Chapter 10: The World Revolves Around Me.

Jaewoo had been in a very good mood recently.
Everything was going his way.
It felt as if the world was revolving around him.

It started with Yoon Sayoung, who had clung to him so annoyingly, finally falling away.
He had to give more alimony than he had initially thought, but it was still a gain just to have divorced without a major struggle.

Creating rumors about Yoon Sayoung was easy, but actually making him the legally at-fault spouse was a completely different matter.

He had been deeply troubled about what to do with Yoon Sayoung, who would never accept a divorce, but things had turned out very well.

He was a little curious as to why he had suddenly asked for a divorce.
But Jaewoo decided not to think too deeply about it.
In fact, considering what Jaewoo had done to him over the years, finding the answer wasn’t that difficult.

An ordinary person would have divorced a hundred times over.
It was Yoon Sayoung who had been stubborn in holding on for so long.
So, it wouldn’t be strange at all if he had held on until he could no longer bear it and asked for a divorce.

Even if that wasn’t the real reason, it didn’t matter.
Now that the divorce was finalized, he wasn’t even curious about his inner thoughts anymore.
What was important was what lay ahead.

Jaewoo recalled Kim Yoojun, whom he had brushed past by chance when he had stopped by the salon a while ago.
Jaewoo had given him a very meaningful farewell, saying, ‘Well then, I’ll see you next time.’
Yoojun probably had no idea what meaning was contained in that ordinary greeting.

What kind of face would Kim Yoojun make when he found out that he had been cast in the role of the powerful rival in his next project?
It was a shame he wouldn’t be able to see that face in person.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know that Kim Yoojun didn’t think well of him.
He couldn’t not know, since he openly showed his discomfort every time they met.
And yet, the reason it didn’t feel particularly unpleasant was that Han Jaewoo found that very aspect of Yoojun attractive.

He couldn’t stand submissiveness.
He was sick and tired of the attitude of bowing his head at a single word from him and saying he would do whatever he wanted, just please don’t leave him.

Of course, it was Jaewoo who had made Sayoung that way.
Han Jaewoo, who would have been an unknown actor for much longer without Yoon Sayoung, had intentionally used him, yet, gripped by an inferiority complex, had acted more indifferently and coercively toward Sayoung.

The more he loved him, the more Jaewoo isolated him from his original world, made him more dependent, and painstakingly chipped away at his spirit so that he wouldn’t dare talk back.

So, the fact that Sayoung was so obedient to the point of being tedious was all intended by Han Jaewoo, and it was also Han Jaewoo’s fault, but that didn’t mean he had to find that attitude lovable, did it?

Jaewoo found him ridiculous and pathetic, the one who had once shone so brightly that he wouldn’t have dared to even look at him, now groveling and clinging at his feet, but at the same time, he became even more miserable at the thought of himself, who wouldn’t have been able to rise to this position without him.
That was why Han Jaewoo hated Yoon Sayoung.

Jaewoo sometimes wondered if the reason he was so hot for Yoojun right now was simply because he was an Alpha, and because he disliked him.

If someone other than Yoojun had shown him such an attitude first, the target of his efforts now might have been different.

“I’m really looking forward to it…”

A genuinely pleased smile touched Jaewoo’s lips.
He had missed this kind of thrill.

No matter how little affection he had for Sayoung, as long as he maintained the marriage, it was difficult to openly fool around outside.
He didn’t need to be mindful of Sayoung, but he did need to be mindful of the public.

Especially from Jaewoo’s perspective, who had benefited greatly from building up a ‘romantic’ image, a single misstep could have been a major blow.

But now, he was officially divorced, the public was finding the cause of the divorce in Yoon Sayoung on their own, and he was scheduled to work with Kim Yoojun on his next project.

With things falling into place so smoothly, he couldn’t help but smile.

Even if it wasn’t because Kim Yoojun was special, but simply because he needed this kind of stimulation, it didn’t matter.
All Han Jaewoo had to do was satisfy his desires.

Jaewoo planned to properly enjoy the life without Yoon Sayoung that he had finally obtained.

****

“Hyung, you’ve really worked hard.”

“Yeah. You worked hard too.”

At Yoojun’s reply, which came back as if it were a matter of course, Jeongmin felt a sense of pride and his lips twitched.
Yoojun had been famous for having a good eye for scenarios and building a solid filmography, but this project felt particularly good.

Jeongmin started the car smoothly and continued in a bright voice.

“There’s still some time before you start filming your next project, so get some rest in the meantime.”

“Ah, that one… did they say the co-stars haven’t all been decided yet?”

“No, not yet…”

Listening to Jeongmin’s reply, Yoojun pushed the seat back and lay down comfortably.

Jeongmin seemed to have particularly high hopes for this project, but in fact, the one Yoojun was looking forward to more was the one he would be filming next.

He had liked the scenario and the character, which the writer had written with Yoojun in mind from the start, so much that he had stamped the contract without a second thought.

It was a rare occurrence for Yoojun, who was the type to agonize over several projects until the very end when deciding on a work.

Hoping that the co-star roles would be filled with good actors, Yoojun had just closed his eyes when Jeongmin asked.

“Should we go home?”

Yoojun opened his closed eyes again.
It was because the face he had been trying to ignore and pretend not to know had flashed before his momentarily closed eyes.
In fact, Yoojun had been in this state for the past two weeks.

When filming, Yoojun’s concentration was so great that it was acknowledged by himself and others.
During the filming period, Yoojun didn’t allow himself a moment to think about anything other than acting, and everyone who knew him was amazed by that aspect.

That was why Yoojun found his recent self so unfamiliar.

Towards the end of filming, one’s concentration could drop due to physical exhaustion if not careful, so he usually paid special attention.

He lived like a robot designed for acting, tailoring everything he ate, drank, and thought solely for the shoot, and it wasn’t just once or twice that he had worried Jeongmin.

But recently, a gap had formed in Yoojun’s life.
One that had nothing to do with acting.
It was a space that was completely unexpected and couldn’t have been predicted.
And quietly seeping into and occupying that space was none other than Yoon Sayoung.

Usually, he would be curled up inside, without presence, as if forgotten.
Then, when the surroundings grew quiet and a time like now arose when Yoojun could be alone with his thoughts, he would creep out like a ghost and completely take over Yoojun’s mind.

Was he doing well?
Were his plans for revenge progressing?
Did he still consider him the most important piece?

Yoojun would recall things that weren’t important to him at all, every single night.

The one who should be more anxious was clearly Yoon Sayoung, but strangely, it was Yoojun who was waiting for the phone to ring.

It should have been Yoon Sayoung who was worried about what would happen if her proposal was rejected by Yoojun’s attitude of spending time without a word, without any contact.

But it was Yoojun who was anxious that the choice he had might disappear.
Something was wrong, seriously wrong.

Yoojun would occasionally ask Jeongmin about Sayoung’s condition, as if in passing.

He was said to be quietly focusing on treating his leg at the hospital.
He rarely left the hospital room unless it was for treatment, and no one had ever come to visit.

Yoojun couldn’t sleep, wondering what that crazy person who claimed to have traveled back in time was thinking, sitting alone in the hospital room all night.
It was truly driving him mad.

“…Let’s go to.”

“Sorry?”

“…Go to the hospital.”

Jeongmin, who blinked for a moment at Yoojun’s voice that came out after a long while, was soon startled and asked in a loud voice.

“The hospital? Are you hurt somewhere?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Are you sick? A cold? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“It’s not me who’s sick.”

Calming down Jeongmin, who looked like he would start blaming himself for not noticing sooner if left alone, Yoojun continued as if sighing.

“It’s not that… I said, let’s go to the hospital where Yoon Sayoung is.”

From the front, he could hear Jeongmin’s dazed voice asking back, ‘Yoon Sayoung…?’

To be honest, Yoojun felt like asking himself the same question, so he didn’t bother to answer and closed his eyes again.

Even without looking, he could feel Jeongmin’s gaze on him through the rearview mirror with a dumbfounded expression.

There was no other reason.
In any case, Yoojun had asked Sayoung for time to think, and didn’t that mean he had to give him an answer, one way or another?

So Yoojun was simply going to give the answer he had put off until the very end, and it was absolutely not because he wanted to see Sayoung again, or because he was curious about how he was enduring this time.

It would all be over once he went to the hospital and told Sayoung that he had no intention of participating in his absurd plan, so he should take care of his revenge on his own.
An answer that was a matter of course for Yoojun.

Thinking that, Yoojun let out a deep sigh.