Chapter 35

34. Water Play

Fortunately, the place he rushed to was not where Hanwoo cattle were raised. Still, it was a pen with much larger, pink pigs than Taesan. Taesan was crouching there, his buttocks raised, staring at the large pigs.

The moment Taesan lunged at the pig, Taeju intervened and grabbed him.

“Ugh. I, I caught him.”

“Grr.”

Taeju, who scolded the “Grr” and firmly held Taesan, picked him up. Taesan twisted his body and pushed with his hind legs, demanding to be put down, but Taeju didn't let go. Taeju looked around and, seeing the camera that had followed him, blushed and made a slight excuse.

“No, I don't starve Taesan. I give him snacks too, really...”

Taeju, who had loosened the shoulder strap for a moment, retied it and went to find the basket of apples. Taesan, who couldn't let go of his attachment to the pink pigs, made a sad mooing sound, but Taeju firmly turned and left.

“Five green apples for 2,000 won?”

“Sure.”

“Then I'll wash half of them.”

Jinhyuk watched Taeju, who was moving enthusiastically, with a look that said, “This isn't right.” He had planned to enjoy Taeju's troubled expression, but it didn't happen at all.

Taeju was doing a great job with the cafe. Although the income wasn't much yet, he was enjoying and working actively.

‘Why is this kid so good at his job? I guess I should treat him nicely. I thought about giving him a hard time, but...’

The green apples Taeju picked were selling very well. People leaving the farm bought a bag each. The iced coffee and washed green apples, ready to be taken without waiting, sold quickly.

“85,000 won. 90,000 won...”

“How much?”

Jinhyuk watched Taeju counting the money. Jungguk was holding a guitar on the bench nearby. When customers came, Taeju and Jungguk took turns performing. Business was good, unlike waiting for customers inside the cafe. Although there weren't many customers before the summer vacation started, the earnings were decent.

“Wow! 117,500 won.”

“What? Over 110,000 won?”

“Yes. Some people bought apples for 1,000 won each earlier. They were from a kindergarten. It must be thanks to them.”

“Haha.”

Jinhyuk recalled the hard work he and Jungguk had done at the orchard cafe and the seaside pine forest cafe. How much they had struggled, carrying fertilizer and digging clams in the mudflats. The time spent to match the donation amount felt futile.

“Jungguk, we made a lot of money.”

“Really? It's the first time. We succeeded in the mission.”

“Is that so? Is it because we sold apples today? I thought the coffee was too cheap.”

The elated Taeju spun around with Taesan in his arms. If the three of them, two top stars and a newcomer but a lead actor, had earned just under 120,000 won for the whole day, people would mock them. But the three were genuinely happy.

They put the money in a white envelope and placed it neatly on the table. They stood around the table, smiling proudly. After laughing for a while, they looked at PD Lee with a hopeful expression.

“Congratulations. You succeeded in your first mission. You can spend tomorrow relaxing.”

“Really, PD Lee? You're not going to add more filming?”

“No, I'm not.”

Jinhyuk, who seemed suspicious, asked PD Lee. After several questions, he finally got a clear answer that there would be no more filming and relaxed, sitting down in a chair. He looked exhausted from working outside the cafe in the hot weather.

After that, they sat comfortably and discussed what to do the next day. Jinhyuk mentioned a nice stream nearby, and they agreed to go there the next day.

Jungguk, tired from the schedule, stayed at the cafe to rest, while Taeju went to tour the farm with Jinhyuk.

“Ducks, ducks♪ Ducks, ducks♪”

“Ha! What kind of song is that?”

Taeju, who had started singing a children's song without realizing it as they toured the farm, blushed and said it was just a song, then quickly walked ahead.

Although Taeju had recently turned 20 and was now a proper adult, his actions were surprisingly cute. Jinhyuk thought he shouldn't try to give him a hard time and should treat him well. Thanks to Taeju's hard work, they could film comfortably, so he decided to tease him a little less from now on.

“Let's go together.”

“Come on, this way. There are sheep over here. Fluffy sheep.”

Taeju was excited to show Taesan new animals. Taesan's world was too small. No matter how much attention Taeju paid to the garden, it couldn't compare to experiencing various things in nature. Although this was a farm, the variety of animals would be a good experience for Taesan.

“Don't put him down and make the sheep excited.”

“Yes, I'll hold him tightly.”

Jinhyuk warned Taeju not to put Taesan down, worried that the farm animals might be startled. Taeju, remembering an incident from picking apples, listened obediently.

“Moo.”

“Ha. Why does he make such a sound?”

“He's asking to be put down.”

Jinhyuk and Taeju leisurely toured the animal pens. Since it was dinner time, the animals had returned to their pens. Every time Taesan saw an animal, he pitifully asked to be put down, but Taeju firmly held him. The sheep and goats were much larger than Taesan, and it looked like he could get seriously hurt if he caught them.

*

After passing through a rugged, lush path, they found a space just big enough for one car. Taeju and the others took out the ice box with lunch and a mat, then moved towards the stream.

As Jinhyuk had said, the scenery was beautiful, and there were few people around. Surprisingly, there was no one there, even though it was a weekend. Thanks to this, the filming crew and Taeju's group could spread out and cool off. The three, after telling their managers to relax, started to enjoy their break.

Taeju, who was filming a melody after busking, was wearing long sleeves and pants to maintain his pale skin, a requirement for his role. No matter how hot it was, he had to apply sunscreen and wear long sleeves.

Unlike Taeju, Jinhyuk was clearly in a break period. Before appearing in a drama as a minor character, Jinhyuk had filmed a movie. After appearing in movies and dramas consecutively last year and this year, he planned to take a break until next year.

Splash!

“Ah! Taesan!”

While Taeju was distributing drinks to people, Taesan, excited, jumped into the water. Being a tiger, Taesan usually liked water. He thought Taesan would enjoy the stream they were going to today. However, he didn't expect him to jump in fearlessly at a new stream.

Taeju, startled, jumped into the stream to save Taesan.

“Meow.”

“Wow.”

Without time to roll up his pants, Taeju rushed in, but Taesan was leisurely swimming. He made a happy sound and skillfully moved forward with all four paws.

Taeju, feeling embarrassed, withdrew his outstretched hand.

“Haha. Taesan is better than you, Taeju. He's really enjoying his vacation.”

“I didn't know he could swim so well.”

Taeju decided to play in the water since his pants were already wet. He didn't know when he would have another vacation, so he decided to enjoy it while he could.

Jinhyuk, who found a small fish in the water, suggested they catch it. Taeju, remembering a bad experience with fishing, refused, but Jinhyuk insisted and made him join in. Taeju stood in front of the direction Jinhyuk was herding the fish, ready to catch it.

Jinhyuk slowly herded the fish towards Taeju. Taeju was surprised when the fish actually swam towards him. It was a tricky situation to catch a fish without any tools.

“Tsk.”

Taeju took off his shirt and spread it out, intending to use it like a net to scoop up the fish. Taeju, waiting for the fish with sparkling eyes, looked like a young boy.

PD Lee was capturing all these scenes on camera. Although he gave them a break without any special content, it didn't mean he wasn't filming. He had planned to film their break, and the three actors had agreed.

“Haha. Look, guys, I really caught it.”

“Look, look. Really?”

“Taesan, look at this. It's a fish. Big brother caught it.”

Taeju, excited about catching his first fish, showed it to everyone. Holding a finger-sized fish, he was elated and said he would herd the fish this time, asking Jinhyuk to wait.

Jungguk, tired from the drama schedule, fell asleep in the shade, while Jinhyuk and Taeju were loudly playing in the water, trying to catch fish. The staff, capturing the three handsome men in the beautiful scenery, were busy.

*

Taeju's face had turned red. He had played in the water without realizing that his sunscreen had washed off. This was a problem since they had to continue filming the next day.

“Ouch. It's fun to play, but you should be careful. What's this?”

Mina made a potato pack for Taeju. Taeju lay still, receiving the pack. Taesan, who found Taeju with a green pack on his face strange, was crouching and watching from a distance.

“Still, it was fun, right?”

“It was fun. We all played together after the camera was turned off.”

“Hehe. Let's go again sometime.”

“Sure. Now, be quiet and go to sleep.”

Mina set an alarm next to Taeju. Taeju closed his eyes obediently.

Tap tap tap tap.

Thud!

“Ouch!”

“Taesan!”

While Taeju had his eyes closed for a moment, Taesan, who had been watching the unfamiliar Taeju, quickly ran over and pounced on him. Taeju, caught off guard, groaned and curled up. Taesan, stepping on Taeju's chest, jumped and landed lightly on the floor.

“Taeju, are you okay?”

“I couldn't breathe. Why did he do this suddenly?”

“Ha, hahaha. Your face. He probably found the pack strange. Look.”

“What?”

Mina explained that she had seen a scene in a cartoon where a cat attacked its owner with a green pack on. It seemed Taesan attacked Taeju because he found the potato pack strange.

‘They are registered as pet and owner in the system. How could he not recognize me?’

“This is just Taesan playing around. We've been together for a while.”

“Haha. That's possible. Taesan must have been bored waiting.”

It seemed Taesan was being mischievous because Taeju didn't play with him. Taeju carefully threw a ball to Taesan, making sure the pack didn't fall off. Thanks to Taesan's increasingly mischievous behavior, Taeju's daily life was always noisy.

*

After studio filming in Busan, the crew returned to Seoul. Taeju met the actress who would play Seonmi for the first time in Busan. She was dressed in a wedding dress for the wedding scene, and he was surprised by her future as a romantic comedy queen.

She was only scheduled to appear in the wedding scene and the scenes where she spent time with Taeju in Seoul. With a small face, delicate features, clear skin, and a clear voice, she looked like a doll.

Before the regression, she had a weakness in the variety of characters she could play, but she held a unique position in romantic comedies.

She had appeared in a mini-series drama directed by Oh Dong-don, the director of the drama “Love Rain,” where Taeju had a minor role. It was a record-breaking hit.

She was four years older than Taeju. At the time, Taeju was at the peak of his career, and she was also building a successful career as a lead actress in several dramas. Both were at an age where scandals were likely, so they were cautious around each other.

*

“Ready, action.”

Taeju placed his hand on top of Seonmi's, who was holding a pen. Her small hand fit perfectly in his. Taeju held her hand and drew a small heart. He then gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and let go.

Seonmi, blushing, glanced at Taeju's profile and then bowed her head in embarrassment. Her neck, red with embarrassment, was visible through her hair.

Taeju, with a slightly red face, whistled softly. It was the theme song from the first movie he watched with Seonmi.

“Cut. Okay.”

“Good job.”

The final scene was approved. Taeju, who had been holding back his embarrassment, immediately looked relieved and greeted the staff around him.

The filming ended earlier than expected, giving them time before the start of the road movie. Although it was a short period of less than two weeks, he could give his manager, Mina, and Hyung-sik a break, which made Taeju very happy.

Even the physically fit Geunu was exhausted by the road movie. Taeju was also very tired, having to drink recovery medicine in the garden every day. The heat was so intense that it was described as unprecedented.

“You really did a great job. Taeju, without you, we couldn't have finished this.”

“Don't say that. We all worked hard.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The entire crew started to clean up the set with one heart. Taeju moved to the side to avoid getting in the way. They had agreed to have a meal to make up for the missed hot days and to celebrate the last day of filming.

Although there was still a lot of work left, such as editing and OST recording, everyone's expressions were bright. The filming ended faster than scheduled, and the quality of the footage they had checked was satisfactory.

“Come on. Let's finish up quickly and go eat some meat.”

“Yeah!”

When the assistant director mentioned meat, the hands of those cleaning up the set moved even faster.