Chapter 218
The identity of Jin Yeoreum, who had hidden herself under the stage name Sunny, was revealed in the worst possible way, leading to a panic attack that caused her to faint on stage. As a result, Gyeoul, Gaeul, Yeoreum, and I all had to focus on our individual activities to improve that image.
In the midst of all this, after Gaeul’s suicide threat on the rooftop, Yeoreum took it a step further by putting someone in a small plane and throwing out the extreme question, “Are we dating, or are we going down together?”
…The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it gets. Is she really insane?
Because of this, Seon Taeyang was on the edge of a mental breakdown, so I stuck by him and tried my best to lighten the mood with a beer in hand.
For some strange reason, he seemed to like it when I treated him casually.
Is he a masochist?
…The truth is, I knew exactly why. It’s probably because he yearns for a light, horizontal relationship rather than being the kind of person who is expected, supported, and admired.
So I made an effort to be the friend he wanted. Ignoring the stabbing pain in my heart each time.
*
Anyway, during our group image improvement activities, I was also showing some results.
I had one area of expertise that I was good at.
It was acting, a field I had invested my whole life in since childhood.
Despite being part of a new agency representing a controversial girl group, I successfully managed to land minor roles in some pretty significant projects at a surprising pace.
Of course, my acting skills played a part, but it was also because Seon Taeyang was bizarrely good at fetching excellent scripts and auditions. Sometimes I wondered if he had actually traveled from the future, only picking the hits.
Anyway, we had a pretty good synergy, and that allowed me to get a chance at a supporting role in the highly anticipated drama “Empire of Ecstasy.”
However, it seemed there were quite a few people who didn’t look favorably upon it.
“Director, I can’t work with her. …Her level is just too low, seriously.”
Like the person standing in front of me right now.
“Ugh… Yeji, please calm down.”
“Calm down or whatever, but are you saying I should just wash the image of this unheard-of girl group?”
“Oh Yoori passed a legitimate audition…”
“Are you implying that I came through illegitimate means?”
“No, that’s not…”
What a bothersome type of person.
The person called Han Yeji was a supporting actress like me, but her status was entirely different.
She was a woman who had confidently entered the category of top stars, boasting countless hits, and was also a member of the crew of the drama’s writer, Pyo Eunseol.
She was someone with considerable influence.
It would be best to avoid her, but the unfortunate thing was that I had caught the eye of writer Pyo Eunseol, and unlike the original script’s draft, I was gradually taking over the importance of the role that was supposed to be played by Han Yeji.
It was the fact that they were stealing it away.
That’s right. I was in a power struggle with Han Ye-ji.
In the process, perhaps out of concern that I might get kicked out of the team, I couldn’t bring myself to tell the person involved, Pyo Eun-seol, and instead, she was venting her anger on me.
Well, I was somewhat accustomed to such cases, and since I could anticipate Han Ye-ji’s psychology, I tried my best to play innocent and act clueless about the situation.
Then, things took a turn.
“What kind of witch is she!”
Han Ye-ji began to throw an unreasonable fit.
“Why… why are you like this, Ms. Han?”
“I mean, which crazy lady…?”
From what I gathered, it seemed that someone had stolen her personal folding chair that she always used on set.
Oh dear.
While Han Ye-ji was storming around the filming set, she quickly approached me and shouted.
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“Huh?”
“I heard that when I stepped away, you were the one near my chair? Haha, what a rotten person you are, did you really dislike me that much to pull this kind of stunt?”
At that moment, as no one could reach out amid her sweeping blind rage, a familiar voice came from behind.
“Using.”
…Using?
Then, Seon Taeyang stepped in front of me and began to pressure Han Ye-ji in an unprecedentedly eloquent tone. He started with a general theory that creating such trouble, disrupting the atmosphere on set, showed a lack of responsibility as an actress, criticized her previously displayed attitude, and mocked her with the insinuation that Pyo Eun-seol wouldn’t know about this situation at all.
And, like a rapid-fire talker, he drew in the audience’s sympathy, cutting off Han Ye-ji’s words about calling the police, and scratched her pride, saying she should prove herself as an actress through her performances instead of political maneuvering.
I knew that Seon Taeyang was good at speaking in general, but today his eloquence was extraordinary, almost like the soul of a con artist was guiding his tongue.
Having successfully pushed Han Ye-ji back and resumed filming, Seon Taeyang said,
“From here on, Yuri, you need to take over.”
“Hmm… how should I do that?”
“It’s simple.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just suppress her with your acting.”
I replied with my usual sarcastic tone.
“Will that even work? I mean, it’s clear that Han Ye-ji, despite her rough personality, is at the top of the industry. How can I suppress someone like that with acting?”
“Regardless of anyone else, you can do it.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You’re someone who lives every moment acting.”
“….”
His words shook me to my core.
In that instant, I found myself unable to act.
I quickly collected my thoughts and pretended not to know.
“Sure, I do act… I mean, cutely and charmingly, which works well.”
“That counts too; you’re acting right now, aren’t you?”
“…Since when did you know?”
“Since the very beginning.”
“Then, why didn’t you act like you knew?”
Seon Taeyang smiled softly with a sad look in his eyes and replied.
“I felt sorry for you since you couldn’t do anything about it, and I was impressed by you for managing to pull it off.”
As I stared at him blankly, Seon Taeyang continued.
“If you act sincerely like that, you could easily chew up someone like Han Ye-ji. So don’t pretend to act like Oh Yoori; just act. Purely.”
The mask that had never been revealed to anyone crumbled easily and lightly.
That’s when I realized.
Just as Seon Taeyang seemed to dig into my mind, Oh Yoori could dig into Seon Taeyang’s mind too.
“…But would that be okay? I might seem like a crazy girl. People will completely lose interest in me.”
He covered his mouth and chuckled before saying.
“I think you’ve forgotten; I’m a fan of that crazy girl, Oh Yoori.”
“….”
Being a broken human who can’t respond normally, I would die without relying on acting. If that side of me is exposed, everyone would turn away from me, a liar and deceiver.
Oh Yoori, who must never reveal her inner self.
But still, in front of that man who looks at me with hopeful eyes, I thought it might be okay to show that disgusting true self just once.
“Don’t regret it.”
“I absolutely won’t.”
Hearing those words, I smiled faintly and stood in front of the camera, regarding Seon Taeyang as my only audience, despite how ugly I felt.
As I turned my back to him, he admired me and said softly.
“Just by deciding, you’ve reached S-class. …What a truly amazing kid.”
…The meaning of those words was hard to grasp.
*
After the shoot ended, with the director and staff gasping in amazement, even Han Ye-ji’s blank face expressing admiration, the atmosphere of the filming set had completely shifted in my favor.
I had naturally won the power struggle against Han Ye-ji.
In the car on the way back after filming, I casually said to the driving Seon Taeyang.
“Did you know?”
“What about?”
“That I was the one who hid that chair.”
“I knew.”
“….”
“The truth is, you were the culprit.”
The man, who had seen through my very core, casually stated.
“But you should be precise with your words; you just didn’t tell the outside personnel not to move it. Saying you hid it is too self-deprecating. …But I guess it showed how you could shake the rival you needed to take the lead from.”
Since I didn’t tell that external staff that the chair was personal, the benefits were clear. However, the risk of losing by saying it was minimal.
“I didn’t see it, I didn’t think of it.” With such simple excuses, it could be easily brushed off.
That’s why. As always, I had chosen the option that would benefit me.
However, strangely enough, in front of this man, it seemed truly shallow. I couldn’t bear to look at him and lowered my head.
“Why didn’t you reveal that when everyone already knows?”
“Because it would help you.”
“…So, why did you think like that? If it were your personality, wouldn’t you have to keep it a secret? You’re someone who walks the so-called ‘good’ path even if it means getting hurt, right?”
That was my understanding of the beliefs held by Seon Taeyang.
But Seon Taeyang shook his head.
“You misunderstand me. I’m not that great of a person.”
“Then, what are you?”
“I’m someone who cares for you, your manager, and, ideally… I want to be someone who is unconditionally on your side.”
“….”
“At any moment, in any situation, I want to be the one who stays until the end, standing by you, facing storms together. Even if the whole world turns against us, I would remain unchanged. Isn’t it okay to have at least one person like that in the world?”
I understood.
His beliefs hadn’t changed.
He was simply someone who could easily set aside even his own convictions for someone like me.
I asked, unable to hide my trembling voice.
“…Aren’t you going to get hurt once in a while?”
“Haha, we’ll think about that when the time comes.”
“….”
I wanted to earn a lot of money.
And with that money, I wanted to escape to a mountain where no one could reach me and live alone.
I was tired of wearing a mask and didn’t want to show my ugly face. I knew rationally that he wasn’t someone I would like.
So I tried to run away to a land where no one could touch me.
But that thought changed.
At least one person.
I suddenly thought, it wouldn’t be so bad to have just one person by my side.
*
But realizing that thought was meaningless didn’t take long.
“Team Leader Seon, Jin Yeoreum belongs entirely to you.”
“Brother Taeyang, I want to be the star you look at.”
“I love you. Teacher Taeyang, not as an idol, but as a woman.”
Watching the sisters pour out their sparkling emotions, I realized:
I wasn’t the one who should be by Seon Taeyang’s side.
It was when the subtle and painful ache in my chest made my heart feel like it was tearing merely at the thought of Seon Taeyang.
*
Five years passed.
During that time, I pretended to be friends and helped maintain the team called Girl Revolution next to Seon Taeyang.
Thanks to that, Yeoreum’s stigma was erased, and all of us sisters, including me, were acknowledged in our respective fields. The group, Girl Revolution, also succeeded because of it.
It was perfect.
I felt like everything would neatly wrap up once one of the sisters ended up with Taeyang.
Then, the sisters collectively burst out with dating rumors.
Three of them, all at once, with Taeyang.
…Oh, great, these crazy sisters.
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