Chapter 6
“Ah!”
Director Shin gasped and quickly bowed his head in greeting.
CEO Kim Yoon-deok, an older man with a gentle smile, waved it off good-naturedly.
“I think we can go with this version, Director Shin.”
“…Sorry? With Ms. Heo Yuri’s cut, you mean?”
“Yes, yes. I’ve been watching that historical drama she’s in lately. She’s so bright and cute, isn’t she?”
Director Shin’s expression stiffened — just like Executive Joo Hyun-ho’s earlier.
“And that last part — when she pops out from behind the Snack Chip box and winks — it’s sexy and charming.”
What the hell…?
Was he really serious?
Still, if the client wanted it that way, there wasn’t much the director could say. Shin glanced toward Executive Joo.
Joo Hyun-ho gave a subtle nod, his face unreadable — a silent sign to follow the CEO’s wishes.
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
And that was that.
The shoot wrapped immediately. Normally, they’d film from a few different angles or do a couple more takes, but Shin had lost all motivation.
He just bowed politely and muttered that he’d try to make it work in editing before turning away.
Yuri, watching from the side, let out a light laugh and walked up to the CEO.
“Hello, Mr. Kim!”
“Hahaha, our Yuri — I’ve been enjoying your acting on TV.”
When she greeted him brightly, the elderly man smiled warmly and even put an arm around her shoulders.
It made her uncomfortable, but since he didn’t cross any further lines, Yuri forced a polite smile.
“Thank you, sir.”
Her father — the CEO of her agency — had already lobbied Kim Yoon-deok to secure this commercial for her.
“Good, good. Let’s have dinner together sometime.”
His overly familiar tone was unpleasant, but Yuri kept her smile until the end.
Things like this were common in the entertainment industry anyway. Sponsorships and favors were an open secret.
At least, since her father was the agency head, she didn’t have to personally deal with the sleazier side of it. Lucky her.
“Yes, see you next time. Goodbye, sir.”
Still smiling sweetly, Yuri saw him off — then headed back to the waiting room.
Just as she entered, Se-ah was picking up her bag, ready to leave.
They paused — standing face to face for a brief, tense moment.
Without even a word of goodbye, Se-ah brushed past her. That irritated Yuri.
She grabbed Se-ah’s arm roughly and stopped her.
“Hey.”
Where do you think you’re going first?
With a glance, Yuri signaled her manager to pack up the bags, then stepped closer and met Se-ah’s eyes head-on.
From what she’d seen, Se-ah had probably been scolded badly by Director Shin today.
Meanwhile, Yuri had caught the CEO’s eye — her face would now appear more prominently in the ad than some dumb snack.
She smirked. I’ll be more successful than you.
“You’ll never beat me.”
Yuri sneered at Se-ah’s confused face, brushed her shoulder as she passed, and walked out of the room — satisfied with herself.
***
A week later.
Today was the recording day for a documentary narration.
Se-ah left home early and took the bus to the broadcasting station.
It was a radio job she’d been invited to do — her calm, clear voice was said to fit perfectly with early morning documentary narration.
Before her regression, she would’ve been thrilled.
Now, she just felt uneasy — because of the male actor she’d be recording with.
Do Gun-ha.
An actor who had stunned audiences with his debut performance.
Known for his exceptional acting and sharp eye for good projects, any film or drama he joined would become both a hit and a critical success.
That would’ve been fine — if not for the heavy sigh that escaped her lips.
“Haah…”
Ji-man came to mind, and she shut her eyes tightly.
The scandal she had been forced into — all for Ji-man’s benefit — had dragged Gun-ha down too.
He had absolutely nothing to do with it, yet he got caught in the mess.
“Why did it have to be him…”
She still felt guilty — even though that scandal technically “never happened” anymore.
Back then, Gun-ha had been hounded by gossip for weeks.
The sudden rumor had been the perfect excuse for people to tear down his good reputation — especially since jealousy had followed him since his debut.
Even though his agency had released an official denial, the press kept pushing articles, and it took a long time for things to quiet down.
Thankfully, Gun-ha was respected among industry professionals; once the noise faded, he returned through his work and silenced everyone with his acting.
“Wait a second…”
A thought suddenly struck her, and she frowned.
One of the photos from that old scandal had been taken today.
It had just been a friendly chat and a smile — yet the tabloids had twisted it maliciously.
“Just how long had they been planning that…?”
It was infuriating.
She refused to let that kind of thing happen again.
If even a simple greeting could be turned into a scandal, what could she possibly do now?
She couldn’t just ignore him completely — that would be rude.
And she definitely couldn’t skip a confirmed schedule.
Maybe I should just avoid eye contact… keep my distance.
Even if it wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t risk falling for the same trap again.
If Gun-ha ended up thinking badly of her — that was still better than being caught in another fake scandal.
She sighed deeply, over and over. Then her phone buzzed.
It was a call from Manager Song Yoon-mi.
“Yes, Ms. Song?”
What could it be?
Had the music video audition been canceled or something?
Her voice trembled a little with worry.
— “Sae-ah, are you okay?”
“Huh?”
The question caught her off guard.
She hesitated, unsure what she meant, until a soft chuckle came from the other side.
— “I thought you’d be upset about the Miso Confectionery commercial.”
“Oh… that.”
— “Guess I worried for nothing.”
Hearing the warmth in Yoon-mi’s voice, Se-ah smiled faintly too.
It was understandable why she’d worry — Yuri had become an instant star from that Snack Chip ad.
The CEO of Miso Confectionery and UZ Entertainment’s president, Heo Joon-sung, had openly supported her.
Yuri’s scenes were shown far more often than Se-ah’s, and in print ads, Se-ah’s face was barely visible.
Even though they were in the same agency, it was impossible not to feel disappointed.
But since Yuri was the daughter of the agency head, anyone else would’ve been treated the same way.
Se-ah had already accepted that.
“I’m fine, really.”
— “Good. You’re going to do even better, Sae-ah.”
“Thank you.”
— “I mean it, not just saying it.”
Yoon-mi laughed gently through the phone.
— “Yuri’s getting public attention, sure. But you — the industry insiders are watching you. You know what that means, right?”
“Ah…”
— “It means your acting stands out.”
Encouraging her to stay confident, Yoon-mi added an even better piece of news:
Director Park had personally called after seeing Se-ah’s commercial and acting portfolio.
— “He said he loved your performance and wants to work with you. You can skip the audition.”
“W-What? Really?”
It was unbelievable.
Her voice trembled with surprise.
“I’m skipping the audition?”
— “Yep. He wants to have dinner with you and Dan to discuss the concept.”
“Th-thank you, Ms. Song!”
— “Oh, don’t thank me…”
Her manager teased, then added something even more shocking.
— “Come by the office after your documentary recording. Another project sent an audition request for you.”
What?
Everything was happening too fast.
She could hardly react.
Still dazed, Se-ah forgot she was on a moving bus and jumped up, bowing instinctively.
“Thank you! Thank you so much, ma’am!”
— “Sit down, you’ll scare people! Haha. Anyway, call me when you’re done recording.”
Even after the call ended, she stayed frozen until the bus driver shouted for her to sit down for safety.
***
At the quiet broadcasting building that afternoon —
Still feeling lightheaded, Se-ah got off the bus.
Her mind was spinning.
She had just landed a music video role without auditioning, and now there was another project waiting?
It was overwhelming — but thrilling.
Barely aware of her own footsteps, she wandered inside the building.
After checking in at the front desk and receiving a visitor badge, she headed for the third floor.
She looked around — where was the elevator?
Then she spotted an escalator in the corner and walked toward it.
It seemed to go up to the third floor.
She stepped on, slipping her pass into her handbag.
Someone was standing behind her, but since she didn’t know anyone here, she didn’t bother greeting them.
Just as she was about to step off, someone running toward the escalator accidentally bumped into her.
“Ah!”
“Oh, I’m so sorry!”
The person’s broadcasting equipment got caught in her hair.
It tugged painfully before finally coming loose — and the man rushed off without another word.
But the impact made her lose balance — and she stumbled backward on the descending escalator.
“Ahh!”
It could’ve been a serious accident.
She reached out, desperate to grab something, but there was nothing within reach.
Just as she squeezed her eyes shut—
Someone caught her from behind, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“Whoa…”
“Are you alright?”
It was the person who had been standing behind her earlier.
If not for him, she might’ve ended up tumbling down to the bottom and straight to the hospital.
Her whole body trembled. Without thinking, she clung to the stranger’s arm for support.
After taking a shaky breath, she stepped back and bowed her head.
“Th-thank you so much for catching me…”
When she finally looked up — her eyes widened.
Do Gun-ha.
Of all people — it was him. The very one she had wanted so badly to avoid.
