Chapter 138: Choice
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 138: Choice
"Wow."
I couldn't help but whistle as I looked at the tidy sum that had hit my account.
The bald guy was one thing, but the amount my big hyung sent was truly staggering.
— I sent a little extra on my own. Thanks for letting me see something so entertaining.
I could hear my sister-in-law’s voice, chirping with laughter.
She seemed to be having the time of her life, mentioning it was her first time seeing Big Hyung get so visibly emotional and angry. It felt like she and I would get along quite well.
"Beef! Beef! Beef! Beef!"
Ever since I mentioned buying her beef, Yoo Ah-rin had transformed into something that wasn't quite human.
She was hopping around the room like a primate, chanting for beef. It was so ridiculous I briefly considered filming it.
Anyway.
To eat beef, we had two choices.
"Beef! Beef! Beef! Moo-ooo!"
One was to leave Gold One entirely. I wasn't sure if there were any decent beef places nearby, though. Most of the surrounding area consisted of pawnshops or private loan offices, so I wasn't sure about the quality of the restaurants.
"Moo-ooo! Moo-ooo!"
The other option was to just eat here at Gold One. Sure, it would be obscenely expensive, but they stayed open late and the quality was guaranteed.
"Ah, whatever."
If we’re going to eat, we might as well go all out with the expensive stuff.
"Moo! Beeeeef! Moo-ooo!"
"That's enough. Get ready to go."
I put on my clothes while reigning in Yoo Ah-rin, who was now fully committed to her role as a cow.
She gave me a beaming smile, jumped up, and bolted toward the front door.
"Let's head to Building A first. There's an expensive beef place there. Let's go to..."
"Uchon?! You're going to Uchon?! It's 100,000 won a serving there!"
Wait, what?
100,000 won is a bit steep.
"Woo-jin! Administrator! Master! I shall offer you my eternal loyalty! Please, feel free to beat me for all the times I've been a brat!"
"...Eh, screw it. Let's go."
There were only two of us; how much could we possibly eat?
"Should we stop by the convenience store? Maybe grab a bag of snacks before we go—"
"Master, please cut the crap."
"...Right. Let's just go."
Yoo Ah-rin insulted me while bowing politely. I suppose if you're going to spend money, you might as well do it properly.
In truth, I’d already covered my living expenses with what I’d earned working here. This extra cash was basically a bonus, and I planned to find another part-time job once I left anyway.
Besides, she’d worked hard managing the Bamboo Forest and helping me ship those adult products.
"Let's go! We're eating at least two servings each!"
"I love you! I really love you! My man is so cool!"
She immediately clung to me, hopping with joy.
After returning the room key we’d been using secretly to the lobby, we took the Gold One internal shuttle back to Building A.
It was 7:00 PM.
A bit late for dinner, but personally, I thought it was the perfect time for meat.
When we arrived at Uchon, the sound of voices drifted from all directions. I’d expected the place to be empty because of the prices, but apparently not.
There were people clearly decked out in luxury brands, exchanging pleasantries with relaxed smiles. Then there were others who looked a bit more disheveled—likely having hit the jackpot at the casino—celebrating with stacks of liquor bottles.
They had private rooms, but since there were only two of us, we were seated at a partitioned table instead.
"Beeeeef? Beeeeef?"
Yoo Ah-rin, having reverted to her beast-like state, began scanning the menu rapidly. The prices were indeed high, but honestly, compared to what I’d earned today, it wasn't a huge burden.
I started by ordering three servings of flower sirloin.
"They even charge for the kimchi here."
I wondered if all expensive places were like this. It made me realize why the restaurants my mom used to take me to were so kind to me. At these prices, they better be kind.
The meat arrived faster than expected, and our pace of eating was just as swift.
The meat was pricey and not quite as large as I’d hoped, but that disappointment vanished the moment I took a bite.
"Hngh! It's so goooood!"
Yoo Ah-rin practically melted.
Seeing her savor the flavor with tears welling in her eyes made me feel like bringing her here was the right call.
"So this is the taste of money."
I finally understood why people obsessed over wealth. This is what you earn money for—to eat things like this.
Since the food was delicious, we naturally ordered drinks. Without intending to, it turned into a Bamboo Forest department dinner.
As the Administrator and the Moderator, we toasted to our hard work and exchanged tipsy compliments. But then...
"Um, what are you two doing here?"
A familiar face peeked over the partition.
It was Seo Ye-rin.
"Ye-rin? Why are you here?"
As a startled Yoo Ah-rin asked the question, Seo Ye-rin answered with a stiff, awkward expression.
"Oh, um... the Director and the actor wanted to have a meeting about some additional filming... so I came for that."
It looked like they had arrived before us and had been in one of the private rooms.
"Ye-rin?"
"Oh my, my eyes."
They say handsome people have an aura, and it was true. The moment I saw Cha Seung-ho following behind Seo Ye-rin, I instinctively covered my eyes with both hands.
"Pffft, you nutcase."
Yoo Ah-rin, who was a bit tipsy, cackled at my reaction.
However, the atmosphere wasn't as light as it seemed.
"Are they your friends?"
Seo Ye-rin simply nodded without even looking at Cha Seung-ho, who had asked the question cautiously. Her expression darkened as she looked at Yoo Ah-rin and me; she didn't seem to be in a very good mood.
"..."
Did Cha Seung-ho sense that?
He glanced at us and then made a suggestion with a genial smile.
"Would you like to join us? We have plenty of room at our table."
"...Who's paying?"
"Haha, we'll take care of it, of course."
"Oh hell yeah! Ah-rin, move your seat right now."
"Aye, aye, Captain!"
We immediately grabbed our meat and followed Cha Seung-ho. As expected of a top-tier actor, he was incredibly generous.
"Add four more servings of meat to the room!"
"And add one cold noodles and one soybean paste stew too!"
I even placed additional orders on the way in.
Seeing us like that, he just laughed and said we were cute. Truly a great actor. From this day forward, I was a Cha Seung-ho fan.
"Hmm?"
When we entered the room, a man who appeared to be the Director looked bewildered, but the great actor immediately explained that we were Seo Ye-rin's friends.
"Ah, Ye-rin's friends? Order whatever you like."
"We already did!"
"We'll just huddle in the corner and eat! Don't mind us!"
With a bright smile, we took our spots in the corner and began inhaling the meat and cold noodles that arrived.
Seo Ye-rin’s gaze was fixed intently on us, but surely the people she was with were more important, right?
"So, we're planning to give Ye-rin a specific role. The screenwriter was against it at first, but as soon as they saw your footage, they gave the okay."
"Ah, yes."
Look at her, answering so demurely. And yet she’s the one who writes in the Bamboo Forest about how much she wants to have sex.
"There aren't many lines. You only have to say a few words, but they have a lot of impact. It really highlights the character's personality, you could say."
"I see."
"Is that okay with you? If it's too much pressure, you don't have to do it, but we really want you for this, Ye-rin."
As the Director spoke softly, Cha Seung-ho chimed in to support him.
"Ye-rin, this is a great opportunity to get your face known. Since you haven't signed with YS yet, it makes for a great narrative—an ordinary person catching a director's eye on-site and becoming an actress."
"..."
It was definitely a good opportunity. Especially since Seo Ye-rin didn't want to miss out on this chance either.
I expected her to accept immediately.
However, her gaze lingered on me. She took a breath and bowed her head slightly.
Then.
"Could I... have a moment to think about it?"
She stood up.
It looked like she was heading to the restroom, and the Director and Cha Seung-ho let her go without trying to stop her.
As I stared blankly at the spot where she’d been, Yoo Ah-rin, who had been eating across from me, suddenly stood up.
"Be right back."
Did she know what Ye-rin was worrying about without me having to say a word? Unlike her meat-obsessed self from moments ago, she stood up with a chic air and headed outside.
The atmosphere in the room grew a bit heavy.
I took a large gulp of the cold noodle broth to refresh myself, only to find the Director and Cha Seung-ho staring at me.
"Um, your name was..."
"It's Kim Woo-jin."
"Ah, Woo-jin."
Cha Seung-ho gave an awkward smile and asked me cautiously.
"Do you think Ye-rin will do it?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"You two seem quite close..."
We were close, I suppose.
I thought for a moment and then nodded.
"She probably will, won't she? She seemed interested herself."
"Is that so?"
Cha Seung-ho nodded slightly, looking somewhat relieved, but it seemed he wasn't finished.
"Ahem."
The Director, sensing this, cut in on his behalf.
"I feel a bit bad interfering in young people's business, but... have you and Ye-rin ever dated?"
"Uh, well..."
For about three minutes?
When we got caught by her mother, we 'dated' for three minutes before breaking up.
"No?"
But honestly, it was too ambiguous to call three minutes 'dating,' so I denied it for now.
"Then is it unrequited love?"
"Seems that way."
The two of them reached their own conclusion.
The Director looked at me and began to speak candidly.
"Woo-jin, Ye-rin is likely going to become an actress. YS is keeping an eye on her, and they'll provide full support."
"..."
"From what we can see, it seems Ye-rin has feelings for you."
She’d made it so obvious earlier; there was no way they wouldn't know.
"I'm aware."
When I answered honestly, the two were slightly taken aback but continued.
"Could you speak to her for us? I see you already have a girlfriend."
"It's for Ye-rin's sake as a future actress. Speaking as a fellow actor, she needs to avoid scandals as much as possible. And besides..."
Cha Seung-ho looked like he didn't want to say it, but he drew a cold, hard line.
"You live in different worlds. Once she becomes an actress, Ye-rin will realize that too. It would be best for her to have a beautiful memory if you push her away now."
It was almost funny.
I guess my intuition was right.
The moment I saw Seo Ye-rin becoming an actress, various thoughts had crossed my mind. And the strongest feeling among them was the sense of a wall.
The phrase 'living in different worlds' felt so intensely real that it was likely the reason I’d been feeling so troubled.
That was why I’d just pretended not to hear their conversation and focused only on the meat.
Now that they were saying it so bluntly, I felt a bit more at ease, yet...
"That,"
I replied, taking another bite of meat.
"Is for Seo Ye-rin to decide."