Drawing Together
They had come to the orphanage purely for volunteer work, but there wasn't much for Woojin and Woo-hee to do. The most the siblings could manage was to create fun memories with the dozen or so kids. That was it.
"Teacher!"
"Let's play house!"
"No, let's do blocks!"
"I want hide-and-seek!"
"Woo-hee unnie, what do you want to play?"
The orphanage kids were incredibly bright and cheerful, all of them quick to warm up. Their stamina was off the charts—no sign of fatigue on their faces despite constant motion. Once one started something, the rest followed in a herd, turning every game into a group activity.
The problem was,
"Okay, then fairly! Let's play Mugunghwa Flower Has Bloomed!"
that Baek Woo-hee, standing at the front, was the most excited of all, bouncing around wildly.
"Woojin teacher, you be the tagger, pleeease!"
She suddenly started acting cute, shaking her body. And so,
"Uuuung, teacher?!"
"……."
...had his sister finally lost it? Why was she the one talking with a lisp like the kids?
Woojin failed to keep a straight face. The moment he saw Woo-hee's aegyo, his grimace was blatant.
She sidled up and whispered in his ear.
"...If you don't want to die, play along. Little bro?"
Her low voice, gritted through clenched teeth. He'd already racked up karma earlier by flattening her, so Woojin couldn't refuse.
In the end,
"Hahaha... As Woo-hee kid says, shall we play Mugunghwa Flower Has Bloomed, everyone?!"
"Yes!"
"Yay!"
For survival, he had to force himself to match his sister's aegyo. Ah, the wave of self-loathing. It was a relief his job was acting. At least he could maintain a poker face despite the cringe-worthy sight.
"Mugunghwa flower has bloomed!"
The game went on for a good while. Woojin kept having to be the tagger.
What exactly is the spectrum of emotions? I think it's like the mathematical concept where a straight line can be divided into infinite points. We often categorize human emotions broadly as joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, but within those, there are nearly infinite variations.
Take joy, for example. There are countless kinds. If there's immense joy, there's also the tiniest spark. Even emotions on the same spectrum manifest differently by situation and intensity.
Since we can't quantify them precisely, the number of emotions humans can express stretches to infinity.
That's why actors tend to remember as many real-life emotions as possible outside of work—in everyday reality. Acting is about embodying fiction, portraying things "I" haven't experienced as if I have.
When expressing an emotion on camera, you recall a personal experience closest to what the character feels. To pick one from infinity, imagination alone isn't enough. You need real experience to draw from.
So, habits form: "What state am I in right now?" "How's my expression, my posture?" Observing something becomes second nature.
The subject could be yourself or others. But the problem is,
"Is... this right?"
that this observation habit pops up even in inappropriate places.
Take an extreme: at a funeral for family or a friend. Even amid overwhelming grief, suddenly, "Wait, right now... me..." You become aware of your current emotional state. Then the urge rises to memorize it—for some future scene.
In a place where mourning the deceased should be priority one, acting takes over: "I'll need this for a similar scene later." It happens often. You question if it's right, but shrug it off as "I'm an actor, what can I do?"
Today was the same.
They'd come to volunteer at the orphanage, to see the kids. That should be priority one, and Woojin genuinely wanted to focus solely on it.
But against his will, another urge crept up: to observe Seung-hoon up close.
Park Seung-hoon, seven-year-old boy.
Among the kids, the only one with autism. He loves playing with dice most and enjoys drawing a lot. The director had mentioned it while explaining about the children.
Wait, hold on...
When he heard that, Woojin had instinctively paused. The info triggered a role, linking to a young character.
It was so natural. Observing a kid with traits overlapping his character was a golden opportunity.
He told himself "Actor thing, can't help it," but a heavy guilt lingered in his heart. Public and private should be separate, but blaming it on acting's emotional breadth felt ridiculous.
"You have zero reason to feel sorry. The kids are thrilled we're coming."
"Just give your all today, connect sincerely. It's not like we're only going once? We can visit regularly, bring gifts, make memories."
"Volunteering means doing your best and learning something too, right? If you're gonna mope like that, don't go. Otherwise, cut the useless thoughts."
You're not going to exploit Seung-hoon. No one's telling you not to come. So no need to worry over nothing. Instead, think how to have fun with him.
Woo-hee's sharp words let Woojin toss aside his flimsy guilt.
And so,
"Uwaaaah!"
"Hehehe!"
"Gotcha!"
Woojin desperately took on the tagger role, kids hanging off his arms and back as he dashed around. Like his approach to acting, he gave his absolute best.
Of course, it wasn't obligation. He was enjoying it too.
Watching the siblings and kids laugh freely, the director smiled repeatedly.
How much time passed?
"Kids, lunch time."
"Yes!"
"Today, the teachers brought delicious pizza for our little angels!"
"Wow!"
"Let's say thanks. Thank you!"
"Thank you!"
Lost in the chaos with the kids, late lunch arrived. Woojin and Woo-hee held hands with the children, heading to the cafeteria.
Inside,
"Nice."
A familiar face setting up food gave Woojin a thumbs-up and a low murmur. It was Jun-an hyung.
When Woojin mentioned going with his sister, Jun-an had offered to bring pizza for lunch. He loved kids and wanted to come too.
"Woo-hee, hi!"
"Jun-an oppa! When did you get here?"
"Haha, ten minutes ago. Woojin asked for help."
"That guy, seriously!"
"Anyway, sit here!"
"Together!"
"Shall we?"
What? He'd never asked for help, yet Jun-an casually used him as an excuse.
...You came for the kids, right? Or something else?
Woojin tilted his head, approaching Woo-hee's side, then veered off.
Because,
"Ah, Woojin teacher! Hold on."
"Yes?"
"Seung-hoon just woke up. Want to eat with him?"
The director approached him.
Woojin smiled. "Sure."
"Got it. I'll bring him."
The director left. Woojin sat at an empty spot in the corner, heart fluttering. He'd heard Seung-hoon didn't like crowds.
- Nod.
Woo-hee met his eyes and nodded silently. Focus on the kid, don't worry.
Woojin nodded back. Woo-hee turned to feed the kids beside her kindly, chatting and laughing with Jun-an hyung.
...Smiles he rarely saw at home.
Getting cozy, huh.
Come to think of it, had his sister and Jun-an hyung gotten close fast while he was in England for two months?
"Hmm."
Woojin watched them, arms crossed.
- Tap tap.
Someone tapped his shoulder. Turning, he saw a child clutching the director's hand.
That must be Seung-hoon.
Woojin's face lit up.
"Seung-hoon. This is Baek Woojin teacher. He came because he wanted to see you!"
"Hi, Seung-hoon!"
"……."
Shyly, the kid peeked from behind the director's leg.
The director continued softly. "Seung-hoon, say hi."
"...Hi."
His tiny lips moved hesitantly.
Uwaa, too cute!
Woojin clutched his chest. Pure instinct.
"Seung-hoon, eat with teacher?"
Nod nod.
Seung-hoon grinned "Hehe-" and nodded. Affirmation.
Woojin scooped him up onto his lap. Seung-hoon's eyes locked on the pizza.
Woojin placed some on his plate, cut into kid-friendly bites. The kid's eyes widened more. The fork shuttled nonstop from plate to mouth.
Throughout the meal, Woojin couldn't hide his fond smile.
"Let's go!"
Woo-hee led the kids out with Jun-an. A massive migration.
From a glance, Jun-an hyung was up front, others following. Probably his turn as the "monster."
Survive and meet again.
"Seung-hoon, wanna go play?"
Shake shake.
The kid refused Woojin's suggestion. He really didn't like active stuff.
Instead, clinging to Woojin's arm, he whined to go upstairs.
Woojin carried him up to the second floor. At the door labeled "Art Room," the kid looked satisfied.
"Wanna draw?"
"...Yes."
The kid replied shortly. Woojin entered without hesitation, opened a sketchbook, and set out crayons, paints, brushes—everything.
He sat beside him.
"Draw, and show teacher when done!"
Then waited. To let the kid draw freely, comfortably. Guarding until finished felt right.
But,
"……."
The kid went quiet.
"Seung-hoon, what's up? Need something I didn't bring?"
Shake shake.
Just head shakes.
What? Did I mess up?
Woojin racked his brain.
Then, Seung-hoon's lips quivered.
"...Draw."
"Huh? Say it once more?"
Woojin leaned his ear closer.
"...Draw."
The kid's cute, clear voice.
It was,
"...Draw together. Not... alone."
A profound revelation for Woojin.