Chapter 25
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Receiving a Sponsor Offer
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Probably, it would be hard for me to be as helpful as Mom or Actress Hwang Soo-ah expected.
But no matter what the details were, it was a task they'd entrusted to me because they believed in me. I had to do everything I could.
I couldn't disappoint Mom.
I steeled my resolve.
"Um, so what should I do?"
"Sun-hu, just help Soo-ah with script readings like you did with Mom. Though you'll probably need to get to know each other a bit better first."
"...If needed, I can help with script practice, but that..."
Script readings were doable as long as it didn't involve judging acting skills. I just had to read the lines for the other roles while Actress Hwang Soo-ah practiced.
But anything beyond that was an unreasonable demand.
"This drama has a dual heroine setup. One is Hwang Soo-ah, the male lead's wife. The other is Shin Ji-hye, his first love before marriage."
Mom deliberately glossed over my words and pushed the conversation forward.
By the way, the other female lead in this drama is Shin Ji-hye... That's some serious casting.
Unlike Actress Hwang Soo-ah, who had a cold aura and Western beauty, Actress Shin Ji-hye was the pure, elegant type. They must have cast two actresses with completely opposite styles on purpose.
With two big-name actresses as leads like this, the one with weaker presence usually gets overshadowed.
And judging by the current momentum, Actress Hwang Soo-ah seemed more likely to be the one overshadowed. Maybe it wasn't even a true dual lead from the start—perhaps Shin Ji-hye was the real heroine, and Hwang Soo-ah was cast as a supporting role.
"The male lead is married to Soo-ah, has a kid, and they're living happily. But then he reunites by chance with his first love, Ji-hye, and starts wavering. Ji-hye was tricked by the male lead's mother into breaking up with him, but she learns the truth late and approaches him again. Soo-ah finds out and tries to stop them from getting close."
"The male lead just sounds like trash. That's straight-up cheating."
"What do you think, Soo-ah?"
"Breaking up because of a lie is unfortunate, but a guy like that... even for me..."
Actress Hwang Soo-ah somehow glanced at me as she spoke.
It's not me. Though honestly, I might be even trashier than that protagonist, but this isn't about me.
"I agree the guy is trash, but Soo-ah, you can't play it that way. No matter how trashy he is, he's the man Soo-ah loves."
Watching Mom talk seriously about acting somehow made my heart race.
Actress Hwang Soo-ah listened intently, not missing a single word, which made even me, just watching from the side, tense up.
"In my view, the problem is that Soo-ah has never experienced real love. Imagine if the man you truly love turned his eyes to another woman—how would that feel?"
"...I'd be angry and upset, of course."
Actress Hwang Soo-ah hesitated before answering Mom's question. But it didn't seem to meet Mom's standards.
"Not just that level. A rage that burns your body. Jealousy that feels like your guts are being torn out. Hatred so intense you want to kill him, yet you love him too much to let go—that complex tangle of emotions. That's what you're not ready to express, Soo-ah."
I was more distracted by something else than Mom's acting advice.
Has she really never been in love? If so, that's a shame. Someone like her could have any guy she wanted.
While I was lost in pathetic thoughts, Mom's lecture continued.
"Throwing a hysterical fit and getting revenge on a cheating man? Any actress could do that. But that's not the performance we expect from Hwang Soo-ah, right? Viewers need to feel a chill down their spine from how terrifying she is. But it'd be hard to immerse if the male actor is just 'that guy,' wouldn't it?"
With that, Mom pulled my arm close.
"So, I'll lend you my son."
Why am I suddenly involved? I had no idea what was going on.
"Practice loving with my son, Sun-hu. And practice getting stolen by another woman. I'm not saying go full method acting, but once you've experienced it, you can at least deliver something close to real."
"Mom."
I got it up to a point, but practicing love with me? That was weird. Love wasn't something you could just do on command.
"You'll help, right, Sun-hu?"
"No, if there's something I can do to help, I will."
I had no intention of ignoring Mom's opinion. But honestly, it sounded utterly absurd to me.
Even hedgehogs think their kids are cute, but isn't this going too far?
For starters, the whole premise of practicing love was flawed. It wasn't something you could force, and the partner was me—someone she'd just met today.
But apparently, I was the only one there thinking that. Actress Hwang Soo-ah chimed in on my awkward hesitation.
"I'll ask you too, Sun-hu."
"...Are you serious?"
"I told you. I'm grasping at straws. I'll just trust and follow the teacher's words."
Her expression was completely earnest. Being stared at so intently by someone so poised made it impossible to meet her eyes.
I averted my gaze and sighed.
This is bad. Doesn't Actress Hwang Soo-ah have anyone around her giving her proper advice? I'm worried she'll fall into some weird cult.
"Oh dear. This feels heavy now. If it fails, it's on me, so Sun-hu, do your best to make Soo-ah fall for you. Got it?"
"That's..."
At a loss for words, I glanced at Actress Hwang Soo-ah.
Honestly, when someone is excessively beautiful, even looking at them takes courage.
She was that type. A being who required energy just to gaze upon.
Effort to make someone like her fall for me? How on earth?
But facing her serious eyes, I couldn't muster the guts to refuse.
"...I'll do my best."
And so, I became Actress Hwang Soo-ah's temporary partner for overcoming her slump.
That day's dinner stretched late into the night.
With two famous actresses there, the restaurant kept sending over freebies nonstop, and surprisingly, these actresses could drink a ton.
I wasn't drinking, so I busily grilled meat, put it on plates, chimed in on conversations occasionally, and hurried to refill empty glasses.
"That director! Someday I'll yank out every one of his chin hairs!"
"Teacher, come on. But is it true his hair is fake?"
"It's a wig. A wig."
Mom, drunk and in high spirits, kept clinking glasses with Actress Hwang Soo-ah and downing shots.
Hwang Soo-ah held her own too. Even drunk, she spoke softly without losing composure.
For her slight build, she sure could hold her liquor.
"Actress Hwang Soo-ah, aren't you drinking too much?"
I asked as I poured plum liquor into their two suddenly empty glasses again.
Empty plum liquor bottles from the two actresses lined up along the table's edge.
Was it okay for such a slender body to take in that much alcohol?
I was starting to get worried.
"Sun-hu..."
"Yes?"
"...Calling me like that feels too distant. The honorific. Are you doing it on purpose?"
Soo-ah narrowed her eyes and asked.
"Sorry. Honestly, I wasn't sure how to address you."
"...You can be casual... if you want."
"Ah, got it. Then I'll call you Soo-ah."
"Soo-ah... Heh..."
Actress Hwang Soo-ah chuckled softly and downed another glass. I casually refilled it.
"Sun-hu. You don't like women who drink a lot, do you?"
She asked that, but immediately emptied the fresh glass in one go.
Asking like that, she surprisingly seemed to enjoy drinking.
"It's more worry than dislike. I'm afraid you won't make it home."
Mom could get a bit tipsy and I'd take her home, but Soo-ah was trickier.
I didn't know if she drove, but drunk like this, even sending her with a designated driver felt uneasy. And I couldn't just toss her in a taxi.
"Whew... Then you take me home. Or should I crash here?"
"I have to take Mom home."
If the genders were reversed, that could've been sexual harassment. I gave a wry smile and let her words slide.
"...Sorry, Sun-hu. For dragging you into something weird."
"I should be sorry. Soo-ah, you don't have to take Mom's words so literally."
"Why not?"
She seemed fine until now, but she was definitely drunk. She looked up at me sideways, her words starting to slur.
"Well, love isn't something you can suddenly do just because someone tells you to, right?"
"Heh. Hehehe, hahaha."
Soo-ah giggled holding her empty glass, clearly amused. Her laughing face looked much more human.
"For someone saying that, weren't you trying pretty hard, Sun-hu?"
"Huh? Me?"
She set down her glass, propped her chin, and looked up at me. Her gaze felt different from before.
"Ha... You're impossible. With that sly, innocent expression."
"Sly...?"
"You gonna pretend you did nothing? Is that your pro move? Ahaha. Fine. You win. The teacher too—feels like I'm possessed or something."
"No, I..."
Actress Hwang Soo-ah flapped her hands in surrender. I had no clue what she was surrendering to.
"Sun-hu. Wanna date?"
"Ah~ If you mean that practice from earlier."
"I've got money. Own a building in Cheongdam. It's appreciated a lot, and it'll go up more."
"Ah, congrats."
"So it's purely business with me? Got it."
Soo-ah mocked herself and tilted her glass again. She was definitely drunk.
She'd seemed fine moments ago, but it was like a switch flipped—her whole demeanor changed in an instant.
I glanced at Mom for help, but she was watching us with a pleased look. Was there anything pleasing about this situation?
"Soo-ah. You seem pretty wasted. Let's call it and head out. Mom too."
"Sun-hu."
As I tried to stand first, Actress Hwang Soo-ah grabbed my hand. For her small hand, her grip was strong.
Her upturned eyes wavered.
I'd half-risen but awkwardly sat back down.
"Got it. You're saying don't take it seriously, right?"
"Huh?"
"So what do you want? There must be terms."
I still couldn't follow the conversation.
Mom jumped in for my flustered self.
"Depends on how much per meet, how many times a month. That's what sponsor deals are, right?"
"Sponsor?"
"Sponsorship... I don't really know about that stuff."
Soo-ah's expression darkened at Mom's words.
Was "sponsor" what I thought it was? Paying to be a sponsor in exchange for meetings?
"Am I paying to meet Soo-ah?"
"What? No, I'd pay. To you, Sun-hu."
"No. Wait. I think there's a misunderstanding. I'm not that kind of guy."
"Yeah. I know. You'd say that. Call it lesson fees then. Once a week, 2 million per meet. That work?"
"Soo-ah."
I had no idea what was happening. Paying to meet me?
Even trusting Mom, would anyone go this far?
And the amount was huge. Maybe making too much money had warped her sense of value.
"We'll talk money when you're sober. You're too drunk today—let's go."
"Not enough? If that's it..."
"Argh, seriously! Enough—let's get up! Mom, stop laughing!"
I forcibly pulled up the increasingly disheveled Soo-ah. Mom was clutching her stomach, laughing her head off at us.
Ha.... This wasn't why I came. Really.