CC 13

Chapter 13

“I understand.”

He nodded obediently.

“But hasn’t Ms. Seo Sara already been recognized as a talented actress at Atre? If Altech…”

“They’ll just say Altech bribed the judges at Atre.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m an actress with a promising future. What good would come from being tied to Altech?”

Her concerns were extremely realistic and valid.

It’s never a good thing for a young actress to be gossiped about in connection with a chaebol family.

No matter what achievements she accomplished, people would whisper that it wasn’t Seo Sara who earned them, but that Altech had handed her the glory.

Sara couldn’t stand that.

“Hm. That’s a relief.”

Although she thought her words were quite persuasive, Seungtae smiled gently instead.

“What’s a relief?”

“That you’re a promising actress. As long as you’re in this industry, the day will come when you’ll need me.”

It sounded oddly meaningful.

Sara instinctively realized this man wasn’t going to give up easily.

The moment she realized that, a sudden wave of fatigue washed over her.

She rubbed her face dryly and let out a sigh as she spoke.

“…Why are you doing this to me? Can’t you just go after another woman? If you showed your business card, I bet people would line up to be your ‘contract girlfriend’ or whatever.”

“There’s someone I hate more than anyone else in this world… and I think that person would be absolutely furious if you were my girlfriend.”

“Who is it?”

“I’ll tell you if we sign the contract.”

“So you want to use me to get back at someone you hate?”

“After having a deep conversation with you, I realized you’re incredibly talented at messing with people. I really want to team up with you.”

Seungtae said it so seriously that she couldn’t tell whether he was mocking her or genuinely impressed.

“Just think of it as acting for three months. Hmm. Like playing Cinderella, for example.”

“Are you saying you’re the prince? Your ego is bigger than I thought.”

Despite Sara’s cynical jab, Seungtae just smiled again.

“There’s a lot more I can do than you think, Ms. Seo.”

“Oh, right. This is the part where you start threatening me, isn’t it?”

“No. I wouldn’t let such a great actress end up drinking poison and dying. What I mean is, I have the power to easily get you whatever you want—whether it’s money or roles.”

“No thanks. I like taking the hard road.”

Sara looked him straight in the eyes.

“I’m not interested in being your contract girlfriend, so go find someone else.”

“…That’s unfortunate.”

“And live a little more decently, will you? Don’t come at me with these outdated ‘sponsor’ or ‘contract’ deals. If you had just told me honestly that you wanted to date me, I might’ve at least considered it seriously.”

Seungtae stared at her for a moment, then shrugged.

“Well… I don’t think that would work.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re not my type.”

“…What?”

Sara’s smile cracked instantly at his completely unexpected reply.

On the other hand, Seungtae grinned with the confidence of a winner.

“Did you think you were every man’s ideal type? Your ego is bigger than I thought.”

“…”

Sara’s lips twisted slightly.

Being served her own words back hit a nerve deep inside.

Trying to stay unfazed, she pulled out her phone.

“Ha, you must not know much, Mr. Yoon Seungtae. Last year, in that X-Well magazine ideal type poll… wait a second, I’ll show you.”

Though she pretended to be composed, her fingers moved quickly.

Sara:
Unni! Unni!!

Manager Mirae:
What? Your date’s over already? Should I come pick you up?

Sara:
No. Remember that ideal type poll from X-Well last year?
Find it and send it to me—quick! Right now!

Manager Mirae:
Ideal type? Oh.
Why all of a sudden?

Sara:
It’s urgent!

Fortunately, Mirae replied not long after.

Manager Mirae:
Is this the one?

Sara:
What the heck?

Manager Mirae:
What? Isn’t this what you meant?

Sara:
Why am I in second place???? I thought I was first!

Manager Mirae:
I asked the reporter—they said the vote gap wasn’t that big.
You’ll be number one this year, Sara^^
Fighting!

“Ugh…”

Mirae, clueless about Sara’s current meltdown, sent a cheerfully optimistic message.

Sara bit her lip furiously and flipped her phone screen over.

Leaning in, Seungtae asked,

“So what were you going to show me?”

“…Hmm. Actually, I just realized that dating me wouldn’t be good for you.”

There was no way she could show him that second-place result.

At this point, she decided to bluff boldly.

“Why not?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’d fall so hard for me, you’d end up singing Marry You in the middle of the street, begging me to marry you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. But considering your social status, I’ll let it slide just this once.”

“…Hmm. Alright.”

She felt like he was holding back laughter, but Sara ignored it.

Seungtae glanced at his watch and stood up.

“Seems like we’re done eating. Shall we go?”

Sara stood up without hesitation.

Just like at the beginning, he didn’t cling to her pathetically.

Which, oddly enough, made her feel even more uneasy.

To shake off the awkward feeling, she asked,

“Where do I pay?”

“Pay? Oh.”

Seungtae let out a short exclamation and shook his head.

“There’s no need to pay. This isn’t a restaurant.”

“It’s not?”

“No. Just a place my family uses for meals from time to time.”

“…”

“We recently changed chefs. I hope the food was to your liking.”

Sara was momentarily speechless.

This palatial, mansion-like place was just a private family dining room?

The scale of the wealthy was far beyond her imagination.

“I enjoyed today. Ms. Seo Sara.”

When they stepped outside, the same car from earlier was already waiting.

“Yes, well. Glad you enjoyed it. I’m just curious—have I repaid all the favors I owed you?”

“Favors? I just made a few calls as a fan of yours.”

The way he said it was infuriating, but Sara responded with a beautiful smile.

“Oh, really? Then from now on, please support me purely as a fan. Don’t meddle in my life anymore.”

“I’ll try my best.”

He replied cheekily and personally opened the car door for her.

Sara didn’t even feel like responding anymore.

She squeezed herself into the backseat.

Just as she was about to close the door, he held it firmly, stopping her.

“Can you let go of the door?”

“If you ever want something…”

He leaned in, making direct eye contact with her.

Sara’s reflection glimmered in his deep, dark eyes.

“Call me.”

It was the first time she’d looked into Seungtae’s eyes for so long.

Only then did she truly notice how handsome he was.

The door slowly closed.

Only after the car started moving did Sara realize she’d been holding her breath.

She shook her head, trying to shake his face out of her mind.

“Sara! Seo Sara! Did you see the article?”

It was about a week after filming Rockstar had ended.

Mirae burst into the room, clearly excited.

“What? What article? Don’t tell me I got caught in a scandal?”

Thinking maybe she’d been photographed with Yoon Seungtae, she shot up from bed.

“No, it’s not that. It’s about the Rockstar press conference yesterday.”

“And?”

“People found out you were cast, even just as a minor role, and the internet is blowing up.”

For someone claiming things were blowing up, Mirae looked way too happy.

Grinning from ear to ear, she showed Sara a post from her fan community.