🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 4
Somehow, even her favorite champagne had been prepared.
Seung-tae personally picked up the bottle and poured it into her glass.
Looking at her cleanly emptied plate, he said,
“It seems you liked the food.”
“Oh, I’ve been on a diet these past few weeks, just eating bananas and salad. It’s been a while since I oiled up my stomach like this.”
She instantly regretted that last remark.
Today’s concept was supposed to be the shy, delicate actress.
But feeling full and good, she had ended up saying something she shouldn’t have.
This was exactly why Sara rarely appeared on talk shows or variety programs.
It wasn’t that she was too shy to speak, but that she tended to blurt things out thoughtlessly.
Director Park, realizing this habit would be hard to fix, had reshaped her public image into that of a reserved, bashful, and mysterious actress.
—Seo Sara. Whether it’s on set or on air, don’t talk. Just don’t say anything.
Anyone who truly knew her would laugh at such an image, but thanks to careful management, they had succeeded in making the public believe she was a withdrawn actress.
Sara, feigning nonchalance, studied Seung-tae’s face.
Thankfully, there was no change in his expression.
“You’re already so slim, I don’t think you need to lose any more.”
“I gain weight as soon as I eat, so I always have to watch myself.”
She responded with a belated shy smile.
By now, the main course was finished, and only dessert remained.
She was fairly satisfied with the evening.
He hadn’t pried into her personal life, and the only physical contact had been their handshake at the start.
The one-sided way the meeting was arranged didn’t sit well with her, but she had gotten something out of it too—so, not a bad deal.
“When do you plan to start your next project?”
“Hmm. I’m considering a drama in February.”
“It’ll still be cold in February.”
He voiced a rather unnecessary worry. She chuckled lightly.
“From what I saw in the script, most of the early shoots are indoors.”
“That’s good to hear.”
The dessert that followed was perfect as well.
It was her favorite, a charlotte cake.
The raspberries on top were pleasantly tart.
She couldn’t in good conscience eat it all, but the sweet flavor brightened her expression even more.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
“Then… could we meet again?”
Her fork, halfway into breaking the raspberry charlotte, froze.
Sara looked at him with her polite smile.
“I was told today’s meeting was a one-time thing.”
“That’s true. But after seeing you today, I’d like to meet you a few more times, personally.”
“I’m afraid that would be difficult.”
Sara erased the smile lingering on her lips and spoke firmly.
“Don’t you think, if we kept meeting, I could be of help to you in many ways?”
“What kind of help? Like getting me cast in a movie or something?”
She wasn’t so clueless as to not understand what he implied.
Her lips tightened.
A surge of disgust shot through her.
So, he was no different from the rest.
“Well, Sara, you’re hardly an unknown actress. Something as small as a movie wouldn’t be much, would it?”
Unlike Sara, whose smile had vanished, Yoon Seung-tae still wore a faint one.
His relaxed demeanor only irritated her more.
“Then I don’t understand what exactly you’re trying to say.”
“Seo Sara, you’re already a successful actress. There’s not much further you can climb.”
“That’s insulting. ‘Not much further’? I plan on acting for another fifty years.”
“Then I’ll take responsibility for those fifty years—make sure you never have to fall.”
The short phrase tacked on at the end felt ominous.
Fall.
He wasn’t wrong.
If an actor’s life was like climbing a thousand-meter mountain, Sara had the luck to start at five hundred meters.
After ten years of hard work, she had climbed past eight hundred.
Not far from the top now—meaning the fall beneath was all the steeper.
“That almost sounds like a threat. I’m misunderstanding, right?” she said with a thin smile.
“I’m only offering a proposal. We could support each other.”
Support each other, my foot.
What he really wanted was to sleep with a TV celebrity. His intentions were obvious.
Sara wanted to hurl unspeakable curses at him, but she held back.
“Mr. Yoon Seung-tae. To be honest, I didn’t even want to come today.”
“I understand.”
“But the food was good, and you were polite, so I wanted to leave with a nice memory. Don’t you think if you push like this at the end, you’ll only leave me with a negative impression?”
“If we meet a few more times, I’m sure that impression will turn positive.”
She should never have come at all.
Regret washed over her.
What good was a handsome face?
And his subtle but constant reminders of his power over her were infuriating.
“What if I refuse your offer?”
“Then I’ll find another way.”
“Another way? Like blocking me from dramas or films, canceling my commercials?”
“That could be one way.”
“Ha.”
The most frustrating part was that he really did have the power to do it.
She didn’t know exactly what Altech, where he was an executive director, sold—but she knew he could easily replace her agency head or a broadcast drama PD if he wished.
Sara felt a deep anger and frustration she hadn’t in years.
More even than when, two years ago, she discovered a fellow actor she thought was a friend had slandered her and stolen her role.
But venting her frustration here would accomplish nothing.
She took a deep breath, composed her thoughts and her face.
“What do you think I’ve gained the most in ten years as an actress?”
“I don’t know. Acting skills?”
“Patience. And madness.”
“……”
“I can meet you, Mr. Yoon. It’s not like I can’t act just because I dislike my partner.”
She gave him the most beautiful smile she could manage.
The man before her fell silent.
“And then, I’ll write a little story.”
“A story?”
“Yes. In the story, I’ll cry and beg and cling to you, and show up at your office all the time, being a nuisance. Oh, and we’ll have a big press conference announcing our relationship. Then, when I get tired of you, I’ll dump you—and leak a desperate suicide note online saying Yoon Seung-tae of Altech abandoned me, before drinking pesticide and killing myself.”
“……That’s a rather extreme story.”
“My life tends to be a bit extreme.”
Sara had regained her composure by now.
Seung-tae regarded her with a strange look.
“Well? Let’s start dating today. That would be the beginning of the story.”
“And if it goes the way of your story—what about your life, Seo Sara?”
“Didn’t you hear? The ending is me drinking pesticide and killing myself.”
“……”
For once, Seung-tae was utterly at a loss for words.
He had never expected her to counter like this.
It was so absurd, all he could do was laugh in disbelief.
How she interpreted that laugh, Sara smiled smoothly and said,
“If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to test it.”
“Seo Sara…”
“Oh, and I’ll drain your wallet too. I’ll whine for your credit card, splurge on luxury goods at the department store. Maybe even buy a yacht? If you want to date a big, patient lunatic like me, you’ll have to be on edge every time we meet.”
Sara never lost her smile.
With elegance and beauty, she let every word fly.
Only after a long pause did Seung-tae finally speak.
“Understood.”
“What do you mean, understood?”
“I mean, our meeting ends here today.”
“Good decision.”
Sara suddenly beamed.
Seeing that face, Seung-tae felt a twinge of regret.
But he decided to withdraw gracefully for now.
The first encounter hadn’t gone as planned, but there were still ways to meet her again.
Wiping his lips lightly with a napkin, he said,
“Since you’ve finished eating, please go ahead first. I’ll leave later. It wouldn’t do for us to walk out together.”
“Thank you for the meal. I really enjoyed it.”
She rose without hesitation.
The man stationed like a shadow against the wall stepped forward and helped her into her coat.
Seung-tae held the doorknob himself and opened the door.
“Goodbye.”
Sara answered with only a brief nod.
