chapter 23

Chapter 23. Reward Vacation

-Ryu Yeon-woo: Guys, thanks for always supporting me. I'll be back at school on the 3rd, so see you there!

-Woo Sung-sik: Oh, Yeon-woo's finally coming back?

-Hwang Jin-hyun: Yeon-woo, how many days are you staying at school this time? Class 4 keeps beating us at soccer. Come score some goals!

Yeon-woo's message in the group chat was met with a flurry of replies and smiley emoticons.

The wrap-up party, which continued late into the night, eventually split into those going for a second round and those heading home. Yeon-woo, being a minor, left early.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Min-soo hyung."

"Not at all. I just dropped off Ye-eun, the stylist, near her home."

Min-soo drove Yeon-woo to the officetel owned by the agency and then headed home himself.

"Whew, my first drama is officially over." Yeon-woo felt a mix of relief and bittersweet nostalgia. It still felt surreal that he had acted in a drama. In his past life, his only acting experience had been as a passerby extra.

"I guess I'll get used to this feeling after a few more projects?"

Despite the late hour, he felt a strange emptiness. He lay in bed, mindlessly browsing articles about "Summer's Closet" on his phone, before falling asleep.

Min-soo arrived the next day around noon to pick him up.

"Actor, have you eaten?"

"No, have you, Min-soo hyung?"

"Not yet. Let's get some hangover soup before we head back."

"I'm still a student; I didn't drink any alcohol. But I do like hangover soup."

Kim Min-soo, used to Yeon-woo's mature demeanor, often forgot he was a minor. He nodded and took Yeon-woo to his favorite restaurant.

They had a late breakfast/early lunch and then headed for Daejeon.

They arrived at Yeon-woo's parents' apartment.

"Would you like to come in, Min-soo hyung? I can offer you some juice."

"No, thank you. I'll wait in front of the elevator. Take your time."

Yeon-woo entered the apartment to retrieve his passport, which he needed to submit to the agency for the reward vacation.

Fortunately, he had gotten a passport last year when he turned seventeen and received his new ID card. He had called his parents the previous day, and his mother had placed it on the dining table. He grabbed it and went back outside.

"Here's my passport. Thank you for driving all the way to Daejeon."

"It's my job. I'm used to driving between Seoul and Busan. Daejeon is relatively close."

Yeon-woo handed him the passport with a bright smile.

"The agency will probably apply for the travel visa online, so you don't have to do anything. I'll see you on the 7th."

"Yes, drive safely."

Min-soo left, saying he would return on the day of their departure. Yeon-woo spent the rest of the day preparing for school and exercising, as usual.

The next morning, Yeon-woo arrived at school in his father's car.

As he got out of the car and passed through the school gates, he was met with shrieks from female students, who rushed towards him.

"Oh my god, it's Ryu Yeon-woo!"

"Ahhh! What do I do?!"

Most of the faces were unfamiliar, so he assumed they were freshmen.

"Hello. Hi." Yeon-woo greeted them, making eye contact and shaking their hands.

The school entrance turned into a chaotic scene due to the sudden influx of students.

"Oh my god, I just made eye contact with him!"

"No, he looked at me!"

A freshman, Ye-sol, pushed her way through the bickering girls, a triumphant look on her face. "He held my hand!"

"No way!"

Everyone held up their smartphones, eager to capture a photo or video of Yeon-woo. For students at a local high school, a celebrity senior was an irresistible attraction.

Beep! Beep! 

"What's all this commotion?!"

The student supervisor, alerted by the noise, blew his whistle and rushed towards the entrance, assuming there was a fight. He spotted Yeon-woo surrounded by students and pushed his way through the crowd.

"Um, hello, sir," Yeon-woo said with a slightly awkward smile.

The teacher quickly assessed the situation, put his arm around Yeon-woo's shoulder like a manager, and escorted him through the crowd towards the main building.

"Make way! Are you going to block your senior from entering the school?"

They arrived at the main building safely, and Yeon-woo headed to his new classroom on the third floor, where he reunited with his friends.

"Yeon-woo, it feels like it's been ages!"

"Yes! I'm in the same class as Yeon-woo!"

Unlike his friends, who had diligently attended self-study sessions during the break, this was the first time Yeon-woo had seen them in almost three months.

"It has been three months."

Joon-soo approached him and slung his arm around his shoulder. "Yeon-woo, Sung-sik is in the other class, haha."

"Ah, too bad he's alone."

Joon-soo shook his head. "You know he'll be fine." Sung-sik was a social butterfly, friends with everyone in school.

"Yeon-woo, is Han So-hyun really that pretty?"

"Have you met any girl group members? Who did you meet?"

More students gathered around Yeon-woo, bombarding him with typical high school boy questions.

Yeon-woo smiled and answered patiently, the room occasionally echoing with "Oohs" and "Aahs."

"Quiet! Let's start class. Class president."

The teacher entered, and class began. Yeon-woo, knowing he would be missing more school days for the reward vacation, focused on his studies.

"Yeon-woo, why are you studying so hard? You're a celebrity now."

"Well, there's nothing else to do at school. You should study too. It's our duty as students. You'll regret it later."

"Ugh, he sounds like my dad sometimes," Joon-soo muttered, shaking his head at Yeon-woo.

"Son, did you pack gochujang (Korean chili paste)?"

"Haha, I'm fine with foreign food. Don't worry."

A few days of school passed, and the day of their departure arrived.

Yeon-woo left home early in the morning, dissuading his mother from packing gochujang, ramen, and other Korean staples.

A van was waiting for him in front of his still-dark apartment building.

"Min-soo hyung, you're here so early. Sorry for the trouble."

Min-soo smiled. "No trouble at all. I'm excited about going to Hawaii, haha." He was a natural-born manager, finding office work tedious and preferring to be on the move.

"Let's go."

Min-soo drove smoothly towards Seoul and picked up Ye-eun, the stylist, who was waiting in Gangnam with a suitcase full of clothes.

"Ye-eun noona, hello. That must have been heavy."

Ye-eun's fatigue from waking up early vanished at Yeon-woo's apologetic smile.

"Oh, no, not at all! It wasn't heavy at all!"

"Please, speak comfortably. We'll be seeing a lot of each other."

Ye-eun blushed and nodded. "Um, Yeon-woo, do you want to change into this first? It's better to do hair after you're dressed."

Yeon-woo took the clothes and quickly changed.

Ye-eun let out a small gasp, covered her eyes briefly, and then peeked through her fingers at his toned physique.

"Are you done?"

"Yes, all changed. Noona, what kind of stylist is shy about seeing her client change clothes?"

Ye-eun fidgeted with her fingers. "I've only worked with veteran actors and actresses before…"

Despite her embarrassment, she quickly regained her composure and started styling Yeon-woo's hair.

"I'm not a hair specialist, so I'll just keep it neat. You look good no matter what."

"Thanks. No need for makeup. It's a long flight."

Ye-eun, seeing Yeon-woo's flawless skin, simply applied some moisturizer.

"Are those reporters over there? I'll pull up there."

The van arrived at Incheon Airport and stopped in front of a group of reporters near Gate 8.

Min-soo quickly got out and retrieved Yeon-woo's and his own luggage. "Ye-eun, someone from the agency will be here to pick up the car."

Yeon-woo got out, took his suitcase from Min-soo, and thanked Ye-eun, saying he would see her when they returned.

Camera flashes exploded as they stood at the small crosswalk in front of the gate. Passersby, noticing Yeon-woo, also took out their phones.

The light turned green, and Yeon-woo crossed the street, greeting the reporters and fans.

"Hello, I'll be back soon."

Min-soo escorted him into the airport.

"Watch out for the pillars! Pillars!" Min-soo warned the fans who were rushing towards Yeon-woo with their phones, filming him as they backed away. They headed straight for the boarding area.

"Here, let me check you in. Actor, there are fans over there." Min-soo took Yeon-woo's passport and suitcase, pointing at the fans waving from behind the glass doors.

Yeon-woo smiled and made a finger heart for his waiting fans as he went through the boarding procedures.

"Actor, the agency told us to go to Lounge B, but I don't come to the airport often, so please wait a moment."

"Min-soo hyung, it's this way." Having been stationed overseas as an NIS agent, Yeon-woo was familiar with airports around the world.

They arrived at the lounge, where the others were already waiting.

"Yeon-woo, over here!" Ahn Joon-ho waved.

Min-soo went to greet the other actors' managers at a nearby table.

"Yeon-woo, you're here?"

"Yes, noona. Are you feeling unwell?" Han So-hyun seemed unusually subdued, unlike her usual energetic self.

"I… I'm afraid of flying." She had developed a fear of flying after experiencing severe turbulence as a child and rarely traveled abroad.

Yeon-woo reassured her that everything would be alright.

Soon, it was time to board. They left the lounge and proceeded to the gate.