Chapter 47: Who is your colleague?
“Stop, that’s enough.”
Muyoung laughed and comforted Jaeni. While he had regained his composure, the child seemed to have just started. She kept her mouth shut and shed tears like a chicken’s droppings.
“Guh-! Ugh!”
“Oh dear, I’m going to suffocate.”
“It’s all because of you, oppa. Who told you to act so well?”
You casually say such embarrassing compliments. Muyoung, his face red, continued to comfort Yuna.
The staff members who were coming and going and watching also just laughed and didn’t help him.
“That’s right. It’s all because Muyoung is so good!”
“Who told you to make someone cry so much? Hahaha!”
“Is Yuna’s mouth that big? A whole bunch of chocolate could fit in there.”
Ah! Chocolate!
Muyoung quickly found a snack and put it in the child’s mouth.
Perhaps her tear glands and her heart were separate, because Yuna ate it but still didn’t stop crying. It was like a faucet had been turned on.
“Are you still doing that?”
Lee Hijun, who had roughly washed his face and come back, also teased her when he saw it.
“Your eyes will swell up. Will you be able to film tomorrow?”
“I don’t know! It’s all because of Jaeni. It’s all Jaeni’s fault. So be careful!”
“Okay. You be careful too. There’s no Louis left to protect you now.”
“Waaaaah-!”
He doesn’t want to lose a single argument, even to a child.
Looking at Yuna crying miserably, Hijun smiled with satisfaction. It was delightful! Refreshing! Exciting! It felt like he had repaid a little of the grievances he had suffered until now.
‘There’s almost a twenty-year age difference, isn’t there?’
Muyoung laughed awkwardly, hugged Yuna, and patted her on the back. If things went wrong, why was he so desperate to not be eaten up by a girl who could be his daughter?
“Aren’t you going to change your clothes?”
Hijun looked carefully at Muyoung. His shirt was a mess after running around and rolling on the floor all day. It was Louis’ designated outfit, but it was in such bad condition that it would probably have to be thrown away.
“Yes, I didn’t expect it to go this far today.”
He didn’t even know what he was filming.
Hijun looked at him for a moment and then called his coordinator.
“Sister-! Do you have any spare clothes?”
“Clothes? I have a T-shirt.”
“Give that to him.”
“Huh? Me? Why?”
When Muyoung asked in surprise, Lee Hijun clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Are you boasting about how hard you worked today? Were you the only one who was tired?”
“Um. Isn’t it true that I worked the hardest?”
“Huh? Talking back?”
“Not talking back, just confirming my opinion. Ha ha. If you give me the clothes, I’ll be grateful. Thank you.”
“Bring a brand new one of the same brand. Anyway, you’re amazing. Why don’t you go around shaking hands with all the staff?”
“Oh. Should I? I was actually going to say hello.”
Fucking hell.
Lee Hijun was shocked and swore silently. Are you clueless, or do you have a screw loose? Or are you really a master at this?
“Why?”
“……Never mind. Let’s not talk about it.”
Honestly, after seeing Muyoung’s acting, Hijun felt a thrill, just like other directors.
‘The reason why Ha Muyoung must be Louis’
There was no need for a lengthy explanation, because everything was convincing just from that one scene earlier. A dimensional wall felt palpable, even though they were both actors. That guy would probably become even more of a monster as time went by.
‘It’s annoying.’
He was annoyed because he was envious, and annoyed that he felt awe for such an idiot. Hijun sarcastically snapped at Muyoung for no reason.
“Later, thank Hyojeong. If it wasn’t for Hyojeong as a substitute, we wouldn’t have been able to save the footage today.”
“Oh. That’s true. You’re right.”
Nature reigns over humans, so what greater fortune is there than to be in harmony with it? It’s something you can’t do even if you want to. Muyoung just smiled and thanked Hijun.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Concern? Who? Me? Ridiculous!”
“Hijun, which clothes should I give him?”
“I don’t know. Give him the worst one.”
The coordinator looked at the clothes in both hands and then gestured to Muyoung. Both were expensive T-shirts costing hundreds of thousands of won, despite being short-sleeved.
“Give me the white T-shirt. Senior Hijun! Thank you!”
When Muyoung accepted the T-shirt, Yuna crossed her arms and muttered. It was the first time she looked at him with somewhat friendly eyes.
“This uncle is occasionally useful.”
“Hey. Saying that is mean.”
“It’s not a wrong thing to say, is it?”
“Muyoung, good job.”
At that moment, Gyeongmun Jin approached and put his arm around Muyoung’s shoulder. His face was also hot and red from filming in the blazing sun. It was a so-called ‘drunk tone.’
“Even though I called you suddenly, I’m really grateful that you came, and scene 69 was really the best. It’s not just me who thinks that. Other directors, no, everyone is satisfied.”
“I’m glad. Thank you.”
“I have a kind of superstition.”
“Superstition? You, director?”
Jin Gyeongmun looked as excited as if he were drunk. It was as if he were demonstrating the expression ‘floating on air.’ It must be possible to feel this ecstatic and joyful without alcohol.
“A scene that ends satisfactorily in one take always becomes a topic of conversation somehow. It was like that with Dongsu mopping the floor in
“Director, you just spoiled it. I was going to watch it when I grew up.”
“Oh dear. Yuna, I’m sorry. Anyway, it was one hundred percent guaranteed. You know my filming style, right?”
Of course. I know it all too well. I realized it clearly while filming the running scene today. How scary the words ‘Good, let’s go again’ can be.
“Thank you, Muyoung.”
His voice suddenly became serious. The director grabbed Muyoung’s arms with both hands.
“I realized while working on this project that there will be no more beautiful death in my life than this. Thank you for creating the best moment.”
“It’s all thanks to the directors.”
“You really are a good actor, aren’t you? Huh? Hahaha!”
Jin Gyeongmun kept patting Muyoung on the back. It’s rare to hear such words on set, especially in front of other fellow actors and staff……
“Thank you.”
“Yes. Anyway, you really worked hard today, so go and get some rest. You’ll sleep well.”
“I think so. My bones ache.”
“Muyoung! Are you ready? Huh? What’s with those clothes?”
The assistant director and the manager, who had rearranged the schedule, called Muyoung. He bowed to Jin Gyeongmun and looked down at Yuna.
The child clung to his waist, as if she was too sad to part with him again.
“Can we see each other again?”
“Of course. There’s still a lot to film.”
“Oppa, goodbye. Take care.”
“Yuna, bye-bye. Be careful.”
Anyone watching would think that one of them was leaving for a foreign country. Yuna held her mother’s hand tightly and left the set. She kept glancing back as she went.
Gyeongmin Ko handed him a towel and nodded.
“Let’s go. Dry your hair on the way, and what are those clothes?”
“Senior Hijun gave them to me. I’ll change in the car.”
“Lee Hijun?”
“Ugh. It’s uncomfortable. Is the next schedule sorted out?”
“Hyojeong said she’ll rest for a few more days. So we decided to film our parts first. It’s not bad. It’s better to film everything at once.”
Short and intense! If they could film everything at once, the post-production process would be more relaxed. If it goes well, they could even start another project. Since Muyoung’s situation isn’t good, he could look for a part-time job.
Taang-
As soon as Muyoung got into the passenger seat, he took out his phone, which he had put in his bag.
“Huh?”
He had received a DM reply from Dr. Martel’s PR person.
[Thank you for the good review (^∇^)/]
“Huh?”
[I’m really glad that you liked our product. Just delete the typo part at the end and post it. Please continue to use our Dr. Martel products in the future!]
[We’ll transfer the payment to your company account within a week after checking the feed.]
Muyoung scrolled up to see what Gyeongmin Ko had sent. The back part was completely erased, leaving only the words ‘Your colleague is ㅇ.’
“Ugh.”
This guy deleted it properly.
But what should he do? Muyoung showed the screen to Gyeongmin Ko and asked.
“Brother, they want me to post the feed as it is.”
“Then post it. What’s the problem?”
“Senior Hyojeong’s situation. What if it really was because of Dr. Martel? Then I can’t post this.”
“That’s a separate issue. A separate issue.”
Ugh. Still, it’s not okay.
Muyoung hesitated and then wrote a reply. Gyeongmin Ko, who was looking ahead, muttered.
“But it’s strange how constitution works. Everyone on set used the same skin product, so why was she the only one who had such a reaction?”
Assuming it was because of Dr. Martel.
Muyoung stopped typing and thought carefully.
“That’s true. It’s a really good product.”
“You’re completely hooked, aren’t you?”
“No. It’s not that……”
I’m talking about the pollen swirling around inside the skin product. Thinking about that, it seemed like there wouldn’t be any problems with the company or any lawsuits.
“Did senior Hyojeong eat something wrong back then?”
“She was a person who only drank water because she was on a diet.”
“Is that so? Hmm. I really don’t understand.”
Muyoung replied like that and pressed the send button. Then the phone went back into his pocket. At that moment, the chocolates rustled. They were the ones he had intended to give to Yuna.
“……Huh?”
In an instant, Muyoung’s mind was filled with memories of that day. The day they sat together, taking still shots with Yuna and Hyojeong.
“CEO!”
At Dr. Martel’s office in Gangnam, among piles of files and documents, an employee was frantically looking for the CEO. The sun had set, but who had time to go home?
“There’s big trouble.”
“Yes? Why? Is it scary?”
Looking at the computer screen, Han Dagyeong asked in surprise, her long wavy hair tied high and wearing glasses. She looked every bit the young entrepreneur.
“I just got a call from Joy&Enter. Actor Hyojeong’s skin completely broke out after using our product. It was through a staff member from Konmakeup Art, to whom we provided sponsorship, so they’re going to demand compensation from them and us.”
Ding-
What the hell was this, a bolt from the blue? She stood up abruptly, stammering.
“No, how bad is the trouble that they’re demanding compensation? What is it?”
“I think we’ll have to talk about the details in person. She was even hospitalized and couldn’t go to the shoot-”
“Let’s go. Now!”
Han Dagyeong closed the documents and waved her hand vigorously.
Leaving aside the compensation, suing a cosmetics company for skin trouble was literally nonsense. But the opponent was actor Hyojeong. That Hyojeong!
“Uh? CEO? Where are you going now?”
The PR staff member stopped in her tracks as she was about to enter the CEO’s office.
“Yes, it suddenly happened like that.”
You can’t ignore a star’s influence. If rumors spread in the industry or if she posts something on her personal SNS……
“Damn it!”
The difficult days she had endured to get to this point flashed before her eyes like a slideshow. Han Dagyeong slammed the documents down in annoyance and cursed.
“Is it urgent? What’s going on?”
“No, it’s not urgent, it’s about Ha Muyoung. He sent a draft for a sponsored review post-”
“Ha Muyoung? Ah, Late Night Pocha?”
“It was a very positive review. But apparently, his colleague who used the same product said it didn’t suit her. He said he’d like to post it if that’s confirmed.”
“Colleague? What colleague……”
Han Dagyeong turned her head and looked at the staff member standing blankly.
The agency CEO definitely said that back then. That he was working on a project with director Jin Gyeongmun. That he was a promising talent, and had engaged in the usual negotiations to raise his price.
“Isn’t Hyojeong also in a Jin Gyeongmun production now?”
“Yes, there was an article about her returning to the screen after three years.”
Tap, tap, tap.
Han Dagyeong closed her eyes tightly and snapped her fingers.
A gesture she only made in urgent situations.
“Give me Ha Muyoung’s contact information.”