The Perfume Problem
The perfume was retrieved by Manager Ahn Jinbae right away.
The reason was that this method wasn't helping at all.
I'd only grown weak from throwing up over and over again — it wasn't as if it had no effect.
I had plenty I wanted to say, but since I had no right to say any of it, I kept my mouth shut.
Last night, when Manager Ahn Jinbae had heard my whole story, his reaction had been simple. He thanked me for telling him, said it was late and we should sleep — and then he actually fell asleep right away.
I'd expected a long conversation, words like dissolution of adoption or trauma or counseling coming up, so it was a relief.
The next morning, I thought he'd bring up the rest of what we hadn't finished, but he still didn't say anything about it.
Instead, he explained again what the PD had said yesterday, when I'd been too out of it to take it in.
"In that case, we'd be adding three new scenes: one where Nabi catches Hyowon together, one where Nabi talks with her, and one where Nabi cries alone."
"That's right. Originally, Nabi only realizes he likes Hyowon after becoming an adult, so the plot shifts a little."
Would that be okay? Well, even so, it wouldn't change the drama much.
It meant taking scenes away from actor Kim Seokjun — shouldn't we hear his side of it first?
"Don't you think Seokjun-hyung might take it the wrong way?"
"It seems the PD smoothed things over with him directly. Even after Yuhyeon grows up, his share of the screen time doesn't increase that dramatically, does it? If you bring more life to Yuhyeon, Actor Kim Seokjun actually benefits as well."
Apparently the PD had offered to push adult Yuhyeon toward lead-actor billing if he gave up those scenes.
With the screen-time issue — which could have turned prickly — settled so neatly, the decision now rested entirely with me.
For me... I had no objection. Honestly, I wanted to do it.
Only the first take or two had been nerve-wracking; after repeating it a few times, standing in front of the camera was actually kind of fun.
The only catch was that two of the three new scenes would be shot with Han Seyeong.
The method Manager Ahn Jinbae suggested was simple: ask Han Seyeong directly if she could switch perfumes.
Naturally, it wasn't an approach I'd never considered.
It was just that the idea of me asking someone to change a perfume they were using and liking struck me as absurd.
But when I said as much, Manager Ahn Jinbae replied as if it were nothing at all.
"Ask, and if she says no, you can think of another way then. One comment like that isn't going to wreck a relationship."
"Hm... I suppose that's true."
Right. Simple as that.
If she seemed even slightly put off, I could just go back to practicing the way I had been. There were only two scenes left anyway.
Manager Ahn Jinbae said I would only need to mention that 'the scent doesn't agree with me.'
It wasn't something that needed hiding, exactly, but he carefully suggested it was better not to go into detail — and I nodded along readily.
And that very evening, I went to the set.
When Han Seyeong looked at me, puzzled, I asked if we could talk somewhere just the two of us. Once we'd moved, I gingerly brought up my reason — and then—
"Sure. No problem."
"...That's it?"
"What else were you expecting?"
Han Seyeong's smile, soft and round, was as immaculate as ever.
"I thought you'd ask me why."
"I knew you were uncomfortable around me. I couldn't figure out why — it's not like I was going to eat you — but now the mystery's solved. So it was the perfume. Let me say this upfront: it's not something I'm precious about."
She went on breezily. "By the way — was that time you threw up because of my perfume, too?"
I hesitated, then nodded. Her eyes widened slightly, and then she just laughed.
That was the first time I'd heard her laugh out loud.
"Seriously! Why were you agonizing over something like that all by yourself? Anything else bothering you?"
"No. If you just switch perfumes when we meet, that's enough. Would that be all right?"
"I told you — it's not like I treasure the stuff. The scent's on the mature side, that's all. It suits the image I go for, so I've been wearing it around. That's it."
Dabbing at the tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, Han Seyeong was still smiling.
This was the longest conversation we'd ever had. Her way of speaking was different from the image I'd built up of her, and it left me feeling a little strange.
"Thank you. If there's ever anything you need from me, just say so."
"Oh, then there is something."
I'd hardly expected her to answer that fast, and when I faltered, she waved her hand like it was no big deal.
"You're going to keep acting, right? Do a few more projects with me. Before you become an adult."
"......."
It was so far out of left field that I couldn't answer right away. What did she mean, before you become an adult?
Han Seyeong, waiting patiently for my answer, said her legs were getting sore and dragged over two chairs from the corner.
The way she dropped into one carried a rough, no-nonsense air.
"There aren't that many roles people our age can shoot in Korea. I've done a few indie films, but the thing that worked best was playing the young female lead on a network drama. Have you seen This Life Is Doomed?"
"Yeah. That was the drama you shot right before this one, wasn't it?"
"The ratings weren't bad, and it made me pretty famous. But I thought I'd get even bigger than that."
Han Seyeong gave a faint smile, looking as put-together as any other day.
Only the energy rolling off her was anything but ordinary.
"I thought about why, and I think it was that the chemistry with the boy who played my love interest never really took off. If you want to rise through romance, chemistry is everything. And in that sense, you and I seem pretty solid together. We look good side by side, and our acting goes without saying."
"Yeah...."
"What I mean is, let's keep in touch even after this drama ends. The perfume's a problem that goes in the trash, that's all. If anything else bothers you, tell me ahead of time."
Listening to her talk so briskly, a question rose in me.
Right now, Han Seyeong was being openly, obviously kind to me. Kind to the point of feeling out of nowhere.
If we'd exchanged a few words before, fine — but in nearly three weeks of shooting, we'd barely spoken off-camera.
And now suddenly she was laying her heart bare like we were best friends, and it flustered me.
"Noona. Can I ask you something?"
"You're adorable, the way you ask permission before asking a question. If I say no, you just won't ask?"
"...Are you telling me not to?"
"Pfft — no, no. Go ahead. What is it?"
"We haven't really talked much before, have we? And now suddenly you're treating me so comfortably."
The laughter that had been resting at the corners of her eyes the whole time creased them further.
Before I could even wonder at the unfamiliar angle, a cheerful answer came out.
"It's because I'm calculating."
"Huh?"
"I wasn't sure at first. But three weeks is plenty of time to figure it out. You're definitely going to make it. On a level that makes right now look like nothing."
Her playful smile deepened.
Her eyes, meeting mine, brimmed over with delight.
"If I want to stick close to you then and skim some benefit off the top, I have to get friendly now. Honestly, most boys like it better when I just smile sweetly at them, but you didn't seem like that type at all."
"...Are you always this blunt?"
"Haha, with you, I figured this would land better."
A hollow laugh escaped me despite myself. What got me most was how precisely she'd read me.
Then again, compared to that polished smile she'd always worn before, this felt a great deal easier to be around.
"Well, I can't say for sure whether I'll keep acting. But if the chance comes up, let's shoot something together again."
"You can make the chance. Oh, right — the director said you might get extra scenes. You're doing it, right? My screen time went up too, so think positive about it, okay?"
"Yeah. I was heading over to tell them now."
At my answer, Han Seyeong gave a thumbs-up.
The conversation kept rolling long after that, flowing far more smoothly than I'd expected.
Acting came up too, and her take was a little different from Manager Ahn Jinbae's.
If someone felt pressured, that was their problem — an actor's one and only job was to act well. That was Han Seyeong's philosophy.
"I'm amazed every time I act opposite you, too. It's not like you're pretending — it's more like you become a completely different person. But don't worry about any of that. Just do whatever you want to do. I'll do my part, same as always."
"Thank you. You amaze me too, noona. You're really good."
"I know. I'm pretty decent, aren't I."
Han Seyeong gave a light shrug and laughed.
The moment she left to finish the day's remaining shots, Manager Ahn Jinbae — who had apparently been waiting — came over and spritzed me with deodorizing spray.
The sight of him urgently spraying me with a completely deadpan face pulled a laugh out of me before I knew it.
The stubborn scent still lingered unpleasantly, but strangely, it bothered me a little less.
The adoptive mother still came to mind — pale-faced even as she breathed in that fragrance, forcing herself to smile.
The house thick with damp, heavy air. The people whose voices dwindled day by day.
All of it, vividly.
But right after, the image of Han Seyeong smiling with crinkled eyes came flooding in as well.
My ear suddenly felt itchy, and I rubbed it absently.
"You've gotten even more handsome while I was gone! Told you camera massage was the best."
"Ugh. Hyung. Can't breathe."
The actor Lee Jeonghyeon, who had swallowed me in a crushing hug the instant we met, got a series of urgent thumps on the back. I wasn't joking — I genuinely couldn't breathe.
Laughing, he let me go and suggested we go eat pure milk ice cream today.
The ice cream sold at the ranch an hour away by car was rich and smooth. Well, a little sweet for my taste.
"What do you think? Great scenery, right? Doesn't it just clear your head?"
"Yes, it's lovely. Do you come here often?"
"Once or twice a year? I come once whenever a project wraps. Feels like closure."
The blue-green pasture against a flawless, cloudless sky — it was nice, I'll give it that.
Honestly, I'd thought the flavor wasn't worth an hour in the car, but there was something better than the ice cream here.
"Haha, you've already been to Jinbae's family home? I nearly fainted when I visited last year. Nothing like my place."
"Hyung's house was lovely too. But it really is enormous. It was a struggle pretending I wasn't shocked."
"Right? I got scolded for playing it cool. When else would I use my acting lessons? Exactly for moments like that."
We'd done nothing but trade nonsense, yet the sun had dipped low in what felt like an instant.
Time to head back, I suppose. Feeling vaguely wistful, I was stirring my empty cup with my straw when I felt eyes on me.
"How do you like acting? Is it fun?"
"Hm... yes. I think it's fun."
I said it that way because it felt embarrassing to admit, but the truth was, I enjoyed it.
At some point, I'd stopped even thinking about the Misfortune Factor.
Delivering the same scripted lines and yet feeling something different every single take; feeling my breathing gradually fall into sync with the other actor as the cuts piled up — all of it was fun.
Even the bustling noise of a crowd of people gathered around me.
The moment the PD called action, the set would fall into a hush as if nothing had happened — but the countless gazes watching me remained.
And I liked Manager Ahn Jinbae too, always watching me wherever and whenever.
These days, I liked all of it. Astonishingly so.
At my answer, his kind eyes crinkled with warmth.
"You look like it. I'm glad. Wasn't there one shoot left?"
"Yes. School starts back tomorrow, so the PD said we'd shoot next weekend."
The only scene remaining was an emotional scene I'd shoot alone.
Missing a single day of school wouldn't have been difficult at all, yet he'd gone out of his way to schedule it around my weekend.
"You've got to win that perfect-attendance award!" the PD had laughed, and I'd smiled back.
I swallowed the fact that the perfect-attendance award had already gone up in flames last year, thanks to a traffic accident.
"Then how about we celebrate wrap with a good meal that day? Just the three of us — you, me, and Jinbae."
"If it works with your schedule, hyung."
"You always say that. I'm the one with nothing to do, obviously. You're the busy one. Just don't forget your hyung once you're a superstar, all right?"
A light laugh, and soft eyes brushed over my face.
He spoke as if he had no idea that he himself was that superstar. Truly a hilarious man.
I took the hand he offered — let's head back — and got to my feet.
As we stepped out of the shop, a mountain of empty ice cream cups was stacked near the entrance.
Purposeless encounters, too, had piled up just like that.