The Price of Impulse (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4
Even after having haejangguk to settle his stomach, his head still throbbed. Tae Jo pressed his temples and checked his schedule.
Canceling his morning appointments the day before in anticipation of heavy drinking had been an excellent decision. Aside from an external meeting at 3 p.m., there were no urgent matters left to handle.
“What about Director Ji? I think he mentioned he’d be arriving in Korea sometime today or tomorrow.”
“I checked with him this morning, and he said his schedule is still fluid. The director plans to stay in France for another week. As soon as he arrives in Korea, I’ll prepare everything so we can schedule the meeting right away.”
Tae Jo dismissed him with a wave, signaling he could leave. But Secretary Kim remained rooted to the spot after finishing his report.
Tae Jo, holding his tablet, looked up at him with a questioning glance, as if to ask if there was more to say.
“What is it? Anything else to report?”
“If your headache is really bad, should I bring you some medicine?”
“Would a headache pill even help with a hangover…?”
Tae Jo murmured under his breath like he was talking to himself and tilted his head in doubt. Recalling yesterday’s schedule, Secretary Kim let out a quiet sigh.
“Oh, then I’ll go get you some hangover relief drink instead.”
“It’s fine. I’ve already had some.”
Tae Jo shook the bottle of haejangchae beverage sitting on his desk.
“It’ll get better soon. Don’t worry about it—just get back to work.”
“Yes. If you need anything else, just call me.”
After Secretary Kim bowed and left the office, Tae Jo opened a downloaded file on his tablet and skimmed through the documents.
It was a list of productions scheduled from this year through the year after next.
Some projects had already begun filming after finalizing their lineup, but a few others—due to high production costs—remained stalled after only finishing their scripts.
Tae Jo selected a few titles he planned to propose during the meeting and set his tablet aside. Then he called Woo Hyun and instructed him to bring the planning documents and scripts for those projects.
I’ll be up with them in 30 minutes.
“Alright.”
After hanging up, Tae Jo picked up the drink sitting on his desk. His mouth kept feeling dry—likely a lingering effect of last night’s overindulgence.
He took a sip to quench his thirst and leaned back in his chair. Rubbing his weary eyes, he tried to catch some rest.
He intended to close his eyes for just a brief moment before Woo Hyun arrived.
How much time had passed like this?
Suddenly, from the darkness, a scene flashed before his eyes like a paused video and then vanished.
“……!”
Tae Jo’s eyes snapped open and he immediately sat up. Lowering his head, he ran his hand under his neck.
It felt as if someone had helped him out of his wet shirt…
But the fabric his palm touched wasn’t damp at all—it was completely dry.
What the hell? Was it a dream?
Frowning, Tae Jo turned toward his desk. After briefly scanning the one-third-empty drink bottle and his tablet, he picked up his phone.
He unlocked it and started checking his call log.
He wondered if he might’ve accidentally called or received a call while half-asleep—but aside from a text from Moon Seok Joo, there’d been no other messages.
“It’s not like I got possessed by a ghost.”
Unless… Moon Seok Joo had undressed him?
“…That’s creepy.”
Shuddering at the mere thought, Tae Jo shoved his hands into his pockets.
His fingertips brushed against something blunt. Pulling it out, he saw the single earring he’d found on the hotel bed.
He turned the earring over in his hands like it was evidence from a crime scene.
It felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
He’d brought it just in case, but if it was a mass-produced item, tracking down its owner would be difficult.
Tae Jo tossed the earring onto the golden tray on his desk. Right then, a knock came at the door, and Woo Hyun entered.
“Let’s head down soon.”
Woo Hyun waved the envelope in his hand and gestured for Tae Jo to hurry.
Tae Jo, now wearing his jacket and holding his phone, stepped out of his office—but then changed direction upon spotting an employee refilling drinks in the pantry.
“What do we have stocked in there?”
Startled by the sudden appearance of the CEO, the employee fumbled while arranging items and quickly replied,
“We’ve mostly put in orange juice, cola, and other carbonated drinks like cider.”
“Juice and carbonated drinks, huh?”
Tae Jo stroked his smooth chin. Woo Hyun, trailing behind, glanced at him with mild annoyance—why the sudden interest?
“Then let’s also buy a few bottles of haejangchae and stock those too.”
“Huh? Haejangchae?”
After Tae Jo nodded and walked off, the administrative staff member stared at Woo Hyun with a puzzled look.
Haejangchae? Not corn silk tea or barley tea—but haejangchae? Their eyes clearly asked, “Who on earth drinks that?”
“…”
Now thrust into the spotlight, Woo Hyun rolled his eyes—then suddenly remembered the haejangchae drink Tae Jo had been holding that morning and muttered to himself,
“…Guess he’s planning to drink it himself.”
After finishing her makeup at the styling shop, Se Kyung walked down the hallways of the broadcasting station. She was scheduled to appear on a variety show today to promote her upcoming movie.
“I heard Eun Kyo couldn’t make it today—did you hear who the replacement guest is?”
“No idea. I haven’t heard back from the writer either. But I think I heard the theme is ‘Friends.’”
“Friends?”
Se Kyung tilted her head in confusion. Originally, the variety show was supposed to feature another actor who starred alongside her in the movie.
But Eun Kyo had gotten injured during filming and was hospitalized, forcing her to cancel. Although they tried to find a replacement, the tight filming schedule made it hard for anyone to adjust their availability.
Yet, if they waited for Eun Kyo to recover, the broadcast date would pass their movie’s release date, drastically reducing promotional impact.
Thus, after discussion, they decided to keep Se Kyung’s appearance and have the variety team find another guest.
But “Friends” as today’s theme? Were they inviting a friend of one of the regular cast members? Or was it someone’s personal friend?
“Would be nice if it’s someone I actually know.”
None of her contacts had mentioned appearing on the same variety show as her today.
Even the movie promotion team hadn’t specified who’d be joining her.
As Se Kyung headed toward the waiting room to confirm who her co-guest would be—
Just then, the door beside her waiting room opened, and someone stepped out.
“…….”
“…….”
Their eyes met uncomfortably, tangled in awkward tension. After a prolonged silence, Se Kyung finally spoke first.
“Hi.”
It was a brief and indifferent greeting.
The new guest was indeed someone Se Kyung knew well.
They might’ve been friends once, but definitely closer to “worst” than “best.”
She was Lim Ju Hee, Se Kyung’s former bandmate from the girl group they’d promoted together for the past seven years.
“Hey, look over there.”
During a short break in filming, Gi Jeong—one of the regular cast members of the variety show “Fun Saturday”—approached Se Kyung.
Gi Jeong pointed her chin toward Ju Hee, who was chatting with other guests across the room.
“I’d only heard rumors, but seeing it in person gives me chills, seriously.”
Gi Jeong shuddered, recalling the previous filming segment.
When the cameras were rolling, Ju Hee held Se Kyung’s hand and acted like they were the closest of friends—but the moment the cameras stopped, she went full-on cold shoulder, and it was seriously impressive.
Not only did Ju Hee quickly avert her gaze whenever they made eye contact, but she also immediately dropped the smile she’d been wearing.
Then, when the PD announced a short break, Ju Hee stood up and linked arms with another guest she knew well, putting deliberate distance between herself and Se Kyung.
She made it so blatantly clear she didn’t want to be near Se Kyung that even bystanders felt embarrassed.
As a result, the writer who’d arranged for Ju Hee to replace Eun Kyo kept glancing nervously at Se Kyung.
“I heard she’s been taking acting lessons lately, saying she wants to become an actress. At this rate, she’ll be in Hollywood soon.”
“An actress? I didn’t know that.”
Despite Gi Jeong’s sarcasm, Se Kyung remained indifferent.
“Do you even read the news? Honestly, are you living on another planet? I get that things ended badly between you, but you were once in the same group—how can you be this indifferent?”
“We haven’t kept in touch. I’ve been busy too.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that—you’re unbelievably swamped. But after disbanding, did you really cut off all contact with each other?”
“I still talk to Yoo Na. We’re meeting up today, actually.”
“Just the two of you? What about Ju Hee?”
“I’m not sure if they’ve been in touch separately.”
Se Kyung opened a bottle of water and took a sip. At that moment, one of the writers—looking thoroughly nervous after a meeting behind the cameras—approached them.
“Um, Se Kyung?”
“Yes?”
When Se Kyung turned, the writer glanced toward Ju Hee and lowered her voice.
“I’m really sorry. I should’ve told you beforehand. We just assumed the two of you were still on good terms…”
“Ah.”
Se Kyung nodded slowly, as if to show understanding.
Like most idol groups, the girl group Se Kyung and Ju Hee belonged to hadn’t lasted beyond seven years.
Of course, recently there were cases—like Gi Jeong—where former members continued activities together even after switching agencies, but that usually only happened with groups that had strong popularity and fandoms.
Although Se Kyung had expanded her recognition through dramas, it was specifically “actress Yoon Se Kyung” who became famous—not the group’s legacy as a whole.
As a result, tensions occasionally flared among the members. The most dissatisfied of all was Lim Ju Hee, who’d been the group’s leader and the first to receive attention upon debut.
But all of that remained internal—officially, the group had disbanded due to contract expiration.
No rumors of discord or conflict among members ever reached the public.
Ju Hee had once vented her frustrations on her personal social media, but she deleted the post before it attracted attention, so it never made the news.
“It’s fine with me. But… did she not know I’d be here?”
“No, she knew. From the start, when we asked if she’d be okay appearing alongside Yoon Se Kyung as a guest, she explicitly said yes. So we naturally assumed you two got along well.”
“Otherwise, why would we choose ‘Friends’ as the episode’s theme?” the writer added, sounding genuinely aggrieved.
“Still, she’s cooperating well whenever the cameras are on. Don’t feel too bad. The recording actually went pretty smoothly, I think. Just please make sure our movie gets good exposure in the editing.”
“Don’t worry about that. If Se Kyung gives one dance performance in the second half, views will definitely blow up.”
The writer, subtly piling on pressure, disappeared behind the set. Gi Jeong chuckled and patted Se Kyung’s shoulder.
“You’ll have to dance for the first time in ages.”
“Ugh, I’d rather not immortalize my embarrassing past while fully sober.”
As Se Kyung groaned in dismay, the PD’s voice rang out from behind her, announcing that filming was resuming.
After about four hours of filming the latter half, an exhausted Se Kyung ran her hands over her face.
“Wow, no wonder idol trainees are different.”
While exchanging final greetings, another guest praised Se Kyung and gave her a thumbs-up.
The writers were thrilled too, saying they’d nailed the thumbnail—but Se Kyung just wished she could turn back time exactly four hours.
She’d been dragged forward by Gi Jeong and shaken her body a few times…
But sitting back down afterward, she realized, “This is a mistake.” People from her agency and the movie crew would definitely be watching this later.
“Should I go ask the PD right now to edit it out?”
“They won’t. Your dance was the highlight of the whole episode.”
Gi Jeong patted Se Kyung’s slumped shoulders, offering anything but comfort. Se Kyung sighed deeply and handed her mic to an approaching staff member.
“Well… I guess as long as the broadcast does well, it’s fine if I’m the only one who ends up looking ridiculous.”
Speaking as if she’d given up entirely, Se Kyung lifted her head—and her eyes met Ju Hee’s, who was staring straight at her.
Ju Hee’s gaze was filled with clear dissatisfaction, as if something about Se Kyung deeply displeased her.
“Why’s she acting like that again?”
Peeking over Se Kyung’s shoulder, Gi Jeong pursed her lips.
Se Kyung was just as curious. Had she said something wrong during filming?
She racked her brain, but nothing came to mind. Honestly, she’d been so focused on dancing she hadn’t even had time to talk.
Still, she couldn’t just walk away without saying goodbye, so Se Kyung approached first and extended her hand.
“Good work.”
She greeted her, but Ju Hee’s reaction was identical to their earlier encounter outside the waiting room.
“…….”
Complete silence—total disregard. Just as Se Kyung was about to pull her hand back, Ju Hee twisted one corner of her lips.
“You… haven’t changed at all. Not back then, not now.”
What on earth was that supposed to mean?
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
_____
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