Chapter 25

After giving Xu Xian some instructions, Park Ji-hoon went to take a shower.

He had to leave at 7 in the morning and had no extra time!

However, he fell asleep in the bathtub before long—there was no way he could help it. Naturally, he didn't hear the phone ringing in the living room.

It was Park Min-ya who was woken up by the faint ringing, got up, and went to the living room to answer the phone.

It turned out to be that Taeyeon!

Although she didn't particularly like her, she still asked rationally if there was anything the caller needed. She could see that Park Ji-hoon still liked Taeyeon, so she cared—she would "hypnotize" herself to accept and like what Park Ji-hoon liked, even if she didn't like it herself.

However, although the call was connected, the other party didn't say a word!

Although she was clever and secretly wished Taeyeon would misunderstand her relationship with Park Ji-hoon, to let her know that her brother wasn't without pretty girls who liked him, she still rationally pointed out her identity as "my brother."

But the other party still didn't say anything.

Seeing the bathroom light on, she didn't have the patience to wait any longer, hung up the phone, walked to the bathroom, and knocked on the door, calling out, "Brother!"

No response.

"Brother!" She called out again, but still no response.

Park Min-ya had a hunch about something and walked in directly.

Sure enough, Park Ji-hoon was lying in the bathtub, sound asleep. When they were renovating, they had specifically chosen a bathroom with a bathtub, which also led to a significant increase in expenses.

"Brother!" Park Min-ya, suppressing her embarrassment, walked up, squatted beside the bathtub, and could only see his upper body. She reached out and pinched his nose.

"Ah!" Park Ji-hoon jolted awake—it was too cold!

Then, he saw Park Min-ya standing beside him and was startled, quickly sitting up.

"Brother! How could you fall asleep in here? What if you catch a cold?" Park Min-ya turned her back, scolding him as she walked out, "Hurry up, Brother, Miss Taeyeon just called you!"

Park Ji-hoon's body stiffened, then hurriedly dried himself, wrapped a towel around himself, and walked out.

"Here!" Park Min-ya handed him the phone.

"You answered? What did she say?" Park Ji-hoon asked.

"I asked her what she needed from 'my brother.'" Park Min-ya, seeing his nervous expression, said somewhat unhappily, "But she didn't say anything, so I hung up."

"Sorry for waking you up." Park Ji-hoon finally smiled awkwardly and comforted her.

"It's okay, it's time to make breakfast for Brother anyway." Park Min-ya yawned slightly and got up to go to the bathroom.

"You're so kind, Min-ya!" Park Ji-hoon, looking at her back, couldn't help but say softly. In such cold weather, having her get up early to cook for him made his heart ache.

"Brother! Didn't I say not to say that?" Park Min-ya turned her head, pouting in dissatisfaction.

"Okay." Park Ji-hoon smiled and nodded. When emotions were boiling, it was hard to control!

"Brother, call her back quickly!" Park Min-ya turned and said.

Park Ji-hoon's smile slowly faded as he dialed Taeyeon's phone number—he hadn't blocked it.

The call was quickly connected, but no one spoke, and he could feel a heavy atmosphere. Suppressing the impulse in his heart, he asked in a low voice, "Why did you call me?"

"Nothing. I just thought it was time to sort things out." Taeyeon let two clear tears flow freely down her cheeks, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. But how could her hoarse, nasal voice hide it?

It finally came!

Park Ji-hoon took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled before saying softly, "Okay."

Not even an "I'm sorry"! The pain in Taeyeon's heart intensified. After a moment, she said, "I wish you happiness!" Trying to sound casual, but it came out full of resentment. She had once thought she had nothing without him, but now he was leaving her too. What had she done wrong?

The phone was silent, with no response.

Although he had "made a decision," Park Ji-hoon still couldn't help but feel a pang of pain! He hadn't called her or texted her to maintain a faint connection. But now, it was severed by her words.

"I understand!" His eyes involuntarily moistened, but he said it lightly. Wishing him happiness? Was it a sarcastic comment about his participation in "We Got Married"? His tone became cold, his heart ached, but he felt a sense of "relief"!

"Don't hang up first!"

"Don't be nice to other women in private!"

"Don't make excuses, you must come when I ask for a date!"

All these "restrictions" were etched in his mind! Some might have been said casually or as a joke, but he remembered and followed them all!

But what did she give him?

He really wanted to ask how much he meant to her, if she had ever truly loved him! But the two scenes in his mind suppressed the question. He already knew, so why deceive himself?

"You too!" He paused, then added. Was it a blessing or a cold rebuttal?

"Okay. Goodbye." Taeyeon, sensing the coldness in his words, felt her heart sink and couldn't hold back, hurriedly said, and wanted to hang up.

"Wait!" Park Ji-hoon blurted out.

Taeyeon's breath caught, her heart seemed to stop, and she waited for his next words.

"Take care of yourself, not for anyone else, but for yourself." After a moment of silence, Park Ji-hoon said softly, "And don't carry everything alone, share the burden with your members sometimes. Friends aren't just for sharing happiness."

He couldn't hold back!

After the catharsis, the pain was even more profound—he truly loved Taeyeon! Even though he knew he meant little to her, his heart ached, but he still couldn't help but care about her well-being.

Taeyeon was struck by these simple words!

Why say this now?

Big actor!

Unable to hold back, she hung up the phone without a reply, buried her head between her legs, and cried.

"Phew—" Park Ji-hoon slowly exhaled, blinked, and felt an emptiness in his heart, as if a part of him had been dug out.

"Brother!" Park Min-ya's voice suddenly sounded, "Go lie down for a while. You slept in the bathtub for so long, be careful not to catch a cold!"

"Okay." Park Ji-hoon, unable to sort out his emotions, responded softly and returned to the bedroom.

Lying on the bed, he pulled the blanket over himself.

His thoughts churned, and scenes from the past kept flashing through his mind. He wanted to erase them but found them deeply rooted, only to be buried deep in his memory.

He tried to adjust his emotions.

In a daze, he didn't even hear the door open.

Park Min-ya walked into the bedroom, looked at Park Ji-hoon lying motionless on the bed, sighed softly, found his clothes, and then walked to the bed, leaning over and extending a small hand.

"Cold!" Park Ji-hoon instantly woke up.

"Hehe..." Park Min-ya's laughter rang in his ear.

Park Ji-hoon didn't get angry but caught her hand that was trying to escape and said, "Give me the other hand too!"

Park Min-ya blinked, then lightly laughed and extended her other hand.

The cold little hands made his heart ache.

Although there was underfloor heating, it was the coldest time of the day.

"Okay! Not cold anymore." After a while, Park Min-ya tried to pull her hand away and said, "Brother! Get up quickly, or we'll be late."

"Okay." Park Ji-hoon finally let her go.

"I found your clothes." Park Min-ya reminded him and then walked out. She had wanted to ask about his "wife," but seeing his state, she decided not to ask for now.

Park Ji-hoon got up, changed, and had breakfast with her before leaving.

He thought he had adjusted his state.

However, the young actress Kim Sae-ron, who was acting opposite him today, said the first thing she saw him, "Uncle, you don't look good today!"

Born in 2000, she debuted in 2009 through the movie "Travelers" and attended the Cannes International Film Festival for the film.

She wasn't very pretty, but she had good acting skills, and her smile was unique, making her stand out in the increasingly homogeneous world of actresses.

She had a good relationship with Park Ji-hoon and always called him "Uncle" from the movie.

"Can you tell that?" Park Ji-hoon didn't hide it but exaggerated his surprise, pretending to be shocked.

"A little bit!" Kim Sae-ron raised a hand and used her thumb to measure the first joint of her index finger, saying, "Uncle looks so depressed!"

"Isn't that fitting for my character in the movie?" Park Ji-hoon forced a smile.

"But, Uncle, don't you have to do the assistant director's work too?" Kim Sae-ron asked, tilting her head.

"Thanks!" Park Ji-hoon, after a moment of silence, lightly patted her head and said.

"Okay." Kim Sae-ron nodded and didn't disturb him further. His time was tight, and they rarely interacted outside of rehearsing lines and shooting. However, he got along well with everyone.

He always seemed to have a mysterious aura around him.

"Director, I'm here." Park Ji-hoon found Director Lee Jeong-beom to ask about today's schedule.

"Oh!" Lee Jeong-beom responded, looked at him, and couldn't help but frown, asking, "Ji-hoon, do you need to rest first?" Although the filming was urgent, it was just the beginning, and if he got too tired, it would be counterproductive.

"Thanks, Director, but I'm fine." Park Ji-hoon smiled and said, "Just a lack of sleep."

Lee Jeong-beom nodded and didn't say more. He took out his notebook and told Park Ji-hoon the schedule for the day.

He found that Park Ji-hoon was like an endless treasure trove, always surprising him! Now, Park Ji-hoon had become his most important assistant.

Soon, the two entered their roles.

This movie was of great significance to both Park Ji-hoon and Lee Jeong-beom. Without a huge budget or a famous production team, and being a semi-newcomer who had only directed one feature film, he faced a lot of skepticism. Therefore, he was very eager for success.

One could say that this movie determined their futures!