The following morning. Deer-Go Eun-bi’s place.
Saeng-ji Kim Sun-a and Monkeying were sprawled out on the floor, asleep. Or rather, it looked like they had simply passed out.
The reason was simple.
They had been drinking until the wee hours of the morning and eventually collapsed.
“Ugh…”
“Mmm…”
Monkeying was, by nature, an internet-addicted unemployed person, and Saeng-ji was a legally unemployed person who had quit her job and become free. As for Deer, once her virtual YouTuber broadcast was turned off, she considered it akin to clocking out, making it easy to invite these people over to her home.
As a result of all these factors, the scene was chaotic.
Lately, the three of them had been enjoying drinking and revelry every day.
…Still, they believed they were having fun in a relatively healthy way. They didn’t go clubbing and hook up with random men they met for the first time, nor did they engage in reckless behavior.
“Ummm…”
The first to stir was Saeng-ji Kim Sun-a. The vibration of her phone, which she had left resting on her stomach while half-asleep, woke her.
With her eyes half-open, Kim Sun-a checked her phone.
“…”
For a moment, she was dazed.
“…?”
She tilted her head slightly in confusion.
“…!”
Quickly, she sat up abruptly.
Her wide eyes suggested she was about to roll around on the floor. The number of notifications on her phone was simply unbelievable.
[99+ Missed Calls]
[99+ Messages]
“What, what is this? Why is it like this?”
Had something terrible happened?
Though Kim Sun-a prided herself on being a law-abiding citizen, she couldn’t help shaking. There was an unprecedented level of noise in her current phone.
But soon, Kim Sun-a’s trembling subsided.
“Hmm? Looking closely…”
She realized something. There was a pattern to the incoming messages.
‘They’re all from Star Catch.’
The pattern was simple. Every single communication on her phone was from her previous workplace, “Star Catch.”
‘Are they asking me to hand over something to the new employee? What is it?’
It was a typical occurrence when leaving a demanding job. After resigning, former colleagues abruptly contact you to ask the new employees for help.
But Kim Sun-a shook her head soon after.
‘No, it wouldn’t be this urgent if it were just that kind of thing. Which means something really, really extraordinary must’ve happened…’
After checking a few messages, the cause became clear.
There were several news articles attached.
[Special Mobile Unit 808: Kim Yu-han’s true identity is Lee Su-an]
[New actor Lee Su-an? Mysterious profile only.]
[The only junior reporter who predicted Kim Yu-han’s true identity: Who is this person?]
“Eh!”
She was shocked.
Kim Yu-han’s true identity was really a man named Su-an?
Sua had been right?
As Kim Sun-a slowly came to grips with reality, somehow both Monkeying and Deer had come over and were drinking water nearby.
The commotion Kim Sun-a made had been loud enough to wake the other two.
“What is it? This early in the morning?”
“That’s right. What’s so interesting to look at this way? And why are your eyes so wide?”
Kim Sun-a first showed them the teaser for Special Mobile Unit 808.
“Here, the man playing Kim Yu-han? That’s Su-an.”
“Yeah. He looks really handsome.”
“Feels kinda familiar. Does that mean he’s destined to be with me?”
Ignoring Deer’s nonsense, Kim Sun-a proceeded to tell them everything she had experienced recently.
About contemplating quitting Star Catch, how Sua had tipped her off about a major scoop, and about Su-an being Sua’s friend.
“…So that’s how it happened. Sua says he’s a close friend.”
“Hmm.”
At first, both of them nodded.
But they soon encountered a reasonable question.
“Something seems off.”
Monkeying was the first to break the silence.
“Where else does Sua have friends besides us?”
“…”
That point resonated with both of them. Kim Sun-a unconsciously scratched her head.
“Thinking about it, you’re right. We’re used to Sua as a friend, but most people found her really exhausting when they first met her. Not many people could get close to her, unless they were incredibly patient…”
It was true.
There had been times when she brought Monkeying’s or Deer’s acquaintances to gather a group for gaming. After playing with Sua, everyone always had the same reaction.
“Hey, Eun-bi, is that on purpose?”
“Why does her tone always sound so angry? When she’s actually the worst.”
“Hey, listen, you guys.”
It was always Sua’s group chat where such misunderstandings were resolved.
…So Sua actually had a friend?
Kim Sun-a nodded.
“According to her, they’re very close.”
At that moment…
“…What if it’s not just a regular friendship?”
Deer stroked her chin.
“Their relationship might transcend friendship if it makes any sense. For example, love. If one of them is so smitten as to overlook flaws, it would explain.”
“…?”
Though it was an absurd claim, it paradoxically seemed plausible due to its absurdity.
“…”
Soon, everyone seemed oddly in agreement.
After all, Sua wasn’t unattractive.
If anything, she had a very charming appearance. It was just that, since they were all women, they didn’t notice it as often.
The three of them could distinctly recall the intense attention and desire directed at Sua during their brief trips with her around Busan.
Thus, Sua was a peculiar presence.
Someone who might struggle to make ‘friends’ but could easily attract ‘boyfriends,’ because a romantic relationship might sometimes focus solely on physical attraction. The problem was…
“Still worried.”
…That all they ever really thought about was worrying about Sua.
Scratching her head after hearing Deer’s comment, Kim Sun-a realized something anew.
“Hearing this, I see things differently now.”
“What?”
“I seem to care about Sua more deeply. In the past, whenever talk of romance came up, our reactions were the opposite. We wondered what sins her future boyfriends must have committed in their past lives.”
“…That was before we knew about the servant syndrome.”
Back then, they treated her like an abandoned baby left near the riverbank, but since their conversations in Busan, something had changed.
Now, they treated her like ‘our baby’ left by the riverbank.
…And that lazy, incompetent piece of trash who turned out to have this syndrome? Behind the scenes, she was putting in immense effort to become an actress?
How could they not be moved? The members of the group chat thought this.
Of course, if the person herself were to hear it, she’d be surprised.
Anyway…
Deer frowned.
“…Anyway, I guess Su-a must have ignored me when I repeatedly told her to be careful with men.”
“Worrying. What if some guy is approaching her for reasons other than genuine affection?”
“That’s my concern.”
As Deer Go Eun-bi reached for her phone,
“Huh?”
She voiced her doubt immediately.
And shortly afterward, she extended her phone to the two beside her.
“…What’s this?”
On the screen, multiple headlines were displayed.
[Busan International Short Film Festival’s star, Su-a.]
[Su-a, perfect in Japanese. “I can do everything.”]
[Overseas newcomer dominates the Short Film Festival.]
“Wha, what is this!”
In just a few days.
During the brief interval when they shared drinks and took a break,
The world had completely changed.
◈◈◈◈◈
That afternoon. Star Catch headquarters.
Now that the “Busan International Short Film Festival” had come to an end, the journalists were tirelessly churning out articles.
[‘Busan International Short Film Festival’ – Rookie Yang Ha-rin overshadowed; rookie who took home the grand prize: Who is this newcomer? An awards ceremony full of upheaval!]
Su-a.
For the journalists, Su-a was nothing short of a goldmine. It wasn’t just her achievements but her very existence that sparked curiosity.
“Team leader, CT Entertainment has contacted us!”
“What do they want?”
“They want us to pay special attention to Yang Ha-rin’s articles! What should we do?”
“Yang Ha-rin? Hah.”
The team leader scoffed.
“Focus entirely on the newcomer Su-a! It’s obvious who to side with now, even a five-year-old kid would know!”
Yang Ha-rin’s achievement: Second place. Excellent Award.
It wasn’t a poor performance by any means, but next to Su-a, it inevitably paled in comparison.
The plans of Yang Ha-rin and CT Entertainment were doomed to fail.
[Director Park Jun: “I was confident Su-a would be the lead.”]
[Would they re-cast “Sword”‘s lead as Su-a?]
[Like the “Wind,” gone with the wind. ]
[“Sword” and “Wind”: Contrasting fortunes. Unattainable romance despite the lavish budget—Director Cho’s failure]
Instead, Yang Ha-rin became a mere stepping stone for Su-a.
By stepping on Yang Ha-rin, Su-a emerged as the spotlighted newcomer. All the journalists were smart enough to shift their allegiances promptly, leaving no one willing to take Yang Ha-rin’s side.
[Smiling with a broken trophy: “Thank you.”]
[What’s the secret behind Su-a’s fluency in Japanese with Yuusaku Director?]
Heartwarming articles flowed endlessly.
[Stunning exposure that captivated everyone’s gaze – Wrap-up!]
[Is she a rookie? Bold and daring…]
[Face hidden behind the chest – “Definitely overseas trained.”]
Sensational articles solely aimed at boosting viewership also flooded in.
But either way, it didn’t harm Su-a.
If anything, it helped.
She had no downsides; only upsides existed.
Unlike other actresses who relied solely on physical appeal due to their lack of achievements, Su-a had impressive results.
And the attire Su-a wore wasn’t scandalous enough to attract criticism in the first place.
Just a fitted suit dress hugging her figure.
If anything, the sin lay in Su-a’s physique itself.
Who could fault her? There was no skin bared to criticize; the dress covered everything.
Therefore, it was mutually beneficial.
The journalists were happy to gain views, and Su-a benefited from the promotional exposure. CT Entertainment’s paltry bribes weren’t even worth considering.
Of course,
There was one more aspect.
[What was the meaning behind Su-a handing Yang Ha-rin the hand mirror?]
The flutter of a butterfly’s wings can summon a storm.
Currently, across various online communities,
What Su-a had done with no particular thought, merely as a way to defuse the situation, was preparing to ignite a heated controversy.
.
.
.
.
.
In a completely dark room,
A woman who couldn’t bear it anymore bit her lip.
She applied so much pressure that she tasted bitter blood before long.
Her phone clutched in her hand, she was Yang Ha-rin.
“…”
She was aimlessly fiddling with a community app, but couldn’t bring herself to actually enter any forum.
The fear of stumbling upon a cruel post the moment she did so was too much. It felt like she might bite her tongue off if she read anything.
As a result, she was stuck endlessly repeating a peculiar behavior.
Swipe… Swipe… Swipe…
Obsessively refreshing the rankings of various forums without actually entering them.
She wasn’t entering any forums. Just refreshing. And refreshing again.
However,
[Real-time Trending Forums]
14th place. [ ↓4 Yang Ha-rin Forum ]
15th place. [ ↑7 Su-a Forum ]
Yang Ha-rin’s patience didn’t last long.
[Real-time Trending Forums]
5th place. [ ↑10 Su-a Forum ]
17th place. [ ↓3 Yang Ha-rin Forum ]
The moment Su-a’s forum overtook hers,
Without any conscious thought, her finger moved.
Click!
Still in the pitch-dark room.
Countless post titles filled Yang Ha-rin’s retinas.
