Chapter 4: Hee-joo's River (Part 1) (Second Update Seeking Recommendations)

  The white dew has passed, and the time has entered autumn. The Han City, located in the north, has long been welcoming the bleak season. At this time, the golden phoenix tree leaves are falling down, blown by the autumn wind, and often cover the large garden behind the hospital building. There is a fountain and a pool in the garden, with clear water quality, moss crawling on the bottom and edges of the pool, eroding them into an ancient simplicity. Occasionally, some leaves will be blown by the wind and fall into the pool, creating ripples on the calm surface of the water.

  This is where ordinary patients take a stroll and breathe in the fresh air, wearing hospital gowns, two or three of them walking together, either alone or accompanied by family members, strolling slowly under the blue sky and fallen leaves, with a carefree and contented demeanor.

  "The environment here is pretty good!" Ahn Jun-hee pushed the wheelchair, and Su Ji-hyun smiled as she sat on it, squinting her eyes slightly towards the sunlight.

  This is the second day after returning from Australia, and the crew gave these actors a two-day break to rest and recover. Although there is only one month left until mid-November, having KBS TV station backing them up makes many scene application and preparation work much less troublesome, and props and extras are readily available, which greatly saves time and naturally doesn't require rushing the schedule.

  After taking a two-day break, An Junhe didn't stay at home. In the morning, he rushed to the company and gave the gifts he brought back to those girls. He spent the rest of the morning sitting in the hospital.

  Su Zhihao had corrective surgery more than ten days ago, and according to the doctor's observation, the postoperative recovery was good. The so-called risks that were once alarming seemed to have become nonsense, but naturally no one would bother them about it.

  "Yes, it's very suitable for recuperation... The doctor said that if I rest for another half month, I can move around normally."

  Looking up at the blue sky, Soo Ji Hoon said, then turned his head to look at Ahn Joon Hee, "You're not in good spirits, are you? The dark circles under your eyes are quite noticeable. Has your neurasthenia not gotten better yet?"

  "It's almost done, now relax, at least the insomnia isn't that severe anymore." He smiled and said. Early on when he realized his mental state wasn't right, he had asked Su Zhi Xun if there were any effective ways to regulate it, but didn't get a good answer. According to Su Zhi Xun, this kind of psychological thing, unless you want to be an actor who only performs and doesn't delve into the character's inner world (stage actors are like this), when rushing to meet deadlines, if you're not careful, even experienced people will have mental and spiritual problems, there's no way to avoid it, and no effective ways to cope with it. Otherwise, why would so many actors become alcoholics or drug addicts? Even if they don't do those things, after years of relying on sleeping pills and antidepressants for support.

  Just like So Ji-sub himself, on filming days, he can't leave his sleeping pills behind.

  Listening to his laughter, Soo Ji Hoon also burst out laughing: "Why don't you just move in too? The environment is great here and it's very effective for soothing your mood."

  "Never mind, I don't like hospitals very much."

  "Oh? Did you have a psychological shadow left from getting injections when you were young?"

  "Hmm...alright then!"

  In fact, it was because every time he went to the hospital, he would think of his father who had taken his last breath in the ward, his mother lying in the cold storage room, and Ji-soo with a hopeless look in her eyes... That white space filled with the smell of disinfectant had never left a good impression on him, only bringing death and pain.

  Noticing Ahn Jun-hee didn't want to continue the conversation, So Ji-sub immediately changed the subject. "By the way, when you came to see me last time, you met Hae-lin at the door, right?"

  "Hae Lin? Who?" An Junhe was a bit perplexed, he had never heard of this name before, and that day he only met Ha Ji-won.

  Su Zhihui was taken aback, then heavily slapped his forehead, looking at him with a helpless expression: "It's just Ha Ji-won... Ah, you've also entered the industry, don't you usually pay attention to these popular seniors? Her real name is Tian Hailin, I think it's only you who doesn't know in the entire entertainment circle."

  “……Hehe……” An Junhe dryly chuckled twice. He didn't used to be a fan of celebrities, nor did he usually pay attention to the dynamics of the entertainment circle. Although he's been paying more attention lately, with so many famous people, how could he possibly remember them all? It was only when he found out he might have contact or collaboration with someone that he would ask Quan Baogen for information and temporarily cram.

  "In the future, put in more effort in this aspect, don't think it's unimportant. In this circle, there are people with broad minds, and of course, there are also those with narrow minds. If you unintentionally offend a small-minded person due to insufficient understanding, although they can't do much to you, they can still spread some rumors to make you feel uncomfortable... Don't think it's annoying, this is advice from experience, I've been through it myself when I first started out."

  "How can I be impatient? I know you're doing it for my own good. Don't worry, once I get back, I'll start studying hard."

  "Hmm!" Su Zhihui chuckled and said, "You've been abroad filming for a while, and Hailin has come to see me several times. She's also mentioned you, and I think she has a pretty good impression of you. Why don't we arrange a time for you two to meet formally? She's a real big star, with high seniority and extensive connections in the industry. Knowing her will be beneficial for you."

  "What's with 'giving a pretty good impression'..." An Junhe smiled wryly, "Brother, you're saying this, others might think you're trying to set me up on a blind date!"

  "Huh? That's not bad either. Hailing is a bit straightforward, lacking stability, while you're too stable and lack vitality. The two of you together might actually be a good match..."

  "Never mind! Talking about emotions with such a big star, I would be under a lot of pressure, and..." An Junhe shrugged his shoulders, "She's going to be ten years older than me... I think you two are quite a match, didn't the newspapers used to spread rumors about you two? Speaking of which, you just made a statement to fade out of the media spotlight, and she comes over to visit you, this relationship seems to be indeed a bit..."

  Listening to Ahn Jun-hee's words, Soo Ji-hyun's embarrassed expression flashed across his face, and he hastily interrupted with a laugh: "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. How about it? Do you want me to help you make an appointment with her? She doesn't have any schedules recently, and she has time now. If we miss this chance, it'll be hard to get another one."

  An Junhe thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, let's arrange it according to the situation!"

  He doesn't really care about this, knowing more influential seniors just means getting more role opportunities. For ordinary newcomers, it might be a shortcut, but for him, it's not much help. However, seeing Soo Ji Hwan being so enthusiastic, there's no need to refuse either.

  Just as they were talking, Soo-jung's phone suddenly rang. He answered it and said a couple of words before hanging up and smiling: "We were just talking about her and she's here."

  Before long, a woman wearing a low-key light brown windbreaker and a mask emerged from behind the shrubs at the side door of the hospital building, waving to the two men while quickly walking towards them along the cobblestone path that led to the garden entrance.

  Wearing a mask like this might seem a bit strange elsewhere, but in the hospital, it's perfectly normal, so no one noticed that this slender and elegant woman was actually the big star Hee Chul-yong, who had crossed over from the silver screen to the TV screen.

  "Wow, I just found out that the environment here is really nice, I also want to move in."

  Before she even approached, her laughter had already reached my ears, clear and pleasant to hear, not as changeable as her screen image, giving a very refreshing feeling.

  Before long, she came close and looked at So Ji-sub. Her signature big eyes narrowed slightly, with a hint of resentment in her tone: "How did you come out again? It's not long after the surgery, even if you're bored, don't always come out, what if you catch a cold?"

  "Come on, I'm not that weak." Soo Ji Hoon chuckled, "Why didn't you bring your assistant today?"

  "I've been followed all day, it's so annoying. I got rid of him," she said, nodding at Ahn Jun-hee, "Is this your friend?"

  "Huh?" Su Zhihao was taken aback, turning his head to exchange a glance with An Junhe, "He's An Junhe, don't you remember?"

  "What? Ahn Jun-hee?" Heo Ji-won was even more surprised, her eyes wide with shock as she looked him up and down. "It's been half a month since I've seen you, how did you end up looking like this?"

  Almost forgot what I look like now...

  An Junhe smiled wryly.

  Because he was still young, it wasn't easy to grow a beard, so his whiskers couldn't be shaved off before filming the decadent scenes of Wu He's role. His face had also become gaunt and sallow due to the torment of the previous period, with deep eye sockets and dark circles under his eyes. If not for his still bright eyes, he looked almost like a drug addict at first glance.

  No wonder she didn't recognize him for a moment.

  As he thought about it, he then told her about his recent experiences. Ha Ji-won was suddenly enlightened, and her eyes sparkled with a strange light as she exclaimed: "Listening to you describe it like that, I realize you're actually quite capable! Getting into character is not something that every actor can do, and when it happens, it basically means your acting skills have reached a certain level. At the very least, you've already gained some insight into the character's psychology. Keep working hard, and who knows, maybe you'll become another movie emperor!"

  "You're too kind!"

  "Hey, I told you last time, no need to be so polite when talking to me." She waved her hand and then took a few more glances at An Junhe, suddenly laughing: "From now on, just keep this image, it looks much better than your original pretty boy look."

  “……” An Junhe couldn't help but laugh and cry, indeed living up to his reputation for being straightforward, his words were indeed very direct. Next to him, So Ji-sub also smiled wryly: "Another absurd idea, Junhe wants to debut as a singer in the future, his position is an idol, have you ever seen an idol like this?"

  "Hmmph, I don't care if he has it or not. I just like this more mature look of his. He used to be too young and immature, and facing him made me feel like there was a generation gap."

  An Junhe smiled and spread his hands out, "Ten years later, I'll consider keeping it this way again!"

  She glared at him with discontent, "Hey, kiddo, what's that supposed to mean? Are you indirectly saying I'm old?"

  Su Zhihui retorted: "You think you're still young? 27 years old, it's almost time to be left over, hurry up and fall in love and get married!"

  "Oh?" Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at Su Zhihui, her eyebrows curved in a playful yet ambiguous smile: "Is this your idea? Let me marry someone off?"

  The moment this question with inexplicable meaning was asked, the atmosphere suddenly became depressed.

  An Junhe looked at her, then at Soo Ji-hyun who suddenly fell into an awkward silence, and suddenly found himself superfluous. He coughed: "You two chat first, I'll go buy a few cups of tea." After speaking, he quickly left, walking to the corner of the hospital building's side door. Occasionally turning back, the two people sitting and standing in the center of the garden were still silent, leaves floating over their heads, the trajectory was chaotic, sinking and floating uncertainly, perhaps just like their hearts at this moment.

  "Hmm, I guess I have my own gossip too." He shook his head and smiled wryly to himself, then withdrew his gaze and walked towards the convenience store in the lobby of the building.

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