Chapter 237: Tidal Wave (4) |
Another reality. Another person’s world. Park Ha-seong, who struggles to make money and living a life at the bottom. Kang Woojin, who has taken over his life. The sign language of the lady seen by Woojin.
[“Honey, I’ll stay here and play with this kid. The party is too boring.”]
At that moment, a cold wind brushed Kang Woojin’s face. His senses were working properly. Of course, they were Park Ha-seong’s. Therefore, they were Woojin’s as well. Was it because of the chilly weather? Seeing her sign language, Woojin felt two emotions arise. A cold sense of reality, devoid of any warmth, mixed in.
The first was profit and loss.
Is it beneficial for me to spend time here? Is it not a waste of time?
To those socially high in the sky, it would just be a moment of amusement, but for Kang Woojin, who was crushed by debt like gravity even at this moment, it was a life-and-death battle. Ultimately, it’s about money. Is this time making money for me?
The second was discomfort.
A middle-aged man with a pompadour streaked with gray hair, seemingly the leader of a chaebol family. The lady who appeared to be his wife. How much wealth do they have? Hundreds of billions easily, and even trillions of won wouldn’t be surprising. On the other hand, Kang Woojin—no, Park Ha-seong—didn’t even have a million won in his bank account.
In other words, at this place, Kang Woojin was nothing more than livestock.
‘Damn, this feels disgusting for no reason.’
It was like the suit Kang Woojin was wearing now. It seemed to be decorated just to create a facade for a moment. Disgust surged. His insides churned softly like seasickness. It twisted. Damn, the suit that didn’t fit his body felt even more cumbersome.
No one mentioned it, but Kang Woojin’s self-esteem hit rock bottom.
Everything about Park Ha-seong was like this.
Defeatism that stank to the point of giving off a foul odor.
Inside him existed a landfill filled with rotten things. It smelled. A stench of decay wafted. It always twisted his mood. His perspective was negative. Everything was disadvantageous. At that moment, beautiful classical music reached Woojin’s ears. It must be from the party hall. The sky was overly clear.
But only Kang Woojin was turning black.
It was at this moment.
“Hmm- How about it?”
The middle-aged man spoke in a deep voice, having heard his wife’s request.
“My wife seems to like you. How about it? Can you keep her company until the end of this event?”
The tone was gentle and even had a smile added. Is that the leisure of a chaebol family? Hearing the question, Woojin lightly scratched his chin and checked the lady’s face. She too was holding a faint smile. If the word ‘elegant’ were to take shape, wouldn’t it look just like her?
Graceful, with dignity and poise, sophisticated.
What else is there? Woojin, staring at the lady, snapped back to his senses. It wasn’t difficult to keep her company, but Woojin was working right now. Think. How can I enjoy this situation without any harm? Can I receive more money than the hourly wage?
Park Ha-seong or Kang Woojin wasn’t lacking in wit or tact.
Yeah, to hell with it. I’ll leave the job to that chaebol guy and show a bit of my true feelings.
“I-I can, but as you can see, I’m… in the middle of working. If I leave, it might cause some inconvenience.”
“Hmm- No, no. Just tell me whether you want to or not.”
“…If you could just speak well to the manager, I think it would be alright.”
“You want me to handle it for you? That’s not difficult. Okay. I’ll take care of that. Then can you work hard for me? Hmm?”
As the middle-aged man adjusted his perfectly fitting suit to finish up, Kang Woojin, who swallowed his saliva, took a step closer to him and lowered his voice.
“Thank you. But I didn’t anticipate doing sign language today.”
The middle-aged man’s smile deepened as he quietly looked into Woojin’s eyes up close. His gaze was cunning but exuded a subtle charisma.
“Young man, I like your eyes.”
“Huh?”
“Compared to sly ones, the desperate are better.”
Was he desperate? Woojin felt a dirty feeling, but the middle-aged man didn’t care and took out his wallet from his suit.
“Well, it’s cleaner this way. I’m buying your sign language skills and time.”
The middle-aged man took out two bills from his wallet and shoved them into Woojin’s suit jacket pocket.
“Take good care of my wife. Don’t flirt with her.”
“…Understood.”
He smirked and signed to his wife behind Woojin’s head.
[“Have fun. Just curious, you haven’t fallen for this guy, have you?”]
The lady still held her smile and replied with her hands.
[“Go on and get back to work.”]
[“Alright. I’ll text you.”]
The middle-aged man patted Woojin’s shoulder a couple of times and turned his body. Left alone with the lady, she soon sat back down and tapped the empty chair in front of her with her right hand.
It was a motion directed at Kang Woojin.
[“What are you doing? Get to work.”]
What the hell just happened? Without even checking the amount of money in his pocket, Park Ha-seong or Kang Woojin had to converse with the lady. The time spent with her was less eventful than expected.
[“What about your parents?”]
[“They passed away.”]
[“I’m sorry.”]
[“No, it’s fine.”]
[“Then are you alone now?”]
[“Yes, what about you, ma’am?”]
[“Me? I have the husband you just saw, two sons, and a daughter. But why did you learn sign language?”]
[“My mother was disabled. So I learned it when I was young.”]
Simple background checks and conversations on trivial topics.
How do you usually spend your time, why do you work here, what’s been on your mind lately, what’s your favorite food, and so on. Really mundane conversations, but for some reason, the lady seemed to enjoy it. She laughed a lot. Maybe it was because her laughter was bright that Woojin enjoyed the conversation too.
Was it because he used sign language after a long time? Or did it remind him of his mother?
[“You’re the same age as my eldest. We don’t see him often because he lives on his own… maybe that’s why I feel an affinity towards you, Ha-seong.”]
I don’t know. There’s no need to find the exact answer.
Time flew by.
The sky was gradually getting darker. At this point, the lady’s phone vibrated. Soon, she smiled and reached out to shake Woojin’s hand. She also signed to encourage him. The lady moved away. It wasn’t until she completely disappeared that Kang Woojin reached into his suit jacket pocket to check the bills the middle-aged man had given him.
“…Damn.”
Two 1 million won checks. In other words, 2 million won. Holy crap. Throwing away money so easily that he would have to work his ass off for a whole month. Well, sure, to those guys, this is probably just scraps of paper.
The interesting thing was.
“Huh?”
There was also a business card. It was the middle-aged man’s.
Why did he give me his business card?
Kang Woojin’s heart beat faintly.
Because a crack had formed in his otherwise monotonous daily life.
Later, the background and time changed.
Late at night, in a cramped studio apartment. Kang Woojin sat in front of his laptop. He started searching for information about the people he met today.
As expected, they were from a chaebol family.
A prominent family. Ranking within the top five, living in another world. However, Woojin found something interesting in past articles. The middle-aged man with the pomade hair he saw today.
No, Chairman Yoon Jung-bae.
Chairman Yoon Jung-bae had a peculiar nickname from the past. The male ‘Cinderella’. A chaebol family’s eldest daughter and an ordinary man-turned-son-in-law. That was Chairman Yoon Jung-bae’s past, and the chaebol family’s eldest daughter was the lady Woojin saw today.
Her name was Yoo Hyun-ji.
“…Does this mean the real power lies with the lady? Is the chairman just a puppet?”
Well, things could be different now. Who cares? Anyway, this stuff felt like a novel to Kang Woojin. Lying down in the cramped studio apartment, Woojin glanced at the 2 million won checks and the business card he received today.
The important thing is the business card. Why did he give it to me?
It couldn’t be without meaning. Woojin stared at the dull ceiling, his mind a tangled mess. The best way was to reach out.
But for some reason.
“Ha- fuck, isn’t this just getting myself into trouble?”
An inexplicable sense of anxiety piled up. It felt like he was about to open Pandora’s box. It was strangely chilling. But on the flip side, it also felt like a silent opportunity. Logic told him to ignore it, but his instincts kept urging him to make contact.
Kang Woojin’s eyes landed again on the 2 million won checks.
Money. Ah- whatever, let’s just think about the money. In the end, Woojin sent a message to the contact number on the business card the next day. The content was simple: “Thank you for the money.” Chairman Yoon Jung-bae called that night.
“Where do you live?”
The chaebol family chairman arrived in front of Kang Woojin or Park Ha-seong’s studio apartment. Woojin found himself getting into a luxury sedan in a daze. Without his suit jacket, with a loosened tie and shirt, Yoon Jung-bae in the back seat looked slightly disheveled. A faint scent of alcohol lingered.
He spoke in a deep voice while looking out the window.
“It was the first time.”
Nervous, Woojin tried to read the room. Apart from the engine noise, the car was quiet, with the driver and the smell of cigarettes lingering in the seat. Woojin swallowed hard.
“…What?”
“My wife acting like that.”
“Oh.”
“She talked about you the whole way home? That usually stoic woman laughed a lot.”
Stoic woman? Woojin subtly furrowed his brow. Yoon Jung-bae smirked and met Woojin’s eyes.
“Your debt is roughly just under 100 million won.”
“Are you, are you talking about me?”
“Yeah. Your parents left you with nothing but burdens. You must have had a hard time. That’s why you’re working yourself to death, right?”
“Isn’t that a bit… harsh to say?”
“Harsh? Then let me cheer you up. What if I pay off your debt? And give you a job. How about 5 million won a month?”
What the hell is this crazy guy saying? Woojin felt a mix of irritation and curiosity.
“What are you talking about right now?”
“Too little? Okay, then 6 million. The job is simple. Just be my wife’s secretary.”
Yoon Jung-bae, crossing his legs, stroked his chin and laughed.
“Secretary is a nice word for it; it’s basically being a servant. Be her companion, keep her entertained, eat with her, go shopping with her. Stay with her unless she’s sleeping or doesn’t need you. Decide your days off with her.”
“…?”
“Naturally, you’ll live in my house. There are plenty of rooms.”
Muttering, Yoon Jung-bae leaned in close to Woojin and whispered.
“The goal is simple. Make my wife rely on you, blindly.”
Woojin’s eyes widened. His heart pounded as if it would burst. He wanted to open the door and run away immediately. Those were his feelings. But somewhere inside, Kang Woojin listened to the foul-smelling thing within him.
“…I’ll do it.”
Then Kang Woojin’s—no, Park Ha-seong’s voice was heard.
“I thought it was a shortcut, like a twist of fate for a life turnaround.”
But it was the beginning of a disaster.
Around noon the same day.
The location was near Hongdae Entrance Station, at a small theater titled ‘Theater Above the Clouds’. Even though it was called a small theater, the building was quite large. A three-story structure with a café and a small brunch place, a medium-sized hall, and numerous waiting rooms. It even had an external parking lot.
The theater was large enough to host various events.
Not just performances, but plays, various events, and celebrity fan meetings. Usually, it was rented out by the hour, but today, ‘Theater Above the Clouds’ was booked for the entire day. A film company had rented it out.
It was the ‘Leech’ team.
About two hours later, an audition was scheduled. Normally, they wouldn’t go to such lengths, but considering the stature of the actors participating in today’s audition, booking the entire venue was a given. It was a form of consideration.
For top-tier to A-list actors, having individual waiting rooms was a basic necessity.
The ‘Leech’ team knew which actors were coming, but the actors attending the audition had no information about their competitors. It was better that way. It would be uncomfortable otherwise. Although they would inevitably encounter each other as challengers, it was minimized as much as possible.
In any case.
-Thunk!
Despite the early hour, a white van parked in the small theater’s external parking lot. It was clearly a celebrity’s van, and soon the previously quiet van’s back door opened, revealing a woman in a khaki short padded jacket. Long hair reaching her chest and a dot under her eye.
It was Hwalin.
Holding a thin stack of papers in one hand, she looked at the rather large small theater building.
“Phew-”
She let out a small breath. A chubby manager and the team joined her. The manager spoke first.
“Sure enough, since it’s Director An Gabok’s project, even the audition scale is enormous. They rented the entire small theater.”
Hwalin, who started walking, shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s not a typical audition. It’s too big to be done casually at a film company or office.”
“That’s true. By the way, is Kang Woojin really coming as a judge? Hwalin, are you sure you’ll be okay? No matter how I think about it, this seems tough.”
“Teacher Shim Han-ho will be there too. Having Woojin—no, I feel more comfortable with Kang Woojin-ssi there.”
“Ha- I don’t know.”
“Whether it works out or not, when will I get to experience such a project again?”
Hwalin’s response was full of ambition.
‘At first, it was influenced by Woojin-nim, but now that I’m here, I really want to do well. Hoo, but I’m really nervous. It’ll be okay, I’ll feel better when I see Woojin-nim’s face.’
With these thoughts, she and her team entered the theater building. It was still quiet. Hwalin walked towards the elevator and asked her manager.
“Oppa, where’s our waiting room again?”
“2-B. It should be on the second floor. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
The chubby manager pressed the elevator button.
It was at that moment.
“······Hwalin?”
A familiar female voice came from the entrance. Hwalin and her entire team turned their heads. There were five or six people standing there. At the forefront was a woman in a white long padded jacket. Long straight hair and a tall figure. It was Hong Hye-yeon. Seeing her, Hwalin’s eyes widened. Hong Hye-yeon had a similar expression.
It was natural.
Neither of them knew.
Soon, Hong Hye-yeon, with wide eyes, asked Hwalin.
“You- you’re here… for the audition?”
Hwalin, with a slightly open mouth, asked back.
“Oh, you too, unnie?”
*****
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