First Day of Filming (1)
"Hello?"
I tilted my head, the phone wedged against my shoulder, pressed tight against my ear to keep it in place.
"I'm almost there," I murmured, low enough that no one around me could overhear.
When the light turned red and I came to a stop, I shifted the phone into my hand properly.
"Yeah. Got it. Bye."
I glanced at the rearview mirror.
Master was sleeping peacefully.
As long as she had the Cloud Doll, Master could rest anywhere in the world as if she were floating on a cloud.
The engine hummed. Once the light changed, I eased onto the accelerator.
A few days had passed since the company dinner.
Today was Master's first day of filming.
I'd told her she should get a proper night's sleep, but of course she'd stayed up all night again — insisting that a nap in the car would wipe out her fatigue completely.
The Cloud Doll's effects were extraordinary, but I still couldn't help worrying a little.
Master's ambition was running far ahead of her.
Watching her made me want to give everything I had as her manager. I wanted to raise her odds even a fraction higher.
The route Cocoa Writer had mentioned — the one where Park Haeun survived. I needed to keep offering more tributes to steer things in that direction.
Cocoa Writer had said she'd help, so it was more than possible.
Without thinking, I slipped a hand into my pants pocket and fidgeted.
Tributes weren't something I only owed Director Gun Hyun-woo.
Chun Yeonho's last words before hanging up came back to me.
The cigarettes… were running low again.
Han Ahyoung and Chun Yeonho were no casual smokers. They could easily go through two or three packs a day and still want more — especially with 27th-century tobacco. The addiction hit harder, the draw was smoother, and it was practically healthier. Six-hundred-year-future cigarettes with nothing to criticize.
If the supply were unlimited, they might have smoked nonstop around the clock. They claimed they were holding back as much as they could, and still the stock was vanishing at an alarming rate.
If only a whole giant box of 27th-century tobacco would drop, or if there were a reliable way to keep restocking it…
Of course, right now Master mattered more than any of that.
She hadn't gotten particularly warm feedback at the script reading, then spent the remaining time in intensive training and come back. If she nailed it today, she could leave an even better impression than before — prove that hard work paid off, that she could digest every single role if she just put in the effort.
"Master. We've arrived."
I woke her. She was curled in the back seat, clutching a puppy plush tightly to her chest.
I'd bought that doll because she'd said she wanted something to hold. Originally she'd wanted to fall asleep clinging to me the whole way — but then there would have been no one left to drive. So the plush was a stand-in for me.
"Mmngh…"
Master blinked slowly awake.
She'd already gotten basic makeup and had her hair done at the shop. The makeup team on set would handle the detailed work once we arrived.
"Here — take a sip of water."
I handed her cold water to help her clear her head, then immediately fed her vitamins pulled from the Cooking King's Warehouse.
I lifted a compact mirror for her as I spoke, keeping my tone natural.
"Today's scenes are eight, ten, twenty-two, twenty-three, and thirty-seven. Five in total."
While Master collected herself and fixed her appearance, I kept going without a pause.
"Read through the highlighted parts and the notes one more time. Senior Go Malhee wrote those comments very carefully."
After that I handed her the script, neatly organized so it wouldn't get crumpled in the file.
Master took it, then fixed her gaze on me.
"Did Ahyoung teach you?"
"…Yes. Noona taught me."
"Our Cookie the pathetic little virgin got himself a proper education. You're getting good at this manager stuff."
I flinched. ♥
"Are you just doing exactly what Ahyoung trained into you?"
"Th-… yes."
It wasn't wrong, but it sounded a little strange coming out that way. Maybe because she'd used the word trained. Or maybe because of how casually she referred to Han Ahyoung.
The insults rolled off her tongue as naturally as breathing now.
Which meant her performance of Park Haeun's true nature no longer felt like acting at all.
That nature-reveal scene — the highlight, even though it wasn't in today's shoot — had been the one thing I'd still been worried about. That worry was gone now, wiped clean.
Master let the cool edge drain from her eyes and spoke again.
"You learned well, Cookie. Our Cookie is so competent it makes me proud."
"As long as I can be useful to Master, I'll do anything…"
"Hehe. Is that so?"
Master's eyes curved into a smile that looked far more at ease than before.
"Our Cookie has been thoroughly broken in by Master, hasn't he. Good boy. Such a good boy. ♥"
"Y-yes…"
"Be Master's own little puppy… ♥ Be Master's property. ♥ Execute. ♥"
"Yeees ♡ I'm Master's… ♡"
Only after I'd thoroughly become Master's did we get out of the car.
"Ah, Seoh-ah. Hello."
"Park Seoh-ah, the actress?"
"Seoh-ah, welcome!"
A corridor painted pure white. Four walls that felt unnervingly like a backroom. As we passed through the production company's building — now a perfect set for Ghost Story Company — Master exchanged endless greetings.
One step forward, a greeting. Another step, another greeting.
Master looked a little flustered, but she answered every one with an angelic smile. The men who received that smile looked ready to hand over their livers and gallbladders on the spot.
Watching it, I felt quietly proud. All those days of bringing coffee tributes to the set had been worth it. Everyone recognized Master, and everyone was friendly.
Once the long parade of hellos finally quieted, Master naturally closed the distance between us.
"Hehe. Looks like Oppa Jiwoo really did a good job promoting me."
She looked up at me with a fond little eye-smile, as if I were something precious.
"Good work, Oppa. Thank you."
My heart thudded. ♥
Out in public, she called me Oppa now.
It had been a while since Master and I had been outside together. Hearing that word made my head ring for a second, a soft, dizzy pulse.
She didn't leave me alone with the fluttering.
As if to warn me not to get any ideas just because she'd called me Oppa, she locked eyes with me — bright, clear eyes staring straight into mine.
My mind went tingly.
I wanted to lose. I wanted to submit. I wanted Master to step on me.
Thud-thud-thud-thud. ♥
Was it even possible to meet those pretty eyes and not go completely insane?
"…♡"
My gaze went slack. If I kept looking any longer, I wouldn't be able to hold the impulse back out here in public.
I tried to look away before her eyes could break me completely —
And Master looked away first.
Her short hair swayed, and a sweet scent of her drifted past.
She used to hold my gaze all the way to the end. Lately, though, she'd been turning her eyes away more and more often.
"Whew… It's a little hot. Feels like midsummer's coming early."
Master fanned herself hurriedly with her hand and started walking again.
Her earlobes were definitely bright red. Was she that warm?
For some reason her steps quickened. By the time I reached for the portable fan, she was already far ahead. I stopped mid-motion and hurried after her.
The dressing room door opened, and a welcome face was waiting.
The lead of Ghost Story Company. Cocoa Writer's number-one pick.
Han Ahyoung.
Our eyes met in the big mirror.
"Hello, Noona."
Instead of answering, Han Ahyoung tilted her head at an angle. She flicked a glance at Master beside me, then looked back at me.
I flinched. ♥
Somehow, just from her eyes, the hierarchy felt settled.
A predator's gaze, as if she could devour a person whole. A superior look that could casually crush anyone. I was overwhelmed by a stare that felt completely different from Master's before I managed to pull myself together.
The cigarettes… must be completely gone. Was that her way of telling me to hand over the tribute right now?
I didn't have any spare stock. I'd have to pull a fresh supply today.
Han Ahyoung's words came back to me — that if I didn't deliver on time, she would thoroughly cull me. Not just make me unable to get hard for anyone but her, but make it so I couldn't feel pleasure at all without her.
Twitch. Twitch. ♥
My body, already enchanted by Han Ahyoung's touch, was responding on its own.
Lately, if I was honest, a certain fear had started creeping in.
Master had stroked my cock with her hand… and it hadn't felt as good as I'd expected. Especially yesterday.
I'd run into Han Ahyoung briefly and gotten a kiss-handjob from her. Then I'd received the exact same thing from Master. Getting the same treatment back-to-back only made the comparison sharper.
Caught in Han Ahyoung's fingers, I came before I could even think. Master's handjob, though… something about it felt lacking.
Being held by Han Ahyoung was more— ah.
"Hello, Jiwoo. Seoh-ah."
A cynical voice cut through my thoughts.
It was Lee Jihye, the makeup artist from the makeup team.
"I finally get to do Seoh-ah's makeup! I love dressing up pretty people like you."
"Hehe, pretty? Our Ahyoung is so much prettier…"
Lee Jihye gave a charming smile and leaned in a little closer, whispering so no one else could hear.
"From where I'm standing, Seoh-ah is prettier than Ahyoung."
"Is that so?"
Both of them had such lovely smiles that having them in the same place made the whole atmosphere feel fresh and bright on its own.
Every staff member I'd met so far had been friendly toward Master. All those days of coming to set and offering coffee and vitamins were paying off properly.
Then my body gave a sudden jolt.
…Huh? That voice just now.
The tone, the timbre…
Wasn't it a little… similar?
Someone who knew me. Someone who also knew Cocoa Writer, who'd even fed me the vitamins I'd given her. Someone who had raped me a few days ago.
I hid the pounding of my heart and looked at Lee Jihye.
My lips parted, then closed again. In the end I said nothing.
I'd been drugged when it happened. I couldn't remember the voice with perfect accuracy. She would have known that — which was why she hadn't bothered to disguise her voice while she raped me. She'd figured I wouldn't be able to identify her by sound alone.
And more than anything… I hadn't even reported it.
In three days it would be "next week" — the date she'd told me to make a reservation if I wanted to see her again.
What did I even want to do?
I didn't know.
For now, I went to handle what needed handling first.
While Master was getting her makeup done, I quickly pulled a thermos from my crossbody bag.
The coffee Director Gun Hyun-woo never stopped praising was famous by now. He no longer chewed people out when the coffee was good, and even among the other managers my reputation had improved.
I made my rounds through the production company, exchanging greetings, and ran into Cocoa Writer.
It was the first time I'd seen her since the company dinner. We had been in contact, though. She'd fretted over me with almost excessive care, asking in detail whether anything felt wrong with my body.
"Jiwoo, are you feeling all right? Your face looks half its usual size."
Cocoa Writer stroked my forearm. I flinched at the sudden contact, then answered as if it were nothing.
I ought to be used to simple skinship like this by now. I'd done plenty with women, after all.
"I'm sorry about that time… I didn't know I was such a lightweight."
"Oh, no. I was more in the wrong. I shouldn't have forced drinks on you. I got a little too carried away."
We fell into easy conversation, and then Cocoa Writer said,
"Ah — could I get some vitamins too?"
"Of course."
I handed her the vitamins I'd already portioned into individual packs and asked,
"They work well, right?"
"They really do. The effect is ridiculous. The second I take one, I'm up and at 'em."
"…Pardon?"
"Up and at 'em with energy. Don't you feel the same, Jiwoo?"