Chapter 83
Chapter 83
I felt like it wasn’t me.
-Luxury Support Competition Heats Up on the Set of Gyeolsa
First, Yu Yeon-seo laid down the law that only people richer than him were allowed to send support. But that was a long shot lol.
It started with Yu Chang-ho sending a hotel buffet, high-end wine, luxury goods, and other gifts.
The next day, Choi Yu-jin sent something even better, and it wouldn’t be complete without the king of doting fathers, Yu Geon-min, joining in lol. The day after that, Yu Geon-min sent something even grander, as if in competition.
Yu Eun-ho, Yu Min-jeong, Yu Seon-yeong, and even his cousin Park Seon-woo joined the fray.
And it wasn’t just a one-time thing; they kept sending things over and over, so for a whole week, the staff ate hotel buffets, received premium liquor and luxury gifts, and even had their fill of coffee and dessert.
The picture below was posted by a staff member.
If anyone in the comments starts making in-law jokes, calling him “Father-in-law” or “Brother-in-law,” may your family for three generations suffer from ingrown toenails, have your skin necrotize, and die bald.
└Wow, that’s some next-level supportㄷㄷ
└That last-line defense is insane.
└Crazy, the support is on another level.
└Looking at the gifts, it seems like they spent hundreds of thousands?
└But isn’t Park Seon-woo less wealthy than Yu Yeon-seo? Why is he sending support?
└└I saw on his MyTube video, he sent it under his mom’s name but put his own name on the banner.
└But this is surprising. Are they usually like this? I don’t think they’ve sent stuff before, have they?
└└There are rumors that Yu Yeon-seo and his family have reconciled.
└└└Huh? Did they have a fight?
└└└└Yu Yeon-seo and Yu Chang-ho had a massive fight, it’s pretty famous. It was about him becoming a celebrity.
└I work in the industry, I should’ve worked on the Gyeolsa staffㅠㅠ Who gives gifts like that even to the junior staff? I’m so jealousㅠㅠ
Yu Yeon-seo crossed his arms and surveyed the film set. His family had been sending a flood of food trucks and gifts to the set. The supportive messages were all different. Yu Geon-min expressed his affection for his son without filter, while his aunts competed to show who loved their nephew more.
“Thank you!”
“We’ll enjoy the food, Yeon-seo.”
For the staff, who had been treated to a week of lavish banquets, desserts, and gifts, Yu Yeon-seo’s image had reached its absolute peak, with no room for improvement.
“This isn’t right…”
Yu Yeon-seo muttered in front of the coffee truck sent by Choi Yu-jin. He had told them not to send anything, but they sent it anyway. The staff was so happy about it that he couldn’t send it back, so he just accepted it with resignation.
‘I should have banned all support from the start.’
Next time, he would have to forbid it entirely. Yu Yeon-seo shook his head.
“I heard you weren’t close with your mother?”
Ryu Hye-gyeong was watching him with suspicious eyes. Yu Yeon-seo replied without a change in expression.
“She probably had her subordinates send it. Since everyone else was.”
“Hmm… is that so?”
Yu Yeon-seo glanced at Ryu Hye-gyeong standing beside him. Im Seung-hyeon had confirmed at least three stalkers attached to Lee Hui-seo, and that was just from newspaper articles. There were probably more if one were to investigate the CEO or manager of Twinkle’s agency.
However, he had ordered Im Seung-hyeon to halt the investigation.
‘Digging any deeper is dangerous…’
Yu Yeon-seo had realized his trail was discovered on the day he visited his grandfather’s house. Sitting in the study and drinking tea, Yu Chang-ho had spoken without beating around the bush.
[So, why are you investigating your dead mother?]
Yu Yeon-seo put down his teacup. The clatter was quite loud, betraying his agitation.
[I’m curious. I have no memory of her.]
[Hmm, is that so? You still can’t remember?]
[No, I can’t even recall her face clearly.]
Though media files from Lee Hui-seo’s active years remained, in his memory, her face was staticky, as if covered in noise.
Yu Chang-ho let out a small sigh as he looked at his grandson, who, unlike in the past, seemed fine even when talking about his deceased mother.
[Don’t try to find out too much. If something goes wrong again….]
[Pardon?]
[No, it’s nothing.]
He had played it cool then, but Yu Yeon-seo couldn’t forget the look in his grandfather’s eyes. It was a mixture of concern and a warning not to do anything foolish.
It couldn’t have been Im Seung-hyeon who leaked it. He had long since figured out that the man worked for him. He guessed that since Im Seung-hyeon was affiliated with Juseong, his trail had been picked up.
‘Still, it didn’t seem like he knew I was investigating the culprit.’
His family was overprotective of him. When he was younger, he would have seizures at the mere mention of Lee Hui-seo’s name, so they probably intended to block even the slightest interest in her as an extension of that. If Chairman Yu found out what he was specifically trying to do, he would likely tie his hands.
‘That can’t happen.’
In any case, now that his cover was blown, he had to at least pretend to have dropped it.
‘I can’t make a move myself, either.’
This body stood out too much. His face, his build, and his innate aura were things he couldn’t hide, and people recognized him no matter how he tried to disguise himself.
All he could do now was dig up more on Ryu Hye-gyeong or…
‘Should I try synchronizing to the limit again?’
‘It’s not like I’m going to die.’
except dying.>
Beta had become much more prone to voicing its worries.
In any case, pushing the memory synchronization to its limit was quite dangerous, but he had confirmed last time that it wasn’t life-threatening. The problem was losing consciousness, but with a few days off after filming, he had plenty of time.
<Don’t do it.>
He ignored the voice ringing in his head and opened his mouth.
“Aunt, so did you have any luck?”
“Yes. I did.”
Using the information Yu Yeon-seo had given her, Ryu Hye-gyeong had successfully orchestrated a ‘chance encounter’ with CEO Kang Geun-cheol of Sanbo Group.
“Is there more?”
“More what?”
“A chance encounter needs to happen about three times, wouldn’t you say?”
It’s easier when the other party wants something. Yu Yeon-seo suppressed a smile and spoke nonchalantly.
“Then, do you know anything about the stalker?”
“Which one? As you well know, Hui-seo had more than one stalker.”
“Was there anyone who was the most memorable? Someone who wasn’t reported in the media.”
“Hmm, if that’s the case…”
Ryu Hye-gyeong narrowed her eyes, lost in thought.
“I don’t remember his name well… he was one of the bit-part actors who appeared in a commercial with us. It was a beverage ad…”
A bit-part actor in a beverage commercial with Twinkle… that should be easy to identify. Yu Yeon-seo gave a small nod.
“Really? Anything else unusual?”
“That man was on a different level from the other stalkers. He was dark and persistent.”
Ryu Hye-gyeong lowered her head, her face hardening. The man acted as if he were Lee Hui-seo’s boyfriend. He once barged onto a filming set, causing a scene, and another time, everyone was terrified when he stood in front of their dorm holding flowers, making them tremble on the street until their manager arrived.
“What happened to him? Surely you didn’t do nothing?”
“It was useless.”
He was a delusional man who genuinely believed he was Lee Hui-seo’s boyfriend and that they were soon to be married. They had sent him to the police station several times, but since there were no clear laws against stalking back then, he was easily released.
“I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing now. He probably only took on those few minor roles because of Hui-seo.”
Yu Yeon-seo nodded silently.
“But Aunt, why do you want to marry into a conglomerate family?”
“Does it seem strange? Because I’m old?”
“No, you’re plenty capable on your own. I just wonder why you feel the need?”
This wasn’t just empty flattery. ‘Twinkle’ was so heavily focused on one person that it was practically Lee Hui-seo’s group. Even when the agency’s CEO skipped town with their money, leaving them penniless on the streets, she endured instead of returning to her hometown.
Around the same time she debuted as an actress, her former groupmate Lee Hui-seo was soaring as an actress, which meant Ryu Hye-gyeong received relatively less of the spotlight. Despite that, she successfully re-established her career as an actress.
Now, she was a veteran actress living a life others would envy. What could such a person be lacking that she was so fixated on marriage? Couldn’t she just live as a free spirit like she was now?
“There was something that I couldn’t change, no matter how hard I struggled.”
“…”
“And that’s power.”
After Lee Hui-seo married Yu Geon-min, she noticed that the people who had tormented her began disappearing from the industry one by one. Rumors were rampant that Yu Geon-min had pulled strings behind the scenes.
This was what Ryu Hye-gyeong wanted. She had not forgotten the people who had treated her so poorly.
‘He might have been caught long ago.’
As Ryu Hye-gyeong thought this, Yu Yeon-seo frowned.
“I don’t understand.”
“You, who already have it, wouldn’t.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Ryu Hye-gyeong let out a dry laugh at her old friend’s son, who didn’t even bother to deny it.
“But why are you so curious about it?”
“There’s a reason. Anyway, I’ll text you what you wanted.”
“Alright. I should get going.”
Yu Yeon-seo watched Ryu Hye-gyeong’s retreating back for a moment before taking a seat. His scene was still a while away.
‘Once my grandfather’s surveillance is over, maybe I should investigate that stalker…’
But what was he even doing right now? A sense of doubt washed over him.
He leaned his head back, lost in thought, and suddenly dropped his coffee cup.
“Hah…!”
Again.
Clutching his head, he bowed low and squeezed his eyes shut. Two legs beneath a white, curtain-like skirt. Yu Yeon-seo trembled.
‘This time is different.’
It was the same vision he always saw, but his body felt strange. He hadn’t even seen anything white, so why now? Could simply talking about Lee Hui-seo cause his body to stiffen up like this? He broke into a cold sweat as a sharp pain pierced his heart.
A nearby staff member noticed and approached him.
“Are you okay?”
“Get away!”
Yu Yeon-seo violently slapped away the staff member’s hand on his shoulder and glared at him with sharp eyes.
“What the?”
Was he managing his image again? Lee Tae-gyeom, who had been thinking just that, sensed something was off and started to move. Im Seung-hyeon did the same.
“Piss off, will you?”
The staff member, struck by the sudden outburst, was pulled back by another staffer. They were taken aback by Yu Yeon-seo’s unusual demeanor and hesitated.
“What’s with him, all of a sudden…”
“Something’s weird.”
His expression was completely different. The aura around him was filled with a killing intent, as if he would murder anyone who came closer. The commotion drew the eyes of the other staff members toward Yu Yeon-seo.
“Young Master.”
“Hey, are you okay?”
Lee Tae-gyeom and Im Seung-hyeon exchanged glances.
Yu Yeon-seo’s state was strange, yet familiar. To Lee Tae-gyeom, it was like seeing the Yu Yeon-seo from before the accident. Im Seung-hyeon also felt it was similar to the stories he’d heard from the Head of Strategic Planning—the state he’d fall into, having seizures at the thought of Lee Hui-seo.
“Uh… he must be stressed. Could you please give him some space for now?”
It was a much better excuse than blaming it on a dog. Im Seung-hyeon forcefully grabbed Yu Yeon-seo’s hand as he tried to push him away and draped his arm over his shoulder. After a moment of resistance, Yu Yeon-seo went limp and let himself be led away.
Once inside the van, helped by Im Seung-hyeon, Yu Yeon-seo took a deep breath.
‘What? Why am I here?’
Yu Yeon-seo blinked a couple of times and put a hand to his forehead. His vision had gone dark for a moment. Yet, he remembered his recent actions with vivid clarity.
‘For a moment, I felt like it wasn’t me.’
His body hadn’t listened to him. He looked at Lee Tae-gyeom and Im Seung-hyeon waiting outside the van. Had he yelled at them to leave him alone? He even remembered forcefully shoving Lee Tae-gyeom, making him fall.
“Hyung-nim, I don’t think we can just leave him like this.”
“This won’t do. Let’s take him to the hospital.”
“Yes, sir.”
The hospital was not an option. He didn’t want to bail on filming, either. Yu Yeon-seo forced his hand to move.
“No, there’s no need for that.”
Opening the van door, Yu Yeon-seo spoke with a weary face. Im Seung-hyeon and Lee Tae-gyeom rushed over. They scrutinized his complexion.
“Young Master, I still think we should have you checked out.”
“What? Are you really okay? What was that all about?”
“I don’t know.”
Lee Tae-gyeom and Im Seung-hyeon froze.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Young Master.”
Yu Yeon-seo mumbled in a hollow voice.
“I really don’t know…”