Chapter 68: The Couple in the Spotlight

As the door opened, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

What… is this situation?

The man who walked in, presumably the male lead, was someone I’d seen in Phuket. And not just anywhere—he was arm-in-arm with the female lead standing right next to me.

This is real, right?

I blinked several times, trying to recall the memory, but it was definitely him.

So… I’m caught between a couple?

What kind of situation was this? While I was reeling in confusion, the oblivious staff rushed to introduce Seojin and Hayoon.

“Seojin, this is Hayoon, our female lead. Do you two know each other?”

“We’ve met once. We did an outdoor brand photoshoot together last time.”

“Really? You two have a connection then~”

To the director’s question, Seojin casually replied that they’d worked together.

They must’ve started dating during that photoshoot.

I silently speculated about their love story in my head.

“Right. I didn’t expect to meet like this, but I look forward to working with you.”

“Oh! No, I’m the one who should say that.”

To others, they probably looked like nothing more than slightly awkward colleagues meeting for the second time.

Actors really do have top-notch acting skills.

Even as a couple, they didn’t let it show at all.

“And this is Hyunjae, who’s playing our supporting male lead, Doyoon.”

“Hi~ I’m Ji Seojin.”

“Nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”

As I greeted Seojin, I stole a glance at Hayoon, whose eyes were trembling slightly with unease.

“I really enjoyed your drama this time~”

“I enjoyed The Heirs too.”

Ji Seojin. 

His acting skills were a bit lacking, but his striking visuals had landed him multiple male lead roles, earning him a huge female fanbase.

“Isn’t this group just too dazzling?”

“This drama’s going to be impossible to skip.”

The staff and director looked at me and Seojin with smiles.

“With this cast, isn’t it the best webtoon adaptation ever?”

“Exactly.”

“Haha, come on~ Hyunjae’s way more handsome than me. By the way, how old are you?”

“Oh, I’m twenty-one.”

“Really? Wow~ I need to step up my dermatologist visits.”

Seojin had a warm, friendly personality, and the atmosphere in the fitting room was lively. 

Except for Hayoon, the female lead. 

She’d been sneaking glances at me since earlier, probably because of what happened on the plane.

“Hayoon.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Why so startled?”

I only said her name, but she flinched and jumped, and Seojin, noticing, sent her a concerned boyfriend glance.

You can’t completely hide it, can you…

To others, it might look like a casual glance, but knowing their relationship, I could read the meaning behind his eyes all too well.

“Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment, haha…”

“Want to take a look at the outfit concept? Since Hayoon has a lovely image, we’re going for this kind of coordination…”

“Oh, oh~ That’s so pretty! I love it!”

After a brief greeting, the costume fitting wrapped up smoothly, and we agreed to meet again for the prop shoot.

“See you next time, then. Let’s grab a meal together then.”

“Sounds good!”

Seojin left first, followed by Hayoon, and I was the last to exit the fitting room.

“Hyunjae, the CEO said to come to the office now for something important.”

“Something important? Why does that sound scary? Did I mess something up?”

Since the airport photo incident, I’d been quietly staying home, reading scripts.

“I don’t know the details either…”

“Hyunjae!”

As I was talking with Hayoon and heading out, a voice called me.

“Huh? You haven’t left yet?”

“Um… could we talk for a moment?”

Hayoon cautiously spoke, glancing at Hayoon (the manager).

“Uh… sure.”

“Excuse us.”

She gave a slight bow to Hayoon and, after checking that no one was around, led me to an empty meeting room.

“What’s this about…”

I had a hunch what she wanted to say, but I played dumb to give her a chance to speak first.

“Um… do you remember when we met last time?”

“Yeah.”

How could I forget? 

We were seated next to each other for hours, and with the awkward situation, it was impossible not to remember.

“Ha… I’m really sorry!”

Before I could finish, Hayoon immediately bowed deeply in apology.

“I’m so sorry! I’m not usually like that…”

“It’s okay.”

I didn’t have high expectations of people, so I wasn’t hurt or upset. I just thought, “Another fussy celebrity.”

“Really, I had some personal circumstances that day… I’m so sorry. Really sorry.”

She kept bowing, her hair nearly touching the floor, apologizing repeatedly.

“No, you don’t have to feel that sorry.”

I understood. 

Hayoon was somewhat famous, and her partner was Seojin, who had a huge female fanbase, so she must’ve been sensitive. 

Having a young guy sitting alone next to her probably made her extra cautious.

“But… how long have you and Seojin been dating?”

“What?”

At my question, Hayoon’s face went pale, her already large eyes widening as if she’d forgotten how to manage her expression.

“You two went to Phuket together, right?”

“Uh… how did you know that?”

She clearly hadn’t expected me to know that much.

“We were at the same resort.”

“You… saw us?”

“I saw you two together when I went to check in.”

“It was supposed to be completely private…”

They’d taken separate flights and booked a private resort to avoid attention, but they couldn’t escape my eagle eyes.

“I won’t tell anyone, so don’t worry.”

What would I gain from spreading rumors about who’s dating who? 

I had no intention of talking about it anyway.

“Thank you! Hyunjae, thank you so much!”

Hayoon expressed her gratitude profusely. Dating as a celebrity must be tough.

“It’s fine. People date, it’s normal.”

“Since the drama hasn’t even started shooting, I was a bit nervous.”

It’s one thing if sparks fly during filming, but if it’s known that a couple is in the same drama before shooting starts… it’d be chaos.

“Really, we were cast separately for this project! It’s not like oppa pulled strings for me!”

There’d be talk about favoritism or accusations of slacking off to focus on their relationship.

“I don’t think that way.”

Both of them had enough fame and popularity to justify their casting, so there was no reason to suspect otherwise.

“Even when we start shooting, you don’t have to worry! We won’t let it affect the set or make things uncomfortable.”

“I know. I’m genuinely okay with it. I understand.”

Her sincere apology and explanation erased any negative feelings I had about her.

“Thank you for understanding.”

It wasn’t like they were hurting me, and while being caught between a couple might feel slightly awkward, the set’s atmosphere didn’t seem like it’d be bad.

“No problem.”

“Let’s do well on this shoot!”

“Alright, see you at the next shoot.”

Hayoon, her face no longer clouded with worry, left the meeting room with a brighter expression.

“What was that about?”

Hayoon (the manager), curious about my private talk with someone I seemingly had no connection with, asked.

“Uh… well…”

I hesitated, wondering if I should tell him.

“It’s nothing. We met by chance on a plane, and there was a bit of an awkward moment. She was apologizing for that.”

I didn’t mention their secret relationship to Hayoon. 

He wasn’t the type to gossip, but I still wanted to keep it as confidential as possible.

They’re struggling so much to keep their relationship private—I should respect that!

“An awkward moment?”

“When I went to Phuket, there was a little issue with seating.”

“Oh, that time?”

“It’s not a big deal, but she apologized so sincerely I was a bit thrown off. Oh, by the way, what’s this meeting about?”

***

“What’s the meeting about?”

“Rural Three Meals.”

“Rural… what? Is that some kind of insult?”

“No, you punk! Three Meals, not that!”

Rural Three Meals? What’s that?

“What is it?”

“You don’t know it?”

Rural Three Meals… Rural Three Meals… “Oh!”

After racking my brain, it suddenly clicked.

“You mean that variety show about cooking and eating in the countryside, right?”

It was the name of a variety show I’d come across while investigating the suspicious people who gave us that business card.

“Exactly!”

“What’s that got to do with me… Wait, it’s not a scam, is it?”

I knew it was a famous variety show with multiple seasons, and the fact that they contacted me at this exact moment meant those people weren’t scammers—they were the real production team.

“You should’ve told me about this big news sooner!”

“It’s really not a scam?”

“Do you know how shocked I was when they called?”

Hyungkyu seemed upset, but he was smiling the whole time.

“They’re filming the new season in your village.”

“Really? Wow~ The village head’s gonna be thrilled.”

After being scammed once, he was really upset, but now a legit famous variety show was coming to our village.

“Tell the village head it’s not a scam…”

“That’s not the point—it’s about you!”

“Oh, right.”

I put the phone I was about to pull out back in my pocket.

“They want you to appear in this season.”

“Oh, really?”

Since I knew the village like the back of my hand, I wasn’t worried at all. 

Cooking and sleeping in the countryside? 

That was just my daily life.

“What’s with this lukewarm reaction?”

“What? How should I react?”

“This is the variety show! People are dying to get even a brief appearance!”

“Oh, really?”

Unfortunately, I’d never watched it, so I had no reaction to offer.

“Ugh, this isn’t the kind of show that deserves this kind of treatment…”

Hyungkyu muttered to himself, clearly displeased with my lackluster response.

“But I’ve got drama filming soon. Is it okay? I don’t want it to take too much time away from the drama.”

Even if it’s in my village, I was already busy with the drama, so the thought of adding a variety show made me nervous.

“Hyunjae?”

“Yes?”

“The contract you signed is limited to acting projects. This is non-negotiable! You’re doing it, even if you’re filming overseas!”

Hyungkyu grabbed my shoulders as he spoke.

“Okay, got it.”

One more word, and it felt like Hyungkyu might swallow me whole, so I quietly complied.

“So, what do I have to do there?”

“What you’ll need to do is…”