The sun had already tilted far to the west.

As the red sunlight shone down on the eerie large building and the outdoor stage set up in front, the performers who had safely completed the special variety show filming gathered in front of the cameras again for a final talk.

It was hard enough running through the abandoned house trembling with extreme fear, but what amplified the fatigue of the people on site even more was Oh Min Jung’s irritation and spite, which had been upgraded from yesterday.

At least she managed her expressions professionally, conscious that it would be broadcast. However, her harsh words with a smiling face were too much, making everyone frown.

This was likely revenge for being thoroughly scolded by Tae Seo Jun while bullying Eom So Yeon, but Oh Min Jung’s brazen provocations could not overcome Eom So Yeon’s tenacity, honed by all sorts of vitriol.

It takes two hands to clap.

You keep barking. I’ll just close my ears.

Eom So Yeon, who maintained an attitude more solid than a rock throughout the filming, was no ordinary character either.

However, because of that, Oh Min Jung’s misaimed arrows of anger had no choice but to be directed at the CN Entertainment girl group that was newly brought in for today’s filming. If being an easy target was a sin, then it was a sin, but it was also the reason why the seven of them became united as one.

“Ah, really! What’s wrong with Oh Min Jung today? She seems even more irritable than at the company.”

“There’s a reason. I heard there was a big commotion during yesterday’s filming. Apparently, Director Tae showed up in the middle of recording and put Yoo Jung Hwa and Oh Min Jung, who were ostracizing So Yeon unnie, in their place.”

“Director Tae must have had a good reason to do that. I understand, I understand!”

“Anyway, when will she ever fix that temper? Living like that must be quite tiring…!”

Oops!

One member who had been chattering away suddenly cut off her words. It was because she noticed Eom So Yeon sitting next to them, without realizing when she had gotten there.

“It’s okay. Don’t mind me and keep talking.”

As So Yeon smiled and brushed it off, they fell back into their gossiping trance.

“Before, she had the nerve to say my eyes were uneven or slanted when she’s had plastic surgery herself, you know?”

“Wasn’t Oh Min Jung’s face natural?”

“I saw my cousin’s high school graduation photo, who was Oh Min Jung’s classmate, and her eyes were much smaller than now. So isn’t it ridiculous how she insists she hasn’t touched those big eyes of hers?”

“Ah… I wondered…”

Just then, Oh Min Jung was getting her makeup touched up right below the stage. As one member glanced in that direction, the eyes of the other six followed suit.

“Eek!”

One girl shuddered as she made direct eye contact with Oh Min Jung, who seemed to drain your energy just by looking at her.

“Wh-what do we do!”

“Q-quickly, let’s pretend we didn’t see!”

“Y-yeah, that’s a good idea!”

As if on cue, the seven pairs of eyes frantically scanned the ground and sky, but it was already too late.

Oh Min Jung, with her eyes narrowed sharply, climbed onto the stage and looked over the girl group. Then, taking one step at a time, she spoke slowly.

“Were you laughing at me?”

“N-no, we weren’t!”

“Really, we weren’t.”

The faces of the seven girls vehemently denying it turned pale. It was only natural that they would be scolded again for giving her something to latch onto.

“Oh my, this one is still laughing at me?”

As expected, Oh Min Jung crossed her arms and looked down coldly at one of the girls.

“No, unnie! You’re misunderstanding!”

“Th-that’s right. She just has a naturally smiley face.”

“Yeah, unnie. It’s true. Her mom and siblings all look exactly the same.”

As everyone unanimously defended their singled-out colleague, Min Jung couldn’t help but smile. But hers was a cold, mocking smile.

“Hah! Look at these girls? Did you think I’d just let it go if you insist it’s a naturally smiley face by even dragging your family into it? Isn’t it a problem that you left it as is knowing your face looks like that? You should have fixed it right away!”

“…L-like this?”

Crescent-shaped eyes and unusually upturned corners of the mouth. If that was a sin, then it was a sin. She forcibly lowered her lips as if feeling wronged, but even so, the piercing gaze did not subside.

“No. Lower it more!”

“Sob…”

The girl’s expression, forcefully pulled down as Oh Min Jung demanded, was now beyond just looking like she was about to cry – she was actually crying.

Bullying should have its limits. This was a malicious act trying to give someone a complex about their facial features. One person who could no longer bear to watch stood up, pushing back her chair.

Clack!

So Yeon, who had been sitting quietly at the very end, quickly moved to embrace the crying girl and comforted her.

“Don’t cry. There’s nothing wrong with you, so why are you crying…”

It’s okay, it’s okay…

There’s nothing more heartbreaking than being criticized for one’s innate appearance, whether loved or hated. Knowing this feeling well, So Yeon patted the sobbing girl for a long time with a motherly, affectionate touch, and even carefully wiped away her tears with the handkerchief she was carrying.

Min Jung, who had been watching this scene with a displeased look, roughly grabbed So Yeon’s collar.

“Hey! Who do you think you are, daring to interfere in my business? You’ve really grown some guts, haven’t you?”

“…”

As So Yeon’s body was pulled up with Oh Min Jung’s scolding, she stood up straight and smiled silently.

“What! You’re laughing?”

“Should I cry then? Would you stop if I cried too? If so, I could cry for you.”

“Come on, just because your popularity has risen a bit, you now think I’m not even worth the dirt under your toenails?”

“…”

The large eyes that slowly closed and opened once scanned Oh Min Jung’s entire body carefully. It wasn’t that she saw her as dirt under her toenails, but that her current behavior was truly like that.

“This wench, where do you get the nerve…”

You think you have nothing to fear now that you have Tae Seo Jun backing you? I’ll show you…!

Her hand, full of anger, trembled. Min Jung raised that hand high, as if to slap So Yeon’s cheek. However, So Yeon didn’t even blink. Rather, her eyes staring directly at Oh Min Jung showed no wavering at all.

“…”

“…”

Oh Min Jung’s gaze, which had been in a standoff with Eom So Yeon’s firm look that seemed to say ‘hit me if you dare’, briefly scanned the surroundings. At the same time, her wide-open palm somehow folded, and her foot stepped back.

At a glance, it might have seemed like Oh Min Jung had been pushed back by Eom So Yeon’s aura, but that wasn’t it.

In fact, some people nearby were recording this scene on their phones. Belatedly realizing this, Min Jung couldn’t bring herself to show her violent tendencies to everyone.

“Filming is starting. Everyone, please be seated!”

As the lights brightened, the fronts of several scattered cameras were turned towards the stage.

And everyone sat in their places according to the variety show staff’s instructions.

The volatile situation that was about to escalate into a physical fight seemed to be wrapping up like that. But Oh Min Jung kept glaring at Eom So Yeon murderously during breaks in filming. She couldn’t forgive Eom So Yeon for intervening and instantly making her look like human trash.

However, Eom So Yeon, who had unintentionally become the center of attention, was also at the top in terms of mental strength.

Regardless of who was glaring at her.

As always, she just focused intently on what she had to do.

It was after all the filming had ended.

Yoo Jung Hwa, who had left her manager in the parking lot at the bottom of the abandoned house, climbed up the slope making click-clack sounds with her heels.

This place, where all the cast and filming crew had evacuated, was completely different from the bustle earlier. Now, there was hardly any trace of people, and the eerie darkness surrounding everything heightened the creepy atmosphere where it wouldn’t be strange if ghosts appeared.

However, there was a faint sense of human presence in the prefab storage building located between the parking lot and the abandoned house. The lights were still on in two of the rooms used as waiting rooms, lined up in a long corridor on the second floor. And Oh Min Jung and Eom So Yeon were there.

Oh Min Jung had come over to Eom So Yeon’s room when people started leaving the filming location one by one. And for an hour until now, she had been tenaciously holding onto So Yeon like a hunting dog, making a fuss.

“Apologize quickly! If you hadn’t stepped forward in front of the kids, I wouldn’t have been made to look foolish! Huh?”

“I would have said I’m sorry for that.”

“There’s no sincerity, no sincerity!”

“Then how many times should I apologize…”

So Yeon stopped speaking because Min Jung was looking at her phone. Suddenly, there was a ding sound, and after checking the message, Min Jung spoke in a lower tone.

“Hmm, fine! Anyway, let’s talk again when we get to Seoul!”

And with these words, she hurriedly left the room.

“Huh, what’s with her? After saying all she wanted, now what? Geez, some people have all the luck.”

While Yeo Do Soon grumbled, finding it absurd how Oh Min Jung came and went entirely as she pleased, So Yeon was staring blankly at the door Min Jung had left through.

But lo and behold. Someone suddenly entered through that door.

“…!”

So Yeon’s eyes widened noticeably as Yoo Jung Hwa appeared, as if taking over Oh Min Jung’s baton.

“Why is this woman coming in here?”

As Do Soon glared at Yoo Jung Hwa, who had entered the waiting room making click-clack sounds, as if about to eat her, she threw out a word like a growl. Jung Hwa gestured to Do Soon as if telling her to stay out of it and approached So Yeon closely.

“Shall we have a talk?”

“Then…”

That’s right.

This too was a setup orchestrated by Yoo Jung Hwa and Oh Min Jung. Oh Min Jung had been making a fuss and dragging out time due to Yoo Jung Hwa’s secret request to keep Eom So Yeon here until she arrived.

So Yeon also fully guessed it was something like that, so she couldn’t help but feel even worse. However, So Yeon calmed her voice and looked at Do Soon.

“Do Soon, it seems Yoo Jung Hwa has something to say to me…”

“So you’re telling me to leave?”

As Do Soon sluggishly moved towards the door, So Yeon shook her head as if that wasn’t it and said:

“No. It won’t take long, so get ready to leave. It’s late, we should get out of here soon too. I don’t have much to say to Yoo Jung Hwa.”

“Right? I thought…”

Understanding So Yeon’s meaning right away to cut her off if the conversation dragged on, Do Soon started picking up and organizing the costumes and props scattered on the floor that Oh Min Jung had thrown around. With her mouth shut tight and ears perked up, that is.

“Hmph, not bad.”

Jung Hwa let out a hollow laugh, having been shut down from the start.

Sitting across from So Yeon in an old chair, Jung Hwa crossed her legs and continued with words that didn’t even make sense.

“An actress with a child? How far do you think Eom So Yeon can climb with that label? Even if you reach the top, you’ll just be a shooting star that shines once and fades away.”

“You…!”

Do Soon, who had bristled without realizing it, threw down the things she was holding in her hands.

However, So Yeon’s gaze, which had sent a look towards Do Soon saying it was okay, turned back to Jung Hwa.