Before Episodes 13 and 14 aired, there was something else Minjae had to do.

Something important.

The first script reading for Winter's Ending.

It had been sitting quietly on his schedule, and finally, the day had arrived.

Friday morning, Minjae stood in front of his mirror once again, adjusting the collar of his coat. He wore something simple, just dark slacks, a soft turtleneck, and a long navy wool coat.

Despite his simple clothes, Minjae's hair was styled neatly. A makeup artist that the company provided also put on some makeup on his face so he would look brighter and livelier.

Minjae was currently inside his agency's main building, in one of the smaller grooming rooms usually reserved for photo shoots or media prep. The makeup artist stepped back slightly, tilting her head to examine his face in the mirror.

"All done," she said with a small smile. "You look fresh, Minjae-ssi. Not too much. It's just enough."

Minjae offered a polite nod of thanks as he reached for his coat again, smoothing out a wrinkle near the sleeve. His hair was perfectly set, and the touch of makeup gave his face a clean glow, lifting the fatigue from his features without making him look too polished.

It was simple and just right of setup for the event later on.

When he stepped out of the room, Donghyun was already waiting in the hallway, his arms crossed with his phone in hand. Next to him stood Dongwook, who was also dressed neatly in a tailored suit.

"Ready?" Donghyun asked, glancing up.

"Yes, hyung. Just finished," Minjae replied as he approached.

Dongwook checked his watch.

"It's still a little bit early. It's only 9:05. The Studio's about fifteen minutes away, so we're in good shape."

Donghyun gave a small shrug.

"It's still better to be early than to arrive rushed. You don't want to be the last to walk into the room. It wouldn't be a good image to, Minjae."

Minjae nodded silently, agreeing with Donghyun's words.

There was something different about today's script reading.

Unlike his previous project, The Star's Secret, where he'd been sent the script in advance and had weeks to familiarize himself with the character, the team behind Winter's Ending had decided to keep things quiet.

All the actors were going in blind. There were no early peeks or leaked scenes. The writer and director had intentionally chosen not to reveal the full script until today, preferring to let the cast experience the story together for the first time.

Minjae understood the decision. After all, it matched the tone of the drama. But it also meant that whatever emotions were stirred today from the casts would be real.

There would be first impressions, raw reactions. Everyone, including him, would be reacting to the characters and the lines in real time and it was quite exciting.

"Do you have your script folder?" Donghyun asked as they walked toward the elevator.

Minjae lifted the slim black folder in his hand. "Yeah. Though I'm still not used to going into a reading without knowing everything in the drama."

Dongwook smiled lightly and chuckled.

"That's what they want. You'll be fine. Just take your time when the pages come."

"Yes, hyung," Minjae said quietly before letting out a sigh.

After a few more minutes of staying, they slowly moved to the parking lot, where the black van that the company provided for today was already waiting. As Minjae climbed inside, he found himself glancing out the window.

He didn't feel nervous.

Not really.

But, still, he was just a little anxious about what may come to later.

The van arrived at Hana Entertainment Studios right on schedule, pulling into the private lot behind the building. The studio was the same one where Minjae had attended the initial production meeting, but today, the energy felt different.

It felt more alive.

As soon as he stepped inside the lobby, Minjae could already hear the faint echoes of conversation and footsteps from the floors above. There was a certain kind of excitement in the air.

A staff member approached them quickly.

"Nam Minjae-ssi? This way, please. Everyone's heading in now."

Donghyun and Chanhyuk followed him to the elevator, but they didn't say much. They knew this was something Minjae needed to experience on his own.

The elevator opened to the sixth floor. A long hallway led them to Conference Room A. It was spacious, modern, and professionally lighted. The door was already wide open, revealing a room filled with light chatter, movement, and warm greetings.

Inside, the space was larger than Minjae expected.

There was a long U-shaped table in the center with neatly labeled name placards set in front of each chair. Scripts were already laid out, fresh stacks of paper bound and marked with episode numbers.

On the far end of the room, there were snack tables set up. There were coffee, tea, bottles of water, and an assortment of pastries and fruits. A couple of staff members moved between the tables, offering cups to those who had already arrived. This chapter is part of the collection on MV2LEMP2YR.

Soft instrumental music played in the background as they waited, and a light scent of roasted coffee and warm bread lingered in the air.

It was cozy despite the size of the space.

When Minjae entered, several people turned.

"Ah, Nam Minjae-ssi. Welcome," a production assistant greeted him.

He bowed politely, as he always did, and greeted them all with a respectful tone.

"Good morning." Even though he was early, the room was already half full. Most of the people inside weren't familiar with him—some of them supporting actors he had only seen in passing, others he recognized vaguely from previous projects or from television.

"Minjae-ssi, your seat is here," one of the staff pointed toward the left side of the U-shaped table.

"Thank you," he replied and followed the gesture.

As he walked to his seat, he passed by a few of the elder actors. One of them was already a veteran in his sixties. The man looked kind and even gave him a kind nod.

Minjae bowed respectfully.

"It's an honor to be working with you, sunbaenim."

The older actor smiled warmly. "I've heard good things about you, Minjae-ssi. Let's have a good shoot."

"I'll do my best."

He reached his seat and placed his script folder down, taking a moment to glance around the room.

On the right side of the table, some of the cast members had already gathered. Everyone seemed to be introducing themselves little by little, easing into the moment.

For the next half hour, the room gradually filled with people. With each arrival, someone would step through the door, bow politely, and greet everyone in a warm voice.

"Hello, I'm Park Jihwan. Please take care of me."

"I'm Kim Hana, I'm excited to meet all of you."

Most of those who introduced themselves with rising supporting casts. Still, everyone responded with kind nods, smiles, or light claps.

The atmosphere was far from stiff. There was a friendliness to it, a softness that reflected the tone of the drama they were about to bring to life.

Minjae remained quiet at his seat, taking mental notes of everyone. He knew these first impressions mattered—not just for professionalism, but for the chemistry they would need on screen later.

Soon enough, Song Hayeon arrived.

She stepped into the room with the same calm presence she always had. She wore a neutral-toned coat and slacks, her long hair tied loosely behind her back.

When she saw Minjae, she smiled and nodded. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Minjae said, standing briefly as a gesture of respect.

They exchanged no more than that, but there was a sense of quiet familiarity now, one that hadn't been there during their first meeting.

Maybe it was the shared understanding of what they were both about to begin.

Hayeon was led to the seat beside Minjae, where her name was labeled neatly.

The noise in the room remained for a few more minutes as more cast and staff arrived.There were wardrobe coordinators, line producers, script supervisors. Each person introduced themselves as they came, and soon the entire U-shaped table was filled.

At one end of the room, the director was standing, flipping through his binder. The writer sat beside him, sipping from a cup of tea and glancing down at her own notes.

Eventually, someone from production raised their voice gently.

"Thank you all for coming. We'll begin the script reading in a few minutes. If you haven't taken your seats yet, please do so."

Everyone settled after the announcement.

"You may start reading the script. We'll give everyone 10 minutes before we began."

Minjae straightened slightly in his chair, flipping open the script in front of him for the first time.

Episode 1: "Returning Home"

The first scene began with Joon, his character, arriving at the train station with nothing but a suitcase and a journal in hand.

His fingers lightly traced the first few lines of his dialogue.

There was no music in the room. No cameras yet. But he could already feel the weight of the story. The scenes was beginning to take form in his mind.

Beside him, other actors did the same. Some flipped quietly. Others whispered short lines under their breath to test the flow.