Chapter 131
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Sun-ha's Turmoil
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"Kiddo, don't come in for a while. Take a break. I'll call you when things settle down."
"......Okay."
It was basically a dismissal notice.
What could she do?
Even if the actress was the one with the issue, actors were always the bosses, and staff were always the underlings.
Especially since it was the youngest part-timer who messed up with the lead actress.
Getting fired was par for the course.
She was lucky they weren't demanding compensation.
The only regret was that she'd never see that manager oppa again.
If she'd known, she would've at least asked for his name.
Maybe even his number while she was at it.
......Who was she kidding?
She had to know her place. Dreams were best kept modest.
Time to look for the next gig.
But three days later,
I was back on set.
"Don't worry, kiddo. That jerk Joo Jung-hwan's been no-showing for three days straight, so he's the one getting blacklisted now."
Shocking revelation.
Joo Jung-hwan had ghosted three days in a row since that incident.
What happened to the drama then?
"It'll work out somehow. We just do what we're told."
"No one's blaming you here, so put those worries on a leash."
The props team sisters were chill about it.
Was the drama gonna tank because of me?
Ugh. My stomach hurt just thinking about it.
"Hey, kiddo. Go say hi."
"Huh?"
The direction she pointed was where the manager oppa stood.
Actress Hwang Su-ah, who happened to be with him, got called into a meeting room.
"No way. I can't do that......"
"Go on. Hurry up."
Another sister even brewed coffee and shoved it into my hand.
Not used to guys at all, I got pushed by the sisters straight toward the manager oppa.
......What the hell was I supposed to say?
"Um, here's your coffee."
I held out the coffee to him, tense as could be.
What if he said he didn't do pleb drinks like this?
What if he only sipped fancy chain lattes?
"Ah, thanks."
Luckily, he took it.
Phew.
"Ah. You're the one from before."
And he even recognized me.
I would've been crushed if he hadn't.
I bowed deeply.
"Sorry. I did something stupid back then."
"No, you saved my skin that day. Seriously."
Ahh. What a relief.
I might've never shown my face again if he'd scolded me for meddling.
"Still, it feels like it's because of me that you're not coming around."
"No way. It's got nothing to do with you. That guy's the weirdo. Don't blame yourself."
Same words as the sisters, but hearing it from him hit different.
It soothed me down to my core.
I was starting to get what they meant about handsome guys being good guys.
"Hope he shows up soon. Hate seeing his face, though."
"Yeah. Hate it, but yeah."
We shared a laugh, facing each other.
We'd barely exchanged words, but it felt oddly familiar.
Like I'd been enchanted or something.
Was this the magic of looks?
"I'm Jin Sun-hu. Here as Hwang Su-ah's manager."
The manager oppa introduced himself.
Jin Sun-hu.
Sun-hu oppa.
Different surname, but the same name as my dead oppa.
"Ah, yes. I'm Kim Sun-ha, set part-timer. High school senior."
I took off my cap and bowed deep to hide my flustered face.
My long hair, tucked inside, cascaded down to cover it.
Coincidence?
Or fate?
Why Sun-hu oppa of all names?
Not like it was common.
Hiding my rattled feelings, I chatted with the manager oppa.
Turned out he was the same age as my oppa would've been.
Oppa would've been this age if he'd lived.
But he died at just six. Heartbreaking.
Tears nearly welled up.
"Take care, Sun-ha."
"Yes, Sun-hu oppa."
And just like that, we'd switched to sibling-style talk with the manager oppa.
Sun-hu oppa.
Just calling him that filled my chest with joy.
Like I'd recovered a missing piece of my heart.
Sun-hu oppa soon got called to actress Hwang Su-ah, but a warm candle flame now burned in my heart.
"How'd it go? Hit it off?"
"......A little."
Back with the props sisters, they teased me excitedly.
"Oh my god, look at her. Already smitten. Totally fallen."
"'Handsome guys are a bit much~.'"
"'I like good guys even if they're ugly~.'"
They mimicked me teasingly.
"When did I say that!"
Embarrassing, but I didn't mind.
I was happy, actually.
If they hadn't pushed me, I never would've said a word.
Sun-hu oppa, the sisters—everyone on this gig clicked with me.
Couldn't talk much since he was Hwang Su-ah's manager, but just seeing him from afar was enough.
And as the lead actress, she'd be on set all the time, so he'd be around too.
I had to stick with this job as long as possible.
"Wait, Sun-hu oppa got cast as the lead?"
Hours later, the rumor spread on set.
Hard to believe. A manager?
Suddenly lead in a broadcast drama?
"Yeah. Guess he was a replacement from the start."
"An actor pretending to be a manager? Hilarious."
"What now~? He's even further out of reach~."
"Never had a shot even as a manager. Give it up."
"Poor kiddo. That was our best bet."
"Shush. Don't get her hopes up."
"Why not? It's cute. Set part-timer and lead actor love story?"
"What drama is this? Live in reality."
I let the sisters' chatter flow in one ear and out the other, lost in thought.
Why didn't he tell me?
That he was an actor, not just a manager—at least to me.
Then I'd think, who am I to deserve that?
Our worlds were just too different, huh.
I'd felt all fated because of the name matching my dead oppa.
What a fool. Pipe dreams.
Yeah, we never matched anyway.
Me dating? Get real.
Back to work.
But the next day, at the outdoor shoot, the sisters shoved me again.
"Here, kiddo. Coffee delivery."
"Huh?"
"Over there. Go quick."
She pointed at Sun-hu oppa.
"No way. I'm not going."
"Listen to your elders. You've still got a shot."
"Not a full star yet—even as lead, grab him now."
"You're a high school girl, right? Guys melt for that alone."
"Yeah. Once you're in college, it's different. Strike while the iron's hot."
"High school girl power!"
Was that for real?
High school girl charm seemed too flimsy against that wall.
Sun-hu oppa seemed close with Hwang Su-ah too.
Compared to her, someone like me was...
"Um, actor Jin Sun-hu. Your coffee."
Couldn't bring myself to call him 'Sun-hu oppa' like yesterday.
What if he said, 'Sorry, don't act familiar'?
I wouldn't show up for work tomorrow.
"Huh? Sun-ha? Why so formal all of a sudden?"
Thank goodness—Sun-hu oppa hadn't turned arrogant overnight just because he was lead now.
He even chided me for being distant.
I was the only one hung up on the 'lead actor' thing.
'Sun-hu oppa' was back, and I even got my first autograph.
Talking to him made me smile without trying.
First time I'd felt like this.
Had to treasure that autograph forever.
"How was it? Green light?"
"Eh, okay."
Back to work, and the sisters buzzed.
"Look at that smile. Priceless."
"See? High school girls are invincible."
"Prime time~."
"Get me one next time."
"Sure. If I get the chance."
I took their cheerful teasing with a grin.
Days passed like that.
Sun-hu oppa as drama lead, me as set part-timer—we greeted each other daily.
Too busy working for long talks.
One or two words a day, tops.
But that was plenty for me.
Felt like floating on clouds every day.
He always acknowledged me with eye contact, and the sisters teased every time.
Those little moments were my happiness.
Yeah.
I was happy.
Like flowers blooming in my barren life.
The living Sun-hu oppa was planting joy in the life my dead oppa left me.
I was happy. That's what I thought.
Until I saw that shocking promo video.
『"Truth is, I'm from an child abuse protection center. Got handed over at six, then adopted by my current mom, actress Im Shin-hye."』
Heard the official promo dropped, so I rushed to check it.
In the interview, Sun-hu oppa dropped a bombshell.
Abused child.
Adopted at six.
It all matched. Me, my oppa.
Sun-hu oppa was my Sun-hu oppa.
Jin Sun-hu? No, Kim Sun-hu.
Changed surnames on adoption.
Sun-hu oppa was my real brother.
I'd thought him dead.
The center teacher said he died.
A lie?
Why lie like that?
Afraid I'd come looking?
In my confusion, the interview rolled on.
Oppa kept bragging.
How loved he was by Mom, how he loved her.
How blissfully he'd grown up.
"I'm...... struggling so hard here......"
I'd cried every day from loneliness, missing oppa.
But he'd tossed me into this hell and lived happily alone?
My whole world shattered.
I'd believed oppa became a star in heaven to protect me.
That I had to live hard for the life he left.
He'd dumped me in this sewer.
Oppa...
"......I'm quitting."
"Huh? Suddenly? Why?"
I didn't explain to the sisters and quit the broadcast station gig.
They tried to stop me, but my mind was set.
Couldn't breathe the same air as Sun-hu oppa anymore.
"Ha. Guess I gotta hunt for a new job."
I'd thought this one would last.
Quit after days. Pathetic.
"Who am I to dream."
I'd even fantasized about us getting close.
Maybe Cinderella-style, per the sisters.
Cast myself as drama heroine.
Secret dates with superstar Sun-hu oppa.
But reality's stranger than fiction, huh.
Sun-hu oppa as my long-lost brother from childhood separation?
Drama was drama, but not this trashy kind.
"Oppa probably doesn't even remember me."
Heard 'Kim Sun-ha' and didn't bat an eye.
My name, face—unchanged.
But I didn't exist in his head.
And his new family post-adoption.
Mom: actress Im Shin-hye. Big sis: pro golfer Jin So-young. Lil sis: idol Jin Mi-so from girl group Spring.
Yeah, adopted into that? Forgetting trash like me was natural. Had to force it.
I was a stain on his life.
"Now with a new little sister too."
Especially that Jin Mi-so.
Stole my spot as oppas little sister.
Prettier, cuter, bustier than me.
Nothing I could beat her at.
Just a year younger, but she'd achieved what I'd never reach in life.
"Agh~ Hate this~."
Hate myself like this.
Whining, comparing to others.
Inferiority complex incarnate. Hate it.
I knew rationally it was wrong to blame oppa.
Adults tore us apart.
He didn't choose solo adoption.
He didn't abandon me—the world did.
We were powerless kids.
Knew it wasn't his fault.
Brain got it, heart didn't.
Maybe should've just told him straight.
Thought it a hundred times a day, regretted it.
But no courage to go to the station.
Days slipped by.
Post-quit, my self-esteem tanked. Gloomy at school, center, everywhere.
Life marched on regardless.
Got a new part-time: convenience store.
Easy work. Experienced, knew the ropes. Just dodge the occasional jerk customer.
But...... was just scraping by worth it?
I'd lived for my dead oppa before.
But the 'dead' oppa was alive and thriving.
Absurdly happy.
Did I need to keep suffering alone?
"Checkout, please."
Customer's voice pulled my head up.
There stood Sun-hu oppa.