Chapter 133

Today, Lim Hyomoon had an afternoon shift. Even though he could have taken his time getting ready, he set his alarm early in the morning and began his day. He had an important appointment before going to work. Dressed in a well-pressed suit, he boarded the bus as usual.

The appointment was not far from the main office. At this time of day, the bus passing through the heart of Jongno was packed with office workers on their way to work, making it as crowded as a can of sardines. Squeezing himself onto the packed bus, Lim Hyomoon got off two stops past the main office.

Arriving at the appointment on time, he stood at the entrance, humming a tune as he waited for his companion. After about ten minutes, a familiar face appeared in the distance. He waved enthusiastically, beaming. Unlike Lim Hyomoon's cheerful demeanor, the other person's expression was anything but bright.

"Oh! Seven-seven, over here!"

Jaegyeom shot a grumpy look at Lim Hyomoon.

"Be quiet. You're too loud."

The place where Jaegyeom and Lim Hyomoon met was a movie theater.

Yesterday, the two had a match of Friends Pang in the break room on the third floor of the main office, with the condition that the loser would treat the winner to a movie. As expected, Lim Hyomoon won the game. Jaegyeom, who had gotten carried away and lost control of his pace, scored a dismal 50,000 points-far below the 70,000 needed to win—and was left with no choice but to take Lim Hyomoon to a movie as promised.

Lim Hyomoon, who already had a movie he wanted to see, asked if they could go see it the next day. "Sure," Jaegyeom nodded readily, asking how much the tickets cost before pulling out his wallet and handing the money to the other man.

"Then enjoy the movie."

"..."

Jaegyeom didn't fully grasp what treating someone to a movie entailed. Dumbfounded, Lim Hyomoon explained that it wasn't just about paying for the tickets but also about watching the movie together at the theater.

Jaegyeom was dismayed. He had no intention of making plans to meet Lim Hyomoon outside of work. If he had known this from the start, he wouldn't have agreed to the bet. But it was too late to back out now. Thus, he found himself going on an unexpected trip to the movie theater.

Whether it was good luck or bad luck, when they checked their schedules, they discovered that both of them had an afternoon shift. This made it easy to coordinate their meeting time, and Jaegyeom reluctantly agreed to fulfill the promise as quickly as possible.

Jaegyeom, who was not a morning person, regretted his decision from the moment he woke up until now. In the movie theater at this hour, dressed in office attire, the only people there were Lim Hyomoon and jaegyeom. The reason for their early meeting was Lim Hyomoon's belief that "weekday mornings, when the theater is empty, are the golden time for movies."

Even though this was his first time at a theater, Jaegyeom, still groggy from his morning sleep, felt indifferent about everything.

Nothing seemed exciting or new.

"Seven-seven, let's get our tickets first."

Unlike the wilted Jaegyeom, who looked like overcooked greens, the morning person Lim Hyomoon was full of energy. Jaegyeom trudged after him to the ticket machine.

"Hey. I'll pay, so you get the tickets."

"Huh? Why?"

"I've never been to a theater before, so I'm not sure how to do it."

When Jaegyeom handed over his card, Lim Hyomoon's eyes widened in surprise.

"What? You've never been to a theater?"

"I grew up in the countryside, so we didn't have a theater."

Jaegyeom casually lied. In the end, Lim Hyomoon ended up getting the tickets. Standing in front of the self-service machine, he started the booking process by tapping on the screen. However, no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find the movie they wanted to see. Finding it strange, he explained the situation to a nearby staff member and asked for help.

"Sir, this movie is not being shown at our theater..."

"What?!"

A shocked Lim Hyomoon stared blankly. He was sure he had checked the schedule the day before! He hastily began searching for information on his phone.

"Ah! It's not here, I confused it with another theater!"

Lim Hyomoon slumped down like a deflated balloon and tugged at his bleached hair in frustration. The movie he wanted to see was

being shown at a different theater. There were several theaters near Jongmyo, and he had foolishly mistaken one for another. They had timed their arrival perfectly for the showtime, so even if they rushed to the other theater, it was uncertain if they would make it in time.

He scratched his head, glancing anxiously at Jaegyeom.

"What should we do? Seven-seven, should we just meet up another day?"

"Are you kidding me? You dragged me out here this morning. Let's just watch whatever."

"But what if it's boring?"

"So what? Even people who make boring movies have to make a living."

Jaegyeom absentmindedly scratched his ear with an indifferent expression.

"..."

Oh, well... with that logic, there's really nothing I can say...

Jaegyeom didn't care whether the movie was good or bad. What mattered was fulfilling the promise. He had come all this way for that reason, and he didn't want to go back empty-handed. Besides, postponing the plan would mean he would have to meet Lim Hyomoon again to watch a movie together, which was something he could not accept.

"Okay... fine, let's just watch anything today."

Jaegyeom's firm stance left Lim Hyomoon no choice but to reluctantly give in while fiddling with his piercings. Since they couldn't see the movie they originally planned to watch, he decided to buy tickets for the next available show without being too picky.

"Since you're treating me to the movie, I'll buy the popcorn."

He went to the concession stand next to the ticket counter and bought a popcorn set. The large bucket was filled to the brim with a mix of caramel and regular popcorn.

"This popcorn is delicious! Seven-seven, try some."

As soon as Jaegyeom tasted the popcorn, his eyes lit up. He remembered that Jeongju had once made popcorn in the microwave, but this was on a whole different level. He felt like he could devour the entire bucket by himself.

"Hey. Can we buy more of this?"

"Huh? The popcorn? Of course, we can. But why?"

"Hey. Can we buy more of this?"

"Huh? The popcorn? Of course, we can. But why?"

"For Mes- uh, for my younger brother."

He wanted to let Mesani try movie theater popcorn too.

"Hmm, then wouldn't it be better to buy it on the way home? It might get stale."

"Oh, really?"

"But, Seven-seven, did you have a sibling? How old is he?"

Jae-gyeom was slightly taken aback. He mumbled a vague response.

"Uh... well... he's probably eaten enough by now..?"

Jaegyeom crunched on his popcorn as he followed Lim Hyomoon into the screening room. The theater was so dark that it was hard to see his feet. He missed a step on the stairs, nearly tripping forward, but ended up bumping his nose into Lim Hyomoon's back. Lim Hyomoon, who was climbing the stairs ahead, let out a startled yelp,

"Eek!" causing some of the nearby moviegoers to exclaim in surprise. Lim Hyomoon frantically apologized, like a madman.

Jaegyeom found his antics amusing and quietly bit his lip to hold back laughter.

The two found their seats and sat down. Jaegyeom subtly copied the other's actions, placing his drink in the cup holder and setting his bag on the front hook. The theater was dark, cool, and incredibly loud. Lim Hyomoon raised his hand and pointed somewhere in front of the screen.

"Hey, Seven-seven. There's a ghost over there."

In front of the screen, a ghost was crouching, almost breaking its neck to look up at the screen. It wasn't all that surprising. In dark, cool places, it's not unusual to encounter a ghost or two, and movie theaters are known to be full of ghosts. Lim Hyomoon leaned slightly and whispered discreetly.

"After we finish the movie and leave later..."

He was about to suggest dealing with it when—

"If they're going to watch the movie, why don't they sit in the back?

Why sit there uncomfortably?"

Jaegyeom nonchalantly commented. Lim Hyomoon paused and stared at him, looking puzzled as if he had heard something strange.

"What?"

"Huh? Oh... nothing.."

The movie began.

Jaegyeom, who was not a morning person, originally planned to close his eyes and take a nap once the movie started. After all, coming to the theater and watching the movie together fulfilled his promise, and no one said he couldn't sleep during the movie.

Besides, the theater seats were so plush and comfortable that as soon as he sat down, he felt like closing his eyes.

But as soon as the movie started, he couldn't help but open his eyes wide. The movie Lim Hyomoon had randomly selected turned out to be a historical drama set in a fictional Joseon era. Given the setting, Jaegyeom found himself naturally drawn into the film, focusing intently.

The time was mid-Joseon. The king wielded absolute power, committing all kinds of tyranny, and the court was filled with corrupt officials, making it a time of great turmoil.

The protagonist of the film was Prince Inyoung, born between the king and a concubine. After witnessing the suffering of the people under the tyranny, Prince Inyoung decided to stage a coup. He resolved to dethrone his father and become king himself, gathering like-minded officials to build his power.

One day, Prince Inyoung met a young man named Lee Hyun.

Lee Hyun was the son of a fallen noble family, a scholar living in obscurity without any official position, but he was more learned and knowledgeable than anyone else.

Recognizing Lee Hyun's knowledge and talent at first glance, Prince Inyoung highly valued his abilities and brought him on as an advisor.

Lee Hyun became indispensable to Prince Inyoung. He greatly assisted the prince in walking the righteous path, never hesitating to admonish him when he strays and sometimes even scolding him harshly.

"Sun Tzu said in The Art of War that subduing the enemy without fighting is better than fighting a hundred battles and winning a hundred times. Do not stoop to engage those who are no better than a pack of wolves. If someone fights with a small-minded person, they are also small-minded. How can a nobleman quarrel with the petty?"

Jaegyeom, engrossed in the movie, had forgotten about his

popcorn.

"My lord, you must be a man of virtue. A small-minded person is like shallow water that gets agitated by a passing breeze, while a wise man is like a vast sea that remains unmoved by any storm. Yet, why do you trouble yourself with such trivial matters?"

Without realizing it, Jaegyeom nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, he thought of Yoon Taehee. The image of Yoon Taehee provoking him flashed through his mind. At this moment, Lee Hyun was not only the strategist for Prince Inyoung but also for Jaegyeom.