The room quieted gradually as everyone began focusing on their scripts. Paper rustled softly, and pens clicked as actors began marking their lines on the pages.

Slowly, a calm energy settled over the entire conference room. For a moment, no one dared to talk. Everyone was focused on their own work and paper.

After a few minutes, the director, who was standing at the head of the table, gave a small smile to everyone. He cleared his throat and nodded at them.

"Let's begin," he said in a monotonous tone. "By now, I think everyone knows the drill, right?"

"Yes, director." Everyone answered in unison, even Minjae.

"Alright, then." The director placed his hands together and held his head up high.

"Winter's Ending. Episode one."

A staff member on the side began recording the reading session as someone softly hit the clapperboard.

The reading session wouldn't be shown to the public, but it was still important to document it.

"Scene one. Exterior. Train station. Early morning."

Minjae sat straighter, his eyes locked on the first few lines on his paper. His fingers lightly brushed over the paper, steadying himself.

The opening narration was assigned to the drama's narrator. It was a character that was played by one of the older veteran actors seated in the middle of the table. He had a deep, steady voice, the kind that immediately pulled you into the scene.

"There are winters that arrive with storms… and there are winters that slip in quietly. Like him."

Minjae closed his eyes for a moment, letting the narration sink in as he prepared for his turn.

Then it came.

"Joon enters the train station, suitcase in hand. His expression is blank, but there is something tired in the way he walks. Something hollow."

"…There was a time I thought I had everything I needed."

Minjae began his first few lines. His voice was even and quiet, mirroring the tone written on the page.

The room listened closely as Minjae spoke, his voice was slow and reflective.

"But everything I had… I burned with my own hands."

When he finished the line, he paused briefly, glancing toward the director, who simply nodded with a satisfied look on his face.

After his words, the narrator continued.

The next scene moved quickly. It introduced the town. How it was subtle, quiet, but scenic. Then came the introduction of another character. The person was said to be warm and outspoken woman in her forties who ran the guesthouse where Joon would stay.

She was played by actress Oh Mijung, a familiar face in many weekend dramas. Her voice was sharp and lively despite her age.

"I don't ask questions, but I don't like ghosts either," she said in character, flipping a page. "So if you're planning to sulk in that corner like the world owes you something, I suggest you book somewhere else."

Minjae gave a soft smile as she delivered the line. It was the kind of character that would balance out his own.

Then came Hayeon's turn.

Her character, Sooyeon, was introduced near the end of the first episode.

"Scene twelve. Interior. Small town library. Afternoon."

In this episode, her character, Sooyeon was sitting behind a desk, reading a book. The sound of the door chime echoed, and Joon entered.

Their first interaction was short.

Minjae read his line quietly.

"Do you have anything on writing… about forgetting how to?"

Hayeon glanced up from her script and delivered her line softly.

"Tsk. All writers forget. It's the remembering that makes you one."

The room paused for a second, the weight of the line settling in.

Even the writer looked slightly pleased as she adjusted her glasses.

They continued reading through the rest of the episode, and more characters were introduced.

There was a teenage boy who worked part-time at the guesthouse, played by a rising rookie actor named Kang Siyoon, who stuttered a little during his first few lines but quickly found his rhythm soon after.

There was also a retired teacher, portrayed by another veteran actor. His character would serve as a quiet mentor to Joon. A mirror of what Joon could be if he let go of the things haunting him.

Each character, no matter how small, was already starting to take shape through the script.

Minjae stayed focused through each turn, making notes, adjusting tone and pace, responding naturally to the lines around him. And as they neared the last pages of the episode, the quiet weight of the story finally hit.

The final scene of the first episode:

"Scene thirty-one. Exterior. Mountainside. Sunset."

Joon stood by a cliff, overlooking the town. The wind blew gently through his coat.

He opened his notebook for the first time.

And wrote.

"I don't know if I can begin again. But maybe… if I stop waiting for everything to be fixed, I can start anyway."

Minjae read the line slowly, his voice rougher now. Something about it stuck to his chest.

When the scene ended, there was silence.

A short one.

Then light applause began. Not loud. Just enough to break the character between the actors.

The director smiled. "Good. That was really good."

The writer looked down at her notes and gave a slight nod.

"We'll take a short break before Episode 2," one of the staff members announced.

Everyone slowly leaned back in their seats, letting out quiet sighs or sipping from their drinks. Minjae placed his script down for a moment, fingers still curled slightly from how tightly he'd held the pages.

Beside him, Hayeon glanced over. Content presented by MV|LEMP|YR.

"You found him," she said softly.

Minjae blinked, unsure what she meant at first.

"Your character," she clarified. "You read it like you'd already known him."

Minjae gave a quiet smile.

"Yup," Minjae said again, this time with a little more life behind his word. His fingers finally relaxed against the table.

He glanced over at Hayeon. She wasn't looking at him anymore, but instead calmly flipping back through the script pages they'd just read, her expression was still thoughtful. Her features were always calm. She was quiet just like her presence.

"You made it sound like Joon was already yours," she said after a beat, her voice softer now, almost like she was speaking to herself rather than to him.

Minjae chuckled lightly. "I think that's what scared me. How quickly I settled into him."

"Don't be scared. That's a gift you know. A talent."

Minjae turned his head to the front of the room where most of the production team were now standing, stretching their legs, sipping on coffee, or checking notes on tablets.

Behind them, the staff who had been documenting the session were quietly discussing something, probably resetting audio levels or prepping the clapperboard for the next recording.

He took a sip from his water bottle and turned back to her. "What about you? Sooyeon feels… like you've walked around in her shoes already."

Hayeon smiled faintly at that.

"She reminds me of someone I used to be. I think that makes it easier."

Minjae didn't ask more. He didn't need to. They were still not that close to share things between them.

After another few minutes, one of the staff returned to the center of the room and clapped her hands lightly.

"We'll resume now with Episode Two."

Everyone slowly found their way back to their seats. Some actors were already flipping to the next script, while others quietly murmured greetings again as they returned.

Minjae slipped his fingers beneath the new stack of pages and carefully turned them.

Episode 2: "The Guesthouse Season"

The episode opened slower than the first. It wasn't heavy, not filled with conflict or tension. Instead, the start was light.

Joon was now living at the guesthouse. He started exploring the town slowly after not coming in there for years. The script described soft mornings, quiet meals, and shared silences with people he barely knew.

"Episode 2. Scene five. Interior. Guesthouse dining area. Morning."

Joon sat at the table, stirring instant coffee into a chipped mug. The radio played quietly in the background. Mijung's character, the owner of the house, handed him a plate of toast without saying much.

Across the room, the part-time worker was wiping down the counter. It was mundane. But there was something peaceful in it.

Minjae read the lines with ease, letting the silence between each word stretch comfortably.

"Thanks," Joon said, lifting his mug.

Mijung's character shrugged. "It's just toast. Don't make it weird."

A few people in the room chuckled at that. Even Minjae cracked a smile.

Then, the script shifted to another scene. One that would be his character's first true bonding moment with Sooyeon.

"Episode 2. Scene eight. Exterior. Local bookstore. Afternoon."

Sooyeon stood outside the small bookstore, holding a paper bag of books, when Joon passed by. She didn't notice him at first. But he paused, eyes narrowing at the book poking out from the top of her bag.

"That's out of print," he read aloud from his script. "How'd you get it?"

Sooyeon looked up. "I asked nicely."

"You work at the library. Isn't that cheating?"

"It's called having connections."

The tone was light and playful.

They walked together after that scene. The script said they didn't talk much. Just exchanged a few lines while walking past flower shops and convenience stores.