Brothers' First Encounter
Shooting continued.
Baek Woojin and Ahn Jong-hoon kept seamlessly switching between Lee Jung-hyuk and Yoon Tae-oh.
Sure, it was a shame the environment didn't allow for a proper acting showdown... but what could you do? It wasn't half bad.
Woojin threw himself into it, enjoying the situation in his own way. Of course, he hoped Ahn Jong-hoon felt the same.
Back to the camera angle.
"...So everything you've told me so far is true?"
Yoon Tae-oh, clutching his pounding chest, asked after listening intently to Lee Jung-hyuk's story.
"Yes."
"I suspected there was someone behind it all, but this is so out of left field... I just can't believe it easily...."
Lee Jung-hyuk nodded silently in response to Yoon Tae-oh's words. It was a subtle gesture of agreement, conveying that he understood the reaction.
And who could blame him? Not only had twin brothers he'd never even known existed for thirty years suddenly appeared, but this man was handing over the full details of the Justice case—one that had yielded zero clues despite total investigative effort.
How could anyone buy it right away?
"Prosecutor. When a witness takes the stand, they swear an oath, right?"
"They do, but what's this about all of a sudden?"
Lee Jung-hyuk raised his hand toward Yoon Tae-oh and began the oath.
"I swear to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, according to my conscience. If I lie, may I suffer the penalty for perjury."
He lowered his hand after finishing.
"I'm the only witness to the case you're pursuing, Prosecutor. Believe me or not— that's your call. But... even now, someone's probably being killed."
Lee Jung-hyuk paused briefly before continuing.
"We don't have time. My father's on a complete rampage right now."
"......"
"You're the only one who can stop him with me."
Yoon Tae-oh stared into Lee Jung-hyuk's eyes after he finished speaking. There wasn't a hint of wavering; those eyes seemed utterly truthful. If anything, they brimmed with desperate hope.
What if he's part of the 'Reclum' organization too, and this whole situation is their scheme?
But if I plug in the info he's given, it explains every circumstance perfectly.
Can I really trust him?
Yoon Tae-oh's mind grew even more tangled.
"Haa...."
He let out a short sigh and said,
"Alright. I'll trust you."
"Thank you."
Lee Jung-hyuk's face lit up for a moment. But then,
"However."
Yoon Tae-oh's expression hardened as he laid down one firm condition.
"If anything you say or do from now on even slightly contradicts what you've told me, I'll arrest you on the spot."
"Fair enough. Anytime."
Lee Jung-hyuk extended his hand with a faint smile. Yoon Tae-oh shook it, his eyes still wary.
"I'll contact you again by tomorrow."
Lee Jung-hyuk passed by Yoon Tae-oh toward the shoe rack. Then, suddenly,
"Oh, mind if I ask one thing?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"By any chance...."
Lee Jung-hyuk's voice trembled faintly as he slowly broached the subject.
"...Is Mother doing well?"
It was a question born of longing for someone whose existence had piled up since learning the truth, though he didn't know why.
"Ah...."
Yoon Tae-oh let out a brief sigh at the question.
"She passed away."
He added curtly,
"Three years ago."
- Thud.
He'd never even met his mother, but hearing she'd passed still stung his heart. Lee Jung-hyuk suppressed his emotions and feigned composure.
"I see. Sorry for asking."
"...Wait. At least look at a photo."
"No, that's okay. I'll be going then...."
- Click.
He hurried out right after.
Yoon Tae-oh could only stare blankly at his retreating back until it vanished. The depth of emotion revealed in that back was beyond words.
He couldn't bring himself to call out or reach out to pat his shoulder.
- Plop.
Then it happened. As Yoon Tae-oh approached the shoe rack to tidy up after Lee Jung-hyuk left, a single drop of liquid fell unexpectedly from his eye.
Exactly one drop—no more, no less.
"Wh-what?"
Caught off guard by the unannounced tear, he felt a mix of bewilderment and absurdity.
And so, perhaps,
Yoon Tae-oh sat down beside where his teardrop had fallen.
And then, "Huh?!"
He tilted his head at something that caught his eye. He'd only shed one drop, but there were two water stains on the floor.
- Wipe.
As he wiped the two marks with tissue, Yoon Tae-oh's expression turned ambiguous. Only then did the reality of being twins with Lee Jung-hyuk sink in.
He chuckled softly to himself.
"Even knowing it's the fruit of good and evil, I had to eat it."
From the moment he'd faced Lee Jung-hyuk, Yoon Tae-oh's life was no longer ordinary. Whether by choice or force didn't matter.
Learning the truth of his hidden past meant he'd been sucked into fate's whirlpool.
He didn't know how the Justice case would end, but both of us are going to get badly hurt. A strong premonition of no good outcome washed over him.
Still, I'll gladly face it.
To Yoon Tae-oh, Justice was just a serial killer and anarchist wrapped in pretty rhetoric about justice. If he could catch him, he'd embrace any twisted fate, he resolved.
And, I won't forgive you for ruining our brothers' lives....
- Clench.
Just like the warning Lee Jung-hyuk had thrown at Lee Jin-tae, Yoon Tae-oh gripped his fist with the same vow.
The camera, capturing a close-up of Yoon Tae-oh's bust shot, slowly pulled back.
"...Okay, cut!"
In the world of Justice.
Yoon Tae-oh could have become Lee Jung-hyuk, or vice versa....
Two boys whose lives diverged completely due to a single choice Lee Jin-tae made thirty years ago.
They'd lived without even knowing of each other's existence for so long, but now, under the name of 'brothers,' their first on-screen encounter came to an end.
"Great work, everyone!"
Woojin greeted the cast with a bright smile.
Soon after, "Good work. You too."
He approached Ahn Jong-hoon and said it casually.
Ahn Jong-hoon responded with a hollow laugh, but Woojin didn't mind at all.
"Nice seeing you today."
"Come on... Don't beat around the bush. If you've got something to say, just spit it out."
Woojin gave a relaxed smile to Ahn Jong-hoon, who scowled and reacted sensitively.
"Nothing in particular?"
"As if you'd be glad to see me. You could've just ignored me and left, but you come over and talk, then say there's no reason?"
Haha, he used to at least call me 'hyung' back then. Now it's just 'you.'
At this point, maybe I should just drop it....
But his special talent for eroding even the bare minimum of respect was impressive.
Still, why was Ahn Jong-hoon so aggressively prickly about everything? Woojin couldn't fathom it.
A national hero deserves a hero's treatment. Treat others as you wish to be treated.
If someone kept coming at you aggressively first, overlooking it once or twice was one thing. But if even a light greeting set him off, a casual counter was in order.
Who did he think Woojin was, a pushover idiot?
"Yeah, you worked hard assisting me, so I came to say good job. What else would I have to say to you?"
"A-assist...? Say that one more time and I'll kill you, for real!"
Ahn Jong-hoon clamped his mouth shut, barely stopping himself from yelling.
"If 'good work' rubbed you the wrong way, just get over it. What can I do?"
"What did you say?!"
"I always greet every extra on set without fail. You know that, right? I'm just polite like that."
"You little... "
"Don't do anything you'll regret."
Woojin landed a sharp jab at Ahn Jong-hoon, whose pupils dilated.
At Woojin's words, Ahn Jong-hoon glanced around briefly. Staff were still bustling everywhere with cleanup.
"......"
"Oh, and...."
Woojin wiped the smile from his lips and turned.
"I meant it about being glad to see you."
"...?"
"I really felt like Lee Jung-hyuk and Yoon Tae-oh."
Cryptic to Ahn Jong-hoon. But to Woojin, it was literal.
Just like Lee Jung-hyuk and Yoon Tae-oh's first meeting.
'Me' and 'you' met for the first time in front of the camera too, right?
Even bad blood is a kind of fate. Like the characters drawn into destiny from their first encounter, may 'me' and 'you' one day see the end of this stubborn grudge.
"See you around."
Woojin's steps were light as he waved goodbye to Ahn Jong-hoon.
More satisfying than two years ago at the Daehan Arts Awards. This was going to be fun from here on out.
Watching Woojin walk away, Ahn Jong-hoon muttered bitterly to himself.
Fucking bastard....
* * *
"Staying overnight?"
"Nah, heading to my parents' house today."
Woojin replied lightly.
Song Jun-an opened the car door and asked,
"Looked like you were chatting with Ahn Jong-hoon earlier. What about?"
"Oh, nothing much."
Woojin sat in the seat, reclined the backrest, and said,
"...Just acted a bit childish."
"Childish?"
"Yeah, not like me."
He recounted the brief exchange with Ahn Jong-hoon to Jun-an.
"One minute you're saying you don't care, no interest. Can't have people saying one thing and doing another. Sigh."
Jun-an, holding the car door while listening, nodded, lit a cigarette, and took a drag.
"Nah, Woojin-ah. To me, you're too kind. That was light compared to slapping him!"
Jun-an laughed heartily.
"Honestly, after hearing your story, I almost said something myself."
"What?"
"You avoid shit because it's scary? Or because it's gross? True, but when shit comes at you on purpose, dodging alone won't cut it."
"Then?"
"Clear it away. That's the cleanest way."
Jun-an chain-smoked as he spoke candidly.
"Caring at all is a loss for us, but don't just take it lying down."
Woojin nodded readily.
"Perpetrators rampage because victims let it slide. You know that, right?"
Jun-an's straightforward, brotherly talk cleared Woojin's lingering unease bit by bit.
"Enduring isn't always smart. That's not our Justice!"
"Haha!"
Woojin burst out laughing. Jun-an-hyung had killer timing.
"You handled it lightly today? Good job. Next time he acts shameless again, crush him flat."
Jun-an ruffled Woojin's hair before getting in the car.
"Anyway, what's with going home?"
"Oh, Director Ra sent a USB to the house."
"USB?"
"Yeah, files for Burnt and Hidden Marks."
Woojin smiled and continued.
"Gonna watch a movie with Mom and Noona for once. Need some healing."
"Sounds awesome just hearing it. Alright, let's roll!"
Jun-an floored the accelerator with gusto.