Chapter 142: Suspicion
Muyoung stood in front of the SJ E&M building, craning his neck all the way to the sky.
The previous Big Win building had been red brick with ivy creeping here and there, but this one had mirror-like windows reflecting the sky in a blue hue.
With the occasional clouds drifting by as a bonus.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going in?”
“Sightseeing the building.”
“You’ve seen it a few times already, what’s new?”
Gyeongmin laughed as he unloaded his things from the car.
They say time flows faster than usual at the turn of the year, and already two weeks had passed since “that day” when he became family with Yusah.
It really felt like the blink of an eye.
Zziiing—
“Welcome.”
“Hello.”
Beep.
Like any other company, the lobby had a reception desk, and Muyoung could enter the inner area with his card key. Everything felt unfamiliar, but not in a bad way.
Ding—
“We’re here. Hello.”
“Hello, Muyoung-ssi.”
There were even two more staff members permanently in the office. The staff noona, recognizing Muyoung, smiled brightly and stood up from her seat.
“What’s up? Your schedule’s all done, right?”
“Ah, I’m dropping off some gifts on my way in.”
Letters and gifts sent by fans.
DMs of love are nice, but handwritten ones are the best. Muyoung looked around for the pile of gifts.
“They’re gathered in the inner office. I’ll bring them.”
It really is nice to have space.
Before, it was so cramped that everything was right in front of you.
Muyoung stuck to the window, sightseeing inside the building. With a huge cylinder-like opening in the center, everything was clearly visible.
“I want a building like this too. Jackpot.”
“Save up steadily. You can do it.”
“Nah, you’re lying.”
“For real. Popular celebrities each have a building, right? It’s definitely possible. As long as you don’t do anything stupid. You’re holding onto your settlement well, right?”
Muyoung nodded at his manager’s words.
His account now had 1.4 billion won in it.
It would decrease little by little, but as long as he kept working, residual fees and secondary running royalties would keep coming in.
Being young, he really wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while.
“Be careful, scammers will flock to you.”
Gyeongmin said worriedly as he unpacked his things.
It’s already precarious for a kid to live alone without parents, and now with that much money……
It feels like he’ll lose his balance and fall over at the slightest push, it’s so worrying.
“Don’t worry. I’m quick on my feet for stuff like that.”
“There’s always someone faster than the fast, you know. Always be careful, and be careful again. Scams aren’t called scams for nothing.”
“I’m thinking about how to use it well. They say you have to be better at spending money than earning it.”
“Who says?”
“I saw it in the autobiography of a conglomerate founder.”
“……Then that’s right.”
With the exact source given, Gyeongmin closed his mouth.
“Anyway, no matter how close someone is, don’t say you have money!”
“Uhh, everyone already knows.”
“Don’t trust even close people!”
“What about you, hyung? You too?”
“Of course. You little—”
Muyoung just laughed. Somehow, a bit of confidence? The path shown by the flower pollen, but it felt like an ability that only good people were around him.
With a dirty fate before becoming an adult, only good things would happen from now on.
Having experienced a once-in-a-lifetime bad connection, there wouldn’t be anything like that from now on.
“Ugh—”
Just then, a staff member came out of the inner office carrying a large box. Muyoung quickly ran over to help her.
“Wow, I heard there were a lot.”
“There’s one more.”
“Whoa, really?”
“This box is just gifts, the inner one is just letters. They’re separated, so it’ll be convenient.”
Muyoung couldn’t hold back his laughter and nodded.
“I’ll have to sit down and read them one by one when I get home.”
“Let’s go down to the parking lot together. I’ll help carry them.”
“I can carry them.”
As Gyeongmin took the gift box and the staff member took the letter box, Muyoung was left with just his backpack.
The elevator coming down from the 7th floor stopped at the 3rd floor, and the moment the doors opened.
“Huh?”
Glitter caught Muyoung’s eye first. Inside, it was already packed with people.
Gyeongmin mumbled awkwardly. It looked tight for even three people, and with all the luggage……
“Should we take the next one?”
But Muyoung stepped onto the elevator as if entranced. The flustered Gyeongmin and the staff member. He waved his hand and said,
“Hyung, I’ll head down to the parking lot first.”
“Muyoung-ah? Ha Muyoung!”
Ding—
The doors closed, and Muyoung kept rolling his eyes, following the floating flower pollen in the air. It seemed like one of the people in here……
“Uh, Ha Muyoung-ssi?”
“Yes?”
At the cautious voice calling him, Muyoung turned his head.
Thick magnifying glass-like glasses, ramen-like curly red hair……
“Writer Yeon Chae-nim?”
Ding—
“I’m getting off. Just a moment.”
“Ahh. Yep.”
Swept away by the people getting off on the first floor, Muyoung was pushed out of the elevator.
Yeon Chae followed him off, looking flustered.
“Writer-nim!”
In the bright light, it was definitely Yeon Chae.
The photographer from the BORNTORE SNS model shoot. Muyoung was very happy to see her and shook her hand.
“It’s been a long time. How have you been?”
“Yeah, I’m always the same. I enjoyed your movies and dramas so much. I knew you’d do well, so it’s really nice to see you like this.”
Like meeting a best friend in the school hallway, the two kept waving their hands excitedly.
Just like before, her glittering palms.
“Oh, is something on my hand?”
Muyoung laughed, looking at the flower pollen on his hand.
“No, it’s just a habit. How have you been? I shot for ‘Today University’, and they said you weren’t there.”
The glitter from the ‘Today University’ magazine, and the flower pollen shown by Yeon Chae, who worked there.
Thinking they were definitely connected, he thought he’d see her again if he shot there.
“Oh, really? You shot there?”
“Yeah, the photos turned out well—”
Without Yeon Chae, there wasn’t much of a reaction.
It was only briefly a topic within the university.
She just smiled awkwardly.
“I quit Today University because of you.”
“Huh? Because of me? Why?”
Sunlight poured through the window, making Yeon Chae’s red hair even redder.
“You told me I’d succeed back then, remember? To someone who couldn’t even hold a camera steady because of a tremor.”
Muyoung slowly recalled.
It seemed like he did. With flower pollen falling from his hands, it was an obvious thing to say, wasn’t it?
“Being unsure, I took a leave of absence as if running away, and even though all I could do was carry equipment bags, running around—do you know how much courage that took?”
The worries of a few wandering months melted away like snow at someone’s serious comfort.
“So I quit everything, even my assistant job and Today University, and went back to school. I finished my studies and graduated.”
“I see.”
“Now I work as a photographer at SJ E&M. The still cuts I took of you back then, every time I put them in my portfolio, they score well.”
“It’s really, really nice to hear that it helped.”
“Me too, it’s so nice to see you again.”
Hehe. The two shook hands and laughed again.
“Your agency moved here, right?”
“Yeah, on the 3rd floor.”
“I’m involved in all the photo shoots at SJ E&M. If we’re lucky, we’ll see each other often.”
“Is your employer Representative Yusah?”
“Well, if you look at it practically, you could say that.”
Muyoung suddenly marveled at Yusah’s eye for talent. While he could see potential with his own eyes, he really must be a businessman to the bone. How did he spot and hire Yeon Chae?
“My tremor’s gone now.”
“Even if it shakes a little, Writer Yeon Chae’s photos are always amazing.”
Zziiing. It was more than comfort, it was touching.
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Gyeongmin and the staff member spotted Muyoung.
“Muyoung-ah, what are you doing?”
“Hyung! It’s Writer Yeon Chae. She works here, can you believe it?”
“Huh? Ohh! Ahh! Hello, Writer-nim. Wow, it’s been a while.”
Gyeongmin clearly didn’t remember who Yeon Chae was. His shaking pupils told his state without words.
Muyoung checked his watch and said to Yeon Chae,
“Writer-nim, I’ll head out first. Let’s meet again.”
“Yep. I have work too.”
She stepped into the open elevator and pressed the B3 button. The two waved, promising to meet again. After Gyeongmin bowed his head, he asked Muyoung,
“Who was that?”
“Why, it’s that. From the BORNTORE SNS model shoot.”
“……Ohhh! Right!”
“You don’t remember, do you?”
“Yeah, I don’t know.”
“Whatever. Noona, give me the box. Don’t go outside, just go up. It’s cold.”
Muyoung took the letter box from the staff member and gestured for her to go up quickly.
“Then take care!”
“Yeah, go in.”
The staff member, who had come down from SJ E&M to take care of other actors, watched Muyoung’s distant figure blankly, then nodded in satisfaction.
“Ahahaha, what’s this?”
[I was born too early, without noticing. Muyoung-ah, can I call you oppa? Actually, my mom has a son, so the word ‘oppa’ is a trigger for me, but with you, even if my heart triggers, it’s okay.]
Rustle.
[I watched ‘Street Sunlight’ five times in the theater yesterday. Each time, my impressions changed, and I thought it was such a good movie. Especially, your facial expression in the opening scene had a power that amplified the lingering emotion even after the movie ended.]
From love confessions to movie reviews, to meaningless ramblings.
The love from various fans was pressed firmly onto paper in various formats. Muyoung read every letter without missing a word.
“What’s so funny? Let me see too.”
“No way. The guardians wrote these just for me.”
“Come on, let me see—”
“I said no! Go away!”
Junho playfully reached out as if to snatch the letters. Muyoung hurriedly gathered them, trying to run into his room.
Just then, a beige-colored letter fell to the floor.
“Hey dummy Ha Muyoung, you dropped this. You want me to read it, right?”
As Muyoung glared and reached for the paper,
Swooosh—
“Huh?”
“What?”
Black smog seeped out of the paper like moisture. The smoke that fell dripped to the floor and evaporated the moment it touched the ground.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Junho asked, turning the envelope around in his hands. Muyoung, unable to open the seal, held it quietly and thought.
“Should I…… read this, or not?”
“What’s up? You’re usually so eager to read fan letters.”
“No, it’s just……”
Read it? Or not?
It was sent by a fan, but the paper with black smog coming out of it felt really uneasy.
As Muyoung pondered, his phone rang.
Zziiing— Zziiing—
“Yes, hyung.”
Muyoung fluttered the letter envelope and answered.
“I’m going to do a face mask now.”
Because of the interview with Celebrity World the day after tomorrow,
Gyeongmin had been insisting he do a face mask at home.
-No, Muyoung, something big has happened.
“What is it?”
-A school violence post has been uploaded.
School violence?
Muyoung thought blankly, then denied it as if it was absolutely not true.
“I’ve never been beaten up by kids!?”