Flashback: Seo Euna, Han Ga-eun (8)
I'm screwed. That was the conclusion I'd reached without giving it a second thought.
I'm totally fucked. How the hell was I supposed to talk my way out of this?
What should I do? What to...
My brain spun furiously. Faster than it ever had during a last-minute cram session.
That was the verdict after revving my brain to full throttle. Fuck it.
I dragged over one of the photos Dahyeon had sent me—the one of something getting sucked into a black hole—and replied with it flipped sideways.
What the hell did that lol even mean? Mockery? Or did it mean she already knew everything I'd done?
"Fuck, what is this?"
My hands grew slick with sweat. The cold sweat dripping down my back doubled in volume.
Pretend to buy it? What the...
No, fuck, but why the hell am I even doing this? The thought hit me out of nowhere.
I could've just been straight with her—told her Euna had an audition and asked if that was okay. Why beat around the bush?
Or hell, before that, I could've just mentioned I had a girlfriend.
Something about saying that feels like it'd make things way worse... No clue.
My gut was screaming at me to keep it hidden. That spilling it would spell disaster.
I shoved the nagging unease aside and arrived at the mansion.
As if they'd been waiting, Joo Hye-eun, Ha Joo-yeon, and Baek Hwa-yeon came out to greet me.
"Uh, welcome, Geon-woo-nim."
Joo Hye-eun bowed her head politely. I glanced at my watch. It was well past quitting time.
"Yeah? Isn't it past closing?"
"Ah... I sometimes stay over here. Mostly when it's busy."
"We have separate lodging prepared for that. No need to worry."
Ah. There were extra bedrooms besides Heeyeon's and Heena's. Guess that's what they were for.
"Shall I prepare a meal...?"
"No, I already ate."
"I, I see."
"I'm gonna wash up."
"Y-yes, sir!"
I showered and hit the sack. Lying there, I video-called Heena.
"Oppa!!!"
Heena's beaming face instantly filled the screen. I smiled and waved.
"What're you up to?"
"Waiting for your call, oppa."
"Liar."
"But you might call even if you're busy... hehe."
"What would I even be busy with... You're the busy one."
"No, you don't know."
These little gestures of hers were nice.
"Training not too tough?"
"It is. Yuna unnie—the coach—is super strict. But who am I? Lee Heena!"
Her face lit up with pride. Training and recovery were going better than expected. What a relief.
"Fighting!"
"Yes, hehe."
The video call wrapped up after thirty minutes. It probably would've hit an hour if Yuna hadn't barged in yelling about bedtime.
The next day, I headed to the gamjatang restaurant Dahyeon mentioned, arriving thirty minutes early.
I had time to kill, and she was always there first—wanted to beat her to it this time.
Ah, I'd already cleared it with Euna in advance. Told her something might come up and I could be late.
"Our Geon-woo, hi."
"Huh?"
Her familiar white lab coat. Dahyeon was already there.
Side dishes were out—maybe she'd ordered already.
"What, when'd you get here?"
"'Bout ten minutes ago."
She flashed a bright smile. It hit me again just how stunning she was. She could hold her own against Heena or Euna.
"Tch. Wanted to be first for once."
"Boss. The usual."
"What's the usual?"
"Just a line I felt like saying. Gamjatang for two."
"Got it."
She even joked around with the owner...
"So, our Geon-woo."
Thud. She leaned forward a bit, and those overwhelming breasts—heavy enough for two heads—planted right on the table. Might've been my imagination, but I swear the table shook.
"Interrogation commencing. Follow me~ follow me~"
"Interrogation? What'd I do wrong?"
Bored, I snagged some mu-jeot with my chopsticks. Tasty.
"Kidding."
We chatted about nothing important. Thankfully, she didn't grill me about yesterday.
Then the gamjatang arrived, and Dahyeon went to town scooping out veggies, potatoes, and meat without a second thought.
She hadn't even taken off her lab coat. Or rolled up the sleeves.
"But... you eat gamjatang in that? Won't it get dirty?"
If some broth splashed...
"Ah, this? Always got the shield on. Watch."
She spooned up some broth and poured it on her arm. It should've soaked the fabric, but it slid right off like something invisible had blocked it.
"Ta-da."
"Huh?"
I reached out and grabbed her collar. The fabric bunched up normally in my hand. I could feel the texture just fine.
Knew it. Shield, my ass. Probably just waterproof material like a raincoat.
Not impressed.
"Shield what..."
"You touched it, so it broke."
"Cut the jokes... let's eat."
We dug into the gamjatang while chatting.
"But our Geon-woo."
"Yeah?"
"Your vibe's different."
"R-really?"
"Overall, you seem more relaxed. Not looking wrecked anymore. You look happy."
"That so? Maybe 'cause things are looking up."
"Why'd they look up? So curious."
Her smile was sweet, but it grated on me just as much. I winced after saying it.
"R-right?"
"Hehe, good things are good, yeah?"
"Uh... y-yeah!"
Thankfully, she let it drop. The gamjatang had been scraped clean ages ago.
"Shall we? Bill, please."
"I got it."
I whipped out my card and paid. She'd covered most times before. Now that I was better off, it felt right to chip in.
"Our Geon-woo, hit the lottery or something?"
"Feels bad always mooching."
"Then buy me a coffee. Iced Americano."
"Deal. Me too."
We grabbed two iced Americanos from a nearby café and strolled.
"Taking the nutrition pills okay?"
"Yeah. One a day, no skips."
"Good. Keep it up. Coffee was great. I'm off."
"Already?"
"It's 2 p.m. And research calls."
"What research even?"
"World conquest."
"What..."
"Nearly half the world economy's in my pocket already. My tech's in every electronic gadget out there. Security's all hacked—one button and I could make nukes self-destruct. They retaliate? Plasma shield's got me covered. Destroy the sun, swap in an artificial one—humanity couldn't touch me."
She rattled it off like rapid-fire rap, her expression downright scary.
"Worst case, small black hole sucks everyone—people, animals—into an artificial dimension. Figured out black hole creation while working on the artificial sun. Perfect. Don't sweat it. You're strong enough that even if it pulls, you won't go in. And if you do, I'll yank you out."
"Uh... Dahyeon-ah?"
She grinned.
"Almost said it."
"?"
"Ta-da~ All of that was a joke."
Usually people ham it up with gestures for jokes like that. At least twirl their arms or something.
But Dahyeon just smiled.
Thought she was all jokes, but she's a boring one.
"Ugh. I'm out."
"Bye, Geon-woo."
She waved. I waved back a few times, then hopped into a taxi that'd appeared out of nowhere.
"Take care..."
Shit—not the time. I had to get to Euna!
"Taxi! Taxi!"
I hailed one and made it to the audition venue where Euna was trying out.
It was called an audition hall, but it was a massive company building. The sheer scale was intimidating.
Right—come to think of it, that movie Manipulation Corporation... It was being produced by X Entertainment, a film specialist. With investments from giants like Taesan Group.
"Eh, Euna-ya?"
Euna was coming out the main entrance. Her steps lacked energy. Unease hit me immediately.
"Ah, ajusshi?"
"How'd... it go?"
"Ah, someone else got it. A really good actress..."
"Who?"
Who the hell was good enough to beat out Euna?
"Actress Chae Sua..."
"Ha..."
Chae Sua was good, sure. But not on Euna's level. If pro directors and staff poured their hearts into filming hers, and it was neck-and-neck with Euna's phone-shot acting, who was better was obvious.
But they'd crunched the numbers. A pro actress beat an unknown for box-office pull. Secure Sua's fans first—that's why they dropped Euna.
Rational, in a way.
But still... why hold auditions then? Just cast the pro from the jump.
"Those fucking assholes."
"No. Don't."
Euna blocked me as I tried to head in.
"It's my fault."
"If you're lacking, then who the hell isn't..."
"Chae Sua's great, and she gets bonus points for commercial appeal like popularity. I just couldn't overcome that."
"Hey. What unknown actress overcomes that..."
"Without those points, you need overwhelming talent. I wasn't overwhelming enough. And Sua's acting was solid too."
"......"
"But it's fine. Got a good offer."
"Good offer? What?"
"Hehe, it's a se~cret!"
She pressed a finger to her lips with a shh.
Sucks she didn't get it, but with her skills, maybe she landed a solid role. I guessed but didn't pry. Secret's a secret—don't force it.
"Glad to hear it. Let's head out?"
"Yeah."