Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Fan and the Star
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The Representative, as if he'd given up on the fact that I was listening, was locked in a fierce war of words with Han Ji-hyo.
“I’m telling you, it’s not true.”
-Wow, Oppa. You really don't believe a word I say anymore. This is too much.
“You’re misunderstanding, Ji-hyo.”
-I've been in this industry for years. You think I can't tell the difference between a misunderstanding and the real thing? If it was ambiguous, I wouldn't have pushed you to choose between us in the first place.
“Ji-hyo. I’ll meet with you and explain everything.”
-Forget it. It seems you've already been completely swayed by that bitch's silver tongue, so what's the point of talking? I'm not renewing my contract. No. Let's just make a clean break here.
“Hey, you still have three years left on your contract, what are you talking about...”
-You can't even do that much for me? After how much money I've made for this company?
“You’ve made a lot. Without you, SJ Entertainment wouldn't be where it is today.”
-I admit I was noisy because I was prickly and had a bad temper. But you know, right? I was always kind to the unknown actors and staff.
“I know. Everyone at our company knows you're strong against the strong and weak against the weak.”
-I've done my part. But you're not living up to my expectations, Oppa. If the monk dislikes the temple, the monk must leave. What else can be done?
“Ji-hyo. I can't go into detail over the phone, but I'm telling you, I have solid proof right in front of my eyes that what you're saying is a misunderstanding.”
Is Lee Chang-woo's face the evidence? Something like that?
Feeling a gaze on me, I turned to see Im Chae-seul smiling sweetly as she kissed my cheek.
I caught a glimpse of the Representative's eyes widening as his words grew more urgent.
“I’m serious. Ah, why don't you believe me?”
-What is it? Tell me. If you're just going to vaguely say I'll understand when I hear it later, would you listen if you were me?
“No, I really.”
-Why can't you say it over the phone? Why can't you tell me the proof that bitch isn't a lesbian over the phone? It wouldn't matter if I recorded that and spread it around, right?
Is that why he can't say it?
The proof that Hallyu star Im Chae-seul isn't a lesbian is that she has a boyfriend... which would become its own scandal.
-I'm so disappointed in you, Oppa.
“Ji-hyo.”
A painful memory suddenly surfaced, making my own chest ache.
‘I'm so disappointed in you, Oppa.’
A line like that is a killing blow to a dickless virgin, one he has no resistance to.
Im Chae-seul suddenly spoke into the speakerphone.
“Unni, it’s Chae-seul.”
-...
“Unni, you hate me, don't you? I like you, though.”
-Ha, seriously. Put the Representative back on the phone.
“Unni, this is on speakerphone.”
-...What a load of bullshit. Representative, let's just end this. If you don't terminate my contract immediately, regardless of the term, I'm going to sue.
I'll expose that she's a lesbian, and I'll make sure the whole world knows I left the company because of her obsession.
“Was I obsessed with you?”
-What do you call trying to follow me into every drama I was cast in, if not obsession?
Suddenly, I wanted to take Han Ji-hyo's side.
I remembered how she'd come to the cafe in the beginning, armed with a hat and mask.
Could it be that I still don't know the real Im Chae-seul at all?
“That's because appearing with you would generate more buzz, and they were all great projects that any actor would covet.”
-Whatever. Put the Representative back on.
“Would you like to come to my house? Then you'll see that the Representative wasn't lying.”
-Bullshit.
“I'm with my boyfriend right now.”
-...What?
“If I liked women, would I have a boyfriend?”
A moment of silence followed.
It was an ominous quiet, like the calm before a typhoon.
Suddenly, the peace was shattered as a burst of high-pitched laughter erupted from the speakerphone.
From that clear, sharp, high-pitched laughter, I was reminded of the work where I first saw Han Ji-hyo.
Despite her young age, she had chillingly portrayed a character who crumbles from betrayal only to rise again.
The very scene where, at the moment of being betrayed by everyone, she had coolly expressed her maddening sense of betrayal with a burst of insane laughter.
The scene that made me fall head over heels for a celebrity for the first time in my life was replaying vividly, just like that day.
-Right, so you're an actress too. You think you can fool the Representative so perfectly like that?
“I'm not fooling him. I truly love this person.”
In a way, Im Chae-seul's words weren't a lie to anyone.
And yet, to someone else, they were a lie.
The thing that allowed this contradiction to exist simultaneously...
...was the enhancement perk of the Fate of Appearance.
This fraudulent visual, blessed by the Fate of Appearance, capable of sexually captivating even a true lesbian like Im Chae-seul.
I really did well to die...
-Fine, I'm on my way now. Don't misunderstand. I just want to see that pathetic sight for myself one last time.
“Ji-hyo, it's really not like that...”
-Forget it. I'm not going to record you. You know I have an Apple phone, what are you on about?
“Uh, didn't you say you recently switched to an Android phone?”
-I was testing you. See? You're not even paying attention to me.
“...”
-Just prepare to terminate my contract. Today will be the last time we see each other in a private setting.
Click.
The call ended, and the Representative silently took back his phone.
“...”
“...”
“...”
For a while, we just exchanged glances without saying a word.
The Representative, like someone who had just realized they'd spilled the milk, covered his face and rubbed it with his hands.
“Excuse me, your name is?”
“Lee Chang-woo.”
“Mr. Chang-woo. It's rude of me to ask on our first meeting, but I have a favor to ask.”
“Don't worry. My lips are sealed. I won't tell anyone except my girlfriend.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I said I wouldn't tell anyone except my girlfriend.
Of course, we'll just keep it to our sex talks; I won't go blabbing about it to outsiders.
After all, I couldn't keep what happened with Im Chae-seul a secret from Harem Party 1.
We waited for quite a long time, mostly in silence, until Han Ji-hyo arrived.
Im Chae-seul stayed glued to my side, constantly touching my shoulder and stroking my arm in a continuous display of affection.
The Representative watched this with a very complicated expression.
“Chae-seul, you really like Mr. Chang-woo, don't you.”
“What woman wouldn't like this face?”
“True, it's a face that would captivate even a man.”
“Uh, about that, I’m a bit.”
“You should really become an actor. You have the kind of beauty that could shake the world.”
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
The moment the doorbell finally rang, the somewhat relaxed atmosphere tensed up once more.
Im Chae-seul stood up from her seat.
I immediately got up and stepped in front of her.
“I'll go meet her.”
“Huh?”
“I think that would be better.”
Im Chae-seul and the Representative thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
“That would be for the best. Please.”
“That will definitely yield a better result. I'll leave it to you.”
Han Ji-hyo was in a state of extreme agitation right now.
It would be troublesome if Im Chae-seul went to meet her and an emotional fight broke out immediately.
Having the Representative greet her probably wouldn't help calm her down either.
So, I stepped up.
That was the superficial reason to convince them, but the real reason was...
I wanted to see Han Ji-hyo, the eternal youth star of my heart, in person, by myself.
I wanted to personally welcome the memory of her, who had always shone with brilliant youth and beauty on TV and the silver screen.
She would never know how much comfort she had given me during my gloomy school days.
Or how many tissues I had wasted while rewatching her kiss scenes.
The release of a new Han Ji-hyo project was also one of the few joys and entertainments that helped me endure my difficult battle with illness.
If not for my life as the new Chang-woo, I would never have had the chance to meet her like this.
I took the elevator down to the first-floor parking garage.
A red Ferrari.
A car that perfectly suited the former youth star, Han Ji-hyo.
Thinking about it, the Representative was quite resentful.
Han Ji-hyo was only 28 years old.
How could he treat an actress, whose beauty was still in its prime, as if she were half washed-up?
No matter how much of an advantage being 23 was, wasn't the Representative being too harsh?
Even without looking at her status window, I knew Han Ji-hyo's physical specs by heart.
A slender height of 173cm, 50kg, and a 73B cup.
The very definition of a slender model's figure.
Thud!
Han Ji-hyo, who had slammed her car door shut with irritation, stopped when she saw me.
Aside from a slight flinch because I was a stranger, she showed no particular reaction.
Honestly, I expected her to be surprised by this face, but she was surprisingly calm.
As expected of the youth star who, despite her beauty and fame, had never had a single dating scandal. Her fortitude was still there.
“...Who are you?”
“I'm an acquaintance of Ms. Im Chae-seul. I came out to greet you.”
“...Are you perhaps Chae-seul's boyfriend?”
“Yes, I am.”
Han Ji-hyo was silent.
She scanned me up and down with sharp eyes, as if sizing me up.
In her gaze, I couldn't read any of the remnants of desire that were mixed in the eyes of Im Chae-seul or my other women.
Han Ji-hyo's gaze was truly scrutinizing me as a person.
At least, that's how it seemed to me.
How much emotion I was feeling right now.
How my heart was overflowing as a longtime fan meeting his favorite youth star.
I desperately forced a sociable smile to hide it all.
“I apologize for saying this in such a situation, but I've actually been a fan for a long time.”
“You're telling me this now, out of the blue?”
“I felt like I wouldn't get another chance to say it if not now.”
If I had my way, I'd ask for an autograph and a selfie together.
But I couldn't do that while pretending to be Im Chae-seul's boyfriend.
I could only suppress my disappointment.
I feel like Romeo and Juliet.
No, maybe more like Hong Gil-dong.
Liking her but not being able to say I like her.
My favorite, but I can't even say I'm your fan.
“I don't believe you. If you're really my fan, prove it.”
“Your debut work, 'April's Shadow'...”
Starting with the shocking impression her debut work had left on me, I recited all the major famous lines and memes from every project she had appeared in.
“You've seen all the works I've appeared in. Even the ones where I only had a short special appearance.”
“Yes. I was a fan.”
“You're a real fan, I admit it. This isn't the kind of energy you get from just memorizing things.”
Han Ji-hyo's eyes still weren't smiling.
Instead, they watched me coolly.
“But if you're my fan, why are you dating Im Chae-seul?”
“...Uh, well.”
“How could you, knowing that I'm suffering from financial hardship because Im Chae-seul stole all my commercial deals?”
“What?”
Financial hardship...
My eyes unconsciously drifted to the Ferrari.
Isn't that a limited edition?