Chapter 61
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61
In an instant, silence fell over the waiting room.
Eun-seong let out a soft sigh and lightly cleared his throat. At that signal, the staff members—who hadn't so much as glanced in Ung-hyeon's direction while he was speaking—vanished outside in the blink of an eye.
The makeup chief was the last to leave, tugging at Yeon-ju's sleeve to pull her along before tactfully shutting the door behind them.
Suddenly left alone with him, Ung-hyeon quietly uncrossed his legs.
"Lost the use of your hands and feet?"
"Pardon?"
"I asked if you've lost the use of your hands and feet."
"..."
"I'm asking you, you bastard."
Ung-hyeon could see Eun-seong speaking through clenched teeth, his lips barely moving. Cowering, Ung-hyeon lowered his gaze.
"I made a mistake. It's just a habit I didn't realize I had."
"A mistake?"
"No, Senior. I'm sorry. It was thoughtless of me. It won't happen again. I was wrong."
Ung-hyeon rattled off every apology he could muster. Crushed under Eun-seong's venomous aura, even his fingertips went numb.
"I'll be going, then. I'll see you on set, Senior."
Ung-hyeon bowed politely and turned to leave.
"Watch yourself."
"Yes, Senior. I will reflect on my actions."
Turning back, Ung-hyeon bowed deeply to Eun-seong once more. He then slipped out with silent footsteps, his head hung low.
Eun-seong turned his gaze back to the script. Moments later, the staff members filed back in, resuming their work as if nothing had happened.
Yeon-ju also slipped back inside and picked up the steam iron. She had never seen Eun-seong so angry. As she walked on eggshells, keeping even her breathing quiet, Eun-seong left the waiting room before she even noticed.
Once he was gone, the staff finally breathed a collective sigh of relief and began to chatter.
"Chief, I've never seen Actor Im get that angry before."
"He absolutely detests rude actors. Shin Ung-hyeon completely crossed the line. I heard the staff at his agency are stressed out of their minds lately. They say his power trips are driving them crazy."
"I knew he'd get his comeuppance eventually. Ah, that was so satisfying to watch."
Yeon-ju squeezed her eyes shut and let out a quiet breath.
If Hae-young, who boasted she could tear someone to shreds with her words, went head-to-head with Eun-seong, who could crush a person with a single sentence—who would win?
Ugh. The thought alone was terrifying.
* * *
As if nothing had happened, the filming proceeded smoothly. Ung-hyeon carried himself with more humility than ever on set, and the shoot flowed seamlessly without any major NGs.
After the final scene wrapped, Hae-young approached Yeon-ju. Since they couldn't just ignore the news of Eun-seong's award, she suggested they offer a small congratulatory gesture.
Hae-young wore a sour expression as she spoke.
"Honestly, I want to just ignore him, but I can't. Work is work. All the other team leaders congratulated him, so I can't be the only one left out."
"Yes, Director."
Yeon-ju nodded. Casting a cautious glance at her, Hae-young added, "Don't get the wrong idea, Yeon-ju. I really don't mean anything by this. I'm not congratulating him because I like the guy. I just don't want personal feelings interfering with work, so please, don't misunderstand..."
"I won't. It's only right to congratulate someone on good news. I'm fine with it."
Sigh. Hae-young told Yeon-ju to meet her in front of the waiting room in a bit and trudged away. Watching her go, Yeon-ju let out a faint smile. It pained her to think that Hae-young was so worked up on her behalf.
Hae-young clearly assumed Yeon-ju resented Eun-seong. Anyone would. If Hae-young knew that Yeon-ju was helplessly drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she would surely faint.
Shortly after, the lights on the set were turned off. Each department began packing up to head home. In the empty waiting room, Eun-seong sat alone, waiting for Yeon-ju.
* * *
Yeon-ju and Hae-young stood in front of the waiting room. Feeling it would be shameless to show up empty-handed, Yeon-ju held the small cake Hae-young had bought.
"Im Eun-seong is in there alone right now, so let's knock first. When he opens the door, we'll go 'Ta-da!' and congratulate him."
"Ah, well, can't we just go in and give it to him?"
"It's a small gesture, but it has to be a surprise. Or maybe I should just throw the cake in his face when the door opens? While yelling 'Surprise!'?"
Yeon-ju chuckled as Hae-young muttered, unable to resist taking a jab at him.
Hae-young pulled a party hat and a party popper from a small bag. She kept the popper for herself and placed the conical hat on Yeon-ju's head.
Yeon-ju grimaced, utterly appalled.
"I don't—I don't want to wear this! I'm not wearing it, Director!"
"What do you mean? I'm going to set off the party popper. Since you're holding the cake, you have to wear the hat."
"Ah, I really, really hate this."
"You're younger, so you wear it. I can't be seen doing this."
Hae-young burst into laughter as she adjusted the hat on Yeon-ju's head. Yeon-ju shot her a resentful look.
"How can you laugh after putting this on me?"
"Because you look cute."
"I didn't even do this for our Han-byeol's birthday."
"There's a first time for everything. You look cute. Let's go."
Hae-young nudged Yeon-ju forward, then pressed herself flat against the wall beside the waiting room door, signaling for her to knock. The plan was for Yeon-ju to offer congratulations the moment Eun-seong opened the door, after which Hae-young would pop out and set off the party popper.
As Yeon-ju hesitated, holding the cake with both hands, Hae-young took the initiative and knocked. Knock, knock. Then, she ducked back against the wall, hiding with the party popper in hand.
Ugh, why am I so nervous over something like this? Yeon-ju bit her lip, highly self-conscious of the party hat perched on her head. She had planned to simply hand over the cake, say congratulations, and leave, but now she was trapped in this ridiculous situation.
After a brief wait, the door opened. Ahhh! Yeon-ju squeezed her eyes shut and thrust the cake forward.
"C-Congratulations, Actor Im!"
She blurted out the words, blindly offering the cake. Eun-seong, who had just opened the door, stood holding the doorknob with a blank expression.
The sight was utterly absurd: a woman with her head bowed, shouting congratulations while wearing a party hat that nearly swallowed her face.
"What... what are you congratulating me for?"
"I saw the article! Congratulations on your award!"
Ah, that.
The two of them froze—she in her party hat, he in the doorway. Stunned by the completely unexpected congratulations from Yeon-ju, Eun-seong slowly recovered his composure.
"Congratulations! It's... it's nothing much, but I wanted to congratulate you..."
"..."
"I hope you continue to be successful in the future, and, uh, always be happy, and, uh, what else should I say? Uh, congratulations, and, uh..."
Just as her malfunctioning brain stopped generating any more words of congratulation, Hae-young grabbed the string of the party popper and spun around.
It was then that Eun-seong grabbed Yeon-ju's wrist—the one holding the cake—and pulled her inside. Then, he slammed the door shut. Hae-young, who was about to pop out and set off the party popper, froze mid-turn, her mouth agape.
What the...
"What? Did she... did she just get sucked in?"
As Yeon-ju vanished as if dragged into a gopher hole, Hae-young's jaw dropped. She stood frozen outside the closed door, blinking in sheer disbelief.
* * *
Sucked into the waiting room just as Hae-young had described it, Yeon-ju's eyes widened. As she stood with her back pressed against the closed door, Eun-seong stepped closer.
Startled, Yeon-ju whispered urgently, "D-Director Jin is outside! Director Jin Hae-young is right out there!"
Eun-seong gazed down at her.
"And?"
"We shouldn't be doing this! Open the door, quickly! What will the Director think—"
"This morning... were you upset?"
"What? This morning? Why?"
As Yeon-ju asked back, completely lost, his expression turned serious.
"From now on, don't do personal errands for anyone, no matter who asks. You don't have to do things like that."
"...Ah. It was nothing, anyone could have done it..."
Yeon-ju trailed off. Had he been thinking about this all day? Was he waiting in here just to tell her this?
"I understand. I get it, so please open the door. Director Jin is outside—"
Yeon-ju's panicked rambling stopped short as her eyes widened. Eun-seong was leaning down, and in the next instant, their lips met.
Her grip on the cake tightened. With both hands occupied, Yeon-ju didn't know what to do, her legs twitching nervously.
The world seemed to tilt on its axis, the ground falling away as she floated, struggling to keep her senses. As if trying to quench a deep thirst, he didn't pull away, lingering for a long time.
She wanted to push him away, but the impulse died before it could become an action. It was as if she'd never realized how desperately she craved this melting sensation. Her mind screamed one thing, but her body refused to obey. Her thoughts were just thoughts; using the cake as an excuse not to push him away was a choice she was actively making.
When their lips finally parted, Yeon-ju could only stare at him, wide-eyed. Before she could muster a protest, to cast herself as the victim rather than an accomplice, he smiled warmly, his entire face lighting up.
"Thank you. This is more meaningful than any award. A cake this time."
"Ah... I didn't buy it, though..."
"Regardless. I like it."
As he smiled, her heart swelled.
Whenever he smiled, her resolve crumbled. The cold words she had prepared vanished without a trace.
But now was not the time to lose her mind. Yeon-ju spoke in a desperate whisper.
"Actor Im... Director Jin is outside... Director Jin..."
"Take the cake and eat it with your family. And give the party hat to me. As a keepsake."
Eun-seong gently took the party hat from her head. Then, he tilted his head slightly and spoke.
"Now, you choose. Either confess our history to Director Jin, whom you consider family, or make me out to be a crazy pervert."
"..."
"Or, to cut to the chase, you can just explain that I'm currently crazy about you. Go on. Do whatever you want."
With those final words, Eun-seong opened the door.