Chapter 127:
"Really, Senior? Are you going to the interview with the enter key for the OS?"
"It's just an interview. Nothing's confirmed."
"But still, if you got an interview request, it's halfway there, right? I heard they have great benefits and a fantastic salary. Congratulations!"
Kang Suyeon was surprised as if it were her own affair, and she congratulated again.
Even a fellow journalist, Go Seoyeong, admired Jang Sunho as if he were remarkable.
"Hey, but you're talented too. The team leader there is rumored to be extremely picky. He notices everything."
As he said, Jang Sunho's meticulousness was a well-known fact throughout the entertainment industry. Of course, entertainment reporters like them were well aware.
However, Kang Suyeon, a relatively new recruit, seemed to be hearing the story for the first time and asked to Go Seoyeong.
"Why? What kind of person is he to be considered picky?"
"Well"
After thinking about Jang Sunho for a moment, Go Seoyeong said.
"He's physically all over the place like a wrestling athlete, his hairstyle is a tacky 90s bowl cut. He speaks sternly and is a principled person. Yet, he'll tell you about the expensive things he wears without even asking."
"Uh just hearing about it makes it seem difficult to work with him, doesn't it?"
As Kang Suyeon spoke, seemingly disgusted, Go Seoyeong defended Jang Sunho.
"But when you actually experience it, it's not that bad. It's a bit frustrating at times, that's all. He's responsible and competent."
"Ah I see."
"And besides, when it comes to taking care of his people, he seems to do it for sure, especially with actor Kang Jinseok."
Go Seoyeong introduced Jang Sunho and smiled faintly. Kang Suyeon spoke as if reminded of something by that smile.
"Oh? By the way, Senior. Isn't that team leader person your ideal type?"
"What?"
"I think you mentioned it at a drinking party a while ago. Didn't you?"
"Come to think of it, I think I heard something too. It was probably when I was drunk and yelling."
At their words, Go Seoyeong's face stiffened.
"At that time, other customers at your table cursed a lot. So the chief editor, after catching wind of it, sighed and said you're making a scoop out of it?"
As the vivid testimony continued, memories from that time seemed to resurface and Go Seoyeong's face turned contemplative. The colleague journalist shrugged as if understanding everything and said,
"Well, as long as you keep throwing good article sources my way, it doesn't matter if you change jobs."
""
"And even if you go there, you must not forget me. We've worked together for 10 years, you know?"
Normally, it would have been a light-hearted joke to be laughed off, but now she couldn't muster a smile.
Lost in the shock that she might have feelings for Jang Sunho, she stared blankly at her mobile phone.
"Senior, I truly admire you. To change jobs for love!"
***
S Hotel VIP room, filming location for .
"Hello, Kang Jinseok has arrived!"
As I opened the door and greeted loudly, Park Jinmo, flipping through a thick script, turned around.
"Oh my, who's this? Our lead actor, isn't it?"
"Haha"
Smiling stylishly and scratching my cheek, I lightly nudged my shoulder, and Park Jinmo said,
"How's your condition today? Can you deliver like you did back then?"
"Yes, I'll do my best not to let you down, senior."
"You speak nicely."
Afterward, I exchanged small talk with Park Jinmo.
Having recently filmed continuously with Yeo Hyemin, it was a bit nerve-wracking to shoot with the senior actor. However, as I began to loosen up a bit, the tension eased.
"We'll probably start shooting soon. I should go smoke a cigarette before that."
"Oh, I'll come with you."
"Alright, you. Why would someone who doesn't smoke follow?"
"But still"
"Ssh! Enough. Just stay here. Do whatever you want, say hi to the guy over there who's been staring at you."
Pointing somewhere behind me, Park Jinmo spoke. Looking there, Yeo Hyemin was indeed looking in my direction with a somewhat reserved posture.
Today, Yeo Hyemin doesn't have a shoot, right? Is there another shoot after this one?'
I decided to greet Yeo Hyemin as Park Jinmo suggested. Rather than doing something else just before shooting, it seemed better to read the script.
I opened the script. Each line was filled with notes I had made.
Today's shoot involves a scene where the scammer' reports to the chairman, who is Moon Hyemin's father, the client.' It's a scene where he reveals how much he has opened his daughter's heart and discusses how to proceed.
In this scene, the scammer's true feelings about Moon Hyemin, which he himself didn't know, are revealed to the chairman.
"Shall we start?"
As if he had recharged with nicotine, Park Jinmo's face was noticeably brighter than before. At this, Director Yeo Jaeyoon, as if expressing anticipation, stroked his hands together.
"Good. Is Actor Kang ready?"
"Oh, yes!"
"Okay, then. Let's take our positions and go straight in."
"Yes!"
After I energetically responded, Park Jinmo smiled at me once and sat on the plush sofa. I took a seat on the opposite side, perched on the edge of a luxurious yet somewhat stiff chair.
"High cue!"
Yeo Jaeyoon's voice echoed. The view changed.
***
A room as luxurious as the one I was in a while ago. Kim Faith was sitting across from the chairman.
Glancing at the photos laid out on the table, the chairman muttered. The photos were all of Kim Faith and his daughter on various dates.
"The time sure flies. It's been already three months."
"Sigh Yeah."
In response to the chairman's words, Kim Faith stretched as if annoyed and gave a vague answer.
It was quite an irritating behavior, but the chairman nodded as if satisfied and said,
"To be honest, when I first hired you, you seemed a bit inexperienced. But now, making Hyemin smile like this, it's beyond my expectations. Thank you, sincerely."
"For you to say that to someone like me I really can't figure out my own worth."
"Enough of that. Let's hear the report. Tell me what has happened between you and my daughter until now."
"Yes, sure."
With an expression as if Kim Faith was annoyed to death, he wrinkled his face and began the report with a light sigh.
"At first, she was suspicious and seemed like an unlucky woman. She couldn't speak because of the scars from her stepmother when she was young, so I thought of her as a pitiable woman who needed care."
"Hmm."
"But when I actually met her, my goodness, she's far from ordinary. She ignores people's kindness and avoids getting close. I really went through a lot."
After talking about Hyemin for a while, Kim Faith picked up one of the scattered photos on the table. It was a picture capturing the moment when Kim Faith accidentally confessed to Hyemin in an alley.
"And then Do you know? In the alley, I confessed to your daughter."
"I know."
"Yes. Anyway, I made a somewhat cheesy confession. Then your daughter hoo."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Suddenly, the memory came back, and I couldn't help but laugh."
"It's okay. Please continue."
"Yes. After that, your daughter showed me a note saying, Is it really true?'"
""
"Ha! You should have seen her face at that time, Chairman. The haughty woman blushing and giving me a note was really worth watching."
""
"Oh, I have that note. I have it in my wallet Here it is."
Kim Faith took out the note from his thick wallet in his back pocket and handed it to the chairman. The note, precisely folded into four parts, showed almost no creases except for the folded part.
The chairman alternated his gaze between Kim Faith and the note with an annoyed expression.
Whether he didn't notice that gaze or chose to ignore it, Kim Faith continued speaking.
"Surprisingly, there were cute sides. At that time, I thought I might be able to open her heart more easily than I thought. But strangely, when we went on our first date, she had that expression that made the other person uncomfortable again."
""
"As I mentioned before, it was really challenging to make your daughter laugh to this extent."
Kim Faith extended a photo taken with Hyemin at the botanical garden two days ago toward the chairman at the end of the table.
Upon seeing this, the chairman pointed to other photos and asked Kim Faith to talk about them.
"Tell me about the other pictures as well."
Kim Faith continued his report as if he had no choice, given the chairman's serious expression.
"This is the place where your daughter and I had our first proper date. It's a lake inside Konkuk University."
"There's a tree here where many couples take pictures. When I suggested taking a photo in front of that tree, your daughter"
"These days, the term soul food' is trending, meaning your favorite food. Hyemin say it's tteokbokki. So, I took her to a real hidden gem tteokbokki place in Sindang-dong that only I know"
"Oh, she said it was her first time watching a movie at a theater. Anyway, that day, the two of us watched a late-night movie. We were unsure about which movie to watch, but since a romantic movie might create an awkward atmosphere, we ended up watching a horror movie. She started crying, so I had to comfort her"
Kim Faith, while appearing annoyed, detailed everything before the chairman could ask curious questions.
However, I could tell.
In Kim Faith's detailed descriptions of each photo, there was an unmistakable joy. It was a change, a subtle emotion that only an outsider could notice.
The chairman stared at Kim Faith with a cold gaze. His gaze toward Kim Faith was unusually chilly than usual.
"You've really worked hard. There's a clear sign that you've conquered what Hyemin wanted to do."
"It's not that difficult. It's just the basics."
"I see. Hyemin seems to have enjoyed it quite a bit."
"Yes, well. It was a date that I prepared."
As if asking why he would question the obvious, Kim Faith casually responded. The chairman, in a passing tone, asked him,
"How about you then?"
"Yes?"
"How was it for you during the date? Was it fun?"
Facing the unexpected question from the chairman, Kim Faith quickly shook his head.
What could be the intention behind this question? Why ask such a question at this time?
In that fleeting moment, Kim Faith considered various possibilities.
"For me, it was just work.' There's no way it was fun."
"Hmm Because it was work,' it couldn't be fun. Really?"
"Yes, that's right. To put it like this might be a bit much, but it was challenging."
Kim Faith concluded and answered honestly and calmly.
In the awkward atmosphere, the chairman pushed aside each photo as if analyzing.
"You certainly understand others' feelings well and play with them."
The chairman spoke in a subdued voice. However, as Kim Faith, he couldn't grasp the meaning behind those words.
Kim Faith raised his head. It was a gesture of not understanding what was being said.
"You used to proudly call yourself a pro,' right? Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Then, try looking at this man in the photo with the eyes of that pro.' Consider that the man in the photo is not you but just an unknown man.'"
***
"Do you think the man in this photo, from your perspective, is finding it challenging because it's work,' or is he enjoying the meeting with the other person?"
""
"In my view, it seems more than just enjoyment; he appears to be happy as if he's on a date with a lover."
Park Jinmo spoke with a heavy tone. Wrinkles marked by the passage of time deepened on his forehead, and his gaze was filled with confidence as if he could already see through the other person's heart.
The sharp gaze was directed at Jinseok's face, which became stiff and rigid. The once light and playful con artist' seemed to have vanished, leaving only a man with a bewildered expression.
Perhaps due to the intense tension, Jinseok's eyelids trembled. The place that couldn't help but shake, even if intentionally, trembled naturally, as if the heart was beating without conscious effort.
"Me? Like Ms. Moon Hyemin? Ha! That's an absurd!"
TN: KIM FAITH IS INDENIAL ERA. ^ ~ ^