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Chapter 2
She might be on a break, but Yoo Haerin had been an actress for nineteen years since her debut at the age of ten.
After so long in the entertainment industry, there weren’t many people left who could surprise her.
Running into famous faces hardly ever flustered her.
She hadn’t even felt nervous when she met Tom Crocs.
Haerin quietly cleared her throat, though she could feel her nerves creeping up.
I need to tell Minjoo the second she comes in.
It was Minjoo, after all, who had clued her in about Ihyun back when Haerin first started watching STB News.
“You watch that too? Isn’t Shin Ihyun insane? If it were me, I’d just fool around and inherit the construction company.”
“What are you talking about? Construction company?”
“You’re kidding, right? You really don’t know who Shin Ihyun is?”
“Isn’t he just an anchor…?”
Minjoo had been dumbfounded and rattled off an explanation.
What was it again?
The only son of Shin Junghyun, CEO of Shin Construction—the flagship company of the Shin conglomerate.
As a child, even candid photos taken at official events had shown off his striking looks. The people who knew, already knew.
Like most chaebol heirs, he’d gone abroad for a time, though strangely enough, he’d returned to study at a Korean university.
When Haerin admitted she’d never heard any of this, Minjoo had scolded her to “at least check the internet sometimes.”
Still ridiculous when I think about it now. Sure, I knew Shin Junghyun. But who normally knows his son by name?
Anyway, family background aside—
Haerin could confidently say she was a fan of anchor Shin Ihyun.
And the tension she felt now was nothing more than that fangirl excitement.
The tall figure approached the counter. Haerin smoothed her expression, hiding her nerves like a pro.
“May I take your order?”
“……”
“…?”
Why… wasn’t he looking at the menu?
Those cool eyes were trained directly on her.
If anything, he felt even colder in person than on screen.
Startled by his gaze, Haerin quickly keyed in the order.
“Iced Americano. Two extra shots.”
“Yes, two shots.”
“To go.”
“Payment complete. Please wait just a moment.”
As she prepared the coffee, Haerin’s mind was spinning.
Why would he come here of all places?
The Serenade Café was surrounded by countless other cafés.
For him to choose this one meant—
…Could this be my chance to make Shin Ihyun a regular?
Maybe he liked the café’s look, or maybe there was another reason. Whatever it was, there had to be something that brought him here.
And in moments like this, first impressions mattered.
Minjoo’s been frowning every day, worried about sales.
For her struggling friend, landing a customer like this could be a windfall.
And if he really became a regular, well—Haerin could probably even snag an autograph.
Alright. She made up her mind.
Be friendly enough that he’ll want to come back. Friendly, but not over the top.
“Iced Americano, ready!”
Ihyun stepped closer to the counter. Haerin seized her chance.
“I—I always watch your news. I only tune into STB because I like the way you anchor.”
Silence.
With his Americano in hand, that frosty face stared at her as if piercing through.
…Was that too much?
Just as the atmosphere began to feel awkward, his clear voice delivered a simple response:
“Is that so.”
“…Yes.”
Guess not.
Her bold plan to leave an impression seemed to have failed.
Well, plenty of people must have said the same thing to him before.
Even so, she wasn’t that disappointed.
When else will I get to see Shin Ihyun up close?
Just exchanging a few words with him was enough to count as a special event in her day.
At least—until he spoke again.
“You’re an actress, aren’t you? Yoo Haerin.”
“Ah—do you know me?”
Only then did she realize why he’d been staring earlier.
He had recognized her.
So maybe, despite his cold image, he was just trying to return her greeting.
But the next words out of his mouth were sharp, almost cruel.
“You’ve been on hiatus a long time. Because of the scandals.”
“I wonder if the day will come when I’ll have to report on your news myself.”
Haerin blinked.
What… did he just say?
Had she heard right?
“Report on your news.”
That was what he’d said.
And he was an anchor.
Of course, there was no chance of that day ever coming.
Maybe once upon a time. But now? No matter what she did, the world wouldn’t react with more than a shrug.
She understood what he meant, but—
“…Why would you say something like that?”
Why pick a fight?
His face, colder than ever, shot the question back.
“Is there something wrong with what I said?”
Ha.
Before she could process her outrage, he glanced at his watch and gave a polite nod.
“I’ll be back.”
What—?
“Excuse me.”
Haerin darted out from behind the counter, catching him just before he left.
“…And if that day does come? If you ever end up reporting my news—what then?”
He paused, as if considering it.
“…That would be good. If it happens.”
“….”
Ding.
The cheerful chime of the doorbell announced his departure. Haerin stood frozen, replaying his words in her head.
No sane person would throw such curses at someone they’d just met.
And certainly not a public figure like him—someone she saw on the news every night.
She had even asked again, in case it was all a misunderstanding.
But there was no denying it now.
He had flat-out told her, “You will never make a comeback.”
“…Is he out of his mind?”
“Hey! Sorry, I had to deal with something at home… Whoa, what’s with your face?”
Minjoo burst into Serenade Café, only to stop short.
Haerin was bracing herself against the counter, simmering with fury.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“You sick or something? What’s wrong with your expression?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“What happened? Some customer give you a hard time?”
A difficult customer? Well, technically… yes.
Haerin squeezed her eyes shut, Shin Ihyun’s infuriating face spinning in her mind.
“Shin Ihyun was here.”
“…Who?”
“Shin Ihyun. STB’s anchor Shin Ihyun. Shin Construction’s CEO’s son. The Shin Ihyun you scolded me for not knowing!”
“…Shin Ihyun? The Shin Ihyun? He was here? No way. I want to advertise this like some foodie blog—‘The café Shin Ihyun visited!’”
Minjoo bustled behind the counter, all worked up.
Normally, Haerin would have joined in and suggested putting up a banner.
But after what just happened, she couldn’t even force a smile.
“Wait—why do you look like that, then? Shouldn’t you be thrilled? Did the excitement drain all your energy?”
“He said… he wondered if he’d ever report on me.”
“…What?”
“He asked if he’d end up reporting my news someday. Just like that.”
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not!”
She wished it were a joke.
No one wanted this to be a lie more than she did.
“There’s no way. He wouldn’t say something that nasty with that face of his.”
“Minjoo, I’m telling you—”
“Okay, but if you’re serious?”
“…”
“That guy’s a psycho.”
And with that, Minjoo launched straight into a rant.
“No, seriously. That’s insane. Especially since you greeted him first. Who does that?”
“Exactly! You know I always put in extra effort with new customers, right? To make them regulars. But then he goes, ‘Report on you’—what the hell?”
Minjoo grimaced and shook her head quickly.
“Forget it. Just let it go. The world’s crawling with lunatics. You know I learned that the hard way running this café. People aren’t always what they seem. Still, Shin Ihyun? That’s shocking. People were saying he was decent, for a chaebol.”
Haerin nodded weakly.
Sure, he looked a little cold. But she’d thought his image was upright, dependable.
Never had she imagined he could be such an ass.
All the affection she’d built up as an STB news viewer came crashing down in a heap.
“Well, if that’s the worst luck you get, maybe something good’s coming your way.”
Minjoo gave her shoulder a few pats before getting ready to take over.
“You were watching the news again, weren’t you? Slow day, huh.”
With a few clicks, her favorite playlist started playing.
Haerin quickly slid over, snatched the mouse, and slammed the X button until the window vanished.
Ihyun’s face disappeared from the screen along with it.
“I’m done with STB.”
“Then what are you going to watch?”
“Anything. As long as it’s not STB.”
Haerin forced herself to shake off the thoughts. Dwelling on it wouldn’t help.
By the time her shift ended, she had just enough time to make it to her appointment.
“I’d better get going. Be safe on your way home.”
“Yeah, thanks for covering. Who were you meeting again?”
“Yeongseo. I’ll call you after.”
Out on the street, Haerin flagged down a taxi.
“Hyehwa Station, please.”
Sure, the day had taken an unexpected turn.
But she couldn’t let a brief sour encounter keep her down.
Especially not today.
For the first time in two years, she was going to receive a script.
A script written by none other than her beloved junior—for an independent film.
