Chapter 18
Episode 18
“Seol, don’t worry about anything. I’ll take good care of you and your mother,” said Mr. Ju, his hand adorned with a thick gold ring, slowly brushing Seol’s shoulder before letting go. The touch left a lingering uneasiness, like mold spores spreading.
Eun-jin, who had just brought over some makeup tools, lightly dusted off Seol’s shoulder as if disinfecting it.
“Ah, by the way, everyone knows today is the drama wrap party, right? You all have to attend. Seol, you’re an adult now, so you should start coming to these kinds of gatherings too.”
“…,” Seol remained silent.
“I’ll go greet the director then,” Ju said before leaving the room.
As soon as he was gone, Eun-jin muttered curses under her breath.
“Did he seriously come just because it’s the wrap party? Ugh, of course. He’s like a sparrow—he can’t resist a millstone.”
Hearing Eun-jin’s grumbling, Seol grabbed a book and stood up.
“Seol? Where are you going?”
“I’m just going outside to get some air and read for a bit,” Seol replied, using it as an excuse.
Walking briskly away, she found a quiet spot and leaned against a wall.
“Haah…” She exhaled deeply, trying to calm her queasy and heavy chest.
A fragmented memory came to her mind—she couldn’t recall exactly when it was or how old she had been. After several exhausting days of shooting, she had fallen into a deep sleep only to wake up suddenly.
Something had scared her in her dream, though she couldn’t remember what. Feeling frightened, she wandered into her mom’s room.
“Mom…,” she had called.
“Ahh… yes… there… ugh…” came strange sounds from her mom’s bedroom.
Peeking through the slightly open door, Seol had frozen in place. Inside, her mom and Mr. Ju were entangled on the bed.
Her eyes locked with Ju’s. He had smirked at her, sending chills down her spine.
Disgusted, she hated both Mr. Ju and her mom, who let him into the space where her late father had once been.
Eventually, Seol insisted on moving in with her grandmother, and they lived apart from her mother. She realized later that Ju might have had a hand in isolating her from her grandmother after her father’s funeral.
Feeling suffocated, Seol tapped her chest to release the tension, but in the process, her book slipped from her grasp. As she bent to retrieve it, someone else’s hand reached it first.
It was an elderly man with white hair.
He looked oddly familiar.
“Thank you,” Seol said, bowing politely. She figured he must be someone from the industry, considering they were on set.
“Kam-sa-ham-ni-da?” the old man said in a clunky Korean accent, making Seol blink in surprise before quickly regaining her composure.
Despite his Korean appearance, the man spoke English for a moment before realizing something and switching back to Korean.
“This… book… good,” he said, giving her a thumbs-up.
Seol realized he must have read the same book.
“Yes, good!” she replied, smiling and mimicking his gesture.
The old man chuckled warmly, reminding her of the kindly Colonel Sanders from KFC. Seol couldn’t help but smile back.
Their quiet moment was interrupted when a woman’s voice called out.
“Director!”
A tall, beautiful woman with a striking figure approached them.
Wait, that’s her! Seol instantly recognized her.
Before she could say anything, the woman greeted her first.
“Oh, you’re actress Yoon Seol, right?”
“Yes, hello,” Seol replied, studying the woman with curious eyes.
The woman explained, “The director says he’s happy to meet you,” translating the man’s English words.
“Oh, so he’s the director? I see,” Seol nodded in understanding.
The director interrupted, “Director? No, grandpa, yes,” he joked in his accented Korean, making everyone laugh.
Kim Soo-hyun, the woman, added with a warm smile, “Our director is a fan of yours. He says he’d like to be friends with you.”
“Sure, I’d love that! I think he has plenty of friends already,” Seol replied innocently, shaking the director’s hand with childlike enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, across town, Kang Tae-joo sat in a restaurant with Choi Seok-jin. Seok-jin, eyeing the grill set up at their table, muttered, “Can I just skip this? You know I hate literary stuff.”
“Cut it out. You’re here for business, not an audition. Stay focused. We’re securing this deal today, no matter what.”
Seok-jin sighed dramatically, munching on a lettuce leaf Tae-Joo had stuffed in his mouth. He couldn’t help but notice that Tae-joo seemed unusually sharp and on edge tonight, though it wasn’t just because of the deal.
“Alright, spill it. What happened between you and Yoon Seol? Why’s she so quiet these days? Did she give up chasing you?”
Without answering, Tae-joo calmly held out his hand.
“For what?” Seok-jin asked, confused.
“Your phone.”
“What? Why?”
When Seok-jin reluctantly handed it over, Tae-joo scrolled through the contacts, found Yoon Seol’s number, and deleted it.
“Hey! What the hell, Kang Tae-joo?”
“Don’t answer her calls. You can’t call her either,” Tae-joo ordered coldly.
Seok-jin was left speechless as Tae-Joo redirected the conversation back to business. “Focus on the deal. The director’s translator also handles management, so make a good impression. You’ll need to finalize the contract after tonight.”
At the restaurant, Kim Soo-hyun warmly greeted Tae-Joo and introduced him to Jason, the director. They discussed business and Jason reminisced about his love for Korean barbecue. As they drank and bonded, Tae-Joo revealed his connection to the book he wanted to adapt into a film.
“My mother’s dream was to see this book made into a movie,” Tae-joo admitted, his voice steady despite the heaviness of his words.
Jason was intrigued and listened closely as Tae-joo shared a story about his late mother, even showing a cherished photo of her. Touched, Jason finally agreed to the project.
Just as they were settling into a celebratory mood, a group of people suddenly entered the restaurant.
“Hey, didn’t we book this place for a wrap party?” one of them complained.
