TYDOACFDHHAS 03

Episode 3

Inside the private study of the Joo Group—a place where even the Chairman’s own children could not set foot without Chairman Joo Tae-baek’s permission.

“…You say that child came and left?”

Setting down his teacup, Chairman Joo Tae-baek responded with a bewildered tone to his youngest daughter, who had come to see him.

He had assumed that after losing her mother and cutting ties with her maternal family, that child would never seek them out on her own. And yet, she had come to their doorstep… only to be nearly turned away.

“Sudeok must have been too preoccupied with his own leisure activities. I’ll call him in and reprimand him. That should settle it.”

“Is Father really going to intervene to that extent? Oppa will be absolutely furious.”

Listening to her, the Chairman found his youngest daughter’s words had a point. He gave a shallow nod.

“Scolding him unnecessarily might only bring trouble to an innocent child. In that case, I’ll leave it be for now.”
“That’s the right decision.”
“Jeonghui, you should try to gauge that child’s intentions.”
“Me? Saei, you mean her?”
“Yes. I’m curious. What was she doing at the Dongwoo Foundation? Why has she set foot here again after all this time?”

‘Hmm, it’s not like meeting her would be awkward anyway.’

Joo Jeong-hee grunted and shook her head slightly. She picked up her phone and contacted her secretary.

[Send me the number for your sister’s daughter. This is on Father’s orders, so don’t let it slip anywhere.]

A reply came immediately. She showed the screen with Joo Sae-i’s number to Chairman Joo.

“While you’re at it, be good to her. She’s at an age where she must be lonely.”
“Since when did Father care about such things?”

Jeonghui retorted brusquely. As she left the study, she added,

“It’s fine if I give her some pocket money, right? Lightly. Just enough so it’s not a burden.”

Of course, the answer was already decided.

A problem had arisen.

I had obtained the script, and I could read every word written in it.

But still…

‘How on earth do I get to the dinner party?’

After Mom passed away and Dad and I became independent from the Joo family, we had no reason to attend.

For the first two years or so, invitations still came, but after we ignored them, we lost all contact.

Should I ask for one now? From whom? My uncle would do everything in his power to stop me… Was there no lifeline to grab onto…?

While I was agonizing over it, wrapping my head in my hands…

Tock!

A KakaoTalk notification sound chimed once.

[It’s Aunt Joo Jung-hee I’d like to meet and have a talk.]

Found it! My lifeline!

I wanted to ask if “Aunt Joo Jung-hee” becoming “Aunt Joo Jung-hee” wasn’t getting too familiar too fast, but now wasn’t the time to be picky.

[I’m free anytime from now on! I’ll come see you whenever it’s convenient for you, Aunt :>]

I needed to persuade her—someone who wouldn’t be swayed by my uncle—so I could get into Grandpa’s dinner party…

[Tomorrow, 3 PM. The VIP Lounge at Haum Atrium.]

I had to persuade her.
At Haum Atrium, which was practically her domain.

The next day, Saei, who had prepared for the meeting with her aunt as soon as she woke up, arrived at Haum Atrium 30 minutes earlier than planned.

Although part of the Dongwoo Group, she had no chauffeur, so to move around without her father knowing, she had to take the bus. So, this was all because of the Gyeonggi-do resident’s method of calculating time…

Anyway.

Upon giving the name of the atrium’s owner, her aunt, Saei was able to enter the lounge easily.

‘Should I let her know I arrived early?’

As she pondered this and looked around, Sae-i’s gaze caught her aunt and another person.

‘I can’t just go up and greet them out of the blue…’

She sent a quick message saying she had arrived. Upon checking the message, her aunt looked around here and there, seemingly searching for Sae-i.

And then.

“Come, sit here.”

In an instant, Saei was led by her aunt to join them. Seated across from them was a woman who looked slightly younger than her aunt.

“Huh?”

Their eyes met, and the woman opposite gave Sae-i a light smile.

As soon as Sae-i met those eyes, she immediately recognized who this person was.

“Actress Sung Hye-sim?”

Sung Hyesim, a renowned acting-focused actress in South Korea. Later, she would even run a theater company, and in Saei’s previous life, she had praised Saei as a genius and accepted her as a company member.

That very person was here. Looking even younger than when Saei had met her in her previous life.

“You recognized me right away? You must watch a lot of TV.”
“You’re just that famous… I had no idea the two of you would be together.”

That ‘Sung Hye-sim’ was acquainted with her aunt? While Sae-i was bewildered by the surprise, her aunt introduced Sae-i to Sung Hye-sim.

Sung Hye-sim extended her hand to Sae-i.

Suddenly, the moment she had been recognized by this woman in her past life came flooding back, and tears welled up fiercely. Saei bowed her head deeply and returned the handshake.

After telling Saei to wait a moment, her aunt continued her conversation with Sung Hyesim.

“Since it’s you, Sister Jeonghui, I thought you’d choose well…”
“How many scripts are there?”
“Only one I like. The rest… well, I just don’t get the right feeling.”

From what she could gather, they seemed to be discussing her next project.

Sae-i sat quietly, mulling over their conversation. What project had Sung Hye-sim filmed around this time?

‘Wasn’t there… none?’

Despite being known for her prolific output, Sung Hye-sim hadn’t filmed any works around this period. It was what people commonly called a hiatus.

‘If she received many scripts but didn’t film anything…’

It meant she didn’t want to film badly enough to endure the hiatus. In a word, a slump.

‘To think it was around this time…’

Saei knew why Sung Hyesim had hit a slump. She had read the interview where Hyesim, after overcoming her slump and returning with a blockbuster movie, said she had lost interest.

‘She said she lost interest.’

Sung Hyesim, who had later considered giving up acting, rediscovered her passion after discovering a genius named Seo Hajun and working on projects with him.

‘What if… I step in here?’

This was an opportunity to prevent actress Sung Hyesim’s slump and, coincidentally, make a good impression on her aunt who happened to be right here.

Sae-i, who had only been listening to their conversation, cleared her throat and spoke up.

“Um, would it be okay if I took a look at the script too?”
“You?”

Her aunt immediately asked back. Sung Hye-sim also looked at Sae-i with curious eyes.

“I only brought one with me today… Are you interested, Miss Saei?”
“Yes. I’d like to read it with you, actor.”
“Do you mean you want to act in front of me?”

Sung Hye-sim’s eyes widened.

Sae-i looked back at her with the straightest gaze possible. And then she nodded.

As if entranced, Sung Hye-sim took out the script and flipped through it. Sae-i promptly took the offered script and opened it.

With a face full of curiosity, Joo Jeong-hee i called Sae-i’s name a few times, but Sae-i, perhaps immersed, didn’t respond.

Meanwhile…

‘I know this script.’

It was the script for Episode 1 of the broadcasting company KDS’s hit drama, Your Blue Name.
Abbreviated as ‘Your Blue Name,’ it was a work that attracted many viewers as iconic scenes and lines from the very first episode spread across

social media, attracting a large audience.

The role offered to Sung Hye-sim was the protagonist’s mother.
A role of a woman who, while mourning her deceased son, neglects her remaining daughter and belatedly realizes her own mistakes. In Sae-i’s previous life, an actress as famous as Sung Hye-sim, a ‘national mother’ figure, had played this role.

‘I’ve read it all.’

After skimming through it once, the lines came back to her vividly. Even in her past life, she had memorized scripts almost as soon as she saw them, so she was confident in her memorization skills.

Sung Hye-sim continuously observed Sae-i.
It was an actor’s intuition. She had a feeling this child was like an uncut gem.

Lately, Sung Hye-sim had been constantly contemplating retirement. Acting was just no longer fun. What had started as an enjoyable pursuit had somehow become nothing but a bothersome chore.

Maybe this kid could shake me out of my boredom. It might be a vain fantasy, but Sung Hye-sim held a slight expectation.

Before long, Sae-i closed the script.

“I’m ready now.”
“You’ve already read it all? Any part you want?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll match whatever part you choose.”
“Any part?”

Sae answered with a smile.

Sung Hye-sim tilted her head, looking intrigued. The child before her hadn’t even studied the script for long.
A mere forty minutes.
And yet she said she’d match whatever was chosen. Did she mean she memorized the entire script in forty minutes?

“Miss Sae I’m asking just in case, because I don’t know…”
“Please go ahead.”
“Are you expecting me to humor you like a child? I thought you meant for me to treat you as a fellow actor…”
“Please treat me as an actor.”

Just what are you relying on to act like this? What are you trying to show me? Sung Hye-sim’s face, which had been merely gentle, began to change into a more challenging expression.

“You said you’d match any part I choose, right?”

And then.

“What should Mom do… What should Mom do to make it right…”

In an instant, Sung Hye-sim’s voice changed. From a soft tone to a rough, desperate one. It was the start of her acting.
It was a line from the mother character she would play. However, there was one trap—or test.

“It was all Mom’s fault… Just open the door, okay? Son…”

The counterpart in this scene was not the female protagonist (the daughter) but the son, who would appear in a special cameo.

How do you plan to handle this? Could she possibly have memorized even this scene where the protagonist doesn’t appear? Could a young girl portray a male student resolved to die?

Sung Hye-sim swallowed dryly and fixed her eyes on  Ju-sa-yi as she prepared for the next line. Soon, her own eyes widened.

Her son was right before her.

Jusei had become the son who had decided to die, looking at her with a heart breaking desolate face.

“Huh, uh…”

Sung Hyesim let out a sharp, choked breath.

It was the first time her acting had broken even before exchanging a single line of dialogue.