Chapter 135: Girls' Room
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135: Girls' Room
“Heh-heh.”
At the Dae-Han-Dang branch of Gold One Bakery.
Seo Ye-rin was humming to herself, busy at work as usual.
Her part-time shift was nearing its end. Thanks to Ye-rin’s fame on SNS, sales at Dae-Han-Dang had doubled compared to previous years, much to the delight of the Part-time Manager.
The manager had earnestly asked Ye-rin if she’d consider working there permanently, but she had declined. Now, the manager was already fretting over what they would do once she left—which pretty much said it all.
Anyway.
While her time at Gold One had been wonderful enough to be remembered as a fond memory, one final event remained for her to experience before her departure.
That was when two men walked in.
Unlike the other customers, they didn't even glance at the bread.
The man in front, who was on the leaner side, had his hair styled with wax, giving off a sophisticated impression. His clothes were all high-end brands that weren't easily pulled off.
And the man behind him was…
“Wait, isn’t that Cha Seung-ho?”
“I heard his shoot was running long, so he hadn't left yet!”
“C-can I take a picture?”
While the other part-timers were buzzing with excitement, Ye-rin also looked at Cha Seung-ho with an impressed “Oh.”
She had seen many famous people, but she had never seen someone as famous as the actor Cha Seung-ho in person.
He was a young actor who landed lead roles in everything he touched, possessed a massive fandom, and was highly regarded for his top-tier acting skills.
The lean man and Cha Seung-ho scanned the shop, spotted Ye-rin, and walked straight toward her.
At first, she thought they were going to ask about the bread.
“Hello, I’m Jung Min-chan, a manager at YS Entertainment.”
Looking at the manager who handed her his business card with a bright smile, Ye-rin’s heart momentarily thudded in her chest.
In the past, she would have rejected such an offer without a second thought. But this was the first business card she had received since sharing her dream of becoming an actress with Kim Woo-jin.
Moreover, YS Entertainment was a prestigious agency representing numerous famous celebrities in Korea.
“…”
Ye-rin looked down at the card and pressed her lips together.
Her parents had warned her many times to be careful of such things, and she herself had nearly been burned once or twice. She had seen people handing out fake business cards, strange agencies with similar-sounding names, and even people who tried to lure her into becoming an AV Actor.
As beautiful as the flower named Seo Ye-rin was, it was inevitable that many bugs would be drawn to her.
‘But…’
This time was different.
Cha Seung-ho, who was considered one of the nation's top actors, was standing right there beside him.
“Wow, you’re even prettier in person. I see why Seung-ho insisted he had to see you himself.”
“Haha.”
Cha Seung-ho gave an awkward laugh.
“Is this a scouting offer?”
Ye-rin, who had been staring at the card, asked directly.
The manager seemed a bit taken aback, as if it were his first time having someone ask so bluntly, but he quickly broke into a grin and nodded.
“I see you’ve had plenty of experience with this. Seeing as you haven't debuted yet, I assume you’ve rejected them all.”
“…”
She didn't deny it. It was the truth.
“If it’s not too uncomfortable, could we chat over a cup of coffee for a moment? I don’t know what other places have offered you, but I really don’t want to miss out on you, Ye-rin.”
He already knew her name.
Ye-rin wasn't sure how he knew, but she glanced over at the Dae-Han-Dang Part-time Manager.
“It’s okay.”
The manager immediately gave her the ‘OK’ sign with her fingers, signaling it was fine.
“Then let’s talk over here.”
Since Dae-Han-Dang had tables for customers to eat, she led them there.
Over complimentary coffee, the three of them began to talk.
* * *
“…”
Knock, knock.
When I knocked on the front door, I heard footsteps approaching from inside.
Even though I was mindful of my surroundings since it was the girls' dormitory, I found myself becoming strangely accustomed to being here.
“I’m a little nervous.”
Chan-woo, who had followed me, was fidgeting.
“What’s there to be nervous about? We’re just going into the girls' room.”
Besides, they were the ones who invited us.
“Woo-jin, sometimes you really amaze me.”
“I think you’re more amazing. How do you fail at dating with a face like that?”
“…”
I took another jab at Chan-woo, who had recently botched a potential romance with a female part-timer at work. In our room, Chan-woo was basically a punching bag.
If you fail at dating with a face like that, you deserve to be hit. Especially when everyone else starts at 0 favorability while he starts at 90.
“If I were you, man, I’d be charming everyone. I’d be swapping girls every single day and—”
Creak.
“—not swapping them, of course. I’d be devoted. Pure love is the best. Pure love forever.”
The moment I met Yoo Ah-rin’s suspicious, half-lidded gaze through the opening door, I immediately changed my tune.
“Cut the crap. I seriously want to rip you limb from limb, Kim Woo-jin.”
“You’re scary.”
Ignoring her murderous glare, I stepped inside. The girls were sitting in a circle in the living room, snacking.
The layout was exactly the same as our room and the same number of people lived here, yet it smelled strangely good.
“You’re here!”
“Chan-woo, long time no see!”
Lee Seo-ah and Han Bom greeted us immediately.
Seo-ah, in particular, had been quite friendly and clingy ever since I helped her out with that boyfriend issue.
However, I ignored the two of them and went straight to greet Senior Ju-hee, who was sipping on a beer.
“Senior, good evening!”
“Oh, hey.”
As expected.
Like some sort of mob boss, she acknowledged my greeting with a concise gesture while nursing her beer.
Seo Ye-rin had already made a spot for me. As I naturally sat down beside her, she smiled brightly and tried to pat my head, so I swatted her hand away.
“What’s going on?”
Being invited to the girls' room was one thing, but calling both me and Chan-woo suggested it wasn't a trivial matter. Yet, now that I was here, it felt like a rather casual drinking session.
‘Did they just call us because they’re drunk?’
I was worried it might just be a drunken whim, but the conversation started right away.
The story was simple and, honestly, not that shocking.
The fact that a major agency like YS Ent had made an offer was impressive, but… this was Seo Ye-rin we were talking about. I’d seen her get scouted several times already, so it wasn't a huge surprise.
What mattered was her reaction.
“You’re actually considering it this time, aren't you?”
When I asked while looking directly at her, she gave a bashful smile and nodded, clearly pleased that I had read her mind.
“Yeah. I thought it would be best to organize my thoughts before telling my parents.”
So that’s why she called us?
I thought the reason was a bit weak, but Ye-rin continued her explanation.
“Also, I decided to appear as an extra in the movie they’re filming at the casino.”
“Hmm?”
“T-they said experiencing the atmosphere on set would help me make a decision. So I agreed.”
Ye-rin blushed and fidgeted. It was likely just a tiny role where she’d barely be on screen, but she seemed thrilled nonetheless.
The words ‘That’s great’ lingered on the tip of my tongue, but they didn't quite come out.
I don't know.
I could accept her being scouted, but the fact that she was entering a professional workspace so quickly…
It felt like she was moving further away.
The natural question of whether our current relationship would even be possible once she became truly famous crossed my mind, but…
‘Forget it.’
That was a leap in logic, and a selfish one at that.
I brushed it off and asked what her role was. It was a modest part: a woman visiting the casino alone who has no lines but points the way for the protagonist who has lost his way.
“That sounds easy enough.”
It was a bit funny to see Ye-rin already practicing her pointing gestures.
Meanwhile.
“No, it’s definitely Chan-woo! I don't care how handsome Cha Seung-ho is, he can't beat Chan-woo!”
“Still, he has that aura of a great actor. If you saw him in person, you’d probably think Cha Seung-ho is more handsome.”
Han Bom and Lee Seo-ah were bickering over Chan-woo.
On the phone in Seo-ah’s hand was a photo of Cha Seung-ho. He was definitely handsome.
“Ye-rin saw him in person, so let’s ask her. Ye-rin, what do you think? Who’s more handsome?”
“It’s definitely Cha Seung-ho, right? Seung-ho Senior?!”
Is she already calling him ‘Senior’ just because she’s a film major? It was admirable how she acted like it was no big deal, even though she must be a bit envious of Ye-rin.
“Ummm…”
Ye-rin looked back and forth between Chan-woo and the Cha Seung-ho on the phone, then glanced at me and smiled.
“I pick Woo-jin.”
“…”
“…”
The two of them fell silent and immediately stared at me.
“What are you glaring at?”
I couldn't afford to be shy at a time like this. When I responded confidently, the two of them immediately started making a fuss.
“No way! Not Woo-jin!”
“Exactly. Why are you including a human in a conversation about gods? That’s just cruel.”
Ye-rin just popped a snack into her mouth as if their comments weren't even worth a response. The two girls then turned their gaze toward Senior Ju-hee, who was sitting alone on the sofa drinking beer.
“Senior, what do you think?”
“Who do you think is more handsome?”
“Huh?”
She smacked her lips as if missing her cigarettes, glanced at the photo and then at Chan-woo, and gave a cool smile.
“I pick our cutie, too.”
“Seniooooor!”
I immediately jumped up and ran to Senior Ju-hee, and she opened her arms to hug me.
She reeked of alcohol, having clearly had more than just a couple of cans, and I hadn't expected her to actually hug me, but hey, a win is a win.
“You didn't react like that when I said it.”
Ye-rin swatted my butt while I was being hugged by Senior Ju-hee.
But Lee Seo-ah and Han Bom had already moved on to Yoo Ah-rin.
“Ah-rin, what about you?”
“Chan-woo or Cha Seung-ho?”
After finishing my hug with Senior Ju-hee and sitting back down, I noticed Yoo Ah-rin was also glancing my way.
I looked at her with a glimmer of hope.
If she picked me too, I would be the man who beat both Cha Seung-ho and Jeong Chan-woo by a score of 3:1:1.
“Hah. Cha Seung-ho.”
Yoo Ah-rin answered immediately, ignoring my wide-eyed, expectant gaze.
Yeah, I figured as much.
Regardless, I was satisfied with beating Jeong Chan-woo and coming out in a tie with Cha Seung-ho.
…I’ll have to give Yoo Ah-rin’s butt an extra smack on my way out.