Chapter 32
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 32
"I feel like I age ten years every time a new shoot starts."
Ugh. Hae-young groaned, sinking onto the sofa. Yeon-ju, who was hanging clothes on a rack after tidying up, let out a soft chuckle.
"It's tough, isn't it, Director? It looks like you had a late night yesterday, too."
"I had a broadcast yesterday. The ratings weren't even that good, so why did filming take so long? I was so exhausted I thought I was going to die."
"Goodness…" As Hae-young let out a deep, raspy sigh, Yeon-ju’s eyebrows rose. She was a little worried about Hae-young, whose life was so packed day and night that calling her a workaholic wouldn't be an exaggeration.
That's just how she is, Yeon-ju thought, but she still felt a pang of sympathy. She imagined how empty Hae-young's home must feel when she dragged her exhausted body back alone after work.
"It must feel a little lonely when you get home, Director."
"Lonely? Who has time to feel lonely? I'm too busy just throwing off my clothes and crashing. I fell asleep yesterday without even washing my makeup off."
She really was resilient. Realizing her worries were unnecessary, Yeon-ju smiled again, and Hae-young let out a goofy, sleepy laugh.
"Oh, right, Director."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"By any chance… have you ever told anyone that Han-byeol doesn't have a dad?"
"Me? No. Why?"
Hae-young's eyes widened. Yeon-ju waved her hand, dismissing it.
"No, it's just… if possible, I'd like to keep the fact that Han-byeol doesn't have a father quiet."
When Han-byeol debuted, Yeon-ju had removed his birthdate from his public profile and registered his stage name simply as "Han-byeol," omitting his last name.
Thinking it was a matter of the child's privacy, Hae-young nodded without another word.
"Right. Well, if that's what you want… Oh, wait."
Hae-young gasped as if she’d just remembered something, and Yeon-ju swallowed hard. Narrowing her eyes as she searched her memory, Hae-young added,
"Back at the Jeonju outdoor set, the Makeup Chief asked me about it. I think I might have mentioned it then."
"Ah… I see."
"But Yeon-ju, you don't have to worry. The Chief minds her own business. She's definitely not the type to go around gossiping. If it really bothers you, I can talk to her again."
"No, it's fine. She's okay."
Thinking she had made her request clear to Hae-young now, Yeon-ju turned away. She was about to go back to organizing the clothes when Hae-young's next words stopped her in her tracks.
"Do you think Im Eun-seong heard? He was standing right outside at the time."
Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy. Yeon-ju slowly closed them, then opened them again.
"No, he probably didn't hear. We were talking really quietly. No, no, there's no way he heard."
"Okay."
"Besides, why would Im Eun-seong even care? Anyway, I'll watch my mouth from now on."
Looking at Hae-young, who promised so readily, Yeon-ju managed a faint, bittersweet smile. Once again, her heavy eyelids slowly blinked.
The pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place.
Is it that you don't want to show him to me, or is it that you don't have a husband?
He had probably heard.
* * *
Dr. Ju, who arrived at the filming site in the afternoon, began training the German Shepherd. Since filming was scheduled to start soon, he focused on safety training right up until the last minute.
The shepherd's name was Rookie. He understood commands well, so Dr. Ju rewarded him with small pieces of kibble and occasional pats.
Just then, the actor Im Eun-seong appeared on set. Dr. Ju pretended not to notice him, focusing solely on petting Rookie.
Meanwhile, his manager, Dong-hwan, unfolded a chair, and Eun-seong sat down, quite close to him.
"It's been a while."
When Eun-seong greeted him first, Dr. Ju turned to look at him. He merely nodded in response, saying nothing.
Having told such a massive lie, he felt it was best to say as little as possible. The more he talked, the more likely he was to slip up and make things even more awkward for Yeon-ju.
"I suppose you two will be heading home together after filming?"
At Eun-seong's question, Dr. Ju looked up again. As he glanced around warily, Eun-seong raised a hand and added,
"I'm only asking because no one is around. Since you said it's a secret."
"Yes. We go home together. Because we're married."
When Dr. Ju replied with a challenging edge to his voice, Eun-seong simply nodded. Fiddling with a script he had no intention of reading, he cast a lazy gaze at Rookie.
"It's fascinating, training an animal that can't understand human language."
"Not all humans communicate well, either. Any living creature with a heart thinks, and once you learn to share those thoughts, communication is always possible."
After giving Rookie a small treat, Dr. Ju let out a long breath and glanced at Eun-seong.
Staring at the script in Eun-seong's hand for a moment, he remarked casually,
"Personally, I find you more impressive, Mr. Im, bringing words on a page to life. I often wonder just how skilled an actor you must be to become a global star."
"Because I dedicated my life to it."
"……"
"I gave up my life, gave up love, and spent all my time traveling the world, living out lives that weren't my own."
Gave up his life. Gave up love.
"It would be pathetic if I wasn't good at it after sacrificing all that, don't you think?"
A cold aura emanated from him as he tapped the script resting on his thigh. His brief summary, which seemed to compress his entire life into a few terse words, felt strangely lonely.
"Ah, your wife is here."
At Eun-seong's words, Dr. Ju turned his gaze. The two men sat side by side, watching Yeon-ju move back and forth as she collected another actor's clothes.
As the pile of clothes grew and she began to struggle under the weight, Eun-seong spoke up casually.
"As you may know, for the junior members of the costume team, the work is more manual labor than anything else."
"……"
"It's grueling work, so please take good care of her. Your wife must be very tired."
"I already take good care of her. I'm not so neglectful that I need you, of all people, to worry about my wife."
"You see, Dr. Ju, when it comes to acting…"
Looking down at his script, Eun-seong turned his head to look at Dr. Ju.
"People often make a mistake. Acting isn't about deceiving the other person."
"……"
"It's about deceiving yourself. A realistic performance is only possible when you completely believe the lie yourself. If you try to deceive others first, it quickly falls apart. Humans always give themselves away when they lie."
Dr. Ju's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. Spotting the director waving from a distance, Eun-seong stood up.
Dong-hwan, who had been waiting nearby, ran over to fold the chair. Eun-seong smiled at Rookie as he continued.
"Even dedicating your entire life to it is no guarantee of success, so how could it possibly be easy?"
"……"
"Anyway, it was nice watching you work. Keep it up."
Dr. Ju bit his lip, hard.
* * *
As filming continued with take after take and the cameras rolled nonstop, Ju-mi assisted with Eun-seong's fittings from start to finish.
Since Ju-mi took full charge of Eun-seong's wardrobe today and didn't give her a single opening, Yeon-ju spent her time handling other miscellaneous chores.
She actually felt relieved to be kept away from him. At this rate, she wouldn't have to face him directly until the movie wrapped.
Yes. This is actually for the best.
Yeon-ju resigned herself to the situation.
Before she knew it, filming was over for the day. Yeon-ju collected the jackets piled haphazardly on top of a box. After sorting them by size and meticulously checking for any stains or damage, she began to pull the clothing rack.
Once she steamed out the wrinkles and organized everything, her work would be done, though she expected to be the last one to leave.
The wheels made a dull, heavy sound as they rolled. Holding a large plastic bag in one hand and the clothing rack in the other, she walked down the deserted hallway.
"Hey."
She froze.
Lacking the courage to turn around, she stood perfectly still. Eun-seong approached, snatched the bag from her hand, and strode into the waiting room ahead of her.
As Yeon-ju followed him inside, pulling the rack, Eun-seong suddenly locked the door. Startled, her eyes widened.
"Why did you lock the door? Someone might come in."
"Finally. I finally get to see your face."
As Eun-seong muttered as if he had been waiting only for this moment, a quiet ripple stirred in Yeon-ju's heart.
"Who on earth is she? Why did she suddenly show up and keep pawing at me all day?"
"Who? Ju-mi?"
When Eun-seong asked in a highly disgruntled voice, Yeon-ju shrugged.
"She said she came to take good care of you. That's all I know."
"Ha… 'Take care of me,' my ass."
Knowing full well it wasn't Yeon-ju's fault, Eun-seong let his voice trail off with a soft sigh. Just then, they heard someone trying the doorknob.
At the rattling sound, Yeon-ju gasped. Eun-seong quickly pulled off his top and opened the door just a crack.
Ju-mi was standing there.
"What is it?"
"Oh? You were in here? I can take your clothes…"
As Ju-mi tried to slip through the gap, Eun-seong blocked her path. She had been incredibly annoying at every turn.
"I didn't say you could come in."
"Pardon? Ah… yes. Then I'll go back to the set and finish cleaning up. Please get changed, Mr. Im."
As Ju-mi backed away, Eun-seong watched her coldly before slamming the door shut. Only when the sound of her hurried footsteps faded did Yeon-ju finally let out a long breath.
Oh my god. She couldn't help but press a hand to her forehead.
"Why are you doing this? You're only making things difficult for me."
"Then should we talk with the door open? If that's less difficult for you, we can do that."
"No, that's not what I meant!"
When Eun-seong acted as if he was about to fling the door wide open, Yeon-ju grabbed his arm. Realizing she had grabbed his bare skin, she snatched her hand back in surprise.
"Just how long are you planning to keep up this ridiculous lie about Dr. Ju being your husband?"
"……"
"I was going to play along because your effort was admirable, but I'm so furious I can't even sleep. A man needs his rest, doesn't he?"
When Eun-seong finally lost his patience and demanded an answer, Yeon-ju hesitated. Then, keeping her eyes glued to the floor, she spoke.
"Exactly. So why don't you just mind your own business?"
"What?"
"Why are you so interested in my life? It makes me uncomfortable, and that's why I lied. I wanted to show you that I was doing well. I couldn't bring myself to tell you I don't have a husband because it was too embarrassing. Are you happy now?"
"Why is that embarrassing? Is raising a child alone something to be ashamed of?"
"Yes. I can hold my head high in front of anyone else, but in front of you, I feel humiliated. I really, truly do."
Resentment twisted her features as she looked up, her eyes burning with intensity.
"I'm already embarrassed to death doing grunt work as the youngest member of the staff at my age. On top of that, I don't have a husband, and I have to drag my son to the set. What does that make me in your eyes? Do you think I don't have any pride? That's why I did it. So what? Is that a problem?"
"Ha. So that's it. A good thing I asked, or I never would have known."
"So just mind your own business! I have a reputation to uphold and pride to protect. Do you think I'm here because I want to be? Would it kill you to just… just pretend you don't know? Do you really have to dig into everything just to satisfy your own curiosity?"
"Yeah. That's the only way I'll be satisfied."
At his blunt reply, Yeon-ju fell silent. Eun-seong slowly closed and opened his eyes, rubbing his temples.
"I don't want to watch you pretend to be married to someone else just to protect that pride of yours. It drives me absolutely insane."
"But why? What makes you so angry?"
"Because I couldn't forget you."
Yeon-ju's eyes lost focus, turning blank.
"There's nothing I can do until you admit the truth—that you don't have a husband."
"W-what? What are you talking about?"
Cold sweat broke out on the nape of her neck. Her heart hammered in rapid, shallow thuds, and each beat felt incredibly painful.
Pressing his throbbing temples, Eun-seong lifted his gaze.
He straightened his posture slightly and parted his lips.
"You heard me perfectly. Why are you asking? Do you want me to say it again?"
"I don't know what kind of rumors you've heard, but why don't you just laugh in my face? Tell me I got what I deserved for dumping you to chase a better life. Tell me to look at the pathetic state I'm in now—"
"Am I really so magnanimous that I'd laugh at the life you've lived? I'm the one who got dumped like trash, and I still haven't come to my senses. I practically lose my mind every time I see the ex-girlfriend who left me and went on to have a child."
"……"
"What on earth do you expect me to laugh at?"
Ten years since they broke up.
Moving on. Erasing the past. Wasn't that the duty and law of time?
If that was how time was defined, and if everyone said that time was the ultimate healer…
Then what on earth had their time been doing for the past ten years?
"I don't care how you ended up alone, or why you chose to do this kind of work. My only concern is that you are single right now. That's all."
Perhaps… perhaps it was like this.
The world moved too fast. It didn't have the luxury to look back and carry along two foolish people still drowning in their breakup.
So maybe it had just left them behind and moved on without them.
"Mr. Im…"
"I couldn't forget you."
Staring at him as he drove the point home once more, Yeon-ju was utterly lost for words.
It felt as though dark red blood was rushing through her swelling veins, on the verge of bursting. Feeling as if she couldn't hold out any longer, she slowly closed her eyes.
"So, you tell me."
Regret waited in the past, questions in the present, and anxiety in the future.
"What should I do now?"
Damn it, he thought. What a sad, pathetic life.