Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Exclusive Scoop
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Reporter Yoon Min-ha moved her steps, approaching the table where Lee Jae-hyun sat.
Looking at her, Lee Jae-hyun gave a light greeting.
“Long time no see.”
“I never imagined Sergeant Lee would be the one to contact me first.”
This meeting had been arranged because Lee Jae-hyun reached out first.
She had contacted him before, but he had never initiated, so it came as a surprise to Yoon Min-ha.
“There’s no other reporter I know besides you.”
Yoon Min-ha let out a soft chuckle at Lee Jae-hyun’s honest words.
Meanwhile, something scurried busily beneath the table.
Glancing down, he saw her jotting down the words “few acquaintances” and “only reporter is me.”
Did even that help with reporting?
Or was it just occupational habit?
She was definitely a bit peculiar.
“Hmm... The man who kept such a tight wall up, calling me personally for a favor?”
“Simple. Just write one article for me.”
Lee Jae-hyun was confident Yoon Min-ha wouldn’t refuse his proposal.
She was curious about him, after all.
She’d probably handle a single article in no time.
Considering what she’d already gained from him and what she stood to gain in the future, it was only natural.
That’s what he thought.
But.
“I’ll pass.”
“Yes, then... What?”
Lee Jae-hyun, who had assumed she’d accept, stared at Yoon Min-ha with a flustered expression.
Yoon Min-ha was a highly curious person.
He’d figured she’d grant a favor like this for the sake of satisfying that curiosity.
Had he misjudged something?
“I may not look it, but I don’t take article requests, you know? What do you take me for?”
“...Huh.”
Yoon Min-ha patted her chest lightly and flashed a grin.
She seemed markedly different from her usual self.
Lee Jae-hyun let out a hollow laugh.
The reason he disliked reporters was their trash journalism.
But Yoon Min-ha didn’t seem to be that type.
A reporter with her own principles, unswayed by money or fame.
Reporters like her weren’t exactly common.
A smile naturally crept onto Lee Jae-hyun’s lips.
“Even better, then.”
“Pardon?”
“This isn’t really a request... more like an exclusive. A first report, you could say?”
Exclusive. First report.
Words that could make any reporter’s eyes light up.
Other reporters scrambled on foot, lobbying sources just to snag one.
Lee Jae-hyun was offering one to Yoon Min-ha for free.
And Yoon Min-ha was a reporter through and through.
After pondering his words for a long moment,
“...Haah. I should’ve seen it coming when you called me first. Fine. You win.”
Yoon Min-ha finally raised the white flag.
As a true reporter, she couldn’t resist the allure of an exclusive or a solo scoop.
Even someone with principles like her couldn’t easily turn down those terms.
“So, what’s this exclusive? Something worth getting excited about?”
“Yes, I think you’ll love it. News on someone hot in the entertainment world right now.”
“...Oh?”
* * *
Vrrr!
Her smartphone vibrated.
It had been buzzing nonstop since last night, showing no signs of stopping.
It was so grating to look at.
In the end, Han Hyo-jeong turned off the phone’s power.
....
The room fell silent in an instant.
Left alone in the dark room—lights off—Han Hyo-jeong’s mind filled with thoughts.
‘...Where did it all go wrong?’
Regret. Lingering attachment. And fear.
It had started with pure passion.
She loved acting.
She wanted to pursue what she loved.
She set a goal and poured her all into achieving it.
But.
The world had no intention of letting her be.
It seemed determined to crush her efforts with even greater despair.
Han Hyo-jeong blankly turned her head.
Her gaze drifted to one corner of the room.
First to catch her eye was the mountain of script copies piled up.
The already small room was filled with them everywhere except the spot where she slept.
Where there were no scripts, her analysis notebooks were scattered thickly.
At the end of the scripts sat the TV.
Bought on a whim despite her tight budget, just to watch movies and dramas.
Stuck to its side were Post-its with notes on insights from videos she’d watched.
All of it bore traces of her efforts.
She wanted success as an actress, recognition for the acting she loved.
With that drive, she’d burned her youth away in hard work.
While others played, she read scripts. While they rested, she practiced lines.
She’d worked so hard.
Spent so many nights with nosebleeds.
And this was the result?
‘I’m so sick of it all.’
Han Hyo-jeong covered her face with both hands.
She didn’t want to see another script.
In a world that ignored her efforts, she was nothing but a fool.
She’d finally realized that.
What had all her efforts been for?
What was acting, that she’d stake her neck on it?
“I really should say I’m quitting.”
Han Hyo-jeong muttered to herself.
She’d suspected as much since last night, when CEO Hyeon Woo-yong had summoned her.
That her acting career was over.
That’s why she’d ignored every call from the agency since getting home.
“Better this way. It wasn’t for me anyway.”
Muttering that, Han Hyo-jeong gritted her teeth.
Deciding to quit felt like dropping a heavy load—relief washed over her.
Yes... It should feel relieving.
Crunch.
The lip-biting, the tears welling in her eyes.
All just byproducts of realizing her efforts had been meaningless.
‘Still... Sorry. He called himself my fan.’
Amid the relief, one lingering regret...
Disappointing the one person who’d called himself her fan.
He’d want her to keep acting... but she had to tell him she was retiring.
‘Time to head out.’
She looked up at the clock on the wall and let out a soft sigh.
Time for her jog.
Until yesterday, it had been something she eagerly awaited.
Now, stepping out the door felt daunting.
‘Do I really have to go?’
He’d understand over the phone.
Han Hyo-jeong fiddled with her smartphone.
‘...Yeah. Last time, at least.’
She was quitting acting anyway.
The least she could do was tell her one true fan in person.
It would be her way of atoning and expressing gratitude.
Step.
With heavy footsteps, Han Hyo-jeong headed to Lake Park.
“Ah.”
Spotting Lee Jae-hyun in the distance, she let out an involuntary sigh.
On the way here, she’d mulled over how to break the news, running dozens of mental simulations.
Should she just speak from the heart?
Or.
Pretend everything was fine?
She’d agonized over it but hadn’t settled on an answer.
But.
Now, it didn’t matter.
The moment she faced him, all her rehearsed worries blanked out.
“Hello.”
“Ah, yes... Um...”
I’m quitting acting.
She had to say it—words she’d rehearsed dozens of times in her head.
Yet standing before him, they wouldn’t come out.
As her lips just moved silently,
“First off, congrats.”
Lee Jae-hyun said with a gentle smile.
Han Hyo-jeong tilted her head at the baffling words.
“Pardon?”
“Huh? Haven’t seen the article yet?”
Article?
Only then did Han Hyo-jeong turn her phone back on.
Why was it booting so slowly today?
“Here, look at mine.”
Lee Jae-hyun smiled and held out his smartphone.
The screen displayed the article he’d mentioned.
[Black Company Busted.
CEO Hyun of a certain entertainment agency was caught red-handed trying to arrange prostitution for renowned film director Director Ju.
The victim...
...Petitions are flooding in nationwide, demanding the perpetrator be barred from approaching the victim...
The court has issued an approach ban against CEO Hyun...]
“Why is this...”
“What do you think? Happy ending material?”
“...”
Han Hyo-jeong clamped her mouth shut.
She didn’t know what to say.
“Well, in life, it seems the bad guys always get theirs eventually.”
“...”
“So, won’t those who work hard get their reward someday too?”
Lee Jae-hyun beamed.
Facing his smile, Han Hyo-jeong clenched her fist tight.
“Jae-hyun.”
Why was this?
Moments ago, her throat had felt choked, words stuck.
Now, they flowed freely.
“Yes?”
“I... I was going to quit acting.”
So.
This feeling was real.
“What are you talking about? Quitting acting?”
“That’s what I thought coming here. Planned to tell you face-to-face.”
“...”
“That I was exhausted. Didn’t want to act anymore.”
Lee Jae-hyun looked at her.
A confused expression, unsure what to say.
Meeting his gaze, Han Hyo-jeong gave a faint smile.
“But. But you know.”
“...Yes.”
“I don’t think I can quit after all.”
Han Hyo-jeong met his eyes and lifted the corner of her mouth.
Unlike the forced smiles in that room under Hyeon Woo-yong’s watch.
“I just realized once again... how much I love acting.”
“...Is that so.”
“Thank you. It’s thanks to you, Jae-hyun.”
She smiled brightly.
A pure, genuine smile without a trace of pretense.
Lee Jae-hyun gazed at the tears pooling in her eyes.
“I want to act. I have to. No matter what.”
“...”
“Like you said, I’ll become a great actress.”
Lee Jae-hyun watched her smile.
Her eyes curved into crescents, tears trailing down and sparkling in the light.
‘I’ll be cheering for you.’
He couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud, cheering her on in his heart.