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Chapter 17
She hurriedly threw on a bathrobe and stepped out of the bathroom.
Then, holding her phone, she paced around the room in nervous agitation.
“Should I just close my eyes and call him?”
Her finger hovered over Seung-tae’s number.
“No, Seo Sara. Are you crazy? If you get tangled up with that man, your acting career is over.”
It might be good for a while.
If she pretended to date Seung-tae, she could enjoy a lot of benefits.
But after that?
Would he still protect her once the contract ended?
Everything comes with a price.
The easier the rise, the easier the fall — and the higher you climb, the greater the risk of crashing down.
Her wavering thoughts slowly settled.
Sara set down the phone she had been clutching tightly.
Just then, the phone rang.
Sara stared at the name on the screen for a long while before finally answering.
“Yeah, unnie.”
[Sara, are you home? You worked so hard today.]
“What do you mean, worked hard.”
[I never knew Director Park laughed so much. Meeting with him while you were there really made a difference. I’ve had dozens of meetings with investors, but this one felt completely different. I think it’s really happening.]
“…Really?”
[Yes, really. I can feel it. He even read through the script I sent beforehand. Wow, Sara. It looks like we might actually get to make this movie together.]
Eun-young, brimming with excitement, started going on about the locations she’d thought of, the schedule, how she’d decorate the sets, and what kind of cuts she planned to direct.
Listening to her was becoming more and more painful for Sara.
She could see clearly just how much Eun-young was counting on this.
“Unnie, you know…”
[Hm? What is it?]
“Earlier, Director Park told me…”
That if they just replaced the director, he would invest.
She could just tell the truth, but the words refused to come out.
Sara only let out a faint, shaky breath, unable to voice it.
Sensing something off, Eun-young’s voice dropped as well.
[…What’s wrong? Did Director Park call you?]
“…No, it’s nothing. He just said he’d think about it seriously.”
[Ah, of course. It’s not like investment decisions happen overnight. But wow, if he bothered to call you separately, he must really be considering it. This time for sure. Oh, Somin’s dad just got home. I’ll call you later! Honey, guess what happened today…]
The call ended there.
Sara’s heart grew twice as restless as before. She stared at the black screen for a long time.
— As long as you stay in this industry, won’t the day come when you’ll need me?
That man’s words wouldn’t leave her head.
“Who did you say came?”
“Writer Sung Ji-hee! She’s here.”
“Why would Writer Sung come to our company?”
“Why do you think?”
Mirae gave Sara a sideways glance.
“Because you haven’t given an answer about Rockstar. They must be desperate.”
It had only been two days since she spoke with Director Kwak, and now even Writer Sung had shown up at the company. Just as Mirae said, they must be really anxious.
By then, the car arrived at the company.
As she pressed the elevator button to go up to the office, she found Park Hyun already inside.
“CEO, where are you headed?”
“Nowhere. I came down to greet our Actress Seo, of course.”
“What? Since when do you come out to greet people?”
Sara asked with a doubtful look. Park Hyun’s eyes sparkled far too much as he replied:
“Actress Seo. You’re going to do it, right?”
“Do what?”
“What else? Rockstar, of course.”
Instead of an answer, Sara just gave a small shrug. Park Hyun’s face instantly paled.
“What? Don’t tell me you’re not going to do it. Why? Why not? Why would you pass up such a golden opportunity? The ratings are guaranteed to explode! Do you know how many ads will come pouring in…!”
“When did I ever say I wasn’t doing it?”
His rapid-fire panic softened instantly, his face shifting in a flash.
“Then you will? You’re planning to, right?”
“We’ll see.”
“Oh, come on, Sara. Actress Seo. Did I tell you five ad contracts have already come in? Hm? I’m putting all my faith in you.”
“Ugh, stop being so clingy. Move away.”
Hyun clung to her, holding her arm and shaking it like he was begging.
Though she grumbled, Sara didn’t actually shake him off.
“If Rockstar does well, you’ll get a flood of scripts. Then you can pick and choose whatever roles you want.”
“Whatever I want…”
What she really wanted was to make a movie with Eun-young.
Even this morning, Eun-young had sent her a message brimming with hope.
Seeing it had left a bitter haze in her chest.
Noticing her hesitation, Hyun slipped in a question.
“Is it because of Director Choi?”
“…”
“You still haven’t told her, have you? If it’s too hard for you, do you want me to say it instead?”
Sara whipped her head around to look at him.
The offer was tempting.
In truth, she dreaded seeing Eun-young crushed by yet another rejection.
But she slowly shook her head.
“No. I have to tell her myself.”
She was the one who had pushed Eun-young into the meeting in the first place. She should be the one to end it, too.
“By the way, what did you tell Director Kwak? You didn’t already say yes, did you?”
“Knowing you, would I dare? I just said we’d see about scheduling, but that we’re an agency that respects our actors’ opinions.”
In other words, he’d carefully implied that the decision was entirely up to the actress.
Which explained why Writer Sung had come directly to the company herself.
“Let’s go, then.”
“Go where?”
“Where else? Writer Sung is waiting in the conference room on this floor.”
“Oh, really?”
“‘Oh, really’? That’s all you have to say? Sara, they’re at their wits’ end here. At least go show your face since she came all the way.”
His voice swung from angry, to pleading, to completely resigned in a matter of seconds.
His forced smile was almost pitiful.
“What about Kim Se-yeon?”
“What? Kim Se-yeon? Why bring her up?”
“Just wondering if she’s doing okay.”
“Would you be doing okay in her shoes? She came storming into the office earlier. She’s still here, actually.”
Hyun suddenly lowered his voice, pointing at the door to the next room.
“She’s here on business. Please, let’s not stir things up this time.”
As he sighed deeply, Sara’s expression shifted strangely. Then, raising her voice a little, she said:
“Hmm. I see. So Writer Sung is in the conference room? Then I’d better go. Oh, and CEO Park—don’t come in.”
“What? Why not?”
“There are things just between the two of us.”
“What things? I’m still the agency head, shouldn’t I at least show my face?”
“It’s women’s talk.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, women’s talk?”
Sara brushed him off coolly, pushing him back as he tried to follow her.
Even so, Park Hyun trailed after her nervously.
“Ac…Actress Seo! I can clear my schedule, right? Hm?”
Naturally, she didn’t look back, just waved her hand vaguely.
When she opened the conference room door, Writer Sung Ji-hee was sitting there sipping tea.
“Ah, Sara, you’re here?”
“Hello, Writer. Have you been well?”
“Oh, you know. So-so.”
Writer Sung gave a faint, ambiguous smile, which said more clearly than words that she had not been well.
No wonder—having to scrap a half-completed script and start from scratch would wear anyone down.
On top of that, she was notorious for hating rushed scripts with poor quality.
“Director wanted to come too, but he got caught up with work. So it’s just me.”
“Well, he must be busy shooting his drama. By the way, I heard Rockstar’s ratings are great. Congratulations, Writer. Another big hit.”
“Thanks.”
Sara went on with a stream of sweet compliments, flattering her at every turn.
Despite the praise, Writer Sung calmly sipped her tea, her expression unchanged.
Sara didn’t seem to mind and kept smiling brightly, chirping like a morning bird.
“By year’s end, you’ll surely win the grand award…”
“I’ll just get straight to the point. I don’t have much time, and I’m sure you’re busy too.”
“Ah, yes. Please go ahead, Writer.”
“I’m going to dramatically increase your role. At least to the level of a top-tier supporting character.”
