BIE 58

Chapter 58….

Remembering the Past in India (3)

“Ta-da!”

Arriving at Incheon Airport, I turned around once and flashed a big smile at Director Park hyung.

“This time I got an even tan all over!”
“…Haa.”
“Huh? What? Did I miss a spot?”

What’s wrong?
I was thorough this time.
I worked hard so people wouldn’t call me ‘panda eyes,’ but why is he reacting like that?

“So, the next project—are you planning to film it in the jungle?”
“Huh?”
“I told you to use sunscreen! How are we supposed to shoot when you show up looking this tanned!”
“Ah…”

I should have chosen sunscreen over an even tan…

“Kang, what were you doing!”
“S-sorry, sir.”
“….”

I suddenly felt guilty.
The managers had traveled separately due to shooting logistics, so we weren’t together.
Seeing him get chewed out like that made me feel bad.

Come to think of it, they had given me sunscreen, but I forgot because I was too focused on getting an even tan.
Guess that panda-eye trauma was pretty severe.

“Look at the actor’s face! He has a movie lined up soon—how can we work with this…?”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“What!”
“Is Gam-dong ready?”

At my question, Director Park, who had been fuming, blew out a sharp breath through his nose.

“Why? If he’s ready, you want to film like this?”
“Uh… can’t we just cover it with makeup?”
“Oh, for crying out loud.”

He let out a laugh, like he couldn’t believe me.

“Fine. As long as you came back healthy, that’s enough.”
“Exactly! Healthy beauty comes from tanned skin anyway, right?”

Luckily, it blew over.
After such a long time, coming home really made me miss it.
I guess once you have a home, you start to feel that thing called longing.

“Ta-da!”
“Hey! What’s with your face? You’re completely tanned, pitch black!”
“Are you being racist right now?”
“What racism! I just said you got dark.”
“Sorry. We need to prep for shooting anyway. I’ll cover it up with powder or something.”
[You’re baaaack!]
“Yeah. Did you play well with Gam-dong?”
[Not really. You always stayed locked up in your room or left without coming back, so I was bored. But you always left the TV on for me, so it wasn’t too bad.]

Seemed like they managed fine.

I pulled out the souvenirs I had bought for them.

“This one’s for Gam-dong.”
“You didn’t have to…”

I gave Gam-dong an Indian elephant figurine, and for Yeon-ju…

“Hmm, Yeon-ju, this bracelet is for you.”
[Wow! It’s so pretty!]
“Uh, but how am I supposed to wear this…”

Gam-dong looked flustered at my gift.
How?

“Come here!”
[Try it on right away!]

Yeon-ju happily slipped the bracelet on and even took selfies of her wrist with her phone.
It wasn’t her whole body, but I could still feel her excitement.
Maybe that’s why she even started dancing.

Huh… she’s good?
Guess being a former idol trainee shows.

But not long after, she pulled herself out of it.

“Hmm, let’s put this somewhere you can always see it.”

I set the bracelet neatly in a spot where it would be visible.

[Thank you.]
“Well, food is something we can all share. I just bought these to lift your spirits a little.”

As soon as I said it, it felt like an excuse.
But they smiled like they understood my intentions.

Still, something nagged at me.
That moment when she danced—
I had felt her heart cool rapidly.

I didn’t know exactly what it was, but… maybe that was her lingering regret, her han.

[Did you have fun over there?]
“Of course! I went all the way to India and started hustling again. Ha! Still got it, you know?”
[Really? Did you make a lot?]
“Of course! If I’d stayed, I’d probably be a chaebol in India by now!”
“Wait, wait. What are you two talking about? Include me too!”

Seeing our back-and-forth, Gam-dong must have felt left out, so he cut in with a grumble.

“Just filter half of it.”
“Come on!”

Now that I thought about it, I was hungry.
If you come back to Korea, the rule is—you gotta eat Korean food first!

“Oh! Should I make doenjang jjigae? No, kimchi jjigae. After traveling abroad, I’m craving something spicy.”
“Sounds great!”
[Yay! Kimchi jjigae!]

The three of us sat down together after a long while and shared kimchi jjigae.

This is family.
Maybe this is the true source of longing.

That night, when everyone else was asleep—

Jo Yeon-ju smiled shyly as she looked at the bracelet Woo Soo-han had given her.

[It’s so pretty.]

She honestly hadn’t expected it.
She hadn’t thought he would remember a gift for her.

Staring blankly at the bracelet, Yeon-ju reached out her hand.
Her fingers stroked it gently, and then she slowly began to dance.
She even sang, softly, so Soo-han wouldn’t hear.

It was the kind of bright, lively song and dance that fit a girl group.
The one she hadn’t been able to show earlier.

Maybe because it had been so long, her expression was radiant.

But unlike her cheerful face, tears welled in her eyes.
And as they fell, they turned into light and scattered into the air.

Her dance ended there.
Like before, she stopped again.
She just stood with her head bowed.

[Ugh… I’m not an idiot.]

As if scolding herself, she lightly bumped her forehead against the doorframe, then gazed blankly at the night sky.

For Yeon-ju, tonight was both joyful and suffocating.

And then—my dark history finally aired as a commercial.

That supposedly “only for top stars” cosmetics ad was on TV.

[Wow! You look so cool in it!]
“Thanks.”
[Wow! But are you close with that woman?]

They even aired the alternate version we filmed later.
The one where I played both roles—as man and woman.
Even Yeon-ju, who lived with me, hadn’t recognized it.

“…We’re inseparable.”

At that moment, Yeon-ju’s eyes shook like an earthquake.

[W-wait, really? For real? Are you two dating?]
“Haa…”
[Since when??]

For some reason, I felt that if I admitted it was me, it would shock her badly.
Not to mention the secondhand embarrassment that could bury me alive.

Just then, my phone buzzed violently.

“Hold on, I need to take this.”
[B-betrayal! You even got me a gift!]

So this is what “spiritual energy” is like—Yeon-ju was throwing a fit.
Still buzzing… huh? Oh Ju-hwan? What’s he calling me for?

“Yeah, it’s me.”
– Uh… hyung.
“Yeah.”
– That ad looked amazing.
“You making fun of me?”

This brat, insulting me in such a roundabout way.

– No way! Even as a fellow guy, you looked great. But uh… can I ask?
“What.”
– Who’s that model?
“….”

He’s messing with me on purpose, isn’t he?

– No, it’s not that. I’m filming a commercial soon, and I thought I might recommend her. Haha, really, no hidden intentions!
“….”
– H-hyung? Are you… dating her?
“We’re already one body.”
– Uh… r-really??

Why’s his voice shaking?
Don’t tell me he’s serious.

“She’ll probably be on YouTube soon.”
– H-hyung? Hyung? She’s a YouTuber? But are you really dating?? For real??
“….”

I quietly hung up.

Meanwhile, BS Cosmetics—a subsidiary of Baeksan Group—was in chaos.

“This… this is spreading way bigger than we expected!”
“People are asking who the female model is and want an introduction. What do we do?”
“What else? Introduce her!”
“Puhahaha!”

The ad’s reaction was hotter than anyone expected.
And a hot ad meant hot sales.

“Don’t waste time. Release the behind-the-scenes footage! Let’s also reveal the true identity of the female model everyone’s dying to know about!”

“Strange.”

Some say YouTube has become a red ocean.
Anyone can start, and everyone knows that views equal money.
That’s why content creators are always wracking their brains.

YouTuber Gu Byung-tae had just passed 200k subscribers by making “rookie discovery” content.
Easier said than done—
he would endlessly scour TV, ads, and social media, and when he found someone with potential, he’d dig into their history and turn it into content.

The key wasn’t just finding talent—it was speed.
A little delay, and others would scoop it up with similar videos.

Most people just baited with flashy titles and recycled existing footage.
To stand out, Byung-tae went the extra mile: he researched deeply, pieced together stories, and packaged them into narratives.

But this time, no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find a trace.
Not even a name.

“No way… a BS Cosmetics ad model wouldn’t be a total nobody…”

He’d been hunting for days for info on the woman who starred alongside actor Woo Soo-han.
But nothing—no past, not even a name.
Even after tapping into contacts and reaching BS Cosmetics’ marketing team.

“Damn… why are they hiding her? Is BS planning some secret project?”

It made no sense.
If she were a rookie, she’d be desperate to get her name out there.
Yet there wasn’t a single lead.

Of course, she was attractive.
That’s why Byung-tae was so persistent.
His sharp eye had earned him a reputation—many of his “discoveries” turned into viral hits.
His videos were steady sellers, sometimes resurging years later.

So was she really worth hiding everything?
Probably not.
But the lack of info just fueled his obsession.

Then—an alert popped up from BS Cosmetics.
Title: “Woo Soo-han’s Woman?”

“Damn… am I late?”

He quickly clicked.
Even if it wasn’t the best lead, maybe it was better than nothing.
If they had gone to such lengths to hide her, maybe something big was behind it.

The video started—just ordinary behind-the-scenes clips from the ad shoot.

“…What the…”

Byung-tae froze as he watched.
On screen, Woo Soo-han was literally transforming into a woman in real time.

His face turned empty with shock.
The whole reason he’d chosen this target was simple—
she was exactly his type.
He’d even daydreamed about inviting her, filming a “date with a rookie,” all kinds of plans.

But those fantasies were crumbling live on screen.

And in the comments below, other viewers’ hearts were breaking in real time too:

@asdr_ww
Tell me it’s not true!

@123_fswe_dda
My first love ended today…

@딩기디 딩딩
I still like you anyway! Please accept me!

@ja-den
what? what? what? Really?

@ben_d_w
Noooooooooo!

@망생98
Ah… why am I crying…

Byung-tae stared blankly into his own camera.
He always kept it recording, just in case the process could be turned into content.

He looked at it, then muttered while replaying the footage—

“Should I… try it too?”

It was a silly thought.
But since this video was already a bust, he absentmindedly followed his little sister’s suggestion and tried makeup himself.