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“…Hello?”
A dull friction sound came from the phone. Cha Joo-won momentarily pulled the phone away from his ear, frowning.
“Oh, sorry, President Cha. I dropped my phone. I was so surprised.”
Surprised? Well, I was surprised too.
Even without seeing her face, it was clear that Hee-soo wasn’t hiding her excitement.
“First, he said to read the script and get back to him. The screenplay and scriptbook will be sent over today by Yoon-seok.”
“Okay! Yes, I’ll do that!”
It had been eight or nine years since Hee-soo filmed The Fall of Paradise with Kang Jae-min.
Since then, Kang Jae-min had succeeded with every project he touched. Not only that, but his films had been submitted to international film festivals, and a few years ago, one even won the prestigious Best Picture award.
There were countless actors clamoring to work with him. His films were masterpieces that combined both artistic merit and commercial appeal—there was no need to say more.
However, he hadn’t released any projects in recent years. For such a director to suddenly choose Hee-soo as the lead for his comeback film was about as good as news could get.
“I’ll wait for it. Please let me know when you send it.”
As Hee-soo, overwhelmed with joy, was about to hang up, Joo-won quickly asked a question that had been nagging at him.
“Hee-soo, about President Baek… Did things just end like that between you two that day?”
“Hmm? Probably? Why? Did something else happen?”
Whether she knew something or not, Joo-won couldn’t tell.
He was dying of curiosity—it had kept him up at night. Why had Baek Dong-hwan come to him in such a panic? And why had he gone to Hee-soo’s house that night to apologize?
It was unbelievable. Joo-won had rubbed his eyes multiple times that day, unable to believe what he was seeing—Baek Dong-hwan kneeling before Hee-soo.
“He said to forget everything about recovering investments or whatever. It’s great news, but I still need to understand why. What did he say when he apologized to you?”
“President Cha, if you don’t know, how would I? Maybe he felt bad about it later?”
Come on, we both know Baek Dong-hwan isn’t the type to feel guilty like that.
Joo-won almost snapped in frustration but caught himself. Knowing Hee-soo’s personality, raising his voice wouldn’t get him anywhere. She didn’t back down easily when confronted.
Then… what was it?
“…Later, he mentioned Jae-hyuk… He said he came to see me…”
Now that he thought about it, he vaguely remembered hearing Dong-hwan mention Jae-hyuk that day. From a distance, he hadn’t caught the exact words, but if Jae-hyuk was behind this, it made perfect sense.
If anyone had the power to move Baek Dong-hwan, it was Jae-hyuk. That would explain the otherwise incomprehensible situation falling into place.
But why would Jae-hyuk do this? Had something happened the day they went to Namyangju? Had they started dating after that day?
Lee Jae-hyuk, Kang Lim, Seo Hee-soo.
Cha Joo-won’s ever-active antennae finally picked up on a memory from the past.
“Is it Kang Lim? Or Gwangwoon?”
It had been bothering him since the day Jae-hyuk called, asking him to choose between Dong-hwan and himself. Joo-won had felt like he was forgetting something important.
Carefully, he asked:
“Uh… Are you close with Jae-hyuk?”
“Huh?”
The sudden question seemed to catch her off guard, as Hee-soo didn’t answer immediately.
“Why are you asking about that all of a sudden…?”
“Well, I heard you used to dance at Kang Lim Cultural Foundation. Ballet or something. I was wondering if you already knew each other.”
“We knew each other a little when we were young.”
Ah, so it was true. Now that he’d guessed correctly, he felt oddly relieved. Smiling obsequiously to humor Hee-soo, Joo-won continued.
“Really? You should’ve mentioned it earlier. Such an impressive connection…”
“It’s not like that. I’m not in a position to ask him for favors.”
Though Hee-soo firmly shut him down, Joo-won had a gut feeling.
Yes, that’s it. There’s definitely something between them.
“Aigoo, why so serious? Relax your face. You’ll ruin your pretty features. I can already guess, though—it’s obvious.”
Joo-won waved his hands dismissively as he stood up abruptly. Regardless, one thing was now clear: the dynamic between Seo Hee-soo and himself was subtly shifting.
Making someone like Baek Dong-hwan kneel—that alone would change how people viewed her in the industry. If rumors spread that powerful figures in politics and business were backing her, even reporters who had written negative articles about her would start publishing favorable ones. This was how the world worked.
“If you don’t have anything else to say, may I hang up now? I was in the middle of something.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure. If you need anything, call anytime. 24/7, okay?”
[Yes...]
Hee-soo ended the call with a sour tone. Joo-won tossed his phone onto the desk and clicked his tongue in frustration, shaking his head repeatedly.
There’s no law that says someone has to die for things to change, is there?
Suddenly hearing from Kang Jae-min, Baek Dong-hwan groveling at her feet—there was something strange brewing around Hee-soo. And then there was Lee Jae-hyuk.
Joo-won flared his nostrils, his brow furrowing in irritation.
“Could it be that she’s planning to ride on Jae-hyuk’s coattails and suddenly throw a fit over the contract?”
The thought alone made him bristle with annoyance.
It had been nearly ten years since Hee-soo signed her first contract with him. During that time, she had been nothing short of a golden goose.
Though he claimed credit for nurturing her, Hee-soo’s natural talent for selecting projects played a significant role in her success. Of course, she also worked tirelessly to make each project shine.
Seo Hee-soo was a growth-oriented actress blessed with both luck and skill.
However, the initial contract Joo-won had presented her with was riddled with grossly unfair terms. Smart as she was, Hee-soo wasn’t oblivious to its inequities—but back then, she had no other options.
At that time, Cha Joo-won was truly her only lifeline.
As her popularity and market value soared, Hee-soo had even considered suing him over the unfair clauses in the contract.
If not for her parents drowning in debt and holding her back, Joo-won might have lost this big fish named Seo Hee-soo.
Which was why...
Joo-won believed he needed to know everything about Hee-soo.
“What exactly is she hiding?”
Suddenly, he recalled the first time he met Seo Hee-soo. Back then, she was a twenty-year-old girl with venomous eyes staring him down.
“Treat me as an investment. I guarantee you’ll get tenfold returns.”
At the time, her words struck him as laughable, but she had steadily proven herself right—not tenfold, but hundreds or even thousands of times over.
“Even back then, despite being so young, she carried herself like someone with hidden cards up her sleeve. It never sat well with me.”
Thinking about it now still baffled him. Here was someone who couldn’t even afford 200,000 won in hospital bills, yet her attitude was unshakably confident.
There was a peculiar persuasiveness in her gaze—it wasn’t begging; it was a transaction, and somehow, you couldn’t help but believe her.
---
Cha Joo-won had originally been a top-tier team leader at one of the Big Three management agencies in Korea.
Though often labeled ruthless, his eye for discovering new talent was unmatched, and he made significant contributions to his company. However, when he realized those contributions weren’t translating into financial rewards, he quit without hesitation.
But the world wasn’t so forgiving.
His once-unwavering confidence, built solely on his keen eye for talent, evaporated as rent for his office went unpaid for months. After the actors who promised to join him upon independence all betrayed him, his fledgling agency—consisting of just one loyal female employee and himself—was on the verge of collapse.
Then, one afternoon...
Vibrate.
An unknown number buzzed on his otherwise silent phone.
“Hello?”
[“Hey, is this Cha-Cha Actors?”]
“Yes, I’m the representative...”
[“This is Jin-gyu Cho.”]
“Cho... Cho Jin-gyu? The film director Cho Jin-gyu?”
[“Yes.”]
Without realizing it, Joo-won shot up from his seat. Cho Jin-gyu was a heavyweight director known for turning every movie he touched into a blockbuster.
Why would Director Cho be calling him?
Fearing he might miss out on this rare opportunity, Joo-won scrambled to make sense of the situation, but he couldn’t grasp what was happening.
“W-What brings you to call, Director?”
[“It’s about Seo Hee-soo. She auditioned for me, and I really liked her. Could you connect us?”]
“Seo... Hee-soo?”
Who was Seo Hee-soo?
Joo-won was thoroughly bewildered. Not only was it shocking that Cho Jin-gyu had personally called, but he also had no idea who this “Seo Hee-soo” was. The name was completely unfamiliar.
Could this be some new type of phishing scam?
A faint sense of unease crept in, deflating his excitement. With a somewhat indifferent tone, Joo-won replied:
“Uh, could it be that you’ve dialed the wrong number?”
[“No, this is correct. Her resume says Cha-Cha Actors, and she specifically asked me to contact you, Representative Cha Joo-won, after the audition. You are him, right?”]
“Yes, I’m Cha Joo-won. That’s me… but…”
[“I guess I called too abruptly. You seem surprised.”]
“This is completely unexpected. Director Cho, aren’t you close with Director Shin? I met him just a few days ago.”
After exchanging a few more words to quell his lingering suspicions, Joo-won confirmed that the caller was indeed Cho Jin-gyu—and that he was very interested in an actress named Seo Hee-soo.
[“She auditioned for a supporting role, but I really liked her. I’d like to meet her again. If possible, I want to cast her as the lead in my next project and work with her.”]
“What?”
That was all Joo-won needed to hear. There was no need to think further.
He didn’t know who Seo Hee-soo was, but the fact that she had listed Cha-Cha Actors on her resume—and that Cho Jin-gyu himself, not even a casting director, had personally called to find her—was enough.
‘I have to secure her.’
There was no doubt about it. His gut told him this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Ahh, Hee-soo! My apologies. I got her name mixed up. Please tell me more.”
[“Ah, could you let me know when she’s available to meet? The sooner, the better.”]
“Of course! I’ll get back to you right away, Director.”
After hanging up, Joo-won frantically began rummaging through the portfolios stacked on his desk.
Seo Hee-soo, Seo Hee-soo. The name felt vaguely familiar.
Finally pulling out Hee-soo’s portfolio from the bottom of the pile, Joo-won sighed in recognition.
“Ah...”