DBEM ~ 06

Chapter – 06

Seo Tae-oh.

He was someone whose name was far more familiar than his face.

A third-generation heir of one of South Korea’s top ten conglomerates, he was famous for appearing constantly in headlines and on the front pages of newspapers while almost never showing his face at official events.

She had heard that after spending years studying in the United States, he had produced remarkable results at TL Group’s New York branch.

I heard he’d returned to Korea not long ago…

“I never expected to run into you here. What brings you to a place like this?”

Very few people had ever actually seen Seo Tae-oh in person—she even remembered reading an article about it—so Woo-cheol’s astonishment at seeing him here was only natural.

Only after realizing who he was did Seol-hwa finally understand his behavior outside the funeral hall.

Of course.

Someone like Seo Tae-oh had probably lived his entire life without ever being denied anything he wanted. It was no wonder he feared nothing and hesitated at nothing.

Though she still couldn’t understand why he had insisted on using his power for her sake.

“Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Woo-cheol greeted him warmly and extended his hand.

For a brief instant, Tae-oh’s brows narrowed ever so slightly as he looked at the offered handshake.

Perhaps embarrassed by Tae-oh’s emotionless gaze, Woo-cheol awkwardly asked,

“Um… don’t you remember me? We met a week ago.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the young man standing beside Tae-oh leaned over and whispered something into his ear.

Only then did a faint smile finally appear on Tae-oh’s otherwise expressionless face.

“My apologies. President Jang Woo-cheol of Jang Entertainment.”

“I had no idea Director Seo was acquainted with Ms. Noh Hee-yeon.”

Just as Woo-cheol voiced his curiosity, Tae-oh’s dark eyes slowly shifted away from him and settled on Seol-hwa.

His neatly shaped lips parted.

“There’s someone I absolutely needed to meet.”

Surely…

He couldn’t possibly mean her.

And yet, the unwavering gaze fixed on her kept giving her that strange illusion.

He had witnessed both Ma Yoo-kyung and Jung Seol-hwa that day.

He had seen her ruined face.

And now…

He was seeing her restored face as well.

There was no way she could feel comfortable facing him.

Seol-hwa hurriedly avoided his gaze when Woo-cheol’s cheerful voice broke the silence.

“If you don’t mind, would you like to sit with us for a moment?”

“Sure.”

“Seol-hwa, this is Director Seo Tae-oh from TL Group.”

Completely oblivious to her discomfort, Woo-cheol enthusiastically continued the introductions.

“He just launched a film and drama production division.”

“Production…?”

At Woo-cheol’s excited words, a forgotten memory resurfaced.

Only a few days earlier, TL Group—the largest content distributor in Korea—had announced it would be expanding into content production as well.

And for its very first drama project, it had signed Director Jeon Gi-beom.

“They’re doing this to support the arts and entertainment industry. Things have been rough in this business lately.”

Why would a corporation like TL Group, which had absolutely no need to enter production, suddenly decide to produce dramas?

The question wasn’t particularly interesting to her, but she mulled it over anyway as she endured the increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere.

Then Woo-cheol introduced her.

“You know her, right? Actress Jung Seol-hwa.”

That lazy gaze returned to her once more.

“I know her very well.”

One corner of his sharply defined lips curved upward.

“Did you get home safely that day? It snowed quite a bit.”

“…!”

His unexpected familiarity stole the breath from her lungs.

Was this…

A subtle threat?

Was he holding her misfortune over her head?

He had already seen her at the entrance, so why pretend otherwise?

She felt like she’d become nothing more than a toy for a wealthy young master who had grown up getting everything he wanted.

All she’d needed to do was thank him.

Instead, wounded pride surged up inside her.

“Thanks to you. I’ll return your umbrella, so please give me your address.”

At her icy tone, he merely smiled in amusement.

“The address is written on the back of the quick-delivery envelope I sent.”

“…!”

His casual reply instantly drained the color from her face.

So…

He was the one who had sent the package.

Naturally, her thoughts went to the plain white envelope she’d received that morning.

And the script inside it…

The one she hadn’t even had time to unfold.

“How did you…”

Unable to finish her question, she trailed off.

Tae-oh simply shrugged.

She took that nonchalant gesture as silent confirmation.

How had he found her address?

Why had he sent her a script?

Her guard against him rose to its highest point.

Watching their exchange with obvious interest, Woo-cheol finally interrupted.

“Wait… you two already know each other?”

Know each other.

Could their relationship really be described that way?

All that had happened was that he’d witnessed her misery.

“No.”

Seol-hwa answered quietly but firmly.

“Not at all.”

Just then, a young woman lightly tapped Woo-cheol on the shoulder.

“President Jang, Producer Jung is looking for you.”

“Oh, right.”

Looking apologetic, Woo-cheol stood.

“You two chat for a bit. I’ll be right back.”

Ignoring Seol-hwa’s desperate look for help, he hurried away.

“…”

“…”

Left alone together, an unbearable silence settled over the table.

The sound of water pouring into a glass echoed loudly in the oppressive quiet.

Should I just go home?

She was absentmindedly staring at the clear glass slowly turning in his hand when Tae-oh spoke without looking up from the water.

“It looks like the package arrived safely.”

“And I suppose you haven’t had time to read the script.”

As though she’d been waiting for the chance, Seol-hwa looked directly at him.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

He sounded genuinely puzzled.

“You saw my face.”

“A week ago… and today.”

“So?”

He finally lifted his gaze from the glass and met her eyes directly.

“What I want to know is whether Ms. Jung Seol-hwa intends to read that script.”

Was he planning to blackmail her over her restored face?

Or was he trying to create buzz for TL Group’s first investment by casting a once-famous actress who had mysteriously disappeared?

As she narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher his true intentions—

“Good afternoon!”

“Hello, Writer.”

Two familiar voices greeted someone from behind her.

Her heart plummeted.

“Oh, look who it is! Director Jeon Gi-beom, the ten-million-view director, and actress Ma Yoo-kyung! Come, sit here.”

She heard Gi-beom and Yoo-kyung’s bright, affectionate voices.

Afraid they might notice her, Seol-hwa instinctively shrank into herself.

“So what’s this? Are you two finally going public?”

Apparently the speaker already knew about their relationship.

In an industry this small, rumors were bound to spread.

Then Yoo-kyung answered in a shy yet shameless voice.

“We were planning to announce it after filming this drama ends…”

“We’re getting married soon.”

At her innocent, cheerful confession…

Seol-hwa felt her heart shatter into countless pieces.

Then another woman’s sharp voice rang out.

“So… did you break up with Jung Seol-hwa?”

The question was asked without malice or tact.

An awkward silence followed.

Then Gi-beom hurriedly explained,

“It wasn’t anything serious. We only dated briefly.”

“People misunderstood. We were never that meaningful to each other.”

His shameless excuse was met with doubtful reactions.

“Oh, really?”

“But didn’t Seol-hwa do a lot for you? Honestly, without her, I don’t think you would’ve become successful this quickly.”

“Did Jung Seol-hwa tell you that?”

“Well… not exactly.”

“Hah.”

Gi-beom let out a scoff, as if the suggestion were absurd.

“That rumor made my life miserable.”

“And do you know who started it?”

“Jung Seol-hwa herself.”

“What? She spread those rumors?”

“Her obsession…”

“Her delusions…”

“If you weren’t the target yourself, you’d never understand how terrifying it was.”

Jeon Gi-beom was introducing himself in the most despicable way possible.

“You think it was easy dealing with the great actress Jung Seol-hwa?”

“She couldn’t control her temper and eventually turned into a monster.”

“Wasn’t she the one supporting your career behind the scenes?”

“That’s what everyone believes.”

“The truth is…”

“I saved that woman’s life.”

“I’m the one who rescued Jung Seol-hwa.”

“I’m her lifesaver.”

“And I’ve been the one supporting her all this time.”

His cold voice dragged her back to the memory she wished she’d never recall.

The moment she’d been splashed with the hydrochloric acid he had been about to drink.

The agony as she stumbled backward and fell from the cliff.

The terror of being sucked into the freezing ocean, cold enough to freeze every inch of her body.

Her face and eyes had burned as though branded with red-hot iron.

The icy seawater flooding her lungs had been unimaginably horrifying.

After that day, she could no longer go near deep water.

The pain that had consumed her face remained vivid, tormenting her without warning.

Then…

A long, sturdy arm had reached toward her like salvation.

Warm, powerful hands had wrapped around her limp waist.

Relying on that warmth…

Seol-hwa had lost consciousness.

And then—

“Seol-hwa! Are you okay?!”

When she opened her eyes…

She was in a hospital.

Even now she could vividly picture Gi-beom’s pale face as he looked down at her.

“If I hadn’t been there, you’d be dead.”

“I saved your life!”

She believed him.

Even though he was the one who had ruined her face…

She believed he had also saved her life.

Because believing that was the only way she could keep herself from hating him.

Now that she thought about it…

If he’d really rescued her…

Why had his hair been completely dry that day?

“I can’t believe she became obsessed with her own savior and even spread rumors like that…”

Yoo-kyung’s bold voice, layered over someone else’s disgusted remark, pulled Seol-hwa back to reality.

“Oppa, stop.”

“Just thinking about her is terrifying.”

“Sorry.”

“My Yoo-kyung’s heart must be racing again.”

It was the perfect performance of innocent victims.

“Was Jung Seol-hwa really that obsessive?”

“Well, everyone in the entertainment industry wears a mask.”

“You never know what people are really like.”

The skepticism that had lingered only moments before vanished in an instant.

Before long, everyone was agreeing with Gi-beom as though they wanted his lies to be true.

Humiliation washed over Seol-hwa.

“Thank you for understanding.”

As if nothing had happened, the conversation naturally shifted.

“I heard your next project is a drama.”

“Yes.”

“I received a great offer.”

“I’ve decided to stop insisting on making only my own work.”

“You’ve mellowed out.”

“That’s all thanks to Yoo-kyung.”

“She’s changed me a lot.”

“I’ve also drawn a great deal of inspiration from her acting.”

“Ha…”

A hollow breath escaped Seol-hwa’s lips at the sound of Gi-beom’s deceitful voice.