MTA 40

Chapter : 40

He knew there was still plenty of potential in Hae-in. There was no way the judges would overlook the talent he had seen.

“It’s still the early stages of the audition. Don’t the judges see that Yoon Hae-in has enough talent to take on a variety of roles?”

“But ultimately, it’s the public who evaluates and consumes Hae-in. The public wants to see a different side of her. The public’s needs are never wrong, and as actors, we have to satisfy our consumers.”

Hyuk immediately contradicted Do-jun, thinking differently from him. But Do-jun couldn’t entirely disagree—he understood Hyuk’s point.

That conversation with Hyuk seemed sufficient. Whether Hae-in would miraculously rise again through the “Soft & Sweet” print ad or have to start anew here would soon be decided.

Hyuk gave Do-jun a worried look as he stood to leave.

“By the way, have you been in contact with Hae-in?”

For some reason, Do-jun felt an urge to tell a small lie that resembled the truth rather than the truth itself.

“That suit looks great. Good luck with the shoot. I have to stop by Hae-in’s, so I’ll leave it at that.”

It was a brief, no-frills farewell, but Hyuk bit his lip in irritation—it seemed as if Do-jun was saying it for his own sake because he couldn’t go see Hae-in.

“Do you remember this?”

Hae-in tilted her head for a moment when she saw Ga-young pulling something out of a box. It looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“What is this?”

“Hey! You don’t remember? This is the outfit we wore for our first stage play!”

“…Wow. That’s still here? Isn’t it rotten by now, given how long it’s been?”

“You’re the one who kept it until it rotted.”

Ga-young was the most excited person in Hae-in’s studio apartment.

Under the pretext of helping tidy up, she had pulled a box from a corner of Hae-in’s wardrobe, summoning memories from their university days.

Since the last shoot, Ga-young hadn’t left Hae-in’s side for even a moment. Knowing her intentions, Hae-in felt grateful but mostly guilty.

“Didn’t you go into the office?”

“I’m on leave.”

“Using four days of leave in a row is kind of weird, isn’t it?”

“The CEO approved it.”

“…Hah.”

The word ‘CEO’ pressed uncomfortably against Hae-in’s chest. She knew he must have had high expectations for her, and she had no face to see him.

“No contact from the CEO?”

“No, not really.”

There had been a couple of calls, but she didn’t answer. She knew he would blame her for her elimination, and hearing his voice might make her cry without control. It seemed better not to pick up.

“You didn’t pick up even though he called?”

“Ga-young is just too perceptive… I thought I needed to sort out my thoughts first. He’d probably find my voice uncomfortable too.”

Goodness. Seo Do-jun must be dying to hear your voice right now, Ga-young thought. She couldn’t voice that thought, so it stayed trapped in her mouth.

“Has Yoon Hae-in eaten?”

“Has Yoon Hae-in slept?”

“Yoon Hae-in, you don’t have to go to work until you feel better. Ah, this is just a general concern for our actors. Don’t misunderstand.”

Do-jun had already said enough to be misunderstood. Ga-young had suggested Hae-in contact him directly, but she wouldn’t do it.

Whether she was terrible at relationships or just couldn’t, Ga-young now brought up her worries directly to Hae-in.

“You’re not thinking of leaving this industry, are you?”

“No, not at all. Running away once was enough. I need to stay here to get closer to the truth of Hae-jin’s incident… what happened that day.”

Honestly, Ga-young wanted to tell Hae-in to let go of Hae-jin and live her own life.

But she knew better than anyone that Hae-in couldn’t let go of her younger sibling just because she told her to.

The mention of Hae-jin left a silence between them for a moment.

“No word from Hyuk? That bastard… no, he must’ve had his reasons.”

Ga-young shook off the thought.

Given Hyuk’s personality, he wouldn’t have eliminated Hae-in without reason. Still, it was frustrating that he hadn’t explained it. Hyuk was the one who wanted Hae-in to make a comeback more than anyone.

“Oh, right. Hae-in, try not to look at the comments. They’re all just Hyuk bashing.”

After episode 2 of The One: Actresses aired, the reaction was explosive.

Especially the malicious comments about Hyuk, who had been labeled “Korea’s treasure” and “the number one guy to date on Christmas,” reached an all-time high.

Hae-in’s elimination hadn’t been broadcast yet, but the staff on site had leaked it, and it had already been reported in the news. The comments were in chaos.

RRR-

Amid the silence, the ringtone caught Ga-young’s attention, and she eagerly grabbed her phone.

“Hae-in, isn’t that CEO Seo?”

Hae-in stared at her phone. The faint letters on the screen were definitely Baek Ah-yeon.

“It’s Baek Ah-yeon. I wonder what she wants.”

“Don’t answer. It’ll probably be annoying.”

“I’m not her manager anymore. I can’t even be annoyed like before.”

Smiling faintly at Ga-young’s worry, Hae-in calmly picked up the call. On the other end, a nonstop, gleeful laughter rang out.

• Hey, Yoon Hae-in.

“Yes, unnie.”

• You got eliminated so stupidly. Haha. Crazy. It was really funny. You’re my laugh button.

“Have you been drinking?”

• Yeah, I’m drinking~ I liked it when you were my manager, but then you went to audition and stuck your head in the manhole. Haha. Ah, sorry. I can’t stop laughing. You were buried while I paid your salary. What an idiot.

This crazy woman had been drinking heavily since morning.

Ga-young tried to grab the phone, but Hae-in quietly listened to Ah-yeon. If she stayed in this industry, she’d have to hear this voice countless times—she didn’t want to run away yet.

• Oh! Right. I got picked as the main model for Soft & Sweet. While you were struggling outside, I’ve been perfecting my career. Hey! Where’s the cigarette?

“Unnie, is there a reporter nearby…?”

Hae-in opened her mouth to ask Ga-young to check for reporters but quickly stopped herself.

Reporter or not, it no longer mattered. She was no longer Baek Ah-yeon’s manager, no longer her staff, and no longer an employee who had to care about Baek Ah-yeon’s image.

• Ah-yeon, should I bring more cigarettes? Fruit?

Just as she was about to hang up, a familiar male voice came through. It was Lee Jin-won’s. He had been doing nothing by her side all this time. They were still seeing each other.

Perhaps annoyed by Hae-in’s intermittent breathing, Ah-yeon spoke first.

• Can you hear Lee Jin-won’s voice? He’s still crawling to me, thinking I’ll do what Hae-in couldn’t. Hae-in, catching a guy’s heart is a skill, you know? I thought you even had CEO Seo’s heart, but what is this. So stupid. Haha. So damn funny.

“Ah, hey! You don’t need to listen. Baek Ah-yeon! Stop drinking so much and stop contacting this number. I’ll upload your voice on MeTube if I have to.”

• Who are you?

“I’m Han Ga-young.”

• Ah, that crazy girl.

“The broadcast of Hae-in’s elimination hasn’t aired yet. The situation could still change.”

• Why are you saying that?

Hae-in tried to stop her, but Ga-young, fuming, continued to fire back at Baek Ah-yeon.

• As expected, birds of a feather. So damn stupid. The spoilers have already gone out. Everyone knows Hae-in got eliminated. What could possibly change? If there was a chance, this week’s episode wouldn’t have aired in the first place.