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Chapter 23
Sara instinctively shut her eyes in surprise.
Click. The seatbelt unlatched.
A low chuckle brushed over her forehead.
“What are you thinking, Seo Sara?”
“N-no, it’s just… suddenly, your face was so close…”
The moment she realized it had all been a complete misunderstanding, Sara’s face flamed bright red.
Ah, what the hell was I thinking, closing my eyes like that?!
She wanted to crawl into the nearest hole and disappear.
Thankfully, relying on her long years of acting experience, Sara quickly managed to compose her expression.
“No one outside anymore. I’ll go. Thanks.”
Before she’d even finished her sentence, she bolted out of the car, flinging the door open.
She didn’t dare look back.
On her way to the front door, she smacked her head again and again in self-reproach.
“Idiot? Idiot! Why did you act so stupid back there, ugh!”
Her cheeks burned as red as ripe apples.
Still muttering nonstop, she opened the front door.
Unlike when she had left, the hallway lights were on.
As she slipped off her shoes, an unexpected figure was standing before her.
“Unni? When did you get here without even calling?”
“Sara. Are you out of your mind?”
“What? What are you suddenly talking about?”
Mirae’s face was grim as she stared at her. She raked a hand through her hair and burst out,
“Why the hell didn’t you pick up your phone? Never mind. That’s not even the point right now—have you been sneaking around meeting investors behind the company’s back?”
“Ah…”
Sara belatedly pulled her phone out of her handbag.
Dozens of missed calls lit up the screen.
She had set it to silent during the meeting and hadn’t noticed.
She had intended to tell Mirae eventually, but she hadn’t expected her to find out like this—at the absolute worst possible timing.
As Sara fumbled without giving a direct answer, Mirae’s voice grew louder.
“Do you know what kind of rumors are already flying around? People are saying you’re lobbying investors in secret! Do you know how ridiculous I felt when I heard that?”
“What? No, that’s not it! Unni, do I look like the kind of person who would do something like that? I only had a few meetings with investors, that’s all.”
“Of course I know you wouldn’t! But will other people believe that? You’re not some rookie. People know who you are. So why act like this? Meetings like that should always go through the company—do you want backlash?”
“I know. But unni, the truth is…”
“Sigh. Sara. Reporters already have gossip articles floating around.”
“Already?”
Sara’s mouth dropped open in shock.
She had thought Mirae just happened to find out, but it hadn’t even crossed her mind that the rumors had already spread to journalists.
“In this day and age, does speed even matter? Reporter Choi sent me one of those leaks—I nearly fainted. And all this time you were telling me you were meeting friends, but really you were sneaking around to meet investors?”
There was no excuse.
Sara fiddled with her fingertips and bowed her head.
“…Yeah. I’m sorry for lying, unni.”
“I swear, you’ll drive me insane. This is because of Director Choi, isn’t it?”
“No. This was just… because I wanted to do that project. It has nothing to do with Eunyeong unni.”
“How can you say it has nothing to do with her? Investors are lining up saying they’ll fund if it’s not Choi. If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t even have a reason to do this, right?”
Mirae glared sharply, her words biting.
Sara tried to form a defense, but Mirae was quicker.
“Forget it. The damage is done. All you can do now is clean up. For the time being, unless it’s for work, don’t set foot outside the house.”
“…”
“Why aren’t you answering? The CEO is running around like crazy trying to contain this mess.”
“President Park knows too?”
“If I know, you think the CEO doesn’t?”
“…Sorry.”
Sara covered her face with both hands, her head drooping.
Maybe she should have been honest from the start.
Eunyeong’s face flickered through her mind, leaving a heavy weight of regret.
“And give up on Director Choi’s movie.”
“Unni, but—”
Sara snapped her head up, locking eyes with Mirae.
“Sara. Honestly, you’ve done enough. You tried to help Director Choi and now you’re about to get dragged into nasty rumors. What more are you going to do?”
“…”
“And how do you think Director Choi will feel when she finds out about all this?”
“…I know.”
“If you know, then stop. For her sake too.”
“No, Eunyeong unni already knows. I ran into her while meeting the investors today.”
“What? How would she even know to be there? Ugh. This is a disaster. What did she say? No—don’t even tell me. I can already imagine. With her pride?”
Mirae clicked her tongue in frustration.
As soon as she finished speaking, Sara’s eyes welled up with tears.
Her voice trembled.
“She said… I made her miserable. She looked so disappointed. What do I do, unni? What if she says she doesn’t want to see me again?”
“Yah, is that what you should be worrying about right now? You’re on the verge of a scandal exploding!”
Mirae thumped her chest in exasperation.
Tears that had been clinging to Sara’s lashes finally rolled down her cheeks, dripping pitifully. She gave a soft, broken sob.
Mirae almost snapped—what are you crying for, when you’re the one who messed up?—but in the end, she just sat beside her and patted her back.
Because she knew how absolute Director Choi Eunyeong was in Sara’s life.
“You can draw such strict lines with everyone else, but the moment it’s Director Choi, you completely lose your head.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Not that bad? If she asked you for a piece of your liver, what would you say?”
“My liver? If she needed it, I’d give it.”
“Yah! Unbelievable!”
Mirae exploded, her voice rising in disbelief.
Sara, blinking innocently, didn’t even understand what was wrong.
“What? Why?”
“Sara, Seo Sara. Yes, I know Director Choi helped you a lot when you were younger, but are you planning to live your whole life repaying her? You need to live your own life too!”
“I am living my life. It’s not like I only care about Eunyeong unni. I’m doing my work well too.”
“Doing well? Helping her like this could wreck your entire career, and you call that living well?”
“Isn’t it good enough?”
“What does money or success matter if you’re still chained to her emotionally?”
Mirae pouted her lips as she scolded.
Sara brushed a hand through her hair and muttered.
“When I was young, I thought I’d die before twenty.”
“Why would you die?”
“Either mom would beat me to death, or I’d hang myself in front of her. I thought it had to be one of those two.”
“…Sara.”
“Then Eunyeong unni came. She pulled me out of that hell.”
Her savior.
For Sara, that word fit Eunyeong best.
The person who dragged her out of daily torment and misery.
Mirae’s expression softened, conflicted.
Every time Sara showed glimpses like this, she couldn’t help but ache for her.
“Are you still not sleeping these days?”
“I’m fine.”
“And the hospital?”
“Unni.”
Sara took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
“I’m sorry for acting rashly. It was my mistake to meet investors without telling you. I’ll only go out for work schedules from now on.”
Mirae studied her eyes carefully.
Five years together—not too short, not too long—yet even now she sometimes felt like she barely knew Sara at all.
With a long sigh, Mirae finally said,
“You… Forget it. Fine. The company will handle this. Just call the CEO tomorrow morning and apologize.”
“Okay.”
“Now go to bed. Juyeong’s coming over tomorrow.”
“Got it.”
When Mirae left, it was already past nine at night.
Sara sat down on the living room sofa, trying to collect her thoughts.
Or rather—trying and failing.
Because what filled her mind was still Eunyeong’s disappointed face.
In the end, it wasn’t until late dawn that Sara finally collapsed into bed and drifted off to sleep.
As expected, within just a few days, the Rockstar filming staff began whispering whenever Sara appeared.
Director Kwak looked like he was dying to ask her something, but Writer Sung shook his head from behind, holding him back.
“Uh… Seo-ssi. Are you okay to film?”
“Yes, of course, Director.”
She had seen this coming, so Sara wasn’t surprised.
When she replied with a calm smile, Director Kwak winced and averted his eyes.
She was used to these glances, heavy with misunderstanding.
Thankfully, at some point, they no longer hurt her.
Sara’s shell had grown so thick and strong it seemed nothing could pierce it.
Nothing—except for one person.
