NUTMEG 8

“Wonoh hyung, would you like to stay for pork belly, too?”

“We’re going to grill it on a barbecue grill on the gym’s rooftop. We’ll grill it perfectly for you!”

“Okay.”

“Woooah!”

For some reason, Wonoh, who always had a schedule right after his workout and would leave in a hurry, agreed to join the pork belly party. Walking slowly behind the excited kids, Wonoh whispered to Minje.

“You’re going to eat with us, too, right, hyung?”

Again, Minje had no choice but to answer, “Yeah.”

The wide sky, now entering early summer, was still bright even though it was past six o’clock. From the rooftop of the gym, which was located on high ground, the modest buildings looked as if they were touching the sky. Minje let out a small “wow,” his mouth agape as he took in the wide-open sky. In the sky, which was being colored with warm hues, cotton candy-like clouds that looked as if they had been torn by hand were scattered here and there.

The boisterously noisy kids first sang “Happy Birthday” at the top of their lungs, then started playing rough, throwing a white whipped cream cake around. Whether all kids their age were like that, or if it was because they were kids who did boxing, the small friend whose birthday it was giggled and laughed, even while receiving birthday punches that were close to a beating.

Looking as if this was not the first or second time they had been so boisterous, the owner chuckled and was busy grilling the pork belly. In between, he would toast with Minje with his beer and move the well-cooked pork belly to the table where Wonoh and Minje were sitting. The pork belly, with its perfect three-to-seven ratio of fat to meat, melted in his mouth, perhaps because it had been a long time since he’d had meat, or perhaps because they were eating outdoors.

In front of the well-eating Minje, Wonoh didn’t touch the beer or the meat. He said he was cutting weight to fit the role of a high school student who boxes, as he had a large and well-built physique and muscles to begin with. The owner, who knew the hardships of cutting weight well, didn’t press him further and just piled the meat in front of Minje. It was a little embarrassing to be eating alone. He had joined the pork belly party, of all things, so he thought he was hungry, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Just then, a kid who had emerged from a long scuffle, with whipped cream still smeared on his face, spoke to Wonoh, who was sitting at the makeshift table.

“Hyung, can I post the picture we took earlier on Instagram?”

Minje glanced at the two of them.

Minje, who had been an idol in his past life, had always been pestered with such requests. It was only fascinating and fun at first that strangers knew him. As he passed his second and third year of promotions and his popularity surpassed the average, he would suddenly feel tired of people recognizing him wherever he went and asking for autographs or pictures.

Junseop had said that people who claim to be fans to your face are not real fans. His theory was that real fans couldn’t even say they were fans to your face. For Minje, it was difficult to treat fans and non-fans the same. This was because if he didn’t give them what they wanted, they could suddenly change their attitude and write strange, exaggerated stories on the internet.

He had presumed that for Choi Wonoh, who was much more popular and had a much larger fanbase than someone like him, the hassle would be much, much worse. However, from the moment he met the high school kids until now, Choi Wonoh had been consistently kind. Well, looking back, even at the practice room where they first met in this life, Choi Wonoh hadn’t ignored his fans and had been gentle with them.

Choi Wonoh continued in a gentle voice.

“Sorry. It’s still a secret that I’m filming a boxing movie. It would be a little difficult for me if the picture gets posted. I’m sorry, Ilyeong, especially on your birthday.”

“Gasp. No, it’s not, hyung! I’m just honored that you wished me a happy birthday!”

The boy, whose name, Ilyeong, had even been called, blushed and jumped up and down in front of Choi Wonoh’s flawless smile. Wonoh remembered the name that even Minje, who had seen his face several times at the gym, couldn’t remember, as if it were a matter of course.

“I’m relieved to hear you say that. You can definitely post it after the movie comes out. Can you just keep it until then?”

“Of course!! I’ll tell the other guys that you going to our gym is a secret, too!”

“Thanks, Ilyeong.”

“Then, can I please have your number, hyung…? I really won’t tell anyone and will keep it to myself. I swear on my mom!”

Beside them, Minje’s eyes widened in surprise. This was the most difficult type to deal with. Ordinary people wouldn’t even dream of asking a celebrity for their number. But people who were naive to the core, who mistakenly thought they had become close after a few words of conversation, would often make such ridiculous requests. No matter how kind Choi Wonoh was, there was no way he wouldn’t be troubled by a request for his personal number.

However, Wonoh didn’t look particularly troubled and suddenly extended his hand to Ilyeong.

“Sure. I’ll put my number in for you.”

“Wow…! Thank you, hyung. I’ll definitely watch the movie with my friends! I’ll watch it three times!”

Ilyeong even said it was the best birthday present ever, praising Wonoh, and quickly went to the grill where the other kids were. Minje began to worry about Wonoh, who was naively giving out his personal number.

“There must be more than one or two kids asking for your number… is it okay to give it out like that…?”

“Ah, it’s fine. That’s a number for a phone I don’t use.”

“……”

To think he was worried that Choi Wonoh was naively handing out his personal number, not knowing his place. He was handling it just fine on his own. Minje suddenly felt foolish and let out a chuckle.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Uh… no, it’s just that you’re a little different from the image I had in my head.”

“Because I was putting on a front in front of the kids? You thought I was a jerk, didn’t you?”

“N-No!”

Minje jumped up. A jerk? He had absolutely never, ever thought such a thing, not even in his heart.

“I didn’t go to school in Korea, you know. So I was curious how normal high school kids hang out.”

“Ah….”

He added the words as if explaining to Minje, who had become awkward and quiet. Hearing that, he could understand why he had been staring so intently at the kids the whole time. The kids and the owner probably thought that Choi Wonoh wanted to get close to the kids. Minje had thought so, too. But to think it was all for the sake of studying for his role.

At the same time, Minje was worried about Wonoh, who had been confiding in him so much since a while ago. Is it because he’s still young? He shows his inner thoughts to me so readily, even though we’ve only met a few times. Minje, who had been backstabbed by countless people he had trusted over twenty-eight years in his past life, found Wonoh’s behavior to be, on the contrary, naively age-appropriate.

“Is it okay for you to say things like that to me…?”

“You’re my friend, hyung.”

When he indirectly told him to put on a front in front of him, too, Wonoh immediately fixed his almond-shaped eyes on Minje’s face and said that.

“Once we start filming, we’ll have to see each other every day for three months. It’s tiring to keep up a front.”

Then he curved his eyes beautifully and smiled. The tangerine-colored sky, which was slowly setting, tinged his pupils red. At that moment, even though Minje knew that the word ‘friend’ was limited to the filming period, his heart slowly began to beat faster. Friends who don’t need to put on a front with each other. Choi Wonoh and me.

“Where did you say you live, hyung?”

“Huh? Near Yongsan.”

“You said you live alone, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it a studio apartment, by any chance?”

“…Yeah.”

It was residential information that Gwak Pilseung had gotten out of him within two hours of meeting him, but when Choi Wonoh asked, he was too embarrassed to answer in detail that it was a semi-basement.

“Can I sleep at your place tonight, hyung?”

“Huh?”

“Friends visit each other’s houses and stuff, right? It’s okay, right?”

Minje, who had been gaping, finally chose his words.

“It’s too small, you’ll be uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine.”

“I only have one set of blankets, too.”

“There’s a bed, you know. It’s hot, so I don’t need a blanket.”

“I don’t have a bed……”

“You don’t have a bed?”

On the third try, he finally managed to stop Choi Wonoh’s runaway-locomotive-like charge. Wonoh furrowed his brow as if he couldn’t believe it, tilted his head, and then made a call somewhere.

To think that saying he didn’t have a bed would work. Minje inwardly let out a sigh of relief. He probably lives in a huge house I can’t even imagine. He looks like he would have a bed in every room and wouldn’t even know what a studio without a bed looks like.

He had no idea why he suddenly wanted to sleep over, but it was absolutely out of the question. Minje remembered the moldy ceiling he had seen that very morning. Even though it was only for three months, he didn’t want Wonoh, who had called him a friend, to see a place like that. The thought of being pitied after he saw that house was even more horrifying.

As he was thinking that, he glanced over and saw Choi Wonoh starting a phone call from where he was sitting, as if he wanted him to hear.

“Younghoon hyung. Can you buy me a bedding set later?”

“……”

“Yeah, a pillow, too. Bring it over later. Yeah, thanks.”

“……”

“There, solved, right?”

And Choi Wonoh smiled with his usual eye-smile.

……He didn’t know if Choi Wonoh was naive or cunning.

That was Cheon Minje’s first impression of Choi Wonoh after regressing.

🍊

Minje sighed as he looked at the white van parked as if it were lying down on the steep hill.

The incredible presence, completely out of place in this alleyway packed with nothing but houses, was practically a sign that said, ‘A celebrity is riding in this car,’ for all to see. It was already past one in the morning and there were few people around, but anyone passing by would invariably glance at the van.

Choi Wonoh, who had pushed ahead relentlessly, had said he would come to the area near his studio apartment around the time Minje finished his part-time job.

No, but still, a high-end van like this…. Minje looked around and when no one was there, he knocked, knock knock, on the heavily tinted car window. With a whirring sound, the door opened automatically. Wonoh’s pale face popped out from inside.

“Younghoon hyung, see you here tomorrow, then.”

The manager in the driver’s seat said he would come to pick him up at seven and started the van. As the shiny van disappeared from sight, his anxiety lessened just a little. The problem was that the Choi Wonoh in front of him was even more dazzling……. Worried that someone might see Choi Wonoh and cause a commotion, Minje quickened his pace and entered a small alley. Minje’s studio apartment was in an alley that cars couldn’t enter.

Wonoh, who was trotting along behind him, spoke in a relaxed voice.

“Good job at your part-time job.”

“Ah. You too, you worked hard at your workout.”

While Minje was at his part-time job, Wonoh had apparently worked out more at the gym. His face and hair were fresh, as if he had even showered, not like someone who had just come from a workout.

Then he probably won’t insist on showering at my place, right…? The bathroom in his studio was very small. On top of that, a washing machine took up one corner, so to wash up, one had to be trapped between the toilet and the sink. He wouldn’t have to make Choi Wonoh shower in a place like that. That fact was a very small help in calming Minje’s anxious heart. Only then did the bedding sets in Choi Wonoh’s hands come into view. Minje quickly took one of them from him.

“Where do you work part-time?”

“A small izakaya, near here.”

“I like izakayas.”

“Really? Ah, but it’s not like the high-end atmosphere of the place we went to before……”

Happy to hear he liked izakayas, Minje was about to explain where he worked when he suddenly remembered the izakaya in Cheongdam-dong they had gone to with Department Head Shin and Director Im. The ‘izakaya’ that Choi Wonoh liked was probably a place like that.

“And there’s something I didn’t mention, my studio is in a semi-basement……”

“Semi-basement?”

Minje unlocked the door of the old villa and held the glass door for Wonoh to enter. In the end, Choi Wonoh had come all the way here. The entryway sensor light, which had reached the end of its life, flickered above his head, pitifully lighting up the space. Not a single thing matched Choi Wonoh. Minje swallowed another sigh.