Chapter 20
Cha Wook leaned wearily against the teacher’s desk.
He raised his head at the sound of approaching footsteps. His tired face brightened when he saw me, though his wide eyes flickered with a hint of confusion.
“Senpai…!”
The manager who had brought him in was nowhere to be seen, and suddenly, Heidi had entered—no wonder he was flustered.
How had Heidi spoken and acted…?
I quickly realized that this was an unnecessary worry. There was nothing in her words or actions that could have helped Cha Wook anyway.
“I’m sorry, Senpai. Because of me, you haven’t been able to rest properly…”
Cha Wook bent to apologize, but I quickly stopped him.
“It’s fine! Mistakes happen. Everyone does it at first.”
“…”
He had probably wiped away tears without anyone noticing, as his eyes were red. He gazed at me with sparkling eyes, but there was still a blank expression on his face.
I guessed the reason and continued speaking.
“If you’re upset from earlier, I’m sorry. I did it because I thought it might stop others from saying more.”
“No, Senpai! I did cause trouble… but thank you.”
Ugh. It felt bitter. Cha Wook was thanking me for Heidi’s image being cleaned up.
I wasn’t thrilled about stepping in to polish Heidi’s image, but…
I looked at the dejected Cha Wook.
What’s he doing, looking like a drenched puppy?
Well, there’s nothing I can do. I need to save my own skin first.
I motioned to Cha Wook to sit at the desk opposite me, pulling out a chair. He approached without a word, still confused, and sat down beside me.
I placed the script on the desk, the one Wook had been staring at day and night.
“Let’s practice here.”
“Here?”
“Yeah. Without the others, without cameras. Just the two of us, let’s rehearse.”
“…Okay.”
“…”
“…”
“Why aren’t you starting?”
“The lines are yours first…”
“Oh.”
Ah, right.
Feeling embarrassed, I lowered my gaze to the script, fumbling through to find Heidi’s lines.
Wait. Hold on.
What am I saying? How can I act?
If I just say a line, it’s obvious I’m not Heidi.
It reminded me of when I spent three years in the theater club back in middle school, always assigned to the directing team. It wasn’t something I wanted, but here I was, trying to act.
“You only…”
“Huh?”
“…Isn’t it a bit much to ask?”
“…?”
“Right. It doesn’t make sense.”
The large question mark appeared clearly on his face.
As I recalled the kind of interview Cha Wook might have one day, I barely suppressed the urge to smack my forehead for being so clueless.
Pfft.
A small exhale escaped.
I turned to look, confirming the source of the noise. Cha Wook was fiddling with the script, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
This was a smile I rarely saw on him, especially not when he was troubled.
Noticing my gaze, Cha Wook quickly covered his mouth.
“Sorry. I think I’ve been a bit different from usual…”
The word different caught me off guard.
“Hehe, really? I didn’t notice. Want to give me the script?”
The play was centered around two characters, a man and a woman who, after parting ways in their youth, reflect on their relationship and what they thought was their most beautiful time.
The first scene had the characters reminiscing about the period they considered their most brilliant and beautiful, filled with freshness, tenderness, and yet, a clumsy and heartfelt emotion.
Cha Wook had once told me that the protagonist in such a situation was very much like himself. If I could help him immerse in that feeling…
“Wook, when was your first love?”
The question seemed unexpected, and Cha Wook paused, his mouth closed as he thought deeply.
It was a very personal question, especially considering I was supposed to be helping him practice. But it was necessary.
If he had a similar experience to the protagonist, knowing who that person was would be important.
As I began to feel anxious, wondering if I had crossed a line, Cha Wook answered.
“Hmm… A long time ago.”
So Wook had matured early.
“What kind of person were they?”
“They were strong and mature. Much more than I was. They were the complete opposite of me—always bright, confident, and came up to me first.”
Cha Wook’s gaze drifted to the distance, as though lost in the past.
Listening to his story, I couldn’t help but think of our own childhoods. I wondered if he ever thought of me like this.
“I think it was when they first came up to me. I started to like them then.”
“Did you confess?”
“…No. I had to leave.”
“Why? You should’ve confessed! Doesn’t it feel regretful to leave without telling them, especially when you’re parting ways?”
Seems like Wook had transferred schools frequently after we broke up.
Anyway, the story of the drama mirrored this quite a bit. The protagonist, too, had missed his chance to confess because of his introverted nature, and his best friend ended up taking the person he loved.
“I didn’t have the courage. They were kind to everyone, not just me. I was worried that confessing would make them dislike me.”
“Yeah. You were young, so it makes sense you’d think that way.”
I asked him quietly.
“Have you ever regretted it?”
“I do. I wonder how they’re doing since we lost touch completely.”
“Wook, but listening to your story, I think you and your character are really similar.”
When I said this carefully, there was a flicker of recognition in Cha Wook’s eyes.
“You’ve probably already memorized your lines, but I think the nervousness is making you mess up. What if you stop thinking of it as acting and just show me yourself?”
Cha Wook listened attentively.
“Think of that person you couldn’t confess to as me. Imagine telling me the things you couldn’t tell them back then.”
For a brief moment, I saw something akin to realization in his trembling brown eyes.
After staring at me for a while, Cha Wook finally turned his gaze back to the script. His long, delicate eyelashes fluttered.
Then, he spoke.
“That summer… I hated shrinking in front of you. I hated how you stirred things up. You were such a big disruption in my calm life. I didn’t know what those feelings were back then, because I was so young.”
Instead of skipping over Heidi’s next lines, I locked eyes with him. His gaze, tinged with the fading sunlight, gazed at me deeply.
“That was love.”
“….”
“I liked you. You were the brightest and most radiant moment of my youth.”
Cha Wook, who had seemed so weighed down by tension before, now looked freer than ever, as if he had finally shed all his worries.
His tone, once stiff and unnatural, had softened, and there was genuine emotion in his words. For a moment, I almost believed he was speaking to me, not just acting.
Realizing I had been staring at him blankly, I quickly regained my composure.
“Good. Really… well done.”
I wasn’t a professional, so I had no more advice to offer, but to me, his performance had felt flawless.
Even though I was pretending to be Heidi, with no experience or knowledge in acting, I had done what I could, and that was enough.
“I think I understand a little now.”
His voice trembled slightly, excitement evident in his tone. I was relieved to see that my help had made some difference.
But, as I looked at the clarity in his eyes, I couldn’t help but feel conflicted.
“Thank you, Heidi-senpai.”
