NUTMEG 6

“I was so moved that I forgot to say the most important thing. I’m sorry. Mr. Minje, would you like to shoot a movie with me?”

“Mr. Minje. Let’s sign the agency contract at the office tomorrow, too.”

At the string of unbelievable remarks, Cheon Minje lifted his head. “My arm hurts,” Director Im said with a laugh, and as Minje shook his hand in return, his right hand moved up and down with a whoosh.

Minje couldn’t believe how kind these radiant people sitting at the table with him were. The world he knew had never been this soft and easy. But after returning to his twenty-three-year-old self, everything was going smoothly as if it were a lie, and life was as easy as if he had used a cheat key. No, to be precise, it wasn’t after he returned to being twenty-three, but after he had the loop procedure.

It was just one procedure. Minje felt tears welling up in his eyes as he thought about how foolishly he had persevered through his grueling past life. Perhaps thinking Minje was simply overcome with emotion, Director Im poured him drink after drink along with words of praise. Glug, glug, glug, the alcohol filling the glass with a sound was as sweet as the compliments.

As long as I’m not an omega, can I live like this forever…?

“Did you like Wonoh from before? Are you an Uncon fan?”

“Ah, no. I’m not a fan, but I’ve seen all his movies.”

“Movies? Ah. Director Choi Cheowon’s movies?”

Only after hearing Director Im correct his question did Minje realize his mistake and check Wonoh’s expression. In his alcohol-induced haze, he had momentarily forgotten that Choi Wonoh had never acted in a movie before. At that moment, perhaps it was his imagination, but he felt that Wonoh’s face, which had been smiling the whole time, stiffened slightly.

“This isn’t something to say in front of his son, but. I can’t really watch Director Choi’s movies.”

“Oh my. Director Im, you’re drunk.”

“Should I say they’re a bit grotesque? The way he sees humans is a little…”

Startled by his unfiltered words, Department Head Shin and Minje simultaneously glanced at Wonoh. However, Choi Wonoh had already relaxed his stiff expression and was laughing out loud as if he had heard something funny. Regardless, Director Im seriously adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses.

“I wasn’t trying to be funny. Still, I’ve seen all of your mother’s filmography. It’s such a shame she retired. What is she up to these days?”

“I’ve never seen Director Choi’s movies either.”

“Huhh? Not a single one?”

Choi Wonoh didn’t answer Director Im’s question and said something unexpected instead.

“How can you have not seen a single one? The movies your mother was in are in the middle school curriculum.”

“I didn’t go to middle school, you know.”

“Ah, right. That’s true.”

Tsk, smacking his lips, Director Im scratched his shaggy hair, and Choi Wonoh continued speaking to him in a languid voice.

“I’ve seen all of your movies, hyung. Even the short film you made in college. It was good.”

“All of a sudden? What’s with this kid? Choi Wonoh, stop looking at people so seriously. It makes my heart flutter.”

“You should watch it, too. That hyung has an award for one of them.”

The conversation abruptly shifted to Minje. He had been listening blankly, wondering, ‘Why didn’t Choi Wonoh go to middle school….’

Minje had also seen the film by Director Im Kihwan that he was talking about in his past life. After <Round and Round, Our Youth> became a hit, joint interviews with the two of them poured out, which naturally sparked his interest in Director Im. As Department Head Shin chided Choi Wonoh, saying, “He’s your hyung, Minje is,” Minje blinked and listened, thinking it would be okay to say he’d seen at least that much, and chose his words.

“Ah, I’ve seen it. <Sunlight>. It was good.”

“Oh. Really?”

“The way it looks at people… I liked that it was warm.”

It was when he had carefully chosen his words, thinking it would be good to add his impression. Director Im blinked his docile, cow-like eyes and spoke as if aggrieved.

“Mr. Minje. Are you dissing me because I just said Director Choi’s movies are grotesque?”

“Pardon?”

“Hahaha!”

With eyes hazy from the alcohol, Minje blankly stared at Choi Wonoh, who had burst out laughing. He had seen him scrunch up his small face while laughing, just like when he had first smiled at him today, twice in one day. It was still something hard to believe.

“Ah, Cheon Minje is hilarious.”

“He’s your hyung, Choi Wonoh.”

“It’s only a one-year difference. He doesn’t look like a hyung.”

Every time his face turned toward Minje, the small drop earring in his ear sparkled and swayed. He was someone where there wasn’t a single part of him that didn’t draw the eye. Calling him hyung was an audacious dream, even in his past life when he was a senior so far out of reach. Minje quickly held up both hands and waved them to show it was okay.

“You’re a much senior professional, so you can call me whatever you like.”

“See, he says so.”

“Gosh. I’m sorry, Mr. Minje. This kid has no manners.”

“You want me to call you hyung?”

Choi Wonoh boldly closed the distance that Minje had thought couldn’t get any closer and approached him.

“Minje hyung.”

At that moment, feeling like he was about to hiccup, Minje covered his mouth with both hands. He could feel the searing heat radiating from within his palms pressed against his mouth. For whatever reason, Choi Wonoh was pleased, and he smiled again and said, “I should call you hyung.” It was hard to tell if his dizzy head was from the alcohol or something else. Choi Wonoh, who was smiling giddily, took a cigarette out of his pocket and pointed to a huge black coat crumpled up in the seat next to Director Im.

“Kihwan hyung, let me borrow that raggedy thing.”

“What do you mean, raggedy? What’s wrong with my padded jacket?”

“So I can smoke.”

“But why do you need my padded jacket for that?”

It was already May, but Director Im went around wearing a coat that was like a blanket. Judging by the writing on the back, it looked like some kind of team uniform. Staff who frequently filmed outdoors would wear those kinds of team uniforms all year round, except in the dead of summer.

“I don’t want my clothes to smell.”

“Wow… what a personality.”

While grumbling, Im Kihwan handed the balled-up coat to Choi Wonoh.

“Choi Wonoh, you don’t drink or smoke where others can see, do you?”

“Department Head Shin. Am I that kind of person?”

With those words, Wonoh smiled refreshingly and left his seat. Resignation was evident in Department Head Shin’s voice as he muttered, “No, you’re not…” So he smokes, too. And he held his liquor well. His head felt like it was overheating, pssshhh, with the constant influx of information all day.

Minje told Director Im and Department Head Shin, who had started talking about contracts and schedules, that he was going to the restroom and went outside. He was only wearing a thin t-shirt, but the completely warmed-up weather felt good. Perhaps his body was heating up from mixing too much sake with his beer. Minje squatted down in front of the restaurant and counted on his fingers the things that had happened to him today, one by one.

Choi Wonoh, audition, movie, Choi Wonoh….

He didn’t think any of this was because he was good. It was all thanks to the pheromone suppression procedure. If he were a half-baked omega who couldn’t even function as a person, there was no way this kind of luck would have come to him in succession. Besides, Choi Wonoh had been sitting next to him for so long at the drinking party but hadn’t brought up pheromones. Do I really, really look like a beta to others…?

“Hyung.”

Just then, he heard a familiar voice. Minje, still squatting, looked around. This tavern operated on a strict reservation-only basis. People without a confirmed reservation could not enter past the high wall. So, the only voice inside this restaurant that would feel familiar to him was…

“Cheon Minje.”

This time, his name was called, and Minje shot up from his spot. Looking closely, he saw a large silhouette in a blind spot behind the long, narrow passageway decorated like a Japanese garden.

“Ah, me…?”

“There’s no one else here but you, hyung.”

Choi Wonoh slowly moved his body, which had been hidden in the building’s shadow, and came out. Even wearing a huge, shabby jacket, he still shone. After exhaling the last puff of smoke like a sigh, Wonoh stubbed out the cigarette butt and looked at Minje with a smile.

“Are you going to keep using formal speech? Should I use it, too?”

“Ah, no…. No.”

“We’re friends now, you know.”

“Pardon?”

“We’re playing best friends, too.”

“Ah. Yes, uh-huh. Best friend roles….”

Startled for a moment, he stammered like an idiot. He was talking about the role, not real friends.

“Are you really my fan? Why are you so restless?”

Choi Wonoh smirked, perhaps at how Minje kept fidgeting and blushing in front of him. Then, standing where he was, he beckoned with his hand as if to tell him to come closer. Minje hesitantly approached him. Choi Wonoh raised his left hand, which hadn’t been holding the cigarette, and brushed back Minje’s long bangs. He looked quite seriously at Minje’s fully revealed forehead and face, then crinkled his eyes into a smile.

“Short hair would suit you, too. Your forehead and eyebrows are pretty, hyung, so showing your forehead makes you look more handsome.”

Minje stood rigidly frozen, looking up at the man in front of him.

“With your bangs down, you look a little too frail.”

In his past life, Cheon Minje was famous for being picky about his face and styling. When he first heard about the unheard-of position of “visual center” that the company had assigned him, he had jumped up and down, saying it was ridiculous. But once he realized that people at least complimented his face, he began to obsess over it little by little.

In particular, Manager Kim liked him to stick to the long hair he’d had when he was first scouted. So, the one thing he always insisted on with the hair stylist was to maintain his long hair style. The long bangs that naturally covered his eyebrows became something of a trademark for Cheon Minje during his idol days. There were even jokes about him having a tattoo on his forehead.

He had been genuinely worried he would look ugly when he heard he had to cut his hair short. But what Choi Wonoh was saying didn’t feel like a lie. Minje hastily covered his forehead again with the bangs his hand had let go of, his face turning bright red.

Choi Wonoh abruptly extended his left hand to Minje as if for a handshake, adding, “My right hand smells like cigarettes.” At the remark that seemed sensitive to smells, Minje was once again reminded of his own pheromones. But when he looked up cautiously, he still couldn’t see any particular emotion on Wonoh’s face. Minje took Wonoh’s left hand with his own.

“Let’s get along well from now on. I hope we can be like real best friends while we’re filming the movie.”

“Yes. No, I mean, yeah….”

“It’s awkward for me too when you keep mixing speech levels, hyung. Be like you were at the audition earlier.”

“Ah, that was….”

He couldn’t say he was just copying his acting, so he just nodded vaguely. Choi Wonoh added, still holding his hand.

“I’m going to ask you one personal question now. To be fair, you ask me one, too.”

“Huh?”

“You first, hyung.”

Choi Wonoh suddenly made a strange proposal. If he was curious, he could have just asked. His tone was as if they were making some grand secret deal. He spoke of ‘fairness,’ but to Minje, the fact that Choi Wonoh was the one making this proposal felt ‘unfair’ in itself. If possible, I’d rather neither of us ask anything…… but he didn’t have the courage to say that, so Minje wracked his brain for a question.

“……Why didn’t you go to middle school?”

“You’re asking that?”

His almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, as if the question was unexpected.

It was the thing that had bothered him most from the conversation at the table earlier. He had seen almost every broadcast or interview article he had appeared in, but there was nothing proper about his teenage years when there was a gap. Regarding his child actor days, from which he seemed to have evaporated just like his acting, only plausible rumors abounded: that he was attending a famous private school abroad, that he was at an Italian villa with his mother Baek Hwao, or that Choi Cheowon was filming a movie with him as the lead.

“I went to London after finishing elementary school in Korea. I didn’t want to go to school, but someone told me I had to at least function as a person, so I was homeschooled in England.”

Minje quietly nodded. It must have been his parents who told him he had to function as a person. It seemed there were no real rumors because he was abroad.