Chapter 935: Something Called Fate (2) |
"What are you talking about? You liked him before Yoo-Jin did? Yung-In, you used to hate Chief Jung, didn't you?"
President Ahn Yung-Hee tilted her head, looking completely unable to understand. Now, Ju Yung-In had already given her heart to Jung Yoon-Ho, but back in the early days of Hoop Entertainment, the two of them had been on terrible terms. To be exact, rising star Ju Yung-In hadn't even treated a low-ranking talent agent like a human being.
At that, Ju Yung-In shook her head. "That's not it."
"What do you mean, that's not it?"
"I had feelings for Yoon-Ho oppa, so I kept my distance on purpose!"
Ahn Yung-Hee startled and quickly looked around when Ju Yung-In's voice rose. She worried that one of the staff might have overheard, but fortunately, no one seemed interested in them.
After letting out a sigh of relief, Ahn Yung-Hee led the emotional Ju Yung-In toward the parking lot.
Clack.
Ahn Yung-Hee put Ju Yung-In into the back seat of the Merciless Springer van. Then she sat down beside her and asked, looking straight at her.
In a trembling voice, Ju Yung-In began talking about the past and how she had first come to like Jung Yoon-Ho. "You know I cut ties with my parents, right?"
Ahn Yung-Hee nodded. "I do. Your mom and dad were using your name to scam people, so you cut them off for good, right?"
Ju Yung-In had grown up poor from childhood. Both her father and mother had squandered the family's money through gambling. Because of that, she had barely seen her parents' faces and had been raised by her maternal grandmother instead.
Then, once Ju Yung-In became an adult and started making a name for herself, her parents began using her name to scam people. In the end, some of the victims even came all the way to Hoop Entertainment.
However, Ju Yung-In had only just begun to make a name for herself, and her bank account was nowhere near enough to pay back the victims. Eventually, even President Kang Gam-Chan had to step in and dip into his personal funds before they were barely able to keep the creditors from going to the press.
And that day, Ju Yung-In called her parents and told them she was cutting them off.
"Yes. That's right. I cut ties with them three years ago. But the truth is, that day, I was going to kill myself."
Ahn Yung-Hee's eyes widened in shock. She had never once imagined that Ju Yung-In, who looked down on everything in the world with such cold pride, could ever have had a moment like that.
"What? You?"
"Yes. My mom and dad kept blowing all the money I earned on gambling, and it felt like those victims coming after me were only going to keep happening. I didn't want to live anymore. The thirty million won I'd managed to save was wiped out too, and when my balance hit zero, I wanted to live even less. Do you know how hard I worked to save that...?"
"Yung-In..."
"It's okay. I don't think like that anymore. Anyway, that day, I skipped all my schedules and drank a bottle of soju by myself. I told myself that once I finished the bottle, I'd take a taxi to the Han River."
It was the first time Ahn Yung-Hee had ever heard this story, and all she could do was swallow dryly.
"But then Yoon-Ho oppa came to my place."
"Wasn't Chief Jung in Actor Division 2 back then? Then why was he coming to pick you up when you were in Division 3?"
"Kim Dong-Soo sent him. That's all."
"Oh, so then? What did Chief Jung say to you?"
"Nothing at all. You know how quick he is. He noticed right away that something was wrong with me."
Ahn Yung-Hee found herself getting more and more drawn into Ju Yung-In's story.
"Yoon-Ho oppa just watched me drink soju without saying a word, and then he went into the kitchen."
"Why the kitchen?"
"I didn't know at first. I wasn't interested. But then I got drunk and dozed off for a bit, and when I opened my eyes, oppa had put porridge down in front of me."
"Porridge?"
"Vegetable porridge[1]."
"So… he didn't have any money."
"Right. I mean, how much money would a talent agent who'd only been hired for a month have? And my fridge only had alcohol and bottled water. I heard he started making plain rice gruel, then went out to buy vegetables and added them in."
"And then?"
"At first, I wasn't going to eat it. I was just going to take a taxi straight to the Han River. But… the smell of that vegetable porridge was so good. So I thought I'd at least eat the porridge before I died."
As Ju Yung-In recalled that moment, her eyes began to fill with tears again. Since she was young, countless people had tried to take advantage of her after seeing her pretty face.
Among them were even victims who had been harmed by her parents. There had been countless times when people told her to repay her parents' debts and made proposals she couldn't even bring herself to repeat.
Ju Yung-In had strong self-esteem, so she rejected every single one of them. But because of that, she grew to hate people, resent them, and trust no one. She had even thought that Kang Gam-Chan, who helped her without asking for anything in return, must have been trying to use her.
However, Jung Yoon-Ho from Actor Division 2 was different. From the very beginning, he had only ever shown her kindness without expecting anything in return.
"But when I took a spoonful of that plain vegetable porridge, it tasted so good. It was exactly like what my grandmother used to make when I was little. Before I knew it, I'd scraped the bowl clean… and since they say even a ghost that died after eating looks better than the one who didn't, I thought I'd just eat the rest of the porridge and then die. But…"
"So he didn't just make one bowl?"
"Right. Turns out oppa had made it in one of those big commercial beef soup pots."
"He made a lot on purpose, didn't he?"
"Yeah. He said he wouldn't be able to come often, so he made a big batch all at once, divided it into portions, and put thirty containers in the freezer. He told me to heat up one bowl a day. Said that when things get hard, instead of forcing yourself to endure it, it's better to just eat properly and let time pass—that that's the real cure."
Ahn Yung-Hee couldn't say a word. Most rookie talent agents struggled just to follow company guidelines. And when celebrities showed signs of depression or suicidal tendencies, many either panicked or ran away. They also reported it to the company, sending them to a psychiatrist under contract and putting them on antidepressants.
Yet Jung Yoon-Ho, even while going through his own difficult time, had silently comforted Ju Yung-In.
"No wonder your heart was shaken," said Ahn Yung-Hee.
Ju Yung-In nodded. "On top of him being exactly my type, he was kind too… I just fell for him completely."
"Wait a second. Then why didn't you hold onto him back then? Why did you treat him so badly?"
Ju Yung-In let out a sigh full of regret. "My heart was shaken, but my head was suspicious. I kept thinking there had to be something behind it. That he was trying to manipulate me like this so he could use me."
It was the trauma from her childhood holding her back.
"But that wasn't the case?"
"No. Not at all. To him, it was just… 'She's a pitiful kid, so I should help her.' Nothing more, nothing less."
"So you pushed him away even more out of frustration?"
Ju Yung-In shook her head. "No. The opposite. I liked him even more, so I forced myself to stay away and acted cold. I had to succeed no matter what. And honestly, back then, oppa was just an orphan with nothing going for him."
"Well, a first-year talent agent could quit anytime, after all…"
"Exactly. But no matter how much time passed, I couldn't let go of my feelings. And by the time I finally felt stable enough to follow my heart… oppa had already grown wings. And Yoo-Jin was by his side."
Ahn Yung-Hee felt her chest tighten with sympathy at Ju Yung-In's story.
At that moment, Ju Yung-In leaned her head back against the car seat. The tears that had pooled in her eyes slid down her cheeks. "And that's how things ended up like this."
Ahn Yung-Hee had no idea what to say. Because, truthfully, she had also once been someone who intended to use Ju Yung-In.
'I'm sorry, Yung-In.'
Thinking about what Jung Yoon-Ho had done made a strange sense of shame wash over her. Because of that, Ahn Yung-Hee also fell silent for a moment and let out a quiet sigh.
But soon, she clenched her teeth and resolved to help her celebrity. At first, she had intended to use Ju Yung-In too, but now, Ju Yung-In had become someone as precious to her as a younger sister.
After taking a deep breath, Ahn Yung-Hee spoke to Ju Yung-In. "Yung-In, don't give up. From what I can see, Chief Jung is thinking of you too."
Ju Yung-In opened her eyes. "Really...?"
"Yeah. Just look at this time. He could've ignored it, but he went out of his way to block it. And the way he completely buried Gi Do-Hyeok? Doesn't that tell you enough? Do you think someone without feelings could go that far just because a guy was hitting on you?"
Jung Yoon-Ho had stepped in personally to handle the situation. That alone showed clearly that he was paying attention to Ju Yung-In. Ahn Yung-Hee emphasized that point as she coaxed and reassured Ju Yung-In.
Ju Yung-In wiped her tears and lifted her head. "Well… it's true oppa's the type to ignore people if he doesn't care."
"Exactly. From what I see, Chief Jung is the kind of person who'd never act unless he cared. He doesn't move just because someone else tells him to, either. And President Kang Gam-Chan said it too, didn't he? It's not over until it's over. So don't give up. I'll help you. You're Ju Yung-In!"
Ju Yung-In wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and slowly nodded. Her heart had wavered for a moment, but she had never once truly given up on Jung Yoon-Ho.
"I've never given up. I just faltered for a bit, that's all."
"That's more like you."
At Ahn Yung-Hee's words, Ju Yung-In regained a bit more confidence. Then she steeled herself as she watched Jung Yoon-Ho's back while he got into a car across the parking lot.
'I can never give up.'
She had liked Jung Yoon-Ho before Jung Yoo-Jin had. So there was no way she could give up.
***
Kang Eun-Gi's twins' nursery was located across from Chairman Choi Eun-Tae's master bedroom.
In fact, Kang Eun-Gi and Lee Yeon-Sil had moved into the house right next door, sharing a wall with the traditional house, but Lee Yeon-Sil had insisted on setting up the nursery in the twins' grandfather's home It was her way of helping the aging Choi Eun-Tae spend more time with his son and grandchildren.
She had even replaced the doors to both Choi Eun-Tae's room and the nursery with transparent glass so he could see the children at any time.Thanks to that, even while sitting in his own room, he could clearly see into the nursery across the way.
"Oh my, is it tasty? It is?"
In the nursery, Lee Yeon-Sil and Yoo-Jin, who had come up to Seoul, were each holding Eun-Soo and Yoon-Soo, feeding them formula.
Miso was holding a microphone to her mouth, shaking her hips as she performed.
『Gulp gulp gulp, tasty formula!
Gulp gulp gulp, nutty formula!
Yoon-Soo and Eun-Soo love formula formula!
Drink and drink and drink some more,
Oh so good, formula formula!
Slurp slurp, gulp gulp,
Oh so good, formula formula!』
As Miso sang her self-composed formula song, the babies drank their milk and broke into wide smiles.
"Ughya."
As the babies beamed, Miso got even more excited and sang with greater enthusiasm. The babies clapped their mitten-covered hands as they drank their formula.
Watching the room across the glass, Choi Eun-Tae let out a hearty laugh, still wearing his abdominal binder. "Miso's here, and Yoon-Soo and Eun-Soo love it. Hahaha."
Kang Eun-Gi nodded with a pleased expression. "Yes, Father. And thanks to the twins, you're getting a performance people would pay good money to see."
"Is that so? Then I should make sure to record the footage from the nursery separately."
Choi Eun-Tae was beaming with happiness as he watched his grandchildren and Miso's playful antics.
After staring at the nursery through the glass for a while, he suddenly spoke as if remembering something. "Oh, right. Yoon-Ho, I've taken care of everything related to that Gi Do-Hyuk bastard, so you don't need to worry."
I smiled. "Thank you. But wasn't this a bit excessive?"
"If you ever become a father, Yoon-Ho, you'll think differently. When your child asks for help, your mind goes blank and all you can think about is doing whatever it takes."
Embarrassed by his father proudly showing off their father-son bond, Kang Eun-Gi scratched his head with an awkward expression.
With a warm smile, Choi Eun-Tae spoke to me as well. "And Yoon-Ho, you're like a son to me too. So if anything ever gets difficult, come to me anytime."
Choi Eun-Tae wasn't the kind of person who made empty promises. Once he said something, he had the power to follow through. But having seen how far he could go when he got carried away, it wasn't something I could easily ask for.
"After seeing what happened this time, I'm honestly too scared to ask. And as for CK Entertainment and HK Entertainment, I think it's better if I handle them myself."
This time, the opponents had been a law firm and a savings bank group, which made it easier to teach them a lesson. However, HK and CK were conglomerates. If it turned into a full-blown war, Choi Eun-Tae would win in the end. Yet, there was a real chance that Kang Eun-Gi and Lee Yeon-Sil, along with him, could get hurt in the process. I never wanted my family to take on that kind of risk.
"Hahaha. This brat still underestimates my power—"
Just then, we heard a noise.
"Waaah!"
At the sound of a baby crying from the room across the hall, Choi Eun-Tae abruptly cut himself off mid-sentence and sprang to his feet.
"Eun-Soo, why are you crying? Grandpa's coming."
Rattle.
Choi Eun-Tae opened the door and hurried into the next room.
Watching everything unfold in an instant, I turned to Kang Eun-Gi and spoke. "He's changed a lot."
"These days, living for the kids is what makes him happy."
At that moment, in the room across the hall, Choi Eun-Tae picked up the crying Eun-Soo and gently bounced him in his arms to soothe him.
-Oh, Eun-Soo, what's wrong? Were you crying because you missed Grandpa? Ah, you need to burp? Alright, come here to Grandpa.
Though he was known as one of the wealthiest cash tycoons in Korea, Choi Eun-Tae was nothing more than a doting grandfather, completely wrapped around his grandchild's finger.
"Should we go too?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Only then did I follow Kang Eun-Gi into the other room.
Just then, Lee Yeon-Sil smiled and held out Yoon-Soo, whom she had just finished feeding. "Yoon-Ho oppa, can you burp Yoon-Soo for me?"
"Sure."
Lee Yeon-Sil handed me Yoon-Soo, still dressed in his baby clothes. I knew she wanted me to hold her child under the pretense of burping him, so I said nothing and gently supported the back of his neck as I took him into my arms.
The small, adorable little body nestled against me, smiling faintly. For such a tiny kid, his nose was impressively sharp and his eyes were big. He could probably become a celebrity when he grew up.
At that moment, Choi Eun-Tae, with Eun-Soo draped over his shoulder, patted his back and said, "If you want to burp a baby, you just place the baby's chin on your shoulder like this and gently pat their back."
Kang Eun-Gi let out a quiet chuckle. "Father, Yoon-Ho's practically a pro when it comes to taking care of kids."
"Hm?"
"Back at the orphanage, there were at least five newborns Yoon-Ho took care of in place of a mother."
"I-Is that so?"
At that moment, I smoothly adjusted my position, facing Yoon-Soo and lifting his head upright. Yoon-Soo opened his mouth and began squirming. The baby, who had been breathing softly, suddenly jolted and let out a burp.
"Urp!"
In less than thirty seconds, a loud, satisfying burp echoed out.
Yoon-Soo smiled happily. "Heh."
Choi Eun-Tae looked surprised and asked, "So doing it that way makes them burp faster? Show me how to do it."
I carefully supported Yoon-Soo's neck and was about to explain, when Eun-Soo suddenly spat up the formula onto Choi Eun-Tae's shoulder.
"Guhk."
Choi Eun-Tae lightly patted his back. "I'm sorry, Eun-Soo. Grandpa messed up. Hahaha. You just keep doing what you were doing."
Startled, Lee Yeon-Sil quickly held out a handkerchief. "Wait a moment."
"It's fine, it's fine. Hahaha."
Perhaps because they were his own blood, Choi Eun-Tae couldn't stop smiling no matter what the children did. And I found myself understanding how he felt.
To me, all the kids who came into the orphanage had felt like my own younger siblings, but holding in my arms the child born between Kang Eun-Gi and Lee Yeon-Sil—two people I was especially close to—felt different somehow. It felt special.
Pat, pat.
As I felt the warmth of Yoon-Soo in my arms, something in my chest tightened for no clear reason. At that moment, my hand supporting his bottom also started to feel warm and heavy.
'Hm? Heavy?'
Wondering what it was, I looked at Yoon-Soo. He puckered his lips into an O shape and beamed up at me.
"You… did it?"
Yoon-Soo had given me quite the intense gift for our first meeting.
***
After putting the babies to sleep, we were having dinner on the wide wooden floor of the traditional house, grilling fresh galbi over charcoal.
"Meat~ meat~" Miso sang while holding a spoon, bouncing her shoulders.
Everyone was laughing at her antics when my phone vibrated.
Buzz.
It was a Kk Talk message from Coach Choi Woo-Sik of Youngin University’s judo team.
[Coach Choi Woo-Sik: Yoon-Ho, thanks. Because of you, those pathetic guys started showing up to class again.]
As the members of the judo team approached graduation, they had apparently been going around to professors from other departments asking for help. Even while limping from the aftermath of the duck marathon, they were asking how they could become better talent agents.
As expected, once a path to the future opened up for them, they had started to get their act together.
[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Not at all. It's probably thanks to your guidance, sir.]
As I exchanged messages, someone else came to mind.
'Coach Han Dae-Man.'
Like Choi Woo-Sik, he had scolded me and encouraged me like a father figure so I wouldn't go astray. If anything, he had been even stricter and harsher than Choi Woo-Sik. And yet, I still couldn't understand why he had gotten involved in match-fixing and taken money from my opponent's parents.
Just then, my phone vibrated again.
Buzz.
I thought it was another message from Choi Woo-Sik, but it was a notification from Everyday.
[Notification: Fortune of the Day has been updated on Everyday.]
'Fortune of the Day? Of all times, right when I was thinking about Coach Han Dae-Man?'
Curious, I opened it to check.
[Everyday V13]
[Date: April 28, 2021]
[Fortune of the Day: The last chance to clear up long-standing misunderstandings. Miss this moment, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life.]
Han Dae-Man had already admitted to taking the money himself, so I couldn't understand what misunderstanding there might be.
'And if I don't resolve things with him today, I'd regret it for the rest of my life? Why is a fortune like this showing up now?'
1. Vegetable porridge
Favorite
