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Chapter 6
It was a pleasantly cool afternoon.
The quiet of Haerin’s spacious single-family home was broken by a sudden burst of noise.
“Haerin, I’m here!”
The front door flew open before Haerin could even respond, and Minju barreled straight inside.
“You could’ve just punched in the code.”
“Do you do that? Not when someone’s home. Ugh, let me lie down for a minute.”
Minju flopped onto the sofa, stretching out with the comfort of someone who belonged there.
“I’ve been thinking, you know?”
“Yeah?”
“Meeting Shin Ihyun yesterday—that must’ve been a ritual cleansing.”
Haerin’s eyes narrowed with playful disbelief.
“That was?”
“Listen to me. You were obsessed with STB News, right? But who could’ve known he’d turn out to be such a bastard? Out of all the awful people, Shin Ihyun was the worst. You lost in love but gained in work. That’s the balance of the universe.”
Haerin let out a laugh as she fixed her outfit in front of the mirror.
“You might be right. Getting cast on a variety show out of nowhere—it is strange.”
“Exactly. How else would you suddenly land all this work? That’s already two gigs lined up.”
“Two?”
Minju gave her a strange look.
“What are you talking about? The film and the variety show. That makes two.”
“Oh. Right.”
Haerin forced a smile. She’d told Minju about the surprise offer last night, but not about the film falling through.
It wasn’t good news anyway.
Minju knew why Haerin had finally accepted that film, after rejecting it several times. To explain why it fell apart would mean explaining everything about Youngseo.
“When does the movie start filming?”
“…Not sure?”
“Not sure? The schedule’s still not set?”
Minju craned her neck from the sofa to stare at her.
“Well, whatever. We’ll throw a party soon, to celebrate your streak of good fortune.”
“About that… the movie’s not happening, Minju.”
“What do you mean?”
So Haerin told her, in broad strokes, about last night’s fiasco. Hiding it felt pointless, especially when Minju wanted to celebrate.
“So yeah. It’s off.”
“Give me Park Youngseo’s number.”
Minju shot up from the sofa.
“Now. Hand it over. Has he lost his damn mind?”
Haerin, ready to head out, tried to soothe her.
“He probably felt stuck too. Don’t worry about it. I’ve already moved on.”
“This is insane. If he didn’t want you, he shouldn’t have approached you. He begged you to join, said he wrote the script with you in mind—and then just drops you? Has he even apologized?”
“Nope. Maybe he’s busy.”
Minju huffed, exasperated.
“If I knew him personally, I’d march over there and flip the whole damn table.”
But then she changed the subject.
“Forget it. Just focus on one thing. Two o’clock, right? Do well, ask your questions.”
“That’s the plan. But it’s so strange. I looked up all the other confirmed cast members last night. The more I saw, the less sense it made. I don’t belong there.”
“That bad? Who’s in it?”
“Search Self-Made Cooking King. The articles are everywhere.”
A few moments on her phone, and Minju gasped.
“What the hell? All big names! …You’re sure this isn’t a scam?”
“He even sent me a picture of his STB ID. His face was right there. He’s legit.”
At first, Haerin thought it might just be for buzz—star producers sometimes went bold with their lineups. But once she saw the Saturday evening slot and the glitzy roster, her doubts returned.
An idol who pulled in millions of short-form views without breaking a sweat.
A rising actor fresh off a hit romance drama.
A rookie actress already making waves with back-to-back roles in major projects.
And then… a former actress tainted by scandal, inactive for two years.
That was the lineup.
Anyone would see Haerin as the odd one out.
“Hmm. Either way, Haerin.”
“Yeah?”
“If you do make it, we’re having that party. My treat.”
Her silly comment loosened the tension, and Haerin smiled.
“I’d love that. How about barbecue?”
“We’ll eat everything. No limits.”
With her bag and car keys in hand, Haerin headed for the door.
“I’m off. You should get to work too. That old coworker of yours is covering, right?”
“Yeah. After we talked last night, I stayed up late thinking about new menu items. No way I could open today.”
Minju groaned, hugging a cushion.
“I wish she’d work here full-time. She’s so easygoing.”
“Me too. But she said she’ll only cover shifts. Doesn’t want to handle desserts.”
Haerin gave a knowing smile.
Something about bell pepper pudding and a grim, ‘This really isn’t it, boss.’
It tasted fine, but Serenade Café’s desserts were… eccentric at best.
“They’re really that bad? Maybe I should just stop messing around and start buying wholesale.”
“No, keep at it. Just switch up the ingredients to something people actually like.”
She’d never once told Minju to stop baking—only vetoed the truly disastrous experiments.
She wants this. The least I can do is cheer her on.
Back when her father passed away and the scandal erupted, Minju had shown up every single day to help. Haerin owed her a lot.
Now, sliding into her car, she tapped the address into the navigation system: STB Headquarters, 7th floor, Entertainment Division.
The lobby was easy enough to get through. Phone in hand, Haerin remembered:
He said to call once I arrived, right?
Thankfully, the weekend crowd was thin. She slipped by toward the emergency exit and dialed.
Instead of a voice, an old K-pop track from 2010 blared through the line.
Still a fan, huh?
The problem wasn’t the nostalgia. It was that the song kept looping, back to the start of the chorus again and again—
“The person you have dialed is not available…”
“…What?”
No way.
Haerin shut her eyes, willing away the worst-case scenario. She was about to redial when the screen lit up: Kim Sungjae PD.
“Yes, PD-nim.”
“Haerin! I’m so sorry—I’ve been all over the place and missed your call.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I just arrived at the lobby.”
“Perfect, perfect. But listen, could I trouble you to head up to the meeting room first? Seventh floor, right as you step out. I’ll be there in ten—no, five minutes.”
He was whispering, oddly urgent.
“Of course. Take your time.”
She pressed the button for the upper floors. The elevator opened—empty.
“…Hmm.”
Maybe…
She searched her horoscope out of habit.
♐ Sagittarius ♐
Today, you are a tycoon. Treasure falls into your lap with no effort.
If you’re single, love awaits—live like the lead in a romance drama.
Lucky Color: White
Lucky Item: Suit jacket
It was almost too on-the-nose. She was literally wearing a blazer for this meeting.
I don’t even believe this stuff. But when it lines up, it’s hard to look away.
On the seventh floor, the meeting room was right where he’d said it would be. The door was plastered with frantic notes:
“PULL.”
“PLEASE PULL!!!”
“One careless push = nosebleed.”
“I beg you, pull the door.”
Apparently, more than a few had been injured here.
Haerin carefully reached for the handle and pulled—
Clunk.
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, the door yanked inward. The force dragged Haerin off balance, sending her stumbling straight inside—
Thud.
She collided with someone’s chest, cold cologne filling her senses.
“Sorry, I—”
“…”
“…”
The apology died in her throat.
The face staring back at her left her utterly disoriented.
It felt like meeting a mortal enemy on a single-log bridge.
Why… why is he here?
