That’s how I left Ahyeon’s place.
Even until the end, Ahyeon had a look of disapproval on her face.
To my eyes, it looked like she was displeased that I was turning my back and walking out so callously, but I’m sure that wasn’t what Ahyeon herself intended.
Yeah, I know it well.
What Ahyeon is thinking right now…
Even if I try not to make it too obvious, the difference clearly exists.
In the process of me drifting away, no matter how subtly it starts from the farthest points.
Ahyeon isn’t someone who wouldn’t notice at all.
But… Ahyeon probably knows but is pretending not to. Maybe she doesn’t want to know.
That it’s not because of that incident, or that I just haven’t fully gotten over it yet.
If just a little more time passes, if she just eases things a bit more, if that incident settles down and gets buried in people’s memories.
She might think everything will return to how it was.
That’s why she’s not pushing harder right now, and seems to be stepping back.
“Haa.“
I came down from Ahyeon’s studio and exited the shared entrance with that sigh.
Yeah, even so, I had to turn my back on Ahyeon like this, callously.
I couldn’t keep accommodating her situation endlessly like before.
Because now I need to focus more on my own life. And because even at this very moment, I’m preparing for the upcoming farewell.
Dragging my feet.
Scuffing my shoe soles roughly against the ground, my steps felt bittersweet.
Yeah, it wasn’t like acting this way felt entirely satisfying to me either.
It’s not that I only felt relieved.
……
.
.
.
[But she told us to participate enthusiastically, so why isn’t she reading it?]
[@Gu Jinho]
[Really? Gu Jinho said that?]
[Yeah]
[Kinda unexpected]
[Something feels off]
Amidst my troubled mind, my phone rang again. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at it.
I don’t know how much they’d been talking about, but the first thing that caught my eye was that conversation.
[So what happened with the rap?]
[Oh! She’s here]
[We decided you’re doing the rap]
…Haa.
So that’s how it’s going to play out, huh.
It’s already gone somewhere I can’t do anything about…
No wait, can’t we just not do it?
[Just remove the rap part]
Just get rid of it. You guys were planning to focus on vocals with a ballad version anyway, right?
And that’ll score you more points too.
I’ll just… do the session work in the back.
[Why?]
[Why remove something that’s already there?]
Judging by the vibe, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be easy to convince them.
Well then, for now…
[Tomorrow’s Saturday, is everyone free? I think it’d be better to talk in person]
I sent a text like that.
Yeah, even aside from this issue, it’s about time we met up and revealed our cards.
That’s how we’ll divide parts and decide whether to practice or not.
[I’m good with that. As long as it’s not too late]
Yeonju replied right away saying she’s fine…
The problem is Yena.
[What time?]
Despite my worries, she seems willing to work out a time.
[Tell me what time you want]
[Maybe morning?]
Morning… huh.
Heh, it’s my precious weekend that finally came around…
Well, I’d be running in the morning anyway, so it doesn’t matter to me.
[Ah, I can’t do morning. I have to go to my academy in the morning]
As expected, the opposing vote came from Yeonju.
And the reason wasn’t a sleeping-in issue.
With a reason like that… we can’t really argue with it either.
Tricky situation.
Haa, this is why group projects aren’t easy.
[Yeonju, what time works for you?]
[For me, afternoon? Around 3-4 would work]
True, that’s usually the reasonable time frame.
But Yena…
[I can’t do afternoon through evening. Unless it’s like, really late]
[Like when?]
[Like 9?]
What could she possibly be doing at 9 PM…
Well, Yena was the one who suggested morning first anyway.
This is her last resort offered under extreme circumstances.
But the 9 PM she suggested falls within what Yeonju called “too late in the evening.”
This is a headache.
[Alright, ok]
I sent that reply and put my phone away for a moment.
It was a bit much to keep checking while walking.
Then… the vibration went off urgently again.
Just as I got caught at a crosswalk signal, I checked my phone again.
[Hey, sorry. I really didn’t mean to be difficult]
A message from Yena.
But it wasn’t in the group chat—it was a private message.
[Ah yeah, I know]
[You’re not pissed, right? I’d do it too if I had time then]
Yena must have felt a bit awkward since I didn’t read the group chat after saying that.
It wasn’t for that reason at all though.
[Yeah, everyone has their own situation]
[Or you could do it with her, and meet me separately]
[You want me to run two rounds?]
[Then… what should we do. Give up on her]
This is tough.
The one who has the time… should be the one to yield, I guess.
But it’s not an obligation.
And doing it with only one of them is ridiculous either way.
Why do I have to be the one with all this free time… to end up in this situation.
[Want to meet in the morning?]
Still… let me put in a bit more effort.
Yeah, Yena is the one who broke down my prejudices when I was sinking into a deep pit.
And if I do well in this group activity… maybe I can work on fixing my damaged image.
[Good. Let’s go in the morning]
[I’ll tell the group chat then]
[Ok ok]
And so, it was agreed that I’d run two rounds—morning and afternoon.
***
The next morning.
On weekends, at a slightly later time than usual.
Around 7 AM, I exchanged messages with Ahyeon.
But today… it wasn’t like usual.
[I couldn’t say this yesterday… but is it okay if my friend runs with us today?]
Ahyeon sent that text out of nowhere.
Suddenly a friend…?
Well, I do understand that yesterday’s ending wasn’t the right atmosphere to bring it up.
But who is she talking about?
It’s not one of those kids who mocked me… right?
No matter what, Choi Ahyeon has some tact.
[Who?]
[Um… the friend I said I met yesterday]
She must mean that fellow acting aspirant friend.
[I don’t mind… but suddenly?]
[Yeah, she said she wants to run together since I told her I run every morning]
[Does she know you run with me?]
[Yeah]
Then… I guess it’s fine.
From what Ahyeon said yesterday, she seems to really like this new friend.
I shouldn’t be the one to ruin that flow. Having a friend who shares the same dream is something I wanted for Ahyeon too.
And so, today’s morning run becomes a three-person party.
.
.
.
“Hi.”
“Oh, hello.”
A person who greets me while shuffling nervously beside Ahyeon.
Skin as clear as Choi Ahyeon’s, with big eyes.
Features that are perfectly arranged on a small face.
In other words, the kind of face where you can tell at a glance she’s meant to be an entertainer.
Choi Ahyeon definitely gives that impression too, but she… also did.
Maybe it’s because Ahyeon is bare-faced while she came out with makeup on this early in the morning.
It’s not heavy makeup, but the kind that shows she put some thought into it.
Anyway, my impression was that people preparing to be actors really are different.
“She’s… Jino. My childhood friend.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
The fact that she’s heard a lot about me… somehow doesn’t seem like it’s a good thing.
It’s the kind of statement that makes me hold my breath for a moment.
Yeah, considering my current image, not knowing anything would be much better.
“Hi…”
Setting that aside for now, I returned an awkward greeting too.
Honestly, I said it was fine for her to come, but now that we’re actually face to face, the awkwardness can’t be helped.
“I’m… in the same Entertainment Department as Ahyeon… My name is Sohee. Lee Sohee.”
“I’m Gu Jinho, from the Practical Music Department.”
“Yeah.”
Seeing that she doesn’t have any weird vibe toward me… she doesn’t seem to think anything strange about my rumors.
She’s probably just as awkward as I am, which is why her reaction is so plain.
And I figure that’s exactly why Choi Ahyeon brought her along.
“Well then, nice to meet you. Let’s give it our all on today’s run.”
“Yeah. I need to start managing myself anyway… I’ll try my best!”
With that, Sohee clenched both fists as if making her own resolution.
And she says she needs to manage herself—where exactly?
Anyway, before we start running…
“Jino… here!”
Ahyeon handed me her water like she always does.
And Sohee watched that scene with a fixed gaze.
With eyes that seemed a bit curious.
What is she thinking to look at us like that?
I didn’t pay it much mind and accepted the water.
“Sohee! Have you ever run before?”
In the meantime, Ahyeon, now light and limber, started talking to Sohee.
Sohee then withdrew her gaze from me and followed Ahyeon’s lead.
“No, this is my first time running. So I’m a little nervous.”
“Really? Should we take it easy then?”
“Hmm… No. Keep your usual pace. I’ll try my best!”
And so… the first three-person run began.
But partway through, as expected… it became just me and Ahyeon’s run again.
Of course, for a first-timer, starting off with a 5k run is too much.
“Jino! Let’s wait for her for a bit.”
Eventually, Ahyeon said that, seemingly trying to look after Sohee.
I’d been thinking we should do that for a while now, so I stopped in place without complaint.
“Haa, haa, sorry… This is really hard.”
As we backtracked a bit, Sohee was gasping for breath like that.
Wiping away the sweat streaming down with one hand.
“Sohee, are you okay? Should we call it here for today?”
“Honestly?”
“Yeah, honestly.”
“Honestly… yeah… I can’t… do any more. I give up!”
With that, Sohee let out an embarrassed smile.
But to me, it just looked like an innocent, bright laugh.
Yeah, because there’s nothing to be ashamed of.
-Ring ring♬
As we stepped off the running path and sat side by side to catch our breath.
Ahyeon’s phone went off. Seems like she got a call.
“Oh, wait. I’ll go take this from my mom.”
Leaving those words behind, Ahyeon got up and put some distance between us.
But if she leaves like that… I’m stuck here alone with her.
Someone I met today, no—just a few minutes ago… sitting side by side, gasping for breath together.
Yeah, that’s not easy.
For now, I opened my water to wet my throat.
As I glanced at Sohee from the corner of my eye, she was blankly fanning her face with her hand, cooling off.
And wait… did she not bring any water?
“Are you… thirsty?”
When I cautiously—mustering up my courage—asked, Sohee flinched.
I could see her small frame jolt.
She probably didn’t expect me to speak first.
“Oh! I, I am thirsty, but… I’m fine.”
Sohee stretched out both hands, making a “it’s fine” gesture.
“Thirsty but fine” sounds like…
She didn’t bring anything to drink, so she’s just going to tough it out.
So I awkwardly offered my bottle.
Fortunately, I’d only unscrewed the cap and hadn’t drunk from it yet.
“It’s fine, really…”
Sohee said, her gaze fixed on the bottle.
She seemed to hesitate, like she felt awkward accepting it outright.
Still, her eyes were honest. I didn’t say anything more and just silently held the bottle out.
Sohee kept staring at the bottle.
Eventually…
“Are you sure I can drink it?”
“Yeah. Go ahead.”
“Thanks. Heh.”
Sohee let out a light laugh, then drank the water in big gulps.
I couldn’t help but think, ‘What would I have done if she didn’t drink it?’
After she finished rehydrating to her satisfaction, she handed it back to me.
“So does Ahyeon help you, so you run together like this every day?”
It seems she’s trying to start some small talk, taking the initiative to break the ice.
The exchanged water bottle, without me realizing, seemed to have broken down the wall of awkwardness between us.
“That’s part of it, but running together helps me out too.”
“I see… She said you also watch her practice acting.”
“Oh, yeah. I don’t know much, but… just roughly.”
“That’s amazing. Taking time to watch her even though you don’t know anything.”
Sohee seemed to be mulling something over in her head.
For a moment, it seemed like the wall that had just crumbled was hastily being rebuilt.
“Kinda jealous.”
Sohee fixed her gaze on some distant point and murmured those words in a small voice.
.
.
.