Chapter 130
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Maknae's Coffee Splash
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“Kid, maknae. Take a look over there.”
“Yes? Oh. That’s Hwang Soo-ah.”
The props team sister was pointing at actress Hwang Soo-ah.
They say celebrities have a glow to their faces, and seeing Hwang Soo-ah made it clear that it was true.
Expensive clothes and flashy accessories.
But even those props couldn’t outshine her face.
Celebrities really were celebrities. She was breathtakingly beautiful, almost intimidatingly so.
“No, not Hwang Soo-ah. The tall guy next to her.”
“Ah~ That guy? Who is he?”
Who could it be? I didn’t recognize the face.
An actor who used to be an idol?
“He’s Hwang Soo-ah’s manager.”
“Her manager?”
“Yeah. I heard they make new actors’ rookie managers do that kind of stuff. Isn’t he super handsome?”
Well, she was right—he was handsome.
But guys who were too good-looking weren’t my type.
A guy like that probably cycled through women like snacks every day.
I preferred a nice guy with an ordinary face.
“I’m not into guys who are too handsome.”
“Listen to you. Sour grapes much? Then who’s your type?”
“I like guys who are kind even if they’re average-looking. Like Joo Jung-hwan.”
Yeah. Just like Joo Jung-hwan.
Actor Joo Jung-hwan was always kind to everyone, with a gentle smile.
Someone whose heart was as pretty as his face was way better than just a handsome exterior.
“Joo Jung-hwan? Girl, you have no idea. You’d know if you saw the real him.”
“What’s the real Joo Jung-hwan like?”
“You’ll find out once filming starts. No need to tell you.”
Maybe she was offended that I didn’t like him.
The props sister was badmouthing Joo Jung-hwan for no reason.
The real him, my foot.
I waited for a good moment and parted ways with the props sister.
I was here to work, after all.
Today’s gig was set assistant.
Rush to set up props before filming, tear it all down after.
Once shooting started, there was nothing to do but slack off, but right before and after, it was hectic.
I might have a weak body, but I worked hard.
High school girls had a rep for slacking, so I hustled extra to avoid the ‘I knew it’ comments.
“Whoa. This is heavy.”
…But even I knew I should know my limits.
I’d volunteered to carry a big box to show initiative, but it blocked my view completely.
I wobbled along, staggering under the weight.
“Here, let me take it.”
“Ah.”
Suddenly, the weight lifted, and my vision cleared.
“Thank you?”
The guy effortlessly hoisting the box I’d been struggling with.
It was Hwang Soo-ah’s manager, the one we’d been talking about.
“Where to?”
“……Over there.”
Acting all helpful.
That’s how he reels in naive girls, right?
He figures young part-timers like us fall for a little kindness.
Get friendly, chat a bit, snag a number, grab a meal?
Not on me.
I steeled myself mentally, bracing for his advances.
“Here?”
“Yes, thank……”
But before I could even finish thanking him, he bolted off.
……Talk about getting ahead of myself.
“Lucky! Why doesn’t anyone help me?”
“Then carry something heavy, sis.”
No one’s gonna help if you only move tiny stuff.
“Forget it! Princes only help Cinderellas like you anyway. I’ll go lone wolf.”
Heaven helps those who help themselves, huh?
Maybe that’s why my hard work paid off.
But the guy who’d helped me was getting chewed out by Hwang Soo-ah.
Feels kinda my fault.
Sorry about that.
Hwang Soo-ah was living up to her looks.
Reaming out her own manager for helping out for a second.
Then again, with that face, guys would pamper her, turning even decent people spoiled.
……Compared to that, maybe he wasn’t so bad.
From then on, I kept finding myself glancing at that manager whenever I had a moment.
I didn’t mean to, but he just stood out.
And I wasn’t the only one.
Most of the female staff stole looks at him, hunting for excuses to talk.
“He’s actress Im Shin-hye’s son.”
“No way! That explains it!”
Whenever three or more women gathered, talk turned to him without fail.
A mere manager, yet more popular than the actors.
And Im Shin-hye’s son, to boot?
Handsome and loaded. Life’s so unfair.
Some people don’t even have parents to be a nepo baby.
How easy must the world be for him?
If his personality sucked, I could at least trash-talk him guilt-free.
“How old is he? What’s his age?”
“Just turned 21. College student.”
“Then he’s gotta enlist soon, right? Such a shame!”
It felt just like kids at school gossiping about BTS.
Women never really change, huh?
“Maknae. Go ask him when he’s enlisting.”
“Me?”
Suddenly, the spotlight was on me.
“Yeah. You two looked chummy. He even carried your stuff.”
“We’re not close at all. I didn’t even thank him properly.”
How do you even ask that out of nowhere? No way I could!
“Then thank him and ask while you’re at it.”
“Should I collect questions from everyone?”
“Yes! Let’s do it!”
“I’m not going!”
Suddenly, it felt like I’d been nominated to spy on him.
What do I do? Do I really have to?
What if he thinks I’m weird?
Still, it could be my chance to say thanks.
“Oh. Look. It’s Joo Jung-hwan again.”
Thankfully—or not—someone shattered the mood.
The sisters all scowled in unison.
“Ugh. What a jerk.”
The staff sisters’ opinion of Joo Jung-hwan was rock bottom.
He treated them like servants, snapping and whining constantly.
A total diva.
Now I got what they meant by ‘the real Joo Jung-hwan.’
I had no idea he was like this.
He always played the nice guy in dramas.
TV image and reality could be night and day.
“See, maknae? Looks don’t mean nice. Handsome means nice.”
“Right? Handsome guys are sweeter.”
“If only that spot down there was handsome too~.”
“Oh my god, you’re insane.”
The sisters cackled at their dirty joke, but things over there were heating up.
“What’re you staring at? Show’s over?”
Joo Jung-hwan’s tantrum hit the manager oppa this time.
Lead actor vs. manager. No contest who’d win.
Joo Jung-hwan yelled unilaterally, while manager oppa just bowed and apologized.
It made my blood boil just watching.
“Oh my. Look at that. He’s lost it.”
“What now?”
“What do you mean? He’ll handle it.”
“Don’t get involved in actors’ business.”
The sisters said that, but staring at Joo Jung-hwan’s ugly mug made me want to smack him myself.
“Maknae. You deal with it.”
They were joking, but it didn’t feel like one to me.
“That okay?”
“Huh?”
“Sis, lend me this.”
I borrowed a mix coffee from one sister who’d just gotten it.
“Maknae, what’re you gonna do with that?”
“Don’t butt in. You’ll get in trouble.”
The sisters tried to stop me as I stood with the paper cup.
I knew I’d catch heat.
But I couldn’t just stand there.
Watching Joo Jung-hwan bully that manager made my anger surge inexplicably.
If I get fired, oh well.
Broadcast set gigs were cushy and paid well, but I’d find something else.
But what if I have to pay damages?
Those clothes look pricey.
I’m broke…
But before I could overthink, things escalated fast.
Joo Jung-hwan spewed filth at adult actress Im Shin-hye.
Right in front of her son.
The manager oppa, who’d held back, finally snapped, looking ready to deck him.
Screw it! What happens, happens!
I hurled the steaming coffee cup at Joo Jung-hwan’s head.
“Argh! Hot!”
Coffee-soaked Joo Jung-hwan jumped like he’d been scalded.
All eyes turned to me.
“Sorry! I’ll get something to wipe it off!”
And I bolted.
“Hahaha! Epic! Our maknae’s a legend!”
“You’re gonna go far, kid.”
“Felt so good.”
“Hide here. We’ll handle the rest.”
With the sisters’ help, I ducked into a cramped props storage.
I shivered there, waiting out the storm.
Joo Jung-hwan hunted for me, but the sisters threw him off my trail.
‘Sun-ha’s hiding here. Don’t make a sound, okay?’
‘Oppa…’
A hazy childhood memory, almost faded now.
Oppa shoved me into the wardrobe and shut the door tight.
I trembled in the dark confines, waiting for the storm to pass.
What lingered in fragments: terrifying shouts, the bleak scene through the wardrobe crack, my muffled sobs.
‘Sun-hu oppa…’
And the name Sun-hu oppa.
Nothing else remained.
Hiding alone in tight spaces terrified me.
But when it ended, oppa would open the door.
Hug me tight.
So I endured the fear.
“Oppa…”
Only six years old.
My poor oppa, who died knowing nothing.
Kim Sun-hu.
I’m the only one in the world who remembers him, yet even my memories were fading.
No face, no voice left.
Just the name Sun-hu.
The reason I’m alive now?
Oppa blocked all the violence aimed at me with his tiny body.
And he died for the same reason.
Even as a child, I knew.
So no matter how lonely, how much I wanted to die, I held on.
For oppa, who died in my place—I had to survive.
Live well, so when I meet him in heaven, I could say, ‘Thanks to you, I lived happily. Thank you.’
“Sob…”
Even though I’m not happy at all right now…
Will a day come when I can say it confidently?
“Sorry, maknae! We forgot about you in here! Come out! That jerk went home.”
The storage door opened.
But it wasn’t oppa—it was the props sister.
“Oh no. You’re crying? Sorry we left you so long! Don’t cry!”
She thought I’d broken down from being stuck in there forever and panicked.
“I’m… okay…”
The tears wouldn’t stop.