Chapter 8

“…Why? I want to eat it for the last time. Everyone said it’s fine wherever we go!”

“Have you ever eaten here before?”

“What do you take me for, anyway? When I was doing well, I used to come here as often as I ate rice.”

Sohee let out a snort and sat down. Compared to the shabby clothes of the others, her elaborate attire suited the restaurant quite well.

“If you don’t want to eat here, go somewhere else! I’m paying for it anyway. I don’t mind spending the money.”

That’s right.

It was agreed that the person who suggested the restaurant would cover all the costs. In fact, since they were all determined to die, there was no reason to be frugal with money.

“How much is the dinner course here?”

“150,000 won.”

“Wow~ You’re spending a lot, sis.”

Squeak.

Yooil pulled out a chair noisily and sat down, a corner of his mouth curling up.

“Sohee, did you get divorced because you always ate at places like this?”

‘…!’

At Yooil’s casual, chuckling remark, Yoojaeho, who was watching the monitor, involuntarily flinched. The assistant director beside him felt the same way.

‘That polite actor from before is him…’

As he had felt during the audition, the atmosphere changed dramatically, as if he had put on a different face.

“…Hey. What did you just say?”

Sohee glared at Yooil, and the atmosphere instantly turned tense.

In the restaurant, where quiet classical music suited the elegant decor, four pairs of eyes met uneasily. Yooil, still with a smirk, continued to smile.

“Oh, oh… It’s all a joke~”

“Shut up.”

At that moment, Jongsun put down his cup with a thud.

“Stop it.”

Everyone fell silent at his words.

Just as the uncomfortable silence continued, a waiter with his hair tied back approached and placed warm tea and cold dishes on the table.

Thus, the most luxurious yet uncomfortable meal began.

‘…That’s it.’

Yoojaeho, who had been watching their expressions on the monitor, smiled contentedly.

It was exactly the scene he had envisioned.

‘This is good.’

He was already looking forward to the upcoming filming.

*

“Actor, is the mackerel bento okay?”

“Yes, it’s good.”

Yooil answered and sat down in the spot prepared by the staff.

“…You’re really different when you’re acting.”

“No, no.”

Yoojaeho approached the actors with a broad smile.

“Everyone is doing great! Let’s keep it up. And Yooil.”

His gaze turned to Yooil.

“Yooil, you’re so different from what I see on the monitor. You’re really good.”

“Thank you.”

The other actors, who had been watching him, added their comments with smiles.

“Oh, Director! Honey, you’re dripping from your eyes.”

“I’m so jealous, Yooil~”

It was their first meeting, but the atmosphere was surprisingly comfortable.

They all shared a similar sense of burden as first-time leads, which created a bond among them.

“I heard from the director that you’re not from the acting department, Yooil?”

“Yes, I’m studying Korean literature.”

“Oh, really? I thought you were already an experienced actor.”

“No, I’m surprisingly good for someone with no experience. Is this your first time filming a movie? Have you never done student films?”

“Um… Yes, it’s my first time. I’m embarrassed to admit it.”

“What’s embarrassing about that? It’s impressive.”

“Oh, stop trying to make the kid eat.”

Thanks to Jongsun’s considerate words, Yooil finally took his first bite.

Sohee and Joonki still seemed to want to talk to Yooil, but they also started focusing on their meals.

【Heart rate normal. Body temperature normal. Oxygen saturation normal. Please chew thoroughly for digestion.】

‘…You didn’t have to say that part.’

The bento, though slightly cold, was quite delicious. Yooil took a large spoonful and thought to himself.

‘…I want to get to the next shoot quickly.’

“Yooil, you eat so well~”

“Oh, stop it.”

Due to the noisy actors around him, Yooil didn’t hear.

【…80% of the first stage goal achieved.】

The soft, mumbling voice of Bwoin.

*

“Action!”

With a cheerful sound, Yooil closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he had become a rough young man in his late twenties.

A young man who had just experienced, for the first time in his life, a 150,000 won meal at a hotel, filled with various kinds of anger and inferiority.

In front of him, Sohee was bent over, writhing in pain.

“Ugh…!”

The sound of endless vomiting echoed through the alley.

“Hey~ You ate such an expensive meal, and now you’re throwing it all up? What are you going to do?”

Yooil spoke with a displeased look but patted Sohee’s back.

It wasn’t because he cared for her, but because he was more suitable for the task than Joonki, who was in his fifties, or Jongsun, who was in his seventies.

After a few more bouts of vomiting, Sohee coughed and struggled to stand up.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“Sorry? Wipe your mouth.”

Yooil spoke brusquely and handed her a tissue.

Sohee wiped her mouth roughly and started to stagger. Joonki and Jongsun were already in the SUV they had been using.

“Why did you eat if you knew you couldn’t digest it?”

As Yooil spoke roughly, Sohee’s lips curled up, but it wasn’t the confident smile she had shown in the restaurant.

She raised her voice to answer.

“Well, I wanted to eat it again before I die.”

“Ah, really.”

Is it that good? I don’t think so.

Yooil grumbled and moved, but he slowed down after a few steps. Sohee, who was supposed to follow, had stopped and stood there.

“Hey, what are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

At Yooil’s irritable question, Sohee didn’t answer for a while.

“Oh, sis…!”

“I have cancer.”

“…!”

Yooil’s eyes widened slightly.

“I’m going to die soon.”

“What do you mean…?”

“After living so hard… I have nothing left. Nothing at all….”

Then, Sohee started to laugh, clutching her stomach as if she were genuinely amused.

“…Huh.”

Yooil tilted his head and looked at Sohee.

His eyes, which had been wide with surprise, slowly darkened.

His expression was impossible to read.

It was hard and not quite sympathetic, more complex than just being startled or confused.

The assistant director, who was watching the monitor beside the director, involuntarily held his breath.

‘…Is this really okay?’

The atmosphere was unsettling, making him wonder.

Sohee’s laughter in the dark alley was both sad and eerie, and Yooil’s gaze, which was unreadable, was frightening.

The assistant director felt goosebumps on his arms.

‘How can he do it so well…’

He hadn’t expected such synergy when he first saw the audition.

The assistant director glanced at the director, who was already smiling happily.

“Cut!”

He called out excitedly and clapped loudly. It was exactly the scene he had envisioned.

‘I had high hopes for the first scene, and this actor is fulfilling them.’

He wanted to stand up and whistle.

“You both did great! Your acting was amazing!”

He gave a thumbs up and called the actors. Soon, they gathered in front of the monitor.

“Oh… What’s this? Sohee’s acting is different from before.”

“Yooil, your expression here is great.”

“Thank you.”

Everyone added their compliments, but Minsohee remained silent, staring intently at the monitor.

“Wow, this acting is really… It’s the best I’ve seen from Sohee. Ha, am I being too harsh?”

Even with Yoojaeho’s playful remarks, Minsohee stood quietly with her mouth tightly shut.

She felt the same way as the director.

Minsohee had started acting in her early twenties.

She began in a small theater group but couldn’t continue due to financial constraints. She tried to act whenever she had free time, but as time passed, she felt a clear limit to her abilities.

But just now, she felt she had crossed that limit.

And she knew why.

‘…It’s because of that boy.’

The young man standing beside her, calmly monitoring the scene. If it weren’t for Yooil, she wouldn’t have acted like this.

‘He’s so young… What will he become in the future?’

Envy, curiosity, and anticipation filled Minsohee’s eyes.

‘If he keeps growing like this, maybe…’

Before her thoughts could finish, the monitoring ended. Yooil quickly returned to his usual expression.

Yoojaeho said brightly,

“This is how it should be. Let’s move on to the next scene.”

“Understood!”

The quick shooting schedule was good news for the staff.

“If we keep this up, we’ll finish early.”

“Yay…!”

Yooil and the other actors did their best to make the early finish a reality.

“Thank you for your hard work, actors!”

“You all worked hard too. I’m grateful.”

The shooting ended on a warm note. As everyone was getting ready to leave, a junior staff member, who was particularly happy about the early finish, asked Yooil,

“Actor, you don’t have a shoot tomorrow, right? What are you going to do?”

“Me?”

Yooil smiled and answered.

“I’m going to work.”

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For the Last Restaurant (2)

Yooil sighed and looked out the window. People’s clothing had become thicker.

‘It’s getting cold now.’

The convenience store was a part-time job Yooil had been doing for a few months since he was discharged from the military.

If he were to receive a large contract fee from acting or have a regular income, he would quit, but it wasn’t the right time yet.

【You will be able to quit soon, Yooil. Don’t worry.】

‘…No, I’ll handle it myself.’

As Charlie Chaplin said, life is a comedy when seen from a distance and a tragedy when seen up close.

The same applies to all service jobs, including convenience stores.

“Hey, hurry up! Call a taxi for me! What?!”

…Such problematic customers occasionally appear.

A middle-aged man with disheveled appearance and a flushed face started fumbling with the store items