The One Wish He Owed
Seoul, Godeok-dong in Gangdong District.
On a hill set a little apart from the city center, Director Kang So-hee’s apartment living room was washed in the warm glow of sunset.
The Han River shimmered faintly in the distance beyond the window, and the sky’s red-gold light seeped through the glass and settled inside the room.
Two cups of black tea, still carrying the last traces of their fragrance, sat on the table, while the two women seated side by side on the sofa watched the television screen across from them in silence.
The reporter on-screen held up a microphone with a bright smile.
[Yes, I’ve had a wonderful conversation with actress O Su-ja. Thank you so much for being with us today.]
[I’m the one who should be grateful for the invitation. I’ll be working hard on <Possessed by a Trash Idol Friend>, so please look forward to it.]
With O Su-ja’s final bow toward the camera, the screen smoothly transitioned.
Now the studio showed the two hosts instead.
The smiling female anchor opened in a cheerful tone.
[Reporter Lee So-yoon sat down with world-renowned actress O Su-ja, who has returned to Korea after a long time, and it was a truly fascinating interview. Now, for our next story...]
Only then did Director Kang So-hee turn her gaze away from the screen.
She set her teacup down quietly, a strange smile touching the corner of her mouth.
“As expected, your sister really is a great actress. She walks that line so carefully, slipping right up to the edge without ever stepping on the landmines.”
O Su-ja smiled and gave a light shrug.
“No, even when I’m careful with my answers, there are so many cases where the broadcast comes out with a completely different nuance. Sometimes I get so angry I think, ‘Why did I waste my precious time and effort on that interview?’”
“Even a top actress like you runs into that?”
At Kang So-hee’s words, O Su-ja let out a bitter little laugh.
“That’s why I was especially careful to ask them to edit this one well. If they singled out Han Seo-jun and aired it like he was the only one with ‘amazing talent,’ it would just invite useless chatter again. So I made sure they pointed out one strength for each of the five members.”
“That’s the power of a name, all right. How many people could even get a request like that accepted?”
Kang So-hee nodded, smiling.
“Anyway, thanks to you, the publicity side of things is a huge weight off my shoulders. I know you hate interviews that much, so thank you for doing this.”
Just as Kang So-hee was about to say something else, the name of a person mentioned by the reporter on TV drew both their eyes back to the screen.
***
In the middle of Cheongdam-dong, inside a luxurious hair salon.
Before attending the wrap party for the drama A Time Like a Lie, I was getting my hair and makeup done here with a few other actors.
Five episodes had aired so far.
The viewership ratings, which had been positive from the very first episode, were climbing rapidly, and that had everyone—from the cast to the production staff—buzzing with excitement.
With a round mist steamer over my head, I was fighting off the drowsiness pressing down on me.
After all, I’d become hot enough lately that even in a hair salon, I could feel people’s eyes on me.
Besides, if you were a handsome young actor, you had to manage your image properly.
Who knew when someone might secretly film me nodding off?
The TV was airing an entertainment news segment, and just then it showed actress O Su-ja praising me while mentioning my name in an interview.
In an instant, the sleepiness vanished.
The staff nearby, working on other people’s hair, glanced my way and smiled.
But the corner of Cha Se-young’s mouth, as she sat right next to me getting her makeup done, curved into a crooked line.
Her expression was full of sneering contempt.
After the interview, the TV host’s voice came on again, and the actors’ attention returned to the screen.
As planned, it was time for Director Kim Ju-hun of A Time Like a Lie to appear for his interview.
[Yes, that’s the work actress O Su-ja will be appearing in, right? We can’t leave out the drama that also featured Han Seo-jun, who has taken the lead in <Possessed by a Trash Idol Friend>, as a supporting actor. Let’s hear from Director Kim Ju-hun about the secret to the success of .]
As the host’s lines continued on the TV reflected in the mirror, Cha Se-young’s eyes changed subtly.
[It also drew a lot of attention as writer Jang So-hyun’s comeback project. This work started with a 8.5 percent rating from its very first episode and has continued on an upward trend. In particular, the fifth episode that aired yesterday recorded a peak rating of 14 percent.]
At that moment, the hair stylist working on Cha Se-young briefly stopped the dryer in her hand, blocking the TV screen in the mirror.
Cha Se-young’s brows immediately furrowed.
“Ah, sorry.”
The stylist apologized quickly in a careful tone and hurriedly stepped a pace to the side.
Glancing at Cha Se-young’s mood, she resumed her work with cautious hands.
[There was a time when many dramas pulled in 40 to 50 percent ratings. Works like "My Name Is Kim Sang-soon" were prime examples. But with the rise of OTT platforms, the market changed so much that even a public broadcast drama can be called a “hit” with just 7 or 8 percent now.]
At the host’s words, a subtle smile touched Cha Se-young’s lips.
And then, next to the host, Director Kim Ju-hun’s face appeared on-screen.
[Director Kim Ju-hun of has joined us in the studio today. Director, if you had to name the secret to this work’s success, what would it be?]
Looking satisfied, Director Kim lifted the microphone.
Under the flood of bright lights, his forehead gleamed.
[Well, first of all, it comes down to Writer Jang So-hyun’s solid script. And our lead actors, Kang Ho-jun and Cha Se-young, really worked incredibly hard. As I understand it, this was the first time those two had ever worked together, and they showed chemistry that was absolutely perfect. As a director, this was the most enjoyable project I’ve ever worked on.]
“Wow, Director Kim Ju-hun isn’t the type to praise actors lightly, either...”
The actress seated to Cha Se-young’s right, receiving hair treatment, lifted one corner of her mouth and let out a sly little smile.
“Wow, unnie, I’m honestly jealous.”
At her words, a dry laugh slipped from my lips.
Jealous, huh.
I supposed a drama that would be cut short after nine episodes was something worth being jealous of.
After the director’s interview, Kang Ho-jun appeared on the screen behind him.
He was smiling from ear to ear.
A man with a very traditionally handsome face.
Large, round eyes and a strong jawline that contrasted with his sharp nose gave him an image that was both ingenuous and tough at once.
A woman who looked like a salon staffer inched closer to the TV screen.
She even let out a low, awed sound as she stared, lost in the broadcast.
And from the way her eyes seemed to drip with affection, she had to be a real fan.
“Really, Actor Kang Ho-jun looks so kind and wholesome. And even the muscles in the arm holding the microphone are sexy. He’s just perfect, seriously. He’s so cool, what am I supposed to do?”
Wholesome, my ass.
Soon enough, he’d be driving drunk and pinning it on his manager.
And those impressive arm muscles would be used to beat that manager simply because he refused one of his requests.
Kang Ho-jun was followed on-screen by Cha Se-young.
The actress everyone said awakened men’s protective instincts with her tiny 158-centimeter frame and fragile figure.
With her bright eyes, red lips pursed, and a slight eye-smile, she began to speak.
Watching her real-life self on TV, cheerfully piling praise onto her co-star, Cha Se-young’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
Was she giving herself feedback?
Maybe she was calculating what she should add to make the whole thing sound more convincing.
“Wow, unnie, you’re insanely fake.”
The junior actress beside her blurted out exactly what I was thinking.
“As if you’re any different.”
“No way, I could fake it every day and still not reach your level, unnie.”
“What bullshit. Wasn’t it you who boycotted filming just because one line of dialogue didn’t sit right with you?”
“At least I don’t go into the trailer and lock the door behind me. Didn’t the director have to beg you for ages?”
Hah...
The two actresses exchanged looks through the huge mirror in front of them.
Their eyes were murderous, but both mouths were tilted up in a smile. What an irony.
That younger actress didn’t seem like a pushover, either.
I wondered which agency she was under. The people working there together must live every day like they were trapped on a roller coaster survival show.
Still, thanks to that junior actress, an old memory surfaced.
On the very morning I became Han Seo-jun, Hwang Dong-jun had said something like that over the phone.
That Cha Se-young was arguing with the director over her lines again and refusing to come out of her trailer.
I even remembered hearing someone else’s resigned voice saying, “Here we go again.”
“Still, unnie, your luck is seriously insane. You got to benefit from Kang Ho-jun oppa hard-carrying the whole drama. You got to tack on a whole hit-actress filmography with just a few lines that sounded like a stray cat screeching.”
“...Pfft...!!”
I’d tried to hold it in, but a laugh nearly burst out of me before I could stop it.
Still, a few of the staff and actors caught the sound and turned to look at me.
“What is it?”
Cha Se-young snapped at me with open irritation.
The other actress, who had been watching my expression, also turned and frowned.
I waved a hand and quickly changed my face.
“Me? Why? I was just thinking about something on my own.”
With an innocent expression, I picked up the magazine lying beside me, and the others, their eyes narrowed, looked away again.
Right, she would tack one on to her filmography, all right.
As the leading actress in a drama that got cut short over controversy.
Well, that had nothing to do with me.
The project I’d appear in wouldn’t have a terrifying actress like that.
That was when I absentmindedly turned a page of the magazine in my hand.
The hair stylist assigned to me finally appeared in front of me.
“Actor Han Seo-jun, let me take care of your hair.”
“Thank you.”
As I followed her away, the back of my head prickled.
***
The wrap party continued past 10 p.m.
Even after the professional cameraman finished taking the group photo, the actors and staff gathered in small clusters here and there, exchanging thanks and warm wishes.
Laughter rose from one corner; from another, the clink of glasses could be heard.
The atmosphere remained warm and festive, just a little high-strung with excitement.
I slipped out quietly amid the commotion.
Since Han Seo-jun had been little more than an overlooked supporting actor, as unnoticed as an extra, and had stood out awkwardly throughout filming, no one would care if I disappeared.
Even so, Hwang Dong-jun, waiting for me with his back against the car door, looked oddly pleased.
He must have only gone in to check the wrap party mood for a moment, but a bright smile was already spread across his face.
Even while holding the steering wheel, that smile wouldn’t leave him, so I spoke first.
“Hyung, what is it? Something good happen?”
“No, nothing major, but...”
After letting out a light, amused snort, Hwang Dong-jun turned his head to glance at the traffic light before looking back at me.
“Honestly, I thought you’d be huddled up in a corner by yourself again. But when I actually went in, other actors kept coming up to ask about you one by one.”
“Ah, that? I’m headed into my next project, remember? They were just giving me some good-luck wishes.”
“Exactly.”
He grinned and gave my shoulder a playful tap.
“That kind of thing never happened before. Watching you drift around the set on your own, do you have any idea how I felt back then?”
“.....!”
“That’s why I keep saying you need to catch fire somehow. And in the middle of all that shifting momentum, even O Su-ja actress threw in a word on broadcast, so it’s just, you know?”
The enthusiastic chatter in his voice suddenly shifted.
“No, wait! Weren’t there also that bet I made with Lee Hwa-young?”
As if it had just come back to him, his face lit up with sudden swagger.
“What about it?”
“Ah, nothing much. Lee Hwa-young wanted to make a bet with me before, so I said sure. Obviously I won—I already knew the answer. Back then she said that if I ever asked for a favor, she’d grant one within reason. So what should I ask for?”
With a mischievous look, Hwang Dong-jun scratched his chin.
!!
As I stared at him with round eyes, Hwang Dong-jun lifted one eyebrow slightly.
“...Why?”
“No, seriously? You mean the Lee Hwa-young we all know actually said she’d grant your wish?”
“Of course. She said she wouldn’t go back on her word. The team leader heard it too, and all the staff were there.”
He shrugged and smiled.
“Then... can I ask you for a favor, hyung? There’s something I’d like Lee Hwa-young to do. Not right away, though.”
As I spoke with cheerful excitement, Hwang Dong-jun’s eyebrows twitched up at the corners as he glanced at me.