Chapter 54
As Min Hye-rin said, no matter how small the industry might be, such coincidences rarely align so perfectly.
For an already established actor, it might be possible to assemble a team of preferred individuals, but for someone like me without a single notable work to showcase, to suddenly receive meaningful scripts, a manager, a shop, and a stylist—there was no way I could acquire all of this overnight.
None of it made any sense.
“I’m just curious, which team scouted you this time, Hye-rin?”
“The Simple&Natty team. It’s a company formed by a stylist who became famous for handling Kim Seo-jung and then broke away to start her own business.”
Simple&Natty? Since it wasn’t a major corporation, it was difficult to determine from the name alone whether it had any connection to the JT Group.
After pondering for a moment, Cheong-yeon smiled warmly to match Min Hye-rin’s excited mood, as she remained unaware of his suspicions.
“I see. Anyway, congratulations on moving to a better company. I’m really happy for you.”
Something felt off. A casting director who deals with dozens of actors every day wouldn’t genuinely compliment my acting skills.
Manager Kim’s attitude, the manager’s kindness, the shop staff’s enthusiasm, the praise from audition officials, and Min Hye-rin’s scouting offer that came at such a perfect time—the thought that all of these might be part of a well-orchestrated scenario left him feeling uneasy.
What would happen if he refused the sponsorship offer? Would everything that had been given be taken away?
“Oppa. About that incident from before… did it pass without any problems? The situation looked serious, so I’ve been worried about it…”
As the silence continued, Min Hye-rin hesitantly brought up the day when the filming had been canceled, carefully observing Cheong-yeon’s reaction.
Come to think of it, she probably has no idea what happened.
Cheong-yeon recalled how Min Hye-rin had stayed by his side, anxiously pacing back and forth even as the lighting director was shouting.
“It was resolved well. No one contacted me about it afterward, and it seems to have faded away positively without much fuss.”
“Really? Wow, that’s a relief. I was so worried that you might never act again because of that incident…”
Min Hye-rin trailed off, lowering her head. Seeing her like that, Cheong-yeon felt a pang of guilt, wondering if he should have contacted her separately to reassure her.
“I’m going to take this as fate and work hard. I’ll dress you in the best clothes so you won’t fall behind other actors, and I’ll work hard to secure sponsorships too. I might be the youngest on the team and still lack connections, but I’m confident in my ability to put in the physical work!”
The more Cheong-yeon conversed with Min Hye-rin, who was on the verge of tears while clenching her fists with determination, the more complicated his thoughts became.
He wondered what would happen to Min Hye-rin if he met with Do-heon and refused the sponsorship. She said she had received a scouting offer and moved to a better team—would that be canceled too?
No, there was still no concrete evidence that all of this was actually Do-heon’s plan. It was all speculation, and there remained the possibility that he wasn’t involved at all.
Cheong-yeon tried to steer his thoughts in a more positive direction. But no matter how much he tried to rationalize, it was nearly impossible for situations to align this perfectly by chance.
At the same time, he couldn’t shake the image of Do-heon’s confident, almost arrogant attitude during their dinner a few days ago. He had spoken as if the possibility of Cheong-yeon refusing his offer didn’t even exist.
This is foul play, Moon Do-heon. You’ve been pulling strings behind the scenes, and I haven’t even agreed to the sponsorship yet.
Although he wanted to confront Do-heon immediately, it was ambiguous in many ways—he had no evidence, and these were all coincidences that were difficult to question point by point.
“Haah…”
As soon as Min Hye-rin got out of the van, Cheong-yeon released the sigh he had been holding back. He could feel his manager’s questioning gaze from the driver’s seat, but Cheong-yeon said nothing.
*
Time passed quickly, and soon the day to meet Do-heon arrived. Do-heon had informed him that since he had remaining work to handle, he would send a driver separately to bring Cheong-yeon to the company.
Cheong-yeon had been extremely busy during the intervening days. In addition to preparing for auditions, he received an offer for an accessory advertisement that was gaining word-of-mouth publicity through social media, leaving him consumed with preparation for the shoot.
Such social media advertisements, often shot by influencers with large followings, weren’t considered remarkable achievements, but they held significance for Cheong-yeon as legitimate, paid celebrity work.
Though pleased that his daily schedule was packed with various small jobs, Cheong-yeon couldn’t shake the underlying anxiety. It felt as if Do-heon was sending him a warning.
As if saying, your answer has been predetermined from the beginning.
“Ah, damn… This is driving me crazy.”
Even on his way to Do-heon’s company, Cheong-yeon couldn’t put an end to his internal conflict.
At first, he had truly intended to refuse. He had been confident that he wouldn’t waver.
But now that the situation had unfolded this way, it was difficult to stay resolute. Perhaps he had been playing into Do-heon’s hands from the beginning.
‘What do you think you should do when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes along?’
‘You and I are at that crossroads right now.’
‘I got scouted and switched teams, Oppa.’
‘And it turns out the company I moved to just signed a contract with your agency! Pin Entertainment. Isn’t that really amazing?’
The expressions and voices alternately echoed in his head—Manager Kim’s somewhat dazed expression and Min Hye-rin’s excited chatter.
Cheong-yeon carefully considered what would happen if he accepted Do-heon’s sponsorship.
As Do-heon had said, he would probably be able to act in any role he wanted. He wouldn’t be dismissed for being a Recessive Omega, nor would he have to grovel while being harassed by Dominant Alpha directors.
An opportunity to be evaluated solely as an actor, whether through criticism or recognition.
By now, the JT Electronics building was visible through the car window. Cheong-yeon stared blankly at the letters “JT” displayed on the upper floors of the building.
Still unable to make up his mind, Cheong-yeon couldn’t sit still and kept shifting in his seat.
Just then, his phone in his pocket vibrated. With a troubled expression still on his face, Cheong-yeon took out his phone and unlocked it.
[Congratulations. Yoo Cheong-yeon, you have been selected for the role of Kang Ha-woon in the final audition.]
“What?”
Cheong-yeon’s pupils dilated as he instinctively checked the new message. He almost shouted out loud.
Final selection.
Wondering if he had misread it, he went over the word “selected” several times. Even after multiple checks, it was indeed a notification of selection.
The character Kang Ha-woon wasn’t just an ordinary minor role but a supporting role confirmed to appear until the middle to late part of the drama series.
Did I really get the part?
Covering his mouth and quietly swallowing his exclamation, Cheong-yeon’s feelings became even more complex. Separate from his joy, he stared at the phone screen for a few seconds with mixed emotions.
Standing in front of Do-heon’s office, Cheong-yeon ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He then checked his appearance in the glass wall right next to the entrance.
An employee sitting at the secretary’s desk glanced at Cheong-yeon, who was standing in front of the door instead of entering the office directly.
Ignoring the gaze, Cheong-yeon repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists.
After much hesitation, he finally raised his hand and knocked on the office door.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Do-heon answered as if he already knew who was standing outside.
Cheong-yeon gripped the doorknob tightly and turned it. With a click, the heavy door slowly opened.
Do-heon was sitting at his desk inside the office. He was in the middle of approving a thick stack of documents. Even at a glance, he appeared busy.
“……”
Despite hearing the door open, Do-heon didn’t even give Cheong-yeon a glance until he entered the office and sat on the sofa.
Though Do-heon was the one who had proposed the sponsorship and called him here, he didn’t appear rushed at all.
If anyone was anxious, it was Cheong-yeon.
Of course. He was always such an insensitive person.
Instead of waiting for Do-heon to speak first as he would have done in the past, Cheong-yeon decided to state his business.
“There’s something I want to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
He replied while still keeping his eyes fixed on the documents.
“That drama I was filming in front of this building last time… I heard both the chief director and lighting director were replaced.”
On the way here, Cheong-yeon had suddenly thought: perhaps the reason he hadn’t suffered any real consequences despite causing a filming disruption of a drama produced by a famous director and featuring well-known actors was entirely due to Do-heon’s influence—just like the various strokes of luck that had occurred in the past few days.
Cheong-yeon fixed his gaze on Do-heon’s large, long hands as they held a pen and signed documents.
“Was that your doing, Director?”
“Ah, that.”
Do-heon’s hand paused momentarily.
“Of course I intervened.”
“……”
He had suspected it, and now it was confirmed. If he had thought about it more deeply, it would have been obvious.
“It was clear they would’ve harmed you if left unchecked. I couldn’t just stand by knowing that.”
He still spoke as if he were Cheong-yeon’s protector, as if it had been the natural thing to do.
Not only that, but he continued to drive Cheong-yeon home, care about his living expenses and housing, prevent him from walking dangerous paths alone, keep him from carrying heavy things, and never ignored situations where he was in trouble.
As if these were obligations he had to fulfill.
However, he never visited when Cheong-yeon was sick or showed concern. Even when Cheong-yeon had asked him not to go to America, he had ignored the request and left for several months.
Perhaps his sense of duty had limits, like the attentiveness one shows to a beloved pet rather than the thoughtfulness directed toward a lover.
From the beginning, Cheong-yeon thought, that was probably the extent of warmth he held in Moon Do-heon’s heart.
“…Thank you. Without your help in that matter, I wouldn’t have been able to resolve it on my own.”
“Then repay me.”
For the first time since Cheong-yeon entered the office, Do-heon lifted his head and met his eyes.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
I have to say , this couple is terribly incompatible