Chapter 15
“It’s not like you can meet Novelist Mo Eunje anytime you want. Today’s my only chance.”
“Don’t overdo it and end up in the ER. Let’s reschedule.”
Mo Eunje glanced awkwardly between Tae Igyeol and Shin Dael. He was used to Tae Igyeol worrying about him, but today, it felt strangely unfamiliar. Then he realized why: he had never seen Tae Igyeol fuss over anyone else like this—man or woman—except for himself. A sudden, inexplicable sense of alienation and resentment welled up inside him.
“Actress Shin, you should listen to Tae Igyeol. We’ll meet again another time. It wouldn’t be good for your stomach to eat spicy food when you’re not feeling well.”
“But I really wanted to…”
“Actually, I need to get back to work too. Let’s all meet again before the end of the month, same group.”
“Me too?”
Mo Eunje stomped on Gye Minho’s foot before he could say anything else. Gye Minho was supposed to just nod and go along with it.
“I’ll adjust to Actress Shin’s schedule.”
“I only have one ad shoot next week, so I’m free. Just let me know when it’s convenient for you, Novelist Mo Eunje.”
“Sure. I’ll bring the signed book then.”
“Then let me treat you to drinks.”
“I’d be grateful. By the way, how are you getting home? Is your manager nearby?”
“I’ll take her.”
Tae Igyeol, who had been sitting quietly the whole time, finally stood up. The room suddenly felt much smaller, even though it wasn’t that cramped to begin with. Come to think of it, everyone in Tae Igyeol’s family was big—his grandparents, Tae Hyunseok, Song Yeonhwa, Tae Igyeol, and even Tae Iden. But Tae Igyeol was in a league of his own.
“Then we can all ride together, drop off Actress Shin, and drop off Gye Minho on the way back.”
“Take a taxi.”
“Why?”
“I need to talk to Shin Dael alone.”
Shin Dael was a year older than Tae Igyeol, but he spoke to her casually, even calling her by her first name. Shin Dael didn’t seem to mind, as if she were used to it. Maybe it was just his imagination, but there was an unspoken intimacy between them that felt impenetrable to outsiders.
For a fleeting moment, Mo Eunje felt a deep sense of loneliness. He must have relied on Tae Igyeol more than he realized—both mentally and emotionally.
“Are you eating dinner?”
“Eat first. I’ll be late, so don’t wait for me.”
Tae Igyeol didn’t even look at him as he answered, then walked out. He seemed a little angry. Or maybe more than a little.
“Then I’ll be going. It was nice meeting you, Novelist Mo Eunje, and Minho. See you next time.”
Shin Dael, who had been forcing an awkward smile because of Tae Igyeol’s icy demeanor, said her goodbyes and left the room. Only then did Gye Minho slump into Shin Dael’s chair, sighing.
“Wow…… My goddess called me Minho-ssi…… Minho-ssi…… Oh my god, Minho-ssi…… I can die happy now.”
“…….”
“But I’ve always felt a distance from Tae Igyeol, and today it’s like he’s from a completely different world.”
“……Yeah.”
Mo Eunje unconsciously agreed. He already knew Tae Igyeol didn’t care much for celebrities or have any illusions about them. At Ilra Actors events, Tae Igyeol spent more time with the staff than the stars, and though he’d been hit on by a few actors, he’d flatly refused, saying he didn’t want to deal with the hassle of their exhausting jobs. One annoying person—Tae Iden—was enough.
But with Shin Dael, who was a celebrity with an exhausting job, he seemed unusually close. It was as if they’d known each other for years—an indescribable intimacy.
“Hey, traitor Mo Eunje. Why didn’t you tell me you knew Dael-nim? I’ve been suffering over her since last year, and you just watched!”
“We’re not close. We just briefly met at the Ilra Actors year-end party last year. I was surprised she even remembered me.”
Mo Eunje replied nonchalantly, but he was too stunned to even sit down. His mind was blank, as if a screw had come loose.
So Tae Igyeol is finally experiencing love, huh?
Yeah, it’s about time he graduated from being my butler.
……Love isn’t all that great anyway. It’s more fun when it’s just us.
He wanted to support Tae Igyeol’s first love, but he also felt a strange emptiness, a mix of pride and resentment. It was like sending off a beloved child into marriage.
“Do you think Tae Igyeol and Dael-nim are actually dating?”
“Who knows.”
“You saw them holding hands when the door opened, right? And the way he said he’d be late—”
“Maybe they just have a lot to talk about.”
“Can’t you tell? Even though Dael-nim said she was fine, Tae Igyeol was trying to cancel dinner over the antacid thing. The ‘talk alone’ bit is just an excuse—they want to go on a date. Why would my angelic goddess Dael-nim be with someone as big and scary as Tae Igyeol…”
“Stop talking nonsense. My head’s already a mess.”
Mo Eunje left Gye Minho, who was pretending to cry, and walked out of Café Isla alone. He could see Tae Igyeol’s car stopped at a red light in front of the crosswalk.
“Take a taxi. I need to talk to Shin Dael alone.”
Tae Igyeol’s voice, colder than usual, echoed in his mind. It was a weekend, so taxis were hard to come by. The distance home was too far to walk but too short to justify a taxi.
***
Tae Igyeol dropped Shin Dael off at her officetel and drove aimlessly down the road. He tried to calm himself by driving for about three hours, but his anger refused to subside.
If Shin Dael hadn’t posted that photo on SNS, Mo Eunje wouldn’t have been able to guess where they were and show up. There was a world of difference between talking about Mo Eunje’s work and actually meeting him.
He couldn’t understand what Mo Eunje’s intentions were. The thought that Mo Eunje might have misunderstood them holding hands made his blood boil. If Mo Eunje had at least been jealous, he could have used the situation to his advantage, but Mo Eunje didn’t even care who he held hands with. In fact, he’d probably encourage Tae Igyeol to get closer to Shin Dael, and that thought burned him up inside.
If he’d been caught with someone else, he wouldn’t have been this angry. Mo Eunje loved meeting celebrities and adored his readers. But Shin Dael was the worst possible combination: a celebrity and a devoted fan of Mo Eunje’s work. Not just any fan—she was obsessed enough to turn down other projects just to act in his stories.
Objectively, neither Mo Eunje nor Shin Dael had done anything wrong, but he couldn’t shake his anger or the fear of them growing closer. This was undeniably jealousy.
The more his greed grew, the darker his thoughts became. If he could, he’d lock Mo Eunje up at home and never let him see anyone else. He’d buy him delicious food every day, let him write whatever he wanted, and fill Mo Eunje’s world with nothing but himself.
“……Sigh.”
He let out a helpless sigh. He knew he should apologize to Mo Eunje for hiding the fact that Shin Dael was his fan, but he didn’t feel even a hint of remorse. He could lie and apologize, but his heart was already too heavy with deception to manage it.
Truthfully, he wanted to go home with Mo Eunje and spend time alone with him. But he knew that if they were alone, they’d end up fighting about why he’d hidden Shin Dael’s fandom. That’s why he’d told Mo Eunje to take a taxi—to avoid the inevitable argument.
He was afraid that if they fought without resolving their feelings, it would turn into an emotional battle, leaving only wounds behind. He could handle a little pain, but Mo Eunje was too precious to him to endure any suffering.
Tae Igyeol parked his car in the villa’s parking lot and took the emergency stairs up to the rooftop. He could have gone through the connected door inside the house, but he chose the longer route to delay the moment he might run into Mo Eunje.
He entered the code—0705—and stepped onto the rooftop. It was a date only he knew: July 5th, three years ago, the day Mo Eunje had received the call that he’d won the New Writer’s Award in fiction. After giving up on his dream of becoming a poet, he had tried his hand at prose and won, crying his eyes out. The 10 million won prize money was still untouched in a separate account, as if it were something sacred.
The house was dark, not a single light visible through the curtains. Mo Eunje was terrified of the dark, so the second he got home, he’d turn on every light in the house. Even when he slept alone, he left the mood lighting on. Tae Igyeol’s last task before bed was always to turn off the mood light after watching Mo Eunje fall asleep. The fact that there wasn’t a single light on meant Mo Eunje hadn’t come home yet.
