Chapter 73
Being repeatedly given gifts against my will through other people was frustrating. It was especially disheartening because I had never asked him for such things. This wasn’t some royal court where favors were bestowed upon concubines.
If he gave it to me directly, at least I could refuse it on the spot.
Then again, Moon Do-heon probably considered it a waste of time to personally select and deliver gifts. He was always so busy with work matters.
Do-heon hadn’t changed at all since the divorce.
“Not answering.”
The ringing had stopped. This happened often enough that it wasn’t surprising anymore.
Cheong-yeon considered waiting for Do-heon to call back, but decided to press the call button again. This time, however, the call disconnected midway.
“What? Did he hang up?”
Cheong-yeon glared at the screen in disbelief as the call ended.
He might be in a meeting or moving between locations, but it was frustrating how Do-heon always did whatever was convenient for himself, just like before.
Cheong-yeon fidgeted with the car keys in his hand, wondering what to do. There wasn’t even proper parking space at his current apartment, making a car more of a burden than an asset. Besides, in the narrow alleyways with buildings packed tightly together, a foreign luxury car was completely out of place.
If Do-heon had just taken a moment to consider the receiver’s situation, he could have easily realized this. But Do-heon lacked such sensitivity. And Cheong-yeon was thoroughly tired of his thoughtlessness.
While debating whether to return to the agency or wait a bit longer, he felt his phone vibrate.
Cheong-yeon checked his phone, thinking it might be Do-heon, but instead of his name, he saw his company number on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hello. This is Shim Jung-hyuk, Executive Secretary to the CEO of JT Electronics.”
…Shim Jung-hyuk? The name was unfamiliar, but Cheong-yeon quickly recognized the voice.
“Ah, Secretary Shim. What brings you to call?”
“I understand you called the Director. Currently, he’s in an executive meeting and cannot take calls. If you need anything, please relay it to me.”
So it was work-related as expected.
But still, do JT Electronics executives regularly work on weekends? It’s surprising enough that they come in on Saturday, but to hold meetings too? Is this a particularly busy season? Cheong-yeon wondered as he tried to recall.
“When does the meeting end?”
“The meeting just started, so it’s difficult to give you an exact end time.”
In other words, it would take a while. Displeased with the vague answer, Cheong-yeon pouted.
“Then please tell him to call me back this evening.”
“Well… the Director’s schedule is packed until late tonight, so there may not be any free time in between.”
“He’s working until late at night? It’s the weekend today.”
“……”
There was a brief silence over the phone.
“Secretary Shim?”
“Ah, I apologize. I was considering how much information I should share with you. This meeting is discussing a new project being pushed by the American branch, so there are time zone issues that don’t align with Korean time.”
That meant Secretary Shim was also confirmed for weekend work and overtime. Yet, his voice showed no signs of fatigue. Though his tone was businesslike, it was underlaid with kindness as always. Cheong-yeon felt somewhat sorry for him.
He already knew Do-heon was a busy person because of work, but wasn’t this worse than his own schedule running around trying to be an actor?
“So basically, you don’t know when he’ll be free.”
“At the moment, the Director hasn’t left any specific instructions, so it’s difficult for me to answer. If you need help or have an urgent matter, please let me know.”
“It’s not that urgent.”
Cheong-yeon couldn’t bring himself to tell Secretary Shim, who was already confirmed for weekend overtime, to come all the way here to take back the car for a return. It was Do-heon’s doing anyway, and telling Secretary Shim probably wouldn’t resolve the issue immediately.
“Also, Cheong-yeon, this is a personal matter, so I’m hesitant to bring it up, but could you unblock my personal number?”
Just as he was about to end the call, Secretary Shim brought up an unexpected topic.
“Blocked? Ah.”
Now that he mentioned it, on the day of the divorce, he had angrily blocked most people associated with Do-heon.
“It would be inconvenient to contact you in case of an emergency.”
So that’s why he called from the company number. Apparently, Cheong-yeon had blocked Secretary Shim as well, forcing him to use another number.
“I’ll unblock it now. Sorry about that.”
“No need to apologize. Thank you.”
As soon as Cheong-yeon hung up, he found Secretary Shim’s number in his contacts and unblocked it.
He had thought he would never be involved with these people again, but everything was flowing contrary to his original intentions. Somehow, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
*
The next day.
A script reading was in progress with the director, writer, and actors all gathered together. While it was exciting to see famous actors he had only seen on TV, Cheong-yeon couldn’t relax for a moment due to the pressure of having to work with them immediately.
To avoid missing his cues, Cheong-yeon buried his face in the script, concentrating as he waited for his turn. When an actor performed in a tone that didn’t match the atmosphere, the director and senior actors would sharply point it out and provide corrections.
Fortunately, Cheong-yeon’s lines passed without any specific criticism. The meeting with the director the day before had clearly helped.
Even in this tense situation, Cheong-yeon couldn’t completely push thoughts of Do-heon out of his mind. In the end, he hadn’t heard from Do-heon at all yesterday. And there was still no word from him.
Secretary Shim had hinted he would be busy, but Cheong-yeon had still expected a call this morning. There had never been such a long period without contact before.
Just then, an actor reading lines hit a wrong note, causing everyone to burst into laughter. Taking advantage of the relaxed mood, Cheong-yeon discreetly lowered his head to check if there were any new notifications on his phone.
Instead of the expected message from Do-heon, there were several advertisement texts along with a KakaoTalk message from his manager saying he would be waiting in the parking lot. Cheong-yeon nibbled on his lower lip and put his phone back in his pocket.
I need to return the car key. I want to make it clear that I don’t need these things and he shouldn’t give me gifts as he pleases anymore.
However, since they weren’t in contact, his planned confrontation was useless. He considered calling again, but then thought that perhaps Do-heon didn’t feel any need to contact him, especially since they were already scheduled to meet every Friday.
If he’s going to ignore me like this, he shouldn’t have given me something expensive in the first place. It’s not like I can just throw it away on the street if I don’t like it.
“Thank you all for your hard work. We’ll end here for today.”
While Cheong-yeon was still feeling frustrated, the script reading had successfully concluded. Actors who had been seated around the long table began to rise and head out.
“Thank you for your work.”
“Thank you!”
“We’ll coordinate the unresolved parts on the set. Looking forward to filming with you all.”
“Yes! See you on the shooting day.”
Cheong-yeon promptly stood up and bowed to everyone he encountered. He remained inside until almost everyone had left, then finally stepped out into the hallway.
“You’re Yoo Cheong-yeon, right? I thought your performance tone was pretty good today.”
Just then, someone called his name. When Cheong-yeon turned around, he saw a supporting actor who had been sitting at the far end of the table during the reading.
“Hello.”
As the man extended his hand, Cheong-yeon hesitated briefly before shaking it. Given his strong impression, Cheong-yeon had thought he might be an Alpha, but he couldn’t detect any pheromones from the hand he grasped.
Realizing the other person was a Beta, Cheong-yeon’s wariness eased a bit.
“Thank you for the kind words. I was quite nervous.”
“You didn’t seem nervous at all. I heard you had a separate meeting with the director. Were you two already acquainted?”
The man, who appeared to be around Cheong-yeon’s age, either had a naturally friendly personality or mixed formal and informal speech in a way that wasn’t offensive.
“No. He wanted to see me once to prevent any mishaps. Nothing special was discussed.”
The thought of being misunderstood as someone sponsored by an elderly man still made his teeth grind, but thanks to the director’s pointers that day, he had managed to get through today’s reading without issue.
“Ohh. But I can definitely tell you have that idol background. You know, that look that captures the camera. When the red light turns on. You know what I mean?”
“Were you also active in the idol industry, sunbae?”
“I was just a trainee for a few months, never debuted.”
“You were a trainee? That’s interesting.”
Excited to meet someone with a similar background, Cheong-yeon’s eyes sparkled as if he’d found a friend.
“There are probably many people like us here. Actually, I know DEX’s title choreography too. I like performances so much that I’ve uploaded some challenges on TikTok.”
As Cheong-yeon was responding with surprise, his pocket vibrated.
“Ah, excuse me for a moment! I’m getting a call.”
Thinking it might be the long-awaited contact from Do-heon, Cheong-yeon gestured apologetically to the person in front of him and answered the phone.
“Hello?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
