Chapter 26

In South Korea, there are many traditional small restaurants, which Koreans like to call "snack shops." Now, Lee Jung-myeong and Lee Ji-hyeon were sitting at a table in such a snack shop, where the chairs and tables clearly showed the marks of time. Kim C was sitting opposite them, and so was his agent. After the four of them gathered at the table, Lee Jung-myeong felt that the world might not be quite suitable for him.

First, let's talk about Kim C. This uncle has a personality that enjoys fantasizing, meaning that even though he is sitting right in front of you, his thoughts might be wandering in another space, so he wouldn't talk to Lee Jung-myeong. Next, let's talk about Baek Sang-ki, Kim C's main agent. This 28-year-old man was originally Yoon Do-hyun's agent, but Yoon Do-hyun couldn't stand his quiet personality and switched with Kim C. As an agent, he could sit with Kim C for hours without saying a word, so he wouldn't talk to Lee Jung-myeong either. Lee Ji-hyeon, a shy and introverted girl, usually kept her distance from strangers. Although she and Lee Jung-myeong were already friends and got along well, the embarrassing incident in the afternoon made her feel awkward even looking in Lee Jung-myeong's direction, so she wouldn't talk to him either.

Since they finished ordering their dinner, no one at the table had said a word.

Lee Jung-myeong is actually a person who likes peace and quiet, but now the other tables were filled with crew members toasting and having a lively time, while their table was like a silent drama. Lee Jung-myeong felt very uncomfortable. At this moment, a voice in his heart was shouting: "Reject cold violence!"

Lee Jung-myeong, who usually ate slowly, ate particularly fast today. He decided to leave this place as soon as possible. Just as the meal was about to end and Lee Jung-myeong was about to free himself from the oppressive atmosphere, Kim C said his first words after ordering: "Jung-myeong, are you really not satisfied with tomorrow's scene?"

The last scene of the day was shot in this restaurant, a turning point in the love story of the male and female leads played by Lee Jung-myeong and Lee Ji-hyeon. The female lead, knowing her days were numbered, called the male lead to this place. After a meal, they broke up here, the male lead left in sorrow, and the female lead cried alone. The story then split into two parts: Lee Ji-hyeon would shoot the scene of the female lead thinking of the male lead on the hospital rooftop in her final moments, while Lee Jung-myeong would shoot the scene of receiving a timed letter left by the female lead in the mailbox years later, learning the truth. (This plot is made up, and it differs from the original version with裴斗娜.)

Kim C's idea was that Lee Jung-myeong should show immense sadness and longing. However, Lee Jung-myeong believed the male lead could only feel regret and nostalgia. Kim C even thought Lee Jung-myeong was too heartless, as the male lead in such a tragic love story should be the most sorrowful.

Kim C is an idealist who loves all beautiful things and firmly believes that everyone in this world should laugh when they laugh and cry when they cry. He is sincere about emotions and views love as almost sacred.

Love is indeed sacred, but it is not invincible. Love can also lose, often to time. After a man has settled down and has two healthy and adorable children, he becomes very different. When everything in life is as calm as the surface of a pond, and someone tells him that the love he once cherished deeply was not because the other person abandoned him but because she died and could no longer be with him, how would the man feel?

He would remember the woman he thought he should hate, but he could only say, "Oh, so that's how it was." There would be regret because he misunderstood the woman who still loved him; there would be sadness because he couldn't be with her in her final moments; and there would be nostalgia because he would recall the sweet days of the past. But why should he cry his heart out? It makes no sense. If it was meant to be, it was meant to be.

Kim C thought about his argument with Lee Jung-myeong throughout the meal. He still insisted that Lee Jung-myeong should show extreme sadness. He had never met a woman named Zhang Xiaoxian.

Women are often the ones who most desire love. They don't hesitate to express their pursuit of love, and in this pursuit, their understanding of love is deeper than men's. The women whose names are left in books are either cruel and vicious or romantic and innocent, but they are all pitiful people chasing love. Lee Jung-myeong didn't think a man like Kim C could have a deep understanding of love. But even if he convinced Kim C, what would it matter? These were two non-existent people, a non-existent story.

Lee Jung-myeong paid the bill, and Kim C originally refused, but Lee Jung-myeong couldn't let Kim C pay after all the effort he had put in. He felt very guilty and thought he should maintain a proper attitude. Lee Jung-myeong wanted to invite everyone to a karaoke room, but everyone had to work the next day, and their relationship wasn't close enough, so they didn't go. However, his gesture undoubtedly made everyone, including Kim C, like him more.

Finally, with a full mind, Kim C and his agent Baek Sang-ki left directly, and the crew members also left, leaving only the two of them standing on the street.

"Can I give you a ride back?" Lee Jung-myeong's car was at the company, and he had been riding in Kim C's limousine all day. He decided to take a taxi and, if it was convenient, take Lee Ji-hyeon with him.

Lee Ji-hyeon lived in a trainee dormitory, sharing a room with other trainees. Although she was in college, she decided to focus more on developing her skills as an entertainer. After a moment of internal struggle, she weakly asked, "Yeoncheon-dong, is it on the way?"

"Even if it's the moon, it's on the way." Lee Jung-myeong waved his hand and hailed a taxi.

Without others around, Lee Ji-hyeon felt much more at ease with Lee Jung-myeong. It seemed that her shy demeanor was just for show. Indeed, it was. During the MV shoot, everyone saw her "wild" side, and she even asked a question that no girl should ask. She felt that people looked at her strangely.

Lee Jung-myeong, who shared her embarrassment, was categorized by Lee Ji-hyeon as a "fellow sufferer."

If Lee Jung-myeong heard Lee Ji-hyeon's thoughts, he would feel a sense of kinship, as if they were both victims of the world. Today, he felt that the whole world was playing a trick on him.

Sitting in the taxi, the two of them sat side by side in the back seat. The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and immediately sighed, "What a beautiful couple." However, there was some distance between Lee Jung-myeong and Lee Ji-hyeon, one looking left and the other looking right.

"Today we..." Lee Jung-myeong decided to say something.

"No talking!" Lee Ji-hyeon interrupted him sharply as soon as he opened his mouth. The events of the day were embarrassing, and there was no need to bring them up.

Lee Jung-myeong was going to say something like, "We did well today, let's do better tomorrow," but Lee Ji-hyeon thought he was going to talk about the afternoon shoot. It wasn't Lee Ji-hyeon's fault for misunderstanding, as she had been thinking about it all day and assumed Lee Jung-myeong was too.

After that, there was nothing to say. Lee Jung-myeong silently felt uncomfortable, not because of Lee Ji-hyeon's sharp tone, but because of the makeup on his face. He had never worn makeup in this life and didn't like it. He planned to remove it as soon as he got home.

Taxi drivers around the world have a common enemy: loneliness. They often drive empty cars, accompanied only by the radio. This leads to their habit of chatting with passengers they like. Lee Jung-myeong and Lee Ji-hyeon were both attractive, and Lee Jung-myeong had deliberately styled himself to look gentle and sunny, making him a super warm guy.

"Are you two having a fight?" The driver turned down the radio to make conversation. In his eyes, these two were definitely a young couple having a fight, but the boy was considerate enough to send the girl home, and the girl wasn't throwing a tantrum. He thought they were a good couple.

"No, sir," Lee Ji-hyeon, who rarely spoke first, was quicker than Lee Jung-myeong, waving her hands and looking like she was misunderstood.

"It's just a small matter, nothing to worry about," Lee Jung-myeong smiled. The driver clearly thought they were a couple, but since he didn't point it out, Lee Jung-myeong didn't want to say anything directly.

What's a small matter? Being taken advantage of like that, and to you, it's a small matter? Lee Ji-hyeon pushed Lee Jung-myeong with her elbow, feeling annoyed. But to the driver, her action looked like a playful gesture.

"Ah, who doesn't have a few bumps in love? When I was young..." The driver started a fifteen-minute monologue. As an elder, Lee Jung-myeong and Lee Ji-hyeon had to pretend to listen seriously, nodding and smiling occasionally, looking like they were learning something.

Why do taxi drivers have such good speaking skills? It's not a skill they picked up from their profession, but from being bombarded by radio programs all day and then finding opportunities to bombard others.

Fortunately, Yeoncheon-dong wasn't far, or Lee Jung-myeong might have jumped out of the car. He was already complaining to the heavens: "Making me sit with three stones during the meal, and now using a chatterbox to balance it out, you really know how to play, don't you?"

To escape, he insisted on walking Lee Ji-hyeon to the building, saying he was worried about her being alone at night. It was only six in the evening, and it wasn't dark yet, but if he didn't say that, he would have to take the driver's car back to Cheongdam-dong. The driver was not upset about losing a fare but was pleased by Lee Jung-myeong's "consideration." He nodded, thinking, "Young man, I can only help you so much."

Lee Jung-myeong glanced back to see the car drive away before he breathed a sigh of relief. If the driver had waited for him, it would have been embarrassing, as he might have to take a different exit to catch another taxi.

Lee Jung-myeong and Lee Ji-hyeon had only known each other for a day and a half, and their relationship was just a working relationship. They were the same age and had become a bit closer, but at most, they had a normal liking for each other. At most, they had a bit of intimate and pink interaction due to an accident, so they weren't particularly close. But Lee Jung-myeong coming to see her off made her happy.

"That driver was really talkative," Lee Ji-hyeon spoke first, not knowing why, but not wanting to be silent.

"He's a good person," Lee Jung-myeong said, enjoying the experience of giving a "good person card." He was a good person, but the next sentence would be, "but I don't like him." Lee Jung-myeong felt like a jerk, thinking others were boring when they were quiet and talkative when they spoke a lot. How did he develop such a contradictory personality? Was it because he was getting old, like those old eccentrics?

"I'm here," Lee Ji-hyeon stopped in front of a small building, looking down and fidgeting with her hands.

"Bye!" Lee Jung-myeong waved and turned to leave without looking at Lee Ji-hyeon.

Lee Ji-hyeon was stunned. She was a beautiful woman, and he just turned and left so easily? Although she didn't want to invite him in for tea or a goodbye hug, or chat for another half hour, he could at least look back. She frowned and went upstairs.

Lee Jung-myeong was thinking about big life issues like personality development and worldview, so he didn't have time to care about these small romantic details...

To be safe, he took a different route. He hailed a taxi on the street and breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed it wasn't the same driver. The driver was a middle-aged woman who nodded at him when he got in.

I hope this lady doesn't have any bad habits.

"Bang!" The door closed, and the lady accelerated and shifted gears with great skill, like a professional race car driver. Lee Jung-myeong relaxed, thinking it was just a bit fast, which he could handle.

"You're so handsome, you must be an entertainer. I've seen many entertainers, and once, when Won Bin's limousine broke down, he even rode in my car. You're even handsomer than him. You're in dramas, right? Tell me which one, and I'll definitely support you. I don't drive all day; I love watching dramas in my free time. Directors these days like young actors like you, who look good and don't cost much. Have you been a trainee? Which company? It's okay to tell me..."

Lee Jung-myeong suspected that the lady waited until the car was moving before starting her bombardment. The previous driver was at most a machine gun, but this lady was a gold storm.

This wasn't the most important thing; there was a traffic jam ahead!

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