Ah, Really Too Much....
“Ah, really too much...”
Once the punishment was over, Woo-hee clutched her waist with a tearful face. “Here, a gift.” Woojin handed her a carrot.
“?!”
“Picked it up off the street.”
The items that made her eyes go wide were none other than the bag, accessories, and clothes Woojin had bought in London.
“What? You actually bought them?”
“There's that old saying: give an extra rice cake to the one you hate. I was gonna sell them, but... here.”
“As expected, my little brother!”
“Ah, don't cling... Hey, hey!”
Aaack! Woo-hee's sharp scream from moments ago soon turned into Woojin's.
“Kids, cut it out!”
In the kitchen, Mom wore a pleased smile as she listened to the affectionate(?) siblings' voices, busily preparing the food. It had been ages since her son and pretty daughter visited, so she was ready to show off her skills. Rolling up her sleeves, her hands moved with a whoosh-whoosh.
About an hour later.
“Daughter! Son! Dinner's ready~”
“Huff... huff... Thanks, Mom.”
Mom's single call saved him from Baek Woo-hee's grasp.
“Mom, Woojin brought gifts!”
Her sister beamed like a child, proudly showing off the presents in front of Mom without end. Really... from childhood to now, the sister he'd always known was consistently bright, someone who could find joy in big things or small.
Honestly, the joking about giving or not was just that—a joke. She always reacted in a way that made him want to buy even more. How could he not give them to her?
And so, shortly after.
“Ta-da!”
Woo-hee emerged, decked out head to toe in the gifts from Woojin. Wait, we're about to eat—why the sudden fashion show?
“Am I pretty?”
“......”
Woojin just shook his head and scooped up a bite of rice. Mom stifled a laugh at her son's reaction, while Woo-hee pouted at her silent brother and plopped down across from him.
“This taste... I missed it so much.”
Homemade food filling his belly after so long felt like pure life. Woojin started devouring his rice bowl at top speed. Mom's proud smile deepened on her face.
“So, how was England, honey? Your big sis here has tons of questions!”
“What now?”
“The internet went nuts because of you. How'd you get chummy with world-famous musical actors? I looked it up—movie-wise, they're on par with Hollywood heavyweights.”
“...I already unpacked the whole behind-the-scenes story to you exactly seven times up to yesterday.”
“Unpack it one more time while you're at it!”
“No way. Too long to explain—I'm exhausted now.”
“Wow... keeping secrets from family, huh? Too much!”
“I just arrived in England, this happened, that happened, and somehow it all went down like that. Satisfied?”
“Hey!”
“I summed it up neat in one line—what more do you want? Eat your rice, quick.”
“You're so sly and childish... Fine, I don't wanna hear it!”
Woo-hee huffed, frowning. That's when it happened.
- Pat.
“......?”
Mom subtly tapped Woo-hee's thigh under the table. Woo-hee looked puzzled, but Mom just nodded silently. She promptly placed a side dish delicately on Woojin's spoon and asked,
“Son, is it tasty?”
“Of course. Mom's cooking is the best, as always!”
Woojin gave a thumbs-up and popped the spoon in his mouth. At that moment, “Well then, son~”
“Yes.”
“For the food bill, you can pay by telling your sister what she's dying to know.”
“Pfft—cough!”
Unlike her warm, gentle tone, it brimmed with mischief. Mom seemed to be firmly on Woo-hee's side right now. After all, as a mom, she was just as eager to hear those stories.
“Mom, nice one!”
Woo-hee clutched her stomach, cackling and high-fiving Mom nonstop. Woojin coughed from the choking, recovered, and shot his sister a glare before suddenly noticing,
“Son?”
“......”
Mom's eyes, fixed on him with perhaps even more curiosity than his sister's.
“Whew, fine. I'll rerun it one more time.”
“Yes, little bro! If it was gonna end like this anyway, you should've spilled nicely from the start.”
“...Shut it.”
Having polished off his bowl, Woojin set down his spoon and slowly began recounting his two months in England to his family.
The two women's eyes sparkled. A chain of connections born entirely from coincidences. Of course, turning those coincidences into inevitabilities was all Woojin's doing.
His captivating tale drew Mom and his sister in completely without effort.
“...And that's how it went. I had no idea, but when I got back, it was chaos just like you said, sis.”
“This could legit be a movie.”
“My son, so cool~”
“My little bro! You're even bigger than I thought!”
“What're you saying? You gonna eat or not?”
“Oops!”
His sister was only now starting to eat. Sigh. Woojin scooped out her cold rice and refilled it with steaming fresh stuff, setting it in front of her.
“How old are you? Gotta handle everything from one to ten?”
“Heh, thanks! Oh, hearing your stories makes me wanna catch a show too... Gotta get some culture in my life.”
“Right, how'd work go?”
“Yeah, wrapped up last week. Thought I was gonna die.”
The project she'd jumped into right before Woojin left for England had just ended. She'd been swamped, barely coming home often.
“While this big sis was burning her soul at work, my little bro gets to leisurely vacation in England? Huh?”
“Oh yeah? If you're jealous, try working nonstop for three and a half years without a single day off. Then I'll send you to England for two months.”
“...Playing dirty, you.”
“Don't mess around, Baek Woo-hee!”
“Hate to admit it, but yeah—I lose!”
The chatter showed no signs of stopping. Finally, Woojin grinned and continued,
“If you wanna see a show, hold out a bit. I'll send you tickets later.”
“What? You're performing?”
“Yeah, I'm joining a play.”
“Oh?”
The conversation shifted from his London adventures to Woo-hee's grueling project tales, then to Woojin's next gig.
“Still need to talk more with the agency, but it should be fine. I already promised.”
“Ooh, where?”
“Actor's Yard theater troupe—the biggest one in Daehak-ro.”
“I know that place!”
“How do you know it?”
“Why wouldn't I? I've seen a ton of plays in Daehak-ro~”
News to him.
“Really? What've you seen?”
“Lots. Rooftop Cat, Luck-Fueled Romance, Find Kim Jong-wook, etc. As a pro culture vulture, seeing shows is my hobby!”
“All romance comedies.”
“I see what I like! Actors gotta respect the audience's tastes, you know.”
“...I can guess without seeing. Date course recycling, huh.”
“Exactly! There's this killer tteokbokki spot in Daehak-ro—hit that, then a play...”
- Thwack!
“Ow!”
“Wanna die?!”
“Please, for real! How many times do I say don't hit my head!”
“I say it how many times—don't do stuff that deserves it, little bro!”
Today, as always. The siblings' heartwarming chat wrapped up with sis affectionately smacking her brother's head.
- Clatter.
Mom yawned as she cleared the table. The joyful family dinner after so long came to a close like this.
* * *
Jeong Jae-min, Lee Kang-sik, Oh Tae-hyeop, and others. Those already in the know, of course. But even inside Flower Entertainment, they were surprised by Woojin's thorough preparation—bringing not just words, but a concrete blueprint for the theater project.
Team leader Kim Tae-gon, briefed on every minute detail, reacted with, “What? Not even confirmed casting—it's an audition?!”
He was a bit resistant at first, but “Team leader, I wanted it that way.”
“I get that, but still... you auditioning feels off.”
“I think it's right. Sure, I get top treatment in films and dramas, but theater's new for me.”
“Woojin, if you're okay with it, fine by me. But with casting offers already on the table... isn't auditioning for this when others might benefit you more kinda...?”
“You're right too, team leader. But in theater, I'm a rookie. Getting an audition slot for Actor's Yard through senior Jeong Jae-min is already a huge privilege, right?”
“That's different.”
“No, it's not. I don't wanna say, 'I got nothing in theater yet, but look at my other work—so give me special treatment!' Remember why we accepted UTA's offers? Famous in Korea, but nameless in Hollywood—so an audition chance was enough.”
“......!”
“Can't act different in Daehak-ro. That'd disrespect everyone sweating and crying on theater stages.”
“......”
Woojin's firm conviction left Kim Tae-gon and Lee Min-seong utterly convinced.
He'd felt it during Burnt and Hidden Marks too—Baek Woojin was an actor who didn't need convincing. He always spoke the truth.
“...Sorry, Woojin. Wasn't meaning that, but yeah, it came off wrong.”
“No, team leader. You're just looking out for me, wanting me to do even better.”
“I'll report to the CEO right away. He'll love this choice too—he digs bold challenges on the sly.”
“Haha, thanks, team leader!”
“Coordinate with senior Jeong Jae-min through Min-seong. Focus on prep from now on.”
“Got it.”
In teamwork, differing views on the same thing are actually good. Woojin saw from the actor's art and performance angle; Kim Tae-gon from the big picture. That's the symbiosis of actor and management.
Flower Entertainment always prioritized the actor's opinion above all. The team, including Kim Tae-gon, advised but never forced decisions.
Woojin always made astonishing calls, so when Song Jun-an relayed he wanted theater, they weren't that shocked. It's Woojin, after all.
But aiming for an unconfirmed A-team slot via audition? That surprised them plenty.
And the reasoning was so logical, no countering it.
“Way younger than me, but that mindset's respectable.”
“Same here.”
“...Get back to work, punk.”
“Yes, sir...”
Leaving the conference room, Kim Tae-gon headed to the CEO's office, leaving glum Lee Min-seong behind.
“Hyung, we're heading out too.”
“Where to?”
“Daehak-ro. Got a meeting today.”
With the agency mostly squared away, time to go. Woojin left Flower Entertainment with Jun-an, heading to Actor's Yard's office.
Someone was waiting as agreed.
- Knock knock.
Woojin arrived, knocked, and entered.
“You're here.”
“Hello!”
“Sit here.”
“Ah, thank you.”
The gathered people. Lee Kang-sik, Jeong Jae-min, Oh Tae-hyeop. And, “Nice to meet you. Honored to work together on the third-quarter show!”
Lee Kang-sik's A-team spot confirmed. Baek Woojin, likely for A or B but high chance either way. The one beaming with joy at teaming with them: playwright Ma Seol-ah.