Did You Think I Was Some Kind of Medicine?!
"What the hell do you take people for...!!"
"......"
I had nothing to say.
I'd sent her a hotel address as our meeting place and gotten an absolute earful in reply.
But Baek Seoyun wasn't entirely blameless either. She'd said something easy to misread.
No. That wasn't it.
The real mistake was mine — for getting it into my head that I was popular with women just because of Iseul and Shin Yena.
"Which is exactly why you should've been clearer, so nobody would get the wrong idea."
"Isn't it weird to even have that kind of misunderstanding?! How long have we even known each other?!"
"Ahem..!!"
Anyway, the place where Baek Seoyun could raise her voice as much as she wanted without fretting over other people's eyes was the practice room.
"If that was the issue, you could've just called me over to your company."
"How could I do that?! I'm the face of the company... and everyone there is working because they trust me...."
"Hmm... yeah, if word got out that you were getting acting critiques from another company's CEO, that would look pretty bad. So — should I actually do this?"
"Yes. Please be honest with me."
Baek Seoyun set down the script she'd been reading for over an hour and launched into her performance — and I was left speechless by how absurdly bad her acting was.
Still, she'd already shot one film and two dramas. All three as the lead.
And this was supposed to be the skill of a lead actress?
"Did you think I was muss medejin!"
"......"
Garbled, mangled pronunciation.
"Oh! Teasher!!"
"......"
That overblown, completely mismatched expression.
"Sniff sniff! Sniff.. Does it smell..?"
"......"
Emotion that had nothing to do with the scene. Anyone watching would think she was grieving at a funeral, not embarrassed and apologetic about body odor.
How much longer did I have to sit through this?
Did Son Heung-min score yesterday?
No — focus. Don't let your mind wander.
Even a Ministry of Defense clock keeps ticking. This stretch of time would pass too.
"Hoo...."
"So... how was it...?"
It was finally over. Baek Seoyun's acting torture session.
And I gave her my honest review.
"It was horrific."
"......"
"Truly horrific. Wow. Chills.... What even was that? What did I just watch and listen to??"
"I-it wasn't that bad, okay?! Stop overreacting!!"
"Do you actually believe that?"
"Yes!"
"Ha....."
I was beyond words.
Still, there was a silver lining. Now I had a clear point of comparison.
The practice room had been set up specifically for actors, so there was a camera, a mic, a monitor and speakers for instant playback — and previously saved footage could be pulled up again.
So I put Baek Seoyun's just-finished disaster of a performance side by side with the practice footage Iseul had saved earlier.
The moment Seoyun's acting filled the left half of the monitor and Iseul's filled the right, the gap became painfully, unmistakably clear.
Nonsensical wooden acting versus something still rough, but full of real feeling.
"You little...!!! So that's why you gave me this script?! To compare us right to my face!"
"Obviously."
Showing her the script for the drama currently in production — Hidden — had been for exactly that reason. To put them side by side without any pretense.
"First — how does it look to you, Seoyun?"
"The expressions are a bit... overdone, yeah... but doesn't that depend on how you interpret the script??"
"Oh, so you've picked up some pretentious fluff too."
"Excuse me?!"
"Script interpretation? What did you interpret? How did you interpret it? What emotion is the character feeling, and what are they trying to express?"
"That's...."
"You just did whatever the stage directions said. Didn't you?"
"......"
Faced with a speechless Baek Seoyun, I let out a small sigh and shook my head. Then I rolled my wrist in a circle, gesturing for her to keep going.
"My pronunciation is... not great either..."
"Just the pronunciation? Your vocal projection is a mess too."
"What's wrong with my projection?! I was acting the way a senior advised me to!"
"What advice?"
"'The best acting is expressing yourself naturally with your own voice!'"
"That depends entirely on the voice — and on how you use it."
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
"Just because a smart kid can rank first studying only from the textbook, does that mean a not-so-smart kid can do the same thing just by staring at a textbook?"
"......"
"Same principle. From that person's position, they were born with that kind of talent, so they can say things like that. But you, Seoyun, weren't born with that talent. No — you don't have any talent for this at all."
"Aren't you going way too far?!"
"You asked me to be honest. So that's what I'm doing. Or would you rather I coo and coddle you like everyone else? Is that what you want?"
"......"
Baek Seoyun, struck dumb, hung her head low.
Shocked? Disappointed? Either way, she looked thoroughly crushed. Of course she did. She'd just been torn apart to her face.
"I know... I know, okay!! I know people mock me and tear into me for being a bad actress!! But there are also a lot of people who like me! And I'm happy! Because I'm doing the work I wanted to do!"
"Selfish, too."
"What..?"
"Was it like that during your group days too? Did you just do whatever you felt like?"
"Th-that's not it! I told you yesterday! This is my reward for everything I put in!"
"Why are you trying to cash in a singer's effort as an actress?"
"That's...."
Before I could do anything about her acting, I was going to have to rip her mindset apart first.
"You worked hard during group activities, right? Because if you messed up on stage, it wasn't just your mistake — it hurt the other members, the company, and everyone who helped get you up there."
"....Yes.."
"Acting is the same. If you deliver wooden performances and tank a production, the other actors, the writer who wrote the script, the director and every single staff member who shot it, the network, the OTT platform, and every related party around them all take the hit. Because of one person — you."
"......"
"And a reward? You've already gotten one."
"What..?"
"Everything you're enjoying right now. That was already your compensation for the work you put in as a singer. Did you do volunteer work? No. You got paid fairly for a job. So what more are you asking for?"
"......"
She was still young. Same age as me — twenty-six.
Young enough that she'd already lived through hard, brutal years, then become the center of the world, soaked in love and made serious money.
Beginner's heart. Desperation. Gratitude. It was easy to forget those things. She needed a wake-up call before anything would change.
"Some people choose death because they can't scrape together a few coins for hospital bills. Money that doesn't even add up to one episode of your appearance fee."
"......"
"You think those people didn't try? They did. They probably worked themselves half to death harder than you ever have, Baek Seoyun. And they still end up making that choice. Meanwhile you've already been more than compensated — so what exactly are you so wronged about, and what makes you so entitled?"
"W-who's wronged and entitled..? That's not it..."
"Then own it and learn how to put in the work. You've been acting for three years already. So why can't you even handle the basics?"
"......"
That was as far as I could go. As far as I was willing to go — because Baek Seoyun still hadn't signed with Art Company.
"That's all I can say for now. If you want to hear more..."
"You want me to sign a contract..?"
"Yes."
"....But I have conditions."
"What conditions?"
"Bring all the staff currently working with me into the contract too. And keep evaluating me honestly from now on."
"Don't worry about that."
"I-I'm not saying I'll sign! I need to go think it over more.. get some advice from people around me... talk it through with my staff..."
"Go ahead. I'll wait for your call."
"....Why are you so chill about this?! Aren't you going to stop me?? Aren't you going to cling??"
"Why would I?"
"Because you want to sign me!!"
"I do. But is someone who changes their mind just because another person clings really the kind of person you are? We've only talked a little, but the Baek Seoyun I've seen doesn't seem like that type."
"......"
And that was how my second meeting with Baek Seoyun ended — without a single answer about the contract.
I'd been reporting to Art Actors for a while because running into Jeong Sora was too awkward — but the situation hadn't improved at all.
Because Art Actors had Shin Yena.
"Finally showing your true colors, huh?"
"What weird nonsense are you about to spit out now?"
"Baek Seoyun."
"What about Baek Seoyun? You already made contact behind both the president's and the Head of Department's backs and took over a whole company. So she's the next target, right??"
"It's not like that, so stop inventing weird theories and go do your job."
"I'm not jealous. So just be honest with me~"
"I said it's not!!"
Baek Seoyun had signed with Art Company a few days earlier.
And it wasn't just a contract — it was a full acquisition.
Back Story. A company built to write Baek Seoyun's story alone — and I'd bought it for a full ten billion won.
Though compared to the Lee Do-yun deal, it was still a bargain. Instead of the fifteen billion signing bonus I'd handed Lee Do-yun, I'd folded the ten-billion acquisition cost into the signing fee and called it even.
And with the merger, the Back Story staff who'd become Art Company employees would keep handling Baek Seoyun as before.
"For my next project..."
"Forget projects. For now you're starting with personal content, solo activities, and singer work. If you don't want to, you don't have to."
"Then when do I get to act again...."
"Once you've got the basics down, I'll put you in something. Monthly evaluations — so prepare properly."
"Tch..."
"Ah! And those composers you knew from your group days? Connect me with them. We've been trying to reach out, but apparently getting songs from them is tough."
"Ha! So that's why you brought me in?!"
"Isn't that obvious? Why else would I drop ten billion on an acquisition?"
"You really are...!!"
"Honesty is my charm. Isn't that why you decided to work with me??"
"That mouth of yours..!!"
"......"
Before Baek Seoyun's nail-sharpened hand could reach me, I clamped my mouth shut and scrambled backward.
"Where do you think you're running?!"
"How am I supposed to not run when you're coming at me with claws out?"
"You little...!! We're eating dinner together tonight, so consider yourself warned!"
"Just the two of us? That's a lot of pressure."
"Pressure, my ass..!!"
"This is the office. We agreed on formal speech at the company, remember?"
"......"
We were the same age, and we'd already met a few times before the acquisition, so we'd decided to be friends — only in private, of course.
But when had Jeong Sora come downstairs? And why were the two of them standing together?!
"......"
"......"
From a distance, Shin Yena and Jeong Sora were watching me with their hands over their mouths, whispering something to each other.
Please tell me Shin Yena wasn't feeding Jeong Sora some bizarre story??
"Something on your mind?"
"No, just... not really a worry..."
It was a worry.
I was worried Shin Yena had said something weird and Jeong Sora had gotten the wrong idea.
Surely she didn't think I'd deliberately dropped my pants because I was after her?
No. If she did misunderstand, got scared, and quit — that might actually be for the best...
"Hey!"
"Huh??"
"Wow... you really have zero manners!"
"About what?"
"Zoning out like that right in front of someone is seriously rude, you know?!"
"Ah... sorry. But didn't you say we were getting food? Why is it drinks again? You can barely handle any."
"You don't have to drink a lot to be allowed to drink! And drinking moderately like this is healthy drinking culture, okay?!"
"Ah, yes. One glass of whiskey over two hours. Truly excellent drinking culture."
"You little..! I get drunk after two glasses, that's why! And if I get drunk, who knows what you'd do to me!"
"That's even ruder. Treating me like a criminal."
"Says the guy who randomly sends hotel addresses!!"
"......"
And once she put it like that, I had nothing left to say.
"Then why are you drinking with such a dangerous guy again?"
"The members are all overseas... and I don't really have anyone else to drink with...."
"You don't have friends either?"
"I don't! Do you?!"
"......"
Come to think of it, I didn't have friends either.
I'd lost touch with my middle school friends, and in high school, after Grandma passed, I'd been so deep in a funk that whatever friends I had all drifted away.
Army buddies, college friends, company peers — everyone got busy with their own lives, and the messages just stopped.
"Let's just toast. Two friendless losers."
"Yeah... two friendless losers... Ah! What's your home address? Text it to me."
"Why do you need my home address?"
"Chuseok's coming up~ I'll send you a gift."
"Pass. That's the kind of thing a company CEO is supposed to send."
"I'm loaded. So just send the address."
"What a fantastic friend I've found."
"You should be grateful."
"Yes, yes~ Thank you so much~"
"Heh~"
Chuseok coming up...
Ah, right. Han Jihyun had asked back then if she could do something for Chuseok....
Eh, what did it matter~
Iseul was coming home for Chuseok. That was enough.
Ah... I miss my Iseul...
In the end, I fell asleep.
The girl who was supposed to come home for Chuseok had been shooting until dawn on Chuseok day itself, and I'd drifted off without even seeing her walk through the door.
But the girl who'd come in at dawn was already cooking first thing in the morning?
"Smells good..."
Following the scent of food, I slipped out of bed and headed for the living room.
From the living room I could see the kitchen — and there was Iseul, dressed in a very pale pink hanbok, washing dishes.
Han Jihyun, in a purple jeogori and a soft gray skirt, was setting dishes on the table, so even from the back it was clearly Iseul.
Then how about giving her a little surprise?
"......"
I crept forward like a sneaky cat, right up behind Iseul, who was completely absorbed in the dishes. Then I wrapped my arms around her slender waist, rested my chin on her shoulder, and pressed my cheek against hers.
"Morning. I missed you."
"......"
"What~ Why no answer? Shooting must've really worn you out, huh? The way you feel in my arms..."
That was when I should have noticed.
No — I should have noticed before I ever hugged her from behind.
That this woman frozen solid in my arms was not Iseul.
"Oppa..?"
"E-Eunho...."
"......"
At the voices coming from behind me, I turned my head.
Iseul and Han Jihyun were standing there.
Why?
Han Jihyun made sense — but why was Iseul over there?
Then who was this person....
"Um... I'm Serin..."
"AAAAAAAH!!!!!!! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!!!!"
Why does this kind of thing always happen to me!!!!!