Chapter 43: Protagonist (2)
There was no opportunity greater than this for a rookie actress, but Kang Ra-Eun had decided to put off her decision for later. It was not because she did not want to star in it, but because she had a hidden rational reason for making such a neutral decision.
“I haven’t even properly looked through the script yet, so I think it would be a bit rash to make a decision now. I’ll need some time to think about it,” Ra-Eun expressed.
She wanted to make her decision after carefully thinking through how her success as an actress could help in her revenge, and the benefits of such a decision. No matter what anyone said, revenge was her major goal in life. She had to make her decision based on whether or not taking on the lead role of this drama would help in her revenge.
Chief Jung knew better than anyone how lacking Ra-Eun’s desire for success in the entertainment industry was, so he felt a little anxious over Ra-Eun’s indecisiveness.
“Please think it over really carefully, Ra-Eun. You seriously almost never see such a huge role like this given to a rookie actress. It’s practically an unprecedented offer, so let’s seize the opportunity if possible, okay?”
“I’ll try my best.”
This was the most that Ra-Eun could say at the moment.
***
Ra-Eun also knew very well how amazing the casting offer that she had received was. She did not understand why an offer for a lead role was given to her when she had not even shown much of her talent.
‘There sure are a bunch of people with peculiar tastes.’
If Ra-Eun was the program director, there was no way that she would cast herself. She packed the script into her bag and left the meeting room. As she was killing time in the agency lobby while Yu-Bin brought the car around, the door of a passing van opened.
She recognized the number plate. A person... no, a famous stalker jumped out of the car.
“My, my! Ra-Eun in a school uniform! So cute!”
Rita dashed toward Ra-Eun to hug her, but Ra-Eun stretched out her hand to push Rita back by the forehead to stop her approach.
“Didn’t I tell you not to get within a one-meter radius of me?” Ra-Eun remarked.
“Don’t be such a cheapskate when it’s been so long. Can’t you just let me embrace you at least once?”
“There are no exceptions when it comes to you, sunbae. Please don’t get your hopes up.”
Rita clicked her tongue from Ra-Eun’s sharp retorts and reluctantly stepped back. Ra-Eun noticed Rita’s make-up and hair.
“Were you on your way back from a shoot?” she asked.
“No, I went to meet some group affiliate executives of a conglomerate that decided to sponsor my concert.”
“Which conglomerate?”
“Ji-Hang Group. You’ve heard of them, haven’t you?”
There was no way that Ra-Eun hadn’t. Ji-Hang Group was one of the ‘Big Three’ conglomerates of the Korean financial world, along with Soong-Hwa Group and Oh-Seong Group. It was no exaggeration to say that these three conglomerates practically had full control over Korea’s economic field.
Although Ji-Hang Group was the smallest of the three, they were only small compared to the other two conglomerates. Ji-Hang Group was leagues above other businesses.
‘I guess you can meet conglomerate executives when you’re famous enough.’
It was obvious if one thought about it. Famous celebrities were included in the top 0.01% of Korea, or in other words, VVIPs. Rita was naturally a member of that group.
‘Becoming a celebrity, huh...?’
Hypothetically, if she were to reach the same level of fame as Rita...
‘Will I be able to meet VVIPs just like her?’
If one wanted to meet famous people, all they needed to do was to become just as famous. It was a very simple logic.
Ra-Eun possessed two ways to become famous. First was to score really big in business. However, Park Seol-Hun was still in the middle of his sixth business, so this would take quite a bit of time.
In that case, she could just use her second card. Yu-Bin arrived at the lobby just in time, and called out to Ra-Eun after greeting Rita.
“Let’s go, Ra-Eun.”
“Please wait, Miss Manager. Could I speak to Chief Jung for a bit longer before we go?”
“Hm? About what?”
Ra-Eun had told Chief Jung that she would give him an answer for the female lead casting offer after some deep thought, but that was no longer necessary.
“I’m done thinking, so I’m going to go tell him that I’ll take on the role of Jin Seo-Yu.”
***
Ra-Eun had decided to accept the casting offer. Chief Jung was overjoyed, as if he had won the lottery. Only after getting through with the drama production staff and getting a response that they’ll set up a meeting date soon was she able to get back home.
She dived into her bed as soon as she came back.
Fwump!
The soft bed comforted her fatigued body.
‘Why am I so tired when I haven’t even done much today?’
Not only that, but she felt down for some reason, and her stomach had started hurting...
‘Oh, it's?that day.’
She wasn’t able to tell the first few times, but she was now able to tell from just a slight unusual feeling. Kang Ra-Hyuk knocked on her door as soon as she had finished changing into some comfortable clothes.
“Ra-Eun, you’re gonna be staying home this Saturday, right?”
“This Saturday? Is it some special day?”
“It is. I’m sure you know as well.”
There was no way that she would. She turned her gaze toward the calendar on her desk. The Saturday of this week had been circled with a blue pen. She had not done it.
‘The past Kang Ra-Eun must have marked it.’
There were small words written right below the date number.
[Mom’s Death Anniversary]
Ra-Eun lightly sighed and said to Ra-Hyuk, “Yeah, I’ll be home.”
“Okay. I’ll let Dad know.”
Ra-Eun felt conflicted by the word ‘mom’. She laid back on her bed, staring at the ceiling that had become all too familiar. She then unconsciously blurted out, “This family’s way better than my real one.”
Family.
It was a word that she had never wanted to recall before her return to the past.
***
Ra-Eun’s family visited her mother’s grave on the day of her death anniversary. Their father cleaned the tombstone with a water tissue with great care. He took out two pictures that he had safely kept in his bosom and laid them in front of the tombstone.
One was the family photo that they had taken this morning, and the other was a picture of Ra-Eun in her drama scene that Ra-Hyuk had printed out before.
“Honey, you loved watching dramas. You should’ve stayed with us until our Ra-Eun starred in one. There was no need for you to rush...”
Ra-Eun had found out at last why her father was so happy that she starred in a drama. It was because her mother loved watching television.
“We managed to pay off all our debt thanks to Ra-Hyuk, too. Aren’t you proud of our children?”
Ra-Eun could not imagine how hard it was on their father to raise a son and a daughter all on his own. She began to see the existence of a father in a completely new light for the first time.
Ra-Hyuk shot her a glance.
“Let’s go back to the car first.”
They decided to leave so that their father could freely let out everything that was on his mind to his wife.
Ra-Eun and Ra-Hyuk returned to the parking lot. She was extremely bothered by how Ra-Hyuk had been stealing glances at her since earlier.
“What? Do you have something you want to say to me?” she asked.
“No, I was just thinking that you’re not crying today.”
“Why would I cry?”
“You cry buckets every year we come to see mom on her death anniversary.”
The former Kang Ra-Eun must have been fairly sentimental. However, the current Kang Ra-Eun was unmoved, since she wasn’t even her real mother. Even if she was, Ra-Eun would have remained as expressionless as she currently was. That was just the kind of existence a family was to her.
“Let’s go get some lunch once Dad comes back,” Ra-Hyuk expressed.
“Okay.”
“Is there anything you want to eat? This oppa of yours will treat you to something good today.”
“Why so out of the blue?”
“To celebrate my precious little sister holding back her tears.”
“...”
She would have kicked him under normal circumstances, but she decided to just let it slide on a special day like this. Just in time, their father walked over while wiping his tears with a tissue after finishing his talk with his wife. He stuffed the tissue in his pocket to act in front of his children like he didn’t cry, but Ra-Eun had ended up witnessing it since she was standing right across from him.
Ra-Hyuk belatedly noticed that his father had arrived. He asked, “Dad, we were thinking of having what Ra-Eun wants for lunch. You’ll join us, won’t you?”
“Of course. Let’s eat out as a family for once.”
Their father and Ra-Hyuk got into the driver’s seat and passenger seat respectively, and Ra-Eun got into the back seat. Before they departed, Ra-Eun said to her father, “Dad, I received an offer to star in a drama as a lead role a few days ago, and I decided to accept it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, so tell Mom about that as well when we come to see her again.”
She had given her father something else to brag about. It wasn’t bad being a good daughter on a day like today.
***
On the day of the pre-meeting of I Will Guide You (Working Title), a man in his forties with several gray hairs introduced himself to Ra-Eun.
“I am the general program director of this drama, Park Dae-Shin. And over here is...”
Director Park signaled to the woman in her thirties next to him.
“I’m Hwang Yo-Rin, the main writer. Thank you so much for accepting our casting offer, Ra-Eun.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you for giving me such a great opportunity,” Ra-Eun replied.
Yo-Rin’s eyes flashed brightly as soon as she laid eyes on Ra-Eun. Ra-Eun felt like she had seen such an expression many times somewhere.
“To be honest with you, the character Jin Seo-Yu was inspired by you. The freezing cold glint in your eyes that comes out from time to time! Even though I’m a woman, how should I explain it... I was charmed by your charisma that destroys the boundary between genders. Regardless, you were so cool!”
“I-Is that so?” Ra-Eun stuttered.
“Yes! That’s why I pestered Director Park to no end that no one but you could play the role of Jin Seo-Yu. You have no idea how happy I was when you contacted us to say that you’ll take on the role...! I still feel like I’m dreaming!”
Ra-Eun now realized why she had felt Yo-Rin’s expression to be familiar.
‘She has the same vibe as Rita sunbae.’
Was it that there were too many people who easily fell for her, or was she the one who caused the people around her to be charmed by her, regardless of gender?
Ra-Eun had no idea.
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