“See you again next time,” Haneul said as she left the get-together.

She left the building and was waiting for a taxi when someone spoke to her from behind. It was director Lee Sooae.

“I’m sorry, Haneul.”

“Stop apologizing. These kinds of things just happen in life. You just have to do better next time.”

“Thanks for telling me that. But do you think I can even do a next work?”

“Unni, don’t think about anything today and just go home and have a good rest. Whatever you do right now, you’ll only have negative thoughts.”

Sooae palmed her face and sighed before taking out a cigarette. While the thin tip of the cigarette burned, a taxi drove by.

“Weren’t you supposed to get that?”

“I can grab the next one. Anyway, you’re smoking when you haven’t smoked even once throughout the shoot?”

“I just feel frustrated. I got a bad feeling when I went to the distributors with the rough outcome. I thought I was becoming depressed when I was editing it. I had confidence too. I really did.”

Sooae’s lips twitched as though she was about to cry at any moment, but she eventually just chuckled.

“I’m the most sorry to you above everyone else. I didn’t want to consume your character like this.”

“People are going to think there’s a funeral around here after looking at your face. I’m fine, so don’t worry about it. Even...