String of Memory (1)

Jung Ha-yoon, the actress cast as the female lead of String of Memory, had briefly worked as a child actress when she was young.

She shot children's pictorials and commercial advertisements, and appeared in a sitcom that briefly made her name known as the nation's darling daughter.

But the spotlight lasted only a moment. When the Yoon Jae-hee Special Act went into effect and her agency's slave contract came to light, her parents pulled their daughter out of the deal and told her never to set foot in the entertainment industry again.

"Isn't she that girl?"

"Wasn't she a child actress in some drama?"

She spent her school years hovering in that ambiguous zone of half-attention, and after entering university she drew eyes again as the cover model for the campus weekly.

Maybe I should... try acting again?

Joining ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a theater club in college rekindled her interest in acting. As a child she'd done it without really understanding it, but grown up, she had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠come to feel its true appeal.

"Yes!"

She honed her craft at a theater troupe and went around auditioning for screen roles. String of Memory was a golden opportunity — nothing less than the female lead, and the competition had been fierce.

A comeback project from an established writer and director, and the lead was Yoon Jay. Not a terrestrial drama, but an Nflix original. OTT productions carried serious quality these days, and plenty of actors were turning their eyes toward them.

A few days later, the day of the String of Memory table read arrived. Jung Ha-yoon stood in front of the elevator, dragging her stiff body along with her.

"Ha-yoon. Don't be so nervous. All you have to do is show them your interpretation. That's it."

"Y-yes, of course..."

The agency that had doggedly pursued her for a casting ever since her university days was small, but it was built around theater actors. It wasn't a manager but the head of the agency herself who had come along to the read, and the sight of so many people already there made Jung Ha-yoon take a deep breath.

"Um, excuse me—"

"Yes?!"

When she stepped into the elevator, a strikingly handsome man was already inside.

He was Seon Yu-seok, the actor cast as Ryu Hae-yeol — the right hand of Oh Sa-jun. Seeing Jung Ha-yoon, who looked even more nervous than he was, he spoke first.

"Hello. You're heading to the String of Memory table read, right?"

"Oh! Yes! Hello! I'm Jung Ha-yoon!"

"You're the one playing the female lead, correct? I'm Seon Yu-seok."

Seon Yu-seok had debuted as an idol, but his group had flopped. Two or three comebacks, nothing to show for it, and the moment his exclusive contract ended he'd moved to an actor's agency and started the second act of his entertainment career.

Wow. Thank goodness I'm not the only one like this.

Seon Yu-seok wiped his increasingly sweaty palms against his thighs.

Ryu Hae-yeol was a supporting role of about four episodes' worth of screen time, yet his weight in the story was considerable. The competition had supposedly been just as brutal, and Seon Yu-seok couldn't understand why he had been the one cast.

"I'm so nervous I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Me too..."

For these two mid-tier career veterans, this was their first time on a project with this much capital behind it.

Perhaps relieved to learn she wasn't the only one wound tight, the stiffness in both their shoulders gradually melted away.

"Wow, look at that crowd..."

But the closer they got to the reading room, the tenser they became again.

Since it was an open press read, plenty of invited reporters filled the room. And since they were filming additional content for Nflix's channel, there were plenty of cameras too.

The two of them, frozen stiff for a moment, robotically found their seats.

"Ah, rookies."

"Fresh as spring grass."

The seasoned supporting actors noticed their nerves. Some smiled warmly — I was like that once too — while others frowned, muttering that people that stiff had no business nailing a table read.

Yoon Jay. When will he get here?

Jung Ha-yoon rolled her eyes over the rim of her water glass. She'd been indirectly influenced by him as a child, and she was curious about him personally. Yoon Jay was ridiculously handsome, for one thing.

Just as she was pointlessly sipping water and staring at her script, the entrance began to stir. The waiting reporters raised their cameras toward the door and fired off shutters in a rattling volley.

Whoa...

He was so tall, and his stride so long, that he approached at a remarkable speed. Even dressed in a casual sweatshirt and jeans, the aura he carried made her think, he really is a star.

She stole a glance sideways — Seon Yu-seok was looking at Yoon Jay with the same yearning admiration she felt.

On his way to his seat, Yoon Jay spotted a familiar face and bowed his upper body forward.

"Teacher, hello."

"Jay, my boy."

Ji Gwang-hyun, who had played Chairman Seo in Backstage, and Go Gwang-il, who had played Dr. Bae Hong-ik in Permafrost, turned toward him with evident delight.

Both heavyweight mid-career actors were set to play substantial supporting roles in String of Memory.

"Honestly. Yoon Jae-hee, of all people..."

"Ah, you weren't at the Hwangryong Awards, were you, sir?"

"Do you have any idea how shocked I was watching it on TV?"

Thwack — he felt Ji Gwang-hyun's light tap on his forearm. Yoon Jay chuckled softly and straightened back up.

After exchanging brief greetings with his acquaintances, Yoon Jay sat down in the very center, at the seat bearing his name.

He had played the lead in Backstage, it was true — but the members of Icarus had carried so much screen time that calling it a one-and-only lead role felt like a stretch.

But the role he'd taken in String of Memory was the single greatest axis around which the entire drama would turn — and he'd have to draw a clear line of distinction between the twins.

"Hello."

"Oh! Yes! Hello!"

"No need to be so formal. I'm your senior — your hyung, remember?"

Yoon Jay went out of his way to break the ice with the visibly nervous Seon Yu-seok.

His track record steadily growing, Yoon Jay had come to feel that how a lead actor handled the set's atmosphere mattered quite a lot.

On Along Along, Kim Hyun-jun's chronic lateness had soured the mood of the set; on Daldongne, Lee Hyein had been generous with her guidance to the younger actors, and the atmosphere had been wonderful.

This wasn't his first lead, but on Backstage, the vibe had been... a bit like being a schoolteacher.

The idols-turned-actors of Icarus had trailed after him ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like ducklings following their mother — so what kind of atmosphere should he set this time?

For now, he kept talking to the overly nervous Seon Yu-seok. In the story, Ryu Hae-yeol and Oh Sa-jun were high school classmates — the kind of shameless friends who'd trade curses as easily as greetings.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Kang Ye-jin, screenwriter of String of Memory. Since this is my long-awaited return, I've prepared with everything I have."

Once all the actors had gathered, Director Kang Pil-hyun introduced himself, followed by screenwriter Kang Ye-jin.

"And... I trust you will all deliver wonderful performances. Thank you."

Kang Ye-jin's gaze locked onto Yoon Jay.

She's laying the pressure on thick from the very start... Yoon Jay smiled lightly and accepted the microphone.

"Hello. I'm Yoon Jay, playing the twins Oh Beom-jun and Oh Sa-jun. A pleasure to meet you all."

Next, Jung Ha-yoon, the female lead playing Son Tae-rin, picked up the microphone with hands trembling visibly. The two most senior figures, Ji Gwang-hyun and Go Gwang-il, laughed and called out.

"Aiigoo, she's nervous."

"Relax, relax. Take it easy."

A light wave of laughter washed through the reading room. Seated again, Jung Ha-yoon fanned herself with her hands, trying to shake off the nerves.

The assistant director passed out the scripts.

"We will now begin the table read."

Episode one opened at a police precinct. The team of Oh Beom-jun, which had been covertly investigating an economic crime case entangling politicians and gangster-run corporations, had finally gathered every piece of evidence — all that remained was the arrest.

"Tae-rin, she catches Beom-jun as he suddenly rises and heads for the door."

"Captain Oh."

After the assistant director's stage direction, Jung Ha-yoon delivered her first line with a slight tremble in her voice — but no one called it out.

This was an open press read, meant to proceed lightly. Some actors fumbled through table reads only to come alive once cameras rolled on set.

She had beaten staggering odds to win the female lead, and everyone simply trusted she knew what she was doing.

What do I do? Something's wrong with me.

But Jung Ha-yoon, dissatisfied with her own state, bit her lower lip discreetly.

She was hyper-aware of the reporters firing off photo after photo behind Yoon Jay, and even the Nflix staff capturing promotional footage.

Jung Ha-yoon slipped into a mild panic.

Huh?

Then, through her lowered gaze, she saw the fingers of Yoon Jay, seated across the table. Tapping rhythmically on the desk — as if to say, look at me. Jung Ha-yoon raised her head.

Ah...

The moment her eyes met Yoon Jay's, she felt something pull her in. She opened her mouth, and the next line came out on its own.

"...Where are you going?"

Her voice still trembled — but now the tension wasn't about the table read. It was the anxiety of a partner sensing her captain slipping away.

A short line, but the emotion landed. The actors who'd been buried in their own scripts looked up and stole glances at Yoon Jay and Jung Ha-yoon.

"Something's come up. I'll be back shortly."

"Something urgent? If we keep this up, we'll never catch Assemblyman Park. They've already caught the scent of us, haven't they—"

Jung Ha-yoon did not take her eyes off Yoon Jay's. His tone was flat, businesslike — yet threaded through with a desperate edge.

What is this?

And the strangest part: as long as she focused only on his eyes, the people distracting her vanished from her field of vision one by one.

The illusion took hold — as if this place were no longer Nflix's cavernous office, but a police precinct crackling with tension, minutes from closing in on the criminal.

"You'll come back, right? You will?"

"...I'll be in touch."

The businesslike Oh Beom-jun spoke warmly. There was something oddly affecting about Yoon Jay's voice.

According to the character notes, Son Tae-rin and Oh Beom-jun weren't lovers, but there was something between them — a mutual pull. Lines carrying a trace of affection and worry seemed unremarkable on the page, yet they handed the audience room to imagine.

He deliberately made his voice faintly honeyed — like food with just a whisper of sugar folded in. Catching screenwriter Kang Ye-jin break into a satisfied smile, he figured it had landed well.

"Where's Captain Oh?"

"He said something urgent came up, out of nowhere..."

"Urgent? What could be more urgent than this case?!"

With Oh Beom-jun gone, the team lost its center of gravity and flailed. Here, the audience learns how dangerously dependent the team had grown on Beom-jun's abilities.

In the end, the team's hesitation bought the criminal exactly enough time to bury the evidence.

"Has anyone reached that bastard Oh Beom-jun yet?"

"...No, sir."

The police chief who had quietly backed Beom-jun's team was ousted, and his seat went to a man tied to the criminals' side.

Even so, Oh Beom-jun remained unreachable. And just as they were about to file him as a missing person—

"Economic Crime Unit Three. Where is Captain Oh Beom-jun?"

The new police chief's words closed around their throats — a veiled notice that without Beom-jun, their team would be disbanded.

"At this rate, everything we've busted our asses on for a year is going to evaporate."

"We can't just wait around for the administration to change hands, can we?"

No one burned hotter than Son Tae-rin. Her dependable captain — the man she'd quietly allowed herself to care for — had vanished without a trace. She spoke with grim resolve.

"We'll put in a stand-in."

"A stand-in? That's absurd. What are you even—"

"Captain Oh told me once. He has a twin brother."

And so the twin brother, Oh Sa-jun, became Beom-jun's stand-in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and stumbled his loud, chaotic way through life as a detective — that was the premise of String of Memory's opening chapters.

When the read ended, the room's mood had turned warm and satisfied.

"Wow, as expected of Jay."

"How is it possible he got even better than the chemistry reading?"

The writer and director approached Yoon Jay, smiling in obvious contentment.

"By the way, Writer Kang—"

"Hm? What is it?"

"There's something I wanted to ask you about Oh Sa-jun—"

"Ah, one moment. They're calling us for promo photos."

Hm... this looks like it'll take a while. Yoon Jay lined up with the other actors, script in hand, for the photos, and just as the gathering began to disperse, he caught sight of a small figure shuffling hesitantly behind him.

"Ms. Ha-yoon? Did you have something to say to me?"

"What? Oh! No! I just wanted to greet you! I look forward to working with you!"

When Jung Ha-yoon bowed with her folder held to her chest, Yoon Jay returned the exact same folder-bow — which made her look at him as if he'd granted her some great honor.

Isn't that a bit too military for a greeting? It's not like I'm going to eat her.

"You did well today. You had the whole script memorized, didn't you? I noticed you barely looked down at it."

With his sharp eye for detail, Yoon Jay hadn't missed it. Ever since their eyes had met, her nerves had strangely dissolved, and she'd shown her best at the read.

"Ah, that... I'm good at memorizing."

"That's a good thing to be. See you on set."

Yoon Jay offered a word of encouragement to Seon Yu-seok too, who was now sidling up to him in much the same way.

Watching all of this, Han Jin-woo teased him on the way home.

"Heh. Our star. You finally look like a lead."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well—on Intermission or Backstage, you were kind of like the big brother on set, right? Everyone was all, 'Hyung! Hyung! How should I do this? What about this?' every five seconds."

The memory made Yoon Jay laugh too. Everyone had been comfortable, teasing him without restraint.

But String of Memory was different.

Two ten-million-admission films, a name that never left the upper ranks of recognition — Yoon Jay was now, by every measure, a top actor. And with his past as Yoon Jae-hee now public knowledge, some people put him on a pedestal. Like Jung Ha-yoon and Seon Yu-seok.

"The charisma that pulls focus out of your scene partners! I mean, did you see the look in Ms. Jung Ha-yoon's and Mr. Seon Yu-seok's eyes? Pure reverence!"

"Yes, yes. Quit the nonsense and let's go home."

"Yes, sir!"

Yoon Jay shook his head with a rueful smile and rested a hand on Han Jin-woo's shoulder.