Eight months ago

"Cut! Myung Soo, the scene is perfect. Let's call it a night everyone."

The sky was already dark when the shooting ended. Myung Soo bowed to his team workers as a sign of appreciation for their hard work before heading to the make-up station where he had left his bag. The make-up artist wanted to help him get rid of his eye liner and foundation but he excused himself to another room where he quickly removed his cosmetics and changed into his own clothes.

It was a special day for his best friend because she had just opened a coffee shop specialised in French pastries after having worked in a bakery for four years. Eun Ae's dream had finally become a reality. Unfortunately, Myung Soo had not attended the grand opening because of professional duties. He had been working on the sets of a new drama every night for a month which left him very little time to spend with his friends and family. It was the reason why he was in a hurry. He was already leaving the filming location when the director called for him. Usually, Myung Soo loved going over every detail of his scenes so as to deliver the best performance to his fans, but it all seemed futile tonight. His only wish was to rush to Eun Ae's place and find out more about her first day of work. Yet the director was talking, thinking, asking for opinions and Myung Soo struggled to focus on the task. It was only after thirty long minutes that the review of the footage was completed and he could finally leave.

Even though he had left the set later than expected, he made a quick stop by a convenience store to buy Eun Ae's favorite green tea ice cream. Luckily the shop was not crowded and he was soon back on the road. He reached the outskirts of Myeondong, parked in front of the small building where his friend rented a rooftop apartment, and climbed up the stairs. He could not help but smile when he saw her learning against the door frame. She was often able to sense his presence, so he found her waiting at the door whenever he came to her place, and that strange habit of hers always made him smile.

She pointed towards the plastic bag he was holding and argued that she had smelled the delicate perfume of green tea from afar. Myung Soo ruffled her hair as he came in, then he passed by the kitchen to get two spoons and went to the living room where he sat on the couch. Eun Ae sat by his side and they ate together from the ice cream container.

"How was your day ?" he asked.

"Very good! I'm glad I hired a kitchen assistant because I was overwhelmed by customers. It'd be impossible to bake by myself. I mean, I baked before business hours but there were not enough dessert. Or maybe there were too many customers. No! It's just that I wasn't expecting so many people. That's why we had to bake again in the afternoon and-"

"Can I eat something ?"

"Yah, are you even listening to me ?!"

"I am. But your story's too long and I'm gettin' hungry."

"We're eating ice cream."

He shrugged and answered : "do you have ramyeon ? Can you make some for me, please, please ?"

His words were accompanied by a pout and finger heart. Obviously, she was unable to resist his cute behaviour and he followed her to the kitchen where he sat on a chair as she looked for a pot. She talked about her day of work while cooking. He listened to her detailed narrative with interest. He liked the fact that Eun Ae was talkative even if he was not much of a talker. It seemed to him that their friendship was well-balanced, indeed Eun Ae was an outgoing person who could talk to anyone and easily be befriended whereas he was more of an introvert who opened up to his closest friends exclusively. Their differences had seemed insurmontable in the early stages of their friendship. They had met when Eun Ae was a teenager and he was a high school student. At that time, he offered tutoring sessions in mathematics and was hired by her parents to teach her twice a week. She had made him feel uncomfortable because she had often mentioned her personal life when he had tried to focus solely on academic contents. He had wished to be treated as a tutor rather than as a friend. However, he had not been able to avoid her anecdotes or questions, and they had become friends somehow. Their bond grew stronger over the years, to the point that they considered each other family. Myung Soo even had his habits at her place. A few of his clothes were stored in her wardrobe since he slept over when it was too late for him to drive home. He decided to sleep on the convertible sofa tonight too. She prepared the bed as he finished his bowl of ramyeon. Then, he joined her to talk some more.

Their conversation was interrupted by an incoming call from Sun Hee, one of their friends and Myung Soo's senior in the entertainment industry. They used to communicate through texts so he was surprised to receive a call from her at night. He was still staring at his phone when Eun Ae picked up the call while mouthing : "it must be important."

He used the speaker mode to allow her to listen to the conversation.

"Myung Soo-ah... help me, please."

From the tone of her voice, they understood that Sun Hee was crying.

"What's wrong Noona ?"

"It's about Jun Seo. He, he knows."

"What are you talking about ?"

"He knows what I did..." she took a deep breath to calm herself down before she explained : "he says he wants to divorce. I don't know how he found out about it... but it's all in the past, right ? It was a mistake, right ? And now, I don't know what to do..."

Eun Ae glanced at Myung Soo curiously, oblivious to Sun Hee's worries, but he was as clueless as her.

"Can you talk to him, Myung Soo-ah ?" Sun Hee spoke again. "I can't live without him. If he leaves me, I will..."

"Noona, please, don't do anything stupid! You know how much Jun Seo loves you. I'm sure he'll change his mind."

"He won't. You didn't see the look in his eyes. He hates me now..."

Eun Ae whispered to his ear, and he told Sun Hee : "give me a minute and I'll be there. Don't do anything stupid, okay ? Just sit down, drink some water, I'll come over. Just wait for me."

He looked at his best friend once the call was disconnected : "they must have had a fight."

"You should stay with her and I'll try calling Jun Seo."

Eun Ae and Jun Seo had become close ever since Myung Soo had introduced them to each other. Jun Seo was his childhood friend. They had attended the same schools until graduation, then, they had both pursued a career in the entertainment industry. But the younger one had quit his job as a music producer after a couple of years to follow his newly-found passion for sports. Although they had made different life choices, their friendship had remained intact, so Eun Ae, Jun Seo and Myung Soo met as often as possible and helped one another through good and bad times. Therefore, Myung Soo could only agree when Eun Ae offered her help. Perhaps she would find the right words to comfort their friend and find out more about the situation. Meanwhile, he would take care of Sun Hee who had no one to confide in.

Eun Ae walked him to his car, then he drove off in direction of Gangnam where his friends lived. The stars were shining brightly but he was too worried to notice them. He had always been envious of the harmony and unconditional love of his friends. So it was difficult for him to accept that Jun Seo would suddenly give up on his marriage. He was certain that they could overcome any issue thanks to their sincere love. Little did he know that his desire to help them would have an unexpected impact on his professional and personal lives.