Chapter 63: Hidden Bruises

Even after hours, my name wasn’t dropping from the real-time search rankings. No wonder people around me were sending messages. 

“Wow… this is some serious publicity, huh?” 

 “…Guess so?” 

‘Why is this…’ 

Honestly, I was lukewarm about it. I figured it’d drop from the rankings over time. 

Seo-eun unnie was checking the real-time rankings with lightning-fast swipes. 

“Number one search for the 40s and 50s crowd.” 

“…In the afternoon?” 

“Im Bada, you’ve made your mark!” 

Seo-eun unnie lightly tapped my arm in congratulations. What kind of windfall is this? 

“This… feels like something big’s about to happen.” 

“Why?” 

“Too much luck following me.” 

As Manager Min Seo-eun said, something had to be off for luck to align like this. 

Unless you land a lead role in a weekend drama or morning soap, it’s rare to catch the middle-aged crowd’s eye.  

“Look at this.” 

Once in the car, Min Seo-eun sent me a post. 

[(Monster Class) Went to the movie with my parents lol] 

They’re asking who Im Bada is 

Says she steals the show 

– With your parents? Not an industry person? 

└ Nah, parents can like zombie stuff too 

“Maybe their kids went with them and explained who you are.” 

Is this the movie’s hidden perk? Hard to stand out to middle-aged folks without a weekend drama. 

“By the way, Bada-ya, what happened earlier?” 

“What?” 

“The staff were whispering.” 

Oh, that fight? I told her about the earlier chaos, and Min Seo-eun’s jaw dropped. 

“Man, what a shame… if it wasn’t for Cheon Ian, I could’ve seen it.” 

“You should’ve been there.” 

Just then, a phone notification popped up. 

[Im Hoon: Same-age crew.] 

[Ryubyul: Are we idols?] 

[Im Hoon: Got something to say. Meet at the office.] 

Im Hoon messaging first? It’s 8 p.m., and he’s got something to say? 

[Me: Confessing to us? Lol] 

[Im Hoon: Crazy?! Are you nuts?!] 

[Ryubyul: Im Bada’s serious lol] 

[Me: Serious? That guy’s got seriousness?] 

[Im Hoon: Just get here;;;] 

Does he actually have something to say? I asked Min Seo-eun to drive to the address Im Hoon sent. 

“But Bada-ya, not just the two of you, right?” 

“Two?” 

“Reporters are watching you lately.” 

With reporters staking out my place, the agency’s probably worried about a “scandal.” 

“Unnie… me and that guy, what?” 

“What? Huh?” 

“It’s not just me and Im Hoon, Ryubyul’s there too.” 

“Byul too?” 

Bzzz— 

My phone vibrated. Im Hoon sent another message. 

[Im Hoon: Im Bada, bringing one more??] 

One more? 

[Me: Got Go Eun-hyuk.] 

[Im Hoon: Yeah, yeah, yeah] 

[Im Hoon: Bring him] 

“Go Eun-hyuk’s coming too.” 

“…No scandal then.” 

I sent Im Hoon’s office address to Go Eun-hyuk with a note. 

[Me: Wanna come hang?] 

[Go Eun-hyuk: Yup! I’m in!] 

Go Eun-hyuk’s on board. 

[Me: Called Eun-hyuk.] 

[Im Hoon: Made a friend lol] 

[Ryubyul: You and him friends? lol] 

[Im Hoon: Hey.] 

[Ryubyul: Ho.] 

[Im Hoon: F*ck] 

Messages kept coming, but I closed my eyes. No need to tire myself checking them. 

*** 

Im Hoon’s office. We arrived in a blink. Pretty spacious, huh? Ryubyul whistled, giving a thumbs-up. 

“Whoa~ this guy made it big?” 

“Big what?!” 

“Must be raking in cash?” 

“Nope.” 

“Next-gen rising star! Im Hoon!” 

“Ugh…! Stop it!” 

While Ryubyul teased Im Hoon, I looked around. He’d said practicing acting at the agency felt awkward with staff watching, so he got this office. 

“Isn’t this too big? Planning a play or something?” 

Even small theaters don’t rehearse in places this big. Roughly 40 pyeong (1300 sq ft). 

Getting a 40-pyeong office in this area means serious money… I grabbed Im Hoon’s arm. 

“You really made bank, huh? What’s your worth?” 

“W-worth?” 

An actor’s value is key, right? Im Hoon scratched his cheek, unbothered. 

“My worth’s low.” 

“Huh? For real?” 

“I’m just starting to get into acting.” 

…Get into acting? Did he read some fantasy novel? He flipped his bangs, sat confidently, crossed his legs, and folded his arms. 

‘Showing off?’

“At first, I was in it for the money.” 

“That’s why your acting sucked.” 

Ryubyul chimed in. 

“My face is too good, you know? You guys already know that.” 

“Anyone here not good-looking?” 

“But no male actor’s face beats mine.” 

“…Ugh.” 

The ignorer versus the persistent jabber. Spear versus shield. 

‘But his face…’

Hate to admit it, but he’s undeniably good-looking. And I’ve always felt he’s got this vibe like a carefree prince ruling the world. 

“Anyway, I started acting relying on my face. But our agency CEO said actors don’t need to act well…” 

Im Hoon looked at me. Why me? 

“Seeing someone act well woke me up.” 

“…” 

“I used to feel inferior watching better actors. Later, my manager noona said I had a huge inferiority complex.” 

Huge, yeah. But I liked his competitiveness. 

“I liked being challenged.” 

“…She’s weird.” 

“Getting heat from celebs makes me feel superior.” 

“It’s not weird, she’s just confident.” 

Why’re they looking at me like I’m odd? 

“Doesn’t it feel good getting heat from celebs?” 

Both shook their heads. 

“No?” 

Am I the weird one? It felt great. Better than being ignored. 

“So, Im Hoon, what’s up?” 

“Where was I?” 

At Ryubyul’s question, he clutched his head and continued. 

“So my acting started improving. I wanted to learn it again.” 

“Nice.” 

“But without the basics, it’s hard to find my center.” 

Getting to the point? Thirsty, he chugged a 500ml water bottle. 

As he was about to continue— 

Ding-dong. 

Go Eun-hyuk must’ve arrived. 

“Hey, that’s Go Eun-hyuk, my invite.” 

Im Hoon and Ryubyul, seeing him for the first time, swallowed hard. Right, they’re both shy. 

“I’ll get it.” 

Since I wasn’t a stranger to Go Eun-hyuk, I opened the door. 

“…Hey, come in.” 

“Ba, Bada-ya.” 

Sweaty from climbing stairs to the fourth floor—no elevator. What’s with all the stuff? 

“This… ginseng, and…” 

“Yeah!” 

“This is tissue. First time, so I brought something.” 

Too polite. Who thinks to bring this? I took the ginseng from his hand. 

“No need to give those guys…” 

“Huh?” 

“Nothing. Come in.” 

Ryubyul and Im Hoon stood to greet him. 

“Hi, I’m Ryubyul.” 

“…Ahem. Hi? I’m Im Hoon.” 

…What’s with them? I glanced between them pitifully, setting the ginseng on the floor. 

“Hi, I’m Go Eun-hyuk.” 

“Just talk casually.” 

“Uh, uh…!” 

Im Hoon offered a handshake, and Go Eun-hyuk grabbed it with both hands. Guess he’s his second same-age friend after me? 

Ryubyul slipped in. 

“I’m 26 too. Talk easy.” 

“Wow… saw you a lot as a kid. It’s surreal in person.” 

“My fan?” 

“Not a fan, but my noona loves dramas, so I know you.” 

“Not my fan?” 

“Uh, uh? Fan! I’m a fan!” 

As Go Eun-hyuk arrived, the ordered jjuggumi fried rice and braised chicken came. I grabbed the food from outside and set the table. 

“Ba, Bada-ya! I’ll help!” 

Anyone can see he’s escaping. 

“Running away?” 

“…Huh?” 

“If I hadn’t come, those guys would’ve kept picking on you.” 

I patted his back to comfort him. 

“Oh, right.” 

“Yeah?” 

“How was today’s shoot?” 

“Shoot? Scary.” 

Scary? I gave a flat look, handing out spoons and chopsticks. 

‘One, two, three, four.’

Perfect setup done, I replied. 

“No way. I saw a fight in the premiere waiting room after Monster Class.” 

“What…?” 

I chuckled at Go Eun-hyuk’s shocked face. 

“It was fun.” 

“…Huh?” 

“Seems Dokgo Young got wind of Shim Seonam’s cheating and dug into it.” 

“For real?” 

“How else would she show up uninvited to Monster Class’s premiere?” 

Good thing Dokgo Young’s sharp. 

“Im Bada, you’re mean.” 

Ryubyul jabbed at me. 

“I’m human too. That hurts.” 

Im Hoon, mixing rice with braised chicken sauce, stuffed his mouth and spoke. 

“What’s that about?” 

“Oh, that.” 

As I explained, Im Hoon and Ryubyul’s eyes and mouths widened, then froze. 

“Wow! Crazy jerks. Insane. I’ve seen actors date on set, but sabotaging the lead’s acting? First time. You just took it? You’ve got some patience.” 

At Ryubyul’s comment, Go Eun-hyuk grinned sheepishly and thanked her. 

“Not a compliment…” 

“Not… a compliment?” 

“Nope.” 

“Uh, uh…” 

Couldn’t side with Go Eun-hyuk here. He needs a wake-up call. 

“Eun-hyuk, you went through a lot.” 

“Thanks, Hoon-ah.” 

“Hoon-hoon-ah?” 

Unfamiliar nickname or allergic to warmth? Im Hoon coughed repeatedly. 

“Achoo!” 

Ryubyul shielded the food, yelling. 

“Hey! Don’t spit on the food!” 

“I’ve got a warmth allergy!” 

What kind of nonsense allergy is that? 

“Sorry… didn’t know about that allergy. Should I call you Im Hoon?” 

“…Huh?” 

“No?” 

The longer you’re in the industry, the weirder Go Eun-hyuk seems. 

“…He’s nicer than Ryubyul.” 

“Why am I dragged in?” 

At least Go Eun-hyuk balances this dynamic. 

“Ugh! Damn it! Done pretending to be nice!” 

“Me too!” 

They were pretending to be nice? 

“Weren’t you guys shy?” 

Im Hoon and Ryubyul’s faces froze, caught off guard. 

“Us?” 

“Not at all!” 

Not shy…? 

“Thought you were shy.” 

They answered in unison. 

“All an act.” 

“Yup, an act.” 

Their synergy’s perfect for this. 

“Gotta make a good first impression for fun, right?” 

“Wow, Ryubyul’s tougher than me.” 

“Not tougher than you.” 

“Wanna fight again?” 

They acted for fun. Go Eun-hyuk, finding it amusing, held back laughter alone. 

“Enough, eat.” 

Starving, I put jjuggumi on a perilla leaf and ate. The gochujang was spicy enough to sting, but the sweetness made it bearable. 

“Oh! My story!” 

Im Hoon suddenly grabbed a cleansing tissue and wiped his cheek delicately, like revealing a secret identity. 

“Look! Check this out!” 

A small bruise was on his face. 

“Huh? A bruise?” 

Ryubyul, unaware, stared at it. 

“See it? See it!”  

Finally spilling, Im Hoon chugged a soda, sighing in relief. 

“Took so much buildup to show this.” 

“Hey! You didn’t show me!” 

“Gotta show it when everyone’s here for maximum effect.” 

What happened? We were all too shocked to speak, just moving our lips. 

“Wanna know who?” 

Im Hoon, hyped up, grinned wide and shouted. 

“Reveal in 60 seconds!” 

Might be better to take a hit instead.