MHD - 68

Episode 68: Mountain After Mountain

Jin Yuna clutched her chest and pulled at her clothes, her body tilting forward. Hee-soo rushed to catch her as she fell, spreading his arms to hold her in his embrace.

Yuna, whose knees buckled as if she were collapsing, gasped for breath, unable to steady herself in Hee-soo’s arms.

“Haa, I… I feel like I’m dying. I can’t breathe.”

Yuna looked up at Hee-soo, her voice strained as if in pain.

“What’s going on!?”

At Kang Jaemin’s sharp exclamation, Yuna’s manager, who had been watching, rushed over.

“Yuna, Yuna! What’s wrong?”

As people crowded around, Yuna buried her face in Hee-soo’s chest and gasped even more weakly. Her moans made it clear that breathing was painful, but Hee-soo was struck by a strange sense of déjà vu.

It reminded him of how he had felt just moments ago.

“Wait, everyone, hold on.”

While people debated whether to call an ambulance, Hee-soo held Yuna and whispered softly to her.

“Yuna, can you hear me? Let’s move to a quieter place. Can you walk?”

Yuna, her head bowed, nodded weakly.

Hee-soo supported her and slowly began to walk.

“Hey, I’m Yuna’s manager. Hee-soo, where are you taking her…?”

Yuna’s manager blocked their path, asking urgently. Hee-soo gently patted Yuna’s back while firmly holding her hand.

“Follow me. We need to go somewhere quiet.”

Hee-soo also addressed Kang Jaemin, who had rushed over.

“Director, I’ll step away for a moment and be back soon.”

As Jaemin nodded, the manager glanced between the pale, shaken Yuna and the calm Hee-soo guiding her. Reluctantly, the manager agreed and helped support Yuna by holding her other hand.

Hee-soo led Yuna to a corner of the set and sat her down.

“Try to breathe slowly. Here, count with me. One. Two. Three. Count the numbers in your head.”

“Haa, ugh…”

Hee-soo stayed by Yuna’s side, whispering soothingly and rubbing her back until her ragged breaths began to calm down.

If he was right, Yuna seemed to be having a panic attack.

Symptoms varied from person to person, but the intense pain usually subsided after some time. Based on his experience, it was best not to push her too hard before then.

From the manager’s shocked reaction, it seemed Yuna had either hidden her panic disorder or hadn’t known about it herself.

“Yuna, are you feeling better now?”

Hee-soo’s hand remained on Yuna’s back. Yuna nodded and took a sip of water handed to her by the manager.

“…This is the first time this has happened.”

Yuna, finally able to speak, suddenly flushed and avoided Hee-soo’s gaze. Thinking she felt awkward, Hee-soo stood up to give her space.

“If you’re feeling better, that’s good. I’ll get going then.”

“Ah, wait.”

As Hee-soo half-stood, Yuna urgently grabbed the hem of his clothes.

“…How did you know I was having a panic attack?”

“How?”

Hee-soo smiled faintly and looked down at Yuna.

Although Yuna had been unnecessarily harsh to him before, seeing her as a fellow sufferer melted away any resentment he had.

“I’ve struggled with it for a long time too. I couldn’t just ignore it when I saw you going through the same thing.”

When Hee-soo shrugged and spoke casually, Yuna suddenly burst into tears.

“Ugh, what the hell. Seo Hee-soo, seriously.”

“Oh no, why are you crying?”

Hee-soo bent down to comfort the sobbing Yuna, who sniffled and spoke through her tears.

“…This just makes me feel even more guilty. You could’ve laughed at me or threatened me. Why are you being so nice?”

“Why would I do that? We’ll be seeing each other a lot from now on.”

“You hate me, don’t you? I’ve only ever been mean to you…”

“Well.”

Hee-soo looked down at Yuna for a moment, then chuckled.

“I can’t deny that. But it’s not like we’ll never see each other again, so I’ll try not to hate you too much.”

Yuna looked up at Hee-soo with a strange expression, chewing her lip. Then, in a small voice, she muttered.

“…I’m sorry. For everything.”

Finally managing to apologize, Yuna let out a deep breath, looking relieved.

“It feels better to just admit it.”

She laughed hollowly and continued.

“Honestly, I’ve always felt inferior to you, Hee-soo. We’ve always been compared, no matter what we did.”

“…I understand.”

Hee-soo nodded. While Yuna’s past behavior wasn’t entirely forgivable, he could understand her feelings.

“Don’t say it so easily. Make it hard for me to believe you. If you just agree so simply, it makes me feel ridiculous. I struggled to say this, you know.”

“Should I get angry, then?”

Hee-soo frowned, pretending to be serious, and Yuna stumbled over her words, trying to backtrack.

“N-no, that’s not what I meant.”

Flustered, Yuna waved her hands, and Hee-soo chuckled, sitting back down beside her.

“I don’t know. Sometimes I did get angry, but maybe I’ve grown fond of you over time. Seeing myself in you, I just couldn’t ignore it.”

“This is why I didn’t want to get close to you, Seo Hee-soo.”

“Why?”

“You’re too perfect. Kind, great at acting, good to everyone around you. If I got close to you, I felt like I’d always be stuck as the second best, never able to surpass you.”

Hee-soo gave a lonely smile at Yuna’s words. Even though she felt rotten inside, it seemed others still saw her as a shiny but useless fruit—at least outwardly.

“Juyeon was supposed to be mine. Director Kang had made that clear, so I stubbornly asked for a supporting role instead. After a few years, I thought I could finally win. But no chance.”

From Yuna’s perspective, Hee-soo probably still seemed like an amazing actress.

Hee-soo, however, believed she had been forgotten by the public and was grateful that Yuna still thought of her this way.

“Yuna, you’re already doing great. Let’s do our best together.”

At Hee-soo’s words, Yuna quietly nodded in agreement. Hee-soo smiled softly beside her.

It felt like an unexpected reconciliation.

“But does panic disorder ever fully heal? Sometimes I really feel like I’m going to die. It feels like someone is chasing me, or my vision gets so blurry I can’t see anything. The worst is when my chest tightens—it makes me feel like I’m about to die.”

“I used to feel the same way. That’s why I ended up quitting halfway through.”

After saying this, Hee-soo regretted bringing it up. Yuna might not end up like her—she wondered if she had said something unnecessary.

But Yuna immediately reflected on what she had said earlier and bowed her head apologetically.

“This isn’t just someone else’s problem. I’m sorry for criticizing you for leaving the project midway.”

“Let’s let go of the past.”

Hee-soo stood up and extended her hand to Yuna, thinking of the production staff who were probably waiting for them.

“Do you think you can keep going?”

“I have to try. I can’t just give up here.”

“You’re right. You’re stronger than I was.”

The two got up and returned to where the cameras were. However, the set had an unexpectedly chaotic atmosphere.

The crew was packing up equipment, preparing to leave. Kang Jaemin, who should have been near the camera, was nowhere to be seen.

“What’s going on?”

Before Hee-soo could figure it out, Yoon Seok ran over to explain.

“Unni, we have a big problem! An article just broke saying Choi Hanyeong has been summoned for questioning. Director Kang left to confirm the facts. What are we going to do? The movie might get canceled!”

“...What?”

Beside her, Yuna gasped in shock.

Ah, so it’s come to this.

Hee-soo was surprised, but deep down, she knew this was inevitable—it had just happened sooner than expected.

Hee-soo took Yoon Seok’s phone and opened a news portal. The front page was filled with articles about Choi Hanyeong, Oh Taeju, and Kwon Chaewon.

“Police Summon Choi Hanyeong Over Drug Allegations; Still Listed as a Person of Interest”

The article contained details Hee-soo didn’t know—about secret meetings between Choi Hanyeong, Oh Taeju, and Kwon Chaewon at each other’s homes.

“What was he thinking, approaching me like that?”

Hee-soo shuddered at the thought that she might have been dragged into their circle.

“Hee-soo, I think I’ll head out too. Looking at this, today’s shoot isn’t the issue anymore. It’s uncertain if we’ll even be able to continue filming. We’ve only just started, but even the footage we’ve shot so far... who knows what will happen?”

Yuna looked defeated as she bid Hee-soo farewell.

“Yeah. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

After saying goodbye to Yuna, Hee-soo trudged toward the parking lot with Yoon Seok.

Now unemployed indefinitely, she wondered what to do next. Her steps felt heavy.

“Unni, you’ve been getting calls nonstop. Check your phone.”

Yoon Seok suddenly remembered to tell her.

Hee-soo opened her call log and saw multiple missed calls from an unknown number. Too many to dismiss as spam.

“...I don’t recognize this number.”

Frowning, she approached her car and noticed a sharply dressed woman standing nearby.

“Seo Hee-soo, it’s been a while.”

The woman quickly approached and greeted her. Despite saying it had been a while, Hee-soo couldn’t recall her face.

Her perfectly tailored pantsuit didn’t look cheap. Whoever she was, her outfit suggested she held a high-ranking position.

Yet, her face felt both familiar and unfamiliar. Hee-soo couldn’t place her.

“Who are you?”

When Hee-soo asked cautiously, the woman smiled and handed her a business card.

“I’m Team Leader Gong Sunyoung. It’s been so long, you don’t remember me.”

The card read: “Kangrim Group Business Strategy Planning Division, Gong Sunyoung.”

Ah, this person.

A memory flashed in Hee-soo’s mind, and she looked up. Gong Sunyoung smiled again.

“Let me get straight to the point. Could you spare some time? I’d like to guide you to Chairman Yoon Jisun.”