YDCF 29

Chapter – 29

The day after the location shoot.

I had stayed holed up in my room all this time to avoid running into my maternal uncle’s family.

JaeDamJae wasn’t a mansion made of just one building.

For example, my uncle’s family stayed in the right wing of the main house where grandfather lived, Aunt Jeong-hee in the left wing, and we stayed in a slightly separate annex. Each residence was connected by corridors, so technically it could be considered one house.

Because of this, even living together didn’t mean we ran into each other very often.

On top of that, my uncle was away on an overseas trip. Avoiding Joo Soo-yeon alone should have been easy for me.

Yet despite my efforts…

“Joo Sae-i, we need to talk.”

Joo Soo-yeon came to my room without even knocking, even though she had to walk quite a bit from her own. She plopped herself down inside.

“If this is about what happened at school last time, I have nothing to say to you, Soo-yeon.”

“Ah, come on!”

She stomped her foot suddenly, as if I had struck a nerve.

I sighed quietly, and she flared her eyes and pressed me further.

“Why are you sighing in front of me like you’ve done something right?”

“Hah…”

“Hey!”

“Fine, Soo-yeon. Then what right do you have to come here and vent at me?”

I actually had a lot to say to her. I had just chosen not to speak, avoiding unnecessary conflict.

“Does the chairman know? About you bothering Seong-ha.”

“…!”

“Well, of course not. If he knew, he might’ve sent you overseas like your brother.”

My cousin and her older brother by five years, Joo Dae-hee.

He had relied on his status as a chaebol heir and lived like a spoiled bully until about four years ago when he incurred grandfather’s wrath and was practically exiled overseas.

Mentioning him made Joo Soo-yeon’s face turn red and purple—she had hit her temper perfectly.

“Be careful when covering it up. I don’t expect an apology, just don’t bother Seong-ha.”

“…You.”

“Soo-yeon, did you understand?”

“Who are you to call him Seong-ha?”

Oh…

I thought she would yell at me for being arrogant, but she was angry simply because I called him “Seong-ha.”

Some people really don’t know what’s important. I gradually lost the will to deal with her.

Having lost all motivation, I ignored Joo Soo-yeon and scrolled through my phone.

Right then, a message arrived from grandfather’s personal secretary.

[Young lady, we are contacting you regarding the chairman’s summons. Please come to his private room.]

Perfect timing, grandfather.

“I have to go now, Soo-yeon. The chairman has summoned me.”

“Why does grandfather keep…!”

“Anyway, once we’re done talking, you should go rest too. It must be tiring to be angry every day.”

I left my room, leaving Joo Soo-yeon behind.

Being in JaeDamJae meant she couldn’t pull any suspicious stunts in my room, so I felt at ease.

Although I had been told to come to the private room, grandfather wasn’t there.

‘Did he step out for a moment?’

I awkwardly sat down and looked around his private room. It looked the same as the last time I’d been here, with a classic, old-fashioned atmosphere.

Without grandfather guarding it, the space felt completely still.

Calligraphy hung on the walls, the plants were well cared for, and even the ticking of the clock punctuated the silence.

‘So peaceful…’

The quiet, serene atmosphere eased the stress from talking with Joo Soo-yeon. Sitting in the plush chair, my body relaxed completely…

“Ahhh…”

As I stretched and sank into the chair, grandfather returned.

“Finally arrived. I was walking around the garden.”

He greeted me casually.

I quickly straightened up from my relaxed slump, and he chuckled.

“Why not sit comfortably? I hear you went on a shoot yesterday.”

“How could I in front of the chairman…”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, maybe just a little…”

Since he had given me permission… I let myself sink slightly into the chair and waited for him to sit.

He returned to his seat, and from behind his back, pulled out a flower and handed it to me. He seemed to have picked it while walking in the garden.

“This is…”

“A trumpet creeper. It bloomed beautifully along that wall.”

Was this a gift for me?

Not a bouquet, just a single flower, yet Chairman Joo Tae-baek, even at his age, could be romantic enough to give a flower to his granddaughter.

I quickly thanked him.

“It’s my favorite flower. Thank you so much.”

“Your mother liked this one too.”

I knew my mom had been particularly fond of trumpet creepers. I normally didn’t care for flowers, but this one I loved because of my mom.

Grandfather fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, unblocked.

I waited quietly, letting him speak first.

“…How did the shoot go?”

In his low, calm voice, he broke the silence.

He didn’t need to ask; he could have learned about my performance at the set through acquaintances. He probably just wanted to hear it from me directly.

I slowly shared everything I had experienced during the shoot, my impressions and thoughts.

“Do Jae-hyeon too. That kid’s not bad.”

“His acting was good.”

“You have a keen eye yourself.”

He gave me these small, subtle compliments. Today seemed to be a good mood for him.

“Oh, right! I might be taking on my next project too.”

“…Really?”

Grandfather’s previously unmoving eyes shifted slightly. No wonder—it had felt like a dream for me too.

“Seems like writer Choi Ki-young wants me as the lead.”

“Was it brought up by writer Choi Ki-jeong?”

“Yes. I just got the contact info. I wanted to discuss it with you first before making any decisions.”

I finished speaking and sealed my lips, nervous for no reason.

“Choi Ki-young… Good for you.”

He looked me over quietly. After staring for a while, he looked away and asked me in a low voice:

“So… are you happy?”

“Huh…?”

“Acting to your heart’s content… Do you feel alive now?”

The question was so direct that it took my breath away.

Not because I didn’t understand it, but because its depth struck me. He remembered I had said I chose acting to live, not for happiness.

I lowered my head silently. My fingertips trembled.

‘Happy…’

I hadn’t chosen acting for happiness, but to survive. At the end of the path I wanted to walk, there would be revenge. Happiness wasn’t something I particularly sought.

Yet reflecting on the recent shoot…

‘I didn’t go a day without smiling.’

I, who had often been told I had forgotten how to smile in my past life, had smiled countless times on set. I laughed at small pranks, and chuckled often.

It only hit me now, after grandfather’s question. Acting had made me temporarily forget my thirst for revenge. Watching immersed actors and blending into their world made it possible.

After hesitating, I nodded slightly. Yes, I was happy.

Grandfather closed his eyes, then opened them again. His gaze carried the depth of someone who had endured a long life.

“…That child will permit it too.”

He clicked his tongue and muttered a hint of regret.

That child. Now I understood who he meant.

I followed his gaze and noticed a small photo frame I hadn’t seen before.

It held a young couple and a little girl.

It must have been a family photo taken before my uncle and Aunt Jeong-hee were born, of my young mother.

She held a bouquet, smiling brightly between grandfather and grandmother. A completely different image from the blank expression on her funeral portrait.

Grandfather gazed at his daughter’s childhood photo with wistful eyes.

‘He kept a photo of my mother where he could see it.’

Ever since leaving JaeDamJae, seeing grandfather’s calm face on the news sometimes made me want to ask:

“Did you miss your deceased daughter? Did you ever lose sleep wanting to see her?”

‘Perhaps grandfather had always…’

He missed her. Regretted only stopping me from acting.

It felt like I had just received the answer to a question I’d held back for so long.