Seeing the crowd bustling near the casino entrance made me reluctant to approach.
The people werenât just gathered for gambling; they were here to watch todayâs filming.
âThere are so many people.â
ââ¦â¦â
I took a break from work to come see Seo Yerin with Yu Arin, but sheâs been silent since earlier.
âWhy. Again. Whatâs wrong.â
âWhy? Again? Whatâs wrong?â
Instead, Yu Arin grumbles, astonished by my question.
She jabs my chest with her finger, interrogating me.
âWhy are you so obsessed with butts? From last time to yesterday! You keep spanking me secretly!â
ââ¦Itâs fun.â
I tapped Yu Arinâs butt a few times at the drinking party yesterday, and now her reaction is spot on.
âSexual harassment! You bastard! What kind of boss sexually harasses?!â
âIâm your boss! And you enjoyed it too!â
âShut up! No, I didnât!â
I clearly remember the sweet moans every time I spanked her.
âHmph, forget it then.â
âSeriously, donât do it. Okay? Got it?â
âGot it.â
Usually, I get beaten up by Yu Arin, so I was exacting revenge in this way.
Now that itâs blocked, Iâm a bit worried about how to counterattack next time.
âBecause of you, my butt was red yesterday.â
ââ¦I want to see it.â
As my gaze subtly dropped to Yu Arinâs butt, she hurriedly covered it with both hands, fuming.
âDonât do it.â
âI said I wonât. Why are you falsely accusing me?â
Itâs not false.
The truth is, just a moment ago, I was eyeing Yu Arinâs enticing butt.
âI saw your fingers twitching, you know?â
Damn it, caught.
âWere your fingers twitching to touch my butt?â
Feigning a bold face, I retort immediately, and Yu Arin steps closer, questioning me again.
âThen why were your fingers twitching? The size was just right to grab a butt.â
âSeo Yerinâs chest- Puhak!â
âYou crazy bastard!â
A punch landed right away.
I tried to twist my body to avoid it, but instead, I ended up moving my body into the punch.
I curled up in pain, and Yu Arin stormed off while breathing heavily.
I followed through the crowd, where Seo Yerin was chatting with actors and others.
âFamous people.â
Yu Arin, mouth agape, was staring at the people around Seo Yerin.
Certainly, they were people I had seen a few times on TV or at the movies.
Seeing them like that, it naturally felt like Seo Yerin belonged over there.
Among them was Cha Seung-ho, who had been mentioned yesterday.
ââ¦Did they really compare me to someone like that?â
A handsome man on par with Chan-woo. It felt almost deceitful that Seo Yerin chose me over someone like him.
It was a bit discouraging.
I thought about calling Seo Yerin over to say hello, but as the filming resumed, we kept our mouths shut.
I had heard that sometimes they control the filming set so people canât watch, but since this was a hotel, there seemed to be no such control.
Thanks to that, we could watch Seo Yerinâs acting.
She was wearing a dress, probably provided by this side, and the aura was unmistakable.
A rich girl from a wealthy family.
Even indoors, her elegant gestures while wearing sunglasses were impressive.
âIsnât that outfit a bit too revealing?â
âIt has to be. The setting is a casino, after all.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âAre you Yerinâs dad?â
I kept my mouth shut at Yu Arinâs incredulous question.
Certainly, given the setting, the somewhat revealing attire suited the image.
âIsnât she prettier than the female lead?â
âWasnât she the female lead?â
âWow, look at her body.â
The murmurs around us were mostly about Seo Yerin.
Some were searching to find out who she was, while others knew her as the beauty from the Great Korean bakery.
ââ¦â¦.â
A sense of discomfort settled in one corner of my chest, but I pretended not to notice.
In any case, Seo Yerin began her performance.
Playing the role of a rich young lady who points the way to the escaping protagonist without a single line of dialogue.
A serious yet elegant gesture, starkly different from the chaotic performance shown at yesterdayâs drinking party.
Even with just that one thing.
âAh.â
I was convinced that this child had to become an actor.
âLetâs go.â
I smiled awkwardly and turned my body, still staring blankly at Seo Yerin.
Since I had come during a short break, I couldnât stay long.
ââ¦What?â
Yu Arin looked at me with a subtle expression as we stepped out of the crowd.
âWhatâs wrong? Your expression doesnât look good.â
âI donât really like crowded places.â
âIt doesnât seem like itâs just that, though?â
Sheâs quite perceptive.
âLetâs hurry. The managers will get angry.â
ââ¦â¦â
As I hastily changed the subject and quickened my pace, Yu Arin urgently caught up and linked arms with me.
She was holding on tight enough to feel a bit of pain, as if insisting that I couldnât let go.
It wasnât just me who was feeling emotional; Yu Arin also seemed to be feeling a strange anxiety.
I slowed my steps, keeping my mouth shut, and matched her pace.
âYerin, you were really good!â
âRight. Wow, I felt a wall of divide. Is this what a genius is?â
âHehe, thank you.â
Seo Yerin couldnât help but let her lips curl up at the actorsâ compliments.
She was more excited about bragging than about the compliments themselves.
After all, she was being praised by professional actors.
âBut today, by any chanceâ¦â
âHey, donât pressure her.â
The actors were chatting away in front of her, but Seo Yerin couldnât hear them.
After glancing down at her phone, she looked around.
âThe guys said they were coming.â
Surely, they said they would come to watch during break time.
She even sent a message saying it was starting soon, so they should have come.
âAhâ¦â
At that moment, a guy and a girl caught Seo Yerinâs eye.
Kim Woojin and Yu Arin were turning their backs and heading back to work.
Yu Arin, comfortably linking arms with Kim Woojin, who matched her pace as they walked.
ââ¦â¦â
A strange emotion welled up.
Just a moment ago, she had been in a good mood.
She was excited about receiving compliments and the thought of bragging about it to Kim Woojin and other friends.
âYerin, the director liked the scene just now so much that heâs putting it in the trailer.â
Despite the good news from the lead actor, Cha Seung-ho, Seo Yerin couldnât feel at ease.
âI thought I could be unaffected by all this.â
Choi Yiseo too, and Yu Arin as well.
Recently, despite various events causing some ambiguity, she was relieved that their relationship hadnât deteriorated.
Squeeze.
Her hand gripped the phone tighter.
Seo Yerin, who had been blankly watching the two leave, eventually couldnât hold back and picked up her phone.
Anonymous69: I want to have seX!
Though she always did, today she posted a remark with slightly more intense emotion.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âHa.â
A bitter sigh escaped.
Not at all, not even a little.
She felt no relief.
âWhat?! Is that really true?!â
The assistant director, upon receiving the call from Gold One Hotel, unconsciously stood up from his seat.
âOh, thank you so much! Yes! Yes! Thank you very much!â
He even bowed his head several times while on the phone, which said it all.
Click.
The call ended, and the assistant director swung his fists around with a broad smile.
âNice! Nice! Nice!â
Gold One, which strictly prohibited filming inside the casino, had given them two whole days to shoot inside.
That was more than enough.
Filming was only possible late at night when the casino was closed, but they even offered to lend lighting and costumes.
He had no idea why the conservative Gold One suddenly became so accommodating.
âHow much of the production budget is being saved?â
The realistic setting and the fact that no separate set or CGI was needed reduced production costs.
The news about being able to shoot inside the casino was immediately shared with the filming team and actors, and everyone was delighted.
âThis is really great news, Director.â
âRight? Ahem, but about actor Chaâ¦â
While contacting the lead actor, Cha Seung-ho, the assistant director made a subtle suggestion.
âYou know, that Yerin girl we shot today?â
âOh, yes. You even remembered her name?â
Of course, he had to remember.
Isnât it said that talent shows from an early stage?
Seo Yerin undoubtedly had the qualities to become a great actress.
âHow about we use Yerin a bit more? Give her a few more lines and a brief role as an assistant.â
âYou know weâve already marked Yerin as ours, right?â
Worried that Seo Yerin might be taken away, Cha Seung-ho made a remark, and the assistant director laughed helplessly.
âOf course, I know. After all, Iâm just the assistant director. Itâs just that it feels like a waste for her to appear so briefly. From what I saw today, her acting is a bit raw, but sheâs good.â
ââ¦â¦â
âWeâre going to include a scene with Seo Yerin in the trailer, but if thatâs all, it might be a bit disappointing. Wouldnât it be better for YS if Seo Yerin appeared more?â
âThatâs true.â
It was a chance for the next-generation star to make an impression on the audience beforehand.
ââ¦Iâll talk to Seo Yerin about it.â
âOkay, please do.â
Ending the call, the assistant director immediately called the scriptwriter.