The World Star Who Seduced Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9

“Hello.”

[Do you have any plans this afternoon?]

“No… I don’t.”

[Then, would you help me recover my memories? I happen to be free right now.]

Yeo Woong moistened her lips with her tongue. The sudden call caught her off guard, but since she’d already agreed to adjust to Seol Ji Oh’s schedule, she nodded.

“Yes. Where should we go?”

[Where do you think might help bring back my memories?]

“Hmm…”

The first place that came to mind was Yeo Woong’s old house—they’d spent the most time together there. But that was no longer a place she could visit.

Would Seol Ji Oh’s house be better? At the very least, it might help to go to that neighborhood.

“I think Seol Ji Oh’s house would be good.”

[Hmm. Yeo Woong, you’re moving faster than I expected.]

Huh?

Yeo Woong blinked, momentarily confused, then quickly added in flustered haste.

“Oh! Not like that! I meant your old big house—the one you lived in with your family! I just thought going there might help… that’s all I meant.”

[Heh.]

She heard Seol Ji Oh chuckle through the receiver. Yeo Woong felt her face instantly flush.

This guy is definitely teasing me again.

[Just kidding. That house has been left empty, so it’s a bit awkward to go there. How about you just come to my office today? I have my own room there. We can talk about our childhood and that movie you claimed made you fall for me.]

Yeo Woong narrowed her eyes. Afraid he’d tease her again if she said more, she simply replied with an “Okay” and hung up.

Seol Ji Oh’s laughter, full of playful mockery, still echoed in her ears.

Always teasing me about weird stuff! Seriously!

With an exasperated sigh, Yeo Woong glared at Seol Ji Oh’s name displayed on her phone.

Yeo Woong entered the building’s underground parking lot. From outside, she’d briefly glanced up at the structure—it was truly impressive.

They’d recently moved their headquarters, and the newly built building looked spotless, with tasteful interior design. The overall vibe was distinctly modern.

Taking the elevator from the basement up to the first-floor lobby, she saw large portraits of VF’s top actors displayed like artwork. The largest among them was Seol Ji Oh.

It was a photoshoot-style image of Seol Ji Oh in a suit, striking his signature cool pose. Next to his portrait were those of Han Seo Ah, Ha Eun Joo, Seo Yu Ri, Kim Ji Eun, and other currently popular actors, all lined up neatly.

The lobby truly reflected VF’s reputation as a major actor management agency. When Yeo Woong approached the information desk and said she was there to meet Seol Ji Oh, she was immediately directed to the 9th floor—Seol Ji Oh must have informed them in advance.

She took the elevator up to the 9th floor. The layout was corridor-style, with individual rooms lined up on both sides. Among them, she spotted the one labeled with Seol Ji Oh’s name.

Director Seol Ji Oh’s office?

She knocked, and a voice from inside told her to come in.

“Hello.”

Seol Ji Oh’s office was surprisingly spacious and minimalist. A desk and chair were set up near the window for work, and a large, luxurious-looking sofa sat in the center—big enough to comfortably seat eight people.

As Yeo Woong entered, Seol Ji Oh, who’d been leaning against his desk, strolled over to the sofa and gestured for her to sit down. Yeo Woong hesitantly took a seat a little distance away from him.

“So you’re a director now?”

“Yeah. It’s an honorary title. I only participate in major decisions occasionally. They just gave me the position so I wouldn’t leave for another company.”

“I see… I’d probably do the same if I were them. You’re hardly an ordinary actor, after all.”

Seol Ji Oh raised an eyebrow, then shifted his gaze and asked Yeo Woong,

“So, did you really fall for me while watching ‘I’ll Be With You Tomorrow’?”

“Oh—that! I only said that because the director was there. It wasn’t so much ‘falling for you’ as… just being impressed. Isn’t it kind of amazing? To hold onto your first love for so long.”

“…Do you remember your first love, Yeo Woong?”

“My first love?”

Yeo Woong thought carefully.

First love? Who was my first love?

She couldn’t recall any particular face that stood out as “first love.”

Am I the only one like this? Do other people really carry an unforgettable first love in their hearts?

“To be honest, I’m not really sure. Do you remember yours, Seol Ji Oh?”

“Not sure either. Since it came up, let me ask—was there someone I liked when I was young? We spent six straight years together, so you’d think you’d know something.”

Someone Seol Ji Oh liked…?

Had there really been someone?

Yeo Woong searched her memory but couldn’t recall anything specific.

“I’m not really sure. I don’t think I ever heard anything like that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You always got a ton of confessions, but I don’t remember you ever dating anyone.”

Seol Ji Oh clicked his tongue thoughtfully and studied Yeo Woong’s face. After a quiet moment, he spoke.

“I sometimes have dreams.”

“Yes?”

“It’s not very clear, but a child appears. So I wondered—maybe there was someone I liked enough to show up in my dreams. Someone I shouldn’t have forgotten…”

Seol Ji Oh stared into space as he spoke.

Someone he liked so much they appeared in his dreams…

Yeo Woong ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth. The thought that Seol Ji Oh might have liked someone else made her oddly disappointed.

We spent every day together—why didn’t you ever tell me? Or did I hear it and just forget?

It’s true they were in different homerooms once they hit middle school, and Seol Ji Oh received so many confessions that she might’ve simply missed it—but still, the feeling lingered uncomfortably.

“Well, maybe we’ll find some clues as we go through this together.”

Seol Ji Oh stood up and retrieved something from his desk drawer. Up close, Yeo Woong saw they were photographs. Her eyes widened instantly.

“Wow, these!”

“These were at my family home. Could you explain who’s in them?”

The photos showed Seol Ji Oh with various friends. But as Yeo Woong flipped through them, she frowned in confusion.

Her own face was nowhere to be seen. Not in any of the nearly ten photos—despite the fact they were all places she’d clearly been in too.

“That’s strange. I’m not in any of these. Are there no other photos?”

“No.”

How could there not be a single picture of them together when they’d taken so many?

Yeo Woong’s expression darkened. After she’d left without a word, had Seol Ji Oh gotten angry? Had he thrown away all their memories out of betrayal?

“Are you upset?”

“Huh?”

“That there aren’t any photos of us together—you feel upset, don’t you?”

Yeo Woong looked at him without answering. She did feel a little hurt—but also guilty. She couldn’t ask the memory-less Seol Ji Oh what had happened, yet a quiet discomfort settled in her chest.

Then, her eyes landed on one particular photo.

It showed a garden lit up by colorful string lights. Though no people were in the frame—just trees—Yeo Woong immediately recognized it.

This was from her childhood birthday.

Excited, she picked it up and tried to recall the memory.

Her twelfth birthday.

That day, they’d planned a party at her house after school, but Seol Ji Oh had said he was busy and left early by himself.

Yeo Woong had felt disappointed—he hadn’t even brought a gift, unlike usual—but she didn’t show it.

After having fun with her friends and seeing them off, she returned home to find the phone ringing. On the other end was Seol Ji Oh, sounding sulky, ordering her to come to his house right away.

“Alright. I’ll be there.”

She remembered her hands were quite cold—it was winter. She rang the doorbell at Seol Ji Oh’s house and waited. When the door opened, she stepped into the garden.

“…!”

She gasped the moment she entered. The trees were wrapped in sparkling, colorful string lights.

They hadn’t been there just yesterday.

Amazed yet enchanted, she stood there, transfixed. Then Seol Ji Oh stepped out, holding a cake.

“Sit here.”

He guided her to the spot with the best view of the glowing trees. On the table sat a cake, with crooked handwriting that read “Happy Birthday.” Below the words was a chubby rabbit drawing.

“What’s this? Did you make it yourself?”

“…Yeah.”

Yeo Woong laughed at Seol Ji Oh, who avoided her gaze and looked off to the side, clearly embarrassed.

“Is this fat rabbit supposed to be me?”

“Yeah. You’re my pig rabbit.”

Since Yeo Woong was taller than Seol Ji Oh, he used to tease her by calling her a pig.

“Tch. Well, I’ll eat it happily. Is this why you went home early?”

“No.”

He replied curtly, but Yeo Woong just smiled. It was so very like him—

Not wanting anyone to know how hard he’d worked on it, yet grumpy because it wasn’t quite as perfect as he’d hoped.

She remembered feeling genuinely happy.

He’d remembered her offhand comment—how she’d once said she wished her birthday tree could sparkle like at Christmas.

Yeo Woong looked at Seol Ji Oh before her. His childhood face overlapped in her mind, and she unknowingly smiled.

“Now that I think about it, I wasn’t the only one always taking care of you.”

Truthfully, Yeo Woong had deliberately avoided recalling her childhood after a certain point.

Remembering those happy times only made her compare them bitterly to her difficult present—and sometimes even made her resentful—so she’d consciously pushed those memories away.

Now, she realized she’d locked away even joyful memories like this one.

Seol Ji Oh watched her lost in thought, then spoke.

“This photo of the tree seems meaningful, doesn’t it?”

“Ah… Yes.”

Snapping out of her nostalgia—this wasn’t the time—Yeo Woong focused on the photos Seol Ji Oh handed her and began explaining each one.

There wasn’t much to say. Some faces belonged to kids she hadn’t been close with, so she couldn’t even recall their names.

Seol Ji Oh, too, listened indifferently—apparently, he had no special feelings about these childhood friends either.

But just as Yeo Woong reached the last photo, she suddenly recognized the girl in it and looked surprised.

“Oh—A Young!”

“Why the reaction?”

“A Young confessed to you, Ji Oh. Back in middle school.”

Yeo Woong wondered—could A Young be the person appearing in Seol Ji Oh’s dreams? After all, A Young had confessed to him just a few days before Yeo Woong left.

If they’d grown closer after her departure… it was entirely possible.

“Want to take a look at her? Her name’s A Young—she really liked you.”

“Is that so?”

Seol Ji Oh leaned in to examine the photo Yeo Woong held, gripping its corner. Their faces suddenly ended up much closer than before.

Yeo Woong, feeling awkward, started to lean back—when a knock at the door startled her. She turned toward it in surprise.

Still looking at the photo, Seol Ji Oh called out, “Come in.” The door opened instantly.

“Oh?”

It was Han Seo Ah. Wearing a fluttery dress, Han Seo Ah’s eyes widened as she took in Seol Ji Oh and Yeo Woong sitting close together.

Yeo Woong quickly shifted away from Seol Ji Oh and greeted Han Seo Ah.

“Seo Ah, hello.”

“Oh—hi, noona.”

Han Seo Ah glanced between the scattered photos on the table and Yeo Woong, then addressed Seol Ji Oh.

“Oppa?”

“Yeah, Seo Ah. What’s up?”

“You said we’d have dinner together today.”

Han Seo Ah stretched out the last word with a cutesy lilt, making Yeo Woong inwardly jump—where had the cold Han Seo Ah she knew disappeared to?

“There’s still plenty of time before dinner.”

“I just wanted to talk to you before we eat…”

Seol Ji Oh smiled gently at Han Seo Ah’s words and stood up to approach her. His eyes, as he looked at her, were tender.

“Seo Ah, I’m sorry. I have a guest right now—let’s catch up later.”

At that, Han Seo Ah turned her gaze to Yeo Woong. Yeo Woong suddenly felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

Should I leave? Is that a “get out” look?

“Oppa… but what’s Yeo Woong noona here for?”

“Ah. Yeo Woong is…”

Seol Ji Oh glanced at Yeo Woong once, then lifted the corner of his mouth into a faint smile.

“My friend. A childhood friend.”