Chapter 24
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 24
He felt so helpless it was as if he’d lost the will to fight.
Having somehow finished filming, Eun-seong climbed into his car, suppressing his turbulent emotions. Only when the automatic doors slid shut, leaving him finally alone, did he let out the long, heavy sigh he had been holding in.
“This is driving me crazy…”
He hadn’t forgotten Go Yeon-ju.
The moment he admitted it to himself, the emotions he had buried for so long came rushing to the surface, like a dam bursting under the pressure of rising water.
The sheer volume of feeling was so overwhelming, its beginning and end impossible to trace, that he felt he might suffocate in its depths.
Ten years since they broke up.
It was far too long a time for messy, lingering feelings to survive.
“Ah… what is this… What on earth am I supposed to do…”
He had believed the saying that time heals all wounds. And because he believed it, it had seemed true.
He had hated her, resented her, but as the years passed, he had come to understand. On some days, he had even convinced himself it was for the best.
If we hadn't ended things like that… If you and I had desperately clung to each other back then… He had comforted himself with the thought that they would have only faced a more miserable, far worse breakup down the line.
After all, she never would have been able to endure the physical distance and emotional drift of his absence, and he never would have stood by and let it happen.
So, in a way, he’d even felt a sense of gratitude for her choice to leave him for the sake of her dream.
Thanks to her, he had been able to throw himself into his work like a madman. His subsequent career overseas had brought him his current fame; it was no exaggeration to say his success was built on her absence.
Abandoned, he had clawed his way to the top, desperate for success above all else. In the end, wasn't this glory something she had carved out for him?
And so, he had wished for her to live well, too. Once a few years had passed, he had found enough peace of mind to sincerely wish for her happiness.
He had thought he might even be glad to run into her by chance. In his occasional daydreams, he had imagined holding her hand and asking with a smile if she had been doing well.
…How foolish he had been.
“How can someone still feel this way after so much time…”
The moment he saw her again, he was painfully forced to realize that all his daydreams had been utterly futile.
The look in her eyes was completely empty, yet his was not. The realization wounded his pride and filled him with anxiety.
But that was all in the past. Ancient history.
She was another man's wife and the mother of a child.
Yes. That was what ten years meant. A span of time more than long enough to blur everything into nothing.
He had wanted to show her that she wasn't the only one who had moved on. Just as her eyes held nothing for him, he had wanted to look back at her with the same indifference.
That was why he had kept her close. He’d wanted to engineer a clean break—a perfect farewell—and then send her on her way with a smile.
“Ha… you crazy bastard…”
A curse escaped his lips at the sheer patheticness of it all. It wasn't directed at anyone else—it was aimed squarely at himself.
Clenching his fists, Eun-seong rested his forehead in his hand and continued to berate himself under his breath.
No matter how far he tried to run from his thoughts, he always ended up right back where he started, as if walking in a giant circle. Even when he ran with all his might, determined to hide this time, he would open his eyes only to find himself standing in the exact same spot.
Where was this place? This place he kept returning to, no matter how many times he left?
Looking around, he was struck with utter despair.
He was right back by her side.
* * *
With the first outdoor shoot wrapped up, a casual team dinner had been scheduled.
Since the role required a lot of shirtless scenes, Eun-seong had been strictly managing his diet. But now, he had entered a phase where he was allowed to let his body fat percentage rise back to ten percent, making this a rare opportunity for him to join the team dinner.
Dr. Ju approached Yeon-ju as she was packing up her gear. He easily lifted the bags scattered on the ground and began loading them into her car for her.
“Should I just load these in?”
“Oh, Doctor. Are you all finished?”
“Yes, a while ago. I didn't have much to do, so I was helping the props team with some odd jobs.”
Taking the bag Yeon-ju was lifting, Dr. Ju packed the rest of the gear. He stacked it all neatly into the trunk like puzzle pieces, then dusted off his hands with a playful frown.
“It seems the costume team does a lot of heavy lifting. These clothes are surprisingly heavy.”
“It’s because of the sheer volume. When there are fewer extras, there are fewer clothes, so it’s much easier.”
“I should’ve been helping you instead of the props team, Yeon-ju.”
“No, it’s my job. You should be resting, Doctor.”
“I actually find it harder to just sit and wait. I prefer to keep busy.”
With a bright smile, Dr. Ju shut the trunk. As Yeon-ju took a step back, he looked at her.
“Um, Yeon-ju.”
“Yes, Doctor?”
After calling her name, Dr. Ju hesitated. There was something he wanted to ask, but a nagging feeling told him he shouldn’t.
“Yes? Go ahead, Doctor.”
“Ah, well…”
By any chance, did you already know Actor Im Eun-seong?
Dr. Ju stared at her, the unspoken question lingering on the tip of his tongue. Over the past few days on set, whenever he crossed paths with Yeon-ju, a strange sensation had washed over him.
And every single time, Actor Im Eun-seong had been in his line of sight.
At first, he hadn't noticed the sadness in her eyes. Then, he hadn't understood it. And now, he was curious.
“Doctor?”
But today, he had felt that exact same energy from Actor Im Eun-seong when he abruptly stood up and walked over to her.
He didn't have a knack for reading people’s hidden emotions, so it was hard to put into words, but it felt as if some invisible, inexplicable barrier enveloped the two of them.
He zoned out for a moment, lost in thought, but quickly composed himself and waved his hand dismissively with a smile.
“It’s nothing. Where did they say the dinner is tonight?”
“Oh, the dinner? They said they’d text the location. Just a moment.”
Yeon-ju smiled warmly as she pulled her phone out of her bag.
“People say I can be a tease, but you’re quite the tease yourself, Doctor.”
‘People here think I have a husband.’
Why did that cross his mind now?
The words she had once spoken suddenly came back to him.
‘I lied because there’s someone who needs to believe I have a husband.’
“Ah, Doctor. Here’s the address. If you didn’t get it, should I send it to you?”
“Yes, please. I’ll drive. Let’s go together.”
As Yeon-ju smiled, Dr. Ju offered an awkward smile in return, lost in thought.
Questions about her kept piling up, and his desire to know more grew.
It was a feeling he had no desire to avoid.
* * *
“Okay. Then I’ll prepare a trench coat for the next shoot. Black is fine, right, Chief?”
“Black is great. Matte, right?”
“Of course. A chic matte black. A long one.”
“Great, great. Let’s go with that, Director.”
Hae-young, the Costume Team Chief, wrapped up the meeting for the next shoot with the Makeup Chief. Having finished inside the temporary waiting room set up under a tent, Hae-young checked her watch.
“They said there’s a team dinner, so we should get moving.”
“It’s been ages since I’ve been to a team dinner. We barely have them these days. I guess coming all the way to Jeonju has its perks,” the Makeup Chief chimed in as she stood up with Hae-young.
“You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you, Director Jin?”
“Well, that’s just how work is. Once I get back to Seoul, the backlog of schedules is going to be killer.”
Ugh, I don't want to go back, Hae-young whined.
The Makeup Chief laughed. Being much older than Hae-young, she packed her bag while scanning the area to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind.
“Someone already cleaned everything up. We can just head straight out,” the Makeup Chief muttered, then looked at Hae-young. “Director, the new people you brought onto your team this time are great. So diligent and hardworking.”
“Right? They’re great, aren’t they?” Hae-young replied, pleased to hear her team praised.
The Makeup Chief nodded. These days, it was rare to find people who would stick around to properly learn the ropes, let alone find someone you could work with in perfect harmony.
“It’s so hard to find people who actually care about the work these days. What was her name again? Your youngest assistant.”
“Ah, yes. Our youngest.”
She was talking about Yeon-ju.
“She’s so meticulous, and her hands are incredibly deft. And maybe it’s because she’s a bit older, but she’s quick on the uptake, reliable… just a genuinely good person.”
“Actually, she’s overqualified for entry-level work, but I coaxed her into joining. I don’t even know how many years I spent trying to convince her. Once this shoot is over, I’m going to persuade her to step up as our Costume Team Second.”
“Really? That’s great. Hold onto her tight. People like her are hard to come by. I bet your youngest was the one who cleaned up this place, too. Ah, what a sweetheart.”
As the veteran Makeup Chief showered Yeon-ju with praise, Hae-young scrunched her nose playfully. She couldn’t agree more; good people were obvious to everyone.
“She raised her son so well, too. I really hope things go well for her. By the way, her kid is so handsome. Why didn’t you have him debut sooner?”
“I guess everything has its time.”
“Indeed. When the boy smiles, he looks exactly like his mother. What does her husband do?”
“Oh, well… She doesn’t have a husband.”
At Hae-young's response, the Makeup Chief tilted her head in confusion.
“She doesn’t have a husband? I thought I heard she did. No? Did I mishear?”
“Huh? You must have misheard. She doesn’t have one. She’s raising him on her own.”
“My goodness, and she’s still so young… That must be so tough. To raise her kid that well on her own? Someone should give her an award.”
“I really wish they would. Oh, by the way, Chief. We’re starting around nine tomorrow, right?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes. Set it up like that, Director. I’ll make sure to be there on time. Gosh, I’m starving. Let’s go quickly.”
“Yes, Chief. Let’s go.”
The conversation between the Makeup Chief and Hae-young came to a natural close. Having worked in the industry for decades and grown weary of all kinds of people, the Makeup Chief didn’t hold a deep interest in the personal lives of those she wasn't close with.
Eager to head straight to the dinner, Hae-young picked up her large bag. Stepping out of the tent alongside the Makeup Chief, Hae-young raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“Eun-seong, aren’t you going to the dinner?”
“Of course I am.”
“Okay. See you there, then.”
Hae-young and the Chief quickly walked away.
For a long while, Eun-seong stood frozen in place, unable to move.