Hwang Min-hwa, an actress from Nova Entertainment.
The only thing I remember from my previous life is that she was an actress in a ten million movie.
She wasn’t exactly a controversial figure, and if there’s one peculiar detail about her career, it’s that she often changed agencies.
After leaving Nova Entertainment, she moved to Horizon Company, which was classified as a second-tier agency.
Then she passed through several agencies and ultimately landed at RY Entertainment, one of the big three management companies.
Yeah, that place I turned down.
“Her career had no flaws.”
I thought to myself, taking a sip of Americano.
She was decent in dramas, but in movies, she soared.
Should I say she had a good eye for the future?
Hwang Min-hwa starred in two movies that each earned over five million and one ten million movie over the next five years.
And there was one reason she became a hot topic.
“She appeared in Director Jo Bang-woo’s last film.”
Although Hwang Min-hwa, who had never tasted failure in movies, had one movie that flopped, it happened to be Jo Bang-woo’s film, Gold Hunt.
Despite receiving ample investment, it ridiculously tanked.
It attracted a lot of audiences, and the content was praised, but it underperformed at the box office.
Total audience count: 1.5 million.
Given the investment, that figure was absurdly low.
It ended with Director Jo Bang-woo’s suicide, leaving it as his last work.
Maybe that’s why Hwang Min-hwa didn’t include that film in her career.
It wasn’t her leading role anyway, so I guess that makes sense…
“Seo-yeon, was there anything going on at school?”
“Yes.”
I ran to the agency since I left school a bit early.
Just as I finished my Americano, Park Eun-ha rushed in, out of breath.
She held two cans of coffee in her hands and awkwardly smiled at the Americano in mine.
“Oh, you already bought one. Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll drink it on the way if you give it to me.”
“Really?”
Park Eun-ha, who had been downcast, smiled brightly when I accepted the can.
“I heard that you were originally in charge of Hwang Min-hwa…”
I wondered if she knew why Hwang Min-hwa was leaving Nova.
But asking felt awkward since she always had a strange reaction when Hwang Min-hwa was mentioned.
Moreover, Park Eun-ha apologizes unusually easily.
She even apologized just now for no particular reason.
“It’ll be the first shoot in a few days, so don’t push yourself too hard…”
That’s when Park Eun-ha was saying that.
At the moment I left the agency.
A woman was just entering through the door.
She looked to be in her late twenties.
With glamorous blonde hair, a slender body, and sharp features, she exuded a luxurious vibe.
Despite not wearing luxury brands, her appearance reminded one of them.
She had an aura that sparkled like gold.
I even unconsciously stopped in my tracks.
“Oh my.”
As if she noticed me, she lowered her large black sunglasses and smiled.
“Nice to meet you. You must be Seo-yeon? I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Hwang Min-hwa.
The ten million actress and the star of Nova Entertainment.
“Hello.”
“Wow, I’ve heard stories, but you are really pretty. Are you a high school student?”
“Yes.”
She smiled brightly at my answer.
“That’s nice, but unfortunately, I’ll be leaving soon. Let’s get along during my remaining time.”
“Yes, thank you for your concern.”
When I bowed and greeted her, Hwang Min-hwa’s eyes sparkled, smiling with satisfaction.
“See you next time.”
After saying that, Hwang Min-hwa walked away, her heels clicking softly.
And following her was her manager…
‘…Huh?’
The manager’s face brushed past me.
Nothing special about it, but I could sense it.
Even I, sensitive to others’ emotions, could faintly perceive the emotion.
Fear.
It was an emotion I had recently come to learn through a game.
Fear is a complex emotion and cannot be pinpointed to just one thing.
And that was also the case for…
“…”
Park Eun-ha, who had been chirping beside me until just now.
I paused for a moment, glancing at her.
Then I picked up my phone and contacted someone.
*
“Jung-woo oppa!!!”
“Please look this way just once!!”
Park Jung-woo, recently selected as the advertising model for the luxury brand Biol, was wearing a designer suit and greeting fans at a department store in Gangnam.
It had been a while since his official public appearance.
He waved to the line of women, and with each wave, screams erupted as if their souls were escaping.
He was the best among male actors in their twenties.
This popularity proved that his fame wasn’t just a bubble.
“So cool──.”
At that moment, Park Jung-woo heard some unidentifiable shouting.
It sounded like a voice being squeezed out.
Amid the frantic screams, that peculiar voice stood out clearly.
“…?”
Curious, he turned his head.
He saw a girl with black hair cupping her hands to her mouth, trying hard to shout.
In front of the department store, caught amidst the glitzy crowd, she stood out with her school uniform.
“…?”
Park Jung-woo rubbed his eyes absentmindedly.
Why was she here?
For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating.
Maybe he was just tired.
After pressing his nose with his thumb and index finger, he looked ahead.
“…Wow.”
An even more drained scream followed.
It wasn’t a hallucination.
“Get that girl taken away by a van.”
Park Jung-woo quietly instructed the bodyguard beside him, pointing discreetly towards the girl so that no one would notice.
And after the event concluded,
Park Jung-woo finally made it to his van.
“…Are you out of your mind?”
His first words upon entering the van.
Inside was Seo-yeon, sipping on a can of coffee.
“Why did you suddenly come without even contacting me?”
“You came without contacting me either.”
“…?”
Park Jung-woo couldn’t retort that.
“And I did try to contact you! You just didn’t answer.”
Seo-yeon showed him the screen of her phone.
Indeed, her caller ID was properly displayed.
When Jung-woo looked at his phone, he realized that Seo-yeon’s name was indeed in his recent call log.
Seems like he had been too busy these past few days to notice.
“Well, fine. Anyway…”
He crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly before roughly ruffling his hair.
“It’d be better to be careful. What if someone sees?”
“No one knows my face that well yet.”
Well, considering she hadn’t appeared in any dramas or movies yet, that made sense.
Still, her name would be recognizable to anyone.
Should he call that gutsy?
Or should he say she really had no fear?
“Phew.”
It was pointless to talk anyway since he knew she wouldn’t listen.
“So…”
Park Jung-woo said, taking off his jacket.
“…?”
I felt Seo-yeon’s gaze fixed intently on him as he removed his jacket.
“What’s with that look?”
Curious, he asked.
“How much do you bench press?”
“Bench press?”
“Yeah, in gym terms.”
Why was she asking that? A thought crossed his mind, but Jung-woo looked at his body.
He had been working out diligently recently, so he had a decent physique.
Proud of himself, he smirked.
“Almost 400? I passed 300 long ago.”
“Oh, I see.”
“…?”
Her reaction was oddly lackluster.
She even had a rare smug smile on her face.
Like she was saying, I won this.
“…What about you?”
“Oh, I haven’t bothered to count past 600.”
“?”
600?
Is the 600 she mentioned the same as what he understood?
Looking at Seo-yeon’s body, it clearly looked like that of a slender high school girl.
Park Jung-woo snickered.
Even when boasting, one ought to keep it believable.
‘…What on earth am I discussing with this girl?’
This felt like a silent competition between friends about how much they could lift.
Anyway,
“So why are you here?”
“Do you know Hwang Min-hwa?”
“I do.”
Of course, he knew Hwang Min-hwa.
After all, he co-starred in the recent film that gathered 6 million viewers, Butterfly, with her.
Seo-yeon also came to see him, knowing that fact.
“What kind of person is she?”
“Why do you ask… Ah. Your agency was Nova Entertainment, right?”
Hwang Min-hwa.
Jung-woo stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Even so, she was fairly ordinary on set.
Her reputation among fellow actors was good…
“…Is something wrong?”
“I just feel a bit caught up.”
“Caught up?”
Seo-yeon nodded.
“My manager was originally in charge of Hwang Min-hwa’s manager.”
“Ah~, got it. I see where this is going.”
Park Jung-woo raised a hand to stop her from explaining further.
“Just a heads up, it’s better not to discuss such things with other actors. As long as you’re in the same industry.”
One must always be careful with their words, no matter where or to whom.
Especially among fellow industry people, it’s even more critical.
Hearing Park Jung-woo’s reaction, Seo-yeon frowned slightly.
“I don’t just say this to anyone?”
“…”
Park Jung-woo paused, pondering her words.
So what’s her intent in telling him?
Does she think he’s not just anyone?
What does that mean?
“…Anyway, this is just a rumor, not a specific actor. Just a general gossip.”
Park Jung-woo steadied his mind, which had been momentarily confused, and continued.
“Among fellow actors, she’s regarded quite well, but there are rumors of her verbally abusing her juniors and managers.”
“Verbal abuse?”
“Just to clarify, it’s a rumor. There are no witnesses, and I’m not sure if it was actually verbal abuse.”
Power harassment.
Jung-woo didn’t explicitly mention that term.
It’s surprisingly common among stars that suddenly rise to fame.
‘I almost fell into that trap myself.’
Having never been anything but a star since childhood, Park Jung-woo had achieved success at a young age.
When one achieves success young, they’re prone to becoming arrogant.
And arrogant people tend to look down on others.
It was the same case with his father.
And he was only saved from that fate because of a shock he received in his early years.
“And I know she’s an incredibly ambitious person.”
“Ambitious?”
“Not that it’s a bad thing. But too much drive can lead to danger.”
Seo-yeon listened carefully to Park Jung-woo’s words.
She felt she could roughly understand why Hwang Min-hwa had often changed agencies.
Gang Chan-yul, the CEO of Nova Entertainment, was not the type to neglect the agency’s entertainers.
He would have certainly treated Hwang Min-hwa with the respect a star deserved.
It was just that Hwang Min-hwa wasn’t satisfied being a star of Nova Entertainment.
“Just as a reminder, this is all rumor. Don’t just blurt it out.”
“Okay.”
Seo-yeon’s obedient nod didn’t give Jung-woo a trustworthy vibe.
Considering that she had just participated in a cable variety show, she seemed to live freely with her wants, which made him uneasy.
‘That’s unsettling.’
Watching Seo-yeon’s inscrutable expression, Park Jung-woo carefully asked,
“…Just to check, did she say anything to you?”
“No.”
“Does she discriminate?”
“She just told me to watch my words.”
Park Jung-woo chuckled at Seo-yeon’s remark.
He signaled to his waiting manager that it was time to depart.
“First, I’ll drive you home. Next time, let me know in advance when you come.”
“I already contacted you!”
Seo-yeon responded crossly to Jung-woo’s words.
Anyway.
‘Power harassment.’
Of course, Seo-yeon had no intention of confronting Hwang Min-hwa about this.
But still,
‘Surely Hwang Min-hwa’s next project…’
The release date of the film The Chaser, which Seo-yeon was about to shoot, overlaps with Hwang Min-hwa’s next movie.
In her previous life, Hwang Min-hwa’s leading film Utopia trampled The Chaser, gathering 8 million viewers in a massive success.
Utopia was Hwang Min-hwa’s last work while she was with Nova Entertainment.
‘…I must not lose.’
Seo-yeon made that resolve.
Ever since she was young, she had been competitive.
But this time, she particularly didn’t want to lose.
And so, three days later, the first shoot for The Chaser was approaching.
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