Chapter 20
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20
“Just who on earth is he…?”
Left alone in the waiting room, Eun-seong muttered to himself, his brow furrowed.
Go Yeon-ju had grabbed some strange man’s wrist and made a hasty exit, leaving him to return to the waiting room alone in an awkward silence. No matter how hard he tried to focus on his script, the image of her practically fleeing refused to leave his mind, making him pause again and again.
“Sigh, who the hell is that guy?”
It clearly wasn't her first time meeting the man who’d shown up claiming to be a dog trainer.
It’s not just that they’ve met before. They seemed close.
Eun-seong sank deep into the sofa and stared at the ceiling. If there was one thing to know about Go Yeon-ju, it was that she was the epitome of composure—the type who would calmly walk out even if her house was on fire. She rarely let her mood swings show, and her equanimity in every situation made her seem like a Taoist immortal who had lived many lives.
Her personality had been that way since her early twenties—an age when everyone else was loud and dramatic. Now in her thirties, Go Yeon-ju was practically a centuries-old dragon, calmly waiting for the day of its ascension.
Yet that very woman had looked as if the sky were falling before bolting with some man.
“Who on earth is he? Huh? Who is he? Who?”
Wow… the curiosity was absolutely killing him.
He bounced his leg restlessly, his eyes darting around the room.
Then, he recalled the face of the man she had left with, Dr. Ju. The director had said he ran an animal hospital, but with those broad shoulders and tall stature… he wasn't a textbook, drop-dead gorgeous type, but he exuded a warm, gentle vibe that would make anyone instantly like him.
He also radiated a quiet aura of goodness—something innate that couldn't be faked with acting or covered with makeup.
What was his name again? Ju Geon-hui. Dr. Ju Geon-hui.
As he bounced his leg and repeated the name in his head, Eun-seong suddenly froze. He closed his eyes slowly, then snapped them open as a thought flashed through his mind.
“…Is he her husband?”
Oh my god. His lips parted, stunned by his own words.
He shot upright as if he had just stumbled upon a shocking truth. Blinking blankly into space like a man possessed, he let out a dry chuckle a moment later.
“No way. Does that even make sense? Of course not. Why would her husband be here…?”
…Actually, maybe he could. It wasn’t entirely impossible.
Sigh. Eun-seong groaned at the nagging suspicion and leaned back against the sofa. A deep frown creased his forehead as a creeping sense of annoyance began to set in.
If that were true, this place was turning into Go Yeon-ju’s personal kingdom. From what he’d seen, she was on close, sisterly terms with Director Jin Hae-young. Then her son had somehow joined the cast, and now her husband was here too?
He could let the son slide—giving her the benefit of the doubt a thousand times over—but a husband was crossing the line, wasn't it? If that man really was her husband, then his entire world was crawling with the Go Yeon-ju family.
Sigh…
“Sure. Having a grand old time, aren’t we? Why don’t you just gather all of Go Yeon-ju’s family, friends, and old schoolmates while you’re at it? Everyone fall in.”
Then what did that make him?
Ah. A schoolmate.
“This is driving me crazy. I can’t even ask anyone. I’m seriously going to lose my mind.”
Suddenly cast in the role of Go Yeon-ju’s college alumnus, Eun-seong let out a long sigh and turned back to his script. Damn it, his mood was now a tangled mess.
* * *
“Eun-seong, are you busy?”
Hae-young approached Eun-seong, who was waiting for the next round of filming to begin. The bustling staff had already cleared out. He looked up with a nonchalant gaze, only for his eyebrows to twitch.
Go Yeon-ju’s son had come with her.
“Han-byeol is here. You remember him from last time, right? He signed a contract with Chang-rok, so I brought him along.”
“Doesn’t he have his own manager?”
“Not yet. His schedule isn’t busy enough to warrant a dedicated one. Our team leaders will take turns looking after him for now.”
Eun-seong glanced at the child. Watching the boy look around restlessly, seemingly overwhelmed by the unfamiliar environment, he let out a short sigh.
Ah, what a tragic fate. Now I have to babysit Go Yeon-ju’s son, too.
“Hey,” Eun-seong offered a brief greeting.
Han-byeol turned to look at him but hesitated, not offering the polite greeting he usually did. Hae-young gently squeezed the boy’s hand.
“It’s okay, Han-byeol. Say hello.”
“You saw me last time. You remember, right?” Eun-seong prompted, thinking the boy was just shy. Looking at the sharp, bright-eyed kid, he felt a strange sensation—how could a child be this handsome?
The sudden thought that this boy might be the joint creation of Go Yeon-ju and Dr. Ju sent a hot flush up his spine.
“Hello,” Han-byeol finally mumbled.
“Right. Let’s work hard together. Make sure you practice a lot.”
“Are you the mister who works with my mom?”
“That’s right. Your mom works with me,” Eun-seong replied.
Han-byeol tilted his head. At the exact same moment, Eun-seong tilted his head too.
“Got a problem?”
“No?”
“Then sit down.”
“Okay.”
As Han-byeol sank into the sofa, Hae-young glanced at her watch as if she had somewhere to be. Noticing her urgency, Eun-seong waved a hand at her.
“You can go attend to your business, Director.”
“Oh? Ah, it’s fine. I can handle it over the phone.”
“Just go. I won’t eat him.”
“Ah… okay. Thank you.” Hae-young smiled brightly and looked down at Han-byeol.
“Han-byeol, I have a lot of work to do. Can you stay here with Uncle Im Eun-seong for a bit?”
“Yeah. I won’t get eaten while you’re gone, so go do your work. I know you’re busy.”
Ha… Eun-seong let out a dumbfounded chuckle at how easily Han-byeol parroted his words. After Hae-young left with another mechanical smile, a chilly silence settled over the room.
Eun-seong, who had been flipping through his script, glanced sideways at Han-byeol. He watched the boy sit there, blinking lazily, and tossed a spare script toward him. It landed with a soft thud on the child’s lap.
“Don’t just sit around. Get to work. Read another line while you have the time.”
“I wasn’t playing. I was thinking.”
Thinking about what? He was about to ask but swallowed the words. Go Yeon-ju had strictly forbidden him from asking questions, so he had to be careful.
Just as he was wondering how he was supposed to deal with Go Yeon-ju’s kid from now on, a voice piped up with a sudden, out-of-the-blue boast.
“My mom is a really cool person.”
“Sure. Every mom in the world is cool.”
“I know that. But my mom is extra cool, you know?”
“Right. And you might not know this, but my mom is just as cool.”
Suddenly, a “my mom is cooler” battle had begun. When Eun-seong fired back with such a bizarre response, Han-byeol turned his whole body to face him, his voice tinged with indignation.
“When I go to school wearing clothes my mom bought me, my teacher and friends all praise me for dressing so well! They say my mom has great taste!”
“Yeah, yeah. I already know your mom is a pro at dressing up her son.”
Since Eun-seong’s reaction was completely half-hearted, Han-byeol narrowed his eyes. Glaring as if to say, Why are you being like this when I’m bragging about my mom?, he raised his voice. After all, reacting enthusiastically when someone bragged about their mother was an unwritten rule of humanity.
“My mom is my pride and joy.”
“My mom is my pride and joy too. Plus, I’m my mom’s greatest success and pride. I guess you could call that the difference in our levels.”
As a fully grown adult bragged about being on a different level, Han-byeol’s face twisted in frustration.
“Hon-jeong-sin-seong!”
“What? Did you say ‘insanity’?”
“Hon! Jeong! Sin! Seong! It means to prepare your parents’ bed at night and greet them in the morning! That’s the first step of filial piety! Don’t you know that?” Han-byeol shrieked, having brilliantly recalled a word from a children’s book of four-character idioms.
…Was admitting you didn’t know something supposed to be this humiliating? Eun-seong swallowed hard.
“A child who prioritizes filial piety is their parents’ greatest pride. I sleep with my mom every night and greet her every morning, so I’m her biggest pride.”
“Pfft. Wait till you grow up. The best filial piety is money. Cold, hard cash.”
“No, it’s not! Living together and saying ‘I love you’ a lot is the best kind!”
Out of nowhere, they were now locked in a bizarre, repetitive argument on the topic of filial piety. Han-byeol looked at him as if he were a very strange adult, his thoughts briefly drifting to the mister from the animal hospital. Then, he suddenly stiffened his neck and widened his eyes.
“But mister, why are you speaking informally to me?”
“Wh-what?” Startled, Eun-seong stared at Han-byeol. The boy glared back as if to say, Who do you think you are to drop honorifics with me? Eun-seong let out a long breath through his nose.
“If you’ve got a problem with it, you can drop them too. We can both speak informally.” Eun-seong lifted his chin smugly. “Why? Does it bother you?”
“It’s not that. But people deserve to be respected.”
“Ha.” Wow. Look at this kid’s temper. Who on earth does he take after?
“Even if I’m young, I’m a precious human being. Someone told me that all people deserve respect.”
“Ah, yes, yes. Is that so? How incredibly wise of you. To have realized the truths of the universe at such a young age, you must be a rare sage of our time.”
“Using big words doesn’t make you a good talker, you know.”
“You used a four-character idiom earlier! You think I understood that?”
“If you’re an adult, you should act like one and talk to me on my level.”
Ah… my blood pressure…
That wicked Go Yeon-ju. There was a reason she put this little spitfire in front of me!
“You want to be friends with me, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t!”
“Really? Because it looks like your nostrils are flaring because you’re trying so hard to get close to me. Want my autograph? I can give you a few to show off to your friends.”
“No thanks! I don’t want to show off!”
“Come on, your nostrils keep flaring. You’re lying.”
“No! I’m not! They aren’t!”
As Eun-seong teased him with a smirk, Han-byeol’s face flushed with anger. Hearing the child’s heavy breathing, Eun-seong snorted even louder.
Hmph. I won’t go easy on you, you little chestnut of a filial son.
“Whoa, is there a typhoon in here? The wind is really howling.”
“If you have nothing better to do, just do your work. Stop messing around.”
“What? I was reading my script until you started talking. Who was it that broke the ice by bragging about their mom?”
“Exactly. And I’m regretting it now, so please just go back to work.”
Han-byeol whipped his head away and flipped open his script. Sensing a grand victory, Eun-seong’s lips twitched into a smug grin.
Just as he was about to settle back into his own script, Han-byeol rummaged through his pocket, pulled out a chocolate, and popped it into his mouth.
Not missing the opportunity, Eun-seong chimed in.
“How petty. There are two of us here, and you’re eating all by yourself?”
“…”
Look at him. Now he’s ignoring me.
“Even though I’m older, I’m still a precious human being. You said everyone deserves respect. How about showing some?”
As Eun-seong spoke in a lecturing tone, Han-byeol, still chewing, glanced at him.
“Only humans can be respected.”
“Wh-what? Are you saying I’m not even human right now?”
“Don’t talk to me while I’m reading my script. Why do you keep talking to me anyway? Do you want to take a picture with me?”
Sigh… Go Yeon-ju… I am seriously not going to let you get away with this…
Eun-seong glared down at the child, his eyes wide with disbelief, before closing them tightly as a wave of dizziness washed over him.
For a while after, a fierce, competitive battle of script memorization began.
With their mental ages perfectly matched, the two made for a pair of evenly matched rivals.