Chapter 102: The Red Light That Wasn’t an Accident

“Hahaha, you’re so thoughtful~”

The uninvited guest acted as if she had no concept of reading the room.

“These days a lot of celebrities are starting YouTube channels. Aren’t you interested in that, Hyeon-jae-ssi?”

“The company already has a channel, so I’m fine. And I don’t really have talent for filming stuff.”

“Oh come on~ Celebrities don’t even need to do it themselves these days. People make it for you.”

“Ahem.”

She kept directing the conversation at me, making me uncomfortable. Kyung-ho gave a deliberate cough to hint at her, but it went completely over her head. 

Eventually, Chaechae’s mom called her over.

“So-hyun-ah? Come here for a second.”

“Why?”

“Just come.”

She practically dragged the woman named So-hyun inside the house by the arm.

“I’ll use the bathroom real quick…….”

“Ah, go inside and it’s the first door on the right.”

“Thank you.”

I went inside to use the bathroom, and thanks to my good ears, I ended up overhearing their conversation on the second floor.

“Why are you showing up out of nowhere and acting like this?”

“I’m doing it because you’re too soft, unnie! Just having him appear would skyrocket the views, yet you’re sitting on your hands like an idiot.”

“He’s my guest! I invited him so we could have a comfortable meal. And I have no intention of using someone else on my channel to gain clout.”

She was just as firm with this So-hyun person as she had been when chasing away the stalker last time.

‘Cool.’

It didn’t seem to work on the person in question, though.

“We’re on a downward trend right now. We need a big hit, I’m telling you.”

“Old channels naturally slow down eventually. And we still have loyal subscribers who watch steadily.”

“Haa— How long do you think those subscribers will keep watching? Creators have to keep bringing something new!”

“And that ‘new’ thing is celebrity appearances?”

She was supposedly just an editor, yet she seemed deeply involved in the channel’s direction.

“You…… are you obsessed with views because of money?”

“Unnie!”

At the mention of money, So-hyun shouted.

‘What the…… why……’

I could even feel her heart suddenly pounding all the way from here.

“Is it because they promised you 20% of the ad revenue from the views?”

“How can you think of me like that…… Do you really think I’m that kind of person?”

And her heart was racing not from excitement, but from tension.

“I know, I know…… Anyway, you crossed the line today.”

“I’m only doing this because I’m worried about you and our channel. It’s not like that.”

“Fine. Go downstairs, apologize, say you have something to do, and leave.”

“……Got it.”

The moment the two started coming down, I quickly slipped into the bathroom.

‘That was definitely a guilty heartbeat. Why tense up……’

She had reacted like someone getting stabbed in a sore spot the instant money was mentioned. It was suspicious. I washed my hands, came out of the bathroom, and she was already saying goodbye.

“Haha, Hyeon-jae-ssi, something urgent came up, so I have to go~ See you next time.”

“Take care.”

“Have fun~”

She smiled brightly as if nothing had happened, grabbed her things, and left the house.

“Woof! Woof woof!”

As I watched her leave, Jayden spoke to me.

‘That person dropped something!’

At the word “dropped,” I looked where Jayden was staring and spotted a smartphone lying in the grass in the yard.

“Woof!”

‘Good boy, right?’

“You did great.”

And then I noticed a red light blinking at the top of the phone I had picked up.

‘She didn’t drop it…… she left it on purpose?’

“Hyeon-jae-ssi, what are you doing? Come eat!”

“Ah~ That lady left her phone behind. I’ll go give it to her real quick.”

“She’s always so scatterbrained.”

I hurried out and saw the car she had arrived in was still there.

“Huh? Hyeon-jae-ssi, what’s wrong?”

She got out of the car when she saw me.

“You should take this with you.”

“Oh my! Where was it? I must have dropped it without noticing. Thank you~”

If anyone here should be acting, it’s definitely her, not me.

“No problem. But there’s a red light blinking here. I was worried it might be broken.”

I already knew the red light meant it was recording, but I played dumb.

“Ahaha, why is this…… I-it’s fine.”

Flustered, she stammered and quickly turned off the recording button.

“Then drive safe.”

“H-Hyeon-jae-ssi? My sister is too nice to say this herself…… but honestly, our channel is struggling right now.”

“Ah…… is that so?”

“So if you could appear on our channel just once, we’d really appreciate it. What do you think?”

When that didn’t work on her sister, she started asking me directly.

“We have a solid regular audience. It would be win-win for both of us.”

Win-win? I couldn’t forget how her heart had pounded like crazy at the mention of money.

“Haha, I’d love to help, but I’m tied to the company.”

“Or I could talk to your company directly?”

“My schedule is packed these days, so it’ll be tough. Sorry.”

“Ah…….”

The bright smile she had worn until a moment ago hardened the instant I showed refusal.

“Then goodbye.”

Feeling there was no more value in talking, I turned back toward the house. Behind me, I heard the car engine start.

“Did you give it to her okay?”

“Yes.”

“Woof! Woof!”

The moment I returned, Chaechae came running toward me.

‘Did So-hyun give you something yummy?’

I was puzzled that the first thing Chaechae asked about was food, and strangely, I felt like answering that yes, she had.

“Yeah, she gave me some.”

“Woof! Woof!”

‘That’s not fair. She never gives me any!’

Only you? Then who does she give it to?

“Who else did she give it to besides me?”

I asked casually, but the answer made me freeze mid-pet.

“Who?”

Just in case, I asked again, but the answer was the same.

“Woof woof!”

‘She gave the black stuff to me too!’

There was only one black treat that puppies craved the most.

“You little…… You must never bark at Hyeon-jae-ssi like that!”

When Chaechae kept begging me for it, the couple scolded her.

“Chaechae! Here, come eat meat~”

The husband brought over a few pieces of meat and called Chaechae, who instantly abandoned me at the smell and ran over.

“She really can’t resist food. Hyeon-jae-ssi, hurry and sit!”

“Ah…… there was more food?”

“We’re just getting started~”

Right now, having discovered an enormous secret, my mind was in chaos. I couldn’t even tell whether the food was going into my nose or my mouth.

“Thank you so much for having us today.”

“No, we should’ve treated you better.”

“I ate so well.”

After thanking the couple, I left with Kyung-ho and Jayden.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“Hm?”

“There you go again. Do you know how many times you just said ‘huh?’ while eating?”

Did I really? I couldn’t remember clearly, but judging by Kyung-ho saying this, I must have overdone it.

“They probably noticed too, right?”

“Ah…….”

I was worried I had ruined the mood after they had kindly invited me.

“Did something happen with that close friend of hers?”

“No. I just gave her the phone and came back.”

“But you were fine until a minute ago, then suddenly zoned out. What’s going on?”

Well…… because I found out who killed the couple’s dog.

“Uh……..”

I had no idea how to explain this massive truth that even I was struggling to process.

“I don’t know. I really don’t.”

Who would believe me if I said I heard it from a dog?

‘Haa Why can’t humans understand what we’re saying?’

I was the only one frustrated.

“If you don’t say anything, no one will know.”

“No, it’s…… never mind. I’ll tell you once I sort it out.”

For a moment I thought maybe Kyung-ho would believe me, but I quickly changed my mind.

‘Let’s think about it a little more. Don’t act rashly.’

I had no evidence, and this was a grief deeply etched in their hearts. If I spoke carelessly, I could end up hurting them even more.

“Don’t try to solve everything alone.”

“Yes.”

Kyung-ho seemed worried I might bottle it all up.

– Chae-so~ Hahaha! Ah, stop! That tickles~

– Chaechae, you’re the older sister, you can’t do that to your little brother!

Ever since that day, whenever I had free time on set, I watched ‘Chaeroun TV,’ the family’s YouTube channel featuring Chaechae.

└ The Chaeroun family is seriously so healing 

└ Science really needs to research how to extend these dogs’ lifespans.

└ This should be a nationally supported project.

I’m a housewife in my 50s and always feel healed watching ^^ The puppies are too cute.

└ Chaechae, Chae-so. May you only walk the flower path of dog treats ㅠㅠ

They mostly uploaded daily vlogs, but videos featuring the dogs got the most attention, and the comments were dominated by talk of the puppies.

Hmm……

But it’s still really popular?’

Contrary to what she had claimed about being on a downward trend, it felt more like the channel had simply stabilized over time. They had a steady viewer base, and every video got a decent number of views.

Yet there were a few videos with explosive view counts—and most of them involved incidents.

[Almost Died from Allergies (Don’t get sick, Chaechae)]

[A Puppy Abandoned in Front of Our House?]

[This Is What Happens When Neighborhood Kids Love Puppies Too Much]

[Chae-so Almost Got Bitten by Another Dog]

And the video with by far the highest views—over six million now—was the one announcing Chae-so’s death.

‘As expected.’

Accidents and incidents pulled in views, and she had realized they made money.

“This won’t do.”

I made up my mind. I couldn’t let this slide. Right now it was just Chae-so, but who knew what would be sacrificed next?

‘But what do I do about this…….’

I had no evidence. Then, unexpectedly, an idea struck me.

“Min-jun-ah, here are your clothes.”

“Thank you.”

Kim Min-jun, who played the sub-male lead, changed in front of me, and something red fell from his clothes.

“Hyung, you dropped this.”

“Huh? Ah, thanks.”

Min-jun quickly took the item I handed him and stuffed it into his pocket.

“But what is that?”

It was a small object wrapped in red cloth with Chinese characters written on it—something I had never seen before.

“Ah…… Mom keeps telling me to carry it…… I do, but I’m not really the type to believe in this stuff.”

He looked embarrassed, rubbing his pants and scratching the back of his head.

‘What is it that even his mom makes him carry it?’

To me it just looked like a slightly fancy piece of silk cloth. What was there to believe in?

“You really don’t know what this is?”

When I stared at him in complete confusion, Min-jun finally realized I genuinely had no idea.

“It’s trending these days?”

If it was something popular among older people, I thought about getting one for Kyung-ho too. The bright color seemed like something adults would like.

“It’s a talisman.”