Chapter 34: The Uninvited Guest

“You said the staff’s morale would drop if the dinner was canceled.”

“Yeah.”

“Since you’re the reason the dinner’s canceled, you’re also the one breaking their morale.”

Just as he was about to retort, questioning the absurdity of that logic, Kim Jin-woo burst out of the cafe, calling Yeon-ho’s name.

“Seo Yeon-ho! Yeon-ho, oh, thank goodness. You haven’t left yet.”

Spotting Yeon-ho, Kim Jin-woo hurried down the stairs.

“Is something wrong?”

Yeon-ho asked, patting Kim Jin-woo’s back as he gasped for breath, hands on his knees. For reasons unknown to him, Tae-young’s gaze, fixed on both him and Kim Jin-woo, felt incredibly sharp.

‘He’s probably annoyed for some reason I can’t fathom again,’ Yeon-ho thought, ignoring Tae-young’s stare.

“I just spoke with the owner here.”

At the mention of Owner Yang, Yeon-ho’s eyes sharpened.

“Just now?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t they call me? There should be a missed call record on the owner’s phone.”

“Check your phone. Maybe you missed the call, Yeon-ho.”

Only then did Yeon-ho remember he had turned off his phone for rehearsal.

“Ah, I had my phone off. How foolish of me.”

As Yeon-ho chastised himself and powered on his phone, Kim Jin-woo continued.

“I told the owner about the item you were looking for, but they didn’t seem to remember it. And they said they’d prefer if the backroom wasn’t opened if possible.”

Kim Jin-woo relayed Owner Yang’s words with an apologetic expression.

Yeon-ho was disappointed, but he knew he shouldn’t feel slighted that Owner Yang hadn’t gone out of their way for him. From Owner Yang’s perspective, it was natural not to allow entry into the backroom.

Owner Yang had entrusted the backroom key to Kim Jin-woo for potential emergencies, not for checking if a non-staff member’s belongings were inside.

“Now that I think about it, I believe I made an unreasonable request. Thank you for asking the owner, Assistant Director.”

“Just call me Jin-woo, informally.”

Kim Jin-woo reached out to lightly tap Yeon-ho’s arm but flinched. A murderous intent washed over him, and when he turned his head, he saw Tae-young glaring at him with icy eyes.

Kim Jin-woo awkwardly withdrew the hand he had extended towards Yeon-ho and scratched his head.

“What were you two talking about?”

“Something that has nothing to do with you, hyung.”

Kim Jin-woo replied with a surly tone. The sharp edge in his voice immediately made Tae-young realize that Jin-woo harbored some dissatisfaction towards him.

“It was nothing much.”

When Yeon-ho also answered, Tae-young’s head snapped around to face him. Fire seemed to pour from his wide, blazing eyes. The masseter muscles on his firm jaw stood out distinctly. It seemed Tae-young’s foul mood since earlier was indeed because of Yeon-ho.

‘Hmm, there’s definitely something going on here,’ Kim Jin-woo mused, pushing up his glasses as he recalled Tae-young rushing over the moment he received a text about seeing the delivery rider on set.

Kim Jin-woo’s obsession with the delivery rider—no, with Yeon-ho—was suspiciously excessive. Initially, he thought Tae-young’s persistent tormenting of Yeon-ho was due to accumulated stress.

The *Cold Reading* set was a mess, the script was terrible, and to make matters worse, Tae-young had private issues that troubled him. The source of his irritation, like a rotten tooth, was his complicated personal life, which rivaled a morning drama.

Tae-young was registered as the child of Han-seong, the founder of Origin, and his second wife, Cha Kyung-hee, but in reality, he had a different biological father. However, Tae-young hadn’t become sensitive due to a sudden revelation of his birth secret.

He had known for over a decade that the father he loved and respected was not his biological parent. His sudden, belated pseudo-adolescence had only begun recently, after meeting his birth father.

Although Kim Jin-woo didn’t know what they had discussed, Tae-young had seemed emotionally conflicted ever since. Of course, he tried to hide it from his family and even from Kim Jin-woo, but a troubled heart always finds a way to show itself.

When someone spends weeks plotting revenge against a delivery rider for a few disparaging remarks about a drama, it’s impossible not to think, ‘This person is not normal right now.’

Of course, Tae-young possessed a strong, impetuous nature that couldn’t stand being wronged. He was the type who wouldn’t rest until he returned a slight tenfold, and his tenacious streak meant that once he latched onto someone, he would pursue them relentlessly until they were utterly crushed.

Yet, even considering his unpleasant personality, Tae-young’s obsession was irrational. However, after coincidentally encountering Yeon-ho in person, Kim Jin-woo’s perspective shifted slightly.

A suspicion, almost a certainty, arose that Tae-young wasn’t tormenting Yeon-ho simply because he was an easy target for stress relief.

“Yeon-ho, since things turned out this way, would you like to come to the staff dinner with us?”

Kim Jin-woo thought he should create an opportunity for Yeon-ho and Tae-young to talk calmly. From what he saw when they left the cafe, their relationship was exceptionally hostile. It was clear that without his intervention, a normal conversation would be out of the question.

“Ah, I—.”

“The owner here will also be at the dinner to receive the key.”

Kim Jin-woo swiftly cut Yeon-ho off when he showed signs of refusing. He had anticipated Yeon-ho’s refusal from the start. Logically, given how bad his relationship with Tae-young was, there was no way he’d willingly tag along to a dinner where he knew no one.

Kim Jin-woo dangled a carrot to entice Yeon-ho, just as he had done during the rehearsal.

“It’ll be bothersome to drop by again tomorrow, won’t it? Let’s just have dinner with us and wait for the owner. When the owner arrives, we can all go look for your item together. Perfect, right?”

“Hyung, what are you doing?”

Tae-young glared down at Kim Jin-woo, almost threateningly.

‘Han Tae-young, you petty bastard. Does it bother you that much for Seo Yeon-ho to join the dinner?’

Unaware that Tae-young had actually offered to invite Yeon-ho to the dinner first, Kim Jin-woo endured Tae-young’s pressure.

“What am I doing? I’m taking care of the extras who worked hard today.”

“This isn’t your business, so stay out of it.”

Tae-young covered his face with a large hand, as if telling his hyung not to complicate things further, when a soft voice came from beside him.

“Alright. I’ll go to the dinner.”

“Hey! Seo Yeon-ho!”

Shock and deep betrayal flashed across Tae-young’s face as he angrily spun around to face Yeon-ho.

‘Why does he feel betrayed?’ Kim Jin-woo wondered, blocking Tae-young’s chest with his arm. This was a precautionary measure to maintain a safe distance and prevent a fight.

“Now, now, Tae-young, calm down. Yeon-ho, please get on that bus.”

Yeon-ho quietly watched Kim Jin-woo and Tae-young for a moment, then gave a slight nod and headed towards the large bus where the staff would be traveling.

Behind Yeon-ho, the sounds of Tae-young and Kim Jin-woo bickering could be heard.

“Didn’t I tell you this wasn’t your business, hyung? Stop sticking your nose in where you don’t belong when you don’t even know what’s going on.”

“Oh, listen to your language. A young punk like you telling your hyung to ‘stick his nose in’? I’ll tell Sae-on noona everything!”

Before boarding the bus, Yeon-ho glanced back at Tae-young and Kim Jin-woo. Their casual pointing and shoving at each other were quite striking. He had guessed they were close, but seeing them act so unreservedly suggested their bond was even deeper than he had imagined.

‘Were they acquainted before filming the drama? And who is Sae-on noona?’

Sitting by the bus window, Yeon-ho tapped his index and thumb nails together, lost in thought. If Tae-young and Kim Jin-woo had a relationship beyond that of a mere assistant director and actor, then Kim Jin-woo’s earlier use of the term ‘delivery rider’ might not have been a coincidence.

“So, he told that person every single detail about me.”

Yeon-ho muttered in an irritated voice, leaning his head against the seatback. Feeling tired despite having done little, he closed his eyes.

How much time had passed while he sat there with his eyes closed, suppressing his irritation, when he felt a gaze prickling his cheek?

Yeon-ho lifted his heavy eyelids and surveyed the bus. The bus, which had been empty when he boarded, was now about a third full. However, everyone was looking straight ahead; no one had turned around to stare at him.

Just in case, he shifted his gaze below the window and saw Tae-young.

Tae-young, who had been looking up at Yeon-ho from below the window, gestured for him to come out once their eyes met.

*Whump!*

Yeon-ho pulled down the blackout curtain, covering the window. There was no reason to obey Tae-young; if he got off the bus, they would only argue again.

Yeon-ho carefully lifted the curtain with his fingers to check if Tae-young had left. Confirming his absence, Yeon-ho felt both disappointment and relief, leaning back against the seat. But while relief was natural, why had he felt disappointment?

As Yeon-ho pondered the emotions he had just experienced and opened his eyes, he saw Tae-young entering the bus.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t Yeon-ho who made the sound, but a staff member who recognized Tae-young. Tae-young strode purposefully down the bus aisle, looking as if he was about to drag someone out. Yeon-ho’s body tensed, stiff with the knowledge that he was Tae-young’s target.

Unconsciously, he scanned his surroundings for an escape. But no emergency exit would magically appear. He was a cornered rat with his retreat completely cut off.

He was contemplating whether to open the window and jump out as a last resort when Tae-young abruptly stopped. Yeon-ho gripped the handrail tightly, looking up at Tae-young. The dim lighting of the large bus, Tae-young’s black hat, and his murderous gaze combined to create an atmosphere akin to a scene from a horror or thriller film.

“What are you looking at?”

Yeon-ho naturally expected Tae-young to grab him by the collar. Instead, Tae-young merely uttered those words and sat down across from Yeon-ho’s seat, as if Yeon-ho had never been his concern in the first place.

‘He didn’t get on the bus to drag me out?’