"Oh, Actor Sim. Things going well lately? Heard the broadcasting station contacted you?"
"I'm still considering it."
"What's there to consider? You've done enough in the theater scene. If you can, you should go on dramas and shoot movies too. You're too talented to just stay in theater."
A gathering of the actors who participated in
Usually, people who did a play together rarely gather at the end of the year.
If they gathered for every such occasion, they'd have more than one or two places to be at year-end.
But
"As you know, 'Close Your Eyes' wasn't just an ordinary hit. Beyond simple numbers, just look at what happened to the actors who participated in it."
At that time, Jo Doyul, who had directed the play, glanced toward a spot slightly away from Sim Cheongseok.
There was a woman who looked distinctly different from before.
"Jiwoo, heard you've got a guy you're seeing lately? Even changed your profile picture? You're really going places."
"Is that so?"
"Come on, why are you answering so listlessly? You should respond more enthusiastically to things like this."
"It would be a nuisance for us to meddle in someone else's love life."
"Always saying the right things in such an irritating way. I'm really worried about you. If you want to do well in the drama scene, you'd better kill that personality."
Jo Doyul spoke as if genuinely worried.
Of course, Sim Cheongseok didn't say much, knowing he wasn't the type to spout nonsense.
'The drama scene, huh.'
After
Suggestions to appear in dramas, or inquiries about whether they'd consider participating in a movie.
Representatively, there was Pyo Jiwoo, and Lee Hyejin, who played Song Minseo at the time, also appeared in a cable drama.
And Sim Cheongseok also received many offers, but he was still in the theater scene.
'But maybe that's only until this year.'
Actually, he wanted to do a little more.
However, it was also true that ambition arose when watching the people who kept moving up.
Sim Cheongseok glanced at Pyo Jiwoo.
She was mingling very naturally, but she hadn't actually appeared in
However, starting proper acting activities after auditioning, she later ended up doing plays together with the actors of
Naturally, she ended up joining this gathering as well.
At least among the cast of
'Well, that's an excuse. Actually, they probably included her to call that girl.'
The most successful actress among the current actors of
Pyo Jiwoo was the only one who could properly reach that actress.
So, she slipped in together.
With the thought that if Pyo Jiwoo joined, maybe she'd come too.
Thanks to that, Sim Cheongseok felt needlessly unsettled.
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'Well, whatever.'
Additionally, Pyo Jiwoo, who recently appeared as a supporting actress in a terrestrial drama, was generating quite decent reactions from viewers.
Lee Hyejin, who was close to Pyo Jiwoo, also gave off a quite decent vibe.
'Of course, compared to her, it's nothing.'
Sim Cheongseok recalled an actress who wasn't in this seat.
Honestly, he could hardly believe he had performed in a play with that child this year.
Probably everyone here felt the same?
"Did Actor Ju Seoyeon perhaps not come?"
"Will she come?"
"Ah, I was going to get an autograph if she came."
"She might. She seems to contact Jiwoo often."
Naturally, the other actors also showed great interest in her.
Whether Seoyeon would come to this gathering today or not.
"I left a message, but I'm not sure. At least she sent this kind of emoji."
Pyo Jiwoo said that and showed the KakaoTalk she sent to Seoyeon to the gathered actors.
[(*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑˂ᵒ͜͡ᵏᵎ]
"What does this even mean?"
"It says okay, so doesn't it mean she's coming?"
"Youngsters these days are hard to understand..."
But even if Seoyeon said she was coming, no one believed it.
'Her schedule must be busy.'
Variety shows, dramas, movies, and even commercials.
Seoyeon had been active to an excessive degree this past year.
It was fortunate that she appeared relatively less on TV, which had high exposure.
Otherwise, her image consumption would have been excessively large.
"Actor Sim Cheongseok must feel unsettled. She was a junior just early this year."
When Jo Doyul headed toward another actor, Sim Cheongseok, who was drinking alone, narrowed his eyes at the man who approached.
"Got nothing to do?"
"Unlike you, this body is advancing to terrestrial broadcasting, so I'm very busy."
He let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the man swaggering and chattering, Kang Sehyun.
Early this year.
An actor who appeared in
He had played the role of 'Alex' at the time, and despite the massive investment, he was completely crushed by
His mentality was shattered like that, but as if it were a lie, he received an offer from the broadcasting industry due to a play that became a hit at the end of the year.
"Why are you here?"
"Well, our agency is having a company dinner at this place today."
Seeing him emphasize 'our agency,' it was clear he was talking about the agency Kang Sehyun had recently joined.
Horizon Company, was it?
An agency with several famous actors belonging to it.
A famous management company that had recently hit its stride, receiving Hwang Minhwa this year.
Naturally, Sim Cheongseok let out an involuntary sigh.
"You should book company dinners somewhere else next time."
"No need for that. We'll be moving to a bigger place next time anyway."
He said with a shrug.
A quite arrogant attitude.
At that sight, Sim Cheongseok clicked his tongue briefly.
"You were cowering all year, but your spirit has come back alive."
"Ha, are you always going to live looking at the past? I'm sorry, but I'm telling you I'm different from you guys now? Do you plan on being a poor theater actor your whole life?"
"You're poor because your grade is low."
At Sim Cheongseok's blurted words, Kang Sehyun's lips trembled.
"Ha, let's see how long you can keep spouting such words."
"It seems you think you can easily succeed if you appear on terrestrial broadcasting."
"At least it's better than staying here!"
Kang Sehyun gritted his teeth at Sim Cheongseok's attitude, speaking as if he didn't care about him at all.
At his raised voice, the surrounding gazes briefly turned to the two.
"What, what's going on?"
A man appeared after hearing his words.
With undeniably neat looks, tall stature, and a muscular physique, he was a quite imposing actor.
"Ah, hyung-nim."
'...Hyung-nim?'
He certainly looked like a hyung-nim.
But why was an actor talking like a gangster?
"Hey, Actor Kang. Don't you know about image management? Didn't I say you shouldn't get into disputes with other people?"
"Ah, no. He's just someone I knew from before."
"Someone you knew? Hm? Ah."
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Sim Cheongseok.
He was decent-looking himself since he was an actor too, but Sim Cheongseok had a much more handsome face.
It was sharp enough to make one wonder why he only wanted to be a theater actor.
Especially the sharp eyes were impressive, which made him slightly displeased.
Of course, Sim Cheongseok was also displeased with the man staring at him, so he stared back.
He had no desire to avoid his gaze.
At that subtle atmosphere, Kang Sehyun hastily opened his mouth.
"Hey, hey, hey, this is Actor Park Taehyuk."
"...Who?"
"Actor Park Taehyuk. You know
Hyper Action Star?
Of course he'd seen it.
Well, when asked who performed the best on that variety show, it was obvious.
"Yeah, that drama GH Group is advertising with massive investment. And this Actor Park Taehyuk is proudly participating in it."
Originally, Park Taehyuk was an actor with considerable experience even before Mine.
But mostly supporting roles.
It was his first time entering a work that received such large investment.
So, his shoulders being loaded with confidence was natural.
'So that's why his body is that good.'
If he was an actor who mainly did action acting, it made sense.
Sim Cheongseok nodded belatedly.
"Hello, I'm Sim Cheongseok."
"Yeah. My junior was very rude."
Park Taehyuk, saying that, was inwardly shrugging his shoulders.
"But, you shouldn't respond so emotionally either."
"...Excuse me?"
"Watching from the side, you were really getting under his skin. You shouldn't do that. You might not know since you're in theater, but this side has to care about image management, so you can't just fight carelessly."
At Park Taehyuk's words, Sim Cheongseok lost his words.
This side doesn't do image management?
'How rich.'
Kang Sehyun also seemed to think that Sim Cheongseok, who had become somewhat quiet, was finally cowed, just as he was rejoicing—
Jingle.
The door of the restaurant opened.
Since Sim Cheongseok's seat was somewhat far from the entrance, he couldn't properly see who had come in.
'What is it?'
He felt the atmosphere change strangely.
The noisy voices diminished, and the music that couldn't be properly heard over people's voices gradually became clearer.
"Who just came in?"
Park Taehyuk also belatedly noticed and moved his head.
The only one who hadn't noticed the suddenly changed atmosphere was Kang Sehyun, whose gaze was fixed on Sim Cheongseok.
A strange silence.
A silence unsuitable for a noisy company dinner.
Between them, slow footsteps were heard.
And.
"Gasp."
Kang Sehyun shrank back.
No, it wasn't just Kang Sehyun.
Even Park Taehyuk, who was shrugging his shoulders beside him, sucked in a breath.
'Why, why is this actress here?'
He didn't even know what kind of company dinner this gathering was.
Simply, a junior had gotten into a verbal fight with someone, so he came to restrain him.
But to think he'd meet this girl at this place.
"Hello."
A calm voice.
A cool gaze, a beauty breathtaking up close.
Pitch-black hair, dark as if swallowing light.
"...I didn't expect you to actually come today."
"I said I was coming."
"That was meant literally?"
At Sim Cheongseok's words, Seoyeon tilted her head.
She left a KakaoTalk properly saying she'd come to Pyo Jiwoo?
Anyway, Seoyeon looked at the two standing in front of Sim Cheongseok.
She had heard the conversation to some extent from afar.
"Park Taehyuk-ssi?"
"...Ah, yes."
"I heard you're appearing in Mine. I look forward to working with you."
"..."
She didn't know how this girl had heard those words.
But that wasn't important.
Park Taehyuk was a supporting actor in
But Seoyeon was the protagonist of
The difference that arose here was not at a simple level.
Above all, just thinking about who the actors she associated with were—
'...Did I get on her bad side?'
It was natural to think so.
To think this actor named Sim Cheongseok was acquainted with Ju Seoyeon!!
"I, I'll take my junior and leave."
"Yes."
"Th-then, I'll see you at the filming set."
"Yes."
At Seoyeon's blandly given replies, Park Taehyuk bowed his head and glared at Kang Sehyun.
"Hey, let's go."
"Ye-yes!!"
"You... Ha. Never mind."
What kind of situation was this because of his junior.
His head already ached thinking about what would happen in the upcoming filming.
Considering the power a lead actor could have on a filming set, as the saying goes—
'I need to explain well later. I'll say it was because of that junior.'
Park Taehyuk thought so and dragged Kang Sehyun away.
Watching the two disappear in an instant, Seoyeon finally let out a sigh.
Really, what was this right after arriving.
'Anyway.'
Seoyeon thought as she looked at Sim Cheongseok, who was staring blankly at her.
The actors who participated in
***
Anyway, the reason Seoyeon came to the company dinner today wasn't simply because of the dinner.
It was because there were things she needed to check on various fronts.
Representatively, Pyo Jiwoo, who had taken a photo with Row.
'What do I do about this one.'
It would break on its own when Shine Moon exploded anyway, but that timing was still quite a while away.
If Pyo Jiwoo fell completely for Row in the meantime...
...Well, it seemed like she'd already fallen, but.
Anyway, it could still end up as an attempt.
"Jiwoo-ssi, I understand you're not dating yet."
"Is that so."
"But it seemed like you had such intentions."
'Is Row really making a move?'
Of course, she couldn't let him poke around.
First, if you draw a knife, you're bound to see blood.
Once that situation occurred, it would be truly irreversible, so Seoyeon had no desire to create that situation.
'Why did Shine Moon explode again?'
If she thought about that, the solution wasn't difficult.
Of course, the investigation was the problem...
'Should I ask Seohee for this part?'
In the end, a chaebol could only be countered by a chaebol.
Thinking about who was backing Row, the opponents she could fight were limited.
Of course, Seoyeon didn't particularly want to do that.
That felt a bit much.
'Rather than that, I should just go with Jiwoo-unni to a club and take on thirty guys... and I'll handle the rest... no, what am I thinking.'
In her heart, she wanted to go to a club with Pyo Jiwoo and smash them all to pieces, but if she did that, they'd both end up in a holding cell.
'And what about this person again.'
Seoyeon looked at Sim Cheongseok before her.
This one, for his part, was an actor with rampant problems ahead.
Originally, Sim Cheongseok appearing in dramas or movies was several years later.
But looking at the signs, it seemed much faster than that.
'Then the problems that would have originally erupted will be resolved, but...'
Leaving it like this, other problems might arise.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?"
"A very important matter."
"If it's that kind of matter, how about going over there and talking instead of to me?"
"That's... no, but why is Actor Sim Cheongseok here?"
"I... well, there's a reason."
Sim Cheongseok's words as he said that were extremely nonchalant.
But Seoyeon, who was sensitive to emotions, felt a subtle unpleasantness from it.
"I'm just here because I want to be here."
As if he didn't really want to go over there.
Moreover, the fact that Sim Cheongseok's gaze subtly turned toward Pyo Jiwoo at the moment he said that.
'Huh, wait a second, could it be?'
Seoyeon realized.
Perhaps, unexpectedly, the solution might be in a simple place.
***
At that time, Shine Moon.
Row repeatedly bowed before the VIP with a beaming smile.
"Oh my, of course. If you just say the word, I'll mobilize all my connections to accommodate you."
"Yes, that's why I like you so much."
At that arrogant attitude, the corners of Row's mouth twitched, but he soon smiled radiantly.
Anyway, it was because VIPs like him existed that he could be where he was.
"Haa, so tiring really."
"So, who is it this time?"
"Who else. I'm telling you to bring some decent kids."
Celebrities or trainees driven into a corner. That sort of crowd.
But depending on the case, there were also those who asked to be introduced to celebrity acquaintances.
For example, like Pyo Jiwoo, whom he had been diligently laying his net for recently.
'Pyo Jiwoo is acquainted with Ju Seoyeon.'
And they seemed to have quite a close friendship.
And Ju Seoyeon was entangled with Jo Seohee.
If he caught those two, his connections would become much more solid.
"Still, hyung-nim, it's a relief that Jiwoo is such a fan of yours."
"Hey, it's not as easy as you think. The kid has strong vigilance. Well, it seems almost over now."
The attraction was clearly there, but she kept being guarded.
As if she'd experienced something similar in the past.
But that was over now too.
"It's always at times like this that someone interfering shows up."
"Hey hey hey, don't jinx it."
"Ah, I'm sorry."
At his dongsaeng's words as he repeatedly bowed, Row clicked his tongue and looked at his smartphone screen.
Pyo Jiwoo's phone number.
He heard she was going to the
If Seoyeon came to that gathering, he was planning to ask her to somehow contact him.
'If there's someone interfering...'
He would absolutely not let it slide.
Even if he had to use physical methods.