LIGHTNOVELONLINE Episode 15 - Yeonha University (1)
“Why do you look like that?”
Suddenly noticing Yeon-woo lost in thought, Jin-yuk asked. Yeon-woo seemed to have a sad expression unintentionally.
“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s the watch here.”
Yeon-woo smiled and handed over the National Intelligence Service watch he was holding to Jin-yuk.
“Should I give you this as a gift?”
Yeon-woo smiled in response to Jin-yuk’s words.
“I don’t wear watches often. They make my wrist itch.”
“That’s probably because it’s a low-quality one. Haha, it looks tacky compared to its appearance.”
“Is that so?”
While he doesn’t regret his sacrifices for the nation and security, Yeon-woo is determined to lead a different life from his past.
*********
At the time Yeon-woo was looking at a watch at Son Jin-yuk’s house.
-Crack.-
The Chief of the Western District Prosecutor’s Office opened the door to the office of Prosecutor Han Hae-woon and entered.
“Prosecutor Han. Uh-uh, please sit.”
At the chief’s arrival, the investigators were surprised and stood up from their seats. The Chief of the Western District Prosecutor’s Office holds a high position even during a vice-chief prosecutor’s term.
“No, Chief. Why did you come down in person…?”
Prosecutor Han also stood up and greeted Chief Ji.
“Haha, Prosecutor Han, you’re working hard. Someone with free time has to come.”
Chief Ji approached Han Hae-woon and put his hand on his shoulder in a friendly manner.
“I heard that you’ve been investigating someone named Jeon Su-hwan lately? What’s going on?”
“Yes? Chief, how did you…?”
Hae-woon was surprised by Chief Ji speaking suddenly while placing his hand on his shoulder.
It wasn’t an official investigation, just a personal inquiry, but having the chief personally involved was unexpected.
“I checked it out. Turns out that person is already dead. I don’t know the details of the case, but since there’s no jurisdiction due to his death, let’s just leave it. You know what I mean, right?”
Chief Ji patted Hae-woon’s shoulder and then left the room.
“The Chief came down in person? Who the heck is Jeon Su-hwan…?”
It’s impossible to figure out where the order came from, it must have come from high up in the chain of command.
*********
“Hey, I’ll go because you asked, but do I have to go tomorrow?”
Junsoo looked at Seong-sik as he grumbled.
“Are you talking about Christmas Eve?”
“Hey, even if you’re single, you can enjoy Christmas Eve.”
Hearing that, Junsoo looked at Seong-sik and said.
“Why, though? Are you trying to tell me about Christmas Eve?”
“Well, I just mean it in general. Come on. Let’s go.”
Why would you go on a university tour on Christmas Eve?
Junsoo opened his mouth as he watched Seong-sik mumble.
“Anyway, do you or I have anyone to meet on Christmas? No one’s going to go tomorrow, so there are vacancies for reservations.”
Junsoo had been trying to apply for a tour of Yeonha University in Seoul, which he had always wanted to go to, but the competition was so high that he always failed. But then, the tour that can only be applied for on Sundays happened to overlap with Christmas Eve, creating vacancies. He managed to apply, but he felt a bit lonely going alone, so he dragged Seong-sik along.
“Hey, after the tour, they’re giving out blankets and pens with the Yeonha University logo.”
“Well, my point is, we’re going there for academic purposes, so why do we need that blanket?”
Seong-sik shook his head with a shiver.
“No, seriously, our sister’s friend got one and her grades skyrocketed, so she went to Yeonha University.”
“Ugh, you’re a superstitious believer in pseudoscience. Fine, I get it. You’d better sleep early if you want to leave tomorrow. I’ll go ahead.”
“Hey, make sure you’re at the supermarket by 9 AM tomorrow. Got it?”
Seong-sik and Junsoo shook hands and separated at the entrance of the apartment complex. Through a late-night chat and deep conversations about acting, Yeon-woo and Jin-yuk became even closer.
“Hyung, good morning. Hello, Yeon-woo.”
“Yes, good morning. Hello, Sangwoo hyung.”
As they got into the car, Jin-yuk seemed to have a sudden thought and said,
“By the way, Yeon-woo, did you tell your team leader?”
“Yes, I did. Anyway, it doesn’t matter since we can just get receipts from any shop and handle the expenses.”
“Seems like they’re pretty lenient on that side too. LN Entertainment. They seem to take good care of actors without being too strict. Jae-hyuk senior is also there.”
While driving, Sangwoo added to Jin-yuk’s words.
“Hyung, that agency has strong connections. It’s a place that even managers want to get into.”
Listening to Sangwoo’s words, Jin-yuk fell into thought for a moment.
“Hmm, is that so? Well, my contract is almost up for renewal anyway. LN Entertainment approached me too. Are you interested, Sangwoo?”
“Can I come with you?”
“What? Of course, isn’t that obvious? We’ve been together for 5 years, so we should stick together till the end.”
Touched by Jin-yuk’s words, Sangwoo looked at him with teary eyes.
“Hey, look ahead. The traffic light turned green.”
“Hyung, I love you.”
“Oh, come on, that’s a bit awkward. Well, then I can’t take you with me.”
Jin-yuk playfully threw a joke because he felt a bit embarrassed.
“I’ve been receiving support from LN Entertainment so far, and I told my father even before we started filming our drama.”
In fact, following Jung Cheol-min’s advice, Yeon-woo had been planning to choose LN Entertainment as his agency as long as there weren’t major issues with the contract terms.
“Well, if we do well, we’ll be in the same boat. Yeon-woo.”
“I’m okay with that.”
“Hey, hey, the guys in this car like me too much, huh?”
Laughing and chatting, they arrived at the shop.
“Since the shoot starts after lunch, we have some time. Should I buy something to eat?”
Sangwoo asked Jin-yuk as he got out of the car.
“No, it’s okay. Yeon-woo and I had a simple meal before coming out.”
“Yes, understood.”
Jin-yuk entered first, followed by Yeon-woo.
“Oh, you’re here. Mr. Jin-yuk. Which floor?”
“Hey, we got off right in front.”
They were greeted by Jeong Haneul, the director of the salon. He’s a famous makeup artist who’s one of the top three in the industry.
“Today, please take care of this friend with me, Director.”
Jin-yuk pointed to Yeon-woo, who was following him inside.
“Welcome. I received the concept from the set team this morning. You look even better than on screen.”
“Hello, I’m Ryu Yeon-woo.”
Yeon-woo greeted with a smile in his eyes.
“Yes, Mr. Yeon-woo, nice to meet you. You have a face I’d like to touch. Oh, don’t misunderstand. I’m talking about makeup. Hoho.”
The staff came over and guided them, and the team led by Director Jeong Haneul started working on makeup and hair.
“Both of you, do you have a shoot tomorrow too?”
As she busily brushed with her brushes, Director Jeong asked.
“Probably just a morning shoot tomorrow, right? Yeon-woo.”
“Yes, and the day after tomorrow’s shoot is in the afternoon, so if we finish tomorrow, I plan to go home for a while.”
Yeon-woo’s reply made Director Jeong smile warmly.
“Are you going to spend Christmas with your family?”
Upon Director Jeong’s words, Yeon-woo and Jin-yuk looked at each other.
“Oh, tomorrow’s Christmas?”
“I didn’t know either.”
“Well, people in this industry live so busily that they don’t even know the date. Well, I have to go to work too.”
Director Jeong shook her head.
“Oh right, Yeon-woo. Would you like to sleep over at my place tonight as well?”
“Huh? It’s okay, I guess.”
“We should watch the SBS Drama Awards together in the summer. Let’s watch it at my place.”
Jin-yuk’s words made Yeon-woo laugh.
“Oh, that’s right. It’s tonight, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, there’s an outdoor shoot tonight. Probably focusing on the scenes with So-hyeon.”
“Sure, that sounds fun.”
In response to Yeon-woo’s answer, Jin-yuk tapped on his phone and started typing.
“I’ll ask Jun-ho what he’s doing tonight. How about the three of us gather for Christmas Eve?”
“Doesn’t Jun-ho have anyone to meet?”
“Well, no. As far as I know, all of our cast members are single.”
Director Jeong chuckled at Jin-yuk’s words.
“Hoho. Isn’t that a bit of a problem?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
After finishing the makeup, Jin-yuk and Yeon-woo headed to Yeonha University for an outdoor shoot with the campus as the background.
“Hey, Junsoo. This campus is really beautiful.”
“I told you. This is the most beauty ful campus in Korea.”
“Oh, aren’t the sisters pretty too? Look over there.”
Seong-sik and Junsoo followed the guide and roamed around the campus.
“Sigh… Looking at it now, I kind of want to attend this school. Did your sister’s friend just get motivated and come back?”
“Maybe, but it might be a good thing. But she’s in her final year of high school, so she should focus on her studies.”
“Yeah, she should.”
Though Junsoo and Seong-sik seem like they only play games all the time, they’re not actually that academically challenged. They have decent grades that could aim for a top-ranking university in Seoul through rolling admissions.
“Until the June mock exam, if our grades seem good enough, we’ll give up on rolling admissions and try for regular admissions. Yeonha University.”
“Hey, but honestly, tell me. Are you aiming for Yeonha University because of Hong Yuri noona?”
“Ah, I don’t know. Why ask when you already know? According to the guide sister, this is the Natural Science College.”
Junsoo pointed to the guide who was explaining things diligently.
Kim Junsoo has had a crush on Hong Yuri since freshman year. With Hong Yuri’s acceptance to Yeonha University through rolling admissions, Junsoo has now set a goal for himself.
“Hey, well then, I’ll do it too. Yeonha University. A determination for the sake of a friend’s love.”
Seong-sik also decided to prepare for the college entrance exams with a sense of purpose.
“Hey, but isn’t the Three Sworn Brothers thing done by Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei? We’re two people, aren’t we?”
“I don’t know, let’s include Yeon-woo. Even if it’s a bit forced, couldn’t Yeon-woo be Guan Yu since their names are similar?”
“But if Yeon-woo is Guan Yu, who’s the Zhang Fei among us?”
“Don’t you know when you look in the mirror? Even if you don’t know who Zhang Fei is, it’s definitely you.”
Seong-sik gave Junsoo a look of disbelief.
“What are you saying? But hey, speaking of which, Yeon-woo might apply to Korea University, right?”
“Well, Yeon-woo might be good enough for Korea University. But with his busy acting career, will he have time to study next year?”
Yeon-woo, who only came to school during exam periods and then hurried back to the filming set, crossed Seong-sik’s mind.
“Hmm, isn’t he a monster?”
“Yeah…”
“Hey, but you know that Yuri noona likes Yeon-woo, right?”
Seong-sik poked Junsoo’s side.
Junsoo looked at Seong-sik with a puzzled expression.
“I like the Jellyz sisters too.”
“Oh, is that the same concept?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Yeon-woo isn’t a rival.”
Junsoo and Seong-sik nodded their heads in understanding.
“But, talking about Yeon-woo so much, I really want to see him.”
Clap, clap!
Seeing Junsoo and Seong-sik chatting away, the guide clapped her hands to get their attention.
“Everyone, this is the College of Humanities. The whole building is built in European style, making it the most unique and photogenic spot on Yeonha University’s campus.”
Murmurs of excitement arose as people gathered near the College of Humanities below the hill.
“Even on a holiday like today, many people come for various shoots. They say there’s a drama shoot today as well.”
After that, the guide briefly introduced the history of the College of Humanities.