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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Offer
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15.
“Han-byeol, you… how did you get here?”
Startled by her son’s surprise visit, Yeon-joo ran out, her face pale.
The moment she saw Han-byeol holding Hae-yeong’s hand, her legs gave way and she almost fell.
“How did you get here? Huh? Why did you come?”
Seeing his mother press him about why he’d come instead of greeting him warmly as usual, Han-byeol looked awkward. Hae-yeong stepped in, as if determined to be his shield.
“I brought him. Han-byeol said he wanted to see the film set.”
Yeon-joo let out a short sigh, then bent her knees and knelt, looking up at them. Her eyes were filled with resentment, but Han-byeol and Hae-yeong couldn’t possibly know the true reason.
“You should have told me. You should have given me a heads-up. What am I supposed to do when you just show up like this?”
This wasn’t just any film set. This was the one place where the boy’s father was.
Yeon-joo’s heart felt like it would burst, terrified that Han-byeol might run into Eun-seong. She had no capacity to smile at her son, who had casually walked into what felt like a minefield.
Her face, more tense than usual, was set like stone. It was an expression she rarely wore in front of her child.
“Let’s go. Okay? Let’s go outside first.”
“What’s wrong with you, making Han-byeol feel awkward? He’s my guest today.”
As Yeon-joo fretted, Hae-yeong blocked her way. An ally like this was the last thing she needed.
“That’s right, Mom. I’m Auntie’s guest today. I even signed in for a visitor’s pass. Look.”
“Oh, my god…”
She felt dizzy. Her cheeks flushed red in an instant.
She had no idea what to say to break the determination of these two, who were dead set on going inside.
“Hey, Director Jin!”
It was then. A loud voice called out for Hae-yeong, and terror filled Yeon-joo’s eyes.
“Director!”
As Hae-yeong replied and raised her hand, Yeon-joo finally collapsed onto the asphalt. Hadn’t Eun-seong just said he was going to meet the director?
Not daring to turn around, Yeon-joo’s face was a mask of fear. Han-byeol’s eyes widened at his mother’s strange behavior, and in that moment, the director approached them.
“Director Jin, you’re here?”
“Yes, Director. The weather’s still gloomy. Looks like it’s going to rain again.”
The rain had stopped, but it seemed to be only a temporary pause. Han-byeol reached out a hand to help his mother up from the wet ground.
As Yeon-joo obediently stood, Han-byeol brushed off her pants and started to nag.
“Mom, you can’t just sit on the ground like that. You’re all wet. Are you okay? Doesn’t it feel damp?”
“And who is this young man?”
The director asked, looking at Han-byeol, and Hae-yeong grinned.
“He’s the son of our youngest stylist. He said he wanted to see the set, so I brought him along.”
“Ah, I see. You were curious about the set? What grade are you in?”
“Second grade.”
When Han-byeol answered, the director let out an interested “Oh.” Yeon-joo mustered the courage to turn around and saw that the director was alone.
Seeing no sign of Eun-seong, she finally let out a long sigh and collected herself.
“Mom, are you okay? Are you sick?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Ah, so Go Yeon-joo is your mother. My, what a handsome kid. Huh? Very handsome.”
For some reason, the director kept talking as he looked Han-byeol up and down.
“Auntie Hae-yeong, who is this man?”
“Han-byeol, this is the director. He’s the one who makes the movie.”
“Oh. Hello.”
After Han-byeol greeted him properly, the director stepped a little closer to examine him more carefully.
He seemed to be gauging his height, then formed a frame with his fingers as if to study the boy’s face, before narrowing his eyes and speaking.
“Is your name Han-byeol?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, Han-byeol. Do you like movies?”
“Huh? Yes.”
Director Park crouched down, bringing himself to the child’s eye level. It was rare to get a feeling like this so instantly, which was why this could only be called fate.
“Han-byeol, would you like to try acting with me?”
*
“No. Absolutely not!”
Standing in a clear space with Hae-yeong, Yeon-joo gripped Han-byeol’s hand tightly and shook her head.
She laid down the law, hammering home that filming was out of the question.
Hae-yeong tilted her head at Yeon-joo’s uncharacteristically adamant refusal. It wasn’t as if Han-byeol had immediately agreed, but she couldn’t understand why Yeon-joo was so vehemently opposed.
“Yeon-joo, calm down.”
“No! Absolutely, positively not!”
“Yeon-joo?”
Hae-yeong called her name several times, but Yeon-joo only had eyes for her son. She pressed him for an answer, as if she wouldn’t be satisfied until she heard him agree.
“Go Han-byeol. This is not for you. This is not happening. Hurry up and say you understand.”
“Mom.”
“No. Don’t just call me Mom, answer me. You just need to go to school and study hard… no, you don’t even have to study hard. Just enjoy your school life and live like you are now.”
“Mom. Mom.”
“Han-byeol. Answer me, now.”
It was truly strange. Yeon-joo was a mother who had never tried to break even her son’s smallest whims, a mother who always put his opinions first.
She never forced her ideas on him and completely refrained from any kind of forceful parenting.
“Why aren’t you answering? Are you not going to listen to me?”
“Yeon-joo, what is wrong with you? You’re acting so strange today.”
Unable to watch any longer, Hae-yeong tried to intervene with the half-frenzied Yeon-joo. Yeon-joo pressed her hand to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut.
She couldn’t confess that the boy’s father was here, and her heart swelled as if it would burst. The unspoken truth was a painful lump lodged in her throat.
It was painfully obvious how her child and Hae-yeong would perceive her behavior if she didn’t explain, and that, too, was driving her mad.
“But Mom, I want to do it.”
She truly wanted to cry.
“Can’t I do it? I want to. I want to try.”
“Han-byeol…”
“Alright, Yeon-joo. Let’s take some time to think about it. This isn’t something you should just shut down without consideration.”
A long, choked breath escaped her. It felt as if she was finally starting to pay the price for defying the natural order of things, and her world crumbled.
Her dry lips felt like they were burning, and the heat that had pooled in her head descended to her eyes, making her pupils ache.
“Why are you so worried? Huh? Yeon-joo. Han-byeol has you and me behind him. Right? I’m Jin Hae-yeong, the director. I can take good care of Han-byeol.”
“But Mom. If you tell me not to, I won’t.”
Yeon-joo slowly opened her eyes. Han-byeol shook his head as if it were no big deal.
“I don’t have to do it. It’s not something I want to do if it makes you upset. So don’t worry.”
*So don’t worry.*
Words that shouldn’t have to come from a child’s mouth tumbled out. *Don’t worry. You can rest assured.*
Han-byeol went a step further, stroking the back of his mother’s hand. He gently caressed her cold fingertips before purposefully linking his pinky with hers.
It was a promise.
“I won’t do it. So don’t worry, Mom. I understand everything you said.”
Feeling as if she would collapse again if she didn’t sit down first, Yeon-joo bent her knees and pulled Han-byeol into a tight embrace.
A mother with no excuses left, she was terrified of the invisible vortex of fate.
She was afraid that God would take her son by the hand and lead him to his father. That perhaps all of this was moving according to God’s will.
“It’s my fault. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
“It’s not, Mom. But aren’t you busy? Is it okay for you to stay with me like this?”
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
Mother and son held each other for a long time, while Hae-yeong turned away and let out a deep sigh. The sky, thick with dark clouds, showed no sign of clearing.
*
After their tour of the set, Hae-yeong took Han-byeol home, while Yeon-joo, who still had sponsored items to return, stayed behind to clean up the waiting room.
She didn’t have to stay and clean by herself, but Yeon-joo was the type to find things for the youngest team member to do.
She didn’t want to be told she wasn’t acting her age, and the thought of being accused of throwing her weight around because of her connection to Hae-yeong was even more horrifying.
Only after peeling the labels off empty water bottles scattered about and sorting them for recycling did Yeon-joo grab her luggage and head outside. The rain that had stopped was falling again, and with most people having left the set, the atmosphere was quiet.
“I really wish I could teleport.”
Yeon-joo tucked her phone into her bag, opened her umbrella, and took a deep, bracing breath.
She started walking, holding her luggage as close to her body as possible to keep it from getting wet. The sound of the rain drummed heavily on her umbrella, and though she tried to walk quickly, the weight of her bags forced her to take small steps.
She was just about to pass the main gate, with the parking lot behind her.
An unfamiliar car horn honked, and Yeon-joo moved aside. A sedan, splashing water as it drove past, stopped a short distance ahead, but Yeon-joo, completely focused on her luggage, didn’t notice.
“Get in.”
Yeon-joo looked up as Eun-seong’s voice cut through the sound of the rain.
Her eyes widened as she met his gaze. He was looking at her, the driver’s side window rolled halfway down.
“What are you doing here? You left earlier.”
“Just get in.”
His manager, Dong-hwan, was nowhere in sight, and this wasn’t the large van he usually used for his commute.
As Yeon-joo stood there, unsure of what to do, Eun-seong frowned and got out of the car. He reached for her luggage, and Yeon-joo flinched and stepped back.
“Just go. I don’t need your help.”
“If I stand here arguing with you, we’ll just become a spectacle, won’t we?”
“…Ah.”
Ah. Yeon-joo made a flustered noise and quickly moved.
As she got into the passenger seat, Eun-seong tossed the sponsored clothes haphazardly into the back.
“Th-Those aren’t supposed to get wrinkled!”
“Don’t worry about it. If they’re wrinkled, I’m the one who wrinkled them.”
“They told me to bring them back in perfect condition!”
“Who’s going to say anything to me for wrinkling some stupid clothes? You? Or that rude person from the boutique?”
Eun-seong retorted as he got into the driver’s seat, shaking his head. Yeon-joo pressed her lips together tightly. The wipers moved diligently, clearing away the water, as Eun-seong took the wheel.
“Where’s Dong-hwan?”
“He left already.”
“What about the van? Weren’t you taking the van?”
“If the manager left, the van left with him. Isn’t that obvious?”
*Then where did this car come from?*
Yeon-joo swallowed her question, thinking Eun-seong would get angry if she asked anything more. He let out a heavy sigh and started to drive.
“You don’t have a car?”
“It broke down, so I had it scrapped. A few months ago.”
“How many buses even come out this far? You take public transportation?”
“I’ve never been late, you know.”
“I’m sure you haven’t.”
His tone was distinctly warped and sarcastic.
She had no idea why he, who had clearly left the set much earlier, was still in the parking lot, nor why he was giving her a ride.
The thought that he might have been waiting for her made her heart flutter like a warning light. Yeon-joo fastened her seatbelt and breathed silently.
“Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“Ah, not yet?”
Darkness was beginning to fall, and he hadn’t eaten anything yet. Wondering if he was even human, Yeon-joo’s face showed her astonishment.
Then, as if possessed, she opened her bag and took out a few small chocolates.
“It’s just chocolate, but would you like some?”
“Unwrap it.”
“Okay.”
As she peeled off the plastic wrapper, Eun-seong held out his hand. She dropped the chocolate onto his palm, and he popped it into his mouth, his lips closing around it.
Although she knew she wouldn’t touch him even if she sat comfortably, Yeon-joo unconsciously hunched her shoulders. She stared straight ahead, her body tense, just breathing.
The silence that fell was natural; anyone trying to start a conversation would have made the situation more awkward and burdensome.
“I have a question. No, something to say.”
Just as she was thinking the frantic motion of the wipers was a relief, his voice broke the silence.
Yeon-joo’s expression stiffened on its own as she slowly blinked.
“Your son… I’d rather he not be cast.”
Her emotions began to churn, arriving with a slight delay.
