Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 021
Chapter Title: That's Not It? (1)
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“Don't come any closer! Damn it! Why do you keep coming at me?!”
It was so he could wrap up educating the guy properly, wasn't it?
Kang Yeonwoo approached with a gentle smile, but Lee Deokchun kept backing away hesitantly until he finally bolted from the set like he was fleeing for his life.
[Whoa... He's fast. He could go national level.]
“Tch...”
Yeonwoo clicked his tongue in disappointment.
The watching staff members whispered again, interpreting his expression however they wanted.
“Lee Deokchun's at it again. Look at him disappointing that nice guy once more.”
“What a total scumbag. He even went out of his way to look after him so he wouldn't go astray.”
“That punk doesn't know gratitude. Who else would give a damn about him right now besides the manager? And he shakes him off and runs?”
Of course, that wasn't the reason Yeonwoo had approached Lee Deokchun at all.
But there was no way anyone could know Yeonwoo's true intentions.
And so, the misunderstanding deepened once more.
That afternoon.
“Manager Kang Yeonwoo. Are you in?”
Upon hearing that Lee Deokchun had come looking for him, Kwon Sung-hyeon had his own manager pass along a message.
- Yeonwoo-ssi. I know what a kind heart you have, but there's no need to waste your time on trash like that. What you've put up with already is more than enough for that guy.
With those words, Yeonwoo was forced to take a break.
And then, a visitor arrived for him.
A clear voice that rang out melodiously yet somehow felt chilling.
'Who is that?'
There weren't many people who would come looking for Yeonwoo in the waiting room.
At most, Kwon Sung-hyeon, his manager, the director, and the writer?
But this wasn't the voice of Writer Min.
“...!”
Yeonwoo froze after opening the door without a second thought.
Standing there was someone he never would have expected.
“Min Yerin-ssi...?”
“If it's alright, could we talk for a moment?”
“...?”
Yeonwoo stepped aside slightly, and Min Yerin entered the waiting room without hesitation.
'What? Why is Min Yerin here?'
Min Yerin.
The actress playing the female lead in this drama.
She was famous for her solid acting skills and stunning looks, but she had an equally strong image of being proud and aloof.
She hardly ever mingled with ordinary people.
All communication with anyone except the director and writer went through her manager.
When she was acting, there was no woman more captivating in the world, but off-camera, she turned so icy that no one could even approach her.
And her pickiness—how picky was she?
There wasn't a single day without hearing her sharp, irritable voice.
Surprisingly, though, 'Well, anyone would get annoyed by that stuff, so it's not like I can't understand...'
For someone so sensitive and finicky, the frequency was actually lower than expected.
And there seemed to be reasons behind it?
In Yeonwoo's eyes, she wasn't the type to throw tantrums without cause.
He had no idea what the set staff thought, though.
“...”
But the Min Yerin who had entered said nothing.
[Why's Min Yerin here?]
Beats me.
[Whoa. Look at her eyes. The aura is intense. She could turn someone to stone just with a glance.]
Min Yerin's gaze somehow carried a sense of determination.
'No way she's here about that incident from a few days ago?'
When he'd politely given Lee Deokchun from her agency a piece of his mind.
'I could've sworn she turned away back then?'
Min Yerin's indifference had played a part in Lee Deokchun's position on set crumbling so badly.
Her attitude had been consistent.
[Don't lump me in with that guy.]
Some things were clear from attitude alone, even without words.
If even a fellow agency member like Min Yerin ignored him, the staff felt no restraint.
'No way she's here to call me out on that now?'
If you traced it back, Yeonwoo had been the trigger for Lee Deokchun's downfall.
Though it was also the traps Lee Deokchun had set for himself that tripped him up.
'That would be a problem. His education isn't finished yet.'
Of course, he had no intention of stopping even if Min Yerin complained...
“Manager Kang Yeonwoo.”
Min Yerin, who had been silent after entering, finally spoke.
Her haughty, icy face and cold demeanor.
She must be here to blame him for Lee Deokchun, right?
Yeonwoo was just about to open his mouth when—
“I'm sorry.”
“You didn't really do anything... Huh?”
“Yes?”
“Yes?”
The simultaneous responses brought confusion to both their eyes.
“...”
“...”
A brief silence passed, and Min Yerin spoke first.
“It seems like I upset you by coming so late. I'm truly sorry about what happened back then.”
“No way... You're here to apologize?”
“Yes, that's right. Why do you say 'no way'?”
A flicker of puzzlement crossed Min Yerin's eyes before she bit her red lip as if realizing something.
“I can be a bit sensitive, but I'm not that rude. Especially since Lee Deokchun's riding on my name, I feel some responsibility.”
“I don't think you intentionally brought him along?”
“It was a company decision, but he came with me all the same.”
A bitter smile crossed her face.
“You're really here just for that?”
Yeonwoo was baffled.
Min Yerin wasn't a one-of-a-kind top star like the irreplaceable Kwon Sung-hyeon, but she was still one of the top female actresses around.
For her to come apologize in person?
For something she wasn't even directly involved in?
“No, not just that.”
Of course.
Yeonwoo thought as much.
'She pokes with an apology to lower my guard, then hits me from behind?'
But Min Yerin's next words forced him to rethink.
“The reason I came... It's not just to apologize. It's also to tell you there's no need to be nice to that scum on my account.”
“...?”
“Why the shocked look? I know you're deliberately being kind to that human trash for the sake of the set's atmosphere.”
“No...”
That's not it.
Yeonwoo definitely felt blindsided.
Completely from a direction he hadn't anticipated.
“So, you don't have to be nice to Lee Deokchun?”
“That's exactly it.”
“...”
This was unexpected.
[Total plot twist. I thought she'd come yelling about messing with her agency mate, but it's the complete opposite? Min Yerin's supposed to be prickly, what's going on?]
Even Dongja-ryeong was startled enough to mutter that.
“You're really telling me not to be nice to Lee Deokchun?”
“Did I explain it poorly?”
“No... It's not that... It's just... pretty...”
“Surprising?”
“...Yes.”
Usually, family bends inward, right?
Not a hint of that from Min Yerin.
“I have eyes and ears too. In fact, I'm grateful to you, Manager Kang Yeonwoo.”
Grateful, even?
“I've heard a lot about you. How you're going out of your way to accommodate even that human trash for the set's vibe. And that you're doing it with me in mind. So I'm even more sorry. I should've warned him properly beforehand, and now you're the one suffering because of it.”
“...I don't think you need to apologize for that.”
“It bothers me if I don't. Anyway, that human trash is beyond saving—no point wasting energy on him. Just ignore him.”
“You mean that?”
“Yes. Scum like him is meant to fall behind anyway.”
Min Yerin had maintained a consistently cold expression from the start, unbefitting someone here to apologize.
But compared to the face she made when mentioning Lee Deokchun, it was nothing.
Yeonwoo realized.
'Ah. So it wasn't a cold expression—it was just blank.'
Some people are like that.
They look sharp and cold because of their features and default blank face.
'I thought her cold personality matched her expression.'
No.
'Yeonwoo. You're still green. Judging people by appearances?'
Wasn't this the same discrimination he'd faced?
He knew how much stereotypes hurt.
“Got it.”
“Thank you.”
“You don't need to thank me. If anything, I'm sorry.”
“Why would you be sorry, Yeonwoo-ssi? I'm the one who's sorry. And gratitude is gratitude.”
Her words carried a stubborn edge.
It wasn't for Min Yerin's sake anyway.
For the set's atmosphere, or consideration for her—those were all just people's misunderstandings.
'I was just chasing a runaway punk.'
Misunderstandings could be scary.
But since it wasn't bad, Yeonwoo decided to let them keep misunderstanding.
It had even helped in reality.
“By the way.”
Min Yerin, who seemed ready to leave now that they were done, hesitated a little.
“Back then... Did you really choke him?”
“...”
No. Why come at me so suddenly again?
“I won't say anything about it. I was just... curious. You did choke him, right?”
It wasn't probing—she sounded convinced.
“What if I did?”
Yeonwoo dodged for now.
But that seemed answer enough, as Min Yerin smiled brightly for the first time.
“Thank you. I feel so much better now.”
A smile born from pure, genuine feeling—no acting, no pretense.
The first sincere smile Min Yerin had ever shown him.
[Min Yerin's more straightforward than I thought? I figured she was just a picky actress good at acting.]
'Agreed.'
He hadn't expected her to come at him one last time like that at the end.
'This woman's harder to pin down than I thought.'
He'd thought she'd storm in and snap at him, but she apologized instead.
She knew he'd choked Lee Deokchun and thanked him with a beaming smile.
Kwon Sung-hyeon aside, she was the first person this unpredictable.
'Judging others carelessly is wrong. Time to reflect.'
Yeonwoo silently apologized to Min Yerin again.
She'd already apologized in person, but it felt like she wouldn't hear this one anyway.
[She's a bit lacking as our actor's love interest, so I wasn't a fan, but now I think I'll like her! First, join the fan club...]
No matter how you sliced it, Dongja-ryeong seemed to have forgotten he was a ghost.
He wriggled in Yeonwoo's chest pocket, talking about joining a fan club.
Probably trying to come out.
But Min Yerin spotted it.
“Hey, what's that in your chest pocket...?”
“Huh?”
“Something's moving...?”
It was a thin shirt fabric, so the plump hamster's movements would show right through.
“...It's nothing.”
Yeonwoo quickly covered his chest pocket with his hand.
'My social reputation is at stake!'
Have you ever seen a guy walking around with a hamster in his shirt pocket?
It had been inevitable ever since Dongja-ryeong appeared as a pigeon, but Yeonwoo hadn't given up yet.
'That's why I convinced Dongja-ryeong to ditch the pigeon!'
A pigeon on the shoulder couldn't be hidden.
But a hamster was different.
Hamsters were small, so they could be concealed.
That's what Yeonwoo had believed until now.
[Argh, why! Kang Yeonwoo! Move your hand! Min Yerin-ssi is curious about me! Don't you know me? I'm a hamster! The cutest hamster ever? Everyone loves hamsters!]
Blocked from exiting, Dongja-ryeong squeaked in protest.
[Move your hand quick! I need to make an impression on Min Yerin-ssi! I have to see her!]
He'd forgotten, but Dongja-ryeong was pretty aggressive when it came to things he liked.
The guy who valued spiritual power so much had borrowed an animal body just to chat with Kwon Sung-hyeon—that said it all.
And that boldness showed itself again now.
[Heave-ho!]
It was the moment Dongja-ryeong slipped through the gap and burst out of the chest pocket.
“Eek!”
Min Yerin's scream echoed through the waiting room as soon as Dongja-ryeong poked his head out.