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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Half Air, Half Nasal Whine
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“Perfect!”
“That’s it! Your expression is spot on!”
The camera shutter clicked nonstop inside the studio.
“How does Hira pull off such a wide range of expressions? Amazing!”
The photographer kept pressing the shutter button without pause. At his reaction, Hira flashed a faint smile.
“The transparent, feminine vibe pairs perfectly with the concept.”
Hira struck poses amid a barrage of compliments during the luxury brand photoshoot.
She had a simple yet pure, delicately pretty look—an effortless beauty.
Lately, Hira had been selected as the face of a brand that female celebrities coveted for modeling gigs.
It was thanks to her flawless portrayal of the mini-drama’s lead’s friend, which drew even more attention than the protagonist herself.
In a word, she’d hit the big time.
“Hira, that expression is gold! Let me grab a few more shots.”
“The photographer’s praise keeps making me laugh—it’s a problem.”
Hira flashed an angelic smile that seemed worlds away from anything villainous and spoke to him in a voice laced with charm. Her words sent everyone on set into peals of laughter.
No matter the shoot, Hira was the mood-maker who never showed fatigue. She always stayed upbeat, encouraging and looking after the staff.
On long shooting days, she’d even buy snacks out of pocket to make sure everyone ate—she was known in the industry as a wingless angel.
“Last set, right? Great work, everyone!”
With the shoot finally wrapped, Hira boarded the van under the guidance of her manager, Su Jin.
Su Jin had been supporting Hira since her debut.
“What time is it?”
Erasing her soft demeanor, Hira asked Su Jin the time in a sharp, curt tone.
“Midnight. Why, you gonna call him again?”
“Argh, I’m losing my mind! I miss Oppa so much I could die, for real!”
Hira roughly mussed up her hair.
How many weeks—no, months—had it been since she’d last seen him?
“You know how it is with Su Jin unnie. He picks up maybe once out of ten calls. If I don’t go to him, I don’t hear a peep.”
Hmph! Hira’s full lips puffed out.
“He’s been away from Korea for the shoot, so he probably felt your absence too, right?”
Her new movie was set in Canada, so she’d spent over two months filming overseas and had only recently returned.
Even then, she’d been swamped with back-to-back schedules since landing.
Today, she’d finally thought she could see Do Hyun, but a last-minute schedule change had ruined it.
“Tomorrow, I’ll finally get to see him. Unnie, make sure to clear time tomorrow no matter what!”
Hira sent Su Jin off and entered the lobby of her apartment building.
“I’m exhausted.”
The moment she stepped into the elevator, Hira leaned against the wall. With a deep sigh, she tossed her bag onto the sofa the second she got home.
“Today was rough.”
It had been ages since she’d seen Do Hyun’s face, which alone could heal her.
Hira opened the square box on her desk and put a cigarette between her lips.
Click.
She took a deep drag from the lit cigarette, then exhaled slowly.
“Whew.”
If all of Korea saw Hira staring out the window with a cigarette in hand, they’d faint in shock.
It clashed completely with her current image.
“I thought I was gonna die.”
Hira had just two crutches in life.
An Do Hyun and cigarettes.
The days she couldn’t see Do Hyun, she chain-smoked more than ever.
She’d nearly died craving a smoke.
But even that didn’t satisfy one thing.
Loneliness.
Hira’s home was an icebox in winter and chilly in summer. It lacked any warmth.
Her dad, who’d struck it rich overnight through real estate, hadn’t shed his lowly habits even after becoming wealthy.
He’d habitually beat her mom—her mom, bruised and bloodied, sobbing everywhere.
Verbal and physical abuse had driven her mom mad. The silver lining was that he never touched Hira because she was his kid.
From some point on, Hira kept facing her mom’s endless tears.
To Hira, her mom had been like a friend—gentle and her sole protector. Even when Mom lost it sometimes, Hira never doubted her love.
But the one person Hira trusted abandoned her and left this world by her own hand. She couldn’t beat her depression.
If she’d truly loved her—if she’d loved me—wouldn’t she have endured no matter what?
At just 17, Hira hadn’t even processed her mom’s death before terror gripped her: How was she supposed to live now?
Betrayed and abandoned, yet she missed her mom terribly.
When thoughts of not wanting to live overwhelmed her, up on the school rooftop, Hira entertained a dark impulse for a moment.
She wanted to jump.
On the day she truly lost her senses and longed to join her mom, Do Hyun had stopped her.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Those simple words hit Hira like a gut punch. That plea to stop her, protecting her—it still lingered deep in her heart.
That’s when it started, she thought. Believing this man could protect her.
Hira, who hadn’t wanted to live, gradually wanted to. Just being near Do Hyun calmed her soul.
Do Hyun didn’t fully accept her, but he didn’t push her away either.
Pity, probably.
Do Hyun knew the loneliness of losing a mom, so he never treated Hira harshly.
She knew that and exploited it fully. No—she couldn’t lose her last lifeline, so she clung desperately, refusing to let go.
The one consolation: Do Hyun had never shown interest in any woman.
Hira knew he’d never seen her as one.
But if Do Hyun ever had to marry someone, she was confident she had the highest odds.
Still, Do Hyun slipped through her fingers like smoke, frustrating her to no end.
Hira stubbed out her cigarette and chucked it into the bathroom trash.
Her flushed face and heavy breaths betrayed her anger.
Tomorrow, I have to see him.
In the unusually dark room, Hira hugged her stuffed doll tight to soothe her unease and fell asleep.
* * *
“Who’s here?”
[Jeong Hira. She’s coming up now.]
The front desk let Hira up like it was routine.
A famous actress couldn’t linger long in an open lobby like the first floor. Knowing she was an entertainer and Do Hyun’s acquaintance, they didn’t block her.
Yi Yeon replied she understood and hung up.
“Why’s she here again?”
To Yi Yeon, Do Hyun didn’t seem thrilled about Hira’s visits.
He wouldn’t meet her when she asked, so she’d hold out until she inevitably showed up at the office.
“Sigh.”
Yi Yeon let out a quiet sigh and glanced at Do Hyun in his office.
‘For some reason, I don’t want to tell him Hira’s here.’
Normally, it was her job to rush in and report when Hira arrived, but today she didn’t feel like it.
She didn’t want to see Do Hyun talking to another woman.
This was a first.
Why did she feel this way?
She just wished he’d devour the food she made for him.
And a famous actress, no less. Did Do Hyun really have no feelings for Hira?
Hira was probably on her way up.
She couldn’t delay any longer. Time to report to Do Hyun.
Yi Yeon rose listlessly, dragged her weary body to the office door, and knocked.
“Vice President, actress Jeong Hira is here to see you.”
Yi Yeon’s voice lacked energy.
“Why’s she here again?”
Do Hyun furrowed his brow. For no reason, that made Yi Yeon feel better.
I shouldn’t be happy over something like this.
After hearing his acknowledgment, Yi Yeon closed the door and stepped out.
Then, the click of heels echoed down the hall, growing closer—Hira had arrived.
“Hello.”
The woman bowed nearly ninety degrees in polite greeting, and Yi Yeon bowed back.
An entertainer was an entertainer, no matter what.
Up close, her features were even more striking than on TV. Her toned figure screamed “I’m a celebrity.”
‘Anyone could spot her as a star from afar.’
Yi Yeon pouted unconsciously.
“Yes, hello. The Vice President is on a call, so you might have to wait a bit.”
In truth, turn around and you’d see Do Hyun wasn’t on the phone, but Yi Yeon didn’t want to usher her right in.
“No problem. I’ll wait. I’ve got time.”
Hira’s smile was so bright her pupils vanished, crinkling her eyes adorably. If a wingless angel existed, this was it.
Seeing Hira’s beaming face, Yi Yeon’s lips twitched upward instinctively.
No, don’t smile.
“You know how much I like you, Secretary Yu, right?”
Same old line.
“Oh, yes.”
“When I heard Do Hyun oppa had a female secretary, I was shocked! Pretty secretaries seducing their bosses? It happens all the time! Trying to snag an eligible bachelor with their slim figures and good looks!”
Yeah, yeah. Yi Yeon didn’t really listen, just nodding along.
“But Secretary Yu, you’re the ideal! I’ve never seen a secretary like you. Always focused on work in those long sleeves and pants—your honest look is so trustworthy!”
Honest looks, huh.
Hira had a knack for backhanded compliments while smiling.
“Thank you for the praise.”
Best to shut it down firmly.
Just then, Do Hyun beckoned.
Let her in.
“You can go in now.”
Hira broke into a huge grin and hurried into the office.
The door swung open, and an airy, half-nasal whine pierced the air: “Oppa~~~!”
Good grief.
Yi Yeon’s eyebrow twitched long after Hira had gone inside.
