen?”
“It’s not finalized yet since you haven’t agreed, but she said she’d decide after seeing the initial results once production officially begins. This is all about calculated moves, so if you just say yes, naturally, our project will get the slot, won’t it?”
Nam Yiwon didn’t even bother to deny it. He arched his eyebrows, forming an inverted ‘V’, and leaned in closer.
“Senior. What on earth are you hesitating about? Around the time
“……”
“It means we can capture the attention of viewers who enjoyed that rival network’s genre series.”
Seungjun chewed on the inside of his cheek. He understood the implications, but he didn’t want special favors. His painstakingly crafted script was precisely a critique of such unfair realities, so how little respect must this bastard have for him to make such a proposal?
‘Perhaps this had been his intention all along: to relish the irony of Seungjun, the writer of a righteous lawyer’s story, accepting such an offer. He was the kind of man who would push boundaries if he found something amusing. Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to insist on collaborating with Seungjun.’
The unpleasantness made the cigarette taste utterly foul. Seungjun stubbed it out and shook his head.
“I don’t want to take someone else’s spot using your connections.”
“Really? That’s surprising.”
Nam Yiwon raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. ‘Surprising? What does he take me for?’ Annoyed, Seungjun almost retorted but shook his head instead. ‘Losing my temper means losing. This perverse bastard wants to see exactly that.’
He was just about to turn and leave when Nam Yiwon’s low chuckle stopped him in his tracks. Having only ever seen the man smile silently, hearing the sound of his throat vibrating with laughter felt strange. It struck Seungjun anew, and more overtly, that Nam Yiwon was genuinely laughing at something truly peculiar.
Behind Seungjun, who had unknowingly remained rooted to the spot for a moment, Nam Yiwon asked,
“Do you still think this is all because of my connections? Have you never considered it might be my own ability?”
‘Still.’
Suddenly, his undergraduate days came to mind. Seungjun squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shake off the old memory, then opened them again. The voice from behind him sounded a step closer than before.
“Well, it could also be because your synopsis is good, Senior.”
“You crazy bastard.”
The expletive finally slipped out. Seungjun walked away without a backward glance.
****
The old memory dated back ten years.
Following the unpleasant critique session, Seungjun had largely forgotten about Nam Yiwon. He hadn’t even registered that the professor had mentioned him. Any fleeting interest Seungjun might have had vanished completely after seeing the man’s shoddy assignment.
At the time, Seungjun had a girlfriend, and between attending classes and writing a one-act play, he had no leisure to divert his attention elsewhere. As the semester drew to a close, he was swamped with exam preparations.
That day, Seungjun was having a day much like any other. After finishing an exam, he planned to grab a quick meal at the student cafeteria and then bury himself in the library to study for the next day’s test. It was such an utterly ordinary day that it remained vividly etched in his memory, precisely because an unexpected variable had suddenly intruded upon his predictable routine.
That day, as soon as Seungjun finished his exam, he called his girlfriend, Subin. He had been dating Jeon Subin, a peer from his program, for about three months, ever since they had woken up in the same bed after a late night of drinking. Initially, their shared passion for their major made conversations engaging and fun, but lately, he had begun to feel indifferent.
“How was your exam?”
–Good. Yours?
“Mine too.”
Dating a friend came with a distinct disadvantage, especially if that friend had been a perfect match.
–Want to meet today? I have something to tell you.
Subin broke the silence. Seungjun replied without even a moment’s hesitation.
“I can’t. I told you, I have an exam tomorrow.”
–Just thirty minutes.
“Tomorrow’s exam is important. You should manage your grades, too, at least moderately.”
–Then I’ll tell you now. Let’s just be friends.
Seungjun froze, his phone still in hand. The unexpected words surprised him, but he wasn’t shocked. As he waited in silence, he heard a sigh from the other end.
–Now that we’re actually dating, it doesn’t really feel like a relationship. I think it was much better when we were just friends. What do you think?
Knowing Subin’s honest nature, her confession didn’t hurt him. On the contrary, he had been thinking the same thing, so it felt like an inevitable outcome.
She continued in a softened voice.
–No matter where we go or what we eat, you only talk about directing. I told you before, but honestly, directing isn’t that interesting to me… It’s fine when we’re friends, but I wonder if it has to be like that when we’re dating.
“I think we were better off as friends too.”
–Right? Hey, you need to meet someone like you. Someone obsessed with stories.
A small laugh eased his mind. They had been better suited as friends from the start; a single drunken mistake had brought them to this point.
“Let’s grab a meal after the exams are over.”
–Okay. Good luck with your exams!
Unlike a couple breaking up, their conversation ended with laughter. Seungjun hung up the phone and let out a light sigh. A bittersweet feeling lingered for a moment but quickly dissipated. The fact that he felt nothing, even after his girlfriend of moments ago was gone, felt somewhat hollow.
‘Is this what all relationships are like? Aside from s*x and talking about dramas, there was simply no fun to be had. He’d thought romance was synonymous with love, but it seemed they were distinct. How did people in the world fall in love when even eating and sleeping together didn’t spark feelings he’d call love?’ Shaking off these endlessly bothersome thoughts, Seungjun hastened his steps.
Just as he was about to move, his eyes met those of a man leaning against the back door of the lecture hall. The man, tall and clad in a vibrant orange oversized cardigan, had a familiar face. As soon as Seungjun realized his usually swept-back hair was simply neatly styled down, he remembered who it was.
Nam Yiwon.
‘Is he waiting for his girlfriend? He’s certainly bright today.’ Seungjun raised an indifferent eyebrow and quickened his pace. He needed to eat lunch quickly and head to the library to study for his exam. Tomorrow’s test was for an elective he hadn’t paid much attention to, so he had to cram.
‘High-caffeine drinks are best for cramming.’ As Seungjun pulled a Dezawa from the vending machine, his vision was filled with a bright orange. Seungjun lifted his chin toward the face of the person blocking his path.
“Senior. Hello? This is my first time seeing you in glasses, and they suit you well.”
Nam Yiwon greeted him with a bright, white smile. Even though they were face-to-face, making it impossible for the words to be directed at anyone else, Seungjun still glanced around.
They had never spoken privately before, their only point of contact being the rather unpleasant incident during the critique session. Despite this, the overly familiar tone directed at him made Seungjun feel a sense of unease. He subtly adjusted his glasses and replied,
“…Ah, for the exam.”
“You remember me, right? I’m Nam Yiwon. We took a class together back then.”
“Oh, right. Study hard. See you around.”
‘He must be greeting me because we shared a class once. He’s more amicable than I thought.’ Seungjun dismissed it as trivial and started to walk away, but Nam Yiwon fell into step beside him. His gaze was too persistent for it to be a mere coincidence of direction. Seungjun spun around to face Nam Yiwon once more.