Chapter 44
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44
A few days later, Eun-seong arrived at the film set and spotted Dr. Ju training the German Shepherd. When Eun-seong came to a sudden halt, Dr. Ju, sensing his presence, looked up and met his gaze.
They exchanged an awkward greeting. As Eun-seong drew closer, his manager set up a folding chair in a suitable spot, while Dr. Ju took advantage of the brief break to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“You’re working hard,” Eun-seong said simply as he sat down.
The German Shepherd’s tail was pressed flat against the ground, wagging gently from side to side. Its eyes remained fixed on Dr. Ju, as if it had already given him its entire heart. For such a fearsome-looking animal, its eyes were practically dripping with affection.
“Hey. You remember me, right?”
When Eun-seong greeted the Shepherd, it panted in response. Dr. Ju let out a short laugh.
“You greeted Rookie first today. That’s a big step for you.”
“I’m trying. Since he’s smart and reads emotions well, I’m doing my best to stay relaxed, but…”
The Shepherd’s name was Rookie. Unable to fully hide his tension, Eun-seong clenched and unclenched his hands as he watched him.
Dr. Ju plopped down on the ground beside the dog. He stroked Rookie continuously, a warm smile on his face.
“We were doing some bite training with a toy.”
“Why do you do that kind of training?”
“Because he shouldn’t just bite anything. It’s to teach him that biting requires permission. He’s learning how to bite, stop, bite again, and stop.”
As Dr. Ju stroked him, Rookie opened his mouth and panted happily. To Eun-seong, however, only those sharp fangs were visible.
He swallowed hard, squinting as if to pretend he hadn't seen them. Dr. Ju, who handled the intimidating animal as if it were a harmless chick, suddenly seemed incredible—like a man of immense power.
“Oh, by the way, I saw the articles today,” Dr. Ju brought up, prompting Eun-seong to glance at him. Keeping his eyes on Rookie, Dr. Ju continued, “There were a lot of articles saying you were nominated for a film festival.”
“Ah, that.” Eun-seong waved his hand dismissively. “My agency is just doing some media play because my movie is coming out soon. It’s not a major awards ceremony, and I can’t attend anyway because of the filming schedule here.”
“I see. Media play. But shouldn’t you still go if you win?”
“At this point, I couldn’t collect all the awards they give me unless I could clone myself.”
Dr. Ju nodded slowly. He wanted to dismiss Eun-seong as a braggart, but since there wasn’t a single lie in his words, it was hard to look down on him.
“How does it feel to have your name constantly popping up on major news sites?”
“I don’t look at them, so I wouldn’t know. It’s been a while since I distanced myself from that sort of thing.”
“Aren’t you curious what people say about you? I’d think you’d be dying to know how they evaluate you as a person.”
“Well… I’m a little interested in how one particular person evaluates me, though.”
After hesitating for a long moment, Eun-seong cautiously extended the back of his hand toward Rookie. He wasn’t trying to touch him, but rather waiting for Rookie to show interest first.
Perhaps finding the scent familiar, Rookie quickly took an interest. As the dog sniffed and brought his face closer, Eun-seong flinched repeatedly, biting his lip hard.
The glistening moisture on the tip of Rookie’s nose felt strange. Was his nose running?
“Why is his nose so wet? Did he catch a cold?”
“It means he’s healthy. Healthy dogs have wet noses.”
Healthy, are you? Congratulations.
Eun-seong gathered a bit more courage and opened his palm, doing exactly what Dr. Ju had taught him.
At that, Rookie rubbed his face against his hand, as if asking to be petted. With a grimace, Eun-seong began to scratch under Rookie’s chin. His entire upper body was tense, ready to spring away at any second.
“Try to make your expression match your actions.”
“I’m trying.”
“Ugh. Uuuugh,” Eun-seong grunted, continuing to knead Rookie’s fur. “Right. Just don’t show your teeth. Uh-uh, don’t show them. Whoa, no. Don’t do that.”
As Rookie, feeling better and better, opened his mouth to pant, Eun-seong finally couldn’t take it anymore and snatched his hand back. To soothe Rookie’s disappointment, Dr. Ju gave him a treat from his pocket and stroked him.
“There’s no rush, so don’t push yourself too hard. The deeper the wound, the more carefully you have to approach healing. If you skip steps out of impatience, it’ll leave an emotional scar, Im Eun-seong-ssi.”
“…”
“You could end up with even deeper wounds and trauma than before.”
With that, Dr. Ju looked up at Eun-seong.
“The reason I could become a trainer was because I was okay with getting hurt. Of course, I try not to, but I wanted to do this job so badly that I was prepared for the risk.”
“…”
“I’m okay with getting hurt. Because I love this. And because I love it, I’m prepared for the pain. That’s why I have nothing to fear.”
At Dr. Ju’s words, Eun-seong slowly closed and opened his eyes. Around them, the set was bustling with preparations for rehearsal.
With a faint smile, Eun-seong gave Rookie a final nod and stood up.
“If you love something, you shouldn’t get hurt. Why would you even start by thinking about getting hurt?”
“Well, accidents are inevitably…”
“Dr. Ju, I have many fears. I must not get hurt, and I don’t want to. That’s why I’m cautious and careful.”
“…”
“If I may offer a piece of advice, don’t get hurt. You only live once, and there aren’t many things in life worth risking injury for. Live safely.”
Eun-seong turned to leave.
“Then, Im Eun-seong-ssi, please let go. So that no one gets hurt.”
The gentle voice was replaced by a heavy atmosphere. After mulling over Dr. Ju’s words, Eun-seong turned back.
Looking up at him, Dr. Ju continued.
“If you, Im Eun-seong-ssi, who doesn’t want to get hurt and has many fears, simply step back, then everyone can be safe and happy. What do you think?”
“I offer you some advice out of concern, and you use it to try and take something from me? That’s a different story, Doctor.”
“…”
Eun-seong let out a smirk, as if telling him not to be absurd. They stared at each other for a long moment, locked in a silent battle of wills. As Eun-seong looked down with a somewhat arrogant gaze, Dr. Ju grabbed Rookie’s leash and mouthed to the dog:
“Rookie. Go bite him.”
“Hey, seriously!”
Eun-seong scrambled backward in horror. Only Rookie, completely clueless, panted and rolled over onto his back.
* * *
‘Eun-seong-ssi. That person you said you thought of when you saw a marshmallow. When did you meet them?’
‘It’s been a long time. Back in college.’
Hae-young fell into thought, her expression hardening. Tapping her fingers slowly on the desk, she pulled out her phone.
`[Im Eun-seong]`
When she searched his name, his profile popped up along with his photo. After briefly scanning his dazzling career history, she took a close look at his personal information.
Seeing the familiar university name, she looked up. It was the same one Yeon-ju had attended.
Unable to shake the strange feeling, she was lost in thought once more. The year Eun-seong won his first award—the year the actor Im Eun-seong officially debuted.
“Han-byeol is ten now, so if I count backward…”
Disregarding the public information that he was in the second grade, Han-byeol was actually ten years old. At Yeon-ju’s request, she had erased all personal information and left only his grade, but tracing back from his birthdate…
“If I go back another ten months from Han-byeol’s birthday…”
She closed her eyes tightly and counted on her fingers, then snapped them open. The year Yeon-ju became pregnant coincided with the year of Eun-seong’s debut.
Hae-young’s brow furrowed deeply. The time when Eun-seong was still enrolled and before Yeon-ju dropped out, the time the child was conceived, and the time Eun-seong debuted.
The time Yeon-ju dropped out. The time Han-byeol was born.
“Ah…”
Her lips, which had been pressed tightly together, parted as a gasp escaped. Hae-young continued to follow the thread of her thoughts.
She wondered if it could possibly make sense, but then again, why couldn’t it? The thought that such an absurd thing couldn’t possibly be real clashed with the mounting evidence in her mind.
No way. It can’t be. That’s ridiculous. This is truly ridiculous…
‘It’s been a long time. Back in college.’
“No. It can’t be. It shouldn’t be. Ugh, this is crazy. With an imagination like this, you should be writing dramas, Jin Hae-young.”
Hae-young put her phone down as if to banish the thoughts. But as Han-byeol’s face came to mind, the idea that he actually looked a bit like Eun-seong began to run wild.
Just as she was blinking in confusion, unable to find her bearings, the door opened and Yeon-ju walked in.
“Director, you were here?”
“Ah, Yeon-ju, you’re here.”
Quickly composing herself, Hae-young shoved her phone into her pocket. Then, she spun her chair around and smiled at Yeon-ju.
“You must be busy since Ju-mi suddenly quit, right?”
“It’s nothing I don’t always do.”
“Hey, Yeon-ju.”
“Yes?”
Meeting Yeon-ju’s eyes, Director Jin swallowed hard. Her heart was pounding so strangely that she found it difficult to look her in the face.
“It’s just… Im Eun-seong-ssi was nominated for an international award today.”
“Really? I hadn’t seen that.”
“It’s great news. If you see him later, you should congratulate him.”
“Me?”
“There’s really no reason for someone like him to take such good care of Han-byeol. He’s famous for looking after the staff, but he’s not the type to dote on other actors. He’s more of an ‘every man for himself’ type. In that sense, you must be grateful, too.”
“…Yes.”
At Hae-young’s explanation, Yeon-ju nodded slowly. Just as she said, Eun-seong had been keeping Han-byeol close and taking constant care of him lately. Although she sometimes wished the two weren’t so close, whenever she saw her son looking up at him, she would find herself stopping to watch them for a long time.
It was a scene she could watch over and over without ever growing tired of it. She didn’t want to ruin that beautiful picture in the slightest, and she even fell into the brief illusion that having such a moment in her life was a blessing.
“If I get the chance, I’ll congratulate him.”
Yeon-ju turned and quietly went back to her work. As a strange feeling kept washing over her, Hae-young could only let out a dry sigh.
At that moment, a car drove onto the set. Tae-gon stepped out, took off his sunglasses, and stared intently at the entrance.