Chapter 34
Lee the reporter whistled as he got into his car.
Well, well. He had no physical evidence, but this interview alone was enough to sway public opinion. It was an incredible bait. To sum up all the interviews:
No Hye-young and Kang Da-eun were close, but Hye-young was jealous of her.
The two had planned to audition together for Secret Letter, and they were supposed to meet the day before.
That day, Da-eun waited for Hye-young in the department lounge but fell asleep. While she was sleeping and the two classmates with her left for class, someone installed a portable gas burner in the lounge.
“Interesting.”
Looking at the sequence of events, didn’t it seem as if No Hye-young had tried to harm Da-eun because she wanted to pass the Secret Letter audition?
On top of that, reporter Lee had a video he’d taken not long ago—of Hye-young looking thrilled right after Da-eun got hurt during We Must.
Reporter Lee Cheol-su felt a surge of pleasure knowing he had a weakness that could shake No Hye-young.
Views, money—
If this went well, he could milk it hard.
The smile never left his face as he grabbed the steering wheel and drove out of the university.
* * *
On the first day of filming for Jackpot, it snowed heavily.
“Should I be glad it’s snow and not rain, or what…”
Outdoor filming was coming up soon, and the staff sighed as they began setting up equipment under the falling snow.
“Director, hello!”
“Oh, Da-eun. It’s not even your filming day. What brings you here?”
“It’s our movie’s first shoot—how could I stay home? I brought snacks and thought I’d study the set too.”
Da-eun had prepared a warm snack truck for the hardworking crew. After all, cold weather always made people hungrier.
Even after having a proper lunch, the swirling snow made everyone feel oddly empty inside.
“Wow—thank you.”
Director Ji Seung-gyun exclaimed loudly when he saw the steaming fish cakes from the food truck.
“All right, let’s have a hot fish-cake skewer before we start! Oh man, that looks good.”
Staff members gathered one by one.
“Thank you for the food!”
“Nothing beats hot fish-cake soup in winter.”
Just then, actor Choi Hee-seong—playing the protagonist Gu-yong in Jackpot—stepped out from the set.
The first shoot covered the scene where Gu-yong grew his hatred in prison and was released early on special pardon.
They had finished shooting inside the prison set and were moving on to the exterior.
“Gu-yong! Come have some of this first!”
Hee-seong approached with a delighted face when Director Ji, biting into a fish cake, called him over.
“Oh wow—what’s all this?”
“Our Si-ho treated everyone since it’s the first day and it’s tough already.”
“Hey, where’s Si-ho? Si-ho!”
Hearing him, Da-eun peeked out from the truck where she’d been ladling soup.
“Oh, sunbae. You’re out? What can I get you? We have spicy ones too.”
“How did you prepare all this? You’ve got great sense, youngest! Wow! I’ll have the spicy one!”
Da-eun laughed and handed him a cup with two pieces of fish cake.
“There’s plenty—please have more!”
“Thanks, I’ll enjoy it!”
Everyone had been exhausted after filming for nine hours since 6 a.m. Surprises like this were always welcome.
Hee-seong took his spicy soup and fish cake and stood beside the director. Meanwhile, Da-eun stayed busy in the truck helping the staff.
Hee-seong took a bite, then glanced toward Da-eun before quietly asking Director Ji:
“I heard Si-ho’s action scene changed?”
Director Ji, who had eaten six skewers and was sipping broth, nodded, blowing out a long breath.
“The stunt director called—he was super excited.”
“Really?”
“He said Si-ho would be able to pull the scene off perfectly.”
From the first day at action school, her learning speed was fast and her posture exceptional.
Just in case, they had her practice the original planned sequence starting the next day, and she followed it surprisingly well.
“The stunt director insisted we go back to the original plan—he’ll train her thoroughly until shoot day.”
“Wow—she looks delicate but she’s seriously tough, huh?”
Director Ji laughed heartily. A new cup of broth appeared in Hee-seong’s hand, brought by his manager.
“Try the mild one too, hyung.”
“Yeah, the spicy was a bit much. Thanks.”
As Hee-seong drank the clear broth, he stared at Da-eun, who was smiling brightly.
Not long ago, he had met actor Kwon Min-goo for drinks.
Min-goo had previously acted with Da-eun in Secret Letter, and Hee-seong couldn’t forget what he had once said about her on TalkGo, so he asked again.
‘Hyung… is Kang Da-eun really comparable to Park Yoon-sik?’
Even for TV, Min-goo wasn’t the type to flatter. And he mentioned Park Yoon-sik of all people.
Still, it was hard to believe. A rookie who’d barely debuted showing acting comparable to someone with 50 years of experience?
Then Min-goo had said:
‘Man, a monstrous junior has arrived. Be on guard.’
Their glasses clinked.
‘I acted with her briefly, but you’ll be filming with her for a long time. She’ll swallow you whole if you slip even once.’
Seriously, she was that good?
Hee-seong narrowed his eyes as he watched Da-eun kindly handing out warm food to staff members.
Most staff had finished eating by now and were resting. The truck was being cleaned up. Filming would resume soon.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
The first scene between Gu-yong and Si-ho wasn’t particularly special.
Si-ho was someone who met powerful figures in the underworld and subtly extracted information—or implanted it.
Gu-yong sought her out to recruit her for his revenge.
Action, acting—
Hee-seong was genuinely curious to see the performance of Da-eun, who only received praise wherever she went.
* * *
Da-eun watched the set from behind as filming resumed.
Choi Hee-seong was known for exceptionally flavorful, realistic acting, making it easy for audiences to immerse themselves in the story.
He also had considerable experience in crime-action roles, down to the way he walked.
“I wonder how it looks on screen.”
She wasn’t in this scene, so she stayed far back so she wouldn’t disturb anyone.
Someone handed her a heat pack.
“Junior.”
It was Yoon Joo-hyuk. Da-eun remembered he said he’d see her on set today and smiled as she accepted it.
“Sunbae! Thank you. Ah, it’s warm. Did you eat fish cakes?”
“I did.”
His refreshing smile made her smile too. The heat pack was wonderfully warm in her hands.
“If you want to know how the scene looks, you have to go see it yourself.”
He then passed along Director Ji’s message: if she was staying longer, she should join them in monitoring the scene.
“Oh, I’d be so grateful.”
She had been afraid to ask—worried that standing near the director might bother someone as senior as Choi Hee-seong.
But to be invited like this—
Walking slowly, Joo-hyuk said:
“You’ll learn a lot. Watch closely.”
Da-eun listened attentively as he advised her on camera techniques and angles she could make use of.
“Oh, Da-eun. Have a seat here.”
“Thank you.”
An assistant director offered her a chair when he recognized her nearby.
Director Ji was focused on the monitor, studying Gu-yong’s performance.
“I’ll get going.”
Joo-hyuk tapped Da-eun’s shoulder lightly and left.
He watched her calmly take her seat before turning away with effort.
There was always a mountain of things to do on set—organizing cables, removing unnecessary lights, changing setups for each required angle.
As he worked busily, Joo-hyuk recalled his recent meeting with movie investors.
‘How’s that actress these days? Kang Da-eun.’
Her name had come up often, especially from Pyo Kyung-hwan.
Pyo Kyung-hwan was deputy director of OJ ENM and the second son of the OJ Group’s owner family.
Known for his clean looks and cold personality, he’d been in the news often since joining the company.
In the second timeline as well, Pyo Kyung-hwan had shown great interest in Da-eun. Most works he invested in had succeeded. He had not just wealth but an exceptional instinct for what would sell.
“……”
Finishing the audio cable cleanup, Joo-hyuk sighed and looked toward Da-eun.
She was talking with Director Ji and Choi Hee-seong.
Back then, he had been arrogant and petty.
Blinded by his own film project, he had neglected Da-eun while also being jealous and wary of Pyo Kyung-hwan’s investments.
No Hye-young had stepped on Da-eun using Hong Mu-seok in the previous life—
so this time, things had to be different.
Joo-hyuk recalled the moment in the second life when Da-eun had left the world.
