The Season of Prettiest You (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16

“Let go of my hand…!”

Yeoreum, unable to bear the warmth any longer, finally pulled her hand away with all her strength. The man’s hand was absurdly warm—

so scorchingly hot it felt like it could instantly shatter her composure. Her face flushed crimson all the way to her ears, and she blurted out the first words that came to mind.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing? This is disgusting and outrageous!”

She was shaken by the unsettling fact that she’d actually felt a pleasant thrill. Unbidden thoughts kept surfacing—how soft his hand was, how each firm knuckle of his fingers sent waves of dizzying joy through her.

Perfectly happy moments from the past suddenly resurfaced, clawing at her heart.

“And barging in here like this! It’s incredibly unpleasant and annoying!”

Yeoreum stepped backward, putting distance between them.

“If you called me here to write the script, then let me just write! Why keep interrupting and tormenting me—how can someone be this cruel?”

No matter how loudly Yeoreum shouted, eyes wide with frustration, he simply stood there quietly, watching her without a word.

Even his gaze felt unbearable. Was this yet another form of torment? Eventually, flustered, Yeoreum pushed her bangs back and bit her lower lip.

She could almost feel Taeseok’s slow, lingering gaze settling on her lips.

“Done? With what you had to say.”

His voice was dry. Yeoreum was still breathing heavily, her voice trembling, yet he stood calm as if nothing had happened. Even that reaction left her bewildered.

“If you’re done, come out. To the living room.”

He turned his broad shoulders and walked out of the room first. Yeoreum slumped, bracing herself against the desk. It seemed Seo Taeseok had calculated every detail of this situation in advance—that’s why he remained so unnervingly steady.

Would he find it amusing to see her crumbling like this?

Yeoreum bit the inside of her lip. She felt angry and resentful at becoming his plaything.

If only he hadn’t grabbed her hand so suddenly, she wouldn’t have wavered at all. She resolved to guard herself even more fiercely from now on—never again would she give him the reaction he wanted.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out into the living room.

Taeseok glanced sideways at Yeoreum as she quietly emerged, and swallowed hard.

If she hadn’t just yanked her hand away with all her might moments ago, he might’ve pulled her in and kissed her senseless. His mind had gone completely blank, as if a fuse had blown—only a dark, primal instinct had stirred deep within him.

Were those frightened eyes of hers genuine—or just another act?

If she was still performing, just to get under his skin, then she deserved an immediate invitation to Cannes. When her pale skin flushed all the way to her ears like that, he honestly couldn’t think of anything at all. Could all of that really be just acting?

He’d called her to review the script again, yet he was still only half-heartedly flipping through the pages.

Red lips, slender neck, pronounced collarbones. Slightly trembling shoulders.

Crazy.

How pent-up must he be to lose it over something this minor?

‘Right. Sexual frustration. Pure frustration.’

Taeseok silently chanted to himself, trying to refocus on the script. Damn this cursed script—he knew white was paper and black was text, yet nothing was sinking in.

He subtly lifted his eyes and saw Yeoreum staring out the window.

With a strange look in her eyes.

He could list over a hundred reasons why Choi Yeoreum was terrible—but right now, not a single one came to mind.

“Writer Choi Yeoreum.”

Yeoreum turned slightly, startled.

“Yes?”

“Let’s go over this part again.”

Taeseok pointed to a scene that had been nagging at him. Yeoreum glanced at where his finger indicated and tilted her head, clearly puzzled—she had no idea why that part was problematic.

In the story, the female lead, Lee Seol, engages in a precarious flirtation with two male leads before finally choosing one in the latter half. Naturally, Yeoreum had paired Lee Seol with Lee Hyunjun—why? Because Lee Hyunjun was Seo Taeseok.

But then again—why?

“I’m aiming for a happy ending between Lee Seol and Lee Hyunjun.”

“Why?”

Taeseok frowned and asked again.

Yeoreum carefully studied the crease between his brows, trying to understand what exactly bothered him.

“Well,”

she calmly explained,

“if the female lead doesn’t end up with a happy ending, Seo Taeseok will be treated like a secondary male lead. And if Seo Taeseok becomes a secondary male lead, I’ll probably get beaten to death by the director and the fans.”

Taeseok’s expression didn’t soften at all—clearly, that wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear.

“From the director’s perspective. From the fans’ perspective.”

“Yes.”

“Then, what about my perspective?”

Yeoreum hesitated for just a moment before quickly replying, careful not to get drawn in.

“Wouldn’t a happy ending also be best from Seo Taeseok’s perspective?”

What kind of torment was this now? Keeping her guard up, Yeoreum answered as professionally as possible.

“You’re telling me—to kiss Youngyi?”

Taeseok said it with a crooked tone.

Yeoreum pressed a hand to her forehead, confused by his intent.

Wasn’t a kiss scene between the male and female leads an essential, non-negotiable part of any romance drama? It wasn’t like she could avoid it just because the other character was Young.

“When actors perform, they set aside personal feelings…”

“So you’re saying—I should kiss Youngyi. Choi Yeoreum.”

His voice was laced with anger. Yeoreum stared at him for a moment. Why—what exactly had set him off?

“Forget that ‘setting aside personal feelings’ nonsense.”

“…”

Her thoughts still tangled, Yeoreum chose silence. It felt far safer than saying the wrong thing. Eventually, Taeseok broke the quiet.

“I can’t. Kissing my former lover’s best friend? Impossible.”

He firmly tossed the script onto the table.

“Let’s go with Lee Seol ending up with Kim Minjun, and Lee Hyunjun leaving the country.”

“…”

“And make it damn cool.”

Yeoreum’s mind instantly spiraled into chaos. Her entire storyline had been built on the premise that Lee Seol and Lee Hyunjun would end up together.

If he suddenly changed it to Kim Minjun, countless minor episodes would need rewriting. She’d probably have to pull several more all-nighters.

And besides…

“I can’t. Kissing my former lover’s best friend?”

Former lover.

That meaningless past-tense phrase still pierced her heart like tiny stabs.

“I’ll revise it.”

Though she disliked Taeseok’s proposed ending, since she’d already decided not to argue with him, further debate seemed pointless. Yeoreum picked the script back up from the table.

Taeseok’s eyes fixed onto the tips of her pale fingers.

“I’m sorry, Ji Hyeok. I really can’t find any time for a while.”

Yeoreum apologized earnestly into the phone.

They’d promised to donate blankets to the animal shelter together. Since they hadn’t set a specific date, Yeoreum had forgotten—but apparently, Ji Hyeok had quietly gathered some through his contacts.

[How about next week, then?]

“I don’t think I’ll be free for a while.”

Her voice grew smaller with guilt.

[Not even once before filming starts? Once we start shooting, I’ll be swamped.]

“Hmm. If I can squeeze out some time, I’ll definitely call you.”

She’d considered asking Taeseok for a day off, but figured it was probably hopeless. Yeoreum lowered her head.

[Noona, are you trapped somewhere doing part-time work? How come you’re always so busy?]

Though Ji Hyeok meant it as a joke, Yeoreum felt her current situation wasn’t much different from being trapped. A bitter smile escaped her lips.

Having to face her ex-boyfriend—who clearly despised her—every single moment.

He probably had no idea how even the smallest, casual gesture from him still made her heart race uncontrollably.

Of course—he absolutely shouldn’t know.

Shaking her head, Yeoreum ended the call.

“Sorry.”

[Alright. You owe me a meal later, noona.]

Leaving Ji Hyeok’s disappointed voice behind, she hung up. Immediately, an unknown number rang. After a brief hesitation, she answered.

[You doing well, Choi Yeoreum?]

It was Hong Minwoo, her senior—his voice still warm and familiar even after years apart.

“Senior Minwoo?”

Hearing Manager Hong’s voice finally made it all feel real. Relationships she’d thought were over were reconnecting once more. When she’d broken up with Taeseok, she’d also severed ties with Manager Hong. In truth, she’d said goodbye to him too back then.

[Long time no see.]

“Yeah… Senior. It really has been a while.”

Both shared a hollow laugh through the receiver. Like old friends often do, that single laugh dissolved years of distance between them.

Now that she was entangled with Taeseok again, keeping Manager Hong at arm’s length was pointless.

Manager Hong relaxed slightly at Yeoreum’s unexpectedly bright tone—worried she might be deeply demoralized by Taeseok’s torment.

Wanting to focus on the call, Manager Hong stepped into the emergency stairwell in search of quiet. Since HJ Planning’s building was newly constructed and the elevators worked exceptionally well, employees rarely used the stairs.

“Yeoreum-ah, Taeseok was so stubborn I couldn’t stop him—so it ended up like this. Your drama, I mean.”

[Yeah, I know.]

“I really tried hard to stop him. You know how headstrong that guy is.”

Yeoreum gave a small laugh on the other end.

“We should meet up sometime too, Yeoreum-ah. I missed you. Looked for you a lot.”

[We can meet. Even at his place is fine. I’m always there anyway.]

Yeoreum replied curtly. Her detached tone felt so resigned that Manager Hong sighed deeply.

“Seriously, that crazy bastard—what’s he even doing, calling you to his house every day?”

[It’s just rewriting the script. It’s manageable.]

“That’s not the point—why does he have to make you rewrite it at his house? He’s my friend, but honestly, his personality…”

[It’s fine. A month will pass quickly. I just need to hold on.]

Reading resignation in Yeoreum’s voice, Manager Hong shook his head in sorrow.

“I should’ve tried harder to stop him.”

[It’s okay. I’m getting used to it, in my own way.]

After that, Manager Hong and Yeoreum exchanged a few more minutes of small talk before the call ended as Yeoreum arrived at Taeseok’s front door.

[I have to go in now, senior. I’ll call you again later. I’ll save your number.]

“Alright. Take care. I’ll drop by Taeseok’s place later—if I can see you, I will.”

Manager Hong hung up and lightly climbed the stairs—only to bump right into Representative Ji Hyeonjeong at the entrance.

“Oh. Representative?”

Ji Hyeonjeong raised an eyebrow and spoke coldly.

“Manager Hong. What exactly was all that I just overheard? What’s Taeseok doing to who?”