033 A Trip to Jeonju

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The weather forecast had predicted rain, and by the time Yoon Yunhwi reached Jeonju, the sky had already darkened.

A few days earlier, he had been busy with the script read-through, then had his costume and makeup photos taken. During that time, the screenwriter had made a few minor revisions to the script, and there were still several days before filming officially began.

The early and middle stages of production would be shot along two parallel storylines—the adult cast and the kids’ cast—because they had to keep up with the broadcast schedule.

Judging by how frequently the screenwriter kept changing the plot, a great deal of footage would probably end up wasted. It would be filmed, but never used; it would not appear in the version that was eventually broadcast.

Just before joining the production, Yunhwi happened to arrive during the Jeonju International Film Festival.

The festival depended heavily on municipal funding. The mayor of Jeonju also served as the honorary chairman of the organizing committee. This year, with the city’s finances in poor shape, the festival had been put together rather hastily and would last only three days and four nights.

Still, all the essential events remained. Many film lovers had come to enjoy themselves, and Jeonju was a tourist city in its own right. There would be an opening ceremony, a red carpet, and a closing ceremony, with Yoo In-na apparently serving as host.

After arriving at the hotel, Yunhwi greeted Director Lee Jeong-gon, who had come the previous day. The three of them would walk the small red carpet together tomorrow. The third person was Shin Soo-hyun, who had not arrived yet.

Although Shin Soo-hyun appeared in the film for only a brief while, she was coming specifically to walk that red carpet.

That was perfectly fine with Yunhwi. He had no objection.

He told his assistant, Ms. Kim, who had driven him all the way there, to go and rest, then went out for a stroll by himself.

Yunhwi had already made plans. His first stop would be Jeondong Cathedral in Wansan District, Jeonju.

It was a Romanesque building with a Byzantine-style bell tower and spires, begun at the start of the last century. Its patron saint was Saint Francis Xavier.

There was something rather fitting about that.

When Yunhwi arrived, he happened to catch the second Sunday Mass of the morning. He spent a quiet hour there and received a small communion wafer.

The parish priest noticed the unfamiliar face and asked him a few questions, since nonbelievers were not permitted to receive communion.

Yunhwi presented his baptism certificate. Not long after he was born, he had been baptized by Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung, who at the time was the parish priest of Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul.

When Yunhwi mentioned that he was studying at Yonsei University Seminary, the parish priest became even more enthusiastic.

So he was a brother in the faith!

After Mass, the priest even invited Yunhwi to stay and chat a while longer.

Yunhwi politely declined, saying that his time in Jeonju was limited and he wanted to visit a few more attractions. The priest had no choice but to let him go.

As soon as Yunhwi left Jeondong Cathedral, a light drizzle began to fall.

He had no choice but to choose a nearby noodle restaurant that looked promising. It was lunchtime, after all, and a single communion wafer could hardly fill his stomach.

The restaurant’s name was something like Old Soldier Noodles. It sold only knife-cut noodles, buckwheat cold noodles, and dumplings. The place was nearly bursting with diners. Customers could choose between tables and chairs or sitting barefoot on the heated floor.

Yunhwi decisively chose a small square table beside the window facing the street.

The air would be fresher there.

Assistant Kim even called to check on him, asking whether she should come pick him up.

Seeing that the rain was beginning to ease, Yunhwi decided to continue his sightseeing tour.

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He ordered knife-cut noodles and dumplings. The food arrived quickly and tasted quite good. It was the sort of noodle shop that local residents frequented.

He ate slowly by himself as rain whispered against the window. The square outside Jeondong Cathedral was surrounded by Jeonju’s Hanok Village.

Perhaps he could wander around afterward and have a coffee in the village. On this slightly unpleasant rainy day, there was something pleasantly languid about it.

That was what Yunhwi was thinking when a familiar female voice reached his ears.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken? Ah, President Yoon?”

“Captain Hwang.”

Yunhwi looked up and saw two beautiful girls wearing masks. If one of them was not Hwang Yeji, then who could it be? The girl beside her was Shin Yuna.

Their styles of dress contrasted sharply. Hwang Yeji was dressed quite ordinarily, while Shin Yuna wore a confident crop top that revealed her midriff.

Well, Yuna was still young. The youngest member was at the age when she wanted to show off her beauty.

“I never expected to run into you here.”

Hwang Yeji sounded genuinely surprised, though she hardly had the authority to restrict his freedom of movement. There was nothing strange about him appearing in Jeonju.

“If you don’t mind, you can share my table. This place is very popular, and it looks as though there aren’t any seats left.”

Yunhwi glanced around the dining hall and saw that the Old Soldier Noodle Shop was still packed. He therefore invited the two girls to sit across from him.

“Thank you. Then we won’t stand on ceremony.”

Perhaps because she was back in her hometown, Hwang Yeji was not as polished as she had been when he saw her at the school festival.

What Yunhwi meant was that the Hwang Yeji sitting before him seemed more like Yeji herself than the leader of ITZY.

Shin Yuna, on the other hand, gave him exactly the same impression as before.

Children were not very good at hiding their personalities. She was beautiful, she knew it, and she intended to show it.

Hwang Yeji ordered the same knife-cut noodles as Yunhwi, while Shin Yuna ordered buckwheat cold noodles with extra spice.

“I remember you. You’re that handsome student council president from Yonsei.”

Yuna boldly struck up a conversation. Perhaps she felt that since Yeji knew him and had already greeted him, he must be safe enough to approach.

She even spoke to him casually, without honorifics.

That was quite daring.

Hwang Yeji was so startled that she repeatedly gestured with her eyes toward her youngest teammate.

ITZY was scheduled to make a comeback at the end of July. They had already finished recording the song and shooting the music video, and their company had shown unusual humanity by giving them two days off.

Yeji, who had not been home in a long time, had decided to return to her family home in Jeonju, while Yuna wanted to come to Jeonju for a trip.

Yuna was from Wonju in Gangwon Province and had grown up in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. On the way back to Seoul, she could simply stop in Suwon.

That was why Yeji had brought her youngest teammate to visit Jeondong Cathedral and Hanok Village.

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“I remember you too. You’re ITZY’s tall and beautiful youngest member.”

Yunhwi smiled. Yuna had boldly addressed him without honorifics, but he did not find it offensive. Beautiful children were always given more leeway.

“Yes, that’s me.”

Yuna answered confidently. She was tall, and she was beautiful—she knew it.

Her smile was especially radiant.

Yunhwi suddenly felt that the drizzle outside was nothing worth noticing. His mood had improved considerably.

She really was still a child.

If he remembered correctly, Yuna had been born in 2003.

She reminded him of the little brat back home.

“Can I call you Big Brother? Big Brother Yunhwi? Our Big Brother? Your name sounds so nice.”

Yuna spoke quickly and instantly caught the amusing quality of Yunhwi’s name.

“Yunhwi” and “our” had similar vowel sounds and could be said at the same speed. The main difference lay in their consonants, so if someone spoke unclearly or too quickly, they could indeed sound a little alike.

That was also one reason why the younger students at Yonsei liked to call him “Our President Yoon.”

The exceptionally lively Yuna simply thought his name sounded pleasant and amusing, but by accident, she had touched on something close to Yunhwi’s heart.

She was right. He also thought his name sounded wonderful.

At any rate, it sounded much better than Yoon Taek’s. The syllable “Taek” was so clipped that it sounded almost like a snap.

Other people’s children really were better than one’s own.

Yunhwi was thinking of that idiot Yoo Jimin in particular. That child was simply impossible.

“Sure. Then can I just call you by your name too, Yuna?”

“Hmm, no, not yet. I have to ask my Yeji first. She has to agree.”

Yuna gave him a playful answer and tossed the question back to Hwang Yeji.

Yeji, who had already been a little worried, froze.

Oh no. What was happening?

Yunhwi laughed and immediately turned his gaze toward her.

“Then, Miss Hwang Yeji, may I call our Yuna by her first name?”