Although it was a well-known fact that Woo-Jin and Dustin were close friends in real life, it was somewhat disappointing for people who secretly hoped that a sense of rivalry would surface between the two parties after the movie was released.

He paled compared to Woo-Jin, but the movie didn’t inflict any damage on Dustin. People always said Dustin had room for improvement, so the fact that he received compliments for the beautiful portrayal of his character was a very satisfactory outcome.

And even though he showed how hard he worked on abstaining from alcohol for nearly a year, hanging out with Woo-Jin, a person with a clean and positive image, had been more helpful in erasing his past image as a heavy drinker. Over the past few years, people used to think of Dustin as a wandering drunkard, but now, the first thing that came to people’s mind was him hanging out with Woo-Jin.

Gradually, more and more people began to share similar thoughts with Dustin. It had already been proven that the synergy between Woo-Jin and all the actresses he worked with was very high. However, this time, Dustin proved that male actors who worked with Woo-Jin could also achieve a similar effect.

Because of that, Woo-Jin had been flooded with offers from production companies that wanted to cast him in film noirs. Scripts of various genres and storylines related to politics and specialized professions, ranging from friendships between prosecutors and criminals to gang fights, piled up in front of Woo-Jin.

This resulted from actors actively wanting to act alongside Woo-Jin, even though they tended to be reluctant to work with Woo-Jin in the past. As a matter of fact, Woo-Jin had been popular among actresses and experienced actors, but other actors that debuted around the same time as him had avoided him like the plague.

Even though he was the celebrity of all celebrities and the object of admiration, young lead actors hadn’t want to appear in the same production as Woo-Jin. They were certain that they would pale in comparison with him. They had been terrified as they cited Park Min as an example and talked about how, despite being the main lead, he was overshadowed by Woo-Jin. But the situation was now reversed –– they wanted to work together with Woo-Jin.

“There may be a lot of them, but none are decent enough.”

“When a movie becomes a huge hit, production companies continue to produce films of similar genres.”

Last summer, films with bold and masculine characters were a huge hit at Korea’s box office, so investors and filmmakers had been choosing to produce similar films. However, the reality was that it was difficult to produce a decent movie in a hurry according to the trends rather than producing what they had originally planned.

Woo-Jin set aside the scripts that were piled up in front of him as there was nothing more for him to look at. He wanted to rest for the time being until Confession of White was released the following year. To be precise, he planned to polish and complete his old writings with Ilya’s advice in mind.

It might be his last work or just the beginning, but he started writing again because of his desire to complete it. And so, he had decided to bother Ilya a little. Ilya had been living comfortably by himself thus far. So, when being told this was his opportunity to take in a disciple in his later years, Ilya merely grumbled, saying it was a bother, and laughed.

Ever since the day Woo-Jin and Ilya talked about the password to the safe house, Ilya didn’t pry or ask Woo-Jin anything. His attitude towards Woo-Jin had become a little warmer than before, and he looked happier as well. Woo-Jin was also careful the entire time and walked on eggshells.

Woo-Jin started to treat Ilya comfortably like a close friend, a teacher he respected, and a family member. He also started joking around and acting like a child around him –– something he couldn’t do in front of his parents. There were also a lot of things they hadn’t really done before. So rather than regretting it in the future, the two of them chose to try everything one by one.

Their age and positions were different from what they used to be in the past, but the most important thing was that, fundamentally speaking, nothing had changed.

***

After Guardian Angel became a success, Woo-Jin spent his last winter vacation as a student in LA. On the surface, it was supposed to be his break for the first time in a while, but Woo-Jin wasn’t resting or idling there either. Instead, he was completely engrossed in a creative activity.

His daily routine was going to the hotel or bookstore to write, listening to Ilya’s advice, and having discussions with him. Even if he took a break, all he did was read a book or paint. So even though they felt embarrassed about being determined to do everything they had never done before, they didn’t look that much different from what Lansky and Ilya used to be.

Firstly, Woo-Jin and Ilya weren’t active people, so they refrained from roaming around and engaging in physical activities. It was normal for them to sit down and discuss through the night.

Equipped with the knowledge he had gained from his previous life, Woo-Jin found it delightful to have someone he could talk to, which was the same with Ilya. Having a conversation with a person with high standards and intellectual wealth, who simultaneously possessed shared memories and also understood you best, was an irreplaceable joy.

Each day passed so quickly that it felt like a pity. Woo-Jin sitting in front of the computer every day could seem pathetic to strangers looking at him, but he was engrossed in the rigorous work of creating a new world. Because of that, the only official event he attended during the entire time he was in LA was the New York Fashion Week in Feburary.[1]

Aside from his fame and popularity, Woo-Jin’s facial features and physique were well-loved by several designers. So it was no wonder domestic and international designers were dying to dress Woo-Jin in their clothes.

One of the most successful designers among them was Louis D.L. Louis fell in love with Woo-Jin even before Woo-Jin became famous worldwide, and he had also gifted him a suit he had personally made. Louis D.L. also participated in LA Fashion Week, and when he invited Woo-Jin to his own fashion show, the latter gladly accepted his invitation.

Since he was already in LA, Woo-Jin enjoyed the Fashion Week to the fullest by watching not only Louis D.L.'s but also the Korean designers’ shows.[2] The designer Woo-Jin knew at that time was Park Hwi-Kyung. Even though Woo-Jin was rather indifferent to fashion, he liked his designs very much. Woo-Jin was not one to covet clothes, but he even wanted to buy Park Hwi-Kyung’s clothes whenever he had the chance.

Woo-Jin could simply purchase something he liked, but there was a reason why he was always looking for an opportunity. Woo-Jin was the kind of person who would wear anything when he wasn’t shooting a film or show. He had a nice body, so he looked good in anything he wore. His fans felt very sorry for his fashion sense and lamented that God didn’t give him everything.

Hwang Yi-Young regularly organized his personal wardrobe and coordinated his outfits in advance, so at least that saved him from disgrace. Hence, even when he came across a designer he liked and bought their clothes, he didn’t wear them immediately.

Since he had been keeping a low profile and only spent time writing, he only looked for comfortable clothes. Furthermore, Hwang Yi-Young was not taking care of him in LA, so it was highly likely that he simply left them in the closet. As the saying goes –– a pearl is worthless as long as it is in its shell. It applied to both people and clothes.

***

Time flew by just like that, and it was finally time for him to start work again. Woo-Jin returned to Korea to shoot a commercial that he had pushed aside for quite some time and was greeted by good news –– Confession of White was now a film in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Even though it wasn’t a Korean movie, Woo-Jin was its main character, so many people congratulated him as though a Korean movie had made its way to Cannes. As Woo-Jin would be attending the Cannes Film Festival, naturally, he received a ton of sponsorship deals from companies.

Woo-Jin had several events and parties to attend during the film festival, so they had to prepare a lot of outfits and accessories for him. The operation behind the scenes of these companies to have their own products featured at one of these events was a war in itself.

However, apart from the products he had shot a commercial for, Woo-Jin turned down all the other companies. And he went to visit the boutique of a designer who had caught his eye during Fashion Week, Park Hwi-Kyung, He planned to wear Louis D.L.’s suit during the actual film festival, but he wanted to wear Park Hwi-Kyung’s clothes for the rest of the events.

“You seem to have lost some weight.”

As Park Hwi-Kyung took Woo-Jin’s measurements, he was worried about Woo-Jin losing more weight since the last time he saw him back in February. He had rarely seen a celebrity lose weight during their vacation. Woo-Jin was the opposite.

“I’ve gained a lot more weight as compared to how I was when I was shooting the movie.”

“When was that?”

Woo-Jin lost a lot of weight for his role as Lloyd, but after he was done shooting Confession of White, he had almost returned back to his weight at the time of Guardian Angel’s release. However, he had lost some weight when Park Hwi-Kyung saw him in New York in February, and he was now even thinner than he was back in February.

Even though he wasn’t as skinny as before when he was filming as Lloyd, he had been staying in the U.S., a food paradise, during his break. So Woo-Jin’s continued weight loss like this either meant he had put in a lot of effort to lose weight or he had a health issue.

“It happened simply because all I did was sit around the house, reading books.”

Woo-Jin gave an adequate explanation to alleviate Park Hwi-Kyung’s concerns. He couldn’t tell him he lost weight because of the stress that came from writing a novel, but Park Hwi-Kyung and his employees were enervated after hearing his explanation.

When Park Hwi-Kyung shook his head and asked if he was studying even when he was on vacation, Woo-Jin stood there awkwardly. He acted cheekily and said he was slacking off. People overestimated Woo-Jin too much.

“There’s about a month left before the film festival. What are you planning to do during this time?”

“I plan to get my body to where it was in February.”

His current state was in line with Lloyd’s image, but that wasn’t what Woo-Jin wanted. For the sake of having a completely different image, Woo-Jin needed to be stronger than he currently was.

And the Louis D.L suit he was planning to wear to the film festival was tailored to fit his body from back in February, so he had to make sure his body would fit the clothes instead of the other way around. It was highly likely he would be invited to participate in the Cannes Film Festival back then, so he had already commissioned Louis D.L. to make him a suit in advance.

After hearing Woo-Jin’s response, Park Hwi-Kyung told him he would tailor the clothes bigger and make the revisions after the fitting before discussing the schedule with him.

“I’ll stay behind to pick the design and fabric, so please go ahead.”

Woo-Jin had nothing to do after getting his measurements taken. Hwang Yi-Young added that he would only get in the way if he stayed behind and gestured to Woo-Jin to go back and rest first.

“The parking lot is some distance from here, so you have to walk quite a bit. What do you want to do?”

When they arrived at the boutique, Kang Ho-Soo dropped Woo-Jin and Hwang Yi-Young off before parking the car in the public parking lot. He scratched his head, saying the situation was somewhat ambiguous.

As he walked from the parking lot to the boutique, there was hardly anyone on this street, but he noticed the street a block over was bustling with people. Perhaps it could be because many people, including several tourists, were flocking the street in the middle of the day. If Woo-Jin appeared there, it would become more crowded without a doubt.

“In that case, I’ll wait on this street. There are fewer people, and the weather is nice, so I can get some sun.” Woo-Jin told Kang Ho-Soo, pointing to the side of the street that was a short walking distance away from the boutique.

“It’s a one-way street, so I’ll have to make a small detour to get here from the parking lot. Will you be okay standing there alone for a bit? Wouldn’t it be better for you to just stay in the boutique and leave when I call you?”

“What am I, a child?”

Woo-Jin remarked that he worried too much and nudged Kang Ho-Soo from the back before slowly making his way towards the street.

The street on this side was so empty that if one were to walk ten minutes towards the other side, one would easily feel the difference between the downtown area and this place. Even the few passers-by that quickly walked past Woo-Jin kept their eyes on the street.

Woo-Jin looked at the time and enjoyed his leisure walk under the spring sunlight. When he got to his destination, he stood close to the road so Kang Ho-Soo could see him. Woo-Jin slightly leaned against the lamppost and yawned a little. The spring day that came after winter had ended was so beautiful that he felt sluggish. Perhaps it was spring fever, but he felt like he was dozing off.

But strangely, no one was in sight. The sidewalk was mainly lined with private studios and small companies. The charming little buildings were once private houses that turned into new business complexes. It was a busy hour for companies and their employees, and there were no malls around, so the street was tranquil, aside from the cars that happened to pass by.

Thus, Woo-Jin was able to relax in the sun with his face exposed.

“Huh?”

Woo-Jin had momentarily closed his eyes because of the languidness of the spring day. He looked up at the sky after a water droplet landed on his face. All of a sudden, it started to rain.

If there were a cafe on the street, he would’ve gone inside to seek shelter. But he couldn’t even do that. Fortunately, there was a canopy above the windows on the first floor of the building behind him.

At first glance, Woo-Jin thought it was an advertising company, so Woo-Jin simply stood beneath the canopy. The blinds at every window were closed, so people working inside the office wouldn’t be able to look out of the windows. Thus, he sought shelter with ease.

Even though it rained so suddenly, there wasn’t a single person running around to seek shelter from the rain. The combination of rain pouring down on the street in the sunny weather made him feel a sense of disconnect, along with a strange silence.

Screech, clank!

Woo-Jin was mindlessly looking up at the sky but shifted his gaze towards where the sound was coming from.

1. Woo-Jin flew to New York to officially participate in the New York Fashion Week. ☜

2. Woo-Jin unofficially participated in the LA Fashion Week since he was invited by Louis D.L. ☜