The day that Baek Siu decided to enter a new drama.
Moon Suyeon quietly called out to Heavenly Yuah.
Because, for her, this situation was difficult to understand.
“Seriously, what kind of nerve is this?”
“It’s just based on common sense.”
“What kind of common sense?”
“The common sense that there will be nothing special between Na Ye-ri of Ashbloom and Mr. Siwoo.”
“You’re too confident. Of course, I know Yeri a bit. She’s the kind of friend who seems to get along with Siwoo very well, but definitely won’t be his romantic partner. But isn’t there no such thing as 100% certainty in this world?”
“I was always uneasy about that part, but not anymore.”
“…What is this newfound calmness?”
No further explanation was necessary.
Both of them were on the same wavelength, heading towards the same goal.
However, as the conversation continued, Moon Suyeon began to feel that something was off.
This was because Heavenly Yuah, who always appeared anxious as if being chased by something, seemed surprisingly calm this time.
Moreover, this calm demeanor of hers was amplifying Moon Suyeon’s uneasiness.
“…Could there be something you’re not telling me?”
“Well, could be. Who knows?”
“What exactly…?”
Heavenly Yuah pondered for a moment.
She considered using this situation, where the information gap between them had widened, to her own advantage.
But she quickly dismissed the thought, recognizing it as a meaningless matter.
After all, that person would definitely not discard her.
So it was best to use this opportunity in a positive way.
She had already planned something like this to happen sooner or later.
To make things work out right, she needed to get a firm grasp on this woman first.
“He said this: between me and you, Ms. Suyeon, he needs to choose one. But he hasn’t decided yet. He said not to worry about romantic scenes in dramas; he’ll absolutely not look at anyone else. Isn’t he not the type of man who says one thing and does another?”
“Oho… Is that so? That’s good news. So he’s at least thinking about it, huh? I thought maybe something catastrophic had happened because he kept pushing me away…”
Moon Suyeon nodded, relieved, thinking that all the effort she had invested hadn’t been wasted.
She had always been slightly uneasy about this, but now it seemed he wasn’t completely uninterested.
“Wait a minute… if it’s between two…”
Then suddenly, Moon Suyeon’s heart swelled with the expectation that she might ultimately be the one chosen.
If some other fox didn’t intervene and snatch him away, she felt she occupied a more advantageous position.
On a realistic appraisal, her status was just below that of a lover.
Heavenly Yuah, though, was only slightly above that of a business partner.
Compared, one above a business partner was clearly much less advantageous than someone who was below a lover.
“You’ve suddenly brightened up, huh? What are you thinking? I can see right through you.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“You don’t need to play dumb. You think you’re in a better position, don’t you?”
“…Hmph. And?”
“Indeed, is that really the case?”
“…What do you mean?”
Heavenly Yuah remained completely calm, whereas Moon Suyeon became increasingly uneasy.
“Making choices can be so violent. One person gets chosen, and the other is left behind. Can you truly guarantee that you’ll be the one chosen? And who knows when that choice will be made?”
“…Still, I’m more advantageous right now, you know?”
“Well, granted. Let’s agree with that. But is that the end?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you’re chosen, it means I’m rejected, right? So do you think I’ll just stand by quietly?”
Truthfully, she had no choice but to do just that.
There wasn’t much else she could do other than watch from afar and swallow her tears.
Even if she tried something as extreme as kidnapping or imprisonment, it would only drive him further away.
But here, she needed to put on airs.
Only then would her counterpart fail to detect her own unease.
Ignoring her trembling fingertips, Heavenly Yuah looked at Moon Suyeon with a composed expression.
Her acting talent as a “genius actress” was, at such moments, a great boon.
“I was omnipotent in the Martial Forest. But I followed him here, giving up my position.”
“…That’s true.”
“Who knows what I might end up doing, driven mad by rejection?”
“…”
It was unmistakably a threat.
But it was a threat so plausible that it struck fear.
While they might internally refer to themselves as part of the New Religion, in the Central Plains they were called the Demon Sect.
Monstrous entities who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
And Heavenly Yuah was the leader of those monstrous entities.
Though she was living as normally as possible right now, careful not to draw his attention, no one could guarantee that once her tether to Baek Siu was severed, she would remain sane.
If their roles were reversed, she felt she herself might go mad.
“You’ve got a power that’s almost too much already.”
When Baek Siu came rushing to rescue her, he had defeated three Moon Enter employees, almost kidnapping her, and had even deployed combat operatives to gather incriminating evidence against her.
At that moment, dozens of such combat operatives were standing by within the company, and S&M’s main branch had even more personnel at its disposal.
If Heavenly Yuah decided to stir up trouble, there was simply no way to stop her with her own strength.
Baek Siu was certainly formidable but not a god; he couldn’t overcome sheer numbers.
If something were to happen to Baek Siu—like if he were abducted—another hell would surely ensue.
Not chosen and rejected, you go to hell. Chosen, but still, you’re left worrying about what’s coming next.
It was quite possibly the worst choice between two hells that there could be.
“Can you see reality now?”
“…Damn.”
Truly deceived by Heavenly Yuah’s bluff, Moon Suyeon sighed in despair and bowed her head in resignation.
And as she did so, Heavenly Yuah quietly approached, gently beginning her seduction.
“Let’s think about this easily.”
“…What?”
“There’s no need to overcomplicate things, right? If all the options are damaging, it’s better to prevent the choice from being made at all.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Isn’t the premise that one of us will be rejected, problematic to begin with?”
“Eh?”
Heavenly Yuah’s words caught her off guard, tilting her head in confusion.
The premise that one of them would be rejected, problematic? It was as if…
“…Sharing?”
“Correct. Is there any reason why we can’t?”
“But…”
“What’s so serious about it? How many wives did the last Hao Moonzhu have?”
“…Three?”
“And the highest elder of Hao Moon?”
“…Four? But back then…”
“It’s not much different today either. Our Chairman also has three wives.”
“That’s different—it’s today’s world!”
“Yes, in today’s world too. Even the hole-in-the-wall shop owners here in this peninsula have managed to establish a second household. And there are plenty of people who move around accompanied by sponsors.”
“But…”
“What’s lacking in Siwoo compared to such people?”
“…But.”
Though Heaven Yuah’s stance was extremely skewed, its logical underpinning wasn’t entirely without merit; Moon Suyeon’s mind began to swirl with complexities.
“It wouldn’t be too bad, would it?”
“…What?”
“It’s 1+1 family, right? If Siwoo becomes family, I also become family, right?”
“…Family is better in numbers. Siwoo’s children would also be better if there are more…”
“Exactly. For those we birth with Siwoo, why not consider giving the second child your family name ‘Moon’? The last Moon president was always alone and didn’t have children.”
“Rebuilding Moon Enter so that the child might inherit it doesn’t sound too bad either?”
“Merge Flame with Moon Enter to create ‘Flame Moon Enter’—it might not be bad. Since I have no plans to run the entertainment company forever, take care of it well and pass it on to the child.”
After quite a lot of talks, they moved on.
First, they agreed to establish themselves in America, a place without marital registries, and return to Korea briefly during active periods.
If someone started an activity, the other could take care of the children. The latter idea was clearly better than hiring someone else.
Once the children grew up, they could also consider retiring from the entertainment industry.
And it all sounded more and more appealing the more they discussed.
“In that case, you can also create a fake identity. Disguise Siu as a returnee businessperson ‘Baek Nam-u’, claim marriage at the right time, then disappear—would anyone even care?”
“If we’re doing that, we could also create two versions, Baek Nam-u and Baek Yeong-u.”
“Well, that could work too. What’s important is that there are many methods.”
And she had no choice but to agree.
Considering how Heaven Yuah had this well-thought-out proposal, it was clear that she wasn’t the type to simply give up because of not being chosen.
And Moon Suyeon herself was much softer than she realized—it had never occurred to her to fully consider the idea of monopolization, only that rejection wasn’t an option.
In the Martial Forest, monogamy was uncommon anyway.
“…Family, after all, is better in numbers.”
And what mattered most of all, was this: family was better bigger.
Moon Suyeon, who planned to stay active in the music industry until her mid-30s, would only be able to have a limited number of children during that time. That wasn’t enough to satisfy her.
If she considered children she and Heavenly Yuah could have separately, the total would be more satisfying.
“Turn your back on me, and I won’t hold back.”
“I’m not a woman who says one thing and does another.”
In the end, Moon Suyeon accepted Heavenly Yuah’s offer of collaboration.
The compromise was simple:
Both were to share Baek Siu, with a complete ban on any other women’s approaches.
They would also definitely dismiss any of Baek Siu’s potential rejections.
Their goal was to establish the arrangement as a fait accompli as soon as possible.
By the way, it struck Moon Suyeon: “By the way, Yuah, how many years has it been?”
“What, how many years what?”
“Your… virginal status. From Martial Forest until now… isn’t it more than a hundred years?”
“…Why do you bring that up now?”
“Just tell me, are you… or?”
“…I am.”
“…Wow.”
There were some trivial exchanges, but overall, it was a fairly satisfying agreement.
*
Late at night, I ran into them in the lounge by chance.
The atmosphere was extremely serious and deep, so I backed away first.
I then quietly observed the situation, and before long, the two of them finally shook hands and nodded with bright smiles as if in agreement.
It was as if I’d witnessed a dramatically resolved meeting between rival political leaders.
What exactly was that?
What sort of evil plot were these women planning with my drama?
“Nope. Yuah senior isn’t the type to speak from both sides of her mouth.”
Whatever it was, I had a feeling that something major was unfolding.
I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine.
