Chapter 58: Beyond the River, the Stars

"Are you not coming in?"

"Ah... Yes?"

Hanhayun, startled, mumbled his words.

"Come in. Was it you? The one who fainted."

"Ah... Yes, that’s right. I wanted to thank you by treating you to a meal..."

"Are you feeling better?"

"Thanks to you, I’m much better."

Jeong Hye-min gestured for him to come inside the Pilates studio.

"Come in first."

Hanhayun, looking somewhat awkward, scratched his cheek and followed Jeong Hye-min into the studio.

"There’s a CCTV camera at the counter that faces the door. At first, I thought you were a strange person."

Jeong Hye-min had been watching the man loitering in front of the studio, initially thinking he might be a male student interested in Pilates. Since it’s a form of exercise more commonly taken up by women, it’s not unusual for some to hesitate at the door.

However, as the man lingered for over an hour, she began to wonder if he was a strange person and considered reporting him. Upon closer inspection, the man in the CCTV footage looked somewhat familiar.

"Ah, I’m not a strange person."

Hanhayun took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her.

Jeong Hye-min read the card.

"Hanhayun, Prosecutor from the Busan Western District Prosecutors' Office. You’re a prosecutor?"

"Ah, yes, that’s right."

Caught off guard, Hanhayun scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. It was surreal to introduce himself to his wife from his previous life.

"But why were you in Incheon that day, being from Busan?"

"Ah, I was investigating something."

In fact, the person he was investigating was Jeong Hye-min, his wife from his previous life.

"I see. All I did was call you. There’s no need to treat me to a meal."

"But I really want to do something to show my gratitude..."

Hanhayun, who hadn’t seen his wife from his previous life in two years, wanted to talk more and also wanted to see his daughter, who must have grown a lot.

"It’s really fine."

"But I feel bad..."

Jeong Hye-min looked at Hanhayun, seemingly pondering something.

"Then, how about this: I don’t need a meal, but can you give me a ride somewhere? You have a car, right?"

"Of course."

Jeong Hye-min and Hanhayun walked to the parking lot, and she made a phone call.

"Mom, can you watch Hayun a bit longer? I might be a bit late."

After hanging up, Jeong Hye-min asked Hanhayun.

"Where are we going?"

"It’s quite close by car. I’ll explain on the way. Thanks for the ride."

Hanhayun drove as Jeong Hye-min explained. His expression stiffened as he saw the sign.

They arrived at their destination, and Jeong Hye-min got out of the car, thanking Hanhayun.

"Thanks. I can call a taxi to go back."

Hanhayun followed her out of the car.

"Will you be here long?"

"Not really, about 30 minutes?"

Hearing this, Hanhayun opened the back door and put on his jacket.

"Since I’m here, I’ll pay my respects to the deceased and take you home. You said you only called me, but to me, you’re a savior who saved my life."

"Alright, then."

Hanhayun followed Jeong Hye-min, who walked ahead. He had no idea that the place she wanted a ride to was the columbarium where his ashes were kept.

The corridor was brightly lit but had a chilly atmosphere. They approached a memorial hall filled with niches for urns. Jeong Hye-min stopped in front of a niche in the center of the brightest area, at eye level, where Baek Yuhyeon was enshrined.

Hanhayun quietly followed and stood beside her, bowing his head in silence.

After a few minutes, Jeong Hye-min spoke.

"My husband was someone who did dangerous work for the country."

Hanhayun, feeling a mix of emotions, listened silently.

"He used to say that if he died, I shouldn’t hesitate to find a good person again. Every time he said that, I wanted to sew his mouth shut."

Hanhayun, startled by her cold tone, rubbed his own mouth.

"Despite his loyalty to the country, all he got in return was money. I didn’t need a condolence payment; I just wanted his body back."

"His body...?"

Hanhayun looked at the urn in the niche and asked.

Jeong Hye-min replied in a somber voice.

"They refused to disclose any information, saying his body and the date of his death were classified. Because of that, I don’t even know when he died, so I come here on his birthday instead."

"..."

He realized it was the 23rd. Though the month was different, today was his birthday. He imagined that every 23rd of the month, a woman who couldn’t drive would take a taxi or bus to come here. What kind of belief could make someone cause so much pain to those around them?

Seeing his wife from his previous life grieving for his death, Hanhayun’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears, like a broken faucet.

"Are you... crying?"

Jeong Hye-min, surprised to see the large, composed Hanhayun crying, was taken aback.

"Ah, I’m sorry. I’m just very emotional."

"Thank you. It’s nice to see someone shed tears for him."

Seeing someone else cry, Jeong Hye-min’s own eyes welled up with tears.

After a while, Jeong Hye-min spoke.

"Let’s go back. Thank you so much today."

"Ah, no, it’s nothing."

Hanhayun drove Jeong Hye-min back to the building where the Pilates studio was located.

Suddenly remembering something, he asked her in the back seat.

"Is the urn empty?"

"…No. It contains origami folded by me and my daughter, and a notebook he always carried. The contents are illegible, but it was a cherished item he always kept with him."

Hearing this, Hanhayun felt a strong urge to see the notebook.

'Would it be considered grave robbing if I open my own urn?'

***

After returning to his office apartment in Seoul from a trip to a pension, Hanhayun’s phone rang.

"Yes, Team Leader Jeong."

- Ah, Yeon-woo. This is a bit awkward.

Team Leader Jeong Hyuk’s voice sounded troubled. The only project he had in mind for Yeon-woo was a historical drama.

"Did they reject me?"

- No, not at all. They were very enthusiastic when I first called, but it seems another actor also expressed interest in the same role.

After a pause, Team Leader Jeong continued.

- So, if you’re not willing to give up, they want you to audition.

"If that’s the case, I’m fine with it. Both my debut and second roles were cast through auditions."

Although Ryu Yeon-woo was still a newcomer, his debut work had set a record for the highest ratings on JNBC, and he had already completed filming as the lead in a movie directed by Park Chan-hong. In reality, he was already a top choice for casting once the film was released.

Broadcasting industry insiders were well aware of this, and Yeon-woo himself must have known.

In the Korean entertainment industry, where established actors rarely audition, Team Leader Jeong Hyuk was cautious about suggesting an audition, thinking it might hurt Yeon-woo’s pride. However, Yeon-woo had no such concerns.

If there’s only one role and multiple people want it, competing for it is natural.

- Since you’re not currently filming, and I thought about actors who could be a good match for Yeon-woo, I believe it will be actor Jin Yoo-han.

"Is that so?"

Yeon-woo had been hearing Jin Yoo-han’s name a lot lately, as they were the same age.

- I’ll proceed with that in mind.

"Thank you for your hard work."

***

Team Leader Jeong Hyuk thought the other actor’s side might reject the audition, but unexpectedly, the audition schedule was quickly arranged, and the same audition script was sent to both agencies.

Yeon-woo received the script through his manager, Min-soo.

The audition script contained two acting tasks. The first was a scene where Seo Hee, for the first time, refuses her father’s plan for a political marriage.

Yeon-woo read the first line lightly.

"If we must enter into a political marriage, it would only prove that our family lacks the power it should have in this land of Goryeo. Father, as the descendants of a founding hero, I believe we don’t need to do this. Allow me to marry freely, and it will be an opportunity to demonstrate the prestige of the Seo family."

In this scene, Seo Hee cleverly projects her desire for a free marriage onto the family’s honor, showing her shrewdness in achieving her goals.

In the drama, she hadn’t yet decided on her feelings for the female lead, Hong Eui-yeon, but when the topic of a political marriage came up, she demonstrated the diplomatic skills of a negotiator by using dialogue to get what she wanted.

'This isn’t a grand historical drama but a factional historical drama with romance.'

The scene, which felt solemn in the script, seemed to benefit from a slightly comedic touch, like a market vendor trying to persuade someone.

Yeon-woo, who had developed the habit of interpreting lines subjectively while filming Park Chan-hong’s movie, carefully analyzed the script, noting his thoughts on the broadcaster’s and writer’s intentions.

"The problem is this one."

The second line.

While the first line was detailed, the second line only had a single line of dialogue.

"Why is there no detailed background for the second line?"

Was the writer in a hurry and didn’t have time to write it, or was interpreting this line part of the audition?

Yeon-woo read the line lightly.

"How can you be so spineless and weak? Are you stepping back again? If you step back once, you will have to step back a thousand times in the end."

What scene was this from? A piece of paper with just the dialogue, no description or context.

At first glance, it seemed like a scene where Seo Hee confronts officials advocating surrender.

How should he perform this to convey the right feeling?

"Hmm, this is..."

Yeon-woo thought deeply for a while. As he alternated between the treatment and the audition script, he suddenly smiled, as if he had an epiphany.

"I don’t know whose idea this is, but it’s a bit devious."

He quickly jotted down his thoughts densely in the margin of the script.