Chapter 77
Chapter 77
What a mess.
“Yu Yeon-seo?”
Choi Jae-won, who played a supporting role in ‘People Who Lack Season 2’, was furious when he heard Yu Yeon-seo would be joining the drama as the character Lee Tae-o.
“What? Why him?”
“I don’t know either.”
The manager’s reply sounded infuriatingly smug. Choi Jae-won had been part of the drama since Season 1.
“But... we had that unpleasant incident, didn’t we? Right?”
“What can you do? It’s already confirmed. Just be the bigger person and put up with it.”
“Isn’t he uncomfortable around me?”
Of course, he wasn’t saying this out of concern for the other’s feelings. He meant, Isn’t he scared of me after we had such a heated confrontation?
‘It’s not like he’s in a position where he needs to avoid you, is he? He’s a third-generation chaebol, born with a diamond spoon...’
The only thing you have over him is your acting, and even that seems to be a thing of the past... Choi Jae-won’s manager had a lot to say but held his tongue. He tried his best to calm his client down.
“But I hear his personality has gotten better lately.”
“And you believe that?”
“No, really, his reputation in the industry is incredible these days. He might even be polite to you.”
“Even if he’s ‘better,‘ it’s all an act. Is this your first day in this business? Are you my manager or his?”
He was just lashing out. The manager tried to smooth things over.
“Of course I’m your manager. I’m just saying you shouldn’t worry about it so much...”
“Ah, this is so annoying.”
Choi Jae-won turned away and muttered to himself. In truth, he knew the rumors surrounding Yu Yeon-seo. His personality wasn’t what it used to be, he was cooperative, and his acting had improved remarkably.
Besides, hadn’t Yeon-seo been nominated at the recent awards ceremony while he himself hadn’t? Choi Jae-won anxiously chewed on his fingernails.
“Get some rest for now. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.”
Sensing the mood, the manager quickly made his escape.
“Getting all worked up for nothing...”
Having been with Choi Jae-won for four years, the manager could guess what his client was thinking. He always got particularly irritable when it came to Yu Yeon-seo.
He probably sees him as a potential rival, but honestly, even if he has the upper hand in acting, he can’t compare to someone born into that kind of life. And of course, Choi Jae-won is lacking in the looks department too. As for that superior acting ability... well, now...
‘How long is this going to last this time? It’s suffocating.’
The manager let out a deep sigh. It was his job to be the emotional dumping ground for the on-edge Choi Jae-won.
‘Ah, I want to quit.’
He trudged home.
Choi Jae-won’s eyes widened as he watched Yu Yeon-seo warmly greet Ryu Hye-gyeong.
The Yu Yeon-seo he’d met on a previous drama had arrived just in the nick of time and hadn’t exchanged a word with anyone. When the script reading began and it was his turn for introductions, hadn’t he just given a slight nod and stated his name?
His condescending gaze and arrogant attitude, which seemed to say, I’m from a different world than you people, had rubbed him the wrong way from the very beginning.
Of course, that was just how Yu Yeon-seo was, and Choi Jae-won had been the one overanalyzing it.
‘That bastard. It’s all an act.’
How far will that act go? It might be fun to expose it myself. Choi Jae-won ground his teeth as he watched Yu Yeon-seo wave cheerfully in his direction.
‘Huh? That manager...’
Choi Jae-won’s manager stared in fascination at Lee Tae-gyeom, who was patting Yu Yeon-seo on the shoulder, telling him to stop. It was a familiar face behind Yu Yeon-seo, who was notorious for churning through managers. Could it be? Did he come back?
‘How strange.’
Yu Yeon-seo’s managers who ran away never came back. His manager’s face changed every time people saw him, leading industry insiders to believe that his personality must be something else.
Choi Jae-won’s manager made eye contact with Im Seung-hyeon, who was standing behind Lee Tae-gyeom. Despite smiling, he exuded an intimidating aura. He’s not just a regular manager, is he? Maybe Manager-level?
‘Whoa, what a build...’
He looked less like a manager and more like a bodyguard. Choi Jae-won’s manager instinctively lowered his gaze and pretended to look elsewhere.
“Hey. Good to see you again.”
“Hello. You can drop the formalities.”
“Should I?”
Yu Yeon-seo casually ignored Choi Jae-won’s intense stare and bowed deeply to Go Hyo-jun, whom he was meeting again.
Go Hyo-jun was a mysterious character joining from Season 2, playing the important role of a future mentor to the main characters.
“I saw ‘Welcome to the Guest House’... what happened to the kid? Is she safe?”
“You’ll have to watch the broadcast to find out. Is next week the finale?”
“Aww...”
Go Hyo-jun clicked his tongue in disappointment. He hadn’t really thought much of Yu Yeon-seo, but after seeing how Park Seung-hwan treated him, he decided it would be okay to get close to him.
Park Seung-hwan was known for being kind to everyone, earning him a reputation for having the grace of a great actor, but he had a habit of drawing a clear line with people he didn’t approve of.
In other words, Yu Yeon-seo had passed the test to be allowed inside Park Seung-hwan’s circle.
‘Or maybe Seung-hwan entered his circle instead.’
He has too much to be taken into someone else’s fold. In any case, Go Hyo-jun thought it would be good to get friendly with him for various reasons.
“Want to grab a drink with me and Seung-hwan later? The three of us?”
“I’d be honored.”
“Honored? Don’t be like that. But...”
Go Hyo-jun, who had been talking with Yu Yeon-seo sitting next to him, glanced at his wristwatch and then spoke loudly, as if for everyone to hear.
“Isn’t it past the reading time? We haven’t even started... Someone’s missing.”
This wasn’t a reading for the press for promotional purposes, and it was a comment only someone like Go Hyo-jun could make. He was the oldest top actor there, the one with the most influence. Even the writer and director just looked at their watches, seemingly at a loss.
‘He really is late.’
Go Hyo-jun wasn’t just throwing his weight around to gain the upper hand; it was genuinely more than 20 minutes past the scheduled start time, and there was still no sign of the person.
“Is that actor always this late? Is he going to be late for filming too?”
“Ah, no. They say he’s in the elevator now.”
The assistant director replied hastily.
Ahn Hyeon-seong, who played Ji Beom-u, the man whose death was stolen, was still not there. Ahn Hyeon-seong was a model-turned-actor, and while his acting experience was still at a rookie level, his name had consistently appeared on the fan casting lists of the original work’s fans.
Using that to their advantage, Ahn Hyeon-seong’s agency had played hard to get, eventually signing a contract with favorable terms for a rookie. When Ahn Hyeon-seong’s casting was announced, fans of the original work praised the production company for finally doing their job right and threw their support behind him.
But no matter how much backing he had from the original fans, it was incomprehensible for a lead actor, who was still just a rookie, to be this late.
“I mean, what are we supposed to do if the lead actor is this late?”
Go Hyo-jun’s voice grew louder. This guy has a hot temper. Fearing he might get even angrier, Yu Yeon-seo chimed in appropriately.
“I agree. He lacks basic manners.”
Even Yu Yeon-seo, with his supposedly bad personality, had never been late to a script reading. In the room that had fallen silent after Go Hyo-jun’s comment, Yu Yeon-seo’s sharp reply made the atmosphere even colder.
‘Wow, his personality hasn’t changed a bit.’
‘But he’s right.’
The other actors wet their throats with water and pretended to study their scripts, cautiously observing the situation.
‘See? I told you it was an act.’
Choi Jae-won scoffed inwardly, but he too frowned as he looked at the time on his phone.
In truth, he didn’t like Ahn Hyeon-seong either. He found it grating how a rookie had landed a lead role with just his face and was now acting so arrogantly.
Just then, the door opened and a person rushed in.
“Hello!”
Ahn Hyeon-seong bowed deeply with a bright smile. Choi Jae-won spoke loudly.
“Hey, Hyeon-seong. What are you doing showing up now? Do you know what time it is?!”
“Oh my, I’m so sorry. The traffic was bad. I’m truly sorry.”
Despite claiming the traffic was bad, the coffee cup in his hand was particularly conspicuous. He couldn’t think to leave early to account for traffic, but he had time to buy coffee at the cafe on the first floor?
‘I should have been cast as the lead instead.’
Choi Jae-won struggled to control his expression and cast his eyes down at the script.
“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s begin the reading.”
The assistant director, his expression brightening, quickly started the reading.
After the reading finished, Yu Yeon-seo looked around.
‘Damn, they said his acting improved, and it’s true. What did that bastard do? Don’t tell me... drugs? That would be a huge scoop.’
Choi Jae-won, sizing him up and wondering how to get revenge on him.
‘So, if I get close to him, I’ll have a connection to Juseong Group, right?’
Ryu Hye-gyeong, who kept glancing at him during the reading, sizing him up.
‘Ah, was I too late? It’s fine. It’s not like there’s any chance I’ll be dropped from the drama. Do you know how valuable I am?’
And the lead actor, riding on his fan base and suffering from a bad case of celebrity-itis.
‘Wow...’
What a mess.
Yu Yeon-seo smiled, amused. Choi Jae-won wasn’t even a nuisance, and Ryu Hye-gyeong was fine since he had things to dig up on her. Ahn Hyeon-seong? As long as he wasn’t late for filming, it didn’t matter.
And would anyone dare to cause trouble for Yu Yeon-seo?
There was only one point of concern.
‘This can’t negatively affect the project.’
Readings and actual filming are different, so I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. He let out a small sigh and stood up from his seat.
“Let’s go.”
Ryu Hye-gyeong stared intently at Yu Yeon-seo’s back. She stood up and followed him.
“Um... Yeon-seo.”
Yeon-seo? Ryu Hye-gyeong’s sudden familiarity was suspicious, but Yu Yeon-seo maintained his composure and turned around.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ma’am? That’s too formal. We’re going to be seeing each other for a few months, after all...”
Looks like she’s finished her calculations.
Yu Yeon-seo smiled to himself. Even during the reading, he could practically hear the gears turning in Ryu Hye-gyeong’s head as she sat next to him.
“Once filming starts, we’ll be mother and son anyway. You can just call me ‘Mom’ comfortably.”
“Ah, about that...”
He called Choi Yu-jin ‘Mother’, but he was reluctant to call someone ‘Mom’ just for a role. As Yu Yeon-seo’s expression hardened, Ryu Hye-gyeong’s did as well.
“I’ll just call you ‘Auntie’. I’m not used to the word ‘Mom’.”
“Oh, Auntie?”
Ryu Hye-gyeong was taken aback. Conscious of Yu Yeon-seo’s background, she had steeled herself and put on a brave face.
A fellow member of her group had married into a chaebol family, and Ryu Hye-gyeong, being one of the closest to her, was keenly aware of Lee Hui-seo’s changed status. She, too, harbored a desire to enter high society, just like Lee Hui-seo.
‘Not used to the word ‘Mom’? That’s a pretty flimsy excuse, isn’t it?’
Despite Yu Yeon-seo’s firm boundary, she didn’t fluster and just laughed awkwardly, tapping him on the arm.
“You really don’t want to call me ‘Mom’ that much? It’s not like I asked for something difficult. I’m a little hurt, you know?”
“To be honest, I don’t call Vice Chairman Choi ‘Mom’ either.”
Ryu Hye-gyeong wasn’t the only one testing the waters. Yu Yeon-seo gave a bitter smile and lowered his head slightly.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. It just doesn’t feel natural.”
“Well, I suppose that can happen when you get a new stepmother after you’re already grown up.”
“Speaking of which... I heard you were in the same group as my biological mother, Auntie?”
Ryu Hye-gyeong’s eyes sparkled. It was only for a moment, but Yu Yeon-seo noticed the subtle change.
“The truth is, there’s no one left to remember her. At home, they forbid any talk of her, and I can’t get in touch with my mother’s side of the family...”
There. Go on, use me. Yu Yeon-seo cast the bait.
“Oh my, is that so? How can they not talk about your own mother?”
“You know how my family is.”
The rumors surrounding Lee Hui-seo’s death were still ongoing. And not in a good way.
“So... if it’s okay with you, Auntie, could I ask you some questions about her?”
“Of course, that’s fine.”
“Yes, thank you. Not right now, but later... I’ll see you during filming. Please, go ahead. We’re on an odd-numbered floor.”
Yu Yeon-seo smiled brightly, as if relieved. Ryu Hye-gyeong smiled pleasantly as well. The elevator carrying her closed, and the floor numbers began to descend.
Yu Yeon-seo, who was still staring at the elevator, wiped the smile from his face and spoke in a low voice.
“Im Seung-hyeon.”
“Yes.”
“Investigate everything about Ryu Hye-gyeong.”
“I’ll send it to you by 8 a.m. tomorrow.”
At the reliable answer, Yu Yeon-seo gave a small nod.