Chapter – 26
Just as South Korea’s top cold-hearted celebrity Cha Yeon-woo had the real name Im Dong-min, back then, the country’s hottest warm-hearted star Seo Ha-joon also had a real name.
…It was Un Seong-ha.
No wonder his name felt familiar when I first saw him! My memory had worked perfectly.
He was an incredibly famous person—Un Seong-ha.
Seo Ha-joon was widely recognized for both his acting and his looks. He could even sing, eventually hosting music programs as an MC.
Thinking back, he even had a connection with Do Jae-hyun. The two of them starred as prison buddies in a noir film that became a hit, and they were also cast together on a travel show.
“That movie… it might not have been artistic, but commercially, it was top-notch.”
At the time, people even joked that extreme commercial success counted as art.
[Artistic value? Nah, but Do Jae-hyun and Seo Ha-joon’s faces are the true Renaissance art.] ★★★★★
[I just wanted to be in the middle of them… I wish they’d fight over me…] ★★★★☆
[Seeing these two made me laugh nonstop, pure comedy.] ★★★★☆
Funny movie comments and memes were all over the internet, and little did Un Seong-ha know about it now.
Maybe because the name is so unique, or perhaps he didn’t want his past revealed. Seo Ha-joon had used a stage name, but eventually, his real name was exposed along with his history.
Due to family circumstances, he was bullied and eventually dropped out of high school, wandering in a depression.
I heard he barely managed one meal a day due to lack of money.
Yet, determined to take care of his ailing grandmother, he did all sorts of part-time jobs and eventually debuted as a magazine model, which became a sensation.
“No Korean could just pass by such a warm, handsome face…”
Anyway, as a magazine model, Un Seong-ha discovered his talent for acting and quickly rose to stardom.
Coincidentally, his acting mentor was Seong Hye-sim—our teacher.
In her past life, unable to overcome a slump, the teacher discovered Seo Ha-joon and took him under her wing, guiding him back into acting.
“A little jealous, I have to admit.”
Sigh, Seong-ha, I’m sorry—but in this life, I’m the teacher’s number one student. Step aside, buddy!
I shouted silently to Un Seong-ha, whose expression looked clueless.
“Still, you acted really well, Seo Ha-joon.”
In my past life, I mostly learned acting through scripts and videos online. His acting videos had helped me tremendously.
Especially his audition freestyle acting video, the one that cemented his image as an acting prodigy.
“That video alone probably has over ten million views.”
I looked at Un Seong-ha with envy.
I wanted to grab him and tell him how brilliant and star-quality he was, how he was essentially a celebrity everyone in Korea knew, practically a free pass at family introductions.
But if I said it, he’d probably think I was crazy.
By the way, the school where he was bullied was Yeongpung High School.
When his past controversies were exposed, the people who had bullied Seo Ha-joon were gradually exposed as well—but Ju Soo-yeon wasn’t among them.
“Could my uncle have intervened?”
It wouldn’t be surprising. My uncle was more than capable of such things.
“Ju Soo-deok, you bastard…” I muttered.
“You’ve been mumbling to yourself… are you okay?”
“Just stay still. Go clean up the banana milk you spilled or something!”
“I didn’t throw it because I hated it. I just… felt frustrated.”
It was a casual remark, but Un Seong-ha, looking discouraged, began scrubbing the floor with tissue. He seemed bothered that I had refused his help.
With his gentle appearance and fluffy hair, he looked like a droopy golden retriever when sitting still.
“Ah, now I understand the whole Wave Actors transfer issue.”
Realizing Un Seong-ha was Seo Ha-joon cleared up many questions.
One major example was the Wave Actors transfer rumors.
Rumor had it in financial circles that Wave Actors was desperate to recruit Seo Ha-joon, but he ultimately announced he wouldn’t be transferring.
“If it’s because of Ju Soo-yeon, I get it.”
Wave Actors was essentially controlled by my grandfather, Chairman Ju Tae-baek.
If my grandfather coveted such a talent, he would’ve personally approached him.
An ordinary person would have immediately accepted, thinking, “Yes, sir!”
But Seo Ha-joon must have had a bitter history with Dongwoo—the family that had made his life miserable and forced him to drop out—so he wouldn’t want to team up with them. Even if my grandfather had no part in it, it would still be unpleasant for him.
A good idea suddenly struck me.
I could heal Un Seong-ha, give him acting lessons earlier than in his past life… and develop him so much that he’d be ready for my grandfather.
“No, first I need to make him love acting.”
When his past came out, Seo Ha-joon had started acting for money, but later he said in an interview that he loved acting more than anyone.
“I’ll make you love acting!”
I wouldn’t let him wander, I wouldn’t let him starve… I’ll make you want to live as much as Ju Soo-yeon made your life miserable.
I could also introduce him to our teacher… it’d be an honor to have a prodigy like Seo Ha-joon as my teacher’s second student.
Once I made up my mind, I crouched down and met Un Seong-ha’s gaze.
Initially startled, his brown eyes gradually stabilized.
“Ha-joon… no, Seong-ha.”
“…Yeah.”
“Thanks for worrying. But I’m okay.”
“Ju Soo-yeon wouldn’t just let it go…!”
“But she has to.”
As I teased him, he realized that even the slightest provocations had been checked by my grandfather.
“So don’t worry about that….”
I smiled lightly and took his hand.
“Wanna skip class with me today?”
Let’s go, with me.
I’ll take you somewhere you can’t help but fall in love.
“You… were an actor?”
“This is my first project.”
Joo Sae-i took Un Seong-ha to the filming site.
Sae-i’s shoot was scheduled for the evening, so she planned to attend after class, but she had arrived early to show Un Seong-ha more of the set.
“Is this Sae-i’s friend?”
“Yes. Handsome, right?”
“He could be an actor immediately.”
Seeing Un Seong-ha, a staff member licked their lips, clearly tempted, and patted him on the back.
“Enjoy watching. Hopefully, we meet you as an actor next time.”
“…Thank you.”
Un Seong-ha bowed shyly, but then quickly lifted his head again.
For the first time, he saw actors performing in front of him.
“…”
Watching the actors, Un Seong-ha’s eyes sparkled. His claim in the past life—that he loved acting—was clearly not a lie.
Sae-i, observing his expression as he received the setup, quietly rejoiced inside.
“This is perfect.”
Sitting for hours, taking in the set with wide, curious eyes, he looked like an innocent little puppy. He was practically hooked.
I couldn’t believe that the acting prodigy Seo Ha-joon was just about to discover his dream so early thanks to me.
“What kind of role do you play?”
“I…”
Sae-i took a deep breath, trying to decide how to explain it to him.
“Well, I play a confident, strong-willed girl. She’s in love… secretly.”
“Who’s the crush?”
“My mom.”
Yeon-do-yeon was in a sense in love with her mother. Watching the mother who wouldn’t love her, she got upset, depressed, but if the mother showed even a little attention, she’d smile brightly again.
While her relationship with Yoo Ha-jin mattered, today Un Seong-ha needed to see the scene with her mother.
“Sae-i, go to your scene. Friend, watch carefully. Our Sae-i is the ace.”
As Sae-i moved aside, Un Seong-ha’s gaze followed her.
Filming began immediately.
“Do, Do-hoon…”
After her son’s death, the mother had gone mad.
“Please, please…! How many times do I have to say he’s dead for you to understand…!”
“Our son…”
“Why am I always second even though my brother died? Why do you make me…?”
“…”
“Why do you keep making me miserable…?”
Watching Sae-i act, Un Seong-ha clenched his fists.
Suddenly, he felt it:
He wanted to learn acting.
In that moment, his previously closed-off world began to expand, thanks to Sae-i.
