Chapter 58
She also tried to find a photo of her future mother-in-law—the one who supposedly hated Sara so much—but the woman seemed to have no public presence. Only a few short mentions in articles, but no photos at all.
Eventually, she gave up the search and turned her attention elsewhere.
Over the past few weeks, she had been ignoring all the messages and calls from people, using her illness as an excuse. It was about time she started replying.
She was typing the same phrase over and over—“Thanks for your concern. I’m fine now.”—when her eyes caught on one particular name: Mr. Lee.
After a brief hesitation, Sara decided to call him.
[Well, if it isn’t Sara. Long time no see.]
“How have you been, Mr. Lee?”
[Same old, same old. But what about you? I was shocked when I saw that article about you being sick.]
“I’m feeling much better now,” she answered, letting her voice soften a little.
[Better, huh? You don’t sound very lively to me.]
“Really, I’m fine. Oh—how’s Minsik doing? Is he adjusting well?”
[Ah, our Minsik! Of course. You’ve got an eye for talent, Sara. He’s a real find. Said he taught himself composition, and for someone self-taught, he’s doing pretty well. Give him a bit more time and he’ll be producing on his own.]
“That’s good to hear. I know it might’ve been a hassle to take him on, so I really appreciate it, Mr. Lee.”
[A hassle? Don’t say that. What you’ve done for me in the past is worth a hundred times more than this.]
Sara had known Lee Sang-won, the CEO of Le Sang Entertainment, for quite some time. She’d once helped him out when he was in trouble, and since then, she’d even dined with his family on occasion.
[You called to check on Minsik? Don’t worry about him. I’ll make sure he turns out great.]
“That, and… I was curious about something else.”
[What’s that?]
“Are you launching a new boy group soon?”
[Huh? How’d you know about that? Yeah, next month’s their debut showcase. Why, are you interested? Want me to send you tickets?]
“No, nothing like that. I was just wondering…”
She almost said it—Is there someone named Seo Min-hyuk among them?
But the words died on her tongue.
A petty, ugly jealousy flared up inside her.
For a brief moment, she wanted to use her connection with Sang-won to sabotage that innocent half-brother of hers.
You already have everything. Isn’t it only fair you taste a bit of misfortune too?
“Just curious if your company’s doing well these days, that’s all.”
[Ha! Don’t you worry about that. Business is booming. You should buy some of our stock before the new group launches next month.]
But just as she hadn’t chosen to be born her father’s daughter, Min-hyuk hadn’t chosen to be his son either.
Sara let go of her resentment, her insecurity, her envy.
“You’re right. I should. Let’s have a meal together sometime, Mr. Lee.”
[I’d like that. You still play golf? We could go with my wife next time. I got a new membership down in Namhae—amazing view.]
After exchanging a few more casual pleasantries, she hung up.
She was glad Min-hyuk had gone into idol work instead of acting. At least their paths wouldn’t cross that easily again.
Let’s just go back to when I didn’t know anything.
She’d hated enough people in her life to know how exhausting it was.
If her father ever called again, she’d ignore it. If she happened to run into Min-hyuk someday, she’d just act indifferent.
She’d lived fine without them until now—nothing would change.
Sara steeled her heart once more.
“Really? You can start filming next month? That soon?”
“Yeah. We need to start now if we want to finish before winter. The sooner, the better.”
Sara was meeting up with Eun-young for the first time in a while. They’d gone to their usual pub to catch up and talk about the new film.
“But the male lead isn’t even cast yet.”
Sara ladled some fishcake soup into Eun-young’s bowl as she spoke.
Since the investors had rushed the greenlight, they still hadn’t settled on a lead actor.
Most popular actors had their schedules booked a year in advance, so it was proving hard to find someone available.
Sara had been asking around through her connections, but most replies were the same—everyone was busy for at least the next six months.
“Well, about that—”
“Sorry I’m late!”
Eun-young was just about to explain when their third party finally arrived.
Sara checked her phone for the time and shot the newcomer a look.
“Park Ji-soo. Do you know what time it is?”
“Sorry, sorry! I lost track after the shoot. My brain’s mush. Sara! It’s been forever! How are you feeling? I knew that whole Kim Se-yeon thing would blow up—everyone on set said she was terrible to work with. Oh, Director Choi! Congrats on the new film! It’s going to be a hit, I can feel it.”
Even before sitting down, Ji-soo was talking nonstop.
Sara and Eun-young got swept up in her chatter, and soon forgot she was an hour late.
“So when’s the shoot starting?”
“Next month.”
“Oh, that’s quick. What about the cast? Sara’s the female lead, right? Who’s the male lead?”
“Well, it’s not confirmed yet, but it looks like it’ll be Kang Han-sung.”
“…”
“…”
Sara and Ji-soo turned to look at each other at the exact same time.
Ji-soo’s eyes clearly said, You still haven’t told Eun-young that you and Kang Han-sung dated and broke up, have you?
Sara shot her a quick glare, shaking her head ever so slightly—Don’t you dare say a word.
Eun-young, picking up on the strange vibe, asked curiously, “What’s wrong? You two know Kang Han-sung?”
“Well… yeah, we’ve met.”
“I saw that you two were in a movie together. What was he like to work with?”
“He was… fine.”
Sara was usually honest with Eun-young, but there were some things she chose not to share—
like her fake relationship with Seung-tae, or the fact that she’d briefly dated Kang Han-sung and had an absolutely horrible breakup.
“Ahem. Uh, do we have to cast Kang Han-sung?” Ji-soo said, clearing her throat and reaching for her water.
“It’s not set in stone, but all the other big names are booked solid. He just got back from the UK, so his schedule’s open. Why? You know something about him? Is his acting bad?”
“No, no, his acting’s good. It’s just… how should I put it… he’s not exactly the nicest person.”
“You can’t afford to nitpick personalities when you’re making a movie. Remember Park Sang-cheol?” Eun-young muttered bitterly.
Park Sang-cheol had starred in one of her previous films and was arrested for marijuana possession just days after its release—not to mention he’d been notoriously difficult to work with.
“And when I mentioned Sara was the female lead, Kang Han-sung said yes on the spot. I figured that meant you two got along. No?”
“Oh? Yeah, we’re fine. Not exactly close, but nothing bad between us.”
“Cough—cough—”
Ji-soo practically choked on her drink.
Having witnessed every step of Sara’s messy breakup, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Sara discreetly smacked Ji-soo’s thigh under the table—a silent shut up.
Ji-soo pouted in protest but managed to hold her tongue until Eun-young excused herself to the restroom.
Then, as soon as she was out of sight, Ji-soo exploded.
“Are you out of your mind? You’re gonna shoot a movie with him? It’s only been a year and a half since you broke up! What did you say back then, huh? That if you ever saw Kang Han-sung again, he’d be dead to you—‘not a man, but a dog,’ remember?”
“So what? It’s not like it’s a romance. It’s a thriller, and I’m the lead.”
“Still! That’s insane. You remember how clingy he got after the breakup? You changed your phone number twice because of him! The best thing you can do is stay far, far away!”
