Waiting a Little Longer
The To.Any team had just left Baekhak headquarters.
Ye-ji, gripping the wheel of the van, cried out with excitement. "Director! Wasn’t Lee Ha-eun so pretty in person?"
Inside the large van, her bright voice filled the space. Choi Jeong-eun nodded along.
"Totally. The camera doesn’t do her justice! Good heavens, she was wearing sunglasses and still half her face was hidden. How can someone have such a tiny face? And doesn’t she seem secretly nice too?"
"Right? She was way gentler than I expected. And she spoke so calmly!"
"I’d heard so many rumors that I thought she must be terribly temperamental, but I guess you really do have to meet people to know them. Oh, did you get an autograph, Ye-ji?"
"...Oh no! I forgot to ask for one!"
"How could you forget that?"
"Did you get one, Director?"
"Of course I did!"
While the two women chatted happily, the traffic light ahead turned red. Ye-ji gently brought the car to a stop, then turned to look toward the back seat.
"How was Ga-eul?"
Park Ga-eul, who had been looking out the window, turned her head.
"Huh?"
"Lee Ha-eun was your first time seeing her too, right? How did it feel seeing such a senior star in the industry?"
At Ye-ji’s question, Ga-eul chewed lightly on her lip.
"I thought she was terrible."
"Huh? Terrible?"
Choi Jeong-eun tilted her head.
"Was there anything terrible about Lee Ha-eun today? She was ridiculously nice, wasn’t she?"
Ga-eul thought for a moment, then answered in a firm voice.
"I thought she was really terrible."
Choi Jeong-eun and Ye-ji exchanged uneasy looks, both a little startled.
What’s gotten into her all of a sudden?
...Did something happen while we weren’t there?
While the two were having a silent conversation, Ga-eul suddenly called out to Ye-ji.
"Unnie, could we go to the practice room instead of the dorm?"
"Huh? It’s already dinnertime."
"I don’t have to eat dinner anyway because of today’s meal plan, so please take me to the practice room."
After saying that, Ga-eul closed her mouth. Watching her from the corner of her eye, Ye-ji’s face went pale.
She’d been too busy gossiping with Director Choi to notice before, but now she could tell.
...
To.Any leader Park Ga-eul.
She was angry. Very angry.
***
The moment I first opened the door to the meeting room, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
Lee Ha-eun.
Top actress Lee Ha-eun.
She was, astonishingly, standing in the To.Any meeting room and waving at us.
The Lee Ha-eun I had only ever seen in dreams until a few days ago was right there in front of me.
How long has it been since I last saw her?
It had been almost a month since Christmas.
In the meantime, a new year had come and gone, but Lee Ha-eun was still beautiful, still shimmering with light.
My heart, idiot that it was, started pounding for her.
And in that moment, I realized once again.
I really do like this woman.
Yes.
There was no denying it anymore.
I liked Lee Ha-eun.
My heart racing just from looking at her was proof enough.
But could romance really be allowed to enter our relationship?
For top actresses caught up in dating rumors, the end was rarely good except in a few cases.
No matter how well-liked an actress might be with the public, the moment she started dating, the work dried up and the roles she could take became limited.
And Lee Ha-eun had never once been rumored to be dating anyone.
What would the public say if the first rumor to ever attach itself to her was one involving her manager?
Just imagining that future-that-would-never-come sent a chill down my spine.
This was an age that enjoyed watching stars fall more than watching them rise.
With the size of her fandom, Lee Ha-eun’s fall would be even faster.
I didn’t have the confidence to watch her collapse with my own eyes.
Much less did I have the confidence to be the one who gave that collapse its first push.
And in that moment, harsh words spilled from my mouth.
"Your relationship with me ends at manager and artist. I have no intention of crossing that line."
I knew it was cowardly.
I was afraid of the reality standing in front of us, so I was trying to hurt her first.
But what else could I do?
I’d already had my body and heart stolen from me completely. Could I really keep Lee Ha-eun at a distance after that?
I wasn’t confident.
I wasn’t confident at all that I could shove away this woman who made my heart race just by looking at her.
So I steeled myself and poured out the same venom I had in the past.
Even if she liked me that much, Lee Ha-eun was still a woman made entirely of pride and arrogance.
There was no way she’d just sit there quietly after hearing that.
She would definitely get angry and irritated.
And when she did, I was prepared to get even more annoyed and angry in return.
To turn Lee Ha-eun and me back into what we had been before, I was ready to go back to that miserable year from the past.
A corner of my heart ached, but there was no helping it.
This was the best thing for us now.
I let out a steady breath and waited for Lee Ha-eun’s sharp reply.
But the insult I expected never came.
..........
Lee Ha-eun, after hearing my harsh words, didn’t get angry.
She didn’t even look irritated.
Instead, her face turned bright red right up to her ears, and she stared at me in a daze.
At that completely unexpected reaction, my eyes went wide.
..........Huh?
Lee Ha-eun, after hearing my insult...
was she... embarrassed?
***
I left the meeting room with Lee Ha-eun.
Director Choi Jeong-eun and Ye-ji must have left after the meeting, because they were nowhere to be seen.
When I turned my head slightly, I could still see the red flushing Lee Ha-eun’s face.
Completely dumbfounded, I slowly opened my mouth.
What the hell... was that?
No... was this even right?
Lee Ha-eun got embarrassed after hearing me criticize her??
The hair on my arms stood on end.
No matter how I thought about it, it made no sense.
In the end, I couldn’t hold back and grabbed Lee Ha-eun’s shoulder as she walked a little ahead of me.
"Lee Ha-eun."
She flinched and slowly turned her head.
I asked with all sincerity, "Are you sick somewhere?"
Her eyes flew wide open.
"What?"
"I’m asking if you’re hurt somewhere. If you are, say so. I’ll take you to the hospital right away."
"..."
Lee Ha-eun moved her lips as if to say something, then let out a long sigh.
"I am hurt."
Just as I thought.
So that was why her face looked like that!
"My heart hurts when I look at you."
"...?"
Lee Ha-eun glared at me with eyes bright with heat and grumbled.
"Why are you so cute, Kwon Chan?"
"........."
My mouth opened and closed like a fish’s.
I-I'm cute?
So stunned by Lee Ha-eun’s reply that I couldn’t even find words, I just stood there.
Meanwhile, Lee Ha-eun looked away from me and muttered, "You’re really going to drive me crazy."
...Damn.
That was my line!
What the hell is wrong with this woman?
No, seriously. What the hell was this situation?
After all that harsh talk, she wasn’t angry at all and was calling me cute?
Just how badly did she have to be smitten to say something like that?
But Lee Ha-eun wasn’t the only one being foolish here.
The sight of her turning her head shyly, blushing while looking at me, was so beautiful that I ended up feeling fluttery all over again.
At this ridiculous situation, I let out a dry laugh.
"You’re really insane."
"Same goes for me."
"Go home."
"Where to?"
"Home. You should go home."
"Drive me home."
I took a step back and said, "No. Go by yourself."
"You know I can’t take a taxi."
"I’ll call Manager Jeon Hyeong-u."
"He’s on vacation today."
Lee Ha-eun tilted her head slightly.
Her hair fell to one side, and through it, her eyes blinked in an almost foolish way.
Between her slightly parted lips, a coaxing voice slipped out.
"You won’t take me home?"
At that, I froze on the spot.
Thud-thump.
My heart was beating too fast.
So fast I could barely breathe.
Thanks to that, my mind went blank, and no proper excuse for refusing her came to me.
Afraid she might notice how shaken I was, I answered in a rush.
"This is the last time."
With that, I walked past her and started toward the car.
Behind my back, I heard Lee Ha-eun’s small laugh.
Ignoring it as hard as I could, I got into the car and headed straight for her house.
I couldn’t even remember how I’d driven. I just gripped the wheel in a daze.
Fortunately, I made it to Lee Ha-eun’s house without any accidents.
I let out a long breath and said, "Lee Ha-eun, we’re here."
"Mm."
"Get out quickly."
All the way here, Lee Ha-eun had been staring out the window in a daze. Now she slowly turned her head.
Fixing her gaze on me, she called my name in a soft voice.
"Kwon Chan."
"Yes."
"Want to come in for ramen?"
"........."
Damn it.
What is wrong with this woman?
"Are you out of your mind?"
"Why."
"How is it sane to tell me to come in for ramen at your house?"
"You could eat ramen."
A helpless laugh slipped out of me.
"You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?"
At that, Lee Ha-eun let out the same kind of laugh.
She looked at my face for a moment in that state, then slowly murmured, "Come in for a minute. I’ll give you a cup of hot coffee or a drink."
"No thanks."
"Then I’m not going in either."
"You’re going to be stubborn over this?"
Lee Ha-eun didn’t answer. She just crossed her arms.
She was as stubborn as she was proud.
If she was making that kind of move, it meant she had no intention of budging.
In the end, I got out of the car.
"I’m not going inside. I’ll wait by the gate."
Lee Ha-eun smirked, then went in first.
I followed her a moment later and saw, as befitted a top star actress, a huge detached house with a garden.
I stepped inside the gate and leaned casually against it.
Before long, Lee Ha-eun, who had gone inside, came back down with a canned coffee in hand.
She held it out to me and said, "Won’t you drink it inside where it’s warm?"
"I’m fine. I’m leaving now."
With that, I turned away.
Lee Ha-eun, who had rushed out without me noticing, stepped in front of me.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Hey, Kwon Chan."
"What."
"You know you’re really stubborn, right?"
Feeling exasperated, I shot back, "Isn’t that you, Lee Ha-eun?"
"I’m allowed to be."
"Then I guess I’m allowed to be too."
With that, a faint silence settled between us.
Lee Ha-eun seemed dissatisfied with something, while I stared at her in disbelief.
Then a small laugh slipped out between us.
I didn’t know who laughed first.
It just seemed like, before either of us could claim it, we both burst out laughing at once.
In that moment, I thought, Why is she like this?
If I knew Lee Ha-eun, today should have been the kind of moment where she would definitely get angry.
So why did she look happier than usual, and why was her energy so high?
I didn’t know.
Lately, Lee Ha-eun had become difficult to understand with my head alone.
But one thing was certain.
The woman laughing at me, looking so pleased with herself, was ridiculously cute and beautiful.
Just as self-reproach welled up on one side of me and a small happiness rose on the other, Lee Ha-eun tapped my forehead.
"Again. You’re frowning."
With those words, she smoothed out my furrowed brow by force and muttered, "How many times do I have to tell you not to make that face when you’re not even handsome enough to begin with?"
I said in a voice tinged with laughter, "It’s because of you."
"Why, because of me?"
"Well..."
I trailed off and fell silent.
Lee Ha-eun stared at me for a moment, then stepped just a little closer and said, "Is it because of what happened today?"
I couldn’t answer.
Lee Ha-eun lifted her head and looked at me intently.
"Don’t worry. I’m not angry."
My eyes widened at that.
"What?"
"I’m not hurt either, and I’m not annoyed."
My mouth slowly parted.
"Lee Ha-eun."
"Mm."
"You are the Lee Ha-eun I know, right?"
Lee Ha-eun smiled faintly.
"What kind of Lee Ha-eun do you know?"
I answered at once.
"A woman who only knows herself."
The words that came out of my mouth were practically curses.
"Arrogant, unable to consider anyone else, a person who throws a fit and loses her temper at the slightest thing."
Lee Ha-eun broke into snickering laughter.
"And?"
And?
What else was there to say after that?
The most beautiful woman in the world, an actress so brilliant that she was unmatched when it came to acting, a woman with a surprisingly tender side who knew how to protect her own people.
A woman sharper than anyone when it came to acting, but otherwise not especially skilled at living.
And still, a woman who knew how to try.
I could have gone on and on forever.
About exactly what kind of woman Lee Ha-eun was.
But my mouth wouldn’t move.
Lee Ha-eun watched me quietly, then muttered, "The type who turns into an idiot when they fall in love."
With that, her head dipped down.
She leaned against my chest, and the heat of her body came through the thick coat as if there were nothing between us.
"I understand. I know what kind of situation you’re in."
Foreheads touching.
And one sentence slipping from between her small lips.
Those things tore at my chest.
"I know it’s not something we can do. But I can’t give up."
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"So I’ll wait."
Ah...
Why was this woman like this?
"I’ve been waiting from the beginning, so I’ll wait a little longer."
Why was she shaking me up like this?
Ever since the first time we met.
I had been thrown off balance by her without mercy.
That hadn’t changed now.
The conviction and resolve I had gathered to push her away collapsed like a sandcastle.
I let out a sigh and raised my head.
The dark night sky.
The garden inside Lee Ha-eun’s mansion.
Small lights.
A quiet space hidden from anyone’s eyes.
I turned back to look at Lee Ha-eun.
Her face, resting against my chest, was red again, flushed hot.
They say the scariest thing in the world is love with no price attached, and I could feel the truth of that in my bones.
This woman’s love, fixed entirely on me, was so heavy and sweet it felt like it might drive me mad.
Then my hand moved.
"Waiting is my fate... Kwon Chan?"
Lee Ha-eun called my name in a startled voice.
She pulled me tighter, as if to keep me from seeing her face.
"Don’t wait."
The only step a coward like me could take in front of reality was one step.
"You’ve been waiting all this time, so stop waiting now."
So this one step was the greatest courage I could manage.
"Fine. I won’t wait."
But the woman in my arms smiled faintly, as if satisfied just with that, and buried her face against my chest.
"So you just stay there."
At her words, a laugh finally escaped my lips.
"Since you were the one who came toward me first, this time I’ll come to you. Don’t look away and just stay there."
On one February day when the winter wind still blew.
In the season waiting for spring, I finally failed to push her away.
A cold tension, like standing at the edge of a cliff, rose up my spine.
But by then I was already more intoxicated by what she gave me than by that tension.
In that moment, my mindset and my thoughts changed.
What if.
If there was a future where Lee Ha-eun and I were together, what kind of future would it be?
If our relationship had a happy ending instead of disaster, what on earth would the one and only way be?
Time passed with those questions.
In the blink of an eye, February ended and March arrived.
And then, at last.
***
March.
On a spring day when the winter wind still hadn’t quite left, I called Director Park Jun-seo from somewhere.
"Ah, Team Leader Kwon!"
"Yes, Director Park. You’ve been well?"
"Haha! I’m surviving, barely. I’ve been grinding away at the final post-production and pouring everything into the editing."
At his words, I asked casually, "The article went up today. Did you see it?"
"Ah! I did! Looks like the Black Bride ad went out too, huh?"
"Yes. The actors’ promotional schedules will also start from today. Which reminds me, Director Park."
I let my words trail off, then said sincerely, "Thank you for confirming the release for May instead of August."
Director Park Jun-seo laughed out loud.
"So the rumor really was true?"
"Pardon?"
"Didn’t you say it yourself, Team Leader Kwon? That there was internal trouble on the Apocalypse series side."
Had I said that?
As I searched my memory, I soon nodded.
"Yes, that’s right."
"That story seems to be true. Just in case, I had someone I know dig up some sources, and apparently the atmosphere on the Apocalypse side really isn’t good."
At the director’s words, I thought for a moment.
So the reason the Apocalypse film tanked at the box office was really him?
It was like trying to catch a mouse only after backing into it by accident.
But what did the process matter?
What mattered now was that we’d avoided the August release window.
"Even if that rumor weren’t true, the Apocalypse series is coming out in mid-May, while ours is early in the holiday period, so I think it’s more than worth a shot."
"Yes, I was a little worried at first, but when I thought about it differently, theatergoers these days don’t just go watch movies because there’s no competition."
A small smile crept onto my face.
"In the end, if a movie is fun, viewers will come no matter what the competition is, or how much the ticket costs. I’ve decided to focus on my film."
Exactly.
What use were promotion campaigns or competing releases in today’s Korean film market?
In the end, if a movie was fun, audiences would come.
And Black Bride was a fun movie.
Not because I was saying that as a manager representing my actors, but because I had seen the edited cut myself and found it genuinely entertaining as a viewer.
After ending the call with Director Park on friendly terms, I lifted my head.
The month of taped episodes was over, and now the show was moving into live broadcasts.
Given that this was a competition program, and that the real contest truly began with the live stage, huge attention was about to pour onto the program and its contestants.
I was planning to add a little MSG to K-Singer-Songwriter before that live broadcast.
"Yes, Reporter Seo."
Now.
It was time to open the bundle I’d been sitting on.
"K-1, the source. Let’s start working on it."
There are two stars in a competition show.
A superstar called the winner, and a superstar called the nation’s least favorite.
And starting now, I intended to turn the strongest contender, K-1, into the nation’s least favorite.
---