“Hyeon Saeng-sa~ What’s this? Why are you drinking here all alone?”
That evening after work, Hyeon Saeng-sa sat by himself at the pojangmacha he frequented, a plate of boneless chicken feet in front of him, pouring himself soju.
Just then, a senior who happened to be passing by noticed Hyeon Saeng-sa through the clear vinyl curtain, flashed a cheerful grin, and stepped inside.
“Already on your second bottle? You’ve been out on fieldwork all day, but instead of writing your article you’re just drowning yourself in booze.”
He slung the brown leather bag off his shoulder onto an empty plastic chair and casually sat down next to him.
“Why? Is work getting tough? Did something happen during your field assignment?”
“Something… Something… Yeah, something did happen.”
Hyeon Saeng-sa lifted the corner of his mouth as if possessed, chuckled to himself, and downed another shot of soju.
“Ajumma, one rolled omelet over here and another soju glass! Hey, hey, hey. Stop drinking, seriously. You said you were heading to a drama set for a big scoop today—what in the world happened?”
The reason Hyeon Saeng-sa had snuck into the filming location recently was because a reporter acquaintance had handed him a juicy lead related to Ju Tae-gang.
“Ju Tae-gang, huh? You already apologized for flaking on the reading. Isn’t that all there was to it?”
After Ju Tae-gang posted a neat apology about the incident, some reporters published stories suggesting Park I-won was feeling bitter about it. However, Park I-won’s side shot down the rumors, saying they had received the offer but never really considered it. Things wrapped up not too badly.
“Right. That’s done.”
But there had been no announcement explaining why Ju Tae-gang missed the reading or how he returned.
Then, an acquaintance told Hyeon Saeng-sa about a scene he’d happened to witness.
A reporter who often lingered near Ju Tae-gang’s home had seen a rookie actor bringing coffee or running errands at his place every day.
Ju Tae-gang, who was notorious for his rough tongue and controversial personality, had reportedly been calling a “rookie actor” to his “house” to run “errands” while “skipping the reading without permission.” It was enough of a story for a headline.
– If this is done right, it could be huge, don’t you think? I’m only giving you this tip, man. Let’s blow it up together.
– Isn’t this a bit too much about someone’s private life?
– Hey. Forcing a junior to run errands, and calling them over to your house when you’re not even working—that’s harassment, isn’t it?
– Maybe, but… isn’t that all there is to it?
– Dude! Do you know who this rookie is? That actor Jeon Yeo-hu, the one who’s a hit in all those ads. That’s who it happened to! This is guaranteed to get clicks.
Jeon Yeo-hu?
The headline practically writes itself.
‘A successful senior trying to crush a rising rookie’
After all, it was for justice. If he spun it right, it would bring in good views and maybe even a scoop.
He’d taken a lot of flak lately for slacking off and spending too much time out of the office, but finally, it looked like he might get some real results. No wonder he’d been walking on air the last few days.
The acquaintance was preparing to release the article just before the press conference, and Hyeon Saeng-sa was planning to sneak into the set to gather more info for a follow-up interview. But to think he’d get caught right then and there.
Hyeon Saeng-sa muttered,
“Damn. How did they even know my name?”
His senior chuckled.
“Do any celebrities even know the name of a nobody reporter like you? All you ever write are regurgitated stories.”
“That’s what I’m saying…”
Thinking back to what happened with Jeon Yeo-hu on set, Hyeon Saeng-sa downed another shot.
“Senior, uh… I told you my friend got a big scoop and I was writing the follow-up, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Does the follow-up have to agree with the scoop? Like, does it have to be a special feature, no matter what?”
“Why, did something seem off to you? Didn’t you always say you don’t care about that stuff? All that matters is the views, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Hey, you’re not a news anchor or a cop, you’re an entertainment reporter. What could possibly be so wrong, huh?”
“How much… how much could be wrong…”
It’s all just wrong, Senior.
If I run a false story, my life could be ruined right along with it, Senior.
Hyeon Saeng-sa gulped down two shots in a row, then recalled the conversation he’d had with Jeon Yeo-hu that afternoon in the vacant lot.
*****
That afternoon, in the open area beside the filming set.
– They said there’s a scoop about Ju Tae-gang, senior.
Jeon Yeo-hu, who’d brought Hyeon Saeng-sa to the corner of the lot, naturally took the cigarette pack from his jacket pocket and tapped it on his palm.
‘How did he know there were cigarettes in my jacket?’
He pulled out a cigarette, placed it between Hyeon Saeng-sa’s lips, and rummaged through the pocket again.
“Got a lighter?”
“A l-lighter?”
“You usually keep it together, don’t you?”
“Today I left in a hurry so it’s in my back pocket. But how did you know…?”
When Hyeon Saeng-sa pulled the lighter from his back pocket and handed it over, Jeon Yeo-hu kindly lit the cigarette and gave him a small smile.
“Just figured. You seem like the type to smoke when you’re stressed.”
“How’d you know that? Seriously, this is driving me nuts.”
“Yeah, well. I keep guessing and keep getting it right, so maybe we were friends in a past life.”
Jeon Yeo-hu smiled again.
That handsome face didn’t seem pleasant anymore—it was just unnerving.
“So. Do you have it?”
“Have what?”
“The Ju Tae-gang article.”
“No, I don’t. Honestly. If I was after a scoop on Ju Tae-gang, I’d be at a different set.”
Sadly, the excuse didn’t fly.
Jeon Yeo-hu immediately scoffed.
“You must be inexperienced—the lie’s all over your face. I’m asking because I already know. You investigated it?”
Hyeon Saeng-sa’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Did Ju Tae-gang, senior, really do that to me…”
He desperately wanted to escape the situation. At the very least, he wanted to make clear he wasn’t the one who started the investigation and dodge the blame.
“I-I didn’t investigate, it’s just, a reporter I know, just. That’s all. Damn, this is crazy.”
Jeon Yeo-hu nodded like he understood, which made it even creepier.
Did he have a thousand-year-old serpent coiled inside him or something?
“Anyway, just make sure that scoop doesn’t go out. You can tell them I denied it myself. I like Ju Tae-gang, senior. I respect him.”
“Ah, yes. Of course. Since I’ve confirmed it myself, haha.”
“Yeah? Whew, I’m glad this ended well.”
“Ha, haha.”
Hyeon Saeng-sa was relieved, thinking Jeon Yeo-hu was just a naive rookie who believed whatever he said.
But in truth, promising not to run the story meant nothing.
After all, he wasn’t the first reporter with the tip.
That bloodhound would publish the article no matter what.
“Ah.”
“…?”
“Reporter, you’re thinking that even if you don’t do it, your acquaintance will run the story anyway, aren’t you?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Hyeon Saeng-sa looked away from Jeon Yeo-hu’s gaze.
“To be honest, there’s not much I can do to stop it.”
Unlike Hyeon Saeng-sa, who was out of breath just talking, Jeon Yeo-hu seemed oddly composed.
Like he’d calculated everything up to this point.
Hyeon Saeng-sa took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled.
His hands were shaking.
What is with me?
Jeon Yeo-hu didn’t even seem like a smoker, but acted familiar with cigarette smoke.
“So, in the end, even if it’s a lie, the article will go out?”
“It’s not me, and it’s not all lies in that article.”
“Not all lies?”
“Honestly, it’s not normal for a rookie who’s only just met a senior to visit their home and run errands every weekend. It does call for an explanation. It’s hard to believe, you know?”
“Don’t you think Ju Tae-gang or I might be wrongly accused?”
“Well, if it’s not true, you can clarify as soon as the article goes up…”
“Out of all people, you should know that follow-up clarification articles get barely half the attention.”
“……”
“You know you’re contradicting yourself, right?”
Jeon Yeo-hu took the cigarette from Hyeon Saeng-sa’s lips and ground it out on the ground.
“I wish you had the power to block the article yourself, but it doesn’t look like you do.”
“Haha, yeah. That’s true.”
“How about this? Why don’t you help me with the clarification article?”
“Me? Why me?”
“Are you close with that reporter?”
“Huh? Not really. Just coworkers.”
“Then I’ll give you all the evidence you need for the rebuttal article, so if the story breaks, put it out right away. That should stop most of the noise. Isn’t that good? Only you will have these photos—it’ll be a scoop! Plus, you’ll be seen as the righteous guy saving my and Tae-gang’s reputation.”
At those words, Hyeon Saeng-sa’s eyes lit up.
“A scoop…?”
“Yes. And it won’t be a follow-up interview, but an exclusive scoop.”
It was hard to refuse as a reporter—juicy material and irrefutable evidence for a rebuttal.
“You’ll really give it all, just to me?”
“I’m recording, aren’t I?”
Jeon Yeo-hu waved a tiny recorder he’d just received from Hyeon Saeng-sa.
“Why would I lie? Honestly, for me, the best thing would be for you to stop the article altogether…”
“But!! No matter how much I try to stop him, that guy will run the story. He’s like a leech—if he believes something, he’ll push through no matter how much proof there is to the contrary.”
“Haha, you’re not that kind of person, Hyeon Saeng-sa?”
“You’re saying you’re wrongly accused, what more do I need? I’m scared out of my mind as it is.”
At that, Jeon Yeo-hu mumbled softly.
“The person I know isn’t like that, though.”
“Sorry?”
“It’s nothing.”
Jeon Yeo-hu smiled.
“Try to persuade them, please. If you succeed, I’ll give you another scoop. If you fail, I’ll give you evidence for our side’s rebuttal. And believe me 100 percent. You know recording this isn’t exactly great for my career, right?”
“But really, why are you giving me the scoop…”
“Who knows, maybe this random encounter will turn into an amazing connection, don’t you think?”
An amazing connection?
Well, it was common enough in showbiz for reporters and agencies to make arrangements, but for Hyeon Saeng-sa, it felt like a fantasy. Those things were reserved for reporters with real clout.
‘If I weren’t powerless, I wouldn’t be getting strong-armed by a rookie like this… sigh…’
Jeon Yeo-hu wrote his number on a slip of paper and handed it over.
Normally they’d give a manager’s business card, but this meant he wanted Hyeon Saeng-sa to contact him directly.
“Oh, I almost forgot.”
“Huh? Forgot what…?”
He pressed the stop button on the recorder, then hit play again, and, voice trembling, spoke into the mic.
“Reporter, please. I told you, I’m not involved. Sniffle, Ju Tae-gang senior isn’t like that at all. What do I have to say to stop you from publishing?”
Hyeon Saeng-sa was flustered, and Jeon Yeo-hu, acting like he was really crying, begged for quite a while before stopping the recording.
“T-this is…”
“In case you break our promise.”
“……”
“I need your personal email and phone number for the photos. Company email won’t do.”
In the end, Hyeon Saeng-sa, as if possessed, entered his number into the phone Jeon Yeo-hu handed him.
*****
“Haa.”
Once the memory ended, Hyeon Saeng-sa let out a deep sigh.
After a day of unexpected events, he needed a drink just to pull himself together.
He didn’t say a word about Jeon Yeo-hu that night, only muttered repeatedly that something seemed off, and finally blacked out and went home in a taxi.
—
The day after Jeon Yeo-hu confronted Hyeon Saeng-sa and received a coffee truck from Park I-won.
News that Park I-won had sent the coffee truck spread fast, and several articles popped up here and there.
Hyeon Saeng-sa hadn’t written one, maybe because he was still too rattled from the previous day.
[Showdown Between Two Men Over a Rookie ★ Who’s the Star Capturing the Hearts of the Handsome Leads?]
[The Rookie Who Received Coffee Trucks From Both Ju Tae-gang and Park I-won, Star of the 2-Million-View Ad]
I never expected to become clickbait in those classic, gender-ambiguous headline traps.
Anyway, Director Woo Hyun-sik loved such articles.
People became curious about which drama set attracted coffee trucks from such famous actors and singers.
With info about the drama set to leak soon, the timing was perfect for Director Woo Hyun-sik.
And then, astonishingly, Han Se-rang joined the coffee truck rush after those articles dropped.
By now, someone inevitably linked the three and started writing things like, ‘Is Jeon Yeo-hu also appearing in ?’
Since my name wasn’t in the revealed main cast, the only people who knew I was appearing in were the staff, fellow actors, and entertainment reporters.
It wasn’t as if I’d been purposely hiding it.
– Ju Tae-gang and Han Se-rang are leads in , right? So this guy must be in the drama too
└ Then how did he get close to Park I-won?? Wasn’t he the one rumored to replace Ju Tae-gang?
└ They must have been close already. It’s a bit weird to say they became friends just because of that mess, right?
└ Didn’t Park I-won only get the offer, but never considered taking the role?
└ Yeah, that’s right
We really did get close because of that whole mess.
Even I think it’s a surprising connection.
– Maybe Park I-won and Ju Tae-gang are closer than we thought? They look like they get along, which is nice
– Has Park I-won ever sent a coffee truck to anyone?
└ He sent one to Han Se-rang, they were trainee together when they were younger
└ Oh, I see!
– Han Se-rang sent a coffee truck too, lol. At this rate, he’s the rookie for everyone
At this point, it was no longer a secret that I was appearing in .
Director Woo Hyun-sik and writer Kim Hye-mi, whose poster reveal and press conference date were already set, reassured me that it didn’t matter if it came out.
I was worried because I hadn’t heard from Hyeon Saeng-sa until the evening shoot ended, but thankfully he reached out the day before the press conference.
At last, morning dawned on the day of the production presentation.