Chapter 39: Unreasonable Suspicion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: Unreasonable Suspicion
"Ugh, I'm so tired..."
Hae-young stared blankly into space, her face completely drained of energy. Just a few years ago, she had worked overtime as if it were second nature, boasting that sleep was for the dead.
But getting caught in the middle of the bizarre war of nerves between Eun-seong and Dr. Ju yesterday, forced to walk on eggshells, had utterly exhausted her.
"I treated them to expensive food and drinks, so why were they so eager to tear each other apart? I don't get it."
The two men had barely anything in common, yet they had locked horns as if they were sworn enemies. Stretching, Hae-young quietly replayed yesterday's events in her mind.
"It's not like it's two men fighting over one woman. How childish..."
She mumbled to herself, then froze. One woman. One woman.
As if struck by lightning, Hae-young's eyes shot wide open.
"No way."
'I'm at that age now, and they say the answer is often right under your nose, so I should look around me.'
"Could it be... they both like me?"
Then, was Dr. Ju's target not Yeon-ju, but me all along?
Hae-young blinked, speechless. If they weren't trying to win over the same woman, why on earth would those two have been glaring at each other with fire in their eyes and bickering like that?
'Last time, Go Yeon-ju was practically throwing herself at Actor Im Eun-seong. She even locked the waiting room door.'
The words Ju-mi had casually dropped suddenly echoed in her mind. For the first time, Hae-young held her breath.
It had sounded so absurd at the time that she had brushed it off, thinking, 'Wow, she really goes out of her way to spout nonsense,' but now, the thought was starting to unnerve her.
"Hello, Director."
Just then, Ju-mi approached. Hae-young quickly masked her expression and returned the greeting.
"Hello, Ju-mi. Busy morning?"
"I still have some time before the actor's fitting, so I'm fine."
"Even so, shouldn't there be plenty of other things to prepare? This is a busy time for the entire costume team."
"Well, everyone has their own assigned tasks. There's no need for me to do things that aren't my job."
Hae-young stared flatly at Ju-mi. It was absurd. Ju-mi had practically snatched Yeon-ju's work right out of her hands, yet now she was turning a blind eye to everything else, claiming it wasn't her responsibility.
Since Ju-mi wasn't an employee she had hired directly but someone she was managing on behalf of another agency, Hae-young had tried her best to remain amicable. But this was going too far.
"Ju-mi. Morning prep is always on a tight schedule, so everyone needs to pitch in. That's how it is everywhere, not just here. Did you really not know that?"
"Go Yeon-ju said she was fine and told me to leave her alone. Isn't it meddlesome to interfere when she specifically asked me not to?"
So the problem isn't a lack of skill, it's a defect in your character.
Hae-young tilted her head. Ju-mi stared back, her expression making it clear that Hae-young's glare had no effect on her.
Ju-mi was well aware that Hae-young couldn't fire her or even scold her too harshly. She had come here with the backing of her agency's CEO, Tae-gon, and was confident that Hae-young, despite being a director, wouldn't dare mistreat her.
As if reading her mind, Hae-young let out a faint smile.
"Ju-mi, do you happen to know my nickname?"
"Pardon? No, I don't."
"My nickname is 'Director Jin's Mandate of Heaven.' Do you know why?"
"..."
"Think about it. Why do you think that is?"
A chill ran down Ju-mi's spine. She swallowed hard, a wave of regret washing over her. She wondered if she had been too reckless in talking back, but it was already too late.
"Actually, I wanted to help Go Yeon-ju..."
"How many times do I have to tell you? It's not 'helping' her, it's working together."
"...I tried to work with her. But Go Yeon-ju is always nasty to me when no one's around, so I've just been avoiding her."
Hae-young crossed her arms and leaned in slightly. Since the topic was already on the table, she figured she might as well get to the bottom of it.
"Go on, speak your mind. What exactly does Go Yeon-ju do to you?"
"Where do I even begin? She looks down on me because I'm young. She uses my things without asking and doesn't even return them!"
Wearing the expression of a victim, Ju-mi began to subtly tear Yeon-ju down. It was calculated slander, born from the conviction that shifting the blame onto Yeon-ju was the key to getting the happy ending she craved.
"Director, what if... what if Go Yeon-ju took this job specifically to pull strings for her son? I can't help but suspect it."
"Is that entirely your own thought, Ju-mi?"
"Pardon? Well, yes. No? To be honest, our CEO isn't exactly..."
Ju-mi cut herself off abruptly, belatedly remembering the warning Tae-gon had given her when he sent her to work under Hae-young.
"Your CEO what? Did he tell you to keep an eye on Go Yeon-ju? To see if she was pulling strings for her son?"
"No, it's not like that, but..."
"Ju-mi. Why are you really here? I'm starting to get a very bad feeling about this."
Hae-young's expression had turned sharp and cold. Ju-mi bit her lip nervously. Things had been going so well, but now she worried she had made a mess by dragging her CEO into it.
"There's a lot you don't know, Director. Go Yeon-ju is a really strange person. It's obvious she planned to use her son to get ahead from the very beginning!"
"..."
"Last time, she even locked the door to be alone with Im Eun-seong in the waiting room. The implications are obvious. She'll do anything to get on his good side for her son's sake!"
"Ha... The more I listen, the more I realize what a piece of work you are."
"Pardon?"
Letting out a deep sigh that seemed to rise from the very pit of her stomach, Hae-young slowly lifted her gaze. As if she had no other choice, she pulled out her phone.
"I'm an incredibly busy person. Why should I have to battle your prejudices on top of everything else? Do I look like I have time for this?"
"That's not it, really..."
"Hello. Hyeong-mi, it's Jin Hae-young."
Hae-young cut Ju-mi off and made the call. She was calling Ju-mi's boss, the costume team leader of Yeonildam.
"Are you busy? Can you talk?"
—Yes, Director. How have you been?
"Skip the pleasantries. You need to come down to the set right now."
—Pardon? Why? Did something happen with Eun-seong?
"No. Just come get your staff member."
As Hae-young spoke in a firm, unyielding tone, Ju-mi's eyes widened in shock.
—My staff member? Who? Oh, Ju-mi?
"Take her back immediately. If you leave her here, she's going to cry. Because I'm about to make her. So hurry up."
—Oh... Yes, Director. I'll head over right now.
"One hour. Be here within the hour."
Hae-young ended the call and looked at Ju-mi. Seeing her standing there frozen, unable to believe she was being fired, Hae-young gently patted her on the shoulder.
"Ju-mi. You shouldn't speak ill of people behind their backs, no matter where you go. It's not like I held my tongue about you because I liked you. Slandering people is just petty, especially for an adult, don't you think?"
"..."
"No matter how I look at it, I can't keep you around. People who stir up trouble and muddy the waters can't work for me. I don't know how Yeonildam operates, but that doesn't fly at Chang-rok."
"Director..."
"I'd appreciate it if you recognized that I've let a lot of things slide. As someone who's lived a little longer than you, let me offer some advice: don't live such a petty life. The world isn't that easy."
'Director Jin, you have a rookie on your team, right? The new one. Let's send her over.'
She shouldn't have brushed off Tae-gon's words back then. She should have known something was up the moment he asked her to take on this ridiculous girl.
"Well, goodbye then. Let's hope we meet next time in a world free of backstabbing. Alright?"
Tae-gon was clearly desperate to get rid of Yeon-ju.
*
"What's this about? So sudden."
As Yeon-ju approached him for the fitting, Eun-seong gave her a puzzled look.
Ju-mi had left the set in tears after a scathing lecture from Hae-young, but no one knew the full story. Hae-young had simply cited "personal circumstances," and since staff members leaving mid-production was common, it didn't draw much attention.
Upon hearing that Ju-mi had quit, Eun-seong couldn't hide a faint smile.
"Good riddance. She was a bit weird anyway. Way too handsy."
"That's unavoidable during fittings. Do you think Ju-mi did that because she wanted to?"
"You think I can't tell the difference between a fitting and being felt up?"
"Yes. You accused me of feeling you up before, too."
"That was just wishful thinking on my part."
Yeon-ju, who had been in the middle of taking off his jacket, stopped and glared at him with narrowed eyes. In response, Eun-seong gave her a playful look, as if daring her to try harder.
"Well, anyway, I'm thrilled to have Go Yeon-ju back. In celebration, feel free to touch me all you want."
"Don't talk to me. I have absolutely no desire to converse with you, Actor Im."
Was the shock of the morning's kiss still lingering? Eun-seong looked a bit sheepish at Yeon-ju's icy response.
With so many action scenes, the clothes were constantly getting wrinkled and dusty, meaning they had to be prepped all over again for every take. As Yeon-ju brought over an identical new outfit, Eun-seong took off his shirt.
"Are you mad?"
"Yes."
"That's strange. I'm in a great mood."
Ugh! When Yeon-ju fell for his provocation hook, line, and sinker, Eun-seong burst into laughter. Her reactions were so explosive at times that he found it incredibly entertaining, making it impossible to stop teasing her.
"Do you think I'm staying quiet because I have nothing to say?"
"Then say whatever you want. I prefer a wild, raging Go Yeon-ju to a quiet one anyway."
"Why on earth...!"
Feeling her voice rising, Yeon-ju clamped her mouth shut. She glared at Eun-seong, her eyes still blazing with fury, then spoke in a slightly lower tone.
"You laughed? You think this is funny right now?"
"Should I cry instead? It's not hard. Just give me ten seconds."
"Forget it! I'm dying of frustration here, so why are you the only one who's so carefree? Why?"
"Because this morning was nice. You liked it too, so don't pretend you didn't."
Ha! Yeon-ju gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"I-I liked it? When?"
"Earlier. This morning. When we kissed."
"Stop talking nonsense! Do you have proof? Do you have any proof?!"
"What kind of proof? That you enjoyed it? My proof is how I felt."
See? This is what you call an unreasonable suspicion.
As Eun-seong continued like a broken record, Yeon-ju just shook her head. The man was clearly insane, and she couldn't let herself get swept up in his madness.
Get a grip! Im Eun-seong is a brilliant actor! Don't fall for that face!
"I really, truly cannot understand you, Actor Im."
"Yeah. I'm not easy to understand."
"You told me when we first met. That you did everything you could for me, so you had nothing left. That's why you didn't care if I worked here, right?"
"Ah. I did say that. That was my mistake."
W-What am I supposed to say when you admit it so easily!
"Oh, right. And last time, you said you wanted to forget the past more than anyone. You told me that."
"I lied."
"Ah... lied..."
"It was a fib."
"Ah... a fib..."
...Get a grip! Please!
Feeling like she was constantly taking the bait, Yeon-ju shook her head vigorously. Her face, drained of all life, flushed a deep red. She looked so adorable that Eun-seong couldn't help but burst into laughter once more.
Yeon-ju stared at him blankly, utterly dazed.
"Is this funny to you right now...?"
"No. You're cute."
Eun-seong handed his discarded shirt to Yeon-ju. Through it all, his toned chest was on full display, providing an unnecessary and unwelcome distraction.
"Should we talk some more? We can delay the shoot."
"...No, thank you. I've lost all will to fight, so please just put this on."
"What are you doing this weekend?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Why do you think I'm asking?" Eun-seong replied as he slipped on the clean shirt.