CRANK 6

Sunbae, are you still asleep?

(12:13 PM)

1 Missed Call — Woo Dobin

Um, Sunbae. Actually, there is something I really need to tell you, but I wanted to tell you in person. I received your home address from the manager; may I come to see you?

(12:29 PM)

1 Missed Call — Youngjun

Lim Han Sunbae is no longer able to participate in the movie. So, I have been brought in to take his place. The crank-in is right next week, you know.

(12:32 PM)

The director said that since the scenario and the concept will be undergoing major revisions, he wondered if it might be best to discuss it with you…. Time is of the essence. Let’s just meet and talk. I’m leaving now.

(12:33 PM)

So, the point was that Woo Dobin had snatched the spot that Lim Han had vacated. — They said Lim Han had been caught for drunk driving. His behavior had been suspicious, so I knew that would happen. —

There wasn’t a single thing wrong with what Woo Dobin said. The crank-in was next week, and time was of the essence. To begin with, the role Lim Han had taken was about ten years older than me. Woo Dobin was two years younger than me. So, naturally, the script would have to be revised, and the overall concept would change, too.

No, if they were going to find a replacement, wouldn’t it be common sense to find someone similar? They said he was a rookie, and I couldn’t understand what the director was thinking at all.

There was no solution to be found by hole-up in the bathroom. I rinsed my mouth out, splashed cold water on my face once more, and went out to the living room. Woo Dobin was standing awkwardly between the living room and the kitchen.

“What are you doing there?”

“Ah…. I thought you probably hadn’t eaten.”

“Why do you care about my meals?”

“If I don’t eat breakfast, um… my blood sugar drops, so….”

“It’s lunchtime right now.”

It wasn’t something to say when I had just woken up, but it was already past 12:00 PM.

“But Sunbae, you just woke up… so… you need to eat breakfast….”

Didn’t he just say he had to eat breakfast a moment ago? I furrowed my brows and glared straight at him.

“I’m not hungry. And I don’t like eating with other people in my house.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Woo Dobin dejectedly put down the bag he had brought.

“I wanted to make you the dumpling soup and salmon sushi you like….”

Where on earth did he find out about what I like? Plus, what was that strange combination of dumpling soup and salmon sushi? My absurdity was outweighed by curiosity.

“You make the sushi yourself?”

“Ah, I prepare the rice and the salmon. I just have to make it. I worked at a place for a while before.”

“At a sushi place?”

“At an izakaya.”

That a guy who looked like he’d never worked a day in his life had worked at an izakaya. Pink salmon shimmered through the white, semi-transparent bag. It was also unexpected that he had brought a grocery store bag when he looked like the type to only carry luxury shopping bags.

Salmon sushi, huh…. Seeing the fairly large surface area of pink, the amount of salmon looked generous. When was the last time I had salmon sushi? My throat bobbed on its own.

I shook my head violently. I could just order sushi after Woo Dobin left. Whether he had been on a working holiday in Japan or carried around a black plastic bag dripping with food scraps, it was none of my business.

“…More than that, let’s talk work. You can take what you brought back with you later.”

“But Sunbae, aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m not. I don’t really eat breakfast.”

That was a lie. I was a person who had to eat something as soon as I woke up to move around. Even now, I was actually a little dizzy. Pretending nothing was wrong, I sat on the sofa and gestured with my chin; Woo Dobin, with drooping shoulders, laid out a few documents.

“This is the script the director prepared anew. He said changes to the lines would be made as we go. The biggest change is the first meeting.”

Lim Han was booked only yesterday. He wrote this in just one night? I looked at him with skeptical eyes.

“So right now… the director is practically dying. Still, he said we can’t delay the crank-in. Because of the production costs, since there are many things already reserved.”

Every day the filming was delayed, an astronomical sum vanished into thin air. I nodded and flipped through a few pages of the script. It was quite a bit more than I thought.

“You mean to review all of this here?”

“Well, the character Lim Han Sunbae had grabbed and I are very different. If Lim Han Sunbae had a sleazy vibe, I’m thinking of playing it as a cheeky genius vibe.”

He called himself a genius. I held back the urge to be sarcastic and turned the page.

“Since I’m being brought in in such a rush, things like styling… I need to discuss them with you so they match with yours.”

“You can do that with my stylist.”

Woo Dobin avoided my gaze slightly. The seed of suspicion I had pushed away from the beginning sprouted. I could understand that time was tight, and that we needed to match scripts.

But that didn’t justify finding out the other actor’s home and showing up. On top of that, what was with the dumpling soup and salmon sushi? I put the script down irritably.

“I’ve been thinking about this since earlier, you.”

Woo Dobin’s cheeks stiffened.

“You coming to my house.”

Grrrrr—

It was a mistake to straighten my back to say something. A strange sound, neither a growl nor a rumble, came from my stomach.

My face heated up intensely. Woo Dobin’s gaze went from my face to my stomach, and back to my face. I wished he would at least laugh. Or ignore it. With a face devoid of any amusement, Woo Dobin asked. He had the shameless look of a professional chef.

“…Shall I make the sushi, Sunbae?”

“…Go ahead.”

I buried my face in my hands. Ha, fuck….

It was very difficult not to use foul language in front of Woo Dobin.

Woo Dobin was good at cooking. Both the dumpling soup and the sushi were as delicious as things you’d buy. No, let’s set the record straight. It was more delicious than store-bought. Even with that bizarre combination, I had managed to devour both bowls.

“Does it suit your palate?”

Woo Dobin was barely eating, glancing at me as I ate.

“…Yes.”

Woo Dobin didn’t tease me. He didn’t say things like, “Didn’t you say you weren’t hungry?” or “Didn’t you tell me to take it back?” Not a word. That made it even more embarrassing. I felt like a small-minded person. Which was also the truth.

“I’m glad. Actually, I also managed to get the sake you said you liked, but I guess alcohol from lunchtime isn’t quite right, is it?”

“Sake?”

“Yes, the one that tastes like plum.”

“That only comes out locally in Japan….”

“Well, we live in a global village these days. They sell everything on the internet.”

Global village? When was this, the past?

“You said you were decided to be put into the movie this morning.”

“Yes.”

“How many hours does it take for a package to arrive here from Japan?”

“Oh, that is….”

“You said you’d been carrying around that CD for a year, so I suppose you intended to do the same with the sake?”

I crossed my arms with a look that said, “Go ahead and try to make excuses.” Woo Dobin’s eyes went round. Every time he made an expression like that, his sharp impression turned foolish.

“How did you know?”

“…What?”

“Actually, I bought it after seeing your interview. Just in case I ever got the chance to meet you. I planned to give it to you as a gift then.”

Is he a crazy stalker? To my recollection, that interview was over half a year ago. He’d been buying and holding onto it since then?

“It just so happens the expiration date is until early next year. I was going to buy a new one if I couldn’t give it to you by then.”

I let out a scoff because I was dumbfounded. To have a reaction like that even to obvious sarcasm. Is he an idiot, oblivious, or a fool—or all three?

Woo Dobin smiled brightly and took out the sake to hand it to me. Woo Dobin taking a high-end bottle of sake out of a white grocery store bag. It was a terribly unbalanced sight.

I couldn’t communicate with this guy. Ever since I met Woo Dobin, my head had been throbbing constantly.

🍋🍁

The movie begins with the scene where the protagonist, I, Yeo Hajin, attempts suicide. In his late twenties, Yeo Hajin, who has been an orphan from a young age and a “dirt spoon,” fails at everything—from finding employment to dating.

Yeo Hajin leaves his semi-basement room and heads toward a high-rise building from which he can jump. In the process, he is stopped by the building security guard five times.