Chapter 51
Chapter 51
Am I Pitiful?
“Is there a reason you can’t talk about it?”
“No, that’s not it…”
Lee Seon-ja hurriedly changed the subject.
“About Hui-seo… It’s been so long, I don’t remember much, but what are you curious about?”
“Just… what she was like when you worked together, things like that.”
Yu Yeon-seo scratched his cheek. He had followed her on impulse, but now he couldn’t think of what to ask.
Lee Seon-ja lit another cigarette and watched the smoke disappear into the air.
“She was similar to you.”
“…To me?”
Was she saying his personality was terrible?
“Not the you from ‘The Doll,’ but the you from ‘Dreaming.’”
“…Is there a difference?”
“There is, a very big one.”
Yu Yeon-seo’s brow furrowed in confusion.
Watching him, Lee Seon-ja let out a small laugh. In ‘The Doll,’ where they played mother and son, Yu Yeon-seo had been exactly as the rumors described.
He leveraged his wealth to dominate the set. He interfered with every little thing that didn’t suit his fancy, and when it wasn’t his scene, he’d be holed up in his van, not showing so much as a strand of hair.
‘Not to mention his acting…’
When the other actor can’t even deliver their lines properly, it drains the energy of their scene partner. When Lee Seon-ja, unable to watch any longer, told him to learn how to act, she’d been flatly ignored. Yu Yeon-seo was probably the first person to ever treat a veteran actress that way.
But during ‘Dreaming,’ he was different. For starters, his attitude toward the project had changed significantly. He would show up even on days he wasn’t filming to grasp the flow of the production, and while he still wore a sullen expression, he was polite even to the most junior staff members.
Moreover, the friendly atmosphere on set was made possible by the excellent contract terms. Considering the connection between JSENM and the investor Yu Yeon-seo, his influence must have played a significant part.
“She looked prim and proper, but she was an incredibly hard worker. She was tenacious, truly tenacious.”
“Really?”
“She acted like she wasn’t, but she was friendly and approachable. Even people who had prejudices because of her looks at first all came to like her.”
He had wondered if she had the kind of personality that would make enemies, but it seemed she was well-regarded.
“In that case… Ma’am.”
“Yes?”
“Does the way she passed… make sense to you?”
Lee Seon-ja stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray and let out a small sigh.
“Honestly, it doesn’t, but who knows…”
The possibility of someone breaking into Chairman Yu’s mansion, said to have security second only to the presidential residence, and murdering his daughter-in-law was close to zero. That was why the case had been quickly closed as a suicide due to depression.
“How can I know what’s in a person’s heart? I have plenty of things I hide from my own husband and children.”
“…”
“Someone might seem fine on the outside, but you never know what circumstances they’re hiding on the inside.”
As Lee Seon-ja started to move, Yu Yeon-seo followed.
“But it’s true that this industry isn’t a great environment, is it? Especially back in the day, for a young and pretty girl like Hui-seo.”
“That’s true.”
“That might be why she got married so early. Anyway, I really don’t know.”
Lee Seon-ja was curious why Yu Yeon-seo was asking these questions, but she didn’t press for details.
“Don’t think about it too much. Just forget it.”
And that’s when Yu Yeon-seo felt something was off.
“I’m heading back in.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Lee Seon-ja went back into the restaurant, and Yu Yeon-seo stood still in his spot.
Lee Seon-ja asking if it was okay to talk about Lee Hui-seo, and the fact that there was no “That’s just Yu Yeon-seo for you” reaction on set, even when he stormed out.
Jeong Da-hee saying she’d revised what she’d requested from the director, after claiming she’d suddenly changed the script.
‘They’ve figured it out.’
Yu Yeon-seo lowered his head. After all, it wasn’t hard to find old articles about Lee Hui-seo’s accident. Or the fact that the witness was her second son.
“Ha…!”
A sudden, dry laugh escaped him. No wonder everyone was so kind. He’d thought they were being nice because his acting had become tolerable.
He was grateful for their consideration, but…
‘Do they feel sorry for me?’
Yu Yeon-seo looked down at his palm. He slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.
It was a habit he’d developed after getting a mechanical arm in his past life as Kang Jin-hu. A habit that, at some point, had disappeared.
“But I don’t feel sorry for myself…”
Honestly, it felt like his vulnerabilities had been exposed, and he didn’t like it. Feeling emotions he normally wouldn’t, being swayed by trivial things—it felt like he was gradually losing himself.
When he returned to his seat, everyone was chatting loudly. In one corner, they were preparing for a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate the end of the drama.
Yu Yeon-seo, trying to calm his unsettled feelings, sat next to Lee Tae-gyeom.
“Hey, Lee Tae-gyeom. Now that I think about it, what was that ‘wrap-up party cake disaster’ you mentioned before?”
“Oh, that. It was at the wrap-up party for ‘Our Moment.’ That was the drama where you got overshadowed by the second lead.”
Yu Yeon-seo narrowed his eyes at Lee Tae-gyeom.
“I thought I was going to suffocate back then.”
For dramas where actors fought over screen time, the fan support apparently became a competition as well.
Fans, wanting to boost their actor’s morale, would prepare lavish support for the wrap-up party, especially the cake that would later be immortalized in the cake-cutting photos. For ‘Our Moment,’ they had even prepared sugar art cakes modeled after the actors.
“The problem was, Go Hyeon-tae’s fandom made one with just him and the female lead, leaving you out.”
“They did?”
“And your fandom made one without Go Hyeon-tae.”
The writer, having swapped the main and supporting leads by the end, sided with Go Hyeon-tae, while the director was caught in the middle. Go Hyeon-tae hadn’t backed down, just smiled slyly, and though Yu Yeon-seo probably didn’t care, his scowl must have made him look upset to others.
The fandoms, in turn, pressured the official social media accounts and fan cafes, demanding to know whose cake-cutting photo would be posted. In the end, it was resolved by having each actor cut the cake from their own fandom simultaneously.
“Crazy, right?”
“Does this happen often?”
“I heard it can happen in any drama where the male or female leads fight over screen time.”
Yu Yeon-seo chuckled dryly.
“Well, just not showing your face in photos because the shoot was hell is pretty tame. There was an actor who called reporters and held his own wrap-up party. I heard that from my manager.”
“Huh…”
“If a director and an actor don’t get along, the director will pick an expensive place for the after-party to mess with the actor. The actors usually pay for the second round.”
Whether it was insisting on being the last to walk the red carpet or bickering over a cake, he found it childish, but he also realized the power struggles were no joke.
Today, at least, the fans seemed to have reached a compromise. It was a two-tiered cake with drama stills printed fairly on it.
“The ninth one told me you took the staff to a high-end beef restaurant for the after-party to win them back over.”
“The ninth one?”
“You didn’t know? There’s a ‘Yu Yeon-seo File’ at the company.”
“What?”
Yu Yeon-seo raised his voice, drawing the attention of those nearby. Lee Tae-gyeom looked flustered and scratched his cheek.
“Well, you go through managers so fast that there’s no time for a proper handover. I think they started it when the fourth or fifth one bolted.”
“Really? Is there gossip about me in it?”
“Not really… It’s just stuff like what makes you uncomfortable during schedules, which brands of clothes don’t fit you, things like that.”
I’ll have to grill Manager Park about this sometime.
Yu Yeon-seo gestured with his head toward the support gift bags prepared not just for the main cast but for every last staff member.
“By the way, do you know where the fans who prepared that are?”
“I heard they weren’t given seats inside, but they’re at the shop next door.”
“Really?”
Yu Yeon-seo stood with his arms crossed, lost in thought.
“Yeon-seo! Time to cut the cake!”
“Ah, yes.”
His thoughts were promptly interrupted by Jo Yu-mi.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to hold onto this?”
“I’ll send someone to pick it up later.”
Director Lee Su-ji clutched the black card in her hand as if it were a sacred relic. Was it really okay to just hand out a card like this? So this is what it’s like to be a chaebol… Yu Yeon-seo smirked at the sight.
“Yeon-seo. Can we get beef intestines?”
“Director, eating innards isn’t good for you. Let’s have beef. That card has no limit.”
“Gasp…!”
“Second round, third round, swipe as much as you want. If not now, when else will you get to spend a tycoon’s money?”
At his nonchalant words, the other staff members’ eyes lit up. Jin Su-ho, having missed his chance to offer, was laughing awkwardly.
“Hey, Yu Yeon-seo!”
“Well then, I’ll be leaving first.”
As Yu Yeon-seo gave a slight nod and turned to leave, the staff cheered loudly at his back.
“Hello.”
He greeted the women standing in front of Lee Tae-gyeom. They were the fans who had organized the support for the ‘Dreaming’ wrap-up party.
“You haven’t left yet?”
What was with this silence? Feeling something was off, Yu Yeon-seo met their eyes. The fans were frozen as if on cue, just staring at his face.
“We… we had to clean up.”
“Ah, I see.”
Im Hye-ju, who was in charge of the support project, answered, her face flushing bright red.
[Our actor said he wants to see the fans.]
[Y-Yu Yeon-seo…?]
[Yes.]
Her heart had felt like it was going to explode when she heard those words.
Yu Yeon-seo’s fandom, Love Letter, had often used such roundabout ways to provide support.
But even when they came to the site, they often didn’t get to see his face, or at most received a quick ‘thanks’ as he passed by.
Of course, they loved even that as part of his charm, but this was the first time their actor had approached them and spoken to them up close.
[That’s our actor, right?]
[It is.]
[Wow, he has an aura even from a distance…]
[Hey, Yu Yeon-seo!]
[H-He’s coming this way?!]
[Gasp, Manager, just a moment…!]
I’m not mentally prepared yet! In that brief moment, Im Hye-ju had a million thoughts, from wondering if she had pepper flakes stuck in her teeth to regretting not touching up her makeup.
Everyone was speechless seeing Yu Yeon-seo in person. The person next to her, a fan of Jin Su-ho, was gaping so wide she had to cover her mouth with her hand.
“Thank you for the support today.”
“W-Was it okay?”
“Yes. It was great. I’ll make good use of the gifts.”
As Yu Yeon-seo spoke with a faint smile, Im Hye-ju struggled to keep her composure. If she didn’t, she might forget all decorum and start jumping up and down.
The other support staff members felt the same. They hadn’t done it for thanks, but it felt like all their hard work had been rewarded.
“Young Master, I’ve brought everything from the car for now…”
Im Seung-hyeon stopped short when he saw his younger sister standing before Yu Yeon-seo, desperately trying to contain her fangirling.
‘What’s my brother doing here?’
‘What are you doing here?’
The fans, aside from Im Hye-ju, were whispering amongst themselves, “He called him ‘Young Master’…”
Yu Yeon-seo was busy signing a script Im Seung-hyeon had given him and didn’t notice the atmosphere.
“What’s this? Do you know his secretary?”
What? Secretary?! Im Hye-ju shot daggers at Im Seung-hyeon. He knew she was a fan of Yu Yeon-seo and hid the fact that he was his secretary?!
‘Ah… I was trying so hard not to get caught.’
Im Seung-hyeon let out a small sigh. He’d let his guard down because it was a support event from the drama fan forum. He never imagined his sister’s dedication ran this deep.
“Come to think of it, you two look alike…”
“Tae-gyeom, how about we shut our mouths for a bit?”
“Hup.”
Lee Tae-gyeom, having recognized Im Seung-hyeon’s face, clamped his mouth shut. After finishing the signature, Yu Yeon-seo looked up and, noticing the strange atmosphere, glanced around before holding the script out to Im Hye-ju.
“Here, take this.”
The signed script was the one he had never let go of during the entire filming of ‘Dreaming.’ Im Hye-ju, who took it without thinking, said with a start.
“W-We can’t accept something like this. There could be controversy over preferential treatment…”
“Really?”
Behind Im Hye-ju, the other staff members were also waving their hands in refusal. So upright… Still, he felt bad sending them away empty-handed after all their hard work.
“Take it anyway. If you’re worried about controversy, just give it away in a fan event or something.”
In case they tried to refuse again, Yu Yeon-seo turned and walked away without a second thought.
“What do we do…?”
“This is his actual script that he used?!”
“Oh my god, this is insane…!”
The remaining fans huddled around the script, stamping their feet in excitement.
Once in the van, Yu Yeon-seo turned to Lee Tae-gyeom.
“What’s with Im Seung-hyeon?”
“…It’s nothing, Young Master.”
He had been found out by the one person who should never have known. Im Seung-hyeon decided he wouldn’t even go home for the holidays and preemptively blocked his sister’s number.