APCA 21🦚

Chapter 21

It was a pleasantly fresh Saturday morning.

Haerin stopped by the gym for the first time in a while. She wanted to make good use of the extra time before her evening appointment.

I really should start taking care of my stamina.

The missions she’d been thrown into recently demanded so much of her body that she felt the urgent need for strength training.

For once, she wasn’t here to tone her figure or work off stress—only for pure muscle-building. And the fact that the machines stood empty was a blessing.

Maybe because it was still early on a weekend morning? The wide hall was unusually quiet, with hardly anyone around.

By the time Haerin finished her workout, refreshed and sweating lightly, she happened to glance to the side.

“…Did I hear that right?”

It sounded like someone had just said Yu Haerin.

But the man on the treadmill wore earbuds, and she couldn’t be sure.

Mm. Probably watching Cooking King or something.

The new show, Self-Made Cooking King, had premiered with decent ratings, given all the expectations.

The online comments weren’t exactly glowing yet—but thanks to her reckless determination during missions, there weren’t many brutal ones either.

That’s a relief. My goal was to avoid stuff like, ‘Who cast her? Who pulled strings for her?’ If I can keep this up until the end, that’ll be enough.

Resolving herself anew, Haerin headed toward the locker room.

After a shower, she left the gym, her mood light and clean.

Two men were already waiting by the elevator. She lined up behind them—

—when a sharp voice from a phone video carried clearly.

“Yu Haerin’s misdeeds don’t end there. Did you know one of her younger colleagues was forced to quit acting altogether because of her constant bullying?”

“…?”

Haerin blinked. The man in front was watching a YouTube video, his earbuds dangling.

“They seemed close while working as child actors. But the truth was far uglier.”

“….”

“Whenever the younger actress got a script, Yu Haerin would throw a fit, claiming her own roles were being stolen. On more than one occasion, she even slapped her.”

Haerin’s brows furrowed.

Excuse me? These hands have only ever slapped mosquitoes.

The absurd claims kept rolling on.

“I never intended to post more of these videos. All I wanted was for Yu Haerin to admit her wrongdoing and quietly step back.”

“…..”

“But as you all know, she’s shamelessly appearing on variety shows lately.”

Haerin leaned slightly, catching a glimpse of the screen.

“…What the—?”

The speaker wore a cheap T-shirt and a black mask… with her printed face taped on top. Holes were cut through the eyes so he could peer out while ranting.

“My sources are close acquaintances of Yu Haerin herself.”

No, you don’t exist.

“And if that’s the case, who knows how much more will come to light? As long as she continues her shameless career, I’ll keep exposing her.”

“…..”

“If you don’t want everything dragged out, then quit—immediately.”

Oh, please.

The video ended there. Clearly, this guy just wanted her off the show and had invented “insiders” to back his nonsense.

The man lowered his phone and muttered to his friend.

“Seriously, why did they even cast Yu Haerin in Cooking King?”
“Probably to stir controversy and get people watching.”
“Yeah, and kill the show’s vibe. No one tunes in for her. Just seeing her face makes me sick.”

Ding.

The elevator arrived.

They got in first. When Haerin stepped in after them, the man who had been watching the video glanced at her—then at his phone, then back again.

“….”

Checking if it was really the same person.

Sorry to nauseate you, but yes. That’s me.

Suppressing a sigh, Haerin kept her face calm.

The elevator ride was suffocatingly silent. She didn’t need to look to know the two were nudging each other and trading looks behind her back.

Then came a whisper—

“…You think she heard?”
“How could she not? She was right behind us.”

Exactly.

How could I not?

Finally, one of them spoke up.

“Um, excuse me.”

The video-watcher’s voice was awkward.

“…Did you hear all that?”

“You mean the part where you were talking about me?”

“Ah, so you did. Uh… I was just watching some random video. But, not all of it’s true, right?”

She wanted to snap at him. But lashing out never worked on people who believed trash like that.

So she forced a small, embarrassed smile.

“Yes, it’s all fake. They even said I slapped a colleague….”

“That’s over the top. Just exaggerations for clicks. To be honest, if I hadn’t thought it through, I might’ve believed it.”

Ding. The elevator reached the first floor.

The men hurried out.

Haerin lingered inside for a moment before stepping out slowly.

Very few people could insult her to her face. That man’s rambling excuses weren’t much of an apology—and didn’t make her feel any better.

If it were me, I’d be mortified and apologize properly.

“Not even a sorry, huh?”

But what echoed louder in her head was the earlier line:

“Her face makes me sick.”

“…Haah.”

Her mood, so good after the workout, had sunk to the floor. She turned and headed straight home, abandoning her plan to stop by the market. The thought of dealing with more people made her stomach knot.

That evening, a message lit up her phone.

(Restaurant address)

I made a reservation under my name. Just mention it at the front. See you soon.

“….”

Haerin stared at the message again.

She looked up. This was the place.

A sleek entrance sign read amour in soft golden letters. A fine dining restaurant she vaguely remembered hearing about.

She stood outside, hesitating. The time was right. She had the address. Yet—

Why can’t I step in?

She knew why.

Her mood hadn’t recovered since that crash in the elevator. She hadn’t worked in a café for months, and recording sets were all about business. It had been a long time since she’d encountered such blatant hostility from strangers.

Surely the staff here wouldn’t act like that—but knowing didn’t make her nerves disappear.

No. I’m overthinking. Just go inside.

Taking a breath, she crossed the threshold.

Past a small garden, she rode the elevator up to the lobby.

“…The layout’s unusual.”

Instead of an open hall, the wide lobby led to a long corridor.

A staff member with a tablet approached.

“Good evening, miss. Do you have a reservation?”
“Ah, yes. Under Shin Ihyeon.”
“One moment, please.”

As he checked, Haerin glanced around.

It had been a long time since she’d come somewhere like this—a restaurant where you needed a reservation just to set foot inside. Usually, the only time she came was when she wanted to treat Minjoo’s parents, out of gratitude.

Ihyeon must be used to places like this.

Her gaze drifted—and collided with the eyes of another staff member at the counter.

“….”

Did they just recognize her?

Haerin tugged her cap lower over her face.

“…No?”

She couldn’t catch the words, but the staff were murmuring. Probably asking each other, Isn’t that who I think it is?

Her heart thudded hard.

Guess I’ve been hiding in safe spaces too long.

She wished she could just hurry inside.

But then the staff member checking her reservation frowned apologetically.

“I’m very sorry, miss. Our server is down at the moment, so the reservation check is delayed.”
“…Oh.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t seat you without confirmation. Do you perhaps have a screenshot of the reservation? Or did your companion make it?”
“Ah… does it have to be shown?”
“I’m afraid so. It’s our policy.”

All the while, the staff’s curious eyes flicked her way.

Should I just leave? Ask him to send me the screenshot later…?

It was nearly seven—he’d be arriving any minute. But waiting here in the spotlight felt unbearable.

“I’m sorry, maybe I should just—”

At that moment, the automatic doors behind her slid open.

And a familiar voice called out—

“What are you doing, standing out here instead of going in?”