Brion’s prediction was accurate.

After the first performance, the number of reservations steadily increased, and by the evening of the last day, the audience seats were densely filled without a single empty spot.

Thanks to this, the staff was in a state of great excitement. It was a performance that had the most audience among all the plays they had produced so far. There were many who came to see the play again.

“Amazing, it’s completely packed!”

15 minutes before the last performance, a stage team member said, throwing up a double thumbs-up with nervous excitement. Yooil muttered softly.

“I didn’t expect the audience seats to be full like this.”

“Me neither.”

Lee Minji responded softly. Dressed in Juliet’s costume for the third day, she smiled with a face evidently tense with nerves.

“Let’s keep up the spirit until the end.”

“Sure.”

 

And then, they quietly fist-bumped.

‘The hand is really cold.’

【It seems to be because of the tension. Currently, Lee Minji’s heart rate is about 20% higher than usual.】

‘… You even measure someone else’s heartbeat now?’

It was no longer surprising. Han Yooil sighed and was adjusting his outfit when she said,

“But… you really don’t seem nervous.”

Lee Minji added, almost whispering.

“You’re not trembling at all, even just before the performance.”

“No, I do feel nervous.”

“Hey, this is my third play, and still, every time I’m about to go on stage, my legs tremble and sometimes I even forget my lines…”

 

She continued, laughing awkwardly.

“Yesterday, I almost messed up the performance, remember?”

Han Yooil recalled. Last night, during the performance, Lee Minji had climbed up to the roof and fiercely slapped Romeo, intending to stop him from falling.

-Crazy!

And the next moment, she forgot her lines.

If Han Yooil had not pretended to touch his slapped cheek and subtly covered his mouth with his hand to whisper the next lines to her, minutes of silence might have passed.

“I couldn’t say this yesterday because it was so hectic… but thank you.”

“Well, it was nothing.”

Yooil, responding in such a manner, looked down at his right hand.

‘… Am I not the type to get nervous easily?’

 

Thinking about it, he realized that he had never experienced his heart beating significantly faster or his legs trembling, either during auditions in front of Heo Jiyu or while performing on stage.

It was just a sense of excitement and a slight thrill that gently filled his body, like powder dispersing in water.

【Han Yooil, you are naturally not greatly influenced by external factors. Being calm is indeed a very advantageous element in acting.】

‘Brion.’

【Yes, Yooil.】

‘Do Not Disturb mode.’

【…Understood.】

As Brion’s voice ceased, Yooil could relax his body with a visibly more refreshed expression.

And thus, the curtain rose for the last performance.

Yooil recited his last line, which he had repeated hundreds of times during rehearsals.

“From now on, we have become even stronger friends.”

“Tch. Alright, friend.”

The final blackout of this stage ensued.

The audience didn’t stop clapping until the lights came back on and the actors finished their bows.

Yooil made eye contact with each person in the audience, one by one. Everyone was clapping passionately with sparkling eyes.

“He’s so handsome!”

“Lee Minji is beautiful!”

“We love you, Romeo!”

Encouraged by the shouts, smiles appeared on Lee Minji and Han Yooil’s faces.

‘…Ah.’

At that moment, Yooil felt something fluffy rising from the depths of his heart. His chest tingled.

It felt like bubbles would escape if he opened his mouth.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before. Too intense to be merely considered regret.

‘I don’t want to leave the stage yet.’

It felt as if it wouldn’t be strange if his feet grew roots right there on the stage.

But the play had ended. The lights that had brightly illuminated the stage were now off. It was time to exit.

Yooil moved his heavy steps off the stage. Wiping off his sweat, he thought,

‘So this is why… people do theater.’

Just then, released from Do Not Disturb mode, Brion promptly replied.

【People say that once you experience the thrill of concluding a play, the painful memories get beautified, and you keep falling into the path of theater.】

 

Meanwhile, after sending off the audience, Heo Jiyu embraced them with teary eyes.

“…Yooil, Minji…!”

“Ah, Jiyu noona.”

“You did so well! You were the best!”

And she started to get emotional, saying it was all thanks to them.

“It’s all because of the great script you wrote, noona.”

“What are you talking about? Everyone who watched the play only talks about the actors!”

“That’s because-“

Heo Jiyu didn’t wait for Han Yooil’s response and pulled him by the wrist.

Before he knew it, he was in the middle of the stage. The theater team took hundreds of photos against the backdrop of the stage set to be dismantled.

The end of the play wasn’t just the end of a performance.

The theater team members disassembled the stage together, shared the cake they received, and then, completely exhausted, headed to their respective homes.

Yooil, returning with a bouquet, realized his phone in his pocket was ringing.

[So Yijin Senior: The play ended today, right?]

[Me: Hello, senior. Thanks to you, it ended well.]

[So Yijin Senior: Haha, if you’re free this weekend, wanna come to Daehangno? I’ll buy you a coffee.]

Brion spoke as if it had been waiting.

【It seems like a good opportunity.】

‘I don’t even know why she called yet.’

Then Brion started to deliver a long speech, having calculated probabilities.

【…Therefore, the probability that So Yijin called you this time to propose a new audition or project is high. Do you understand?】

…although Yooil didn’t listen properly.

【…】

* * *

A few days later, Yooil entered a large coffee shop near Hyehwa Station. In the cafe, where tables filled both the basement level and the second floor, So Yijin was sitting by the window on the second floor.

“Hello, senior.”

“Oh, you came?”

Approaching the table, Yooil realized that there was another senior present, in addition to So Yijin. She was a woman with long black hair and striking red lipstick.

“We haven’t met before, right? I’m Kim Mijin~ Oh, and by the way, I’m also a graduate of the Department of Korean Literature at Wolmyeong University~ I’m a classmate of Jinie.”

(tl/n: Jinie refer to Yijin)

The woman with a unique way of speaking extended her hand for a handshake.

“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Han Yooil.”

Then, So Yijin said with a half-hearted look.

“She insisted on coming with me today… I’m sorry, Yooil.”

“No, I’m thankful that you came out like this.”

“Oh my~ You’re such a gentleman. I only had a moment to stop by and couldn’t say hello, but I actually saw the play too~ You were really good, junior~?”

“Really? Did you come to the newbies’ gathering?”

So Yijin snorted, mocking her, but Kim Mijin’s expression didn’t change.

‘Senior So Yijin… was she always this kind of person?’

She seemed completely different from the vibe she had when they first met in front of the theater.

 

They said they were classmates, and they seemed quite close.

Yooil exchanged some simple pleasantries with the two, easing into the conversation. After the initial tension eased with small talk, So Yijin straightened her posture and spoke.

“Actually, I called you because I have something to ask.”

She then took a small pamphlet out of her bag. It was a pamphlet that looked like a postcard, with a navy background and white stars drawn on it.

“I wrote a play recently. The reading showcase received a good response, so we are going to stage it as a trial early next year, but it’s a bit unique? It’s a play with two main characters…”

Yooil listened attentively to So Yijin’s explanation.

The play she had newly written was about a vampire trapped under the ruins of a collapsed building.

It was a story of an immortal vampire, suffering from an extreme lethargy to the point of finding escape tiresome, who meets a young child in the darkness filled with the debris of the building.

‘That sounds interesting?’

【A detailed analysis will require reading the entire script, but it seems like a quite intriguing piece.】

So Yijin, seeing the gleam in Yooil’s eyes, seemed pleased. Observing the two, Kim Mijin set down her cup and spoke.

“Hmm~ I have something to say too.”

She then took out her phone from her bag.

“I participated as a writer in a movie recently… Do you know Director Yoo Jaeho? He’s a director named Yoo Jaeho.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

Yooil nodded, recognizing the familiar name.

“…But isn’t this person an animation director?”

What Kim Mijin showed was a photo of Director Yoo Jaeho, known for creating animations that were more acclaimed abroad than in Korea.

“Oh, you know! That’s right. Actually, Director Yoo has been preparing for a long time to debut in the film industry. He’s been part of the directing team a few times… Anyway, we’re currently collecting profiles of actors, so if it’s okay with you, I was thinking of showing your profile to the director~”

“Hey, you said you were just going to look and leave earlier!”

So Yijin exclaimed with her eyes narrowed into triangles. Kim Mijin smiled widely, her eyes nearly disappearing, and responded.

“Oh my, the person concerned hasn’t said anything yet~ Why would someone unrelated raise their voice~?”

“How can Yooil say anything when you’re looking at him like that?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Jin and Mijin both turned their gaze to Han Yooil simultaneously. Yooil, looking back and forth between the two, gave a troubled smile.

“Ah, it’s fine. We always play around like this.”

“Right~ So don’t feel pressured and just decide~”

“Yeah, think about it carefully. And if possible, come to the theater scene.”

“Oh my! Do you even have a conscience~? How can you try to drag such a fresh and promising junior into that hell~?”

“…Do you want a real taste of hell?”

Yooil cautiously asked Brion.

‘Are they really close friends?’

【Yes, according to research, they have been friends for exactly 13 years. It seems you don’t need to worry.】

Despite Brion’s calm voice, the two were laughing and exchanging sharp words.

“The nature of the work requires delicate acting and a fresh face~ You know there aren’t many good male actors in their 20s, right?”

“Seriously. You think I don’t know that you’re doing this because everyone you approached turned you down?”

“•••Sigh.”

Kim Mijin shot back at So Yijin with an annoyed look.

“You’re in the same boat with your casting failures! Why, because Choi Jiwon refused, right?”

So Yijin bit her lip, hit where it hurt.

Choi Jiwon was a famous actor who had recently clinched the leading roles in major musicals one after the other.

“Cough cough… Anyway, Yooil, come and audition. I’ll speak well of you to the director.”

“No, in my opinion~ Junior here~ would really suit the camera well. Your acting too~”

Brion, who had been quiet, spoke calmly.

【…While the genres are different, both projects are of high quality in terms of artistic value and completion. It’s difficult to recommend one over the other.】

Yooil agreed with Brion’s statement for the first time in a while. Both projects had clear merits and the content was also intriguing.

Above all, he was aware that getting the opportunity to audition like this was rare, unless it was for a student film.

“Thank you both so much for reaching out to me like this.”

“You’ll come to the audition, right?”

“Yes.”

“•••?!”

Yooil took the two business cards handed to him simultaneously. Then, with a bright smile to Jin and Mijin, he responded.

“I will do my best equally.”