Chapter 39.2

Chapter 39.2

André glanced at his wristwatch. It was half past five in the afternoon.

“We’ll order dinner from room service. Pick something you want to eat.”

He handed her the menu. Miran scanned the menu filled with English and handed it back to him. Pizza, spaghetti, hamburgers, and steak were the only Western dishes she was familiar with.

“I don’t know much about Western food. I can eat anything, so you choose for me. Um, more importantly…”

Miran hesitated.

André raised an eyebrow impatiently, waiting for her to speak.

“I’d like to remove my makeup and change clothes. Can I use the bathroom?”

She wanted to wash away the heavy makeup, the creepy touch of Oh Kyung-soo’s hands that had r0am€d over her during the rehearsal, and the murky, sticky gazes of the men who had watched her.

André nodded agreeably.

“Follow me.”

Miran followed André into the bedroom. A large bed, seemingly three times the size of her own, sat at the center. She was marveling at its enormous size when he took a white robe from the closet, similar to the one the heroine wore in the movie ‘Pretty Woman,’ and handed it to her.

André entered the bathroom first and turned on the warm water in the shower, steam rising from it. He then placed a new toothbrush and toothpaste on the sink and quietly closed the door as he left.

“Haa…”

Miran let out a trembling sigh. When a cold and aloof man took care of her so thoughtfully and kindly, it was impossible not to be moved unless one was made of stone.

She quickly discarded her dress and stood n4k€d, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

‘If André hadn’t shown up at the filming site today…’

Shivering, Miran wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.

What happened at the filming site today was far more horrific and miserable than she had imagined.

Byungjin and the staff treated Miran as if she were nothing more than a body with br€@sts, not a person like them. Even the camera lens seemed to v!0l.at€ her, making her feel a fear that surpassed shame.

During the rehearsal, Oh Kyung-soo’s hand roughly gr0p€d her ch€st over her dress, and then, as if by accident, a few fingers sl!pp€d inside. His hand even crept between her legs, touching the area she had covered.

Despite this, Miran was paralyzed with fear and couldn’t make a sound, let alone resist.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and when she looked up, everyone was staring at her with glossy eyes and gaping mouths. They knew what was happening to Miran, yet they seemed to enjoy it as if they were collectively watching p-0rn0gr@phy. Then Byungjin approached, and grabbed her ch€st, as if instructing her how to act. Nausea surged up, and she instinctively pushed his hand away.

Enraged, Byungjin, who couldn’t believe her audacity, announced he would give a reward just before the main shoot and called in the juniors of each team. Men around her age cheered and began to gather in the room one by one.

Miran had to endure the le`wd jokes and comments they made as they gathered around. With her head bowed low, she barely managed to swallow the tears that kept welling up.

But just before the main shoot began and Miran was about to expose her ch€st, she noticed a large figure moving. She instinctively glanced towards the door and froze.

She couldn’t tell when he had come in, but just knowing that André was there brought her such relief that the tension drained from her entire body.

Like a child who had been helplessly enduring bullying with no one to turn to, only to see their father running towards them from afar, Miran burst into tears of relief.

Recalling that moment, Miran started crying again. She sniffled and roughly wiped her tears with the back of her hand, smudging her mascara and eyeliner hideously.

She remembered André’s expressionless face as he walked over and kicked Byungjin, who had been hurling vile curses at her. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her ch€st. In the bathroom mirror, she saw her reflection, crying and smiling at the same time.

When she thought it would be better to bite her tongue and die rather than stand naked and be subjected to vile acts in front of countless eyes, André appeared like a miracle and extended his hand to her. Miran felt she would never forget him for the rest of her life.

And she realized.

“It’s not just like… I love him.”