Chapter 48: Allergies
A black sedan pulled into the dormitory parking lot of Seoyeon University.
It was already dark. Students in light clothing were gathered in small groups in the open space, spending the end of their day.
Tap, tap.
Han Dagyeong nervously tapped her wristwatch and looked around. She was supposed to arrive within thirty minutes, but she was running late.
Then, in the distance, a familiar man appeared, wearing a hoodie.
“Ah! Is that Ha Muyoung?”
His steps were unsteady, as if he might collapse at any moment, but Dagyeong didn’t care. She ran over to him and checked his face. Hmm, it’s him! That high schooler from Late Night Pocha!
“Aaah— Hello. You really came?”
Muyoung mumbled sleepily, his eyes still closed. He had just gotten back to the dorm, taken a shower, and passed out.
He had literally fallen asleep as soon as his cheek touched the pillow.
His roommates had tried to be considerate and keep quiet……
-
Muyoung, wake up. You keep getting calls.
-
Is it important?
The incessant ringing of the phone had forced them to wake him up. Muyoung answered the phone as if he were sleepwalking.
- ……Yes, this is Ha Muyoung. Me? I’m at the dorm. I was sleeping…… Do whatever you want. But who is this? ……They hung up?
Han Dagyeong smiled and handed him a business card.
Her style was neat and urban, exuding the aura of a successful young businesswoman.
She had a relaxed air about her that stood out among the young people, despite being the same age.
“I had to beg my company because it was urgent. Thanks for coming out.”
“Aaah—”
“Are you very tired?”
“Today’s shoot was a bit tough.”
Muyoung remained standing with his eyes closed. He didn’t even notice Dagyeong handing him a business card. She placed a piece of paper in Muyoung’s hand and spoke bluntly.
“You look tired, so I’ll get straight to the point. Is the actor who had a problem on set after using our product Hyojeong?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“We received a complaint at the company. And coincidentally, Muyoung, you said one of your colleagues had a problem. The only project you two overlap on is The Plague, which is currently in production.”
Muyoung finally opened his eyes halfway.
Everything around him was blurry and bright, as if he were in a daze. Was it because of the lights in the dorm? Why did everything feel so fuzzy? Muyoung rubbed his eyes and replied.
“So what?”
“I have a few questions. It’s a very important issue for me—for the company—so please be honest. The basic skincare products Hyojeong used, Muyoung, you used them too, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. I found out later. A staff member told me. Everyone who got makeup done used the same thing.”
“Did Hyojeong experience any adverse reactions from the day she used the product?”
“I’m not sure.”
And then another big yawn.
Dagyeong could only smile nervously.
There was only one reason she had come to find Muyoung: to gather as much information as possible before facing Hyojeong and her agency.
‘Since they’re colleagues, he must have seen something, right?’
Whether the victim’s claims were entirely true, or if there was any room for doubt, and so on.
The more options there were for response and strategy, the better. That way, even if some options were eliminated, the overall plan would remain intact.
“Really?”
She raised her eyebrows and asked. She wasn’t sure if his current state was normal or not. Muyoung added in a tired voice.
“I just heard today that Hyojeong’s senior had to step in as a substitute…… It was really tough…… Really.”
Mumbling, Muyoung glared at Dagyeong with his heavily double-lidded eyes. Or rather, he tried to open his eyes and look at her.
“How’s Hyojeong doing? Is she very sick?”
“Sick? I heard it was a skin problem.”
“She was even hospitalized.”
“Oh, that.”
Dagyeong chuckled.
When she asked about the meeting location and the hospital where Hyojeong was admitted, she was told it was Ace Clinic in Cheongdam, famous for plastic surgery and skincare.
So, it wasn’t really a hospital stay; she was in a treatment room receiving intensive care.
“There’s no need to worry. Is there anything else you can tell me? This is really important to me. You might not know, but my company is just starting to stabilize, and if it gets shaken up, the impact will be huge.”
“I really have nothing to say.”
The answer was smooth but firm, like cutting through something. She was burning up inside! Damn it. Dagyeong habitually rummaged through her bag for a cigarette.
“Sorry, can I smoke a cigarette? When I’m feeling stressed, this helps……”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
“Want one?”
“No, I just brushed my teeth.”
“You don’t smoke?”
Muyoung smiled and refused. As he gradually woke up, her appearance became clearer. He thought it was the dorm lighting, but her face was glowing, like she had glitter on.
“Never mind. Go back inside and get some more sleep. Sorry for waking you up. Thanks for talking.”
She extended her hand to Muyoung in farewell, as if urging him to go back and rest. But Muyoung stood still, staring at her.
“Why are you doing that?”
If you keep looking at me like that, I can’t smoke.
Muyoung tilted his head and asked. Is that makeup? Or pollen? I’d know if I touched it, but I can’t……
“Do you do anything else besides this business?”
Even if Dr. Martel goes bankrupt, does she have somewhere else to fall back on? It’s clearly bad news for her, and it sounds like the company’s existence is at stake. Where’s the glitter coming from?
It was a purely innocent question, but Dagyeong’s face hardened.
“……Do you know me?”
“Huh? How would I know the CEO?”
She flinched for a moment.
Even the company employees didn’t know her true identity. Of course, a twenty-year-old rookie actor she had never met wouldn’t know.
“This is my only business. So this is everything to me.”
Han Dagyeong was the illegitimate daughter of Han Minchun, chairman of Cielo, South Korea’s leading cosmetics brand. That was her true background.
Her family already had three sons, and as the youngest and illegitimate daughter, this path was her only chance to survive.
“Anyway, thank you. I’m sorry I came so urgently and have nothing to offer. If you want, I can go to the convenience store and buy you some snacks.”
But the more I look at him, the more he resembles a puppy. Is it because of his milky skin? He looks like a particularly cheerful child. At the mention of snacks, Muyoung hesitated for a moment.
Should I tell her what I thought of in Gosungmin’s car? Or should I not?
“Oh, but—”
Yeah, I’ll tell her.
It wouldn’t hurt to try. If it’s an allergic reaction, Hyojeong should know about it as soon as possible.
“……?”
“Tell Hyojeong’s senior to get an allergy test. I don’t know what kind of snack Yuna gave me that day…… Anyway, she never eats anything, but she ate that.”
“Snacks? What kind?”
“I don’t know. The still team photographer took a picture, but I don’t remember. Something bitter and nutty…… It was a new kind of snack.”
Dagyeong snapped the unlit cigarette in half. It was a signal for him to say more.
“You mean she ate that on the day it happened?”
“If that day was the first day Dr. Martel was used, then yes, probably.”
“Where’s the still team? Which company?”
“Huh, I don’t know either. Ask the production company.”
She was asking all sorts of questions. On set, everyone was family.
She didn’t need to know, nor did she want to know, where each person was recruited from. She seemed deep in thought, crossing her arms and taking out her phone.
“Thanks again for today.”
She quickly made a call and ran toward the car. The sedan smoothly exited the narrow dormitory parking lot.
“Goodbye—!”
Muyoung yawned and waved. Oops. I should have just asked her to buy me some snacks. I could have eaten them later.
“Oh well……”
Muyoung sighed and returned to the dorm building. As soon as his head touched the pillow again, he fell back into dreamland. This time, he made sure to turn off his phone completely.
“Ah, really……”
The lighting was dim.
Hyojeong, wearing a gown, looked in the mirror with a sullen expression. Her face was covered in pimples, redness, and hives. It was grotesque, grotesque!
“Aaaah! Really! What am I going to do—!”
She threw a towel and vented her frustration. The usually calm Hyojeong was now like a bouncing bomb, exploding everywhere.
The manager was busy organizing things and kept repeating the same thing.
“They said to take the medicine and see how it goes.”
“No. How much money have I spent here? We need to take some action, like a laser treatment or something, to fix this quickly.”
“There’s a process for everything……”
“I’m going to kill everyone! That junior and that damn company, did you contact them? We need to destroy them. How dare they sell such products?”
Hyojeong shouted angrily.
“Sue them all for damages. Got it? Or I’ll post it on SNS. I’ll make sure the news spreads—! Aaah! I’m so annoyed!”
Hyojeong had already spent two hundred on management and treatment in just one day. It wasn’t just about the money; it was about her skin! She was known for her flawless complexion on high-definition TV screens.
But what was this?
The manager looked at his phone and replied.
“Uh…… But Hyojeong, you don’t have any allergies, right?”
“Right, I’ve told you that several times.”
She had already stated this when she received treatment at the dermatology clinic. She was the picture of health, without even a common dust allergy. The doctor, who had known her for a long time, was well aware of this.
“They said you should get tested for allergies, just in case.”
“Who?”
“The CEO. Dr. Martel contacted us and said they’d negotiate again after the allergy test. They need to determine if it’s because of the cosmetics or an allergy.”
“That’s ridiculous. Will they compensate me?”
The manager nodded.
“It sounds like they will. Honestly, someone like you should be compensated. Right? This face is priceless—!”
He tried to soothe her with flattering words, and Hyojeong sighed. She lay down again and looked in the mirror.
“How long does it take to get the test results?”
“Usually three to four days?”
“Do it. And once the results are out…… I’ve lived such a healthy life.”
Hyojeong muttered, trying to suppress her irritation. Just as she was about to explode with anger again……
“I’ll prepare the massage.”
Creak.
A staff member entered, pulling a machine. She stopped and then quickly gestured for the manager to leave.
“Go buy me some snacks on your way back.”
“Again? You’ll gain weight.”
“What can I do when I’m stressed? Bye!”
Hyojeong glared at him with a sharp look.
Yeah, if I gain weight, I’ll just lose it again. The manager would be the first to suffer if he had to deal with her personality. He grabbed his wallet and asked,
“What about the one from last time?”
“Yeah, Kong Kong Chips.”
“Once you got a taste for it, you keep asking for it.”
“And coffee too.”
The nutty cookie chips were packed with soybeans. Ever since Yuna let her try one, she would ask for them whenever she was bored.
Squeak—
While the manager was running Hyojeong’s errands, a tense atmosphere filled the Dr. Martel office. It was an emergency meeting with CEO Han Dagyeong and ten employees.
“Has the legal advisor responded?”
“They’re still reviewing it, and they’ll send us the details tomorrow. Legally, it doesn’t seem like a major issue……”
“What we need to think about is what Hyojeong will post on SNS. How many followers does she have?”
“3.2 million.”
“Wow. That’s disgustingly many. Was it really that many?”
“Her dramas were back-to-back hits overseas.”
Tap, tap, tap!
Dagyeong’s fingers moved quickly again. The agency would undoubtedly offer a large settlement (or what they’d call consolation money).
“It could be a skin reaction. It could be an allergy. Or it could be bad luck that both happened at the same time.”
She closed her eyes tightly and muttered.
“But the path we must take is clear: it’s definitely an allergy. No need to think twice, it’s absolutely an allergy.”
Otherwise, they’d either be hit with a settlement or face a backlash on SNS. One of the two. Absolutely not. That couldn’t happen.
“Contact Monet’s production company and get the still team’s number. And Yuna? Yoo Yuna. Get in touch with her too. Find out what she ate that day.”