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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Congratulations
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They said it would be over in a flash, but sadly, it took quite a while.
Though he should have been exhausted from the repetitive action scenes, Eun-seong would get back on his feet the moment he fell, continuing with retakes without a single break.
An actor in peak condition could also be a problem. With Eun-seong standing right there, his relentless presence silently urging them to hurry up, the director continued filming as if possessed.
The shoot, expected to last about five hours, wrapped up in just three. Unlike the crew, who stood in a circle, delighted at the rare chance to leave early, Eun-seong had already vanished without a trace.
After getting the notification that filming had ended, Yeon-joo headed home, riding in the costume team’s van to the front of Changrok Entertainment. The distance between Changrok and her home was considerable, so she usually took public transportation by herself, but today, she had something to do nearby.
[Sinsa-ro XX Street, 3rd floor. Entrance code 5476]
Checking the message from Eun-seong, Yeon-joo hailed a taxi in front of the office building. As it headed to the address he’d sent, she looked down at the small bouquet she had prepared in advance.
“Ma’am. Looks like you’re on your way to a happy occasion?”
“Sorry? Ah, yes. Well, not for me.”
“I see. The flowers smell wonderful.”
Hearing the taxi driver’s gentle laughter, a faint smile graced Yeon-joo’s lips. She had been regretting buying the bouquet, wondering if it was unnecessary, but his words somehow put her at ease.
She turned her head and gazed out the window. Between the single file of streetlights, glowing neon signs embroidered the nightscape of Seoul. As the dazzling lights sped past, she felt a sense of detachment and let out a deep breath.
[Continuing to your destination.]
She hadn't been lost in any particular thought, nor was her mind entirely clear, when the navigation system announced they had arrived.
Only then did Yeon-joo sit up straight and gather her bag.
“We’re here, ma’am.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Offer your congratulations well and have a wonderful day.”
As she was about to open the back door, the driver’s kind words made her pause. Yeon-joo looked toward the driver’s seat and smiled brightly. The muscles in her face, which had been tense all day, pulled, making her realize she hadn’t smiled in a long time.
“Thank you. I’ll give my congratulations and have a good day. You stay healthy too, sir.”
A simple greeting from a stranger could lift one’s spirits. Just like that, the bundle of worries she had been vaguely clutching vanished without a trace, as if it were nothing at all.
Yeon-joo stopped in front of her destination and looked up at the building. It wasn’t a typical residential building, but it didn’t look commercial either. Gazing at the facade, which bore the clear mark of an architect’s effort, her grip on the flowers tightened.
The thought that Eun-seong was somewhere inside brought on a wave of nausea and dizziness, and a knot formed in the pit of her stomach. Yeon-joo took a short, heavy breath.
Right. Don’t worry. Nothing will happen. The world isn’t going to turn upside down over something like this.
“He said the third floor… can I just go up?”
Letting out another breath, Yeon-joo entered the code he had given her. She passed through the wood-paneled automatic door, got on the elevator, and pressed the button for the third floor. The uncertainty of what kind of place this was made her increasingly tense, and the ride up to the third floor felt incredibly long.
Finally, Yeon-joo stepped out on the third floor and stared at the firmly locked door. Her fingertips twitched several times before she pressed the doorbell and squeezed her eyes shut.
Agh, aghhh. I did it. I actually pressed it.
With a face that looked like she was holding her breath, she kept her eyes tightly closed, but there was no sign of anyone. Yeon-joo cautiously opened her eyes and looked around. What’s going on? This is the third floor.
“Is this not the right place? I put in the right code.”
She pressed the doorbell again. When there was still no response after a moment, she pressed it once more, this time knocking as well. After a short wait, she decided to call Eun-seong and took out her phone.
After a few rings, she heard Eun-seong’s voice say, “Hello.” Yeon-joo moved closer to the door and asked.
“I’m here. Why aren’t you opening the door?”
“Ah. You’re here? Sorry. Just a second.”
Not long after the call ended anticlimactically, the door opened. Yeon-joo, who had been intentionally staring down at the flowers, lifted her head as she spoke.
“I rang the doorbell several times… Agh!”
Water dripped from the hair of Eun-seong, who appeared with only a bath towel wrapped around his waist. Startled, Yeon-joo let out a short scream, and Eun-seong raised a hand as if to say, ‘cut me some slack.’
“I was in the shower, so I didn’t hear you. Come on in.”
“No, why, why all of a sudden! After inviting someone over, why! Why!”
“What do you mean, why? I was sweating all day, so I took a shower. Get in, quick. I’m cold.”
Eun-seong snatched the flowers from Yeon-joo’s hand and let go of the doorknob. Catching the closing door, Yeon-joo let out a soft groan.
“This is cheating!”
“If it bothers you that much, go take a shower yourself.”
And with that, Eun-seong disappeared into the bathroom. As the sound of running water started, Yeon-joo furrowed her brow and let out a sigh. She unconsciously clutched the front of her shirt and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“Just you try anything. I won’t let you get away with it.”
She muttered to herself while sitting primly on the sofa, then, without realizing it, she peeked inside the front of her knit sweater. After checking what underwear she was wearing today, she pulled it shut again, her face a mask of genuine shock.
He said he needed a shower because he’d been sweating, but while she waited, Yeon-joo’s mind was flooded with all sorts of wild thoughts.
“Whew, stay calm. Stay calm, Go Yeon-joo.”
She had good reason to be flustered.
Because a soaking wet Im Eun-seong was more lethal and sexy than at any other time.
*
Eun-seong, now dressed in a loose-fitting knit sweater and baggy pants, plopped down on the sofa. Ruffling his still-damp hair, he looked at Yeon-joo.
Seeing her sitting in what was, by any measure, a defensive posture, it finally hit him that he was truly away from the film set.
“To meet Go Yeon-joo’s expectations, I guess I should try something right now. What do you think?”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about?”
“Right. When you’re at a disadvantage, playing dumb is the best strategy. Anyway, was there much traffic on your way here?”
Eun-seong asked, tossing a towel aside. Yeon-joo nodded with an embarrassed expression. It was a little funny that she’d been caught being the only one on high alert. Only then did the tension in her upper body begin to ease.
“There wasn’t any traffic. Where is this place?”
“It’s a place I come to often. Not my home. The basement is a practice and monitoring room for acting. The first floor is an art studio, the second is a workout space. And this is a lounge area.”
“Ah…”
Ah. So, you’re saying you use this entire building?
“For someone with such a big house, you certainly make use of a lot of different spaces.”
“So you know where I live?”
“I saw it on a show. They described your house in as much detail as a real estate agency.”
As Yeon-joo explained, Eun-seong burst out laughing.
“If I tried to do everything at home, I’d be stuck inside all day. I try to only sleep at home if I can. If I didn’t have a space like this, I’d never be able to leave the house.”
…A man who has lost his freedom. Only then did Yeon-joo feel sorry for her thoughtless remark.
“Well, it’s nice. But is it okay for you to bring me to a place like this?”
“No one ever comes here. You don’t have to worry.”
You don’t have to worry.
At Eun-seong’s words, Yeon-joo slowly nodded. He must have spent a long time thinking of a place where they could be alone. Perhaps he had worried and fretted even more than she had.
If some ridiculous dating rumor were to break out, my world turning upside down would be nothing. But for his world to be turned upside down—that wouldn’t just end with personal worries or feelings.
“That promise that no one comes here—are you sure you can take responsibility for that?”
“I am. I hope something actually happens between us here, just so I can take responsibility for those words.”
At the end of his sentence, Eun-seong stood up, holding the flowers. He glanced at the bouquet with a look of mild interest before turning his eyes to Yeon-joo.
“What’s this for?”
“Director Jin told me about the news article, so I bought it to congratulate you.”
The words, ‘I checked for the article as soon as I woke up this morning,’ never left her lips. Yeon-joo brought up Hae-yeong, her explanation sounding like an excuse.
“Congratulations. Everyone says the award is in the bag. You don’t seem very excited, but good news is good news.”
“Ah. Congratulations.”
Eun-seong looked from the flowers to Yeon-joo and back again a few times, then chuckled. When he placed them back on the table, Yeon-joo’s eyelids tensed.
“You don’t like the flowers? I put some thought into buying them, and this is how you treat them?”
“No, it’s not that I don’t like them. I was just caught off guard.”
“Why would you be caught off guard?”
“The thought of being congratulated by Go Yeon-joo… it’s a little surprising.”
A hint of bitterness clung to his laugh, which she had mistaken for an amused chuckle. Not wanting to miss a single expression, Yeon-joo watched him with a long, steady gaze.
“I wondered what it would feel like to be congratulated by Go Yeon-joo. So this is what it feels like.”
“…”
“It was such a shame that I never got to experience it, not even once. I wonder if it’s because little regrets like that piled up that I couldn’t forget you.”
Every time glory followed, every time he shone more brilliantly than anyone else.
In those moments, I thought of you.
“Of all the times, we had to meet when I was at my youngest and poorest, causing you nothing but trouble. And then, once I finally succeeded, what could I do for you, even if I wanted to? So every time I won an award, I thought of you.”
As Eun-seong smiled bitterly, Yeon-joo clenched her fists. Afraid that some random words might burst out between her overwhelming, shallow breaths, she spoke slowly and deliberately.
“What do you mean you caused me trouble? All university students are like that. We had what we needed when we were together, and I don’t have any memories of hardship, so I hope you can let go of those thoughts now.”
Yeon-joo stood up and picked up the bouquet. In its most vibrant and beautiful state, a time of unparalleled beauty for all to see. She wanted to protect these lovely petals before they were left to wilt.
“If it’s okay, I’ll put these in a vase. I think they’ll wilt soon. Oh, but this isn’t your home, so maybe not…”
Just as she was about to move the flowers, Eun-seong blocked her path and gently cupped the nape of her neck. He held her gaze for a moment, as if to bind it, and then—with a faint smile that seemed to ask if she knew what he was about to do—
His lips seemed to descend, and Yeon-joo turned her face away.
“Why do you keep…”
Eun-seong’s hand, which had been holding her gently, tightened slightly, turning her face forward again. Looking at his damp face, which seemed as if it had washed away all worldly things, she felt she couldn’t muster even a hint of prolonged resistance.
“You said we’d just hang out. Just hang out.”
“I did.”
“You said we’d just talk about old times and occasionally grab a meal.”
“Right. I did.”
His touch felt heavy, as if telling her not to run away and to look straight at him. Her captive gaze had nowhere to go, and there was nothing she could do but grip the bouquet tightly.
Thinking his lips were about to descend once more, a startled Yeon-joo squeezed her eyes shut until they wrinkled.
But even after waiting, nothing happened—
Just as her thoughts tangled, wondering how to fix the expression she had prepared for a kiss—
Yeon-joo pushed her eyelids open again. Eun-seong was watching her, looking as if he couldn’t handle how cute she was, and then he burst out laughing.
His lips briefly touched her round forehead, and then he stepped back, ruffling her hair. He smiled brightly.
“Thank you for congratulating me. I’m truly happy.”
It was a pure smile, containing not a trace of inner conflict. Wondering how long it had been since she had seen such a smile, such joy from him, the embarrassing words that had been about to rise up her throat vanished before she knew it.
“What do you want to eat? I’m hungry.”
“…”
“Oh, and leave the flowers. I’m taking them home.”
That smile… can’t I be the one to protect it?
An impossible hope continued to grow.
