Chapter 38
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38
“Mom, are you leaving for work now?”
The next morning, as Yeon-ju was putting on her jacket, the door to her room opened and Han-byeol walked in. She smiled, pleased that her son, who had woken up earlier than usual, had come to find her first.
“I didn't wake you because you still had time to sleep. You’re already up?”
“I went to bed really early yesterday. My eyes just popped open.”
Yeon-ju smiled and stroked her son’s hair. She was in a hurry, so she couldn’t ask him how his first day of shooting went. They could talk about it that evening.
“Mom’s leaving now, Han-byeol. Have a good day at school.”
“Okay, Mom. But… about yesterday…”
Han-byeol had followed her to the entryway, his words trailing off. Yeon-ju, who had been opening the shoe cabinet, turned to look at him. He was fidgeting with his fingers, a rare habit for him.
She closed the cabinet door.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing major, but… yesterday, Mr. Im Eun-seong put me to sleep, right?”
“He did. Make sure to thank him the next time you see him. You were lying on his lap for a long time. It must have been hard for him.”
“I was on his lap for a long time?”
“Yes. The entire time. Even while we were in the car.”
Han-byeol nodded slowly, as if processing the information, his fingers still twisting together. Yeon-ju watched him for a moment, then knelt to meet his gaze.
“Why? Did you not like it?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“…”
“I liked it.”
Yeon-ju’s eyebrows rose in surprise. As if he had said something incredibly embarrassing, Han-byeol began waving his hands frantically.
“No, I mean… his legs are long, so it was comfortable! That’s all.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Hurry up and go, Mom. I’ll be sure to thank him when I see him.”
I liked it.
It was hard to ask what, exactly, he had liked.
His words spread through her chest, slow and heavy like a drop of black ink in a full glass of water. Sensing the weight of his admission would stay with her for a long time, Yeon-ju gave him a soft smile.
“Alright, Mom’s heading out now.”
“Okay. But Mom, it’s a secret that I liked it. Okay?”
“Okay. I won’t tell him. I’ll see you when I get back.”
“Yeah. Have a good day, Mom.”
Anyone would fall for you. Even my own child couldn’t help but like you.
Because you’re just that kind of person.
* * *
Even I find myself breathtaking…
“Good, there’s no one here yet.”
My back profile…
The next day, Eun-seong arrived early at the film set and immediately went to the mirror, checking his physique from every angle. Front, side, back—not a single flaw to be found. His self-esteem had no choice but to soar.
“Perfect. Magnificent.”
Intoxicated by his own reflection, Eun-seong scanned his body before zeroing in on his face. If his body was in this state, his face was, of course, beyond reproach.
He rubbed his eyebrows, wondering if a master artist had secretly painted them on while he slept, and chuckled. Perfect brows, a sharp nose that had sparked countless plastic surgery rumors, and seductive lips that had long reigned at the top of the “Most Kissable Lips” rankings.
“You’re the best. So don’t you dare wimp out in front of Go Yeon-ju.”
Last night in the car, his self-esteem had hit rock bottom, and he had returned home feeling like a complete loser. After a long soak in a hot bath, he had started working out at dawn, determined to drag his shattered ego back from the abyss.
His mind had been a battlefield throughout the workout.
Dumbbell curls: Go Yeon-ju doesn’t like me.
Lunges: No, wait, how could she possibly not like me?
Squats: She prefers Dr. Ju over me.
Pull-ups: No, how dare anyone compare me to someone like Dr. Ju?
His self-esteem swung wildly with every rep. He only finished his workout when he finally achieved a complete mental victory.
Never stopping until his confidence was restored was a long-standing habit of his. Whenever he needed to empty his mind of agonizing thoughts, he would exercise for days on end, pushing his body to exhaustion.
There were few mental pains that could overcome physical suffering. When a person reached their absolute limit, most delusions fell away. Pushing himself to the brink had finally cleared his mind, and the image of Dr. Ju and Go Yeon-ju together—the one that had tormented him so—had finally blurred.
Right now, Eun-seong’s self-esteem was at an all-time high. Combined with his lack of sleep, he could easily be mistaken for a madman.
Whew, working out that hard so early crashed my blood sugar. Eun-seong rummaged through his pockets and pulled out some chocolate.
“It’s just a piece of chocolate.”
Hmph. I’m going to eat it without holding back.
He tore open two pieces of the chocolate he had previously kept in his pocket, too precious to eat, only unwrapping one to give to Han-byeol. He munched on them, watching himself in the mirror as if he couldn’t bear to miss the sight of his own chewing.
Look at that jawline. How can a person look this cool just chewing? You’re the best. Perfect.
“So don’t wimp out. Never wimp out in front of Go Yeon-ju.”
Brimming with an unusual determination, Eun-seong finished the rest of the chocolate. He scattered the empty wrappers in the air like confetti and strode away from the mirror.
Filled with baseless confidence, he sat on the sofa.
Yes, this is Im Eun-seong. This is who I am. What could the great Im Eun-seong possibly not overcome?
“Hello, Actor Im.”
The door opened and Yeon-ju walked in. Chin held higher than usual, Eun-seong gave her a lazy flick of his finger.
“Right. Hello. Punctual for once.”
“Um, here.”
Yeon-ju immediately handed him his jacket. Eun-seong, with no intention of taking it, remained seated, looking up at her with a haughty air.
“Thank you for lending it to me yesterday. Thanks to you, Han-byeol didn’t catch a cold and went to school just fine.”
“…Cough.”
When Eun-seong let out a small, sudden cough, Yeon-ju’s eyes widened.
“Did you… catch a cold?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“What?”
Wondering if he’d gotten sick because he’d lent her his jacket, Yeon-ju held her breath and studied him. He had only cleared his throat, but seeing her worried expression made him suddenly want to have a cold.
I, Im Eun-seong, can catch a cold if I put my mind to it. I’m a perfect actor, after all.
“Cough, cough.”
“What’s wrong? Did you really catch a cold?”
“I said it’s nothing worth worrying about.”
“Are you telling me to ignore it or to worry about it?”
“Do whatever you want.”
What on earth is he talking about? Yeon-ju stared at him, completely baffled. In response, Eun-seong let out a few more fake coughs and glanced at her.
“Why the long face already? Does your concern only last three seconds?”
“You don’t have a cold. You’re just putting on a show.”
Oops. Flustered, Eun-seong tried to cough more violently, but it was too late. Yeon-ju looked him up and down with an expression of pity and set the jacket on the table.
“Who left trash all over the floor…”
Yeon-ju squatted down and began gathering the chocolate wrappers Eun-seong had scattered.
“Leave them. I didn’t scatter them for you to clean up.”
“If you ate it, you should throw it in the trash.”
“I said leave them. They’re being publicly executed. I’ll clean them up when their sentence is served, so don't disturb the exhibition.”
What is he even saying this early in the morning?
Yeon-ju stood up, staring at Eun-seong as he babbled nonsense. Well, if he said he’d clean up his own mess, there was nothing more she could say.
“Are you still drunk from yesterday’s wine?”
“If I weren’t sober, do you think I’d be here? I would have been with you. All night long.”
At his words, Yeon-ju instinctively glanced around the room. It was pure reflex.
“Don’t look. No one else comes in this early.”
“Well, there is one person who came as early as me—you, Actor Im.”
“And why do you think I came early? So we could be alone. You haven’t been doing my fittings lately, so I never get to see you.”
Yeon-ju tilted her head, studying his expression. It seemed solemn, yet not quite.
“What’s that smell?” he asked.
Her eyes widened. “Ah. I picked up a lunch box on my way here for breakfast. It’s gimbap.”
“That damn gimbap.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Forget it. I don’t eat gimbap anymore unless it’s the tuna gimbap you made for me.”
Geez, is his mood a stock market? Why does it fluctuate so much?
Yeon-ju grumbled internally as she split a pair of wooden chopsticks. Then, holding them between her teeth, she began to unwrap the foil-covered gimbap.
“Do you usually skip breakfast?”
“Ouch!”
As she tried to answer his question, Yeon-ju suddenly clutched her lips. She had pulled the chopsticks from her mouth out of habit, and a splinter had cut her.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Ow, I got a cut.”
“What? Let me see.”
It wasn’t a sharp pain, but it stung. As Yeon-ju grimaced and pouted her lips to show him, Eun-seong’s expression soured.
“Is it bleeding?”
“Of course it is.”
“Ugh, how many times has this happened? Ow, it stings.”
Eun-seong snatched the wooden chopsticks from her hand, snapped them in two, and threw them to the floor. They joined the chocolate wrappers in their public execution.
“You’re supposed to learn from your mistakes. Getting hurt in the same spot over and over… what do you even have a brain for?”
“Why are you always picking a fight? It’s my lips that got hurt, not yours.”
“And what did you do that was so great you get to hiss at me like a cat? Look. It’s bleeding like crazy. Gushing.”
“Don’t lie. What do you mean, ‘gushing’?”
When Yeon-ju lightly pressed her lip, red stained her fingertip. Eun-seong’s frown deepened with disgust, and feeling embarrassed, she turned away.
“I can just wipe it with a tissue! Why are you nagging me so much over something so small first thing in the morning—”
The moment she turned, a hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her toward the sofa. As she stumbled, he met her halfway, his lips crashing down on hers.
He captured her lower lip, almost biting it, and Yeon-ju’s eyes flew wide open, as if they might pop out of her head.
Without any warning—no, without any reason at all—at around 7:15 in the morning, before the day had even properly begun.
Right as she was about to eat gimbap.
She was kissing the man who had been talking utter nonsense since he arrived.
The warmth spreading through her bitten lip was far too hot to be called merely warm. The soft, yielding sensation sent a dizzying thrill from her toes to the crown of her head, leaving her lightheaded.
Resisting felt wrong, and in truth, pulling away was the last thing she wanted to do.
Should I close my eyes? Is it okay to keep them open? As these strange thoughts drifted through her mind, her eyes met his. Only after he pulled back, as if signaling it was over, did Yeon-ju finally gasp for breath.
“W-what… what do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, her face flushed with outrage.
Eun-seong merely stared at her lips. “It stopped bleeding. This is faster than a tissue.”
“What… what was that? What did you just do?”
Her face a deep crimson, Yeon-ju covered her mouth with the back of her hand. Eun-seong replied in a nonchalant voice.
“What do you mean? The official excuse is disinfection. The real reason is self-interest.”
“What… you… this… how…”
She was so stunned she couldn’t even form a proper sentence. She could only watch as he pointed a finger at her.
Yeon-ju flinched, her eyes widening. Eun-seong lifted his chin, giving her an arrogant look.
“No matter what you say, I’m not listening. My self-esteem is currently through the roof.”
“You… you’ve lost your mind…”
“Have I? And let me declare one more thing: I’m not going to wimp out in front of you anymore. I won’t be fooled by those eyes of yours that always look like they’re hiding a story. Do you have any idea how much I overthought things because of that look on your face?”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“I learned a lesson yesterday. If Dr. Ju can do it, so can I. And if I can’t, then neither can he. Understand?”
Eun-seong suddenly leaned in, his face inches from hers.
“So, if you’re so confident, then bring it on. Try pretending to run away or acting pitiful again.”
“…”
“Because I’ll devour you.”
“Ugh…”
It was an exceptionally clear autumn morning.