A Flying Kick of Justice

My body cut through empty air, one leg stretching out long and clean toward the hulking mass that had been manhandling Director Shin Yeomyeong.

Thwack!

The flying kick landed flush. What bounced back, unfortunately, was me.

"Ugyaah!"

"J-Jiwoo!"

Yuwol, who had followed me downstairs in a panic, called my name as she hurried to my side and started checking me over from head to toe.

"Haa, thank goodness. Doesn't look like anything's broken."

Then her gaze dropped. Her eyes went wide.

"J-Jiwoo! Your leg!"

"Hmm...? What's wrong with my—huh...?"

I must have landed wrong when I bounced off. My pretty, slender leg was already swelling an angry red. I poked it, just to see.

"Ow!"

It hurt. I could still move it, though, so it wasn't broken. At worst a hairline crack; more likely I'd just wrenched the ankle pretty hard. Invest about two weeks and it would be back to normal.

"Anyway, it's not a big—unnie?"

"Director! Even so, you can't go around hurting a kid!"

Yuwol shot to her feet with a terrifying look and started laying into Director Shin Yeomyeong without so much as a preamble.

"I-I'm sorry. I never thought it would go this far. Jiwoo, is your leg all right?"

Director Shin Yeomyeong apologized without a fight. I glanced sideways. Even the hulking guy who'd been grabbing the director by the collar was sneaking guilty looks at me.

Then my eyes swept the room.

Ah... I get it.

Once I pieced it together, a hollow, awkward laugh slipped out of me.

"Oh, come on... I told you not to do this kind of thing."

A hidden camera. A classic variety-show bit that used to turn up now and then, and still did, handing people a cheap thrill and a good laugh. I was an actress and a broadcaster—not a variety personality. I'd figured hidden cameras had nothing to do with me.

A look around the restaurant confirmed it. Besides the film crew, unfamiliar cameras and people were stationed all over the place. With so many bodies packed in, I hadn't caught it at first. My mistake.

"Haa."

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit me and I just lay down on the floor.

"Director."

"Yeah? Something wrong? Want me to call an ambulance?"

"It's not that bad. About two weeks of rest should do it... it's just a nasty bruise. Instead, I'm sitting out filming for those two weeks."

"Of course. I'm sorry. I should've turned this shoot down from the start."

That part surprised me too. I'd have expected Director Shin Yeomyeong to refuse a variety stunt like a hidden camera outright.

"More importantly, can I hear the reason first? I seem to be the one they were after."

"Yeah. A few days ago I got a call. It's a pilot variety show—they sneak onto movie and drama sets to see what an actor is really like, that kind of thing."

"What's the pilot called?"

"Hang on, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wrote it down."

He flipped rapidly through the notebook he always carried.

"Found it. The name is... Find the New Era Entertainer."

"Ah..."

I knew it. It had been a pretty famous show in my past life too—famous in the wrong way. The early reception had been decent, but even as a pilot it eventually ran into variety's chronic disease: running out of material. They started going after celebrities with awful personalities, then started pulling reckless stunts that actually hurt people. The backlash piled up, and the show got canceled.

"What? You know the show?"

"No. It's just... my leg's starting to hurt."

"I'm sorry. This is my fault."

The hulking guy—no, the variety personality—came over and bowed his head.

"It's fine. It's a variety show, right? I don't really care. This way I get to rest for a while anyway."

Thanks to the actors' seasoned work, filming had moved faster than expected. If it hadn't, I might have been hobbling through the rest of the shoot on this leg. The thought drained the last of my energy.

Then—

Ding!

A notification I hadn't heard in quite a while. I stared into empty air. A blue window floated in front of me, stamped with the word Sudden.

Huh?

A Sudden Mission that had absolutely nothing to do with the situation I was in. The word Duration was new. I did the math. Three weeks from now was exactly the day of the training camp.

Whether I could rest two weeks, film a little, then take another break for a two-nights-three-days training camp... honestly, I had no idea.

I looked at Director Shin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yeomyeong.

Judging by that guilty face, three weeks should be fine.

"Director. Could I take three weeks off instead of two? I'd like a little time to rest my wounded heart."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. Rest as long as you want. We can shoot other stuff in the meantime, and eighty percent of your scenes are already done."

He wasn't wrong. From the moment filming started, most of the shooting had been mine. Other actors had scheduling issues, I was the lead so my share was huge, and I still had school—so they'd pushed my scenes way forward. That was only possible because I was the protagonist.

The only scenes I had left were the motorcycle sequence—for which I'd gotten a license just to film it—and the murder scene. After that, my part was completely done.

"Or we can push all of Jiwoo's remaining filming to the end. As long as everything's in the can within two months, we're fine. With your skill, even if other locations run long, you'll hit the deadline."

Director Shin Yeomyeong nodded. That was a yes.

"Jiwoo, let's get you to a hospital first."

"Yeah. It's not bad enough for an ambulance. We'll just take the car."

"Got it. I'll let Hoyeon know."

Yuwol caught hold of me and hauled me to my feet. She hadn't even had time to start working out again lately, but the way she lifted me up was... kind of cool.

"Then I'll be heading out, Director."

"Go on. Get some rest, and let me know what the hospital says."

"Yes."

A light bow, and I left the barbecue restaurant.

Tsk... I hadn't even gotten to eat my fill of meat yet. That was a real shame.

"Jiwoo. You were just thinking how sad you are you didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠get to eat more meat, weren't you."

"Uh... no?"

"Don't lie. Look me in the eye."

Look her in the eye when she was being that scary? I couldn't do something that terrifying, so I slid my gaze away.

"Aha! I knew it! You were thinking that!"

"I was not."

"Then why can't you look me in the eye!"

"That's... because you're glaring at me so scary?"

"You little—!"

Yuwol raised her hand. I hunched my neck, bracing for a hit. What came flying wasn't a fist, and it wasn't pain.

"Aigoo~! Be more careful next time. And he looked scary even at a glance—why would you flying-kick a guy like that?"

I'd thought she was scolding me. She was just worried.

"Hehe, sorry. I did it before I even thought."

"Never do that again!"

"I can't promise that. If you or the other members were in that situation, I'd still go in with a flying kick of justice...."

"Tsk!"

Yuwol sucked in a sharp breath and cut me off. I shut up and let myself be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slowly dragged toward the parking lot where Hoyeon would be waiting. I looked like a pig being led to slaughter.

"What are you mumbling about. Walk properly before you say something even dumber."

"Ow ow ow. My leg suddenly..."

"Haa... just you wait till you're healed."

"I'd rather not? I'm going to see you every day, you know?"

"You want to get chewed out for real!"

Any more teasing and I really would get it. I kept my mouth shut the rest of the way to the parking lot.

"What? Jiwoo, what's wrong with your leg!"

"Stuff happened. Hehe."

"This is not the time to be laughing! Haa... I'm going to have a word with the director."

Hoyeon took one look at my swollen red leg, flushed with anger, and rolled up her sleeves. Even in the heat of summer she always wore a white long-sleeved shirt so she'd look presentable to people. Rolling those sleeves up usually looked pretty cool. Not right now.

"I already got an apology, and the director said he'd talk to the company about compensation. I messed up too. Let's just go to the hospital first."

"Huu... fine. We'll talk about this later. Hospital first. A nearby one okay?"

"Hmm.... Please take me to Hankuk University Hospital."

Hankuk University Hospital. The biggest hospital in Korea, and the one where my dad worked as a professor. Chief of Surgery, even. If I called, he might come out to meet us. As long as he wasn't in surgery.

"All right. Get in. It's a bit of a drive from here. Jiwoo, give him a heads-up."

"Okaaay~"

I pulled out my phone and found Dad's number in my contacts.