“So what happened to that reporter?”
“What do you mean, what happened? I told him to contact CEO Yoon and set a date.”
“What?”
Wootae, who was getting out of the car with Dohyeong, looked at him with wide eyes.
He was talking nonsense.
What on earth could he possibly have to say to them?
Flustered, Wootae shook his head and furrowed his brow.
“…So, he’s going to contact the CEO?”
“Even if he contacts her, the CEO will deflect. I did it on purpose to buy time.”
“Buy time? Why?”
At Wootae’s question, Dohyeong smiled awkwardly.
And he recalled something Haesung had said before.
‘For sure, EndPatch will approach you. They’ll try to get something out of you. They’ll bring up those false rumors again… Then you just need to tell them to set a date through your agency.’
‘Why? That would be doing exactly what they want.’
‘Do it for them. I need a little time. I also need something decisive.’
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Haesung.
It was just that worry washed over him about how to overturn this situation.
But right now, the person who could move most flexibly was Haesung.
Since EndPatch had focused their attention on me, it would be easier for Haesung to find the key to solving this than for me.
Dohyeong relayed Haesung’s words to Wootae.
“…Jung Haesung really shouldn’t be made an enemy.”
Wootae shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“Well, whatever. If he says he’ll handle it, let’s trust him. It’s a wrap party—why would you look like death!”
But he quickly regained his usual demeanor and slapped Dohyeong’s back hard.
“Yeah. That’s right.”
Dohyeong nodded and entered the hotel entrance.
The party was being held in a banquet hall of a hotel that the actors’ agencies had prepared together.
Wootae, who was looking around, whispered to Dohyeong.
“Where’s Jung Haesung?”
“He said he was stopping by the company and would be a bit late?”
“Really. He should’ve come early and escorted you.”
“It’s fine. What escort? Our relationship is still a secret.”
“You were showing it off so openly that I thought it wasn’t a secret anymore.”
Dohyeong smiled faintly at Wootae’s voice, checked in, and entered the banquet hall.
After greeting all the actors and staff who were already there, as well as Director Na, he looked around the banquet hall.
Then, his eyes met with Hakyung, who was standing against the wall of the banquet hall. With a cast on his leg, he curled up the corners of his mouth and waved his hand toward Dohyeong.
“Hyung.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to go talk to him for a moment.”
“Who…”
Wootae’s gaze followed Dohyeong. Seeing Hakyung there, his face hardened immediately.
“…Yeah, well. If that’s also part of the plan. Yell if something happens.”
Geez, just how weak does he think I am? Dohyeong chuckled and nodded, approaching Hakyung.
“How’s your leg?”
“Well, so-so. It’s okay.”
“That day, thank you for covering for me.”
“Not at all. I told you, it helped with the storytelling. I benefited from it too. Oh right. Did someone not come looking for you? They seemed ready to visit right away.”
“Reporter Ong?”
Hakyung smiled without saying anything.
Haa, Dohyeong let out a long sigh and gestured toward the balcony with his chin.
“For a moment.”
“Sure. Sounds good. Ah, can you give me some support? It’s really uncomfortable walking alone. I didn’t bring my crutches either.”
Did he not bring them on purpose?
Dohyeong looked at Hakyung, let out a sigh, and supported him.
People’s attention was drawn to them, but he had to endure it.
Supporting Hakyung like that, he stood on the balcony.
Since they were far away from people, as long as they didn’t speak too loudly, their voices wouldn’t leak out.
Dohyeong, who had been looking around, stood close to Hakyung.
“What is it?”
At Hakyung’s grinning appearance, Dohyeong let out a big sigh and asked quietly.
“Why did you do it?”
As if on cue, the melody flowing through the banquet hall became quite fast.
Hakyung furrowed his brow, then gave an awkward smile.
“I was curious. Why you’d go that far. Why you’d hold back not just me and Jung Haesung-ssi’s ankles, but everyone’s.”
Hakyung looked around.
After watching for a while as people talked amongst themselves, he faced Dohyeong again.
“That’s why I said it, didn’t I? The negotiating power is with you sunbae and Haesung sunbae first.”
Hakyung still had a smiling face. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, he tilted his head.
“And well… is there any special reason? I just… wanted to become famous, so that’s why.”
“You wanted to become famous.”
He reviewed Hakyung’s words, spoken so casually.
No matter how much he repeated them, they were words that didn’t quite fit in his mouth.
It must be because he had experienced what happens when those words are misused.
“I worked myself to death as a reenactment actor, acted my heart out, but not a single person recognized me. After rolling around like that for a few years, well, somehow I got connected and ended up appearing in Director Na’s work. But the world is really unfair.”
Hakyung’s mocking voice continued, but Dohyeong remained calm.
He just faced him with dry, emotionless eyes, without answering.
“Kim Dohyeong-ssi was already famous. Whether it was before or after the Glass Holding Stars casting. Day after day in real-time search terms, in articles, in community reactions. It was crazy.”
“That’s not always a good thing.”
“I wonder. That’s something you only know once you’ve experienced it. Anyway… what do you think the reason was? Why your name kept coming up.”
He didn’t answer, but Dohyeong knew.
He just didn’t want to put it into words.
“Because Jung Haesung was your ex-husband, and that person kept causing incidents while mentioning your name.”
Yes, that name that held my ankle and wouldn’t let go.
Jung Haesung’s ex-husband.
Kim Dohyeong, who ended in divorce with Jung Haesung after two years.
Those labels that would remain attached to me until the end.
Dohyeong clenched his fist tightly.
“It was thanks to that scandal, wasn’t it? That Kim Dohyeong-ssi became famous.”
Wasn’t it?
At Hakyung’s sneering, laughing appearance, Dohyeong took a short breath.
He wanted to refute it, but there were no words he could say.
Was it to gouge out his heart? If so, it had definitely worked.
“So I thought about it a bit too. I’m pretty good at using my head.”
Hakyung raised his hand and tapped his own head.
With a leisurely expression, he looked at him and smoothly spun his story.
“Ah, I should benefit from that too. The scandal of the century. Im Hakyung together with the person of the hour. This, rather than talking about acting skills or whatever, I could make my name known faster.”
“So, you used me?”
“I told you last time too. Jung Haesung and Kim Dohyeong. I deliberated for a long time about which one to choose. Of course, Jung Haesung-ssi is, as expected… a bit difficult to conquer. There’s a reason he’s a top star. He’s seasoned.”
At Hakyung’s appearance, wrinkling his nose and smiling, Dohyeong nodded.
“I see. I understand.”
“If you got your answer, you should give an answer too. What you’re going to do.”
Dohyeong said nothing. He just quietly looked at Hakyung.
“You should think carefully, shouldn’t you? How many have exploded already? By tonight… what Reporter Ong mentioned will also come out as an article. He said he didn’t think he needed to wait for Kim Dohyeong-ssi’s interview.”
Dohyeong’s brow furrowed.
What he mentioned would be about how I used Hakyung and Yuchan to draw Haesung’s attention.
Along with that, would the schedule matter also explode?
His insides boiled. Dohyeong, who had clenched his fist tightly, slowly closed and opened his eyes.
“Will you answer when I gave Im Hakyung-ssi any opening?”
“I wonder. Maybe I hit my head in this incident, I don’t remember well.”
“The photos we took that you uploaded on SNS. You uploaded all of them on your own, didn’t you?”
“I asked you, didn’t I? If I could upload them.”
“What about the evidence that I used Yuchan?”
“The scandals that have exploded so far are telling the story. The photo of the two people taken in front of the house. Even the recent waiting room incident.”
“…Don’t tell me you orchestrated that too?”
Hakyung didn’t give any answer and just smiled.
After seeming to ponder for a while, he eventually continued mockingly.
“How lucky I was. Being able to take that photo in front of the house was really lucky too. After sunbae went home, the atmosphere between Yuchan sunbae and Haesung sunbae wasn’t normal. I happened to overhear them talking outside. Ah, I thought something was going to blow up. I followed Haesung sunbae and ended up taking that photo. Who would have known? I guess it was good that I contacted them in advance saying I’d go to the poster shoot for location scouting.”
A hollow laugh escaped at his words pouring out like a stream.
It’s the typical habit of people seeking attention. Even without being asked, pouring out their own story.
Saying that whatever they do is justified and adding reasons to support it. Sometimes listing things out as if to announce that it’s fact, that it’s truth.
He had been seeing people like this for a long time. Their end always seemed to be self-destruction. Why couldn’t they see far ahead even while being in the entertainment industry?
“So you needed the scandal of the century and held everyone’s ankles?”
“Holding ankles. We’re all becoming famous together.”
“…Famous.”
Ha, Dohyeong snorted, but Hakyung continued his story without caring.
“Think about it. How interested people will be. Huh? There was so much controversy, let’s see how well it was filmed—they’ll watch with that thought.”
“Do you even know what you’ve done?”
“What, made everyone famous together? Honestly, Director Na handles everything anyway. Even if people talk about favoritism toward actors or whatever, the community reaction is the same. Isn’t that what becoming famous is for, isn’t that what making money is for? Those who know nothing just talk well.”
“Im Hakyung-ssi. You really… made the wrong choice. Stop even now.”
As soon as Dohyeong’s words ended, Hakyung approached him closely.
As if he too thought it wasn’t good to speak loudly, he whispered to Dohyeong in a very small and fast voice.
“Why? What’s wrong? What’s wrong with doing that because I wanted to become famous, because I wanted to make myself known somehow? Did I mention the story? Should I have said the drama is boringly unfun but the media play is amazing? Or should I have said it seems like the writer copy-pasted from here and there?”
“…You, really.”
“Isn’t the storytelling great? The lead actor who saved the supporting actor. However, the supporting actor who was toyed with until the end by that lead actor. Turns out there was favoritism toward actors, but even within that, he worked hard for the drama. Isn’t that too good?”
“…Are you serious?”
“What, you think this is the end? No. There’s still a lot to say. A lot I can do too. Since I have nothing to lose, I can do even more. Whatever it takes, even using that damn noise marketing to make my name known. Is that so wrong?”
Dohyeong, who had been quietly watching him, let out a deep sigh. Then he immediately took out the phone he had in his pocket, switched it to speakerphone, and lowered the volume.
“Did you hear that, hyung?”
At the continuing words, Hakyung’s face turned ashen.
“What… are you talking about?”
The corners of his flustered mouth went up slightly, but his smile wasn’t a smile.
He was trembling.
[Thank you. Im Hakyung-ssi. For helping me solidify my decision and put it into action.]
“What the hell are you talking about right now!”
Hakyung’s voice was quite loud, so the gazes of people standing at a distance turned toward the two.
The murmuring sounds increased, but Dohyeong remained unfazed, facing Hakyung.
[I had to show Dohyeong-ie that my decision wasn’t wrong. I also needed… a trigger that would let me act right away today.]
“Right now, Kim Dohyeong. Jung Haesung, you two—”
[You just planted that now, Im Hakyung-ssi. Thank you.]
