Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Bridge: Ordinary Daily Life
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Even so, the questions were so extreme that I could see both of them pondering deeply.
"First up, Yuchan, what do you think?"
"Hmm... for me..."
They each shared their thoughts, and I reacted accordingly.
This was the basic format.
When it was just the two of them, it felt a bit subdued, but with three people now, it got lively enough that the audio never had dead air.
"Alright, what about you, Dayoung?"
"Ugh, I hate both, but I guess having none at all would be better... Chest hair crosses the line~."
She seemed to tolerate everything else, but chest hair was a hard no.
We spent the entire shoot laughing nonstop, so time flew by.
"Okay, ending remarks, go!"
I waved at the camera, and U Dayoung shouted out familiarly.
"Your friendly friend, U Dayoung!"
"This has been Won Yuchan~."
After wrapping up the shoot, I immediately started transferring the data to my computer.
"Hyungnim, how about a smoke?"
"Oh yeah."
I glanced at the data transferring, then grabbed my cigarettes and headed outside.
I stared blankly at the still drizzling rain, snapping back to reality when Won Yuchan handed me a light.
"The sun's already set."
"Yeah."
"Phew."
As I exhaled cigarette smoke, U Dayoung came down from upstairs with her bag and umbrella.
"I'm heading out first. I have dinner plans with Woohyun tonight."
"Ah, got it. See you."
After seeing U Dayoung off, I headed back up to the office.
The dampness from the rain made the cigarette smell clinging to my clothes even stronger.
"Hyungnim, I'll head out too then."
Won Yuchan stood up, his sturdy frame rising.
"Oh yeah, good work today. Get home safe~."
"Aren't you heading out, hyungnim?"
"Me? I'll just split the edit points and call it a day."
"Roger."
I was the only one left in the vast office space.
Shwaaa...
The sound of rain pattering against the windows outside created an oddly soothing rhythm.
Rumble...
Thunder rumbled occasionally, but it wasn't scary or unpleasant.
While waiting, I pulled out a different notebook from my bag—not the Scenario Book.
This was for jotting down synopses beforehand, before committing them to the Scenario Book.
"What should I go with this time..."
To keep enjoying the stories long-term, I couldn't just write stuff driven purely by lust anymore.
"If it's weird, it'll flop again. Damn, this is getting complicated."
I wasn't a novelist; story ideas weren't just popping into my head.
If I'd anticipated getting the Scenario Book, maybe I'd have prepped, but oh well.
Of course, I didn't have to write right after the cooldown ended, so I had plenty of time—but I didn't want to slack off.
"Hmm."
I wedged a Monami ballpoint pen horizontally under my nose and fidgeted, lost in thought.
"The 'close friends' concept could work..."
We already had props, so a little reinforcement and addition would do.
I scratched my forehead, picked up the pen, and quietly scribbled in the notebook.
Even rough sketches might come in handy someday.
U Dayoung.
"You look exhausted?"
I asked Kim Woohyun, sitting across from me.
Work had been piling up lately, and the fatigue never left his face.
I gazed at him with pitying eyes.
"Aww, always struggling because of work?"
"It's fun enough to push through."
Kim Woohyun smiled and took U Dayoung's hand from across the table.
"It's still early days. Hang in there a few months, and we'll be set."
His earnest, reliable personality drew people who trusted him with jobs.
Business was booming because of it, but U Dayoung figured they could handle that much.
"Still, it's a relief having Siu and Yuchan helping out so much."
Kim Woohyun placed his trust in his friends and juniors.
U Dayoung nodded with a smile.
"Totally. Siu said he'd pull an all-nighter today too..."
Even without extra pay, Nam Siu volunteered for overtime, leaving her feeling both guilty and grateful.
"Honey, you gotta give Siu a proper bonus later~."
Kim Woohyun nodded as if it were obvious.
He'd jumped on board without hesitation when they decided to start the company together, which made her feelings for him all the deeper.
After dinner, we looked up at the sky. The rain had lightened a bit but showed no signs of stopping.
The monsoon season seemed to be kicking in for real; it eased up occasionally but never quit.
Drip...
Drip...
Listening to the falling rain, U Dayoung checked the bus schedule when she sidled up and asked,
"Wanna crash nearby tonight?"
She grabbed his arm and looked up into his eyes. Kim Woohyun gave his girlfriend the warmest smile in the world, pocketed his phone mid-check, and said,
"Sure?"
We grabbed some snacks from a convenience store on the way and checked into a motel.
It had a musty smell, but nothing unbearable.
After a quick rinse, U Dayoung applied some basics at the vanity and headed to bed.
She lay down, checked her phone briefly, then glanced at Kim Woohyun beside her.
"Honey."
"Yeah?"
As she spoke, she slyly placed her hand on his stomach.
Seeing that, Kim Woohyun smiled back, cupped her cheeks, and gave her a light kiss.
"Lights off..."
As he flicked off the light and moved to enter her like usual, something felt off—like something was missing.
'Siu...'
Nam Siu's face flashed suddenly; she shook her head to dispel the thought.
"Oh, right, condom."
Kim Woohyun got up again and fetched one.
"Hmm..."
Lying there, U Dayoung watched him in the dark.
"Not getting hard... Must be tired..."
"Oh, uh, yeah? Then..."
Without thinking, her hand reached for his member.
"Whoa, Dayoung, no need. Don't push yourself~."
His gentle words startled her.
Her body had reacted first to his admission of not getting hard.
"I'll put it in...?"
"Yeah."
He carefully held her and slid in.
Squelch.
She was aroused thinking of her beloved boyfriend after so long, but it still felt insufficient.
She couldn't pinpoint when, but it hadn't felt like this with Nam Siu.
"Mm..."
With it inside, he kissed her and moved his hips.
The motions were monotonous.
They embraced, hips pistoning mechanically.
"Ngh... Ah..."
Sounds escaped U Dayoung's lips, but they weren't intense.
No sense of fullness; regret crept in, and she shivered at her own wicked thoughts.
Just a few times with Nam Siu, and it had imprinted on her mind.
'When did we even...?'
Clutched in Kim Woohyun's arms as he thrust, she thought of Nam Siu.
"Ngh... Dayoung..."
"Woohyun..."
Plain, straightforward movements.
Twitch.
"Urk..."
His hot breath burst short, and the motion stopped.
"......"
"...Did you?"
"Yeah, too quick, huh? Must be the fatigue..."
"N-no, it's fine."
This had always been enough before.
Just confirming their love was plenty.
Still, seeing Kim Woohyun smile at her filled her heart.
Shwaaa.
After rinsing off with water, she returned to find Kim Woohyun already deep asleep.
"......"
Lying beside him, U Dayoung stroked his hair and closed her eyes, but her core itched.
She wanted to try without a condom with Kim Woohyun.
The seven years together assured her he'd take responsibility even if he came inside.
Rustle.
Brushing his sleeping hair aside, she gazed at his face and drifted off.
Rumble!
Boom!
I jumped at the thunder crashing like a subwoofer right next door and glanced at the window.
"What the—did it strike right nearby?"
"Seems like it."
Won Yuchan, eyes wide, answered with a hotteok in his mouth.
"You ate breakfast already—can you fit all that?"
"Gotta keep eating to work, hyungnim. Want some?"
"Not big on instant stuff."
I waved it off, adjusted my posture, and dove back into editing.
So much footage; even glued to it, time wasn't enough.
"Dayoung, sent yours over. Just tweak the audio."
"Got it~."
U Dayoung replied from her spot across the room.
"Hyungnim, can I tweak this cut to here?"
"Where? Let's see."
Won Yuchan was right next to me, so I just scooted over.
"Yeah, go for it. Yuchan, why don't you handle this one's whole edit?"
"Huh... Really?"
I'd finish the rough edit, then he'd refine it.
"Yeah, you know how. Some parts you're even better at. Wanna try?"
"Mm... Sure, hand it over."
"Oh yeah. Sending now."
The company lacked structure, but things were falling into place.
Not total newbies—we had majors and some experience, so it was manageable.
"Yes, this is Kim Woohyun of Neulsom Studio."
Kim Woohyun took a call.
Calls were routine until he suddenly shot up, yelling,
"Really? Yes! Great! Yes! No problem! Yes! Yes! Then... Yes! We can do it!"
His sudden excitement had me and Won Yuchan half-standing, staring awkwardly.
U Dayoung across the room stood too, watching him.
Kim Woohyun, oblivious, shouted ecstatically.
"Thank you! Yes! We can absolutely do it! Yes, schedule... Yes! Yes! Got it! Yes! We'll check it out! Yes, contract... Thank you!"
I quipped to Won Yuchan beside me as Kim Woohyun robotically thanked nonstop.
"No way I could ever be CEO."
"...Hyungnim... He seems like he'd do great."
"Teasing me?"
"Yes."
"You rascal."
As we bantered, Kim Woohyun hung up, scanned us, threw his arms up, and yelled,
"Dayoung! Siu! We got it!"
"...Got what."
Kim Woohyun beamed with emotion.
"The city promo video! That one! We finally landed it! We're set now!"
"...Doesn't that mean more work?"
"Exactly! City's project, so good pay! Gather round."
We huddled, his excitement still buzzing.
"What's the budget?"
Kim Woohyun scribbled it down. Counting zeros, I gawked at him.
"For real?"
"Yup, that portfolio from uni—grad project."
"...Yeah. No way. Nah."
"Scraped everything from school and company work— it paid off!"
We'd shot a ruins promo like an MT trip, never thinking it'd help here.
Scratching my cheek sheepishly, Kim Woohyun said,
"So... we need someone to feature in it..."
He looked at us; we just stared blankly.
"Not like college homework—we can't just film ourselves."
"Right... yeah...?"
Kim Woohyun deflated.
"Can't book an actor last-minute... What's the timeline?"
"Two months."
"...Cool cool. So we need an actor... None of us can act."
No options obviously.
U Dayoung, who'd been quiet, raised her hand softly.
"Any requirements for the actor?"
"Nah, but they want clean and composed vibe."
"...Um... How much guarantee you expecting?"
"Two months' shoot, so decent pay."
We three watched U Dayoung ponder endlessly.
After a moment, she looked at us and said,
"Should I ask my sister? She used to be an actress. Retired after marriage, though."