Chapter 16
When Juhyuk silently gazed at her, Daeun opened her mouth first.
“Don’t you have an appointment?”
“No.”
His quick answer made Daeun tilt her head slightly. Juhyuk let out a quiet laugh—her puzzled expression was just too cute.
He explained that he had stopped by a nearby film company for some business and was now on his way somewhere else he wanted to visit.
Was he leaving now that they’d greeted each other? Daeun seemed about to say something, but not wanting to let her go just yet, Juhyuk spoke first.
“What were you doing here?”
“Ah… I came out for an audition I’m preparing for.”
“People-watching?”
He already knew her habit.
Daeun pursed her lips as if surprised that he knew, then nodded easily. It was a common method among actors when developing a character, after all.
As they slowly started walking, Juhyuk continued the conversation. Daeun naturally matched his pace.
“What audition?”
“It’s for Jackpot, directed by Ji Seung-gyun.”
“Oh, I know that one.”
He had just come from Director Ji’s production company. In his second life, Daeun had acted in that film too—it seemed she’d chosen the same project again this time. A relief.
“You know him?”
“I may not look like it, but I have connections everywhere.”
Her round eyes widened, and he found himself laughing again.
“What role?”
“Siho.”
“Mm. That’s quite a challenge.”
It was a character with a personality completely opposite from Daeun’s. That must be why she was out here observing people.
Walking down the main street, Juhyuk turned into a smaller alley. There were still people around, though not as many.
“Want to come with me to the place I was heading to?”
In his second life, Daeun had also struggled with the role of Siho.
“It’ll be a good place for character study.”
Daeun hesitated, but when he mentioned it might help her build the character, curiosity sparked in her eyes.
“Where is it?”
“Not far.”
Juhyuk pointed to a bar on the second floor of a nearby building. It was a private, high-end spot frequented by celebrities.
After a moment’s thought, Daeun nodded—Siho was an alcoholic character, after all. It suited the role perfectly.
From the outside, it looked like a normal bar, but the inside told a different story.
“Wow…”
The entire floor was the bar’s space, and the opposite-side view made it the perfect spot for people-watching.
Across the street was a one-story pub with a triangular roof and a small garden where people seemed to be enjoying a party.
“Nice spot, right?”
Sitting down at a table overlooking the party-like scene, Daeun nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling.
She observed the people outside while Juhyuk quietly observed her.
“Ah, if Siho were in that situation, she’d act like this…”
Completely immersed, she seemed to forget he was even there. Juhyuk let out a faint, bitter smile.
When he’d returned to the past, he’d made one condition with the heavens: erase Daeun’s memories of their second life together and make it so she wouldn’t think of him in this one.
Even if they met often, she would never feel more than friendly admiration.
If he didn’t appear before her, it would be as if her thoughts of him were erased entirely.
There would be no time for deeper feelings to take root.
Of course, he hadn’t even planned to see her this often—because seeing her too much would only awaken his greed.
He didn’t want to see Kang Daeun cry anymore.
He never imagined he’d have to say goodbye after seeing that tear-stained face for the last time.
Remembering the cold body he’d once held in his arms, Juhyuk sighed softly and turned his head at the sound of footsteps.
“Here are your cocktails.”
The waiter placed two drinks and a small plate of fruit on the table before leaving.
Sliding one glass toward her, Juhyuk asked,
“How’s it going?”
“Hmm. I think I can imitate her actions, but… I just can’t understand her heart.”
Siho was a difficult character—she acted vulgar yet had to appear refined, while her inner self was steeped in sorrow, self-loathing, and regret.
“She wants to be loved, but why does she talk and act so cruelly? She knows she’ll regret it, yet she keeps doing the opposite.”
Daeun fiddled with her glass as she spoke.
“I know it in my head—it’s because she’s scared, because her past wounds made her defensive. But I can’t express it right.”
Without grasping the emotional foundation, her acting would come off flat.
Juhyuk nodded and took a sip of his drink.
“Does she have a backstory explaining it?”
Why did Siho keep pushing herself toward ruin?
“She’s said to have been abandoned three times—by her parents, grandmother, and lover. But something about it feels strange.”
Daeun continued: it wasn’t Siho’s fault, yet she blamed and destroyed herself—and Daeun couldn’t understand that.
It was because Daeun herself was too strong and upright.
That strength had helped her in Secret Letter, but Jackpot was about the ugliness and pettiness within human nature.
“Try recalling something similar. What’s the most precious thing to you?”
“The most precious thing…?”
“Yeah. Have you ever lost it?”
Siho was hurt by those she loved most and blamed herself for it.
For Kang Daeun, the most precious thing must be acting.
Losing someone dear and losing your greatest passion both left similar scars.
In her first life, she’d suffered severe burns and couldn’t pursue her dream fully.
“What if you lost it because of your own mistake?”
Even if that accident hadn’t been her fault, back then when no culprit was ever found, anyone would’ve blamed themselves.
“Ah…”
Daeun fell into thought.
It was as if she was recalling all the moments in her first life when she’d wanted to die—why she’d been there, why she couldn’t fight her sleepiness, why she’d walked up to turn off the gas burner right before the explosion.
Even if it wasn’t the same experience as Siho’s, understanding that kind of self-blame would help her grasp the role.
Juhyuk quietly watched her profile.
“Thank you, sunbae.”
She smiled brightly, seemingly having found clarity about the character. Captivated by that beautiful smile, Juhyuk spoke without thinking.
“If you ever need help…”
He trailed off before finishing call me. He couldn’t let his guard down.
Because deep down, he still wanted to stay by her side.
No matter how much he loved Kang Daeun, his selfishness would eventually clip her wings. That’s why he’d avoided entering the We Must Be Together editing room—to keep from crossing her path.
Before he could suggest they leave, Daeun spoke first.
“Can I contact you first? If I need your help, I mean.”
Her words, finishing what he couldn’t say, made him smile softly.
“If you think of me when you need help.”
Would that day ever come—when she thought of him even in his absence? She looked puzzled, as if sensing the bitterness behind his smile.
“Let’s go.”
It was time to end this fleeting, happy encounter and send her off.
Early morning.
Thinking back to the bar from last night, Daeun began preparing for her audition.
The Jackpot audition was in two weeks, but she knew mastering Siho’s speech and behavior naturally would take time.
After stretching, she practiced expressions in the mirror for a long while.
Even while tidying her home and preparing breakfast, she tried to live as Siho.
In this house, she would become Siho.
Siho was free-spirited and instinctive—doing whatever she wanted, bluntly criticizing whatever she disliked, often seducing men to steal from them.
She stole all kinds of things: possessions, information, even hearts.
Daeun kept thinking about how to make Siho charming and what kind of presence the screenwriter wanted her to have.
[I’ve arrived.]
Until her manager arrived, Daeun remained fully absorbed in her practice.
Seeing Ha-jung’s text, she snapped back to reality, grabbed her We Must Be Together script, and hurried outside.
“Actress-nim, Secret Letter is doing really well lately.”
“Really?”
As soon as Daeun got into the car, Ha-jung shared the news with a bright grin.
Secret Letter had premiered two weeks ago, drawing over 500,000 viewers on its opening day. With steady attendance since then, it had reached 8.75 million by yesterday.
“I hope it passes 10 million!”
On the way to the filming site, Ha-jung couldn’t hide her excitement.
It had only been two weeks—an incredible growth rate.
Putting her script down for a moment, Daeun searched the internet.
Reviews of Secret Letter were overwhelmingly positive—praise for acting, directing, music; everything was perfectly immersive.
There were even comments calling her “the second Lee Juran,” expressing high hopes for her future.
Seeing all the likes on those comments made Daeun’s heart race.
Even in her previous life, the child actress version of Lee Seon, played by Noh Hye-young, had never earned such praise.
It was a great start.
Setting her phone down, Daeun picked up her next script again—time to make her mark on audiences who rarely visited theaters through We Must Be Together.
“Yes, this is Lee Ha-jung.”
Just as they were about to arrive at the drama set, Ha-jung raised her voice in surprise while talking to Director Moon.
“Oh my gosh, really? Yes, yes, of course. I’ll ask and adjust the schedule. Thank you!”
After hanging up, she glanced at Daeun through the rearview mirror, visibly thrilled.
“They want you to appear on a variety show to promote Secret Letter! With actors Kim Bo-hee, Kwon Min-gu—and you!”
“Me?”
Her role had only been a short part as a child actor, so she hadn’t expected any variety show invitations.
When she repeated the question in disbelief, Ha-jung nodded eagerly.
“Yes! It’s YouTube’s Talk-Go!“
Talk-Go—a casual living-room talk show hosted by national MC Yoo Hong-seok, famous for his cheeky interviews.
It had started small but grown huge, now attracting top guests from every field. And now she was going to appear on it.
“I can’t believe it.”
When Daeun murmured blankly, Ha-jung laughed and added,
“You really don’t know how popular you are lately! The drama shoot takes priority, so we’ve turned down most variety offers—and still, you’ve got three delayed ad shoots waiting!”
“What? Really?”
