MHD - 10

As soon as he picked up his vibrating phone, Cha Ju-won’s exaggerated voice burst through the receiver.

[Oh my, Executive Director! Hello! I was quite surprised to receive a call from Director Oh. I’m not sure why you’re calling, but I’m honored that you reached out first.]

Listening to his overly dramatic tone, Jae-hyuk could already sense the kind of person Cha Ju-won was. He could tell that Cha Ju-won was trying to guess the reason for the call while calculating his next move.

“I’ll get straight to the point. I want to invest in Mr. Cha’s company. More specifically, I want to make an investment for Seo Heesoo.”

[An investment? What kind of investment are you referring to?]

Cha Ju-won’s voice, though clearly filled with excitement, quickly shifted to a feigned ignorance, pretending not to understand.

“Do I need to spell it out? Tell me what Mr. Cha wants.”

[Ha. But what should I do?]

His voice sounded deliberately awkward, as if trying to create tension in the conversation for the sake of negotiation. Jae-hyuk narrowed his eyes, listening closely.

[There is someone else who made a similar offer before you.]

“Who is it?”

[Well, I’m not sure I can tell you…]

Just as Jae-hyuk was about to press further, he stopped and took a deep breath. He had an idea of who it might be.

Director Oh had informed him that there were rumors in the industry about Baek Dong-hwan investing in a film with Seo Heesoo as a supporting role.

Given how widespread the rumor had become, it was clear that Baek Dong-hwan, mindful of his own reputation, was probably planning to make Seo Heesoo kneel in front of him.

He was not the type to quietly accept two slaps to the face.

“Baek Dong-hwan?”

[…I’m just the messenger, doing what the first person to contact me asked.]

That was effectively the same as confirming it was Baek Dong-hwan.

Jae-hyuk knew very well that Baek Dong-hwan’s obsession with Seo Heesoo was driven by his inferiority complex toward him. And Baek Dong-hwan was not someone Jae-hyuk felt obliged to wait for.

“When and where is the meeting?”

[…Please, let’s pretend I haven’t said anything. What power does someone like me have?]

“Cha Ju-won, enough with the nonsense.”

Cutting off Cha Ju-won’s words, Jae-hyuk spoke quickly.

“Is it Kanglim or Gwangwoon? The answer is obvious.”

[Of course, it’s Kanglim, but if you could consider my position, in the middle of all this…]

“I understand. Now answer my question.”

[…So, this Friday at the Estera Hotel…]

“Are production company meetings being held in hotel rooms these days?”

[Please don’t misunderstand, Executive Director! It’s not some strange meeting, it’s… it’s for auditions…]

Cha Ju-won’s words trailed off, but Jae-hyuk’s face twisted in undisguised distaste.

“Hey, Yoon Seok. Can you pull over for a minute?”

“Huh?”

“I... well…”

Heesoo hesitated, unsure of how to explain, but when her eyes met Yoon Seok’s in the rearview mirror, she stopped.

“Sis, it should only take about 30 minutes.”

Yoon Seok didn’t say much and parked the car in a narrow alley.

“I’ll wait outside. Call me when you’re done.”

He smiled, making a phone gesture with his hand. However, the smile that appeared on Yoon Seok’s face was clearly forced, and it was obvious.

Yoon Seok was the first celebrity he was assigned to as a road manager. Although he was just a regular road manager, he had been diligent in supporting Heesoo, both physically and emotionally, as his first responsibility.

Up until three years ago, Yoon Seok’s face was the one Heesoo saw the most in the mornings and evenings, but now, he was busier with the schedules of other celebrities in the agency than with Heesoo’s.

Right now, Yoon Seok was driving Heesoo to the hair salon.

“Okay.”

Heesoo, trying hard to smile, responded as the car door closed. She was left alone, and the tears she had been holding back finally fell.

“Ha.”

Despite her efforts not to cry, as the car approached the salon, she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Today was the day of the “second audition” mentioned by Mr. Cha.

The destination was one of the five-star boutique hotels, “Estera.”

That alone made the situation abundantly clear. Baek Dong-hwan was the son of Gwangwoon, and the Estera Hotel, the designated venue for the audition, was affiliated with the Gwangwoon Group.

‘Did they already plan to move things to a hotel room after drinks?’

The places they were calling her to for the audition were all suspicious.

“Mr. Cha, are you really going to go this far?”

“Just shut up and go. How did I get dragged into this headache?”

“What’s going on?”

“You don’t need to know. A shrimp caught between two whales gets squashed. Damn it.”

Cha Ju-won’s behavior seemed suspicious, as though he was hiding something. Heesoo asked several times if Baek Dong-hwan was the one who had called her, but instead of answering, Mr. Cha simply repeated that he had made a reservation for the salon.

Facing Cha Ju-won’s firm attitude, Heesoo didn’t press further and turned away.

If he wanted it that badly, she thought, she could just go.

Her goal hadn’t changed. If Baek Dong-hwan had called her, it might actually make things easier. Whatever his reasons for inviting her, she could just deal with him the way she did last time.

It seemed like he had called her to get revenge for the slap, though.

‘It’s worse than death.’

What choices did a person with nowhere to run have? She had given up on escape and could only pray that it would end without more pain.

Heesoo briefly looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her face, utterly devoid of joy, was pale.

‘Let’s stop wallowing. Nothing’s going to change by doing this.’

She wiped away her tears by pressing her red eyes with her hands.

“Long time no see?”

As Heesoo entered the salon, the owner rushed out to greet her. There was a curious glint in the owner’s eyes, as if hoping to hear some new gossip about Heesoo.

“Are you filming something?”

“……”

Heesoo didn’t answer the owner’s question and just went to the seat where she was being led.

One wrong word and it might be in tomorrow’s newspaper.

There were reporters from the entertainment section frequently passing by the salon, and many other actors and their agents who were keen to listen in on any gossip or get ahead of their competition.

“Could you tell me a little about the concept of the shoot? What kind of atmosphere should we aim for?”

It was a perfectly natural question to ask in order to set the makeup tone, but even that made Heesoo’s mood sharp and tense.

“Just keep it simple.”

“Simple?”

“Because... it’s for an interview.”

“Oh, I see. Got it. Oh, this is such good news. Heesoo, are you going to be resuming your activities? I’ve been personally waiting for this for a long time.”

“...Thank you.”

Heesoo didn’t elaborate, simply nodding her head.

The dozens of makeup tools and cosmetics laid out in front of her came into her view as she lowered her head. In the familiar smell of the products, Heesoo closed her eyes.

In the past, wherever she went, people would flock around her asking for autographs or to take pictures together.

She had tried to sit in corners intentionally, but now it felt as if she was truly forgotten, as no one seemed to be looking for her. Sitting in the busy beauty salon, a sense of loneliness unexpectedly washed over her.

“Could you lift your head slightly, please?”

The woman assisting with the makeup asked, and Heesoo, who had been keeping her head down, finally raised her face to look straight ahead.

The reflection in the mirror was truly a face she hadn’t seen in a long time.

She had asked for a simple look, but Heesoo’s features were naturally stunning. The work of the makeup artist still made her look just as radiant as in her prime.

‘They’re putting so much effort into making me look like I’m dying.’

With heavy powder on her face and bright red lipstick, Heesoo couldn’t help but laugh weakly at the reflection in the mirror.

When she got back into the car, Heesoo didn’t cry anymore.

“...Noona, I’m sorry.”

Yoon Seok, who had parked the car in front of the hotel, spoke up carefully, and her heart softened a bit. She almost burst into tears but steadied herself by thinking of the times she had acted on emotional scenes.

“Don’t say that.”

“I’m sorry, Noona.”

“Stop saying sorry.”

“...I’ll sleep in the car today. Call me if you need anything.”

Heesoo let out a light sigh and looked at Yoon Seok, who was sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Call me for sure. Anytime.”

Yoon Seok turned his head to look at her and emphasized once again.

“I got it.”

Heesoo smiled faintly, grateful for Yoon Seok’s care. If anyone were to call him, it likely wouldn’t be Heesoo herself. It was probably someone calling to clean up the mess that had been caused.

Taking a deep breath in and out, Heesoo opened the car door and stepped out.

However, as soon as she stepped out of the car, Heesoo realized that she had gotten off at the wrong location.

“Yoon Seok, is this the right place? I think the President told me to go to ‘Estera Hotel.’”

“Is that so? He told me this was the place. Maybe it changed later.”

She had gotten off at the Hotel Yeonwoonam by mistake.

“Noona, here.”

Yoon Seok, looking like he had forgotten, hastily got out of the car and ran over to Heesoo, handing her a room key card.

“He said you need to go to the highest floor.”

“The President said that?”

“Yeah.”

Heesoo took the key card from her cardholder. Clearly engraved next to the hotel logo was “Hotel Yeonwoonam.”

“What the...?”

This was the hotel she had visited with Jae-hyuk just a week ago. In fact, the room they had stayed in at that time was on the top floor.

‘Please don’t let me run into anyone.’

She didn’t know why Baek Dong-hwan had suddenly changed the location, but it was an incredibly uncomfortable place. Fearful of running into Jae-hyuk, Heesoo nervously scanned her surroundings as she stood in front of the elevator.

Fortunately, she didn’t encounter anyone until the elevator reached the top floor.

Heesoo quickly walked to the door indicated by the key card and, before entering, took off her sunglasses that she had been wearing.

She paused for a moment before placing the key card on the door’s lock.

‘No matter what happens behind this door, I won’t regret my actions.’

With that thought, Heesoo knew that the longer she hesitated, the more time she would waste. She pressed the key card against the lock and stepped inside.

As she opened the door, the familiar interior of the room greeted her, and she saw a familiar face sitting on the sofa at the center of the room.

“So, this is how you show up when you’re called. You.”

Facing Jae-hyuk, who looked at her with a cold expression, Heesoo froze, her breath catching in her throat.