Chapter 31

Villain Only Acting 031

Part 5 of Leaving a Bitter Taste

"By the way, Mr. Kim, what did Mr. Jeong Seohoon used to do? I heard he wasn't a child actor."

"He's a college student. He's been to the military. Now, he just needs to keep growing."

"He's a veteran? So he's older than he looks?"

"I don't really know his age. The PD might know. It would be written in the contract. I only know he's an engineering student. Oh, I think he said he lives in Nonhyeon-dong. Should I call him?"

"Go ahead."

As Yoo Jeong-a subtly encouraged, Kim Sang-hee smiled slyly and took out her phone.

"Hello, Mr. Seohoon. It's Kim Sang-hee. What are you doing? Just hanging around? We don't have shooting tomorrow, want to have a drink together? Here in Cheongdam-dong. Yoo Jeong-a is here too."

"Tell him I'll buy him a drink to apologize for the lip injury."

"Jeong-a says she'll buy you a drink to apologize for the lip injury. But mentioning the lip injury gives it a certain feel. Where's my laptop?"

"Please, Ms. Kim."

"Hehe, got it. You're coming? I'll send you the address. Yes, I'll wait for you."

Kim Sang-hee ended the call and smiled slyly as she raised her glass.

Yoo Jeong-a frowned slightly.

"Ms. Kim, what's with that look?"

"What's wrong with my look?"

"It's like you're teasing me, saying you know everything."

"I don't know anything."

***

When Jeong Seohoon arrived at the bar, he saw the two women sitting side by side in front of the bartender.

There were no other customers in the hall.

"Hey, Mr. Seohoon! Come sit here."

Kim Sang-hee waved enthusiastically and moved over to make space.

Thanks to her, Jeong Seohoon ended up sitting between the two women.

"Do you have a favorite drink?"

"Um, soju?"

"Oh, really? That's surprising. I thought Mr. Seohoon would only drink wine."

"I haven't had many opportunities to try different drinks."

"How much can you drink?"

"Up to five bottles."

"Not bad. Did you pass out?"

"No, I stopped when I was drunk."

Despite the two women chatting nonstop on either side, Jeong Seohoon answered calmly.

"Is your lip okay? It must have hurt a lot back then."

"It didn't hurt at all. I didn't even get hurt."

"I'm really sorry. I got too into it. Ah, when I act with Mr. Seohoon, it feels like I become someone else."

Kim Sang-hee clapped her hands and laughed.

"Me too. When I see Mr. Seohoon, inspiration just flows. After 'Illegals' ends, I definitely want to cast you in my next project. Don't go anywhere. If you get a casting request, let me know first. I'll secure you the role."

"Ms. Kim, are you already preparing for your next project?"

"I always have a lot of ideas. It's just a matter of choosing which one is the most ripe for the moment."

Kim Sang-hee proudly showed her laptop.

"Sometimes I write when I'm drinking whiskey, and it comes out brilliantly. But it's too emotional, and I have to cut a lot of lines the next day. It's not something I can show anyone."

"Does your laptop have all your works, including future ones?"

"Yes. It's my treasure. That's why I always carry it with me."

"Wow, how much would you value this laptop? If someone stole it and put it up for auction, wouldn't it sell for tens of billions?"

"No worries, it's automatically synced to the cloud. And I use BitLocker. Even if they steal the laptop, they can't steal the files."

"What's that?"

The two women chatted nonstop with Jeong Seohoon in the middle. Eventually, Jeong Seohoon asked,

"Wouldn't it be more comfortable if I sat on the outside and the two of you sat side by side?"

"No way. We need Mr. Seohoon in the center so we can enjoy the view while chatting."

"Right. Mr. Seohoon should be in the center."

Every time a glass was emptied, Kim Sang-hee kept ordering more.

There were still no other customers in the hall.

Jeong Seohoon looked around and said,

"This doesn't seem like a bad location, but it's strangely empty."

"Maybe they didn't see the 'Closed' sign. They're not serving anyone but us today."

"Is that okay?"

"It's fine. It's my place."

Kim Sang-hee sipped her whiskey and winked.

"Right, Mr. Kim?"

The bartender, who was wiping glasses, smiled warmly and replied,

"I'm just a figurehead, Mr. Jeong Seohoon. I'm enjoying your drama."

Jeong Seohoon quickly bowed his head.

"Thank you."

By now, both women were quite drunk.

Their faces were flushed, their eyes slightly droopy, and they laughed at the slightest clink of glasses.

Kim Sang-hee, with blurred vision, focused intently on Jeong Seohoon's face.

"How can you deliver such lines with that face? It's amazing. Without Mr. Seohoon, 'Illegals' would have been a mediocre drama with 18-19% ratings."

"Even without me, it would have been better. Ms. Kim and the PD are very talented, and all the other actors are excellent."

"I can't stand it! Looking at Mr. Seohoon's face for too long makes me want to write! You two play for a bit!"

Before Jeong Seohoon could say anything, Kim Sang-hee jumped up and moved to a table in the hall.

She turned on her laptop and started typing rapidly.

Her fingers moved accurately and skillfully, unlike someone who was drunk.

Yoo Jeong-a, who was used to this, didn't seem surprised.

"Ms. Kim doesn't just do this on set."

"Ms. Kim Sang-hee is famous. When inspiration strikes, she writes regardless of time and place. Once, we were all having dinner, and she went to the bathroom for a while and didn't come back. We were so worried."

"She didn't take her laptop to the bathroom, did she?"

"When we found her, she was writing on her phone. For almost two hours."

"..."

"Let's enjoy ourselves. We don't have shooting tomorrow, right? Or is it today?"

Yoo Jeong-a smiled softly and proposed a toast.

They clinked glasses lightly, and Jeong Seohoon took a sip of whiskey.

"You live in Nonhyeon-dong, right? Do you live alone? Boarding?"

"I live with my family. I've lived there since I was young."

"By any chance, what's your family like? Is it too personal? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"I have parents and an older sister. My father has been working overseas for years. We see him once or twice a year."

"Wow, your mother must be lonely."

"She's always busy, so she doesn't get lonely."

Kim Sang-hee, who had been typing nonstop, paused and looked at them.

Jeong Seohoon's back was to her, so she couldn't see his face, but Yoo Jeong-a had turned 90 degrees to face him, making it easy to see her expression.

A man sitting facing forward, and a woman sitting sideways to face him.

In the screen, they were the prey and the beast, but in reality, they were a charming couple.

Kim Sang-hee suddenly imagined:

What if the Je Jin-wook inside Jeong Seohoon suddenly pounced on Yoo Jeong-a? What expression would she have? What scream would she let out? How would she resist?

Just thinking about it made her breathing quicken and her head hot.

She buried her face in her laptop again.

"What do you usually do when you're not filming?"

The conversation was gradually delving into more personal territory.

"I practice emotional control and have started watching dramas and movies."

"I thought you didn't want to be an actor. The PD dragged you in. Are you going to continue acting?"

"Yes, I will. I've developed a serious desire to see it through."

"We'll see each other more often. But did you turn off your phone? Or put it on silent?"

"No, it's on vibrate."

"That's strange. Why is your phone so quiet? You should be getting a lot of contract requests."

"It's a personal phone, so I don't get contract requests."

"That's even stranger. Look, mine is on silent. I get too many messages."

Yoo Jeong-a turned on her phone and showed the message screen.

There were hundreds of unread messages stacked up.

Even at that moment, new messages were coming in.

"I don't get many messages. The most frequent one is from my older sister."

"That's strange. With that look and physique? Girls wouldn't leave you alone."

"I don't know many girls."

"But you're a college student. Don't you have female classmates or seniors?"

"Most of the students in my major are male, and there are no female students my age. Most of the female seniors are married."

"Still, it's strange that there are so few girls around you. What about friends from middle or high school?"

"They all went abroad for studies."

"Oh my."