Chapter – 30
After calming the surge of emotions, I calmly brought up the topic related to Park Yeon-hee.
As expected of a heavyweight in the business world, my grandfather knew about Mora Planning’s misdeeds even better than I did. Just how good must his information network be?
It turned out that the CEO of Mora Planning and Team Leader Kim Song-jun were brothers.
“A family-run company that’s literally a family business…”
Since his older brother had his back, Team Leader Kim Song-jun must have been enthusiastically exploiting Park Yeon-hee too. They were accomplices.
When I told my grandfather that Team Leader Kim had given me his business card, he shouted that the brute must be running things in a shady way.
He was so angry that I almost worried he might grab him by the scruff of the neck and topple over backward.
‘I bet he’ll step in personally.’
I was about to leave my grandfather’s private room when I remembered Un Seong-ha. He had said he would start learning acting from today.
‘Not yet. Just a little longer.’
Grow fast, Un Seong-ha, so you can enter my grandfather’s treasure chest.
I left the private room, smacking my lips as if I were the one giving the command, even though I wasn’t my grandfather.
On the way to the main building lobby, I glanced out the large glass windows and saw the trumpet creeper vines.
I took out the trumpet creeper my grandfather had given me. The flower my mother had liked.
Thinking of my mother, my grandfather’s gaze at my mother’s childhood photos kept replaying in my head.
I wondered if that was how my grandfather remembered my mother.
As for my own memory of her…
“Joo-se-i, you’re bothering Do-kyung again!”
“When did I ever!”
“If you do that, grandpa will scold you!”
“I don’t care! Mom, hug me! Cuddle me!”
Even when I didn’t listen and stubbornly argued, she would eventually pick me up and hug me…
“Our daughter is so pretty, how can this be? When Se-i gets married, your mom and dad are going to cry, right?”
“I’ll marry mom and dad!”
“Oh my, your mom approves!”
Strict with everyone else, yet so gentle with me, always loving me endlessly.
I was the only child to whom my mother could give everything in the world and still feel it wasn’t enough, my father often said.
Suddenly, I missed my mother.
Maybe my grandfather felt the same earlier. That’s why he must have stared at my mother for so long.
A tingling sensation hit my nose, and I sniffled on purpose to act brave. I walked on as if I weren’t sad.
As I passed the lobby and headed to my residence, I noticed Joo Su-yeon chattering beside Ryu Do-kyung.
Judging by her formal attire, she must have come to meet my grandfather regarding heir matters. Dong-woo and Seo-hae recently signed a tech cooperation agreement, after all.
‘Our grandfather seems to favor Ryu Do-kyung especially.’
My grandfather had liked Do-kyung ever since he was young, probably because he was handsome and tall.
Could it be that his type is those cold-faced beauties?
No, that can’t happen… Un Seong-ha is the exact opposite—a warm-faced type.
In the past, my grandfather had admired Seo Ha-jun for his mastery of acting, but I worried—if I present the budding talent of Un Seong-ha, whose appearance doesn’t match his taste, he might get rejected.
Hoping my grandfather’s instinct to recognize a yet-to-blossom genius would kick in, I quickened my pace, trying not to be noticed by Ryu Do-kyung.
“Uh…”
Did I walk too fast? Our eyes met immediately.
Ignore him… and keep walking.
But Do-kyung’s long legs quickly caught up with me.
As expected.
“Hey.”
In an instant, Ryu Do-kyung overtook me and blocked my way.
I had deliberately tried to ignore him, which seemed to annoy him further, sharpening his usual cold expression. But only for a moment.
Studying my face carefully, his expression softened.
The usually cold Ryu Do-kyung looked concerned as he cautiously asked,
“Did you… cry?”
I couldn’t hide my surprise and looked away, my shoulders twitching.
I didn’t know what to say. Should I just tell him I got emotional thinking about my mom?
‘I don’t want to.’
Unlike me, who at least has a father to lean on, Ryu Do-kyung had lost both parents.
Back when I was a child, I could have whined to him, but I couldn’t do that anymore.
“Tell me. What happened?”
“I… my eyes hurt on the way from meeting the chairman.”
After thinking for a moment, I decided to lie.
Do-kyung didn’t say anything. He probably knew it was a lie but simply watched me silently with calm eyes.
“I have to go now. I have something to do.”
Afraid he might see through me if I said more, I passed him and headed to my residence.
“Joo Sae-i.”
He called me. I could feel his gaze on my back, but I tried to ignore it and kept walking.
Then,
“…don’t try to carry everything alone.”
Ryu Do-kyung muttered this toward my back. Coming from the cold-blooded Do-kyung of today, it was an uncharacteristic line.
What did he mean by not carrying everything alone?
In my past life, my uncle tried to harm my father and me, my father died protecting me, and I ended up back in the past. I had no choice but to handle everything alone.
Even though he couldn’t carry everything for me, that single word of concern was like something the young Ryu Do-kyung I had loved might have said…
‘That’s why I didn’t want him to see me cry.’
For a moment, my chest felt heavy.
Meeting with writer Choi Ki-young.
After talking with my grandfather, I sent a message to the phone number I had received.
I thought he would be busy, so I planned to coordinate slowly. But unexpectedly, he called within ten seconds.
After some persuading, we set a meeting schedule.
I suggested going to the vicinity of my studio, but he insisted he would come to me. We agreed to meet halfway.
Coincidentally, there was a hidden coffee shop near that area that Choi Ki-young liked.
“Ready to go?”
“Yes!”
“I don’t know why, but I feel nervous like a dad…”
Today’s driver was my dad, Han Jun-ho.
Remembering how he used to watch all of Choi Ki-young’s dramas even though he was busy, I suggested he drive. He readily agreed.
With the most trustworthy dad driving me, I had no reason to refuse.
We arrived at the café. It was quiet, probably because everyone else had gone to work. Upstairs, the only customer was sitting alone.
I almost mistook him for Choi Ki-young, deeply focused on typing with earphones in.
[I just parked. I’ll buy the drinks, so sit and wait comfortably.]
If Choi Ki-young hadn’t contacted me, I might have approached and sat across from him.
My dad sat at a distance, not wanting to burden his socially-starting daughter.
Shortly after, Choi Ki-young plopped down in front of me and handed me a drink, probably fetched from the first-floor counter.
“Up close, your face is even more charming, Sae-i.”
He looked me over with honey-dripping eyes and then pulled out a stack of papers from his bag. It seemed to be a script.
“Have you seen my dramas before?”
“I’ve watched many of them.”
“Then do you know about me?”
While his younger brother, Choi Ki-jeong, had a calm demeanor, Choi Ki-young was sharp and intense.
“I need to pick the actor first, then the script writing flows smoothly. If the casting fails, I might even scrap the project.”
“….”
“Let’s be direct. I wrote this drama with you in mind.”
“When did you see me?”
“My brother praised you non-stop, so I went to watch on site. During the script reading.”
I had no idea…
“Now, read this and tell me what you think. If it’s no good, I’ll scrap it. If it’s not right, I’ll rewrite until it fits you perfectly.”
Even my dad sitting there seemed pleased to watch our interaction.
Still unsure, I skimmed the cover of the script. Bold letters caught my eye:
[Choi Ki-young · Gyeonggi Tourism Business Official Collaboration One-act Drama]
[<May the Mountain God Protect You> Ep.1-4 (Complete)]
Wait a second…
…this is the work I know?
