CH 319

“I'm not interested,” said Choi Yeon-Ha.

“H-hold on, Miss Choi!”

Choi Yeon-Ha frowned slightly while listening to the urgent cry of the director. However, even her frowning face was rather charming to behold, thanks to her arresting beauty.

“Director, I've already said I'm not interested.”

“But, Miss Choi! Didn't you say you'll think about it in a positive light not too long ago? Something about it's time to run even faster and all that?”

“Well, I no longer have a reason to keep running.”

"Miss Choi, don't be like this, and... I assure you, this script is really great. The storyline is top-tier. As long as you act as the soul of this production, we'll definitely reach the milestone of selling over ten million tickets! I'm sure of it!"

Choi Yeon-Ha scoffed at that. "If you want to sell ten million tickets, then you should cast a famous male actor instead of me. After all, I've never heard about a movie with a female protagonist reaching that milestone before."

“Eii~! We can always be the first to achieve that feat, right?”

“Director...” Choi Yeon-Ha put on a pair of sunglasses and glanced behind her.

“I'm telling you, Miss Choi! It'll all work out as long as you agree to become a part of this production. And when this movie breaks the box office records, you'll cement your status as people's favorite actor! Besides, you know it, too. There aren't all that many studios willing to cast a female protagonist in a movie with a budget this big. If you miss this opportunity...”

“Excuse me, director?”

“Yes?”

Choi Yeon-Ha sighed deeply. “Do you think this is some kind of challenge?”

“Of course.”

“Isn't that the mindset of a gambler?”

“G-gambler?”

“Yes, a gambler. You're gambling. You're betting on a baseless hope that people will recognize and praise you for making something that doesn't exist yet.”

“N-no, wait... Listen, Miss Choi Yeon-Ha.”

“I'm sorry, but there is a reason why other people haven't tried it before. It'll be a more productive use of your time to go out and find yourself a fresh twenty-something male actor. Who knows, you might hit jackpot that way."

“W-wait, Miss Choi! Hey, Choi Yeon-Ha! Wait!”

Choi Yeon-Ha didn't pay any attention to the director and exited the cafe, then climbed aboard the waiting car before turning on the ignition. As she stepped on the accelerator, though, a deep frown came over her face.

'So annoying. Seriously now!'

Choi Yeon-Ha knew that not causing trouble with a director like him was absolutely necessary if she wanted her career to keep thriving.

Chungmuro was an insidious place where gossip-mongering had become the norm. As such, an actor behaving like an eyesore would soon become the neighborhood punchline. In this field of work, when a male actor tried to behave himself by staying at home most of the time, he'd get labeled as gay. If he's out clubbing and drinking, then his peers would sneer at him for showing off.

Since Choi Yeon-Ha rejected that director today, dumb rumors about her finally revealing her rotten core should do the rounds for a while.

'But, so what?'

Choi Yeon-Ha frowned even more while stomping on the accelerator. That was when a phone suddenly began blaring at her.

“Argh, what is it this time?!” Choi Yeon-Ha exploded in irritation while picking up the phone. She didn't even bother to check the caller ID before tapping on the green 'answer' icon. “What!”

- Noona, where are you?

“I'm on my way home.”

- Noona, didn't you agree to star in the next production? So, how come? Our boss is losing his mind over here right now!

“So what? What do you want me to do about it?”

- N-no, it's not that you have to do something about it, but... Aren't you gonna sign on for that role...?

"Tell them to stop contacting me for the time being, okay?"

A bout of silence ensued from the other side of the line.

Choi Yeon-Ha groaned. “Hey. I'm hanging up.”

- H-hold on, noona!

“What now?”

- Boss told us to quickly sign on for just one more production, you know? Since you got good reviews for your performance in the last TV show, making one more movie or a show this year could...

“I'll decide on that myself.” Choi Yeon-Ha curtly replied before ending the call right there.

'Actually, it's better this way.'

This was what being a star was like. Climbing to the top was fraught with untold hardship and sorrow, but the fall from the top was as instant as losing one's footing by the cliffside.

A top star could lose their popularity if they made too many movies and TV shows in a short period of time. Ironically, their popularity would also fall if they didn't make enough movies and get accused of distancing themselves from the public.

And, from what Choi Yeon-Ha had observed so far, the former top stars usually failed to notice that they were on a downward trajectory. The first people to notice this trend was never the stars themselves but the people around them.

'And that's why everyone's been acting this way.'

If it were in the past, her manager or the boss wouldn't have nagged Choi Yeon-Ha to sign on for a new film project so soon like this. No, they would've waited until she got enough rest first. So, the fact that the talk about a follow-up production was happening so soon could only mean that her last TV show didn't garner positive reactions.

No, that wasn't quite right. The TV show did pretty great. It did great, but Choi Yeon-Ha still didn't see an increase in offers to star in commercials. That was proof that her role didn't have much impact on the audience.

“...How irritating!” Choi Yeon-Ha grumbled while winding the driver's side window down. She tried to cool herself down with the winds rushing inside. “It's not gonna end like this.”

Urgently rushing ahead with a mindset of signing on to whatever production she could find and putting out the fire in the meantime would really lead her to the path of decline. If that happened, she wouldn't even have lifelines to grab onto.

A star like Choi Yeon-Ha was still alive thanks to the public's attention. So, she was well aware of how tragic the fate of a star was after losing that attention. Without a doubt, she had no thoughts of welcoming that scenario into her life.

She drove for a while, but the heated thoughts in her head didn't want to calm down. And, when she regained her wits somewhat...

“...Why the heck did I come here?!”

Choi Yeon-Ha slammed her palm down on the steering wheel. The hooter went off, startling the passersby and making them look at her car. She knew they wouldn't see her face through the darkened windows of her vehicle, but her reflexes and instincts still forced her to lower her head in a hurry nonetheless.

'Calm down, Choi Yeon-Ha!'

Getting annoyed wouldn't help her in this situation, anyway! Choi Yeon-Ha drove her car into the mouth of the nearby underground parking lot. After entrusting the key to the reception, she emerged back into the street and spat out a long groan while staring at the stupid interior of the pizzeria.

'So irritating!'

The fact that she subconsciously drove to this place while fuming in anger only made her even more irritated. Wasn't this place supposed to be no longer connected to her life? So, why!

Unlike Choi Yeon-Ha, Kang Se-Ah was basking in the positive reception to her acting debut. It wasn't as if she was the standout in the show, but somehow, that worked in her favor instead, helping her get acknowledgment from the public.

The news of casting offers for Kang Se-Ah flooding in had even reached Choi Yeon-Ha's ears. That wasn't surprising, though, since Kang Se-Ah earned favorable reviews about how she had shed the label of an idol and shown potential as a promising new actor.

This pizzeria was where that super-hateful Kang Se-Ah's oppa worked, so of course, Choi Yeon-Ha didn't want to step inside. However, her body acted on its own, and her hand was already opening the pizzeria's entrance.

“Eh?” Ju Yeong-Gi stared at her in surprise when Choi Yeon-Ha entered.

“What is it?” Choi Yeon-Ha curtly asked.

“...The first thing you say after entering is 'What is it'? Isn't that what I should say?”

“Oh? And is that how this pizzeria welcomes its customers?'

“Aaah, a customer, you say?” Ju Yeong-Gi stood up straight, then bowed his head ninety degrees. “WELCOME!”

“Tsk...” Choi Yeon-Ha tutted in irritation as if she found Ju Yeong-Gi also hateful, then took a seat by one of the empty tables. “Where is your menu!”

“Yes, yes. There you go, dear customer!”

Choi Yeon-Ha cursorily perused the menu before pushing it back at Ju Yeong-Gi. “Just give me your best pizza, your best pasta, and your best drink. Please.”

“But, dear customer! Everything our store makes is the best.”

"You can bring whatever, then."

Ju Yeong-Gi cackled a little, then turned around toward the kitchen. "Hey, Jin-Ho! An order of whatever pizza, whatever pasta, and whatever drink!"

“What are you doing?!” Choi Yeon-Ha glared murderously at Ju Yeong-Gi.

He theatrically shuddered in his boots. “Goodness me~! So scary!”

“Urgh... Just call the chef out here, please.” Choi Yeon-Ha massaged her temples.

“But he needs to bake the pizza for you?”

"You can always ask that lady colleague of yours to do that, can't you? Besides, does it look like I'm here to eat your pizza?"

"...If you didn't come to a pizzeria for pizza, why did you even come here for?"

"Wow, the customer service here is really rubbish, isn't it? I better post this on my social media accounts."

“I'll immediately bring that chef here, even if I have to drag him by his hair! Dear customer, please wait for a little bit!”

“I'll be waiting.”

Ju Yeong-Gi chuckled softly. Although Choi Yeon-Ha was being curt today, she didn't come across as an eyesore to him. That was probably due to the effect of the two of them being pretty-good acquaintances. Before he walked away, he asked Choi Yeon-Ha something else. "By the way, weren't you pretending to be a nice person until now?"

“There's no benefit to carrying on that charade here, so why should I? I've always been like this, you see?”

“Yes, yes. Well, this side of you is better, anyway.”

“It's better?”

“Yep.” Ju Yeong-Gi nodded, then headed to the kitchen without giving her an explanation.

Choi Yeon-Ha fidgeted around her phone while waiting. Not too long after that, Kang Jin-Ho emerged outside the kitchen. However, he was making a somewhat-unwilling expression while trudging toward her table.

Choi Yeon-Ha scowled at him. “I'm not here to talk you into making movies, so please stop frowning, will you?”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked his eyebrow.

“I said, I'm not here to talk about that. I've already given up, you know! Totally, utterly given up.”

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"Oho!" Kang Jin-Ho sighed in relief and settled on the opposite side of Choi Yeon-Ha's seat.

'Can't you at least pretend to be happy to see me, you irritating man!'

Choi Yeon-Ha groaned inwardly. A top star had come to see him personally, so why was he making a face of a homeowner who couldn't wait to slam the door close on the face of an insurance salesman on his porch? No wonder Choi Yeon-Ha's irritation level was shooing up even higher.

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Why did you call for me, Miss Choi?”

“To see you, of course.”

“See me? Why?”

“Because you're handsome.”

Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut at that.

Choi Yeon-Ha continued to speak. “Since I can't see your mug on screen, I might as well come here to look at the real deal, don't you agree? What's the matter? Am I not allowed?”

“Miss Choi, this is a place of business.”

“I know. Not too long ago, didn't you let people take selfies with you as long as they ordered food? So, can I take one with you now?”

“We've stopped doing that.”

"We didn't take a selfie the last time I was here to eat your pizza, so let's do that now. If you don't, I'm gonna tell everyone that you discriminate against different customers."

Kang Jin-Ho frowned to indicate how troubled he felt. However, Park Yu-Min, who had finished cleaning a nearby table and was returning to the kitchen, offered some help.

“She didn't pay back then, Jin-Ho.”

That was when strength and conviction returned to Kang Jin-Ho's eyes. “So he says?”

“...I'm telling you, one of these days, I'm gonna blow this place up!” Choi Yeon-Ha grumbled unhappily.

This place had to be the only one in entire South Korea that dared to treat Choi Yeon-Ha this badly. Not even her parents would be like this!

These men must have lost their ability to appreciate beauty after hanging around Kang Jin-Ho every day! No matter how disinterested one was regarding celebrities or actors, men were genetically disposed to be nicer toward pretty girls, so this...!

"Whatever, I don't care anymore! I don't need the stupid selfie, anyway!"

Kang Jin-Ho could only scratch the back of his head at Choi Yeon-Ha's outburst.

She narrowed her eyes and asked him, “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow's my off day.”

Ju Yeong-Gi heard that and began gritting his teeth. “You stinking owner! You're taking a break again?!”

Park Yu-Min quickly came to his boss's defense. “Hang on, it is his scheduled rest day, you know?”

“What the hell! He rests on scheduled rest days, but also rests on regular days because he's got other matters to deal with?! Since when did Korea become a five-day-work-week nation?!”

“...Yeong-Gi, it has been like that forever.”

“Oh, really?” Ju Yeong-Gi blinked his eyes in surprise.

Meanwhile, Choi Yeon-Ha listening to the gag routine, facepalmed. She had a feeling that holding a conversation with this trio would kill her brain cells. Perhaps the correct call was to minimize how much she needed to talk to them?

“...Anyways. So, you're on a break tomorrow, is that it?” Choi Yeon-Ha asked in a pained voice.

"Yes," Kang Jin-Ho nodded slightly.

“In that case, hang out with me.”

Kang Jin-Ho resolutely shook his head next. “I can't. I have work tomorrow.”

“Work?” Choi Yeon-Ha furrowed her brow. “Mister Jin-Ho, do I look like someone who asks some random man to hang out with her?”

"Mm? I've never thought about that before, actually."

Choi Yeon-Ha's rage bubbled up again, but yelling out right now would only paint her as a loon needing a straightjacket treatment instead!

'No, calm down!'

Some things were bound not to go the way she wanted them to. That didn't mean she should lose her cool at Kang Jin-Ho. He was simply choosing what he wanted to do, after all. His decision meant Choi Yeon-Ha's opportunity went down the drain, true, but she wasn't exactly 'hurt' by it, now was she?

'Still, this is pissing me off!'

The little devil beside her was sneakily elbowing her on the side, telling her to find any pretext she could think of. So, she did.

"Did you make a promise to someone? An appointment?"

"No, it's nothing like that."

“I see. And are you going alone to this 'work'?”

“I am.”

“Hoh-oh?” Choi Yeon-Ha cocked an eyebrow as a sly grin crept up on her face. “I see. In that case, I'll go with you.”

Her glare collided with Kang Jin-Ho's gaze mid-air. Surprisingly enough, though, Kang Jin-Ho agreed without any resistance. “Sure, why not.”

“Sorry?”

“Having more people will be helpful, after all.”

“Sorry…?”

Suddenly, this foreboding about making a terrible mistake sent a chill down Choi Yeon-Ha's spine, and she shivered ever so slightly.