TLICO 06

Chapter – 06

Twenty-five-year-old Hong Jong-ho.

He had graduated from a physical education department at a junior college and was living a “two-job” life—working as a fitness trainer by day and a designated driver by night.

That damn money was always the problem. It had been that way ever since he left the orphanage. He realized then that saving up a 10-million-won deposit was insanely difficult. Out of options, he began working as a designated driver at night, and that was the start of a vicious cycle. Because he dealt with drunken, difficult customers all day, he often dozed off at the gym and got scolded.

It was because of that.

“Let’s have Coach Hong Jong-ho handle the free personal training trial for this member who registered today.”He was always the one assigned to the free sessions that brought in no money. But even for those sessions, he always taught with all his heart. He figured that if he worked hard at those things, an opportunity might come. His only weapon was his sincerity.

“Member. If you live like this, your body will break down. Right now, your body is composed of nothing but bone and skin. If you lack muscle like this, the probability of getting cancer later increases…!”

But then.

“Such a nag…”

The member, who had signed up for a one-month gym membership and came for the free trial, muttered to him. Did she say she was twenty-one? She had a pretty face. No, honestly…

‘She’s the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen in my life.’

However, he shook his head inwardly and thought:

‘Still, our Mi-jeong is the best!’

He thought of Yang Mi-jeong, whom he had been crushing on for eight years. Nevertheless, this woman went beyond simply being pretty. There was a certain atmosphere about her that overwhelmed people.

“You hear that you nag a lot often, don’t you?”

“Well… a little…?”

At that answer, the woman chuckled and said to him:

“That’s your charm.”“…?”

What?

“Driver. Please go to Guui-dong.”

That evening, having been called as a designated driver, he looked at that very same member sitting in the back seat and thought again.

‘Seriously, what is going on???’

In fact, after the free session ended that day, that member had paid for 10 training sessions with a credit card. She had even put it on a six-month installment plan. And now, they were meeting again as driver and passenger just a few hours later.

“Um… Member. Is this a coincidence?” he asked.

By now, Hong Jong-ho had memorized this member’s name. Ha Eun-rae. It was a unique name. A name that sticks in one’s memory.

“It’s fate.”“…!”

Ha Eun-rae poked her face—which smelled nothing like alcohol—between the passenger and driver seats and said to him:

“You drive well.”

“I hear that of—”

…Wait, no! What is this situation, exactly?

“And you’re sincere.”

“I also hear that of—”

…This isn’t it. He ruffled his hair aggressively. Seeing that, Ha Eun-rae chuckled again. Every time this woman laughed, she strangely reminded him of a cat.

“Ah, I’m quite pretty, right? I hear that often, too.”

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“I have a woman I like.”

When he spoke quite seriously, Ha Eun-rae froze for a moment.

‘Did I… hurt her?’

Well, she’s so pretty, there probably hasn’t been a man who didn’t fall for her. Should he have been more indirect? Just as he was worrying.

“Puhahahahat!”

A loud burst of laughter exploded from Ha Eun-rae. His expression was distorted.

“Ah, sorry. Sorry… No, but…” She held up her palm and said:

“Really, really, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m truly not interested in you in that way, okay? Or wait. Am I interested?”“Excuse me?”

What is with this strange woman?

It was then. Ha Eun-rae’s expression suddenly turned serious. When her face became serious, a strange atmosphere emerged. It was like being sucked into an actor’s performance during an important scene at the cinema.

“I’m an actress.”Perhaps that was why. Those words didn’t feel awkward at all.

“But I like you, Hong Jong-ho.”

What does being an actress have to do with liking him?

“I saw you working hard to teach customers at the gym, even if they weren’t making you money. Working day and night is an amazing thing. Honestly, I think having this level of responsibility at this age is difficult.”

“…”

The question of how she knew all that didn’t even come to mind. Responsibility. He had always thought he lacked responsibility because of the trauma of being abandoned by parents who had none. But does he have responsibility?

“Ah, and of course, you seem to drive well? So, about that.”

She slid a business card from an agency toward him.

Ah, is this a casting offer? Like a road manager… She wasn’t a familiar face, but maybe this woman was an unexpectedly successful actress? And so she was suggesting he come work at her agency.

When he asked that, Ha Eun-rae tilted her head.

“No? I haven’t gotten into this place yet. I couldn’t take my profile pictures. I’ll take them once I get paid. Photo studios don’t take installment plans, you know?”

“…What?”

“But by the time you join, I’ll probably be in there too. And once I’m in—”

Ha Eun-rae’s eyes sparkled.

“Make sure to work with me.”It made no sense. His logic was telling him so. But strangely, his heart fluttered slightly. It felt as if someone had recognized his sincerity and his desperation, which no one had noticed until now. The first person to recognize him, who had even been abandoned by his parents. The fact that it was this woman shook him.

Soon, she got out at Guui-dong, handed him cash, and said:

“Good work…”

Just then, her phone vibrated.

“Ah, time’s up.”

“What time is up…?”

“This car is a rental.”

“…???”

Seriously. This woman… she seems a bit crazy.

At that moment, Ha Eun-rae held out her phone.

“If you give me your phone number, I’ll invite you to my movie premiere later. Filming starts next week, so you can come watch the set if you want.”

I cannot give my phone number to any woman other than Mi-jeong…!

But the following week, he was sitting at the filming set. And—

“Cue!”

The moment the director’s cue was heard, Ha Eun-rae began acting in front of the camera.

“Hehe… This is fun… No humans…”

With a face he had never seen before, she had become a completely adorable ‘ghost.’ His jaw dropped. He heard people whispering behind him.

“Is it true that the girl doesn’t have an agency yet?”

“This is her first time acting?”

In that moment, he felt that perhaps this was the opportunity he had been looking for.

Hong Jong-ho, who had been stubbornly saying he didn’t have time, appeared at the first filming site for some reason.

‘I guess he was secretly curious.’

I suppressed a laugh. The Jong-ho I knew quite liked being on movie or drama sets. During the long waiting times that even I, an actress, would find boring, he was the type to gobble down chicken breast or lift nearby filming equipment to try and get a “muscle pump.”

And above all else—

“I like watching you act. You don’t know, do you? Your eyes sparkle when you act. They’re so bright I can see them from far away.”He liked my acting. I can’t be sure if Hong Jong-ho will move exactly as I say right now. However, it’s enough that I’ve planted the name of Naru Stage in his mind.

‘Naru Stage’ is the company Hong Jong-ho will eventually move to; it’s small now, but later it will grow much larger than Canna.

‘Above all, the CEO was an honest person, so it was a company actor liked. Unlike that damn Canna.’

Soon, Hong Jong-ho will receive an offer to be a manager at Canna.

The President of Canna was a hometown senior of Hong Jong-ho. Even if Jong-ho joins Canna in this life due to personal ties, that is his choice, and I can’t help it.

Still, I wanted to give him a chance. A chance for someone who always took pride in his work to work in a place where he could maintain that pride in his life.

And above all, I wanted to give myself a chance. …A chance to work with Hong Jong-ho again.

 Because whenever I saw him outside the cool van, monitoring my acting on set, I used to gain so much strength.