Why Do You Look Like That?
“Why do you look like that?”
SBC, the guest waiting room for Hello.
Seo Tae-jun, fully made up, pushed the door open and walked in.
Choi Cheol, following behind him, blinked in astonishment.
“Oh? When did Actress Lee Ha-eun get here?”
Seo Tae-jun’s gaze shifted.
There she was, top-star actress Lee Ha-eun, surrounded by a crowd of staff.
She was a fellow actor he hadn’t seen since filming Black Bride wrapped, but he wasn’t exactly glad to see her.
Clicking his tongue, Seo Tae-jun flopped down onto the sofa.
“Huh? Aren’t you going to greet Actress Lee Ha-eun, Actor Seo?”
“What’s there to greet? I saw her enough to get sick of her while we were filming Black Bride.”
At Seo Tae-jun’s indifferent reply, Choi Cheol scratched his head.
Just then, Lee Ha-eun, finished with makeup, walked over in this direction.
Seo Tae-jun, who had been flicking through his smartphone, glanced up at her.
The actress, all arrogance and pride, sat down in the seat opposite him with a faintly troubled expression.
What’s going on? What’s got that woman making a face like that?
They’d been glued to each other on set for nearly half a year, and it was a face he’d never seen before.
A little curiosity rose in Seo Tae-jun, but he quickly lost interest.
What did it matter to him whether that obnoxious woman had a problem or not?
He was about to go back to browsing his SNS account when something unbelievable happened.
“Seo Tae-jun.”
At Lee Ha-eun’s low voice calling his name, Seo Tae-jun’s shoulders jolted.
“...Did you just call me?”
“Then is there another Seo Tae-jun in this room?”
Seo Tae-jun’s eyes widened.
That woman, who lived for her own greatness, was calling him first for once?
But the surprising part didn’t end there.
“I have something I wanted to ask, if that’s all right?”
Seo Tae-jun’s mouth fell open slowly.
Was that Lee Ha-eun trying to start a conversation?
They’d been together for almost six months of filming, but this was the first time, and Seo Tae-jun answered in confusion.
“Out of nowhere?”
“Is there a problem?”
“...No.”
“Then what is it?”
As the exchange remained clipped and brief, Lee Ha-eun loosened her crossed arms.
“Does Team Leader Kwon seem like he might be sick?”
Seo Tae-jun tilted his head.
“Team Leader Kwon Chan?”
“Yes, that Team Leader Kwon Chan.”
Seo Tae-jun looked puzzled.
“He did look tired, but did he say he was sick?”
“He was all over the place today.”
“...All over the place?”
“Yes. He kept saying nonsense he’d never normally say. Didn’t he seem strange to you today?”
At Lee Ha-eun’s question, Seo Tae-jun recalled the Kwon Chan he’d met earlier.
Sure enough, just as Lee Ha-eun said... he had looked a little tired.
But was that enough to call him out of sorts?
As for the nonsense, he was already a man with a screw loose to begin with, so that didn’t surprise him.
More importantly, wait.
Why was Lee Ha-eun even worrying about Team Leader Kwon?
Seo Tae-jun lifted his head and secretly studied her.
The once-proud actress was lost in thought with an expression of unusual seriousness.
A little startled, Seo Tae-jun asked cautiously,
“Are you worried about Team Leader Kwon?”
Lee Ha-eun’s bright red lips moved slowly.
“He’s saying nonsense he doesn’t usually say, so it’s hard not to notice.”
With that answer, Seo Tae-jun’s curiosity stirred again, and he made a suggestion.
“Should I go ask Team Leader Kwon if he’s sick?”
“Oh, would you?”
“Well, if he really is sick, I’d be concerned too...”
He let the rest trail off, the corners of his mouth lifting.
I’m curious why that actress, who lives for her own self-importance, is making that kind of face.
The waiting time was boring enough already, so this turned out to be convenient.
Seo Tae-jun stood up and said magnanimously,
“I’ll go see Team Leader Kwon.”
Lee Ha-eun gave a light nod.
Seo Tae-jun nodded back, then led the baffled Choi Cheol out of the waiting room.
Left alone, the top-star actress crossed her legs and closed her eyes.
Lee Ha-eun, you look pretty good today.
“!”
Startled by Kwon Chan’s voice suddenly playing in her head, Lee Ha-eun opened her eyes in alarm.
She snapped her head around and spotted the cold water sitting on the table beside her.
She twisted off the cap and gulped the water down before muttering slowly,
“...Right. He must be sick.”
Lee Ha-eun’s shoulders trembled.
“Otherwise why would that man ever say something like that?”
***
It was just before filming started, while I was talking briefly with the main producer.
Seo Tae-jun appeared from nowhere and asked me,
“Team Leader Kwon, are you sick?”
At that question, a question mark practically floated up on my face.
“Me?”
“Yes. You looked a little off earlier, so did you catch a cold or something?”
...A cold?
What cold?
I tilted my head and answered,
“No? I’m perfectly fine.”
“Aren’t you working while you’re sick?”
“If I were sick, I’d have gone home early. What do you take salaried workers for?”
At my words, Seo Tae-jun stroked his chin as if he’d found something interesting.
“...That’s funny.”
“What’s with you all of a sudden?”
“No, it’s just... Actress Lee Ha-eun asked if you were sick.”
My eyes flew wide open.
Lee Ha-eun asked if I was sick?
Seo Tae-jun shrugged.
“She’s someone who never even starts a conversation with anyone, and then she suddenly says that with such a serious face. It was weird, so I came to ask. What did you say to Lee Ha-eun? She was going on about how you were talking nonsense and seemed out of it.”
That made my expression turn strange.
Lee Ha-eun asked Seo Tae-jun if I was sick?
And said I’d seemed out of it, talking nonsense?
As I pieced together Seo Tae-jun’s explanation in my head, I burst out laughing.
“What? Why are you laughing like that?”
“...Ah, sorry.”
I pressed my lips together hard, trying to get my expression under control.
But even through my tightly shut mouth, a pleased laugh kept leaking out.
Seo Tae-jun narrowed his eyes at me.
“Hey, what is it? Share the joke.”
At his urging, I waved a hand in apology.
Just then, a second assistant director approached from a distance and called out,
“Actor Seo! We’re ready to start filming!”
At that, I barely held back my laughter and said,
“Go on and head to the shoot, Seo Tae-jun.”
“What, that’s all you’re going to say?”
“What’s there to say? It’s nothing. Just do well on the recording.”
Seo Tae-jun shot me a resentful look, but if filming was starting, what could he do?
Watching him get led into the studio by the assistant director, I laughed again.
“Wow... no way, that woman.”
So she thought I was sick because I’d told her she looked pretty just now?
It made no sense, but given my relationship with Lee Ha-eun, it was absolutely the kind of thing she’d think.
If I’d heard Lee Ha-eun call me handsome, I probably would’ve thought the same thing first.
Once I understood the situation, another laugh escaped me.
She hadn’t reacted much in front of me, but she was that flustered behind my back, huh, Lee Ha-eun?
Then, a strange voice came from behind me.
“Um, Manager?”
I turned and saw the main writer pushing up her round glasses, carefully reading my expression.
Suppressing the grin tugging at my mouth, I answered,
“Yes, Writer-nim. Is something wrong?”
“...Well, it’s just that, would you maybe be available for a quick interview?”
“An interview?”
“Yes, this episode is a special on Black Bride, but we don’t seem to have anyone close to Actress Lee Ha-eun or Actor Seo Tae-jun available.”
The main writer asked carefully,
“So if it’s all right with you... could we do a short interview? Just a little explanation of what kind of work Black Bride is, and what kind of actors Lee Ha-eun and Seo Tae-jun are. It’ll be brief, so it won’t run long!”
At her explanation, I scratched my cheek.
Another interview shoot?
Lately, requests like this had been coming in a lot.
Was it because manager-and-celebrity joint appearances had become so common since observation variety shows took off?
Whatever the reason, I was still uncomfortable about going on TV as a manager, not a celebrity.
But every time I’d done an interview, I’d ended up reaping some unexpectedly good results, and that was enough to tilt my mind.
It had been the same at the Baeksang Awards, the same on Star Observation! just briefly showing my face had somehow brought strange effects and publicity opportunities.
Right. I’m already a known face. What’s there to hesitate about?
If this turned into another one of those lucky streaks, I could do interviews a hundred times over.
I nodded slowly and answered,
“Yes, that’s fine. Are you filming the interview right away?”
“Yes, yes. Please follow me this way.”
I followed the main writer out of the studio and into the room right next door.
The interior was charming and neat.
It was the interview room I’d seen every time I watched Hello.
The main writer pointed to the seat in the middle of the interview room and said,
“Please sit there, Manager-nim.”
I sat down without complaint, and the camera crew came in.
The main writer flipped through the cue sheet before asking me gently,
“We’re short on time, so we’d like to start filming right away. Is that all right?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Then I’ll start with the first question. What kind of work is Black Bride, Manager-nim?”
It was an ordinary question, so I gave an ordinary answer.
“It’s an occult thriller.”
“Do you happen to know why the two actors chose this project?”
“Maybe because good actors found a good script?”
The main writer, who’d been looking at the cue sheet, suddenly lifted her head.
Whether she liked my answer or not, the corners of her eyes were slightly curved.
“Lee Ha-eun and Seo Tae-jun seem to treat you well, Manager-nim. ‘Good actors’ came out right away.”
Well, not exactly treat me well.
They were the two most difficult actors I managed right now.
In the meantime, the main writer asked a follow-up to carry the conversation forward.
“What kind of actress is Lee Ha-eun to you, Manager-nim?”
At that question, my eyebrows twitched slightly.
What kind of actress is Lee Ha-eun to me?
As soon as I heard the question, all kinds of images and descriptions floated up, but none of them lined up cleanly.
Because of that, what should’ve been a brief moment of thought stretched into a longer silence than I’d expected.
“Manager-nim?”
The main writer’s puzzled voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Ah, sorry.”
After apologizing, I organized the image of Lee Ha-eun floating around in my head.
Right.
Plenty of words came to mind, but to me, Lee Ha-eun was still this kind of actress.
Once I’d finished thinking, I answered in a confident voice,
“The best actress in South Korea.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of my mouth.
“And I think she’s the actress who smiles the prettiest in the world.”
***
At that same time, the SAG editing room.
K-1 sat in a room cluttered with plastic coffee cups, nodding to the beat with a headset on.
A catchy hook, laid over a charming melody that spilled and flowed richly, tickled his ears.
A song that brought first love to mind.
The corners of K-1’s mouth lifted.
“Damn, this is killer.”
Just then, the editing room door opened and Team Leader Kim Su-ji appeared.
Carrying an armful of coffee, she set the load on the table and said,
“How is it, K-1? Did you finish the song?”
“Yes, I just finished it.”
“Seriously?! Let me hear it!”
Team Leader Kim Su-ji came over, brightening, and K-1 handed her the headset.
A moment later, a lyrical drum-and-bass melody flowed from the headphones K-1 had given her.
Team Leader Kim Su-ji closed her eyes for a moment and focused only on the music.
-♬~♬♬
K-1’s clear, soaring voice and the addictive hook brushed against her ears.
And above all, the melody that carried the song from start to finish was highly attractive.
A small gasp escaped her lips.
“Wow... this is insane.”
At Team Leader Kim Su-ji’s intense reaction, K-1 shrugged.
“You made a melody like this in that short amount of time? Are you really K-1?”
“What, this is nothing.”
“...Haa. If it were any other day, I’d have scolded you, but today I’ll admit it!”
A bright smile spread across Team Leader Kim Su-ji’s face.
“This song is too good. Our K-1 really pulled one off after all this time.”
Watching her absentmindedly, K-1 thought,
Looking at her like this, Team Leader Kim Su-ji’s actually pretty cute.
Older women weren’t usually his type, but at this level she had a decent face, and more than anything, her bust was outstanding.
Then Team Leader Kim Su-ji, still listening to K-1’s music again, pointed at her vibrating smartphone.
“K-1, you’ve got a call.”
Looking away from her, K-1 checked the caller ID on the smartphone screen.
He frowned and stood up.
“I’ll take this and be right back, noona.”
“Yeah, go on and come back quick.”
K-1 took the smartphone and left the editing room, then glanced around briefly before snapping,
“I told you not to call me until I go on K-Singer-Songwriter, didn’t I?”
A tearful voice came through the phone.
A sigh slipped out of his mouth.
“I know, I know. I know I do. You love me. I told you before, didn’t I? I’m not involved with her at all. I only have you.”
Continuing the call in an increasingly irritated tone, K-1 suddenly shouted,
“You damn... fuck off, you crazy bitch!”
At the outburst, the woman on the other end seemed to hold her breath in shock.
“If you can’t trust your man, then just fuck off. Why are you yammering on and on like this?”
He angrily hit the end-call button and swept his bangs back.
“I’m already exhausted from staying up all night making the song, and now she’s clinging to me like this.”
After spitting out a few curses, K-1 headed back into the editing room.
Team Leader Kim Su-ji was still there, listening intently to his music.
He walked up behind her and rubbed her shoulder as he said,
“Noona.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve got something to say...”
“Hold on, take your hand off.”
With that, Team Leader Kim Su-ji gently brushed his hand away.
K-1 clicked his tongue.
“Tch, heartless. Isn’t that a little much for an artist who just turned out a great song?”
“There you go again, saying useless things. Anyway, finish what you were going to say earlier.”
“Ah, it’s nothing much.”
K-1 began as naturally as he could.
“You know this song is something I worked on with Park Ga-eul, right?”
“Of course. It’s the melody you picked up during the last shoot, right?”
“Yeah, so there’s a chance the melody might overlap a little with Park Ga-eul’s...”
Breaking off, K-1 smiled thinly.
“If anyone starts talking, then please ask our PR team to cover for us nicely, all right? It’d be a pain if some pointless fuss broke out.”
Team Leader Kim Su-ji tilted her head.
“What? Is it that similar that you’re worried about it?”
“No, no. I’m not worried, exactly. Just saying, in case.”
Team Leader Kim Su-ji watched him for a moment before letting out a short laugh.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure nothing like that noise comes up and push public opinion firmly your way.”
“As expected, noona’s the best.”
“But, K-1.”
“Yes?”
Team Leader Kim Su-ji asked casually,
“Just to be sure, this melody wasn’t inspired by each other or anything, right? It’s not plagiarism or something like that?”
At Team Leader Kim Su-ji’s question, K-1’s mask cracked just a little.
But he quickly got his expression under control and said,
“What exactly am I lacking that I’d plagiarize a rookie’s song?”
Team Leader Kim Su-ji nodded in satisfaction.
“As long as it isn’t that, don’t worry about it.”
Turning away again, Team Leader Kim Su-ji focused on the song K-1 had made.
-♬~♬♬
No matter how many times she listened, it was a melody that kept tickling the ear.
One of the best songs she’d heard lately.
In an excited voice, Team Leader Kim Su-ji muttered,
“I’ll promote this song as much as I possibly can...”
Her words trailed off, and her gaze gleamed with ambition.
“So don’t worry about anything and just prepare for the stage properly. Leave this to your noona.”
K-1 let out a low, amused laugh.
“You promised, so I’ll just prepare for the stage?”