Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Caught
Busted.
‘Classic Yu Yeon-seo.’
‘Is he having another one of his fits?’
These were the thoughts of the staff in the instantly frozen atmosphere of the set.
Then, Yu Yeon-seo cursed and stormed outside. Once they confirmed he was gone, everyone started chiming in.
“Why the sudden outburst?”
“...And here I was thinking he’d been quiet lately.”
“Goes to show, people don’t change that easily.”
He shows up early himself, then yells at the staff who are already preparing, asking if they really have to shoot. Talk about a double standard. Classic Yu Yeon-seo.
“Let’s hurry up and shoot, shall we?”
“Hey! Lift that!”
The staff, who had been chattering for a moment, refocused on their work.
“Hey, don’t go. His manager will handle it.”
“No, ma’am. I’ll go check on him.”
Unfortunately, Im Seung-hyeon was out on an errand Yu Yeon-seo had given him, and Lee Tae-gyeom was still in the parking lot, bringing things needed for the shoot.
“Still, someone should go see.”
The set was still in disarray, and no one had followed Yu Yeon-seo out.
“Wow, who started the rumor that he’d gotten nicer? Ma’am, here’s your coffee.”
“Just put it there.”
“Su-ho will handle it, right? He’s gotten close to people like that before and become best friends with them. He’s the complete opposite of Yu Yeon-seo.”
As Jin Su-ho followed Yu Yeon-seo out, Lee Seon-ja’s manager watched the door they left through and shook his head.
“By the way, doesn’t that kid, Yu Yeon-seo, really look like Lee Hui-seo? I mean, he is her son… Wouldn’t it be nice if he took after his mother’s personality too? Right?”
Lee Hui-seo was called the ‘Ice Beauty’ in the media, but on set, she was always polite and diligent—more like Jin Su-ho than Yu Yeon-seo, if one had to compare.
‘I was going to be nice to him this time for Hui-seo’s sake…’
Lee Seon-ja was staring at the dangling mannequin when she suddenly gasped. Her manager, standing nearby, noticed the change and looked at her.
“What’s wrong, ma’am?”
Lee Hui-seo’s accident. And the young son who found her…
“Oh, my goodness… This is terrible.”
Jin Su-ho had encountered a cooperative Yu Yeon-seo a few times, unlike the rumors, and thought he had been too quick to judge based on hearsay.
So, he’d regretted putting up a wall and had tried to reach out. Yu Yeon-seo had looked reluctant, but he would at least respond when spoken to first.
‘I think he went this way…’
But in the end, it was as expected. Yu Yeon-seo suddenly shouting in anger, the frozen atmosphere. Jin Su-ho didn’t want to film in an environment like this.
He had intended to follow Yu Yeon-seo, calm him down, and gently persuade him to work well together for this shoot. He was also worried about how pale Yu Yeon-seo had suddenly become.
“Ugh…”
The sound came from the restroom. Jin Su-ho strode inside with his long legs.
Yu Yeon-seo must have rushed in; he was clutching the toilet without even having closed the stall door.
He didn’t seem to notice someone was behind him, so Jin Su-ho reached out to tap Yu Yeon-seo on the shoulder.
But he hesitated and pulled his hand back. He could tolerate it while acting, but normally, his mysophobia made him dislike physical contact with others.
“Yeon-seo?”
He called his name instead. Only then did Yu Yeon-seo sense his presence and whip his head around. The silver hair made the background behind him seem even more vivid.
“Uh… blood…”
Jin Su-ho’s eyes widened, and he froze on the spot. Yu Yeon-seo sucked in a breath.
‘Busted.’
And by an actor he wasn’t even close to. Yu Yeon-seo scowled and wiped the blood from his mouth with his hand. It only smeared, making him look ridiculous.
‘If it were Lee Tae-gyeom or Im Seung-hyeon, I could make them keep their mouths shut, but of all people…’
As his physical condition rapidly deteriorated, Yu Yeon-seo’s mind filled with irritation. The aftereffects of the memory synchronization were lasting longer these days. Beta said it didn’t know the cause either.
‘But is a scene like that really necessary for the drama? Really?’
I guess they think it’s fine to be a little provocative since it’s a cable broadcast. Of all things to see. Yu Yeon-seo flushed the toilet and staggered to his feet, heading for the sink.
Jin Su-ho fidgeted anxiously behind Yu Yeon-seo as he washed his face with cold water.
“Um, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You were throwing up, right? I mean…”
You mean, blood?
Yu Yeon-seo let out a sigh. They said he was a unicorn—handsome, from a good family, capable, and with a great personality—but it seemed he was also quite the meddler. Lifting his head, Yu Yeon-seo looked at Jin Su-ho through the mirror. Water dripped from his chin, but he paid it no mind.
“Jin Su-ho, you’re not interested in me, are you?”
“What?”
“You put up a wall against me. I get it, since I’m usually like that anyway.”
You should have kept that wall up. Then you wouldn’t have caught me. Yu Yeon-seo sighed.
“Ah, that… I misunderstood because I believed the rumors. Actually, I was going to suggest we try to get along during filming…”
“You feel bad, don’t you?”
Honestly, not enough to feel bad… but looking at Yu Yeon-seo’s pale face, he felt like he should.
“If you feel bad, then do me a favor. Forget everything you just saw.”
“...Have you been to a hospital?”
“A hospital?”
Yu Yeon-seo scoffed. Even when he coughed up this much blood, he’d never been rushed to the hospital for excessive bleeding. He’d feel sick for a few days and then be fine, so why bother going to a hospital?
But to Jin Su-ho’s eyes, it looked like a self-deprecating laugh.
“I’ll take care of it myself.”
“But.”
“I’ll make sure this doesn’t interfere with filming starting tomorrow. That’s what you were going to say, right?”
Jin Su-ho. He’s not a bad connection to have, but honestly, he’s a pain in the ass.
He doesn’t seem to realize it himself, but I think he wants the set to revolve around him.
‘But was I always the type to think like this?’
Yu Yeon-seo’s brow furrowed deeply. It shouldn’t matter how the set is run; I just need to act… Yu Yeon-seo clenched and unclenched his fist.
“Yu Yeon-seo, where are you!”
“...Here!”
Lee Tae-gyeom paused for a moment upon seeing Jin Su-ho, then gave a brief nod before approaching Yu Yeon-seo.
“I heard you suddenly got angry and stormed out.”
“I’m going home.”
“What? Hey, I got everything ready. Why do you look so pale?”
Lee Tae-gyeom leaned in close to examine Yu Yeon-seo’s pale face. Yu Yeon-seo waved his hand to push him away.
“Seriously, you collapsed before, and now this? What’s wrong with you these days? Go see a doctor.”
“Shut up. I’m going to the car.”
“Yeah, here are the car keys. You know Secretary Im is dying to send you to the hospital. Huh? Just pretend you can’t fight it and go.”
“Hey! Are you my mom? Just make up an excuse and come.”
Jin Su-ho’s eyebrow twitched. He collapsed before?
Walking away weakly, Yu Yeon-seo whipped around and pointed a finger at Lee Tae-gyeom.
“You, if you use the dog excuse again… you know what’ll happen, right?”
“If I make that mistake again, I’m a dog. Okay? Can you even walk?”
Yu Yeon-seo gave a dismissive wave.
An awkward atmosphere flowed between Jin Su-ho and Lee Tae-gyeom, who were left in the restroom.
“Um… Actor Jin Su-ho, aren’t you leaving?”
“What? Ah, yes, I should.”
Lee Tae-gyeom headed back to the set at a brisk pace. Following behind him, Jin Su-ho was lost in thought.
‘The manager doesn’t seem to know…’
No matter how unwell a person is, it’s rare for them to cough up blood. Unless they have a serious illness.
The toilet bowl was completely red. Isn’t that a sign of a critical condition?
Forget what you just saw.
After a long moment of internal conflict, Jin Su-ho shook his head vigorously.
Lee Tae-gyeom, arriving at the set almost at a run, took a sharp breath at the stares directed his way.
‘Whoa, the atmosphere is no joke…’
What is this subtle tension? It’s suffocating. He tried his best to act normal and approached Director Lee Su-ji.
“Um… Director. Our actor isn’t feeling well, so I don’t think he’ll be able to film today.”
“Oh, yes. Today’s shoot isn’t urgent, so please go ahead.”
“Thank you. Please send me the revised schedule.”
“Take care.”
Back when Lee Tae-gyeom was Manager #12, Yu Yeon-seo had stormed off a set like this exactly once before.
Where did Yeon-seo go?
Um… well. He just left.
Back then, Yu Yeon-seo hadn’t collapsed; he’d just walked off perfectly fine, so while he wasn’t flustered, he was at a loss for how to handle the situation and had acted out of frustration.
What? Does it make sense for the lead actor to just take off like that?
Isn’t it because of what Jae-won said earlier? What are we going to do about the shoot?
Does it make sense to ditch a shoot just because Choi Jae-won said something? Is this some kind of ‘crime of hurting my feelings’? He himself called Choi Jae-won trashy…
Hey, manager, aren’t you going to manage your actor properly?
The staff had been angry about the delayed shoot and, unable to say anything to Yu Yeon-seo, had taken it out on the manager. But on the set of Dreaming, they were even urging the lead actor to leave after he ditched.
‘Is it because he invested in it?’
But he invested in the last one too, didn’t he?
‘No, this isn’t the time for that.’
If I’m late, he’ll throw another fit. Lee Tae-gyeom ran to the parking lot.
After encountering that unexpected situation, Yu Yeon-seo decided not to use memory synchronization on filming days.
The very next day after abruptly ditching the shoot, Yu Yeon-seo appeared on set and bowed low to the staff.
“I apologize!”
Behind him, Lee Tae-gyeom and Im Seung-hyeon bustled about, handing out drinks to everyone.
Director Lee Su-ji, holding a drink, approached Yu Yeon-seo and spoke with concern.
“I heard you weren’t feeling well. You should have rested more…”
“I’m fine.”
“Yeon-seo, are you feeling all better now?”
“Thanks for the drink!”
Greetings from the staff could be heard from all around. Yu Yeon-seo furrowed his brow.
‘What’s this? Why are they acting like this?’
The atmosphere is weird… You guys weren’t this nice before.
‘Have I been too nice lately?’
Was I too quick to apologize? This isn’t right.
“That’s right. We’ve decided not to use that problematic scene at all.”
“I understand why you’d film it, but… won’t it get flagged by the censors or something?”
“The plan was to film everything first and then piece it together later. But the writer decided to revise the entire script.”
“Really? Why?”
“I don’t know what whim struck her. The drama is at the writer’s discretion.”
She’s busy writing the next episode’s script, but she’s going to revise all of that?
“Why is she doing that?”
Seeing Yu Yeon-seo’s expression, Director Lee Su-ji smiled faintly. Just as Jeong Da-hee had said, he pretends not to care but is actually very considerate.
“Hello!”
“Oh? Writer?”
Speak of the devil. Writer Jeong Da-hee, with dark, tired circles under her eyes but a bright voice, approached Lee Su-ji.
“Do you have time to be here right now?”
“I revised what you requested, and I’ve finished writing up to episode 8. I uploaded it to the group page.”
“Ah… I see it now. Wow, our writer is so fast.”
Director Lee Su-ji said she was going to look at the script and draw up the storyboard, then left. But wait, what you requested?
“Hello, Yeon-seo.”
“Yes, Writer. Why did you come out instead of resting? Because it’s your first drama?”
“There’s that, but… I actually came because I have something to discuss with you, Yeon-seo.”
Jeong Da-hee looked at Yu Yeon-seo, her voice firm.
“It’s about our drama’s ending… I felt you should know about it in advance.”