Chapter 24: Unexpected Comfort

That day was particularly exhausting and difficult. I wasn’t sure if it was due to the relentless schedule that had kept me awake until dawn, leaving me with only a few hours of sleep. Perhaps it was the slow, creeping onset of a fever. Regardless, my body felt profoundly unwell.

‘I’m exhausted.’

With ample time before the next shoot, I took the car keys from my manager, intending to catch a quick nap. I spotted my car at the far end of the parking lot and started walking towards it, when hushed whispers suddenly reached my ears.

“–you know.”

“It seems the rumors about their awful personality are true.”

“Just look at their face. They practically reek of seniority complex.”

Following the voices, I discovered three staff members I’d seen a few times during shoots, smoking in a secluded corner of the parking lot. From what I could faintly discern, they seemed to be engaged in some vicious gossip.

‘How uncomfortable.’

I didn’t know who they were slandering, but eavesdropping secretly left a sour taste. Just as I decided to ignore them and continue on my way, an all-too-familiar name suddenly surfaced in their conversation.

“Yoo Joon-hee? He’s just riddled with an inferiority complex towards Seon Woo-jung. He’s been stuck as a supporting actor for ages, while a rookie who debuted barely a year ago is already snagging lead roles. How infuriating must that be?”

“If I were in his shoes, I’d absolutely throw my weight around.”

“Hey, that’s just pathetic!”

Only then did the realization dawn on me: the person they were so eagerly tearing apart was *me*. Not only did I apparently look like I possessed a terrible personality and acted superior, but I was also supposedly riddled with an inferiority complex towards Seon Woo-jung?

‘Some of that is true, I suppose.’

I had to admit, I did look like I had an unpleasant personality. That must be why every role offered to me was a strong-willed villain. But I had never once pulled rank; that accusation felt utterly unfair.

However, the mention of an inferiority complex towards Seon Woo-jung, that, to some extent, struck a raw nerve.

As those people had claimed, I was a perpetual supporting actor. Seon Woo-jung, however, hadn’t even been an actor for a year, yet every single role he took on was a lead.

It would be a blatant lie to claim I felt no inferiority complex, let alone mere envy.

‘Still, I’m not *that* petty.’

While I did harbor an inferiority complex, it certainly didn’t make me a contemptible person capable of tormenting Seon Woo-jung.

Of course, that’s how they seemed to perceive me, but there was no compelling reason to offer any explanation. All I truly wanted at that moment was to simply rest.

“Hey, do you guys know about Yoo Joon-hee’s lawsuit with his parents?”

I desperately wished to simply walk away, but this time, a story began that I couldn’t possibly ignore. Years had already passed, yet merely hearing it bandied about by others made me feel utterly wretched.

Completely unaware of my presence, those people continued their conversation unabated. They recounted things they’d read in articles, things they’d heard somewhere, and even stories I myself had never known, showing no signs of stopping.

“They say Yoo Joon-hee deliberately sued his own parents, didn’t they?”

“No way, come on. No matter what, that would make him a total scumbag.”

“Just think about it. His entire family freeloaded off him. He was the sole breadwinner, so how badly would he want to cut them loose? Ultimately, he abandoned his family for money.”

“Wow, I never thought he’d go that far.”

The floor seemed to undulate beneath me at the words spouted by these ignorant bastards. None of it was true.

I was merely a victim who had been endlessly exploited, yet in the midst of their casual conversation, I had been transformed into a deplorable wretch who abandoned his family for money.

That’s not it, I–

“And this is a secret, but Yoo Joon-hee’s parents actually–”

*Honk!* A sharp blare of a horn reverberated through the parking lot, startling not only them but me as well.

One of the three, who had been glancing around, spotted me and instantly froze solid. They then subtly nudged the others.

“Damn it, who suddenly— G-gah!”

They had been tearing me apart so fiercely behind my back, yet now that we were face-to-face, they couldn’t utter a single word. The three quickly stubbed out their cigarettes and vanished, leaving me utterly alone in the vast parking lot.

Now that the incessant chatterers were gone, I should have simply gone to my car to rest, but my feet remained rooted to the spot. Their carelessly spouted words kept buzzing insistently in my ears. The more I tried to forget them, the clearer they became.

‘Stop thinking about it.’

I managed to halt the tumultuous thoughts swirling in my mind. Letting out a deep sigh, I looked forward, but suddenly my vision wavered. Then, something warm streamed down my cheek.

‘What is this?’

I raised a hand to wipe it away, only to find it was tears. Amusingly, I hadn’t even realized I was weeping.

If I were truly sad, my emotions should have shifted accordingly, yet I remained stubbornly stoic. I couldn’t even ascertain if these were genuinely tears.

‘Did something get in my eye?’

Yet, the sheer volume of tears flowing was too great for such a simple explanation. As I struggled with the incessant stream that refused to stop, someone gently tapped my shoulder.

Startled, I spun around to find Seon Woo-jung standing there, looking even more surprised than I was.

“Sunbae?”

To be seen in such a pathetic state by Seon Woo-jung, of all people, was utterly mortifying.

Raising an arm to cover my face, I turned away from Seon Woo-jung. Yet he moved faster, blocking my path, and urgently inquired.

“Sunbae-nim, is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing, Seon Woo-jung. Just go about your business.”

“How is this ‘nothing’?”

“Something just got in my eye, that’s all. I’m fine.”

Even I knew it was a ridiculous excuse, but at that moment, I was so utterly mortified that I wished for a mouse hole to vanish into.

I tried to push away his gentle hand and turn, but once again, Seon Woo-jung caught me before I could move.

“Please look at me for a moment, Sunbae-nim.”

Reluctantly, I lifted my head. Seon Woo-jung, having pulled down his sleeve, gently wiped my tear-streaked cheek.

I was the one crying, yet it was truly baffling why he wore an expression that seemed even sadder than my own.

After gently wiping my tear-soaked cheek, Seon Woo-jung naturally took my hand. He then used the car key my manager had given me to unlock the door, carefully helping me inside.

Then, Seon Woo-jung also got into the car with me.

‘Why did he follow me?’

Even if he was merely dropping me off, it was a complete mystery why he had gotten into the car with me. Furthermore, I couldn’t bring myself to ask when he intended to release my hand.

“Are you feeling a little better?”

Seon Woo-jung asked, his voice brimming with concern. I merely nodded in response, yet his expression remained unchanged. He still looked discernibly sadder than I did.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Not really cold, but–”

Before I could even finish my sentence, Seon Woo-jung reached for a blanket on the passenger seat and, with one hand, unfolded it over me. Covering myself with the blanket was fine, but our clasped hands remained steadfastly intertwined.

My mind was consumed solely with the thought of when I should finally release Seon Woo-jung’s hand. Thanks to this distraction, the unpleasant gossip that had made me so miserable had, somehow, already faded from memory.

Though, at the time, I wasn’t even aware of that.

‘I smell cigarette smoke.’

I hadn’t noticed it before, but in the enclosed space, a faint scent of tobacco emanated from Seon Woo-jung. The people from earlier had been smoking, but Seon Woo-jung wasn’t with them, so it seemed he must have smoked a while ago.

“No filming?”

“Ah, yes. It’s a break time right now.”

“Ah, I see.”

“What about you, Sunbae-nim?”

“I’m also on break. This one’s a bit longer, so–”

“Really? My break is long too! Can I stay here with you?”

My mind screamed a resounding ‘no,’ but looking into his sparkling eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to utter the word. I reluctantly nodded, and Seon Woo-jung responded with a beautiful smile.

I always thought this, but his looks truly were perfect. Of course, he was an excellent actor too. He was just a perfectly irritating guy.

Unfairly perfect.

“Won’t your manager look for you?”

“I told my manager I was taking a break, so it’s fine. It’s not like I’m going anywhere else; I’m just with Sunbae-nim, so what’s the harm?”

Indeed, I wasn’t leaving the filming site, so there was no issue, just as Seon Woo-jung had stated. With the slightly awkward atmosphere having dissipated, I felt my guard drop and leaned back deeply into the seat.

“Um, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“Ask me anything!”

Seon Woo-jung replied, his eyes sparkling to a burdensome degree. From his eagerness, it seemed he would tell me his bank account password without a second thought if I asked. What I was about to say wasn’t nearly so grand.

“The hand, when do you plan to let go of it?”

“…Pardon?”

Seon Woo-jung’s eyes widened at my completely unexpected question. Then, startled, he hastily released my hand.

Hard as it was to believe, it seemed he, too, had forgotten he was holding my hand.

“S-s-sorry. I didn’t mean to do that; it was an accident, really! I’m not the type of person who just grabs people’s hands like that.”

“It’s fine. No one saw us anyway, so what does it matter?”

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry, Sunbae-nim.”

It wasn’t a deathly sin, yet Seon Woo-jung bowed his head deeply and kept apologizing. His excessive apologies sparked a slight annoyance, but a moment later, I burst out laughing.

He seemed quite prim and proper in front of others, so why was he such a mess in front of me? I had thought he was from a completely different world, but seeing this side of him, I felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

“Sunbae-nim, you laughed, didn’t you?”

“I did not.”

I quickly composed my expression, but it seemed Seon Woo-jung had already caught a glimpse of my face. Just moments ago, he had been apologizing as if on the verge of tears, but now he was beaming sweetly, as if something delightful had just happened.

My stylist once asked me what I thought of Seon Woo-jung. Back then, I had nothing much to say, so I simply called him a decent person. But now, things were different.

Seon Woo-jung was truly a strange person.