Chapter 21
“Who’s that?”
The woman from the mart and the woman from the restaurant stopped smiling and tilted their heads.
“What is this? Did they take a wrong turn? Why are they here?”
“Isn’t a car that big usually for celebrities?”
Soon, the car in the lead came to a stop, and Kim Doyun stepped out of the driver’s seat.
“Mother.”
“Doyun! You’re here already?”
Shin Sun-ok greeted Doyun warmly. To think someone would criticize such a handsome and admirable son.
With her heart heavy, Shin Sun-ok’s eyes grew moist as she held Doyun’s hand.
Holding her wrinkled hand in return, Doyun spoke.
“We left last night, but we were late because we watched the sunrise in Sokcho and had breakfast there.”
“Why buy breakfast? I bought meat to cook for you.”
“I have company.”
Three women stepped out of the car. One looked to be in her 30s, and the other two seemed to be in their 20s.
It was already surprising enough that Doyun brought three women to Jeongdongjin, but then—
A woman who looked as beautiful as a fairy stepped out of the celebrity van.
“Isn’t that Jeon Sera?”
“My goodness! It’s Jeon Sera!”
The eyes of the mart and restaurant women widened to their limits. But what shocked them even more was Jeon Sera’s attitude toward Doyun.
“PD-nim, this place is amazing! Wow! The ocean is so beautiful!”
Jeon Sera beamed brightly at Doyun, leaving the local women speechless. They all thought the same thing:
Being a PD must be an incredible job.
Shin Sun-ok, too, was bewildered, looking back and forth between Doyun and Jeon Sera.
Her son, whom she had raised with so much effort, had brought a celebrity who only existed on TV. Her heart raced, and she couldn’t calm herself.
“But Doyun, who’s your partner?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
Doyun blinked, looking confused, as if he didn’t understand the question. Shin Sun-ok became even more flustered.
‘You’ve come to your hometown with four women, but you’re saying you’re not dating any of them?’
***
After a moment, Doyun led the group to a snack bar.
Since curious onlookers had begun to gather, they needed a brief retreat.
“The color of this tteokbokki is gorgeous. Don’t you think so, girls?”
Han Jiseon looked at the tteokbokki, swallowing her saliva. She had always liked snacks more than proper meals.
“It’s because we use Taeyangcho chili paste. Would you like some tteokbokki?”
Shin Sun-ok asked, stirring the freshly simmering tteokbokki.
“We don’t want to interrupt your business, so we won’t eat if it’s free. Please sell it to us instead.”
“Oh, how much could this little amount possibly cost? That’s out of the question. Our Doyun writes dramas with you, esteemed writer, so it’s absolutely not happening.”
Sun-ok shook her hands fervently. Everyone assumed she was going to give away the tteokbokki for free despite the loss.
“But if you and Jeon Sera could leave your signatures on the wall, letting people know you visited our snack bar… that would be wonderful.”
‘Haha. My mom sure knows a thing or two about marketing.’
Doyun crossed his arms over his chest, smiling silently.
“Ah, should we? Sera, what do you think?”
Han Jiseon turned to Jeon Sera to ask her opinion.
“One moment, Writer Han.”
Jeon Sera approached the wall and inspected it carefully before spinning around.
“But the wall is so colorful that I think the signature won’t stand out. PD Kim, do you have a camera?”
Jeon Sera looked at Doyun with a cute expression.
“Yes, I do.”
“Then take my picture and hang it on the wall. That’s what other restaurants do.”
“I’ll prepare everything.”
Doyun nodded with a gentle smile.
Moments later, an impromptu photo shoot and autograph session for Jeon Sera took place.
Being an actress to her core, Jeon Sera struck various poses as soon as the camera lens focused on her.
When the shoot ended, Shin Sun-ok brought out Dohee’s sketchbook.
Doyun discreetly slid Go Dongsoo’s T-shirt and jacket out of his bag.
This was his chance.
“Could you write, ‘Go Dongsoo, fighting’? My friend is a big fan of yours.”
“…Sure! But PD Kim, don’t you want anything for yourself?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, don’t you want my autograph?”
Shin Sun-ok handed him a sketchbook, but asking for more seemed a bit much.
“Could I trouble you for a few extra autographs for my friend?”
“Oh.”
Jeon Sera looked slightly disappointed.
Doyun glanced at Han Jiseon.
‘What’s going on?’
When Doyun questioned her with his eyes, Han Jiseon shrugged her shoulders.
“I have no idea.”
Han Jiseon’s reaction was just as puzzling.
‘What am I supposed to know?’
***
“Mmm. This is so delicious.”
Jeon Sera didn’t touch the tteokbokki and instead started with the pig liver and osaek gamtu.
‘I knew she was down-to-earth, but this is beyond my imagination.’
She skewered the pig liver and osaek gamtu like kebabs, eating them without even adding salt.
Seeing this, Shin Sun-ok happily sliced more liver and osaek gamtu onto a plate and spoke.
“My goodness, you eat so well and look so pretty doing it.”
“Pfft. Sera has such unexpected charms. If you knew how we became friends, you’d be shocked.”
“Oh, Writer Han! Please forget about that incident.”
“Alright.”
Jeon Sera and Han Jiseon exchanged knowing glances and laughed together. Then, Han Jiseon lowered her voice and asked Jeon Sera.
“When is your mom coming back from Japan?”
“In three days.”
“I should pray for her flight to get canceled so you can breathe a bit longer.”
“…Hehe.”
Jeon Sera tried to laugh it off, but her expression seemed bittersweet, prompting Han Jiseon to sip her water.
“Fight with your mom a little. She doesn’t let you go to school, date…”
“At least she lets me act.”
“Well, that’s because it makes money.”
“I spend a lot of money too. Isn’t this pretty?”
Jeon Sera raised her hand to show off a ring, smiling brightly as if carefree.
Instead of joining their conversation, Kim Doyun took the pig liver and osaek gamtu from the boiling pot, sliced them into bite-sized pieces, and placed them on a new plate.
“Please have some more.”
“Thank you, PD-nim.”
With a face that seemed suited for strawberry ice cream, Jeon Sera eagerly devoured the pig liver and osaek gamtu I had prepared.
Meanwhile, Han Jiseon and the two assistant writers endlessly ate the tteokbokki.
Han Jiseon seemed particularly fond of it, giving a thumbs-up.
“Your cooking skills are amazing, ma’am. The tteokbokki sauce is so delicious.”
“Oh, that’s because I added MSG…”
Shin Sun-ok was a bit too honest. Feeling embarrassed, Doyun quickly shifted the topic to recover the situation.
“Writer Han, after you’re done eating, let’s head toward Jeongdongjin Station. The atmosphere there is great.”
“Shall we?”
Doyun checked his wristwatch.
By the time the train arrived at Jeongdongjin Station, everyone here needed to be there.
It wasn’t enough to simply rely on the early summer heat and seasonal changes—he had prepared a small surprise.
When the train stopped at Jeongdongjin Station, his plan was to make Han Jiseon want to cast Seo Dongjin.
“Doyun’s mom! It’s me, the head of the women’s association! Open the door!”
The locked glass door rattled violently.
“It’s the village chief! Just let me in!”
Peeking outside through a gap in the curtain, he saw that the entire neighborhood had gathered.
Wait, why was even the elderly grandfather here?
The oldest man in the village, nearing 90, was standing with a cane.
“It seems it’s time to leave. You can go through the backyard to reach Jeongdongjin Station.”
Leading the way, Doyun was followed by Jeon Sera, her manager, Han Jiseon, and the two assistant writers.
They crossed a small yard and made their way through a bamboo grove on a narrow trail leading to a shortcut to Jeongdongjin Station.
Though they could have quickly reached it via the beach, they had to take the longer route to avoid the villagers who were stationed in front of the snack bar.
Han Jiseon and the assistant writers, short on exercise from sitting at desks, lagged behind, panting and eventually pausing to rest.
In contrast, Jeon Sera, whose busy schedule had naturally increased her stamina, easily climbed the mountain path.
“This place is really nice.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Your mother seems like a wonderful person too—so kind and always smiling.”
“Yes.”
“You’re lucky, PD-nim. I envy you.”
Jeon Sera shrugged her shoulders and walked ahead.
Understanding the multitude of emotions behind her words, Doyun felt a pang of bitterness.
Jeon Sera had been able to navigate the entertainment industry safely because her biological mother, Yang Geumja, willingly played the role of the villain.
The problem was that even 20 years later, she wouldn’t be able to free herself from Yang Geumja’s chains.
Unlike someone like Dohee, who could make friends, experience age-appropriate relationships, and fall asleep watching dramas with her mom, Jeon Sera couldn’t even dream of such an ordinary life.
She wouldn’t have goals she wanted so badly that she cried her eyes out over not achieving them, like getting first place in school.
Her life was one of running tirelessly along tracks laid by others.
In her later career, Jeon Sera would become embroiled in a debt scandal.
Yang Geumja not only squandered all the money Jeon Sera had earned throughout her life but also attracted investments on top of that.
Jeon Sera couldn’t turn her back on the creditors who had invested because they trusted her name.
I remembered reading an article about how she sold her jewelry, luxury goods, and even canceled her retirement savings to pay off the debts.
The article mentioned that her remaining possessions were a rental studio less than 20 pyeong in size and an old used car.
Even after reaching that point, Jeon Sera had to go to court to sever ties with her mother.
“In interviews, she said it was out of love for her daughter, but who would believe that?”
Jeon Sera ended her career in disgrace, unable to even star in a retirement project, mired in scandals created by Yang Geumja.
Even knowing that future, there was no way I could casually offer her advice.
Family and blood ties were matters that no one else could resolve for her.
‘But making a single good memory for her should be fine, right?’
Walking briskly, Doyun caught up to Jeon Sera and spoke to her.
“If you don’t have to return to Seoul tonight, why not stay at our place?”
“Excuse me?”
Why was her face turning as red as a carrot?
Worried that his words might have been misunderstood, Doyun quickly added,
“Talk to your agency head about it. If you use Writer Han as an excuse, I’m sure they’ll agree.”
“So Writer Han will be staying too?”
“Of course. It’ll be like camping.”
“Wow! What’s that thing college students do, MT…?”
“MT.”
“Yes! I’ve always wanted to try something like that.”
Yang Geumja would surely cause a scene later, but that could be dealt with when the time came.
“What are you talking about?”
Panting heavily, Han Jiseon finally caught up and asked.
“Camping. Writer Han, I’ll set up a tent in my backyard for you. We’ll barbecue, listen to music all night, and take a proper break.”
“What’s this romantic nonsense? PD Kim, you’re the reason life feels worth living!”
Han Jiseon playfully hit Doyun’s arm, her face lighting up with excitement.
Jeon Sera also nodded in agreement and said,
“I feel so lucky to know PD Kim too. I can eat all I want, and I get to enjoy the ocean in such a peaceful place. I love it so much.”
The sea breeze rustled through the bamboo grove.
The sight of the distant blue ocean and the tranquility of the bamboo forest seemed to ease everyone’s hearts, leaving them mesmerized by the scenery.
—
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