Chapter 446
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 446
Holy shit, I was working so hard for my precious Noeul, and now this? I’m going crazy!
“It’s good to see you after so long…!”
Struggling to keep my face from crumpling into a grimace, I stared at the polished face before me—a face that showed absolutely no sign of being in an off-season.
“Mallang-i, come here.”
Min Ji-heon carefully scooped up Mallang-i, who had been busy licking me with zero regard for his actual owner’s arrival. Ji-heon’s cheeks flushed slightly as he pulled his lips into a thin, shy line.
“How have you… been lately?”
“…….”
“Are you… eating well?”
No matter how well I eat, I’m sure I’m not eating as much as you.
I wondered why he was suddenly using informal speech in front of the cameras, but his tone was just foul. It felt exactly like receiving a sentimental text from an ex at two in the morning.
Even though my brain clearly understood that I needed to manage my image since we were filming…
“—Wrap it up! We’re done for today. Good work, everyone!”
“Ahhh! Wait, wait!”
I just couldn’t take it.
My decision was also based on the judgment that since the person was Min Ji-heon, even if he was an industry senior, the fans would likely mistake us for being reasonably close through dramas like Please Take Care of the Camera or Before the Moon Wanes. Thus, I figured I could pass this off as a joke.
So, I was genuinely trying to leave and go home when Min Ji-heon grabbed my arm.
“Ahaha… You’re really leaving like this? It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other~.”
“I came here to meet Noeul.”
“I am Noeul.”
Someone please stop the open recruitment for this fan club….
I swallowed a sigh.
There was no way he was a genuine fan. He probably received a proposal to show his face for promotion, since the drama I filmed, Despicable Trial, was scheduled for release in the third or fourth quarter.
Having finished my rough deduction, I wrinkled my nose with exaggerated playfulness to make it look like a skit.
“It’s not like you applied yourself. All the other fans even wrote letters.”
“Ah, that….”
Min Ji-heon, who was skillfully coiling the dog leash that had been dragging on the floor and stuffing it into his pocket with one hand, gave a smirk.
“I wrote a story too, you know?”
I wanted to dismiss it as a pointless joke, but the staff standing behind the cameras were all giving thumbs-up with heartwarming expressions, as if they were of one mind.
Rustling beside me, Min Ji-heon pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his back pocket.
“Hello, I am Min Ji-heon, a thirty-something actor with many dreams—.”
It seemed to be the evidence to support his claim.
As he began to read the text slowly with the precise diction of an actor, hearts practically sprouted in the eyes of the staff watching him. Even the elderly main camera director, whose son apparently started university this year, looked like he was falling in love with Min Ji-heon.
“…—Ho-yun is a cold person who always has to add a sharp remark even when he’s eaten his fill, and who just goes home instead of comforting you when you fight… but I like the tenderness he only shows to those close to him, so it’s hard to escape his grasp.”
No, what the fuck? What exactly did this bastard watch during his hiatus?
Reading on diligently without a hint of shame, Min Ji-heon took his eyes off the paper and gazed at me.
“…—Is he happy now, he whose smiling face is like an angel’s? I hope Ho-yun meets someone who loves him even more than I do….”
“…….”
“…P.S. I miss him.”
Then, Min Ji-heon looked up at the sky as if holding back tears. Being the actor he was, his eyes actually grew moist in that short span of time.
The pedestrians who had gathered to watch, realizing it was a shoot after seeing the staff and cameras, let out collective gasps at the sight.
I really want to go home.
“Ah, what’s wrong with me today? I’m sorry….”
Min Ji-heon wiped his dry cheek with the back of his hand. I forced my lips into a smile and shoved his back.
“Let’s just go. We’ll do whatever you want to do, Senior Min Ji-heon.”
I hurried my steps, but Min Ji-heon tilted his chin so his left profile was caught at a 45-degree angle by the camera and spouted some bullshit like, “You’re still weak against tears, aren’t you…?”
It had only been about ten minutes since we met, but I already felt a headache coming on.
“Let’s eat and then break up.”
“Don’t… bring up breaking up again…….”
Ignoring his words, I walked to the curb and hailed a taxi. He ran over and hopped in as well. We then moved to the restaurant the staff had previously informed us about. It was a pet-friendly restaurant.
Whatever he was plotting now, he scanned the surroundings with unpleasantly damp and greasy eyes, then stared at me with a shimmering glint in his gaze.
“…What is it?”
“……This place.”
“…….”
“It’s the place where I told you I liked spaghetti the most, the place I said I wanted to go with Ho-yun…. You still remembered it, even though I only mentioned it in passing…….”
This guy is relentless.
No matter how much I searched my memory, he had never said such a thing.
Shaking my head slightly, I just pushed the menu toward Min Ji-heon, who was wearing a somewhat bittersweet smile.
“Senior Min Ji-heon, what are you talking about? Your favorite food is Gamjatang.”
“……Eh?”
Suddenly snapped out of his immersion, Min Ji-heon tilted his head.
“…That’s true, but did I ever say that?”
“…….”
Oops, did I hear that in an interview back during Actor Tycoon?
“…You said Gamjatang was delicious. Back when we did that variety show together.”
“…Hmm, really?”
After thinking for a moment, Min Ji-heon scanned the menu. Then, he ordered only one thing.
Knowing his usual appetite, I found it very strange, but since he was originally someone who pushed a mysterious image, I just let it be.
“Is that person treating you well…?”
“…….”
While Min Ji-heon annoyed me in various ways with behavior I couldn’t even begin to grasp the concept of, only the staff were happy with his antics and the impending view count. Some were even genuinely immersed in the scene—despite having prepared everything from A to Z themselves—and looked at Min Ji-heon with pity.
‘Can’t you just eat properly…?’
My appetite completely vanished.
Repeatedly smoothing out my expression which threatened to harden, I fixed my gaze on the plate of crème brûlée served for dessert. Suddenly, the main PD, who was the most captivated by the atmosphere, threw a question at Min Ji-heon.
“How was your first meeting?!”
“Ah… well, to be honest, Ho-yun wasn’t exactly my style at first.”
I momentarily wondered if doing these kinds of heart-to-heart interviews right in front of the person involved was the latest trend in variety shows.
“I like someone deep, someone who recognizes my true qualities. Ho-yun’s first impression of me was probably bad too. Right, Ho-yun?”
“Actually, you were my style, Senior.”
“……Huh?”
The air went silent for a moment.
For the first time since the shoot began today, the man was speechless.
“At least in terms of appearance.”
In truth, my first impression of him was terrible. I was so annoyed, wondering who this guy was that the CEO coddled so much.
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not just saying that because we’re in front of the camera, you really mean it??”
“I said yes, so why do you keep asking?”
How annoying.
I poked the crème brûlée with my spoon and lifted my head. Across from me, I saw Min Ji-heon staring with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe it.
It was likely because for nearly three years, every time we met, I had treated him roughly, calling him ‘Pig-heon,’ telling him to ‘piss off,’ or calling him a ‘crazy bastard.’
I slowly took in Min Ji-heon’s face, which was a mix of slight indignation and surprise. Then, it suddenly occurred to me that this was the only moment during the entire shoot that he had been genuinely flustered.
“…Ah.”
My lips automatically curved into an ‘angelic’ smile. Sensing danger, Min Ji-heon immediately turned his head away.
But his ears were wide open.
“…Saying you weren’t my style at first means you became my type later on.”
I let out the most melodious voice I could muster.
“Is that still the case?”
*
“Ah, I feel so nauseous I can’t eat much….”
Then what the hell is this guy doing, ordering four servings of Gamjatang, two servings of pork cutlet, and four servings of tteok-galbi?
Despite whining about being toyed with for two hours, Min Ji-heon finished Facing My Bias with a very refreshed face. He handed Mallang-i over to his manager to be taken home, then clung to me again, pestering me to go eat.
“Our Ji-heon, it’s good to see you’re still a pig….”
“Sorry. I think I’m actually going to cry. Let’s stop.”
In the end, I was dragged to a Gamjatang restaurant. As I sat in my chair, Min Ji-heon alone brightened up at the sight of the food that arrived quickly, slurping the broth.
‘He looks healthy.’
After filming the drama Before the Moon Wanes, I hadn’t heard any news from him for over half a year. Recalling how haggard he looked when I visited the set for a cameo, he must have suffered quite a bit.
Since then, he only announced his survival through occasional CFs.
It seemed WH Entertainment didn’t really interfere with Min Ji-heon, who was already a top actor at the very peak.
“Are you unemployed?”
“No, I’m a home protector, guarding the house….”
“So you’re unemployed.”
He used to act like he’d die without acting, but he seemed quite peaceful even while away from it.
“You’re busy, aren’t you, Hyung? Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t work out during the awards ceremony, but instead of failing, you’re absolutely soaring.”
“Did you watch the Song Camp?”
“Is there anyone who hasn’t? The articles say you’re the best youth idol group South Korea has ever produced.”
Min Ji-heon, casually spouting such embarrassing things, smirked.
“Besides, I heard you’re going to the US soon? You’ll be hectic for a while.”
“Not just for a while, probably from now on.”
“From now on?”
Min Ji-heon, chewing on a piece of kkakdugi, tilted his head.
“Why? Isn’t it over once you’ve seen everything there is to see here and go back?”
As I sat there with my chin resting on one hand, just staring at him, the strange silence caused Min Ji-heon’s brow to slowly furrow.
“W-what? What’s with this silence?”
“…….”
“No way… No way! You’re not planning to go back?!”
This bastard, he’s damn quick on the uptake just from a little slip….
I clicked my tongue and drank some water, while a stammering Min Ji-heon soon poured out a barrage of words.
“Why on earth?! You, the person who struggled so hard to go back?! I’m so shocked I can’t even think about dessert.”
“Just shut up.”
Min Ji-heon set his chopsticks down on the table and let out a breath that was close to a lament.
“…I guess people really can change like this….”
I’m always the same, though?
But instead of arguing, I just looked Min Ji-heon up and down and added one more thing.
“Enough time has passed that you’re okay even without acting.”
“…….”
He was a guy who said he couldn’t rest for a moment because if he didn’t dissipate his energy through acting, ominous things would swarm him. But he looked quite good lately, as if he had found his own solution.
As if I had hit the nail on the head, Min Ji-heon’s lips quivered before he muttered softly.
“…I really hate people who are quick on the uptake.”
“Me too.”
With a bitter smile, he toyed with the bracelet resting gently on his arm.
“…Yeah, I suppose as you get older, even the most sensitive person is bound to mellow out eventually…….”
“…….”
“Well, it’s good for me if you stay. They say affection is a scary thing; I’d miss you if you were suddenly gone.”
“If I get fond of you twice, I’ll be in big trouble.”
“Exactly. I’d follow you to the grave.”
Chuckling, Min Ji-heon picked up the entire stone pot and drained every last drop of broth before standing up. As I followed him out of the restaurant, numerous gazes were fixed on us.
“You know, Hyung, your complexion looks good lately.”
Pretending not to notice the stares, I rubbed my ear as Min Ji-heon placed a black ball cap on my head and whispered softly.
“I don’t want to rain on your parade… but don’t let your guard down.”
“…….”
“Everything doesn’t always go smoothly. You know that better than I do.”
I know.
That’s why I’m trying to be even more careful.
I shrugged and gestured for him to get lost, and the corners of Min Ji-heon’s mouth curled up.
“Then I’ll see you in the US in a few days.”
“The US? Why?”
“You didn’t know? I’m leaving the country too.”
I watched his lively retreating figure for a moment before heading straight to the company. This was because a meeting was scheduled with the members and the management team to hear an explanation regarding the Music TV Awards Live. When I asked about Min Ji-heon’s US schedule, they said he was scheduled to depart as an ambassador for a luxury brand.
Since The Dawn’s US schedule happened to be at the same time, the team suggested that if we ran into Min Ji-heon in the US, we should ask him for a support video for Despicable Trial as part of his ‘actor’ activities.
“Hahaha! Don’t you think that would be great?”
“…….”
‘Stop, stop talking….’
The trauma trigger that had flooded Kang Yi-chae during the Unknown Actor Tycoon days was about to be stimulated again. Gradually, Kang Yi-chae’s expression turned irredeemably cold.
Somehow, the meeting ended, and as soon as we stepped out into the hallway, I checked Kang Yi-chae’s face. His jaw tilted slightly, and the corners of his lips twisted.
“……Interesting.”
“…….”
“Go ahead and try it.”
Fuck….
I have to make sure, absolutely sure, they never meet.