Episode 4
“Grandma!”
Seol burst into the hospital room, raising her arms high.
“Oh, my little dog is here.”
When she saw Seol, Mrs. Gong’s wrinkled face lit up with a smile. Seol immediately ran to the bed and collapsed on it.
She lay on her knees, and Grandma’s wrinkled hand gently stroked her cheek with a tender touch, as if afraid she might break.
“Did my little dog eat? What are you holding?”
“Yeah, this is tteokbokki…”
Seol was about to brag about her reunion with her teacher when someone knocked on the hospital door.
“Come in.”
At Mrs. Gong’s permission, the door opened slightly, and a round face appeared—it was Seol’s manager, Seonyeong, who had started managing her a week ago.
“Seol.”
“…Unni.”
Seol quickly hid the tteokbokki bag behind her as she sat up.
“Ah, I was so worried when you suddenly disappeared. If you were coming to Grandma’s, you should have told me first.”
“Ah, I forgot. I’m sorry.”
Seol felt bad about lying to Seonyeong, but it couldn’t be helped. Her connection with Chairman Kang was a secret between her and Grandma.
“Why? Did Mom—no, did the CEO find out?”
“It’s not that…”
Before Seonyeong could answer, there was a loud sound of high heels, and the door suddenly slammed open.
“Yoon Seol!”
Her mother’s lips, painted with dark red lipstick, twisted angrily as soon as she saw Seol.
“Are you out of your mind? I told you not to walk around alone outside!”
“Oh my, stop scaring the child.”
“Mom, I’m the one who’s scared, you know? You always spoil her like this, and look how she turned out…”
“Stop raising your voice in the hospital.”
Seol stood up, not wanting her mother to yell in front of Grandma.
When they left the hospital room, Mina grabbed Seol’s arm and dragged her toward the emergency exit. As soon as the door slammed shut, Mina pushed Seol against the wall.
“Yoon Seol. I heard you told your manager you’re quitting.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m not crazy. I’m definitely going to take the college entrance exam next year.”
It was her mother who made Seol miss the exam by scheduling a photo shoot on the exam day.
“You’re talking about the entrance exam? Do you even know how important this is right now?”
“Why? Boys go to the army, right? I’ll just think of it as my military service.”
“Are you out of your mind? Do you know how many people quietly disappear from this industry? Do you want to be one of them? Everyone else is giving up school to focus on work; why are you so obsessed with something useless? How long do you think you’ll be able to work like this?”
“I don’t care. I’m not doing this because I want to.”
“Yoon Seol!”
Mina suddenly lowered her voice as she looked around.
“If you quit, what will happen to Grandma’s hospital bills? What about your brother? What about me, who’s wasted my time taking care of you?”
When Seol was five, she accidentally appeared in a commercial for ice cream and started her career in entertainment. After her father passed away in an accident, Seol became the breadwinner of the family. All the money she earned was their only income.
“I’ve earned enough now.”
Once her first contract ended, her mother started her own company and became the CEO. As Seol’s career advanced, the brands Mina wore changed, and the number of family members and relatives Seol had to take care of increased.
“Earned enough? If you had bought a building in Gangnam, I’d understand… hm, hello?”
Mina stopped shouting and answered the phone.
“Hello, Director Kim. Yes, it’s been well, hasn’t it?”
Mina glared at Seol, then covered her phone with her hand, signaling to her manager.
“Mom. Do you only see me as a money machine?”
This fight had become a regular thing.
“You know how hard I worked to raise you after your father died, right?”
Instead of listening to her mother’s complaints, Seol returned to the hospital room and slapped her cheeks with both hands.
She opened the door with a bright smile.
“Grandma.”
“My little dog. Did you get in trouble?”
“I just ran away secretly today. It’s okay; it’s not the first time.”
“Oh, my poor little dog. I can’t even take care of you because I’m sick.”
“Don’t say that, Grandma. You have to live long. I’ll be a doctor and make you better.”
“Just hearing that makes me feel better, my little dog.”
Grandma’s thin hand patted Seol’s bottom.
Seol had only been reunited with Grandma after several years. She rubbed her face against Grandma’s knee.
“My child. Are you very tired?”
“No, not at all.”
“It’s okay, Grandma. I’ll marry my teacher and retire from the entertainment industry.”
Seol, who dreamed of a happy future, suddenly thought of Taeyu, who was bewildered by her confession and felt conflicted.
“Grandma, I have a question.”
“What is it, my little dog?”
“How do you catch a man?”
