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“The owner of the used bookstore you visited was Ilya Turner?”

Kang Ho-Soo thought about how he questioned Woo-Jin, asking, ‘Why do you have to go all the way to the bookstore just to read a book instead of simply buying it?’ His face paled as he also remembered how he joined forces with Hwang Yi-Young and tried to persuade him not to go.

“Anybody can just walk into a bookstore and meet Ilya Turner, huh?”

Kang Ho-Soo remarked that not everybody could be so lucky, feeling a bit disheartened.

“Fortunately, we clicked with one another, so it was easy to communicate.”

It wasn’t difficult for Woo-Jin to explain how he met Ilya, but it was a different story altogether to talk about the strange bond they shared. Woo-Jin couldn’t tell Kang Ho-Soo about the ghost story he gave Ilya. He only said that regardless of generation and nationality, they became friends because they could communicate with each other.

They had been reunited again after so many years, and despite belonging to different generations now, the connection they shared was special. And Ilya was still the same as before, thereby triggering Woo-Jin’s memories of his past life, and this increased the affection he had for Ilya.

In order to keep his new friendship with Ilya going, Woo-Jin had to pay extra attention and watch himself. Even though he and Lansky didn’t have the same habits or taste in food, Woo-Jin tried his best not to make Ilya suspicious of him by slipping up and behaving similarly to Lansky.

When Woo-Jin talked to Ilya, he was reminded of the things he did with him in his previous life, so more often than not, he would naturally try to keep these activities going. He had to be careful not to accidentally talk about things that happened in the past. However, he was unexpectedly ambushed in a different way.

{Do you not like cherries?}

Woo-Jin inquisitively asked as he saw Ilya picking out the cherries from his salad and placing them on one side.

{I hate them with a passion. I used to smell the artificial cherry scent a lot when I was little, so I became sick of it. I hate any fragrance that smells similar to it now.}

Ilya’s biological mother wore a cheap cherry-scented perfume back when she was still alive, and he truly despised it. The scent dominated the memories he had of his mother, so he stayed away from anything related to it.

{I thought you liked cherries because you ate them.}

{I don’t hate how cherries taste; I simply don’t eat them because I don’t like their scent. But when did I ever eat cherries in front of you?}

Ilya asked, pointing his fork at the cherries he placed to one side. This was the third time Woo-Jin had eaten a meal with him, and it was also their first time having cherries as part of their meal.

{Ah, about that…}

{That’s strange. Up until now, I’ve only ever eaten cherries in front of one person.}

Lansky was mostly indifferent toward people, and he had a hard time grasping what others liked and disliked. He had a tendency to buy or recommend something he personally appreciated, thinking others would enjoy it too.

Ilya had never turned Lansky down whenever he bought cherries for him. It wasn’t that he was scared –– instead, he was thrilled because nobody had ever cared or given him anything before. He felt ecstatic at that moment, so there was no reason for him to reject the cherries.

There had been quite a few times where Lansky felt proud after seeing Ilya enjoy himself eating those cherries. Perhaps, to him, that was a pleasant memory of Lansky, but judging from how it didn’t change his feelings about cherries, it seemed that events from one’s childhood had the greatest impact.

{I see. How could I have been mistaken?}

Today, for the first time, Ilya brought up the incident that occurred at the bookstore.

{I’m guessing the ghost told you everything, including the smallest details, huh? I specifically avoided going to places like the cemetery or haunted areas for your sake, but it seems like it was pointless.}

Woo-Jin thought he was in the clear as long as he was careful. And yet, he ended up unintentionally revealing to Ilya that he knew him. He quickly thought about information pertaining to Ilya Turner that was publicly known, but there was nothing about his eating preferences. There was no logical reason that he should know about it.

{It wasn’t just now –– I saw it that day at the bookstore. It was only for a fleeting moment, but it was like a video. It’s possible that I was mistaken about what I saw that day.}

{Like a video?}

Woo-Jin thought to himself: I can finally come up with an excuse for that day. So, he replied enthusiastically.

{Yes! It’s not that I get possessed by a ghost all the time. I simply saw your life via someone else’s eyes.}

{Someone else’s eyes…}

As soon as Ilya muttered while stroking his chin, Woo-Jin gulped. While he was nervous, worrying about Ilya’s next question, the latter nodded.

{Interesting.}

And without asking any further questions, they moved to a different topic. Oddly enough, rather than Ilya, Woo-Jin was the one who felt that there was something strange about the other’s response, and he started to grow anxious. It was like playing a game of tag –– he was confident he had hidden well, but the tagger had no intention of searching for him whatsoever. The person that was hiding was so frustrated that he wanted to plead with the tagger to find him.

{Aren’t you curious about who the ghost is?}

Ultimately, Woo-Jin couldn’t restrain himself any longer and brought up the topic again.

{Of course, I’m very curious. But for some reason, I figured you wouldn’t exactly tell me the truth, so I didn’t ask.}

{Do I sound like I’m lying to you? If that’s what you believe, I would’ve thought that you’d have more questions instead, though.}

A slight smile appeared on Ilya’s face. His clear and wise eyes made it seem as though he knew what Woo-Jin was hiding.

{It’s always easy to be suspicious of an actor’s sincerity, especially one so skilled.}

And on that note, until the day Woo-Jin went back to Korea, Ilya didn’t ask any more questions about this topic.

***

Both Ilya and Woo-Jin frequently exchanged emails even after the latter returned to Korea. The recent topic they were focused on was Woo-Jin’s writing. As soon as Woo-Jin returned to Korea, he devoted himself to his academics and focused on translating his novel into English in his spare time.

After translating a fair amount, Woo-Jin emailed the translated chapters to Ilya, who would then read them before they shared their opinions with one another. Ilya didn’t evaluate or criticize Woo-Jin’s writing; he only talked about the story and the protagonist, and if he didn’t understand any difficult sentences, he would ask Woo-Jin for clarification. By explaining those parts to Ilya, Woo-Jin was able to fix the loopholes in his story and organize his sentences better.

{It’s not bad for someone’s first time writing.}

After establishing the framework of his story and removing unnecessary details, new sentences were formed. With Woo-Jin’s thoughts added to it, his lively and fluid sentences started to form the foundation of his writing.

Ilya printed and read Woo-Jin’s novel; he gave a generous evaluation. Even though the genre was different from his, when compared to Ilya’s first work, Woo-Jin’s writing could be considered to be superb.

{I can see the writing style of some famous authors everywhere, but I was like that too.}

This was the first time Ilya had examined another person’s writing in detail. Of course, when he read novels by other authors, he always analyzed every sentence and learned their strengths and weaknesses, but he had never actually spoken with the authors themselves. Sometimes, publishers would request that he evaluate new authors they were trying to promote, but Ilya would reject them.

It wasn’t a particularly challenging task, but it reminded him of the days when Lansky read and evaluated his work, so he preferred not to do it. This was because he didn’t want to share the feelings he experienced when, after reporting his exam results, his heart would pound as he waited for his father to either lecture or praise him. Even if he was put in a situation where he had to evaluate others, it wasn’t easy for him to open his heart.

{What are you focusing on?}

{You’re here again?}

When Selena visited Ilya, he was organizing Woo-Jin’s writing that he had been reading and set them aside.

{Are you working on something new?}

In the past, he used to write on a manuscript paper, but these days, he switched over to printing out his drafts on A4 paper before editing it. When Selena saw him, Ilya was wearing glasses and holding a pen in his right hand, so naturally, it was misleading.

{No.}

After hearing Ilya’s firm answer, Selena sat down in front of him. The look on her face suggested that she was disappointed, but there was nothing she could do. After all, when compared to other writers, Ilya was more active in his work. As such, there was no need to feel anxious just because he didn’t publish anything new for three years. Instead, Selena took a handful of papers out of her bag.

{I selected the candidates for Lloyd’s role in accordance with what you mentioned before. I also included an Asian candidate, so just to be cautious, I wanted to ask if that’s okay with you.}

{Even a smart kid like you occasionally asks silly questions, hm?}

A sense of relief washed over Selena after receiving his tacit consent. She held out the thinnest file she had brought with her.

{These are the people I’ve shortlisted as Lloyd, along with their profiles.}

Two out of the six people selected by Selena’s secretary were eliminated, leaving only four candidates behind. Ilya was planning to look through the documents first, and if any of them didn’t make the cut, he would choose new candidates in their place.

{Man, there aren’t any fresh faces.}

Ilya took a look at the first two candidates. Judging by his expression, it seemed as if he had expected these actors to be selected. There was no way you wouldn’t think of these people when shortlisting candidates. And in Ilya’s mind, he had already eliminated them.

However, the third candidate was an actor he didn’t know. He was British, he looked rather well-groomed, and the aura he exuded was acceptable. His gleaming eyes seemed to express Lloyd’s crazy inner self well. Although Ilya didn’t know anything about his acting skills, just based on appearance alone, he appeared quite similar to how he envisioned Lloyd.

Selena smiled to herself as she watched Ilya stare at the actor’s profile for quite some time. After all, that was the candidate she favored.

{Oh?}

After looking at the last candidate, Ilya’s reaction changed. Once she saw Chae Woo-Jin’s name and photo, Selena studied Ilya’s facial expression with a strange glint in her eyes. Up until the end, Selena felt very conflicted about shortlisting Chae Woo-Jin as a candidate. Due to his excellent skills as an actor and the productions he’d been in, if she hadn’t met him, she would have shortlisted him immediately without any hesitation.

Yet, she just had to meet him in person, and after seeing his bright and upright vibes, she couldn’t really imagine him as Lloyd. She was well aware that his acting abilities were so great that he could accurately portray a character that was entirely different from his image. However, regardless of how outstanding an actor he was, there was often controversy over an actor’s skills whenever they took on a role that didn’t match their image.

Confession of White was a project Selena desired for the sake of the Consccia Foundation’s new goal. She was prudent in her actions, and she couldn’t take reckless risks. Selena was very unsure about him, to the extent that she only decided to shortlist him with much consideration after looking at the picture Dustin took with him at the afterparty.

{What’s wrong?}

{For some reason, it seems like I need to consider this carefully.}

{I’m sorry?}

{About the movie you mentioned, for the first time, I don’t think it’s a bad idea.}

{Really? Is there anyone you’re leaning toward among these actors by any chance?}

Selena’s heart was pounding, wondering if Ilya was in favor of making Confession of White into a movie, as he had been opposing it for the longest time.

{Well, me liking him and whether or not he’s a suitable fit to play Lloyd are two separate things entirely.}

Ilya tapped his fingers on his desk. He added with a solemn expression that he always drew a clear line between public and private matters. Selena didn’t think that was the case, but getting him to waver by itself was a huge change and achievement. She absolutely could not let this opportunity slip through her fingers, so she continued to push for it.

{If you feel uneasy about it, why don’t we hold casting calls?}

Ilya seemed to be agonizing over it, so Selena suggested the plan she had come up with before visiting him.

{Casting calls?}

{Yes. Even if they’re all amazing actors, you can’t be certain they’d do well as Lloyd. After the audition, if they’re not suitable, we can always look for a new Lloyd.}

Every single day was precious; sitting in a chair and agonizing over it was not the solution.

{Casting calls, huh…}

Ilya was agonizing once again, but unlike him, Selena was already busy preparing for the casting calls in her mind. This was a production that was precious to both of them in different ways. They could not give Lloyd’s part to just any person. They had to be put to the test.

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