Chapter 22: I Won’t Do It Anyway (4)

Rita had a preference that no one knew about. Like she had told Kang Ra-Eun, she liked pretty girls. Rita had taken great interest in Ra-Eun from when the latter starred in The Devil’s Touch and made a name for herself. She wanted to meet Ra-Eun in person at least once, wondering how pretty she would be in person when she was that pretty through a screen.

While she was having such thoughts, Rita happened to see Ra-Eun while she had stopped by the water park. She knew as soon as she saw Ra-Eun in person that she was the one.

Meanwhile, Ra-Eun was in a momentary state of panic due to Rita’s shocking confession. Seeing the flustered Ra-Eun, Rita’s cherry lips formed a crescent.

“You’re so pretty even when you’re shocked.”

Rita got on top of Ra-Eun to get in a better position. The camera director and the other staff members were so far away that they could not hear the conversation between Rita and Ra-Eun.

If Rita was a man instead of a woman, Ra-Eun would have kneed her in the nether region, but not only was Rita a woman, Ra-Eun could not subdue a top star among top stars using violence.

‘Even so, people are watching us, and yet she...!’

As Ra-Eun was about to push her aside by force...

“Cut! Okay, that was great, both of you. Your eyes and expressions were fantastic!”

The music video director seemed to be very satisfied with the ad-libbing of the two women... no, strictly speaking, Rita’s ad-libbing. A slight wrinkle formed on Ra-Eun’s smooth forehead.

“Could you get off of me now?” said Ra-Eun.

There was a slight irritation mixed in her voice.

Rita got off of Ra-Eun and said with an apologetic face, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bully you like that. I completely forgot about the shoot and let my true self show.”

Ra-Eun narrowed her eyes at Rita’s mention of ‘true self’. The artists came up to check Ra-Eun and Rita’s make-up as soon as Ra-Eun hurriedly got up from the bed.

‘What the hell’s up with that woman?’

Ra-Eun did not let out an irritated voice because she was mad at Rita, but to hide her true feelings. Ra-Eun’s mind was in jumbles because she had never once in her life received such direct appeal from a top female star like Rita.

On the other hand, Rita seemed to be having a great time and smiled at Ra-Eun, which Ra-Eun turned away to avoid Rita’s gaze. Shin Yu-Bin arrived just in time and fanned Ra-Eun with her hands.

“Good work on your first music video shoot. How does it feel to act directly in front of a camera? It feels different from a drama shoot, right?” Yu-Bin asked.

“Besides that, Miss Manager,” interjected Ra-Eun.

She had something that she wanted to ask Yu-Bin.

“If, by any chance...” Ra-Eun muttered.

“Huh? What is it?”

“...”

Ra-Eun could not muster the courage to ask Yu-Bin if Rita had those?kinds of tastes, since the chance that she didn’t know was far too high.

‘It would be troublesome if weird rumors start spreading because I misspoke...’

Both Rita and Ra-Eun, the origin of the rumor, would be in awkward positions. Ra-Eun did not understand why Rita made such a confession to her, but...

“Never mind.”

She decided to display her superhuman patience to wait and see.

***

Rita did not attempt any more excessive skinship aside from the first scene where she pushed Ra-Eun down on the bed. Their subsequent scenes together ended with just gazing at each other or having their backs against each other.

It was time for Rita’s solo shoot. Ra-Eun, who had changed into a new attire, watched Rita as she was acting while moving her lips to look like she was singing. Once the shoot was paused temporarily, Rita locked eyes with Ra-Eun again, in which Ra-Eun once again turned her gaze elsewhere as Rita smiled at her with her eyes.

‘I don’t get what she’s thinking at all.’

Ra-Eun and Rita’s two-shot resumed after Rita’s solo shoot. Before going into the shoot, Ra-Eun warned Rita in advance while glaring at her.

“I did demand no skinship with men, but that doesn’t mean I like having skinship with women, so please do it in moderation.”

Ra-Eun was not asking for Rita’s understanding. It was a threat. She was telling Rita that she would not take it lying down if she pulled something like that again.

“Then I’ll just hold your hand this time. That much is fine, right?” Rita asked.

“...”

Rita did not seem to have understood Ra-Eun in the slightest. Forget being sorry, Rita was doing her absolute best to have a lovey-dovey music video shoot with Ra-Eun. Holding hands was probably fine, but...

“I won’t tolerate anything more than that. If you do something like before, I’ll consider this shoot never happened and leave. Please keep that in mind.”

Ra-Eun decided to draw the line early. Rita maintained her bright smile while saying that she understood.

The cameras started rolling again with the clap of the slate. Rita took the initiative to grab Ra-Eun’s hand. As the cameras were focusing on their faces...

“...!”

Ra-Eun’s eyes flashed downward because of the movements of Rita’s fingers. She got goosebumps from how Rita was touching her hand with the greatest care while their fingers were locked.

“Cut!”

The director declared an NG cut because of Ra-Eun’s estranged gaze.

“Ra-Eun, don’t be too embarrassed from being so close to Rita and properly look at her face, okay?”

“...Yes, director.”

That wasn’t the reason, but the director and staff members who were not aware of the circumstances misunderstood that Ra-Eun was embarrassed to be so close to a top star like Rita.

Rita started wiggling her fingers around again, and whispered right into Ra-Eun’s ear with a devious smile.

“Are your hands sensitive? Is this your erogenous zone?” Rita asked.

“...”

It was the first time Ra-Eun had the thought of hitting a woman.

***

Ra-Eun barely managed to complete the music video shoot. There was a group dinner planned after, but Ra-Eun couldn’t care less and wanted to just go home and rest. As soon as she arrived, Kang Ra-Hyuk barraged her with questions as if he had been waiting for her.

“Ra-Eun! What was Miss Rita like? Was she prettier in person? What about pictures? Did you take any together? I’m sure you got her autograph for me, right?”

Ra-Eun’s face crumpled more and more until she couldn’t take it anymore and exploded. She kicked her older brother’s butt as he was blabbering as soon as she had arrived home.

Smack—!

Ra-Hyuk sank to his knees.

“Why did you kick me?!” he exclaimed.

“Shut the hell up before I hit you even more,” Ra-Eun declared.

“What, is asking questions that big of a sin?”

“Yeah, it is. What are you going to do about it?”

Ra-Eun started getting ready to go out again, unable to handle being at home because of Ra-Hyuk.

Ra-Hyuk shouted from behind, “Wh-Where are you going?!”

“Starlight Road. I’ll come back before Dad comes home, so don’t contact me.”

Slam!

Ra-Eun rushed to Starlight Road, her other sanctuary.

~

Seo Yi-Seo welcomed Ra-Eun as soon as she arrived.

“Hey, Ra-Eun. I was actually just about to call you.”

“You were? Why?” Ra-Eun asked.

“I was just curious about how your shoot today went.”

“Oh... That?”

Ra-Eun sat down and sighed deeply.

“I’m not all that sure whether it went well or not...”

“Why? Did things not work out during the shoot?”

Yi-Seo thought that Ra-Eun was acting like this because she made too many NG cuts from being too nervous for her first music video shoot, but that was the least of Ra-Eun’s problems.

“Have there been any weird rumors going around about Rita?” Ra-Eun queried.

“Rumors?”

“Yeah. How should I word it... Rumors about her unique tastes in people, or stuff like that.”

“Not sure. There hasn’t been anything like that, as far as I know,” Yi-Seo remarked.

In the public’s eyes, the songstress Rita was a sincere and kind-hearted celebrity. It seemed like Ra-Eun was the only one who knew about Rita’s sexual preferences. During the entire shoot, it didn’t seem like the staff members nor even Rita’s own manager knew of her sexual preferences.

‘What is this, The King with Donkey Ears?’

Ra-Eun had been put in a tight spot, but it no longer mattered.

‘The music video shoot is over, after all.’

And she could just refuse any role offers coming from Rita’s agency from now on. She just needed to eliminate any chances for them to meet.

‘Yeah, just think of it as a bad dream.’

That was how Ra-Eun tried to calm her mind, but she realized a few days later that problems in reality were never resolved that easily.

***

In the morning, Ra-Eun put on her uniform and took her backpack to go to school. However, Ra-Hyuk, who had gotten up early for some reason, came to see her out.

“Hey, Ra-Eun, did you see the article?” he asked.

“Article? What article?” Ra-Eun replied.

“About your agency, GNF Entertainment. Apparently, Rita’s entering it.”

“...What?”

Ra-Eun took off her shoes and occupied Ra-Hyuk’s computer. She could hear Ra-Hyuk complaining at her to use her own, but she ignored it because there was something more important than that right now.

[Breaking news! The popular songstress Rita has decided to transfer to GNF with her new single as her last with Eltra Entertainment!]

[GNF states, ‘Rita had brought up her desire to transfer to us first...’]

[Rita, who has signed a contract with her new agency, states, ‘I’ll be in your care!’]

Ra-Eun pulled out her cellphone as soon as she saw the articles and called Chief Jung to abruptly say...

“Hello, Chief Jung? I’m gonna quit acting from today, just to let you know!”

1. The King with Donkey Ears is a Korean children’s book about a king who hides his donkey ears with a hat serving as a crown, with only the hatmaker knowing his secret.