Chapter 22: Unexpected Contacts and Unforeseen Complications

[Reports belatedly surfaced last month that actor Han Tae-young, 25, visited the VIP ward of Inseong Hospital in mid-month, drawing significant attention. The identity of the patient visited by top star Han Tae-young, who carved out time from his packed schedule, remains undisclosed. Netizens speculate that given Han Tae-young’s killer filming schedule, the patient is likely more than just a casual acquaintance.

Some quarters suggested a romance, claiming a certain actress was hospitalized in the VIP ward. However, Inseong Hospital officials dismissed these rumors, stating no one fitting the description of a famous actress had been admitted.

One community user, identifying themselves as an Inseong Hospital staff member, mocked the collective speculation by stating, ‘Among the patients admitted at the time, the only celebrity we’d know was Kang Gyu-jin, the chairman of the Inseong Group.’]

To Yeon-ho’s disappointment, the article proved to be utterly devoid of substance. It was, moreover, a truly shoddy piece, cobbled together from internet rumors. The comments section was a chaotic mess of baseless speculation and malicious remarks: ‘He wasn’t visiting; he secretly got plastic surgery,’ ‘At that hour, it would have been a procedure, not surgery,’ ‘In reality, he’s gravely ill.’

Yeon-ho grimaced at the filthy comment section. Everyone with a modicum of sense would know the article wasn’t true, yet he couldn’t fathom the psychology behind people gathering to amplify and reproduce rumors as if gleefully stoking a bonfire of gossip.

‘Even I, who dislikes Han Tae-young, wouldn’t go to such lengths.’

Yeon-ho mentally cursed the reporter, telling them not to make him feel sympathy for Han Tae-young, when he suddenly paused. At the bottom of the page, he spotted an article title containing the three words: ‘Baek Hwi-kyung, Danger, Accident.’

Baek Hwi-kyung was the actor who would be dropped from *Cold Reading* due to a drunk driving accident.

‘Did he already cause an accident? Episode 6 hasn’t even aired yet, has it?’

The news of Baek Hwi-kyung’s drunk driving accident had broken the day after Episode 6 aired. While he couldn’t recall the exact date, Episode 6’s broadcast had been delayed by a week due to a sports schedule, which also aligned with Yeon-ho’s memory.

So why had Baek Hwi-kyung’s article appeared a week early?

Yeon-ho, anxious that his memories—whether prophetic dreams or a regression—were once again diverging from reality, clicked on the article.

[Special Feature: This Man Is Dangerous! ① *Cold Reading*, the drama currently topping viewership ratings, has a new star, Baek Hwi-kyung, who has finally caused a stir. He’s a scene-stealer who has captivated viewers. But ‘scene-stealer’ feels somehow inadequate. Where does his overwhelming charisma, which overshadows the leads, and his charm, which captivates female hearts, come from? The reporter has decided to thoroughly analyze Baek Hwi-kyung, whose popularity is rapidly rising.]

He had been tricked by the headline again. The reporter hadn’t used the word ‘danger’ for the reason Yeon-ho had assumed.

“Overshadowing Han Tae-young with acting? Utter nonsense. He’s only garnering criticism for his terrible performance.”

While Yeon-ho didn’t want to praise Tae-young, comparing Baek Hwi-kyung’s acting to his was an insult to viewers.

“What kind of shoddy media play is this?”

A quick scan of the content revealed it was clearly a paid puff piece. The quotes and comments, supposedly from communities praising Baek Hwi-kyung’s popularity, reeked strongly of viral marketing. Moreover, every single one of them seemed to drag Tae-young down, steadily building up Yeon-ho’s dislike for Baek Hwi-kyung.

He hadn’t bothered to look up articles about Baek Hwi-kyung before, so he hadn’t known about these pathetic tactics. If Baek Hwi-kyung had actually gained popularity through such media play, Yeon-ho felt he would have been truly furious.

‘It’s a good thing. He won’t be able to do this kind of media play anymore.’

It was the first time today he felt glad to know the future.

As Yeon-ho switched his phone screen to catch a call, he noticed a red badge on his social media app. Having no expectations, Yeon-ho lightly tapped the app, thinking, ‘Surely it’s not Seon-jae.’

[Hyung, it’s Seon-jae. Did you delete my number?]

It seemed today was a day for the unexpected. Yeon-ho was startled that Seon-jae had contacted him, then read the message and tilted his head. He wondered why Seon-jae thought he had deleted his number.

[No. I didn’t delete it.]

[Then why didn’t you contact me? I waited.]

Even through text, Yeon-ho could sense Seon-jae’s tone was laced with resentment.

‘But I waited because you said you’d DM me?’

Yeon-ho sighed at the thought. He felt a pang of self-reproach, realizing he was approaching human relationships far too calculatingly.

For the past few days, Yeon-ho’s interest had been entirely focused on the drama role. His criteria for whether Seon-jae would contact him first was also tied to the drama role. Seon-jae probably just wanted to reconnect with an older friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.

‘I hadn’t contacted Seon-jae first because I only saw him as a means to secure a role.’

It was only natural for Seon-jae to show his displeasure. After a moment of self-loathing and reflection, Yeon-ho drafted a reply.

[I should have contacted you first, Hyung. I’m sorry. I’ll message you on KakaoTalk instead of DM.]

[L Hyung, j-just a m-m-moment! I ch-ch-changed my number.]

A reply came, riddled with typos, as if it had been typed in a hurry.

[You changed your number?]

[Yeah, can you contact me at 010-XXXX-XXXX?]

Yeon-ho furrowed his brow.

If he had changed his number, how did he know Yeon-ho hadn’t contacted him?

‘He must have thought I’d contact him via DM.’

Since Yeon-ho felt guilty about his earlier actions towards Seon-jae, he didn’t dwell on it and switched to the messaging app.

[It’s Seon-jae, right? It’s Seo Yeon-ho.]

[Yep, yep! I’m so sorry for being so sharp just now. Filming’s been really tough, so my nerves are frayed ㅠㅠ]

[It’s okay. That happens.]

[Hyung, you’re still as blunt as ever when you text. Add some emojis.]

[I’ll try—]

Yeon-ho typed that, then deleted the sentence and rewrote it.

[Oh, I will.]

[Emojis? You said you’d add emojis.]

Seon-jae sent an emoji of someone looking around, searching for something.

‘Should I have added an emoji right away?’

Yeon-ho scratched his cheek, then found a default apology emoji and sent it.

[ㅠㅠㅠ Hyung… are you mad because I told you to send emojis? Even if it’s annoying, a default one is a bit much…]

[I’m not annoyed? That’s all the emojis I have, so I picked one from what was available.]

[That’s all the emojis you have? Don’t lie.]

[It’s true. Why would I lie about something like that?]

Yeon-ho typed, then searched his memory.

‘Did Seon-jae complain about emojis before?’

It was strange; he didn’t recall such a complaint previously. Seon-jae’s personality seemed to have changed a bit since they last saw each other.

Seon-jae sent a surprised emoji, then remained silent for a long time. Yeon-ho, thinking the conversation was over, reopened his rider app. An alert popped up as he planned his route on the map and caught a call. Glancing at it, he saw the word ’emoji,’ so Yeon-ho, assuming it was an emoji to conclude their conversation, didn’t check the content and focused on accepting the call.

However, about ten minutes later, Seon-jae contacted him again. Yeon-ho, waiting to pick up food at a restaurant, checked the message.

[Hyung, did you get it?]

Get what? Was he asking if he received the message?

Just as Yeon-ho, with a puzzled expression, was about to scroll up the message window, he spotted a notification above Seon-jae’s chat bubble: ‘Seon-jae sent you an emoji gift.’

‘Ah, what he sent earlier wasn’t an emoji, but an emoji gift.’

Yeon-ho bit his lip slightly and tapped the screen with his thumb. He deliberated whether to accept it. Seon-jae had probably sent it lightheartedly since Yeon-ho said he had no emojis, but Yeon-ho still felt an unnecessary burden. The emoji style was also quirky and not to his taste.

[Thanks. I’ll use it well.]

Reluctantly, he pressed the ‘receive’ button, then, as a token of appreciation, sent a drink gifticon of a similar price. He considered sending an emoji too, but unsure what Seon-jae already had, he opted for the safer drink gifticon.

“Cheese pork cutlet set is ready.”

“Yes, sir. Sell a lot!”

Yeon-ho pressed ‘pickup complete’ and quickly dashed towards his scooter. He had several calls lined up and needed to hurry to complete all deliveries on time. It wasn’t until after the lunch rush that Yeon-ho had the leisure to check anything on his phone other than the rider and map apps.

Entering a convenience store to grab a triangle kimbap and cup ramen for a late lunch, Yeon-ho discovered that the gifticon he had sent Seon-jae earlier had been canceled. Seon-jae had apparently declined it.

[If possible, buy me alcohol instead of coffee.]

Reading the message Seon-jae sent with the rejected gifticon, Yeon-ho tilted his head.

[There are no gifticons for alcohol?]

[You’re so oblivious, I meant buy me a drink in person. But what are you doing that your reply is so late?]

Yeon-ho rubbed the back of his neck. He, too, would prefer to treat Seon-jae to a drink in person, but he wasn’t in a financial position to buy anything more expensive than convenience store coffee. He also didn’t have time to go out for a drink.

[Sorry. I want to drink with you too, but I don’t have many days off. I’ll send you a better gifticon next time.]

He tried to sugarcoat it as much as possible, feeling that admitting his financial struggles would only make things awkward between them.

[That’s a pretty lame excuse, isn’t it? Are you going to tell the director you don’t have time when you meet them too?]

*Ding, ding, ding.*

The microwave, having finished heating the triangle kimbap, chimed, warning him to take it out. Yeon-ho, who had been standing blankly in front of the microwave, unsure how to reply to Seon-jae, flinched and pulled out the triangle kimbap.

‘I wasn’t making excuses; I really don’t have time to meet. …Should I have just told him I don’t have money first?’

Yeon-ho sat down at the eating counter, unable to touch his triangle kimbap and cup ramen, instead continually staring at his phone. He couldn’t discern whether Seon-jae was simply being childish or if he had already mentioned Yeon-ho to the director, leaving his mind in a tangled mess.