Awards Season

Kwon Min-jae, arriving late to the after-party of the Acting Awards, had no trouble spotting Yoon Jay — the man was surrounded by a crowd. Min-jae shook his head with the weary air of someone who knew exactly why: Cho Youkyeong was standing right beside him.

She's a wonderful person, but... exhausting to be around for too long.

He briefly wondered if he should go rescue him, but Yoon Jay didn't look particularly troubled.

The people who had originally approached to get a word in with Cho Youkyeong had, at some point, shifted their attention entirely to Yoon Jay. He was a rookie, after all — a fresh face — and above all, strikingly handsome. On top of that, he had a certain presence that drew people in without his saying a word.

"Min-jae's here?"

"Yes, hyung. He's popular tonight."

"Isn't he?"

Lee Seo-won chuckled at the Yoon Jay that Kwon Min-jae pointed out.

Yoon Jay had luck of a peculiar kind. Never mind other dramas — Along Along, adapted from a powerhouse webtoon, and Crown, the upcoming work of a star writer, had both been effectively locked-in castings half a year before their contracts were ever signed and exchanged.

The timing lined up in the strangest way.

Not long after Yoon Jay signed with Astra, the actor who'd been slated for those roles had caused a public scandal and dropped out — and Yoon Jay had happened to slip right into the vacancies. Then, on top of that, backing from a brand-new investment firm.

Even CEO Hong bent his principles and reached out. Unbelievable.

Hong Jiwoong was a whale of the investment world, and the actors he championed had a habit of stirring up trouble — he'd earned more than a few unflattering nicknames for it. Yoon Jay seemed unlikely to do anything of the sort, and investors were always welcome, but Lee Seo-won was already starting to worry: what if the man went and founded his own agency over this?

Meanwhile, Yoon Jay slipped quietly out of the crowd and headed for the exit. He was tired from lack of sleep, and the cold air helped clear his head a little.

"Hello there."

He recognized the voice and glanced down to find Rayna Yang, whom he'd briefly met on the set of The Garden of Evil, standing beside him.

"It's been a while. You look ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wonderful tonight."

"Should I say that's all you?"

Rayna studied Yoon Jay with fresh eyes. She still couldn't forget the performance that had utterly overwhelmed Moon Changmin in The Garden of Evil. Nothing had caught her attention like that since the young actor in The Child.

"You were the one who invested in the drama, weren't you, Ms. Rayna?"

"Only a fool would watch that performance and not invest. And since it was a period piece, I figured you'd need my help."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"And this is my new business card."

Yoon Jay accepted the card she offered with genuine care. She was the first investor besides Lee Seo-won to recognize his worth — and she made no demands under the pretense of her investment. Even now, he appreciated how she kept a careful distance, wary of being photographed.

"You haven't decided on your next project yet, have you? I'm looking forward to it."

"Not yet."

"I understand. You drew enormous attention from your very debut — it must be a lot of pressure."

It's actually because of something else, but let's go with that.

"Personally, I'm curious what you'll show us on the big screen now, rather than in dramas. Are you reading any film scripts?"

"I have a few under review."

"Just reviewing? Give one a shot. Whatever you do, I'll support you."

"I appreciate the offer, but... there are circumstances. I'm still weighing things."

Rayna didn't press him about what those circumstances were. She simply studied his conflicted expression and offered a single piece of advice.

"Then why not try something different?"

"Different how?"

"It doesn't have to be film or television. Theater, musicals, variety shows — there are plenty of options."

Variety, huh... I'd never even considered it. It was a novel approach. He extended his hand to her.

"Thank you for your investment. I look forward to working with you."

"Whatever you choose, I'll be rooting for you."

"Thank you."

After returning from Japan, Yoon Jay went on to appear at other award ceremonies — sometimes as a presenter, sometimes as a winner.

Every time the camera found his face in the actor's section, it became a small topic of conversation online.

He'd been run ragged by his year-end schedule, and now — finally — Yoon Jay had finished moving all his belongings out of the house he'd inherited. He sighed at the sight of his luggage strewn across the living room. There were gifts passed along through his agency, and dolls and letters from fans had piled up to a staggering degree.

Was there always this much of it?

The lodging his agency had arranged was a Han River-view apartment owned by Lee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Seo-won. Lee Seo-won insisted it was his own property so Yoon Jay shouldn't feel burdened and should stay as long as he liked, but honestly, it was needlessly vast. The sunlight reflecting off the river was blinding, too.

And what am I going to do about that?

He stared at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the box he'd shoved into a corner. He had no particular desire to put it on display, but he couldn't leave it sitting in the corner of the living room forever, either.

It held the awards he'd received after The Child was released. Acting on set had been fun, but he'd hated the tedium of waiting around at the ceremonies, so many of the trophies had been accepted on his behalf by other actors or staff members.

Searching his old name on the internet would turn up his award history — though not even all of it had been recorded. The internet was only just taking off back then, and it certainly wasn't an age where news spread instantly through social media the way it did now.

I won a lot, didn't I.

It was no exaggeration to say he'd taken home something at every film award ceremony held that year — from the grandest, like the Golden Leaf at Cannes and the Golden Cup at Venice, down to something as modest as a simple certificate.

No place to put any of it.

After his discharge, he'd left his military uniform and medals back at the Jenkins home. Henry and Maria had lovingly laundered and pressed the uniform so it could be worn at any moment, and they'd devoted an entire room to displaying the Medal of Honor alongside the formal photograph taken when he received it.

His parents had said he shouldn't complain about a little display when they were barely restraining themselves from shouting it from the rooftops. But to him, those things held little meaning — and neither did these awards from his days as Yoon Jae-hee. They just took up space, and he had no idea what to do with them.

Yoon Jay hastily shoved the box into the storage room and shut the door. Ever since the incident where he'd mistaken Han Jin-woo for an intruder and taken him down, Jin-woo had unfailingly texted before cautiously letting himself in. Had he really traumatized the man that badly? A fresh wave of guilt rose in his chest.

"Hyung, we should head out soon."

"Already?"

That evening was the Acting Awards hosted by the broadcast station. He had no particular appetite for trophies, but it was a gathering of everyone he'd filmed with, so his steps were light.

"Jay!"

"Hello, everyone."

After posing for photos on the red carpet, he stepped into the ceremony hall to find much of the cast already gathered — Kim Hyun-jun and Park Seo-ah, Yoo Gwang-seok who played the King, the supporting actors, and even screenwriter Im Hyun-hee and director Choi Seung-ah.

"Our whole crew came out to cheer for you."

"Where?"

They'd grown close since their reward vacation, and it seemed not a single one was missing. The Along Along staff members who caught Yoon Jay's eye let out a whoop and hoisted a banner they'd made with their own hands. Yoon Jay waved back in answer.

"Has everyone been well?"

"We've been fine, of course. Jay, you still haven't picked your next project? How about my drama? I really poured my teeth into that one."

"Hmm... could I at least read the script first?"

"What's this? Playing hard to get now that you're famous? Think it over carefully — I'm offering you the lead role, mind you."

"If it's a lead, I'll examine every single line with extra care."

"Ugh, you're not making this easy."

Screenwriter Im Hyun-hee had already mentally cast Yoon Jay as the protagonist of her next drama, and his lukewarm responses were only making her more anxious.

Kim Hyun-jun, listening from the side, pushed out his lips in protest. She never offered me her next project, but she goes straight to him... Just then, Yoon Jay's gaze swung toward him.

"You made it, then."

"Yes."

But why doesn't he ask how I've been? Kim Hyun-jun silently urged him to keep going, ask more, but Yoon Jay had long since turned to Yoo Gwang-seok and Park Seo-ah.

"Jay, aren't you curious what you'll win tonight?"

"Hard to say. I'll win as much as I deserve, I suppose."

Yoon Jay showed little expectation. The way he refused to fixate on trophies made his caliber seem all the more exceptional. But Park Seo-ah's curiosity ran deeper than that.

He'd already ridden the popularity wave with Along Along, yet then he'd jumped, out of nowhere, into an unknown writer's Daldongne — and then Crown, a work by a star writer but with an ambiguous character. His trajectory defied all prediction.

"I got the synopsis myself, so I know a little — can I ask why you went into Choi Hyeran's project?"

"The character was interesting."

"That's it? Aren't you afraid you'll end up as a trash-character specialist?"

Yoon Jay laughed at her joke. The awards meant nothing to him. He had no grand plan to build a prestige image through his choices, either.

If a project interested him, he'd take it; if not, he wouldn't. He simply wanted to act.

"The Male Newcomer Award goes to... Yoon Jay. Congratulations!"

Still, the newcomer award did feel nice. It was an award he could only receive once in his life. It felt like proof of a beginning — the start of his life as the actor Yoon Jay.

Time passed, and the Best Couple Award went to Kim Hyun-jun and Park Seo-ah, while the Along Along staff took home the art direction and sound awards. And then, at last, it was time for the Best Supporting Actor prize. Everyone expected Yoon Jay to win — but there was a small upset.

"The Best Supporting Actor Award goes to... Nam Hyun-seung!"

Cheers erupted from the neighboring table. Nam Hyun-seung glanced briefly at Yoon Jay before mounting the stage.

Yoon Jay genuinely felt nothing about it, but the people around him were in an uproar.

"Why didn't our Jay get the supporting award?"

"Don't tell me it's seniority? 'Take your newcomer award and be satisfied with that' — is that it?"

"You're really okay with this?"

Screenwriter Im Hyun-hee, director Choi Seung-ah, and Park Seo-ah muttered under their breaths. Since the cameras were rolling, they clapped and smiled — but the moment the cameras looked away, they hid their mouths behind their hands.

"I'm fine, really."

He had no regrets. He hoped, someday, to walk a red carpet alongside Lee Young-chang — but that was all.

Yoon Jay watched his younger siblings' group perform with a delighted face. Meanwhile, the internet was on fire.

The community boards, already a battlefield of "Why wasn't it Yoon Jay?" versus "So what if it wasn't Yoon Jay?" and "Did they hand out awards or what?", flipped over in an entirely different way.

"The Best Actor Award goes to... Yoon Jay of Along Along. Congratulations."

Park Seo-ah and screenwriter Im Hyun-hee shot to their feet, thumping Yoon Jay on the back in celebration. Even the Along Along staff who'd come to cheer from the audience seats screamed with joy.

"Congratulations!"

"Best Actor already. Unbelievable."

"Go, go, hurry up and get up there!"

Escorted by his colleagues' gleeful commotion, he climbed onto the stage, where the Along Along staff — already waiting for him — pressed an armful of bouquets into his hands. There were so many he had to set some down on the floor for a moment.

Before long, Along Along took the Drama of the Year award as well. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say the show swept the night.

"Congratulations, Writer."

"If you really want to congratulate me, do my next drama with me. How about it?"

Screenwriter Im Hyun-hee refused to give up, but Yoon Jay only smiled.

And then came another network's award ceremony. At Daldongne, too, Yoon Jay received the Newcomer and Best Supporting Actor awards. The general consensus was that the right people had won — but as always, there were the disgruntled few, grumbling that the honors were excessive for someone so new to the industry.

So this is what they meant by awards season driving everyone crazy...

Yoon Jay switched off his phone and pulled back the curtains. Dawn was already breaking over the horizon.

As the year-end award ceremonies wound down, 2023 arrived with the new year. And at last, Nflix's most anticipated series, The Garden of Evil, was released to the world.