This Life Isn’t About a Husband, It’s About an Oscar
Episode 6
Hong Jongho, 25 years old.
He had graduated from a junior college with a degree in sports science and was working two jobs—by day as a gym trainer, and by night as a designated driver.
Money had always been the problem.
It had been that way ever since he left the orphanage.
Even saving up a ten-million-won deposit had turned out to be absurdly difficult.
So he had no choice but to start driving at night too, and that was the beginning of a vicious cycle.
After spending nights dealing with drunk, difficult passengers, he would often doze off at the gym and get reprimanded for it.
That was why.
“Today’s free trial PT for the new sign-up will be handled by Trainer Hong Jongho.”
He was always assigned the non-paying, free trial personal training sessions.
But even those, he never slacked off on.
Because even doing those properly might eventually lead to an opportunity.
His only weapon was diligence.
“Ma’am, if you keep living like this, your body is going to fall apart. Honestly, there’s almost nothing in your body right now except bones and flesh. Without muscle like this, your risk of serious illness later increases—”
But then—
“Nagging type…”
The client, who had signed up for a one-month gym membership and was doing a free PT trial, muttered under her breath.
She was about twenty-one, he thought.
A pretty face.
No—honestly…
‘She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.’
But he shook his head internally.
‘Still, Mi-jeong is the best!’
He thought of Yang Mi-jeong, the woman he had been in one-sided love with for eight years.
Even so, this woman went beyond just being pretty. There was something about her atmosphere—something that overwhelmed people.
“You hear that a lot, don’t you? That you’re a nagging type?”
“W-well… a little…?”
At his answer, she let out a soft laugh.
“That’s your charm.”
“…?”
What?
“Driver, please take me to Guui-dong.”
That evening, when he was called in as a designated driver, Hong Jongho looked at the same client sitting in the back seat and thought again.
‘What is going on???’
Not only that, after finishing the free PT session earlier that day, she had paid for ten personal training sessions with a credit card.
In six-month installments.
And now, just a few hours later, they were meeting again like this.
“Um… ma’am. Is this a coincidence?”
he asked.
By now, even he had memorized her name.
Ha Eunrae.
An unusual name.
One you didn’t easily forget.
“It’s fate.”
“…!”
Ha Eunrae leaned forward between the passenger and driver seats, her face completely free of alcohol smell, and said,
“You drive really well.”
“I hear that quite often—”
…No, wait!
What is this situation?
“And you’re diligent.”
“That too, I hear quite often—”
…No, that’s not it.
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
Seeing that, Ha Eunrae chuckled again.
Every time she laughed, she strangely reminded him of a cat.
“Oh, I guess I am pretty, huh? I hear that a lot too.”
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“I already have a woman I like.”
He said it quite seriously.
For a moment, Ha Eunrae froze.
‘Did I… hurt her?’
Well, someone that pretty probably never got rejected before.
Maybe he should’ve phrased it more gently.
As he was worrying—
“Puhahaha!”
A burst of loud laughter erupted from her.
His expression twisted.
“Ah, sorry, sorry—no, but—”
She raised a hand.
“Seriously, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m not interested in you at all. Or… maybe I am? Am I?”
“Pardon?”
What is wrong with this woman?
Then her expression suddenly turned serious.
The shift was so abrupt it gave her a strange aura—like an actress pulling viewers into an important scene.
“I’m an actress.”
Maybe that was why it didn’t feel that strange.
“And I actually like you, Hong Jongho.”
What does being an actress have to do with liking me?
“I saw how you trained people at the gym even when they weren’t paying. And you work day and night. That level of responsibility at our age is honestly rare.”
“….”
The idea that she somehow knew all this never even occurred to him.
Responsibility.
He had always thought he had none—abandoned by irresponsible parents and all that.
And yet she was saying he had responsibility?
“Oh, and you seem good at driving too. So—”
She slid a business card toward him.
Naru Stage
Ah. So this was casting?
Like a road manager or something?
He didn’t recognize the company, but maybe this woman was actually a rising actress, and she was offering him a job at her agency.
When he asked that, Ha Eunrae tilted her head.
“No? I’m not even signed there yet. I haven’t taken profile photos yet. I’ll do it when I have money. The studio doesn’t accept installments.”
“…What?”
“But by the time you join, I think I’ll probably be in too. And when I do—”
Her eyes sparkled.
“Let’s work together.”
Ridiculous.
That was what his reason said.
But strangely, his heart began to beat differently.
As if someone had finally recognized the sincerity he had always carried but no one had ever acknowledged.
For the first time, someone saw him.
Someone who wasn’t even his parents.
That realization shook him.
Soon, she got off in Guui-dong, handed him cash, and said,
“Good work—”
Then her phone vibrated.
“Oh, time’s up.”
“What do you mean, time’s up…?”
“This car is rented.”
“…???”
What?
This woman is really…
Weird.
Then Ha Eunrae held out her phone again.
“Can you give me your number? I’ll invite you to my film premiere. We start filming next week—you can even come visit the set.”
He could never give his number to any other woman besides Mi-jeong…!
But the following week, he found himself sitting on a film set.
And then—
“Action!”
At the director’s cue, Ha Eunrae immediately began acting in front of the camera.
“Hehe… so fun… humans not here…”
She had transformed into a cute little ghost.
His jaw dropped.
Whispers came from behind.
“Is she really not signed anywhere yet?”
“This is her first acting?”
In that moment, he felt it—
Maybe this was an opportunity that had come to him.
Hong Jongho, who had insisted he had no time, somehow showed up on the first day of filming.
‘He must’ve been curious.’
I suppressed a smile.
The Jongho Oppa I knew actually liked film sets.
Even I, as an actress, sometimes got bored during long waiting periods, but he would either devour chicken breast or lift and move filming equipment just to train.
And above all—
“I like watching you act. Didn’t you know? Your eyes sparkle when you act. They’re so bright I can see them from far away.”
He liked my acting.
I didn’t know if Jongho would actually follow my plan right away.
But it was enough that I had planted the name “Naru Stage” in him.
“Naru Stage” would later become the agency he joined. It was small now, but would eventually grow far larger than Kana.
More importantly, its CEO was an honest man—unlike that rotten Kana company.
Soon, Jongho would likely receive an offer to become a manager at Kana.
The Kana CEO was from Jongho’s hometown.
Even if Jongho ended up joining Kana out of loyalty again in this life, that would be his choice.
Still, I wanted to give him a chance.
A chance to work somewhere where he could keep his pride in what he did.
And more than anything…
I wanted a chance too.
A chance to work with Hong Jongho again.
Just watching him outside the cold van, monitoring my acting every time gave me strength.
