The Face of the Culprit
Min-seo's mother had barely survived. She never regained consciousness and was transferred to the intensive care unit. A distant relative who heard the news stopped by the hospital and paid the bills.
"Um... what about the child...?"
When the nurse asked, the relative answered in a lukewarm tone.
"The kid should stay with her mom, right?"
With that, he left and never returned. Whatever his reasons were, it seemed he didn't want to get any more involved.
Min-seo looked completely unfazed, as if she were used to this kind of cold treatment.
"Where's the bathroom?"
The child who had gone to the police station to give her statement had stopped by home first; she arrived dragging a huge bundle of luggage. She ate at the convenience store, caught short naps in the guardians' lounge, and stayed by her mother's side.
The hospital staff weren't free enough to look after a child on top of everything else. Hospitals were places that swung between idle moments and overwhelming chaos in the blink of an eye.
The best they could do was make sure no accidents happened, and fortunately Min-seo took care of herself just fine.
"Min-seo, aren't you bored? Why don't you watch some TV in the lobby?"
"I'm okay."
"Here, want some of these snacks? They're really good..."
"I'm not hungry."
Her mature attitude was both admirable and heartbreaking, so even when doctors and nurses tried to strike up conversations, Min-seo drew a firm line with short replies.
Everyone except one person.
"Use this to cover yourself when you sleep. We can't have you getting sick too."
"...Thank you."
After hesitating for a moment, Min-seo accepted the blanket Go Su-hyeok offered and quickly ran off. His colleagues watched and chuckled.
"See? Kids really do go for the face. Or maybe they fall for it even harder."
"Still, it's a relief she doesn't reject it completely. Every time I see her, it breaks my heart."
"..."
Go Su-hyeok didn't agree or disagree with their words. He simply fell into quiet thought. Min-seo had studied his face several times, but it didn't feel like the positive interest his colleagues described.
Actually, I think she might hate me...
A few days later, something happened that confirmed his suspicion.
It started when a nosy nurse brought up the topic.
"Did you hear? That hit-and-run case with Kim Su-hee—they're already talking about closing the investigation."
"Already? Did they catch the perpetrator?"
"No. It looks like they're just going to wrap it up without finding him. Or maybe they're not even trying."
The nurse who had pitied Min-seo the most had tears in her eyes. Everyone quietly nodded in agreement.
The hospital bills paid by that distant relative, the card of unknown origin that Min-seo used, the way Min-seo had refused to give a witness statement, and the police who had simply let it go...
The hit-and-run driver was clearly connected to someone powerful.
"It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."
"Poor Min-seo. If only her mother would wake up..."
Though they all felt bitter about it, none of them dared step forward directly. Go Su-hyeok understood their hesitation, but it still made his insides twist.
After all, he himself had been sent here because he'd offended some "powerful person." Min-seo's situation didn't feel like someone else's problem.
So he crossed the strict line he'd drawn with his colleagues and patients and asked her directly.
"Did you really not see anything? Even the car's color or any distinctive features would help."
He knew it was pointless, but he hoped that if there was even the slightest clue, the police might at least pretend to investigate a little longer. Maybe in that extra time, some twist would occur.
The question born of faint hope came back as fierce hatred.
"Why are you probing me? Did that man say I was suspicious?"
"What? That's not what I—"
"I told you I didn't see anything! Please just leave me alone!"
Min-seo screamed the words like a shriek and bolted out of the hospital room. Go Su-hyeok, who had been stunned, suddenly realized the truth and dragged a hand down his face.
The face that looked exactly like his half-sibling.
It seemed he knew who the culprit was.
"Cut!"
After carefully reviewing the footage, Director Gu Su-min called out his approval. The nearby staff whispered among themselves in delighted voices.
"No NGs at all, so it really wraps up fast."
"She didn't have a single one today either, right?"
Aside from the multiple takes needed at the beginning to nail the tone, every scene featuring "Min-seo" had been completed in a single take. With work going so smoothly, only good words came from the staff.
"Isn't it amazing how her lines hit you right in the ear? Her pronunciation and projection seem better than most adults."
"She doesn't get nervous in front of the camera at all. She really knows what she's doing. Is she actually ten?"
Cho Yong-jin listened quietly to all the chatter. True to his name, he was a man of few words with a reserved personality. He was playing Ha Min-jun, the half-brother of the protagonist Go Su-hyeok.
He had already received all sorts of praise from Do Je-hyun over the phone, but seeing her on set exceeded even those expectations. It had been worth making time in his busy schedule to come early.
I'm looking forward to this.
He usually found it difficult to speak to child actors because of his quiet nature, but with acting skills like that, he actually felt the urge to approach her first.
Should I say hello?
Just then, Lee Su-a was leaving the set to change costumes for the next shoot. She smiled and greeted every staff member who made eye contact with her, showing she wasn't shy at all.
She would probably come running over to greet him too if someone told her he was the actor filming with her. But then all those eyes would turn toward them...
I'll do it next time.
Cho Yong-jin silently fled from the spot.
He was the most camera-shy person in the entire entertainment industry.
They said he was extremely shy, and they weren't kidding.
He wasn't particularly large, but as an actor he still stood out among the staff. After watching the filming for a long time, Cho Yong-jin had debated whether to come over or not before ultimately running away. Seeing that, Do Je-hyun's description finally made sense.
A guy with zero social skills but great at his job. Not a bad person.
Since his return, Su-a hadn't seen any articles about Do Je-hyun or Cho Yong-jin causing scandals, so she could probably trust them to some extent. At least their public images.
After changing her clothes and fixing her makeup, Su-a came out to find Cho Yong-jin being cornered by Gi Seong-hui. Even though Gi Seong-hui must have been busy with promotions, she had come again today, saying she absolutely wanted to watch the upcoming scene.
The making-of PD stood beside them, filming with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
"You were avoiding her and running away without saying hello again, weren't you? How can you be scared of a girl who's practically your daughter?"
"It's not that I'm scared..."
"Then what?"
"I... have a hard time with new faces..."
"This is the first time I've seen an adult avoid a child just because he's shy. If you're an adult and a senior, you should know how to help your juniors relax. Didn't I tell you that?"
Cho Yong-jin's face turned bright red. From the movement of his eyes and the muscles around his mouth, Su-a could tell it was more embarrassment than shame. The difference might be subtle to others, but she saw it clearly.
It was obviously a joke, yet he reacted that way even while being playfully scolded in front of everyone. He seemed like a genuinely pure person. Maybe despite his shyness, his personality was actually quite straightforward.
Just then, Gi Seong-hui spotted her and waved.
"Su-a, come here and say hello."
"Ah, um..."
"This uncle may not act his age, but he'll be good to work with."
"Hello, sunbae-nim! I'm the new actor Lee Su-a!"
When Su-a bowed deeply at the waist, Cho Yong-jin followed suit with what people called a "folder bow."
From the side came the sound of the making-of PD trying to stifle his laughter.
This is going to be fun when the making-of footage drops.
Even before her return, Cho Yong-jin had earned solid recognition for his acting in The Doctor's Diagnosis. The problem was that he'd been typecast in similar villain roles for a long time afterward, so he never quite managed to break that image.
Now that the script and character had been revised because of her, things might change. How well he took advantage of that opportunity was up to him.
"I heard a lot about you from Je-hyun sunbae-nim. I'll do my best to learn from you!"
"Je-hyun hyung talked about me...?"
"Yes. He said you're always sincere and that there's a lot to learn from you."
If possible, she hoped both the drama and the actors would succeed. Of course, if she succeeded the most, that would be best.
No matter how much they interrogated, persuaded, or threatened him, Ha Min-jun refused to turn himself in. So Go Su-hyeok dragged him to the hospital.
"Look closely at the decency you've been searching for in me. If you still have any left, see for yourself exactly what you've done."
At Go Su-hyeok's request, another colleague had taken Min-seo somewhere else, so she wasn't in the hospital room. Ha Min-jun trembled violently as he was forced inside.
Beyond the curtain around the bed lay the result of his crime.
He had lived his entire life with pride. Meeting his father's and mother's expectations. He had shouldered expectations too heavy for an ordinary person to bear, so he had thought occasional acts of deviance were acceptable.
But...
"N-no..."
"What do you mean no! Admit your mistake and beg for forgiveness!"
"It's not! This isn't my fault!"
When Ha Min-jun shoved Go Su-hyeok away as he tried to drag him to the bed and flung open the hospital room door—
Min-seo was standing right there.