Chapter 8: The Rural Set
"I have good news!" Se-hee said, her voice buzzing with excitement.
To make up for the shaman fiasco, she'd insisted on treating him to Samgyeopsal. Usually, Sunghoon might have declined, still feeling the lingering stiffness of his "new" body, but he found himself agreeing almost instantly. There was something about the sizzle of pork belly that transcended time.
Now, they sat in a crowded restaurant, the air thick with delicious smoke. Sunghoon handled the tongs, expertly flipping the meat on the grill,a skill he'd perfected during long wrap parties in the nineties.
"Since you've only been working part-time at the Kwon family's place, I thought I'd look for another gig for you," Se-hee explained. Her expression darkened for a split second.
"Considering the club is out of the question for now."
She didn't dwell on the club, but Sunghoon knew she'd been trying to get his old job back. The managers there had rejected her appeals, and though she felt guilty about the loss of his highest-paying income, Sunghoon was secretly relieved. He wasn't sure he was ready for the chaos of a 2025 nightclub yet.
"A friend of mine works at an ad agency," she continued, her smile returning. "He said he could hook you up with a gig on set. The pay is great, and they provide food and accommodation."
"When is it?" Sunghoon asked, placing a perfectly charred piece of pork on her plate.
Se-hee's confidence faltered slightly.
"Tomorrow. And through the weekend." She looked at him nervously, worried the short notice would be a dealbreaker. It was the real reason she'd been so desperate to take him to the shaman,she wanted him "cleansed" and ready for the job.
"Okay," he agreed easily.
"Good! Great! I'll let him know right away." She beamed, pulling out her phone and typing furiously. "He says the bus leaves at 8:00 AM. I'll drop you off."
She set the phone down, her gaze softening. "You've worked on sets before, but now that you have amnesia..."
"I'm sure I can handle it," Sunghoon said, a small, confident smile playing on his lips. He placed another piece of meat on her plate.
"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked, gesturing to his nearly empty plate.
Sunghoon blinked, realizing what he'd been doing. It was a force of habit. Back in the day, his younger sister would always hoard the meat, so he'd developed a reflex for making sure her plate was full before he even touched his own.
"I just want you to get stronger so you can keep finding me these jobs," he joked, making a quick excuse to cover the pang of nostalgia in his chest.
He missed his sister terribly. He'd planned to look for her this weekend, but since Se-hee had worked so hard to secure this job, he decided his own mission could wait a few more days.
The next morning, Se-hee dropped him at the bus stop. Sunghoon greeted the other staff members, noting the mix of weary veterans and eager youngsters. As the bus pulled away, he saw Se-hee waving enthusiastically in the rearview mirror.
Se-hee watched the bus disappear into the morning traffic. She felt a nagging sense of protectiveness over him. His "selective amnesia" was so strange,he could navigate the complexities of human emotion perfectly, yet he stared at a tablet like it was an alien artifact.
She sighed, her phone buzzing with a notification. She had a restaurant review to film. Duty called, though she'd much rather be at home hunting for Re-draft tickets. The general sale was coming up, and she was determined to see Raiven in person, even if it cost her a month's rent.
The bus ride was long, winding away from the neon heart of Seoul toward the countryside. Sunghoon spent the time scrolling through his phone, still marveling at the sheer volume of information at his fingertips.
When they finally arrived in the afternoon, the staff was assigned rooms in a modest two-star hotel. Sunghoon didn't mind the outdated decor; in fact, it made him feel at home. To the modern reviews, it was "vintage" and "worn," but to him, it was a reminder of the aesthetic he'd left behind.
The air here was different,crisp, clean, and free of the heavy city smog. It reminded him that while the world had changed, the land stayed the same.
He was officially part of the production support team, tasked with shifting equipment and managing the site. He'd heard the shoot was for a major milk brand,their first-ever celebrity campaign. It was a huge deal, but the star's identity was being kept under wraps. Sunghoon didn't care; he didn't know many modern stars anyway.
Resting on the firm mattress, he searched for "Fei Entertainment" again. His sister's company. They were small, with only a few artists. He saw an old post for auditions that had already passed.
Maybe I can just show up, he thought. Maybe if she sees my face... no, she won't see her brother. She'll just see Haru.
Thinking of family made him wonder about the "real" Haru. He'd asked Se-hee about it earlier. She told him Haru's mother had moved abroad years ago, and his father was a deadbeat who only appeared when he needed something.
Haru had been alone. Truly alone, except for Se-hee.
Sunghoon stood up, feeling a heavy weight of sympathy for the boy whose life he had inherited. He walked to the bathroom and caught his reflection. He still hadn't found a barber, so he pulled his long hair back into a tight ponytail.