Chapter 103
“What’s so sudden about it?”
“If rumors spread because you and I slept together, it would have happened long ago. It’s too out of the blue now. So the only person who could spread rumors is you.”
“……”
The guy who was resting his chin crookedly looked at me for a moment.
Though I’d known him for several years, his expression was still unreadable.
Regarding work, he was persistently meticulous and had a broad perspective. In other areas, he was impulsive to an almost animalistic degree, following momentary emotions or impulses without hesitation.
If he wanted something, he immediately reached for it. And when interest waned, he immediately let go. That was all I had known about Yoon Juho for four years.
Closing his laptop and standing up, the guy opened a built-in refrigerator perfectly hidden behind the desk.
“Want a beer?”
I shook my head in response to the guy looking back.
The sound of opening the beer can’s pull-tab was sharp. Standing there and swallowing beer, Yoon Juho asked me, who was still standing by the door.
“Senior Seo Euiju? You heard it from that senior?”
It was tantamount to admitting he had spread the rumor.
Whether he understood my silence as affirmation, the guy muttered another curse. Then walking toward the sofa in the middle of the room, he glanced at me.
“Since I know for sure that you’re rejecting me… I won’t do crazy things. Come in and sit.”
“……”
“If I was really the type to force that kind of thing, I couldn’t have stayed in this position for over 25 years. There would have been a truckload of people trying to sue me to extort money.”
Saying this with a bitter face, Yoon Juho sat on the sofa. It was a seat facing me with his back to the window. After hesitating briefly, I perched on a single chair across from the three-seater sofa where the guy sat.
It was a company, not a home, and if it was Yoon Juho rather than an expert like Yujun, I wouldn’t be helplessly overpowered in case of emergency.
“Yeah, I spread it on purpose. I didn’t spread it through routes where any Tom, Dick, or Harry lurking in this industry could pick it up. It’s information shared only among people in special positions anyway.”
People in special positions. Like those closest to the third generation of Hanseo Group’s owner family…
Yoon Juho’s rather brazen attitude wasn’t really surprising, but it was still astounding.
“What’s the reason?”
“It’s not bad news for you either. This way, at least other sponsorship offers won’t come in. You won’t need to go around rejecting them one by one. You hate that kind of thing.”
“You did this thinking of me?”
Not wanting to be misunderstood as a thief, to avoid proposals to steal together, spreading rumors that you’re already stealing with another guy…
I frowned at the forced logic. Even at my astounded sigh, the guy didn’t budge.
After drinking a few more sips of beer, Yoon Juho stroked the can’s surface with his thumb while looking across at me.
“Your current position is the most ambiguous. Temptations will pour in asking if you don’t want to climb more solidly upward from here. Maybe it won’t end with suggestions and pressure might come.”
Guys who reach out to has-been entertainers or unpopular third-raters are businessmen with a few coins. Real big shots want to play with well-known faces or people who are the talk of the town. — Yoon Juho added such stories.
“It’s similar logic to how trendy clothes sell well. Well… among them there are people who prioritize their own tastes regardless of such things, but they’re a minority. They’re people who view TV as a home shopping catalog. A catalog where they can pick whatever they like and order by phone anytime.”
Yoon Juho’s hand, which had been resting a beer can on his crossed knee, tensed up.
“Did they do that to you too?”
“……”
Yoon Juho’s face darkened rapidly. With just a very small change in expression, he was showing extreme displeasure.
It was a different reaction than expected.
The guy had debuted as a child and continued on a successful path, his mother had personally worked as his manager, and his father also had influence in the entertainment industry.
The guy soon organized his expression. With dry mockery, he spoke in a light tone as if it was nothing.
“Though not to the extent of continuous contractual relationships, I did go on dates a few times. Dates that included sleeping together.”
As if the expression he called “dates” was amusing, the guy snorted and drank his beer.
Whether I should offer comfort or pretend not to know and pass it by… not knowing what to say, I just looked at the guy with furrowed brows.
Behind Yoon Juho, Gangnam’s night view was spread out. This building, said to be worth close to 30 billion won, was only part of the real estate Yoon Juho owned. It didn’t feel real that even someone who had accumulated such wealth had times when he had to submit to someone.
“Of course it’s possible to climb to the top without doing such things. That’s not the only answer. But it’s also undeniable that it’s an easier, faster, and more certain way to establish yourself.”
Whether it was a method you chose yourself to establish yourself more easily, quickly, and certainly, or… whether your parents, someone urged it. I couldn’t ask.
“Shocking?”
“……”
“Why? Do you feel sorry for me?”
Tilting his head, Yoon Juho looked at me, who had become silent, and smiled hazily.
Not knowing the process of how those “dates” he mentioned came about, there was no reason to sympathize. Even if it was by coercion, it was unrelated to my current relationship with the guy. There was no reason for me to become sentimental because of that.
“Even if I were your lover… no, even if we were spouses, you couldn’t do this on your own without consultation.”
When I talked about ending things in the car, Lee Han probably already knew about this rumor. Yet he didn’t bring up this rumor to me when I gave the reason of not wanting to appear to have a sponsorship relationship. How deeply his heart must have been slashed at that time—I wanted to focus only on that thought now.
I continued speaking toward Yoon Juho, who was staring at me intently.
“Are you that great? Can you protect me from those… real big shots like you said?”
Yoon Juho’s answer was calm.
“Politicians, high-ranking civil servants, entrepreneurs… those kids have power, but do they have popularity? Yoon Juho, who has been making them laugh and cry on TV since they were four years old. The public thinks of me much more familiarly. They know well that if I opened my mouth against those people, the public would consider me a victim and take my side. What those people avoid most is getting involved in troublesome matters. Not because they’re scared, but because it’s bothersome.”
The guy’s previously calm expression and tone gradually became rougher.
“There are many idiots who think they can manipulate any celebrity popularity with their power. But this industry is full of kids who can’t make it no matter how much push they get from above. Power is certainly great, but it’s not omnipotent.”
Kids who can’t make it no matter how much push they get from above.
The faces and names of several people openly rumored in the industry I work in flashed through my mind.
Biting my lower lip once and releasing it, I suppressed my voice to avoid getting unnecessarily excited.
“I… don’t need it.”
“……”
“Even if I have to refuse, I’ll do it myself. Even if I face pressure, I’ll figure out how to escape on my own. Fix this matter.”
“……”
“Correct the rumor. If spreading the rumor was possible, then cleaning it up should be possible too.”
Yoon Juho crushed the can in his hand. Beer overflowed from the can he hadn’t emptied and wet his pants, but the guy didn’t care.
“Do you know what people say about how you sometimes act like you’re the only clean one?”
“Sorry to disappoint you… but I’m not pretending to be clean. I’m not clean. It’s not because I have lofty beliefs like people mock behind my back, I’m just… an ordinary person.”
“……”
“Just an ordinary person who wants to live quietly.”
Most people who almost died by drowning come to dislike water, and in severe cases, become afraid of it. That was all. Being able to overcome that and enter water again would be for a few very strong people. And I wasn’t such a special person.
While continuing to crush the overflowing beer can in his hand, Yoon Juho just looked at me with searching eyes for a while. Maybe he was groping for the meaning of my words. But as always during our past time together, we probably couldn’t understand each other.
“Since we started a relationship with mutual agreement that we have no responsibility to each other, I have no obligation to answer all your curiosities and questions.”
Yoon Juho’s eyes twitched. I continued speaking.
“But… since you can’t understand and keep being stubborn… thinking of it as minimal courtesy for the time we’ve had… I’ll tell you the truth too.”
I lightly inhaled while putting strength into my clasped hands.
“Someone I really like appeared, so I won’t sleep with you anymore.”
“……”
“I’m an ordinary person, so… even though I like someone else, I can’t sleep with other people. Whether you understand that or not, that’s… something you have to handle yourself.”
Having finished all the words I had prepared, I stood up. Yoon Juho was staring at the empty seat where I had been sitting just moments before. It was a face I’d never seen before. He didn’t even look up at me.
Before leaving through the door, I looked back once more. Behind the guy, Gangnam’s brilliant night view was still spread out.
■
The shop I visited with Seohae hyung was different from the typical scenery people imagine when they think of used car lots. The sophisticated three-story building finished with full glass fronts had facilities as comfortable and luxurious as any new car showroom of major automotive brands.
“Insurance registration is also complete… you can take it today if you want, but what would you like to do? Or we can deliver it to any convenient location on your preferred date.”
At the dealer’s words, I looked out at the vehicle parked outside the showroom. It was the black SUV I had just finished test-driving. After looking around the showroom vehicles, I test-drove about three cars. I made an immediate decision on one of them.
“If I can take it today, I’d like to drive it myself.”
Gathering up the documents with all the signatures completed, the dealer smiled refreshingly. He was a person with a genial impression who seemed quite sociable.
Seohae hyung, who was sitting beside me, rattled his iced coffee glass and said:
“Actor Jung is very decisive, isn’t he?”
“Yes. He’s clear about what he wants and makes quick decisions… he’s really the best kind of customer for people like us. Then I’ll prepare it right away for you to take. Please rest, both of you.”
When the dealer left, hyung muttered with a regretful voice:
“You could have gone up one more class.”
“That level is just right for me. I’ll mostly use the company car anyway.”
“Still, someone who’s about to become a Hallyu star should have more than C-class… or at least AMG in the same class…”
“How can everyone be so certain? I’m scared they won’t even want to see my face if I don’t become a Hallyu star.”
Hyung lightly scolded me for making such jokes. I also chuckled since it was half a joke.
“While you’re at it, just add ten million won more. You haven’t made it big because you have no obsession with how you appear. Some degree of pretense is a virtue for entertainers.”
Since I somewhat agreed with hyung’s words, I just smiled silently. Even if not as an actor, being an entertainer was really an unsuitable profession for me.
“Still… it suits you, looking sleek but sporty.”
Nodding as if reluctantly acknowledging, hyung brought the straw to his lips.
Last Wednesday, I finished the first full script reading, and hyung contacted me over the weekend. It was news that the vehicle model I had hoped for had arrived at the showroom, so I should come see it. I immediately made an appointment with hyung and visited the showroom today, Monday.
“Thanks, hyung. I bought a good car thanks to you. I didn’t even know such a place existed.”
“Right? With only 27km driven, it’s completely like a new car. Thanks to me, you saved about ten million won, right? You’re buying dinner, right?”
Watching hyung’s expression change and become lively, I smiled somewhat ambiguously.
“Of course I should. I’ll buy you expensive food. But…”
“What?”
“Could I treat you next time instead of today?”
“Do you have a schedule?”
“It’s not that… there’s someone I really want to give the first ride to.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
