Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Because of the incident with Lee Kyung-hoon last time, and ever since he became involved with Min Ki-baek, Choi Moon-ho couldn't shake the feeling that everything he did kept going wrong.

On top of that, he couldn't stand the fact that someone in production accounting dared to have a private meeting with the CEO and even tried to take a position that belonged to him.

‘That arrogant bastard...
They say you shouldn't even look at a tree you can't climb.
Fine.
I'll just make sure he can't even look at it in the first place.
Well, I do feel a little sorry for actor Min Sung-jae, though...’

Choi Moon-ho raised the corners of his mouth and gave a sinister smile.

Then he picked up his phone and called someone.

“Hey, Reporter Yoon.
How have you been?”

On a national highway on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, Baek Sung-han was driving in silence, seemingly lost in complicated thoughts.

“Are you tired?
Would you like me to take over the driving?”

I asked Baek Sung-han, who looked particularly exhausted.

Baek Sung-han glanced at me from the corner of his eye and smiled as if to say he was fine.

“No, I'm okay.
This is nothing.
By the way, I'm sorry you can't even rest on the weekend.”

“It's okay.
It's nice to get out and see some natural scenery for once.”

“I guess so...
Someone working in production accounting rarely gets a chance to leave the office.”

After giving that short reply, Baek Sung-han fell silent again, seemingly lost in thought.

After getting CEO Han Tae-sung's permission to cast actor Min Sung-jae, I immediately told Baek Sung-han about it.

“Director Park said the CEO would persuade him, so now it's your turn, Manager Baek.”

When I first told Baek Sung-han that I had obtained Han Tae-sung's permission, he had looked as if he couldn't believe it.

It wasn't that he didn't believe I would try to persuade Han Tae-sung.

But since I had actually obtained his permission in just one day, it was understandable that he was surprised.

However, when I told him that it was now his turn, Baek Sung-han's expression immediately became serious, as if he had suddenly come to his senses.

“Good.
Then let's hear your story now.
What is the truth that Sung-jae is hiding?”

I explained everything to Baek Sung-han in the same way I had explained it to Han Tae-sung.

“So you're saying...
Sung-jae hyung isn't So-jeong's father, but her uncle?”

After hearing my explanation, Baek Sung-han's eyes trembled in confusion.

I nodded at him.

“When Min-nim found out that he wasn't her father but her uncle, he probably decided not to reveal the truth until the very end, thinking about the shock and pain So-jeong would suffer.”

“Yeah...
Sung-jae hyung is exactly the kind of person who would do that...
He's always the kind of person who thinks about those around him before himself...
And I'm supposed to persuade him.
Right?”

I nodded.

Of course, even if it wasn't now, the truth about Min Sung-jae would eventually be revealed several years later, and he would successfully return to acting.

But I thought it was unnecessary for a talented and good actor like Min Sung-jae to waste several years of his life.

Not only for his own sake, but also for the sake of the people who supported him.

Above all, I wanted Min Sung-jae and Director Park Jun-beom's movie to become a win-win situation for both of them.

Baek Sung-han remained silent for a long time, showing me just how deeply he was thinking about the situation.

I was nervous, worried that Baek Sung-han might decide that it was right to respect Min Sung-jae's wishes and give up on persuading him.

I wanted to tell him about the future I knew and say, ‘Manager, this really isn't something you need to worry about this much.’

Fortunately, after learning the truth, Baek Sung-han seemed to conclude that he couldn't leave Min Sung-jae like this.

And he began moving actively.

After asking around and eventually finding out Min Sung-jae's new phone number, Baek Sung-han contacted him out of nowhere, saying he had something to discuss regarding casting.

He even made an appointment to meet.

At first, Min Sung-jae refused, asking how casting could possibly matter in his current situation.

But he eventually couldn't win against Baek Sung-han's persistence and agreed to meet.

And so, we stopped our car in front of Min Sung-jae's country house, peacefully located among rice fields and farmland.

Min Sung-jae happened to be outside in the yard.

When he spotted us, he came out to greet us at the gate.

Min Sung-jae said it had been about eight months since he had left his life in Seoul behind and moved here after that incident.

His daughter, who had entered middle school this year, was apparently quite satisfied with life here as well.

He even gave us a relaxed smile.

“Honduras.
It has just a little bit of acidity, which suits my taste.
Try it.”

Min Sung-jae handed us coffee made from beans he had personally brewed.

“I didn't know when I was busy acting, but it turns out I'm pretty good at making coffee.
So I'm thinking about getting a barista certificate or something.”

As Min Sung-jae spoke calmly from beginning to end, many different emotions crossed Baek Sung-han's face.

“You must have had a really hard time, but I'm glad you look better, hyung.
Still, you didn't have to change your phone number too.”

“I guess you're right...
At the time, I was worried that you'd get criticized just because you were associated with me.”

“Seriously, hyung...
You're always thinking about other people first...”

“By the way, quit that movie company.”

Baek Sung-han and I stared at Min Sung-jae in confusion at his sudden suggestion that Baek Sung-han quit his company.

“There's no way a proper company would cast someone like me in this situation, especially as the lead.
So I'm telling you to quit while you still can.”

Min Sung-jae casually threw out those words, whether he was joking or serious, then gave a sly grin.

Baek Sung-han looked at him and went even further.

“That's nonsense.
Why would I quit such a good company, one that can recognize a good actor and boldly push ahead regardless of what the world thinks?
I plan to stay there until I die.”

For a moment, Min Sung-jae's eyes seemed to tremble.

But they soon settled down again.

“Thank you...”

“Hyung, should I tell you something?
Director Park kept you in mind from the very beginning when he wrote the script.
It's a little late, but you're just going back to where you were supposed to be.”

“But...
Because of me, this movie will definitely suffer...”

“Hyung, there are still people waiting for you.”

At the words that there were still people waiting for him, Min Sung-jae's eyes trembled once again.

“I'm really grateful for the offer...
I really am...
But...
The moment I step back into the world, our So-jeong, who hasn't done anything wrong, will once again become the subject of people's gossip...”

After a brief silence, Baek Sung-han finally spoke in a heavy voice.

“Hyung, listen to me carefully.
I actually know that So-jeong isn't your daughter.”

Min Sung-jae's face immediately showed clear shock.

“W-What are you talking about?
So-jeong isn't my daughter...?”

“Actually, I did think something was strange...
We've known each other for more than twenty years, hyung.
You had a girlfriend back then too...
But suddenly, you said there was a child born from another woman...
At the time, everything was so chaotic, and I didn't know what to say or how to ask you about it.
I thought not asking anything would be better for you, so I didn't.
But I should have asked you back then...
If I had...”

Baek Sung-han lowered his head as if blaming himself.

Perhaps because Min Sung-jae felt that he could no longer lie, he gave a lonely smile.

“You're something else.
Why are you blaming yourself for that?
And I don't regret it.
So-jeong is my daughter, no matter what anyone says.”

Thinking that Min Sung-jae's heart had opened up to some extent, Baek Sung-han quickly continued.

“Hyung, how about revealing the truth this time?
Maybe that's the real path for So-jeong...”

Just then—

“Uncle!”

A young girl's voice came from the second-floor staircase connected to the living room.

Without anyone saying anything, we all turned our eyes toward the sound.

“Wow~ Who's this?
Isn't this our So-jeong?
Wow~ You became a complete young lady while I wasn't looking!
Hahaha.”

Baek Sung-han immediately stood up when he saw So-jeong coming down the stairs.

So-jeong ran straight toward him and jumped into his arms.

“Dad, Uncle came.
Why didn't you wake me up?”

“You get annoyed when I wake you up from a nap.”

“When did I ever?”

So-jeong stuck out her tongue and spoke to Baek Sung-han.

“Uncle, why haven't you come in such a long time?
Are you not making movies anymore?”

“Of course I am.
I'm preparing to make a movie right now.”

“Wow~ Who's the actor?”

“Your dad.
I came here to cast your dad as the main character.”

“Sung-han!”

Min Sung-jae's eyes trembled in obvious panic.

“Wow~ Really?
Then is Dad going to act again?”

But because of So-jeong's unexpectedly enthusiastic reaction, Min Sung-jae couldn't easily continue speaking.

“Right.
You said your name was So-jeong, right?
I'm Ki-baek Uncle, and I work with this uncle here.
You'd like your dad to act again, right?”

“Yes!
Of course!
My dad is so cool in movies.”

As long as Min Sung-jae agreed to appear in the movie, the rest could be persuaded slowly.

After all, my plan had always been to reveal Min Sung-jae's truth around the time this movie was released.

In any case, because of So-jeong's unexpected appearance, it seemed that signing a contract with Min Sung-jae would proceed much more easily than I had expected.

Perhaps because of his daughter's reaction, Min Sung-jae seemed to have a lot on his mind.

He asked us to give him a few days to think about it.

We told him that, in the meantime, we would prepare a draft of the contract and send it to his agency.

“Manager!
A strange article just came out online.
Have you seen it?
This is about our movie, right?!”

Just as I was beginning to feel drowsy after lunch, Cha Seung-jun stared at his monitor and made a huge fuss as if something terrible had happened.

“Why?
What's going on?”

Since Cha Seung-jun normally made a big deal out of even small things, Production Manager Choi Seon-hwa didn't react as if it were anything serious this time either.

However, Scriptwriter Hwang Hyeon-hee also seemed to have seen something online and spoke in surprise.

“This...
This article is talking about our movie...
Huh?
But what's this?
Was actor Min Sung-jae already cast in our movie?!”

“Noona!
You saw it too?”

At the mention of Min Sung-jae, I quickly connected to the internet and checked the articles.

〔EXCLUSIVE〕 Actor Min Sung-jae Attempts Comeback Through Director Park Jun-beom's Movie? Isn't It Too Early?

〔HOT ISSUE〕 Has ‘Red Moon, Blue Sun’ Lost Its Mind Due to Casting Difficulties? Min Sung-jae Chosen as the Actor?

‘Who the hell published these articles...’

Of course, I had expected a situation like this to some extent from the moment I planned to cast Min Sung-jae in this movie.

Once the casting was finalized and the contract was signed, it would only be a matter of time before information about the contract leaked, no matter how careful we were.

But for the information to leak before we had even signed the contract...

This was much earlier than I had expected.

Moreover, all the articles were written almost like malicious comments, as if someone had deliberately decided to drag Min Sung-jae down.

Of course, once the fact that Min Sung-jae's daughter wasn't actually his biological daughter was revealed, the issue would be cleared up in one blow.

But that didn't mean I was going to sit back and let them attack us.

‘Whoever you are, you picked the wrong person to mess with.’