"Oh, Shim, how are things these days? I heard you got a call from a broadcasting station?"
"I'm still thinking it over."
"What's there to think about? You've done all you can on the stage. If you have the chance, do some drama or film work. You're too talented to stay confined to theater."

It was a gathering of actors who had worked together on Close Your Eyes. Such reunions were rare—most actors were too busy to attend multiple end-of-year meetups.

But Close Your Eyes held special meaning for everyone present.

"As you know, Close Your Eyes was a massive hit—not just in terms of success, but look at what happened to the actors who were part of it," remarked Jo Doyul, the play's director, as he glanced toward a corner of the room.

There, a woman stood, noticeably transformed from her former self.

"Jiwoo, I hear you've got a new guy in your life? Changed your profile picture too, huh? Doing well, I see."
"Is that so?"
"Hey, why are you responding so nonchalantly? You should be more lively when someone brings up something like that."
"Isn't meddling in someone else's love life just rude?"
"Well, you're not wrong, but you sure have a knack for making even the truth sound irritating. I’m worried about you—if you want to do well in drama, you’ll have to tone that attitude down," Doyul said with genuine concern.

Shim Cheongseok knew Doyul wasn’t just spouting nonsense, so he let the comment slide.