Chapter 24
When Seo Dongjin entered the agency office, Manager Lee Yujin frowned.
“Where on earth have you been?”
“Let me lie down for a bit. Ugh, I’m exhausted.”
Having spent the entire weekend in Jeongdongjin, Seo Dongjin collapsed onto the sofa.
‘That was the most fun I’ve had in ages.’
As he reminisced about his time in Jeongdongjin, Seo Dongjin closed his eyes.
“Hey, Seo Dongjin!”
Lee Yujin shouted, yanking his arm and forcing him to sit up.
Once he was reluctantly upright, Lee Yujin scolded him.
“Why was your phone off? Do you know how many times I called you?”
“Just tell me about the schedule.”
“I was calling you because I set up a schedule!”
So that’s why she had been so persistent.
But Dongjin wasn’t hopeful. Lazy as she was, Yujin was unlikely to have secured anything impressive.
“What is it? The schedule.”
Dongjin looked at her with a disinterested expression.
“A women’s magazine wants an exclusive feature for their autumn issue. The concept is you taking your mother on a trip to Jeju Island.”
How was he supposed to take a mother he didn’t even have?
Avoiding eye contact, Dongjin turned his head side to side.
“Did I sleep in a bad position? Ugh, my neck is so stiff.”
“They want to go with the angle of ‘a beautiful son raised by an artist.’”
Dongjin took a deep breath as if a weight was pressing on his chest.
‘Who can I blame? This is the mess I created.’
During an interview, with nothing else to boast about, he had claimed to have a talent for art.
It wasn’t entirely a lie. Though he never attended formal classes, he had won awards in school art competitions.
‘The reporter asked who I took after, and I said talent for art is innate.’
Having never really thought about it before, he hesitated before responding.
[My mother?]
A word he had never uttered before in his life—“mother.”
Perhaps it was then.
‘I started to feel an overwhelming desire to meet her.’
Would his mother have long eyelashes and a sharp nose, like him?
In his vague imaginings, she was tall, with a small face, a big smile, and an artistic flair.
If she had such a decent appearance and talent for art, why would she abandon a baby?
‘She must’ve been dirt poor. She probably had to keep her pregnancy a secret.’
This certainty gave him the courage to spin more stories.
He began claiming he was raised in luxury, showered with his parents’ love, and that his mother was a painter.
Perhaps, he thought, this would encourage her to seek him out, even if it was just to ask for money.
‘I said all that just to catch a glimpse of her face.’
As he hardened himself against people, his lies grew more impulsive, more elaborate.
At some point, his father became a professor at a university in Singapore, and his mother was a renowned painter working under a pseudonym.
The lies terrified him, to the point of giving him nightmares. He feared his career as an actor would be over if the truth came out. Yet he couldn’t stop.
‘Sometimes, I even managed to fool myself into thinking I was born with a silver spoon.’
If he hadn’t met Kim Doyun, he might still be living a fake life.
The words Kim Doyun said to him put an end to his lies.
[You said your whole life was fake, but acting was the only thing real. That’s what made me trust you. I thought you felt the same way.]
Even though it was a rebuke, it felt oddly refreshing.
It was frightening to have his past exposed, yet he also felt understood.
But would reporters be as understanding?
There wasn’t much to ponder; the worst-case scenario was already clear in his mind.
If Kim Doyun had uncovered his past, it wouldn’t take much for other journalists to do the same.
Before that happened, it would be better to come clean.
That was why, during the weekend in Jeongdongjin, he confided in Writer Han Jiseon about his past.
[So, you’ve been lying to your fans all this time? If your image takes a hit, won’t you lose your advertising contracts? You’d probably have to pay hefty penalties, too.]
Han Jiseon didn’t sugarcoat the backlash Dongjin would face.
Once it came to light that he wasn’t born wealthy but was an orphan who had worked as a nightclub promoter, he would likely lose all his endorsements and might even have to leave the entertainment industry altogether.
Hearing it from a drama writer made the reality hit harder, even though he already knew it.
He probably wouldn’t even get to play the role of Yeonwoo.
As he slumped his shoulders in defeat, Doyun spoke.
[Face it head-on.]
Doyun encouraged him to muster the courage to come clean.
[A Summer’s Cantabile revolves around conflicts stemming from differences in social status. At the production press conference, you should make an emotional appeal about wanting to be reborn as Yeonwoo.]
While Han Jiseon sank into deep thought, Doyun continued.
[You should also admit that your ‘silver spoon’ act was a way to find your mother. Anyone would understand that. If someone abandons their child, they must be in dire financial straits—don’t you think?]
Hearing Doyun voice his innermost thoughts made Dongjin sob uncontrollably.
Doyun and Han Jiseon watched him with calm expressions, as if they were observing an actor on stage, and continued their conversation.
[If he’s this genuine, fans won’t turn their backs on him, will they?]
[It would be better to go with a black suit and a gray tie.]
[Wouldn’t a black tie be better?]
[That would make you look like you’re attending a funeral. Maybe if you go bold with your hairstyle?]
Seo Dongjin, who had been bawling with his face buried in his hands, suddenly raised his head and glared at Kim Doyun and Han Jiseon.
However, both had tears glistening in their eyes.
[Seo Dongjin, we’re not here to comfort you. We’re here to make you into Yeonwoo and the best actor in Korea.]
Doyun’s words resonated deeper than any consolation could.
Wiping her moist eyes, Han Jiseon spoke firmly, as if to tell him to get his act together.
[If your acting is bad, I’ll personally go to the set and make sure you suffer. Oh, and don’t forget to call me if you ever meet your mom. I can swear like nobody’s business.]
Feeling like he had allies for the first time in his life, Seo Dongjin tightly hugged Doyun, repeatedly thanking him.
To Han Jiseon, he vowed to give his best and truly become Yeonwoo.
_
But things weren’t going smoothly.
‘Why hasn’t the production company contacted me yet?’
Judging from Lee Yujin’s attitude, it seemed like there hadn’t been any calls about his casting.
Anxiety dried his lips, and he couldn’t help but glance at the clock every few minutes.
It would have been comforting if his manager or agency staff had shown more support.
However, at his agency, Seo Dongjin seemed to be seen as nothing more than a good-looking former model.
‘They must think I’m not qualified to star in Writer Han Jiseon’s drama.’
That’s why he hadn’t mentioned his trip to Jeongdongjin.
Until the production company officially confirmed his casting, he had no choice but to exercise patience and fight against time.
“Are you doing the magazine shoot?”
“Who even reads magazines these days? And I’m an actor, not a model. Instead of finding me proper roles, you keep booking these odd schedules.”
When Dongjin voiced his complaints, Lee Yujin folded her arms with an irritated look.
“Dongjin, I didn’t want to tell you this because I knew it would hurt your feelings, but Writer Han said she doesn’t like you.”
“Who told you that?”
“Who else? I called the production company to ask.”
How could a manager or staff member just call and ask something like that? They should’ve gone in person to plead his case.
Sighing, Dongjin stood up.
“What are you so smug about? You don’t manage me well, and you’re not even trying hard. Why are you in this business?”
“Because I get to make money while being around handsome men and beautiful women?”
There was no point in arguing further. Dongjin decided he’d be better off exercising instead of wasting time.
“Keep watching people like that. I’ll become a top star on my own and soar above you.”
“Talk big after you’ve made it as a top star.”
The faint mocking tone in her voice didn’t bother Dongjin. If anything, it lightened his heart.
When he succeeded, he wouldn’t have to feel guilty about leaving people like her behind.
‘Kim PD was right.’
Doyun had advised him to be selective about the people he kept in his life.
It was okay to show kindness, but he should avoid getting tangled in business relationships with such people.
‘He must’ve been talking about someone like Yujin.’
Before leaving the office, Dongjin turned and looked at her.
“Noona, I didn’t want to say this because I knew it might hurt you, but… you just missed out on a big opportunity.”
“Hey, where are you going?”
“To exercise.”
“Swimming again? Your hair will get damaged.”
Many actors gained or lost weight for roles. Some climbed cliffs, while others learned martial arts.
But damaged hair?
‘What’s a little damage to my hair compared to everything else?’
For an aspiring actor like Dongjin, Yujin’s mindset was far too shallow.
_
When Dongjin arrived at the swimming pool in Jamsil, Eun Jihoon was already there.
“Jihoon, want to make a bet? Freestyle on the way there, backstroke on the way back. What do you say?”
“…Okay.”
As the two stood at the edge of the pool, the attention of the swimmers turned to them.
When Dongjin first started coming to the pool, wearing a swim cap and goggles kept most people from recognizing him.
But after coming at the same time nearly every day, his identity had slowly been revealed.
Recently, fans had even started showing up just to catch a glimpse of him.
“Ahhh! It’s Seo Dongjin!”
“Who’s that kid next to him? He looks young.”
“Are they about to race?”
“They are! Go, Dongjin oppa!”
Amid cheers, Dongjin and Jihoon dived into the pool simultaneously.
Swimming was an honest sport. Victory depended solely on how well and how hard you moved your arms and legs.
Seeing Jihoon pull ahead, Dongjin pushed himself harder, but the gap between them only widened.
When Dongjin reached the finish, Jihoon had been waiting there for quite some time.
“Phew! I lost again.”
As the fans applauded Dongjin’s effort, he could see that they appreciated his dedication more than the outcome.
‘It’d be great if they still cheered me on like this even after my past is revealed.’
The support and attention from his fans felt more precious than ever. He raised his hand high, waving to show his gratitude.
“You really should’ve been a swimmer. You’re a natural talent,” Dongjin said, looking at Jihoon as they changed in the locker room after showering.
“I wasn’t trying to win. I just gave it my all and reached the goal before I knew it.”
“You’re so young, yet you teach me so much. I’ve learned a lot from you.”
Eun Jihoon, a 17-year-old high school dropout.
Abandoned by his mother, raised by his grandmother, and tormented by poverty and school bullying, he was now preparing for his GED.
But Jihoon didn’t hide his circumstances. He boldly stated that it was better to reveal the truth, as it would eventually come out once he became an actor.
‘I only realized this recently, but this kid has had it figured out all along.’
If he hadn’t met Doyun and Jihoon, Dongjin would likely have kept fighting to bury his past.
He would’ve become a fabricated version of himself, living a fake life until it all fell apart.
For that, Dongjin felt nothing but gratitude.
“Trying so hard to beat you has made me starving. Let me treat you to some pork belly. There’s a great place nearby, and the owner’s a fan of mine, so they always give me extra.”
As Dongjin reached for his bag, his phone vibrated.
The only kind of call he’d be expecting at this moment was about his casting, so his heart raced.
With trembling hands, he quickly checked the caller ID.
‘What is this?’
—
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