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“Jeju Island?”
Haejoo asked with a serious expression at the unexpected news. Jinhan continued to explain.
“That’s the main filming location, but we’ll also be filming on sets.”
“That’s quite far.”
“If things go well, we might even film on the southern coast.”
The setting for the movie was a house with a view of the sea.
To save on production costs, they had no choice but to keep the filming schedule tight.
“Has the casting been finalized?”
“I think the director is still worrying about the role of Youngin.”
“Ah.”
“The actor Director Kwak wanted turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts, and Yoonji auditioned.”
“How did it go?”
“Because of Yoonji’s existing image, he’s hesitant to give a definite answer.”
If Jinhan pushed strongly, Yoonji could definitely take on the role of Youngin.
But for some reason, he seemed to be leaving room for other possibilities.
Recently, Haejoo had been seeing Jinhan’s duplicitous side more often.
The issue of her divorce from Dojun was the same.
When things didn’t go his way, he had tried to manipulate Haejoo using his power and influence. She figured there must be many others who had suffered in this way.
His inconsistency and emotional volatility made her uneasy. She had to be wary because something like last time could happen at any moment.
“Then I guess we’ll gather once the role of Youngin is decided.”
“It’ll probably be decided within the next day or two. We’re scheduled to meet on Wednesday for now.”
“Understood.”
It was when Haejoo was about to get up.
Seeing that Jinhan seemed to have something more to say, Haejoo calmly asked, “Do you have anything else to tell me?”
“Nothing much... Haejoo-ssi.”
“Please speak.”
Jinhan, who had stood up, opened the refrigerator.
He handed Haejoo her usual drink and then opened a can for himself, taking a sip.
“Is it something serious?”
“I wanted to apologize for acting poorly recently.”
If Jinhan, a powerful figure in the entertainment industry, set his mind to it, no one could stand against him.
He knew better than anyone how to discard people within the legal boundaries of the law.
Yet, unexpectedly, he apologized to Haejoo first. Accurately listing his own wrongdoings.
“I still haven’t changed my mind about thinking that Haejoo-ssi made a wrong marriage.”
“......”
“Even so, I shouldn’t have interfered with Haejoo-ssi’s private life.”
When the marriage scandal first broke, Haejoo had the same thoughts as Jinhan.
A sense of unease that something was wrong.
But there was a story hidden between Dojun and Haejoo that even she hadn’t known.
Things that were ordinary for others were unattainable for Haejoo, so she had given up on them from the start.
Marrying him, who had become her hero during her lonely days, was like having the things Haejoo truly dreamed of come true overnight.
Being able to enjoy her peaceful everyday life now was possible because of Dojun’s sacrifice.
Now, even if she were told to go back to the way things were, Haejoo wouldn’t want to.
She didn’t want to explain everything to Jinhan in detail to gain his understanding. It was an extremely personal and painful wound for Haejoo, so she had no intention of bringing it up.
“So I’m thinking of waiting and seeing.”
Haejoo carefully chose the words she would use in her mind.
She had to avoid getting into a conflict with Jinhan as much as possible before filming the movie.
“I’m curious about what criteria you have for ‘waiting and seeing,’ Director.”
“In many ways.”
“As I said, there will be no more marriage or dating in my life.”
“Not even CEO Park Dojun?”
“The marriage registration with him was almost an accident. Dojun-ssi also found out late.”
“Do you believe that?”
“It’s not about believing.”
“Then?”
“Because I know it’s the truth.”
Jinhan nodded.
He also seemed cautious but spewed venom nonetheless.
“What if the person who spread the news about Haejoo-ssi’s marriage was CEO Park Dojun?”
“You don’t know Dojun-ssi, Director.”
“What do you mean?”
“If it were Dojun-ssi, he would have waited until the end or come to find me himself.”
Jinhan recalled the Dojun he had encountered so far.
In Haejoo’s matters, he had no middle ground and was absolutely unilateral.
In that respect, what Haejoo said was right.
“Just in case, if Dojun-ssi is deceiving me.”
Haejoo’s black pupils filled her irises.
Her firm voice, without a hint of a gap, conveyed a piercing pain as if covered in red blood.
Jinhan tensed up at the latent anger and power he had never seen before.
“Then I will leave.”
It was her trust in Dojun.
If he was a beast who was so honest in front of Haejoo that he revealed everything about himself and still fell short, Haejoo wanted to embrace him.
“Okay. I understand what you mean.”
A look of disappointment flashed across Jinhan’s eyes, but he smiled as usual as if nothing had happened.
As Haejoo stood up, he saw her to the door and left her with a significant remark.
“I hope you’ll keep the last words you said to me.”
Haejoo nodded without any particular reply and crossed the threshold.
Alone in his office, Jinhan gulped down cold water repeatedly.
Just then, someone knocked on the door, and he went back to his seat.
“Come in.”
“It’s me.”
Yoonji had come without contacting him.
She took off the sunglasses she was wearing over her bare face and sat on the sofa.
“What’s going on?”
“Do you really not know?”
Yesterday evening, Yoonji had received a reply from Director Kwak saying he wanted to think more about the role of Youngin.
This was more agonizing than a rejection.
“I already spoke with Director Kwak this morning.”
“This is different from our agreement. You said you’d help me if I found out about CEO Park Dojun...”
“Did you tell me everything you know?”
Jinhan pressed Yoonji with a cold gaze.
Yoonji, by this point, felt a surge of anger.
“What exactly do you want to know?”
“Why Park Dojun waited three years for Lee Haejoo.”
“Wouldn’t it be faster to ask him yourself?”
“If you know anything else, tell me everything.”
Yoonji was going crazy.
In a state where the balance of power was completely broken, she was no match for Jinhan.
“CEO Park Dojun is a much scarier person than you know, Director.”
“I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”
“He’s a gambler. If CEO Park Dojun finds out you’re doing this behind his back!”
A strange light flowed through Jinhan’s pupils.
A fierce chill settled, and Yoonji felt goosebumps all the way to her toes.
“If he finds out, what?”
“Forget it. If I have to be swayed this much because of Haejoo, I’ll quit.”
“If you take even one step out of here, you’re completely out.”
“What do you want me to do!”
“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”
Yoonji hesitated and mumbled without giving a direct answer.
She endured his piercing gaze that seemed to probe her soul before finally opening her mouth.
“The friend I mentioned is currently in the securities industry.”
“Is that so?”
In the end, Yoonji revealed the card she had been holding onto until the very end.
Only then did Jinhan smile contentedly, the corners of his lips slightly upturned.
“He’s a pretty successful analyst and hears a lot of things here and there.”
“......”
“He said that CEO Park Dojun had never mentioned anything about marriage until the scandal with Haejoo broke.”
“I figured.”
“He said that even within the same industry, no one knew, so there were many rumors.”
“Specifically, what kind?”
Yoonji tightly closed her eyes and then opened them.
She felt pathetic for having to sell out Haejoo just to get a role.
“Some wondered if he was waiting for the scandal to break.”
“Do you have any evidence?”
“What kind of evidence would there be in a securities gossip sheet?”
“Is it possible that Park Dojun spread the rumors first?”
“The source is so unclear that it’s hard to say definitively. The important thing is.”
“Yeah.”
“CEO Park Dojun is the only one who knows the truth about the marriage.”
A sudden pain struck Jinhan’s head. His vision blurred and then cleared.
“Director, are you feeling unwell?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Sweat beaded on his forehead in an instant. He lowered the air conditioner temperature further and leaned his head back on the chair.
“Why haven’t I thought of that until now?”
Haejoo had believed she was married to President Park’s eldest son until she checked the marriage certificate.
Even if rumors had spread in the village, it would have been logical for Haejoo’s marriage partner to be known as Ijun.
Yet, rumors that were about to be buried had been stirred up and exploded.
“If it’s Park Dojun, he’s more than capable of doing that.”
“It’s too early to be certain.”
“What’s your reason?”
“Haejoo’s family is involved.”
“......!”
“Do you think her family wouldn’t have known? After hearing what Haejoo went through, it seems more than possible.”
Jinhan pulled down his tie.
In the current situation, if Haejoo’s family contacted the press, it would be a headache.
“Do you know anything about Haejoo-ssi’s family’s recent whereabouts?”
“I heard her older sister married some businessman and went to the Philippines.”
“Really?”
“A rumor my friend’s mother heard is that she got divorced.”
“Hoo.”
Yoonji had spilled everything she knew.
Unable to squeeze any more out of her friend, she had a resigned expression.
“That’s all I know. So, whether you let me live or die is up to you, Director.”
Yoonji’s shoulders drooped as she left the office.
Jinhan, who had been watching her until the end, immediately picked up the receiver.
“Director Kwak, it’s me.”
-Yes, Director.
“Would you like to have lunch together? I’ll take you to a nice place.”
-Oh dear, what are you trying to talk about this time?
“I just wanted to see your face.”
-Is it about Yoonji-ssi?
“Among other things.”
-Alright. Let’s see each other later.
Yoonji’s lack of acting skills could be overcome with hard training.
Jinhan, having swallowed a painkiller, left his office to get some air.
________________________________________
Haejoo, having finished talking with Jinhan, headed to the reception room.
Hyun-sung had sent her a message asking to see her briefly, so she hurried over.
“Hyun-sung-ah!”
“Noona, good news!”
“What is it?”
“All the CF shootings that were postponed have been moved up.”
“Really?”
“I heard this movie will be filmed on location, so how about we shoot all the commercials before that?”
“We should.”
These days, Hyun-sung was busy as he had taken over quite a bit of work from Jinhan. His phone records showed numerous calls with advertising agencies.
“Interview requests are also flooding in. We can’t do them all, but how about doing one or two main programs?”
“They’ll probably ask about the marriage, right?”
“I’ll look at the questionnaires and ask them to remove anything uncomfortable.”
“Please do that.”
Hyun-sung wrote notes in the notebook he carried around.
Haejoo, who had been watching him, opened her mouth.
“Recently, a reporter has been following me.”
“A reporter?”
“He follows me around my house, the village, and even when I go out.”
“You don’t know who it is?”
“The director said it’s Choi In-ho, a reporter from Real Fact, who’s digging into me. I wonder if it’s him.”
Hyun-sung stared into space and licked his dry lips.
Then, he cautiously offered his own idea.
“How about we use this opportunity to act more like a married couple with CEO Park Dojun?”
“Like a married couple?”
Haejoo recalled the day Dojun had climbed the wall and kissed her.
His touch, hotter than the summer sun, still felt vivid.
Her heart fluttered.
Even though she didn’t want to acknowledge it, she kept...
“I’ll try.”
“I’ll discuss it with the director and let you know.”
“Thank you. Let me know when the filming schedule comes out.”
“You’re going home, right? Shall I drive you?”
“No, I brought my car.”
Haejoo was walking towards where she had parked her car when she stopped.
She felt the car that had picked up President Park watching her nearby.
Discomfort rose in her throat.
She resisted the urge to immediately go after them and curse them out.
“Lunchtime already.”
Haejoo pondered the word “like a married couple” that Hyun-sung had advised. Then, she turned her car around and headed to the bustling area in Gangnam filled with high-rise buildings.
She called Dojun while stopped at a traffic light at an intersection. For some reason, her heart was beating fast.
Just as she took a deep breath, a firm voice came through.
-Yeah, what’s up?
“If you have time, would you like to have lunch together?”
-Lunch?
Haejoo looked around the sides and back of her car while talking on Bluetooth. Then, she frowned as she spotted the car that had been following her again.
“Never mind if you’re busy.”
-No, I’ll come out when you call.
“Okay.”
-I’ll tell the security. Park your car in the street parking in front of the building.
“Yes, see you later.”
As the light changed, Haejoo stepped on the pedal.
The suspicious car followed as the Jino Group headquarters building came into view.
Haejoo’s car pulled up in front of the Jino Group.
Two security guards who had come out beforehand kindly helped her park.
“Thank you.”
It was lunchtime, so employees were pouring out of the building.
Those who saw Haejoo all stopped in their tracks, their eyes wide.
“Isn’t that actress Lee Haejoo?”
“Her face is so small and pretty!”
“I guess it’s true that she married our CEO.”
Haejoo had deliberately come outside for people to see.
She smiled and waved at those who bravely greeted her.
Just then, Dojun ran out, pushing his way through the employees.
Seeing Haejoo, he had an unbelievable expression on his face.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No. It’s just...”
Dojun was taken aback by Haejoo’s uncharacteristic behavior since morning.
Even so, he seemed secretly happy that she had come.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Pho? What about you, Dojun-ssi?”
“Okay. Let’s eat pho.”
Dojun pointed in the direction of the restaurant street.
They had to walk behind the building, so he was slightly ahead when Haejoo stood very close to him.
“......Why?”
“Like a married couple.”
“What?”
“Do you see that gray sedan slowly coming behind us?”
“......!”
“That’s the car that was circling our house.”
In an instant, Dojun’s eyes changed.
The light in his eyes, different from when he looked at Haejoo, even held a murderous intent.
“You’re saying that’s the car that tried to kidnap Father?”
“Yes. It’s been following me ever since I left the house.”
He made Haejoo walk on the inside of the sidewalk.
Then, regardless of who was watching, he grabbed her hand and held it tightly.
“Like a married couple!”
He repeated what Haejoo had said and walked forward, looking straight ahead.
As soon as they passed the main street and entered a quiet alley, Dojun turned around and sprinted towards the sedan.
The sedan, belatedly surprised, slammed on the brakes.
The alley was too narrow to turn the car around at once, and while it struggled, Dojun reached the front of it.
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