A Lovely Happiness In Summer
#4 Desire
..."Am I not a cannibal? I'm the pig that ate the pig!"...
...🌞🌞🌞...
A month Yeoreum spent a summer vacation that could have been used to relax or take a walk to the beach for drama staging exercises. Despite being more of a 'babu' than practicing a scene, Yeoreum remains sennag because today he can still realize his dream to win in front of many people.
Now, Yeoreum tenganh is in a dressing room that has been filled with players and performance properties. The players are busy dressing up. Dressing table lined, one fathom away. The seat without a backrest in front of the table is a marker of everyone's territory. Bulb lights surround the mirror frame, adding lighting so that no part of the makeup is missed.
Yeoreum polished his face with powder, very thin, barely traceable. The girl's skin is already as white as dumpling skin, no need to blush to make her face red. Her long hair was already neatly knotted. Yeoreum ended up renting the hanbok because there was no costume property to match its size.
The clock pointed at the number six. Kyungmin entered the room. He clapped, coded attention. Everyone stops doing the activity and comes to it. They are circular even though they are messy.
“Today is our wait. I know you've been training well. Now, embrace the friend next to you and close your eyes,” Kyungmin said. Even though they were a little jostling, they still carried out the instructions. Yoora had just come, standing in a quiet place, next to Yeoreum. Instead of following the drama club ritual, he slammed Yeoreum's hand from his shoulder.
“Do not touch me!”
Yeoreum sighed. He did not want to ruin the atmosphere, choosing to retreat. Now, it was Hyunseok's hand that was embracing him. They threw smiles at each other, then closed their eyes. The two drift in prayer until Kyungmin returns to his voice.
“I have good news,” he said on the sidelines of the fanfare. “Today senior Jeon Jungwoo, one of the talent scouts from BigStar Entertainment agency will watch our performance. It's possible, senior Jeon will offer one of you to become an artist in his agency.”
Yeoreum's eyes sparkled with a single pull from both corners of her lips. BigStar is famous for producing top artists who always win awards. The artist's career even skyrocketed abroad. Being a BigStar artist is a guarantee of success in acting and modeling.
“Prepare and show your skills!” exclamation Kyungmin.
The players disperse with applause. Yoora walked towards Yeoreum, deliberately nudging the girl on the shoulder.
“Senior Jeon won't glance at you,” said Yoora.
Yeoreum could feel the snoring of Yoora crashing down her nape before leaving the room. His hands clenched, trying to control the upset over the girl's words.
Hyunseok's eyes followed Yoora's movements, so sharp as a razor that it was able to scratch its user. However, that gaze stopped when he saw Yeoreum's reddened face.
“You ... is fine?” ask Hyunseok.
“Sure. I'm going to play a drama from a novel I like. Is there a reason not to be okay?”
Hyunseok shrugged, pretending not to know the contents of the girl's heart. He walked towards the player's waiting area backstage.
The blinds open after the diviner completes the opening greeting. The show begins with the childhood story of King Lee Hwon and Yeonwoo. Scene after scene unfolded until the moment Yeoreum took to the stage. She was in a set with Yoora. In the scene, Yeoreum accompanies Yoora to the market to meet King Lee Hwon.
Yeoreum's thin shoes knocked on the floor, stepping in an orderly pace. He was only four small steps away from Joanna. The girl enjoyed every breath of air on the stage, smiling at the audience. She unknowingly stops and sticks out, making her stumble and hit the floor.
Floodlights illuminate the stage, directed at Yeoreum. Spectators glued. At first the atmosphere was so quiet, then the whispers were getting louder. Yoora grinned as she stuck out her hand.
“You must be careful. The roads here are many rocks. Is anyone sick? But, I think your body can hold it well.”
Yeoreum stopped breathing for a few seconds. She is aware that Yoora deliberately created an improvised dialogue to humiliate her. Small laughter echoed from every corner of the audience seat and grew larger. Women close their mouths so as not to open wide when laughing, while men can be more free while patting the handle of the chair. However, among those unsympathetic human scars, only Jeon Jungwoo had a flat expression. He took the sunglasses out of his pants pocket and opted out of the showhouse.
Hyunseok should have gotten into the set, displaying an enchanted look at Yoora, but she completely lost focus. He could see Yeoreum steadily looking down, even though his mouth still recited the dialogue. Unable to bear it, Hyunseok's brain makes sense to avenge Yoora.
“Sorry, I just saw you fall. Are you okay?”
Yeoreum nodded, though her face looked a little confused.
“I am so grateful that Miss ...,” Hyunseok paused her sentence, smiling at Yoora.
The girl seemed to understand her point, then replied with low intonation. “Yeo-Yeonwoo, Your Majesty,” Yoora replied slightly stammered.
“Yes, Miss Yeonwoo. He cares so much about you. Now very many people want to destroy their own friends in devious ways. And, I don't see that from Miss Yeonwoo's behavior.”
Yoora buy. He couldn't possibly vent anger in the staging. The girl could only smile and continue the dialogue that was supposed to play out. In Yeoreum's consciousness, the scene passed by so quickly. The only chapter when he could dialogue and show acting ability was shattered by the incomprehensible hatred of someone.
Descending from the stage, Yeoreum rushed to the dressing room, silent on the chair until the staging ended.
All of the cast members took to the stage after the scene of king Lee Hwon hugging Yeonwoo ended. The clapping echoed throughout the hall. The curtains closed and they went back to the backstage. Costumes hanging in the closet. The dressing room is getting quieter. One by one left two girls separated from two rows of dressers. Yoora cleaned up the rest of the lipstick, while Yeoreum stared flatly at the reflection of her face. The girl's lips voiced a clear-cut sentence.
“What do you really want from me?” yeoreum said in a low tone.
There's no answer. Yoora threw away the rest of the cleaning cotton, making Yeoreum jerk at the table. “Hya! Are you deaf?”
Yoora. His eyes are sharp. “Hya, Fat Girl! You dare me?”
Yeoreum's breathing grew more disordered as Yoora walked towards him. The girl's gaze was intimidating, as if she was a street cat worth throwing away.
“I've never done anything bad to you, but you're like a demon who's always annoying. Are you jealous of me?”
Joora. The shadow of a girl curled up on the side of the bed drew her memories. Blisters adorn the girl's body. A well-built man pulled the belt from his pants, swung towards the girl until her screams deafened the hearing. Yoora shook her head, closing her ears tightly.
“Nothing good is in you. I'm not envious of you! Nah! Never!”
“Then, what is your real reason? Tell me!” yeoreum shouted, venting out all the emotions she had been suppressing all this time.
Yoora laughed cynically. “Because I don't want you to get happiness!”
Yeoreum lost control. He pulled out Yoora's hair, smashed the girl's body into the floor.
“I really hate you, Choi Yoora!”
“Stop!” Hyunseok's high intonation remained unable to stop Yeoreum. The girl continued to rebel. He was forced to strengthen his grip until the girl's movement weakened.
“Sick ...,” says Yeoreum lirih. Hyunseok took off his hand, wiping away the sweat that started to fill the girl's face.
“Come, we go home,” Hyunseok said. The man walked out, carrying Yeoreum past the still faithful man standing at the door watching their drama.
Hyunseok turned the wheel, splitting the path towards Seocho. No words were spoken throughout the journey. The twinkling lights of the magnificent buildings in the city look like the glow of a firefly. Their car stopped behind a road crossing line. Yeoreum stared blankly at the young people passing by while holding hands. Yeoreum's thoughts were dismal. However, nothing could straighten his head anymore. He felt that only eating and 'drinking' could heal his wounds today.
There were ten seconds left before the green light flashed and Yeoreum opened his voice. “I'm going to restaurant Aunty Min.”
Hyunseok looked at Yeoreum for a moment. He sighed, then stepped on the gas pedal after the car behind honked. They covered a distance of 500 meters before parking the car in front of the restaurant. The smell of roast meat came out, welcoming the arrival of the two companions. Yeoreum smiled at the owner she had known since the beginning of college. The old woman who was composing the soju bottle grazed, pointing at the empty table in the left side corner. The girl did not have to bother asking for a menu, the restaurant owner was already so memorized. Yeoreum always ordered the same thing; soju and samgyeopsal.
The grill comes with a tray of meat. The fat that covered her was so tempting. Yeoreum hurriedly lit the grill. He ate voraciously, putting meat and rice alternately into his mouth without pause. Occasionally his empty hand poured soju into a small clear glass, then made the liquid as a food booster to quickly pass through the esophagus. Hyunseok could no longer bear to see Yeoreum. He shifted the girl's seventh glass before it could be gulped. Yeoreum's face flushed like pieces of meat before him. The girl started to mess up. Five slices of meat entered his mouth, steadily increasing before it completely finished chewing.
“You really want to die fast, yes!” hyunseok.
Yeoreum giggled, finishing her delayed soju. “Mati? Just tell me you want to call me a pig.”
“We're home now, you're drunk!” hyunseok.
“Drunk? Impossible!”
“Don't make my patience run out, Han Yeoreum!” The tenor sound was airborne with higher intonation. He clasped Yeoreum's hand, but quickly the girl slammed down.
“You definitely can't stand to see a girl who eats like a pig, her body like a pig, and ...she also eats pork!” The girl laughed loudly while patting her cheeks. A few seconds later, he widened with his mouth wide open. He put on a face pretending to be surprised, then said, “Ah, am I not a cannibal? I'm the pig that ate the pig!”
Yeoreum's eyes were closed with a clear liquid that soaked her cheeks. He was stupefied, leaning over until his crying voice grew more vague. His shoulder tempoless movements had turned into regular breaths. A subtle snoring sound was heard as one by one the restaurant lights went out. The waiter began to flip the chair over to the table. There were no more restaurant customers left, except for Hyunseok who was staring fixedly at Yeoreum. He rubbed the girl's temple with a sad highlight.
“You are the most meaningful girl in my life.”
...🌞🌞🌞...
Yeoreum massages the throbbing head. He blinked a few times until his blurred vision grew brighter and got a focal point. The mother sat down on the side of the bed.
“Mother has made a hangover soup for you.”
Yeoreum's consciousness had not fully returned. He was trying to put together a memory last night. He widened, sat down quickly after all his memories returned. “What was I drunk last night?”
“Iya. Hyunseok drove you home. What exactly happened?”
The girl sighed, then hugged her mother. Long she enjoyed a gentle rub in her hair. It was not the first time Saerin had faced Yeoreum's condition like that. The woman also opened the conversation.
“What girl from the drama club is bothering you again?”
Yeoreum nodded.
“Mother has not liked him since the first time to deliver supplies for you.”
“Mother ...,” call Yeoreum down. “Do I have to lose weight?”
"What is your goal to lose weight?" saerin asked softly.
"I don't want to be denigrated anymore" Yeoreum said honestly.
Saerin smiled faintly, then kissed the princess' forehead. "First, if you want to do something, the motivation has to come from here." Saerin pointed his index finger at Yeoreum's chest. "Yourselves. Because if the reason is from the outside, when it's no longer your motivation, it's all gone."
"But I'm tired, Mom .." said Yeoreum.
"Mom understands. I'm glad you grew up so well to this day. Never pick the food. If you really want to lose weight, do it with the aim of making your life better and yourself confident."
Yeoreum's eyes sparkled. However, the mother immediately added her advice.
"But, remember! Do it right. There is no extreme diet! Be patient and enjoy the process."
Yeoreum smiled and hugged Saerin back tightly. “Thank you, Ma.”
Saerin took the bag on the side of the bed, giving it to Yeoreum. “You better call Hyunseok and thank him.”
Saerin kissed the princess's forehead and went out. “Don't forget to spend your soup on the dining table.”
Yeoreum smiled faintly until the shadow of the mother disappeared. He took out literary novels from his bag. The novel often becomes a companion when on public transport. His phone had been in his grasp, but Yeoreum's attention was on the slightly raised cover of Eternal Love. A month since writer Seonhwa's show, Yeoreum has never reopened the book. In fact, he has a habit of reading many times all the works of his favorite authors.
There was a small whisper that prompted the girl to open the book. A small pain crept in his chest area, like being bitten by a red ant. It doesn't hurt much, but it can make anyone squeak. His eyes glazed over seeing the streaks of black ink on the first page.
...I will be the first audience of actress Han Yeoreum....
...-so Seonhwa...
Yeoreum quickly pressed the quick call button, number eight, Hyunseok's favorite number. A heavy and hoarse voice sounded from the other end of the phone. The girl knew the figure opposite the call was still looking for awareness. However, he would not delay to voice his heart.
"Hyunseok-ah, I will become a famous actress. You've got to help me lose weight!"