CH 322

Now all 'cleaned up,’ Choi Yeon-Ha watched the trucks entering the orphanage's parking lot with a refreshed expression plastered all over her face.

“Ahhh... Feels like I've vented my stress a bit.”

Kang Jin-Ho wanted to help her by saying it was because she did something good today. But he felt a bit unwilling to say anything after thinking that would be seen as cringe.

"Maybe because I haven't been on a shopping spree lately? Wait, now that I've thought about it, it's been a while since I did something major, isn't it? Aaand, just like that, I've discovered yet another source of my stress!" Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled proudly.

“...Mm.” Kang Jin-Ho grunted softly. As it turned out, it wasn't because she did something good. “...Anyway, aren't you going inside to see?”

“Sorry?” Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head.

"Watching the kids rejoicing makes you feel good inside, you see. It's enough to help you forget about everything else at that moment."

Choi Yeon-Ha resolutely shook her head. “No, I'm okay.”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho stared at Choi Yeon-Ha with a face that silently asked 'What do you mean?'

She softly smirked. “If it were only kids in there, I might have. But adults are there too, you know? They'll definitely tell the kids to thank me, won't they?”

“...Yes, they will.”

“And I'm definitely not a fan of that. Listening to something so embarrassing will give me goosebumps all over. I don't want to look like a chicken, you know? Instead of being subjected to that treatment, I'd rather go away without anyone noticing me. And... Tell the kids that you bought the stuff for them.”

“I won't do that, Miss Choi.”

“Hah. You and your ego...” Choi Yeon-Ha shrugged her shoulders while staring back at Kang Jin-Ho. It was as if she had guessed everything already. “Did you resent me?”

“What do you mean?”

"Wasn't it like... Let's pull a fast one on this cocky woman who has no idea what hard work is and just fools around acting on TV! That's why you brought me here, but in just two hours, I totally gave up and bought new washing machines to deal with all the laundry I was supposed to take care of. So, I figured you might have had enough of my shtick by now.”

Kang Jin-Ho became serious as he replied to her. “First of all... I did not bring you here to pull a fast one on you.”

“Oh? And the second one is?”

"I don't consider what you did as sly or untoward, Miss Choi. I know that people having money doesn't automatically mean they are willing to spend it, after all."

“Oh, well. I'm grateful for you saying all that.” Choi Yeon-Ha cocked her head and replied sarcastically. It seemed that her personality wasn't warped, but she naturally found it hard to say gentler and kinder things.

In a certain sense, she was a surprisingly good fit for Kang Jin-Ho, who used civil, calm words to build a wall around him.

“Alright. Let's get going, shall we?” Choi Yeon-Ha glanced back at Kang Jin-Ho.

“Okay.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded and watched Choi Yeon-Ha climb into the passenger seat of his red Lamborghini, then slipped into the driver's seat. 'Drive slowly...!'

Kang Jin-Ho was told by Jo Gyu-Min that whenever he was performing chauffeur duty, he must constantly remind himself to drive slowly. He heard that lecture so many times that it felt like he was half-brainwashed by now.

Vrooooom...!

Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Unfortunately, with his current car being what it was, there was not much Kang Jin-Ho could do about it traveling faster than a sedan. He sneaked a glance in Choi Yeon-Ha's direction and guessed things were still safe, judging from her still expression.

That wasn't all, though. Even Kang Jin-Ho could tell that Choi Yeon-Ha's expression—and her overall demeanor—was a lot mellower today compared to yesterday. Back then, she was brimming full of barely-contained rage that screamed, 'Provoke me, I dare you. We'll all see how explosive I can be right here, right now!' But today, she seemed like a mostly 'well-adjusted' human being.

Kang Jin-Ho asked her while turning the steering wheel. “Where should we go?”

“Somewhere close by, please.”

“Close by, you say?”

“Yes. I've already given up on creating a nice atmosphere with you over a cup of coffee. It's pretty much meaningless, anyway.”

“Understood. In that case, Let me take you to—”

“Wait!” Choi Yeon-Ha furrowed her brow. “Don't tell me, are you thinking of taking me to your father's cafe?”

“...Keuh-hum.” Kang Jin-Ho sneakily looked away.

“Holy cow! Look at the face you're making! You really were thinking of doing that, weren't you? Don't you think you're being too shameless right now?! What would've happened if Miss Se-Ah hadn't told me about her father running a cafe? You're absolutely the worst, you know that?!”

"Is there a reason why I can't take you there?"

“Of course, you can't! Mister Jin-Ho, do you want to have dinner with me at the diner run by my mom?”

“Mm? I don't see why not.”

"...Forget it. I don't expect you to understand, anyway. Just take me somewhere else, okay!"

"Very well." Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow while staring at Choi Yeon-Ha groaning openly away in the passenger seat. He could only tilt his head in confusion at her attitude.

'Did I say something wrong?'

A woman's heart was still indecipherable to him, it seemed.

***

“Urgh... Yes, coffee in my system is the best way to revive myself.” Choi Yeon-Ha stretched her limbs while muttering to no one in particular. With a smile that indicated a load had been lifted off her shoulders, she stared at Kang Jin-Ho. “I thought I was making a stupid mistake, but now that I've time to look back, I accept that we made the right call.”

“...I haven't done much, though?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

“Well, sure. But I'll give you credit for taking me to the orphanage, at least. No matter what, I can't think of anything that might improve my mood in less than a day, you see?”

Kang Jin-Ho heard that and couldn't help but ask the standard question in this kind of conversation. “Did something happen to you? Something that soured your mood?”

“Hmm...” Choi Yeon-Ha was about to say something only to hold her tongue. She stared at Kang Jin-Ho in dismay. “Why should I tell you that, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“In that case, you don't have to tell me.”

“No, you should've said 'I'd like to hear it' or something similar! Why are you so senseless like this?!”

Kang Jin-Ho's head faltered slightly, and a look of confusion and embarrassment formed on his face.

'I can't figure her out...'

Kang Jin-Ho never really felt uncomfortable talking to women during all of his life until now, but chatting with Choi Yeon-Ha made him feel like he was getting henpecked constantly in a short period of time.

“Very well. I'll tell you, then. But you better buy me dinner, too.”

“...Understood.”

Choi Yeon-Ha laughed in delight before explaining herself. "Where should I even start... I'm not quite sure how to explain it, but let me try, anyway. My biorhythm was already at its lowest, but a dumb situation was added on top to produce a bad synergy. Something like that?"

"Hmm. I understood the words but not the meaning, Miss Choi."

"That's what being an actor is like. When we're working, there isn't enough time to sleep, so we have to catch short naps whenever we can. Even so, we strive to pour our entire being into our roles. So, can you imagine what will happen once the production wraps up, and we must return to a life of normalcy?"

“Mm? I guess you'll be pleased since you can now rest as much as you want.”

"Nope," Choi Yeon-Ha resolutely shook her head. "We feel dispirited, empty and anxious. The change in the daily routine wrecks our bodies. We feel hollow and empty at the prospect of no longer living as the character but as ourselves. And we get anxious, wondering if we did a good job in our roles. So... How should I put this..."

A look of irritation quickly formed on Choi Yeon-Ha's face as she searched for her next words.

"You know what people are like, don't you? When you are in the thick of it, you don't even think about fixing it or doing anything to change it. But, once you're no longer in the position to change anything, you start thinking about this and that. 'Argh, why did I read that line that way? The emotions in those lines should've been conveyed this way, so why? I can't do anything about it now, you stupid little cow!' Something like that.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly while listening to Choi Yeon-Ha's self-reproaching words. That was because he felt a slight sense of kinship from what she said. Those words seemed vaguely similar to what he had thought about frequently. Well, getting too caught up in the past and regretting his actions was practically Kang Jin-Ho's bread and butter at this point, after all.

“When it's like that, everything in the world feels like a horrid experience, you see? But this time, I wasn't reviewed well for the last TV show on top of my already crappy mood, so... I was in the middle of digging myself into an endless hole."

“Mm? Eun-Yeong said the response to the TV show was pretty good, though?”

“Yes, it was alright. The show itself was.” Choi Yeon-Ha shook her head resolutely. “But I wasn't…”

“Sorry?”

"My acting was bad this time. It's not like I can proudly boast I'm an actor. But I still have this reputation of being unrivaled among my peers around a similar age to me. But my performance this time was neither here nor there, and all the reputation I've built up until now might crumble away if I'm not careful."

Kang Jin-Ho found this revelation difficult to understand. He stared at Choi Yeon-Ha, thinking about how passionate she was while tormenting him after showing up abruptly in his life whenever she felt like it. So, to hear that her acting was neither here nor there? That didn't feel right to him.

Judging from Choi Yeon-Ha's personality, she wouldn't have done that, so...

Choi Yeon-Ha sighed. “The truth is, my head was up in the clouds, you see...”

“Up in the clouds?”

“Yes. The clouds called Mister Kang Jin-Ho.” Choi Yeon-Ha cautiously stared at Kang Jin-Ho. When Kang Jin-Ho sneakily averted his eyes after feeling the silent pressure, Choi Yeon-Ha smiled mischievously. “I was supposed to be inhabiting my character, but all I could think about was you, you know? What is Mister Jin-Ho doing right now? Is he watching the show on TV?”

Kang Jin-Ho quickly took a sip of his coffee and regained his original composure.

Choi Yeon-Ha pouted at that, sensing that her momentum had been deflated far too quickly. "Yes, it's as you guessed it. I was talking about the follow-up projects. Even as I was shooting the TV show, I was thinking about how to coax you or trick you into signing on to the next production as the male lead. No wonder the review of my performance was terrible. All I could focus on while shooting my scenes was crap like that, after all."

“Hmm. Doesn't sound like you should blame others for this one, then.”

“No, you're wrong. You are to blame for this one, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“...I am?”

"Yes, you!" Choi Yeon-Ha declared assertively. "I may not look it, but let me tell you, I pride myself as a professional. Don't think for a second that I've managed to climb from the bottom to where I am by solely relying on my looks."

“No, I already know that.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded to agree with her.

He had already experienced how dirty and debasing this field of profession could be. For some reason, he recalled the previous talent agency his little sister was a part of.

In his previous life, Kang Eun-Yeong died before reaching this part of her life. However, what unmentionable things would've happened to her in this life if Kang Jin-Ho didn't have enough power?

"I faced lots of temptations, too," Choi Yeon-Ha continued to speak. "But I still managed to overcome them all and focus on acting... Yes, I've got to where I am with nothing but my looks and my acting ability. Back then, I was crazy passionate about the projects I was involved in, but now, I think I've grown too full of myself. Thinking about the next project even though I haven't even completed the current one... I definitely lost my mind."

Kang Jin-Ho didn't say anything and just listened.

Choi Yeon-Ha glared at him in determination. “And it's all your fault, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It's all because you're devastatingly handsome. So handsome that you could've destroyed the equilibrium in the acting industry with your looks alone. I still can't figure out why you're wasting your looks this way. I mean, don't you know how many people would kill to have your looks?”

Kang Jin-Ho silently sipped his coffee, unable to think up a suitable reply to her pointed rhetorical questions. However, it seemed Choi Yeon-Ha still had more to say.

“Besides, I...!”

“Mm? There's more?”

“...No. It's nothing.” Choi Yeon-Ha quickly lowered her head to hide her blushing face.

'I must've gone crazy...!'

What she almost blurted out just now went along the lines of 'Even if it weren't about your looks, I'd still be here, anyway!' Before she said that out aloud, though, Choi Yeon-Ha realized what those words meant and froze up stiff like a boulder.

'Oh, my, gawd?! Could it be that I'm...?'

Choi Yeon-Ha felt her heart racing faster and faster. Was this... panic?

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Mm? Are you feeling unwell?”

“I'm sorry?”

"Your condition didn't look normal, you see."

“N-no, it's not that. I'm fine. Really!” Choi Yeon-Ha desperately waved her hands around in denial. Weirdly, though, she couldn't bring herself to look Kang Jin-Ho in the eyes. “Oh, my god...”

“I'm sorry?”

Choi Yeon-Ha kept talking to herself while Kang Jin-Ho stared at her in puzzlement. Unsurprisingly, the cafe, with subdued music playing in the background, was soon filled with this awkward atmosphere.

“I... I need to go.” Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly shot up to her feet and fanned her face with her hand. Then, she grabbed her handbag and hurriedly shuffled toward the exit.

Kang Jin-Ho got up, too. “But what about dinner?”

“I, I'm not hungry!”

“Mm? Then, let me give you a ride to where your car is.”

“No, I'll be fine!”

"But it's too far to walk, Miss Choi."

“I said, I'm fine! I'll grab a taxi or something!”

“...Understood.” Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders while staring at Choi Yeon-Ha. Why was she suddenly losing her temper like that, he wondered.

“A-anyway, I'm going now. Thanks for the coffee. S-see you next time!”

“Oh, of course.”

“I-I don't think I can stop by at the orphanage later in the evening, so please check if the phones have arrived safely. Then, later.” Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly dashed toward the exit and disappeared from Kang Jin-Ho's view.

He could only shake his head at this turn of events.

'She's a complete mystery, isn't she?'