It was a little past 4 PM.

Oh Min Jung was surrounded by idol trainees.

“Senior, I heard you were cast as the lead in Director Yoon Ji Wan’s drama?”

“I saw the article on the entertainment news too. Congratulations, senior!”

These kids must think I’d give my life for that measly drama lead role. Though it’s true I buttered up the drama writer with all sorts of gifts.

While it’s hard to contain my rising smile at being cast over formidable actors. Min Jung spoke with an indifferent expression, devoid of any hint of a smile.

“Why all the fuss? It’s not that big of a deal. It might seem impressive to you all, but it’s a project I turned down several times. But the production company insisted it had to be me, so I had no choice but to…”

Her lips, which had been chattering excitedly, suddenly trailed off. It was because she made direct eye contact with So Yeon, who had just entered the lounge after finishing her new profile video shoot in the second-floor studio.

“…!”

Ah, I’ve been caught!

She had only come down on a whim, drawn by the particularly good aroma of coffee in the lounge, but running into Oh Min Jung, whom she’d rather avoid if possible, was a thousand-year regret. So Yeon was flustered, instinctively taken aback.

That’s how bad Oh Min Jung’s reputation was within the company. Though not always, once you get on her bad side, it’s nothing for her to not only make you feel humiliated but also reduce you to tears. She was famous for her sharp tongue and reckless behavior.

Because of that, as So Yeon hesitated, unable to move backward or forward, Min Jung, as expected, threw a sharp tone towards the lounge entrance.

“Eom So Yeon! Aren’t you going to greet me properly?”

To Oh Min Jung, already a top star, Eom So Yeon was truly a speck of dust. She was two years younger and could be called an unknown actress with no representative work yet.

So Yeon, grateful at least for the considerable distance between her and Min Jung, lowered her gaze and bowed her head to smooth over the current uncomfortable situation, slowly moving towards the cafeteria self-service bar.

But Oh Min Jung wasn’t one to let it end there.

“Where are you going? Come here.”

Should I have turned around and left the lounge?

As that feeling of regret arose, So Yeon looked at Min Jung calling her with startled rabbit eyes. It was obvious she would find some non-existent fault to criticize.

“Pardon? Why are you…”

“Why are you asking? When a senior tells you to come, you should come quickly!”

As if knowing she might try to run away at any moment, Min Jung urged So Yeon, wiggling her ankle which was crossed in an arrogant posture.

As So Yeon reluctantly approached, she noticed something with her keen eye.

Min Jung was wearing high heels that were excessively sparkly with lots of cubic zirconia. As if she had seen them by chance while searching an online shopping mall, So Yeon quickly racked her fuzzy memory.

“Oh my! Aren’t those Oh Min Jung’s shoes the new Versace model?”

So Yeon’s eyes sparkled as she finally remembered what she was looking for.

“The item that closed the spring collection held recently, the one they say you can’t buy even with money, right? It’s such a flashy and bold design that not just anyone can pull it off, but I see it has found its rightful owner.”

As So Yeon poured out flattering praise, Min Jung, who was about to unleash a barrage of insults, completely forgot and bit her lip to suppress the smile that was creeping out.

Suddenly, everyone’s attention was focused on the overly glittering shoes.

“They’re really pretty, senior.”

“That’s right, they suit you so well.”

Praise works even on whales. No, it had the amazing ability to subdue Oh Min Jung’s harsh tongue. Can a person be this simple? As everyone rushed to relay compliments, a big smile that couldn’t be contained spread across Min Jung’s tightly closed lips.

“Well, at least you have good taste!”

Even by her own assessment, it was an excellent display of quick wit and improvisation. With this, So Yeon had averted the crisis and was just about to breathe a sigh of relief as she looked at Min Jung’s smiling face.

“Did you come for coffee?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Something hot?”

“Yes, yes.”

As So Yeon answered in an awkward voice, Min Jung pointed to one of the trainees gathered at the table.

“You there, with the eyes squished in the middle!”

“M-me?”

“Yes, you go and bring a cup of coffee for Eom So Yeon to drink.”

“Yes, senior!”

The most unpleasant thing was being insulted about one’s appearance. However, at the command of the revered senior, the young trainee moved her bottom lightly without showing any change in expression.

Min Jung gestured for So Yeon to squeeze in at the table and continued her interrupted story.

“Well, it’s not like just anyone can do that role, and they say it perfectly matches my image, so how could I refuse that proposal?”

“Then does that mean Director Tae, whom Director Yoon Ji Wan has his eye on as the male lead, will be your counterpart, senior?”

“That’s how it’s been decided.”

Even Oh Min Jung had only learned this information a short while ago through the CN Planning Department team leader. When the young junior asked about it, having heard it from somewhere, Min Jung immediately nodded.

“I was a bit surprised by the unexpected news, but I heard that Director Tae made that decision after seeing me as the female lead.”

“Wow! If that’s the case, it seems you and Director Tae must be very close, senior.”

“Well, it’s not so much that we’re close, but rather because my looks and acting skills are outstanding…”

The trainees looked up at her with admiring eyes. At Oh Min Jung, who continued to brag, making up implausible stories as if they were facts.

Feeling elated by this, Min Jung became even more arrogant and boastful.

However, the sight of her sitting in the lounge and showing off to her young juniors was undeniably ridiculous to anyone watching.

While they were listening to the story, So Yeon’s thoughts deepened.

Although it sounded somewhat boastful, she couldn’t help but envy Oh Min Jung’s confidence to speak like that and her ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with Tae Seo Jun in a production. That feeling seemed to serve as a stimulus to work even harder than now.

In fact, So Yeon had also expressed her desire to participate in the drama produced by Director Yoon. However, more than a week had passed without any word from them. What could be inferred from this was that ‘maybe’ had become ‘as expected.’

Although it was long ago, the memory of being harshly rejected by Director Yoon at an audition site was still vivid, and So Yeon couldn’t help but feel disheartened, concluding that there was no way she would be cast because of it.

But should I keep blaming my misfortune and sucking my thumb forever?

How long will I just applaud others’ good fortune?

I, who should work even harder than others for the sake of the precious child I must protect.

So Yeon quietly rose from her seat, thinking it would be better to quickly return to the practice room and recite even one more line of dialogue rather than wasting precious time here meaninglessly.

“Eom So Yeon! Why are you getting up already? I’m not done with my story yet.”

“Where else but the practice room? I want to become an excellent actress like you, Oh Min Jung.”

Although she had a personality that could spit even on a smiling face, Min Jung’s expression turned sour at So Yeon’s words “excellent actress,” but she lowered her voice pretentiously.

“Well, I suppose it makes sense for Eom So Yeon, who gets rejected as soon as she shows her profile. Alright, go ahead then.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Afraid that Min Jung might call her back again, So Yeon walked briskly while keeping her eyes on the lounge floor, when suddenly she bumped her forehead into something solid.

It was at this moment that cheers and exclamations erupted from all around.

“Oh my!”

“Eek!”

“It’s Director Tae!”

It was the sound of people shrieking in surprise as their attention suddenly shifted to Seo Jun.

Indeed.

Seo Jun was standing there, leaning casually against the pillar in the center of the lounge, with a relaxed posture. So Yeon’s head had collided with the man’s notably broad and sturdy chest.

No wonder it wasn’t that hard, it wasn’t a wall.

Amidst all the commotion, So Yeon bowed her head deeply. The action could be seen as a polite greeting, or if viewed as avoidance, that wouldn’t be incorrect either.

Whichever it was, Seo Jun was not pleased with So Yeon’s attitude of avoiding his gaze, and he slowly lowered his eyes filled with mockery.

So Yeon, who briefly looked up at that gaze, flinched and immediately hurried past Seo Jun, quickly leaving the lounge.

Seo Jun watched her retreating figure and pulled up one corner of his mouth as if it wasn’t even amusing.

As So Yeon stepped out of the elevator, her mind, which had been completely blank earlier, was now starting to clear a bit.

Ah, I don’t know. Why does my normally sound mind become distant just by standing in front of him? Why do I act like a fool, all flustered? Why do I keep wanting to avoid him?

So Yeon shrugged off the incident of bumping into him, straightened her shoulders, and walked briskly into the pantry on the 9th floor.

The electric kettle was boiling with a gurgling sound.

A short while later, So Yeon was nodding her head to the music flowing from the radio. Her hand movements were quite skillful as she set up the teacup taken from the display cabinet and added lemon slices to the warm black tea.

Was it a habit?

For years, she had missed him desperately. But now he was just a man who scared her as if she had met a goblin.

But why does she still want to see him when he’s not in front of her? The human heart is so fickle. Even now, as she hums along, her mind is full of him.

So Yeon was blowing on the hot black tea, holding the teacup in one hand and her phone in the other. Her deep eyes, filled with photos of a tiny child on the screen, were about to become moist when it happened.

-So Yeon! You got it!

So Yeon’s brow furrowed immediately as she answered the call from Yeo Do Soon. It was because of the loud voice that hit So Yeon’s eardrums.

“Got what?”

-“The Owner of the Sun”! The past character of So Yeo Hwa! You got that role!

It was a role that actors fiercely competed for. Moreover, wasn’t it something she didn’t even dare to hope for because of the bad history with Director Yoon? So if this isn’t luck, what is it?

So Yeon’s eyes widened into perfect circles.

“R-really?”

-Yes! Really, really, truly!

As So Yeon, feeling extremely dazed, asked again, Do Soon answered repeatedly. More joyfully than anyone else.

-I just spoke with the Planning Department team leader? They said you need to meet the drama production team tomorrow to sign the contract! Wow! If they were going to do this, why did they drag it out for so long? Making people anxious while waiting!

“…”

It’s good. Too good.

To be able to work on the project she had been yearning for. To have a definite opportunity to show everyone the efforts she had been steadily building up until now.

So Yeon’s heart was pounding.

So much that it made the time she had spent agonizing, unable to hope, seem meaningless. Enough for the worries about the future that had made her anxious about not knowing what lay ahead in life to disappear far away.

But at the tail end of the good news that came suddenly like a surprise gift, worries about the future and inevitable excitement were mixed and clung together.

Will I be able to see him only as an actor?

Can I hide my feelings?

Can I endure to the end with him, who has no feelings for me other than work?

The Tae Seo Jun in my mind and the Tae Seo Jun in reality might be completely different people, like black and white. If I were to work on the drama with such a person, direct physical contact would be inevitable.

If I can’t endure all of that, I’ll be swept away in rough waves with no bottom or end. It was something I had to prepare myself thoroughly for.

The image of Tae Seo Jun I saw in the lounge earlier was the epitome of loftiness.

Wasn’t the cold expression nestled in his sharp features also terribly aggressive? What about that scary gaze that pierced me deeply, as if saying, “What can you do about it?” But who wouldn’t be intimidated by such a man?

Yeah, let’s just confront it head-on!

It’s do or die, Eom So Yeon!

So Yeon made up her mind firmly and shook off the uneasy premonition with all her might. But at the same time. The teacup in her hand slipped and fell to the ground.

Crash!

The marble floor became a mess in an instant.

With spilled tea splattered everywhere and shattered glass fragments.

As if foretelling the impending storm that even a firm resolution couldn’t prevent.