Chapter 40.1

Chapter 40.1

André, who had ordered dinner through room service, put down the receiver and sat on the edge of the bed. The sound of running water from the bathroom was loud.

“Haa.”

He ran his hand through his hair and let out a small, bitter laugh.

‘What the hell have I done?’

People who had known André since childhood said he inherited the cold temperament of the Lowell family on his mother’s side. He agreed with this assessment. However, after meeting Miran, he could no longer define his personality with just a few adjectives.

His nature as a Lafayette, buried deep within him, kept resurfacing whenever it came to matters involving Miran.

The Lafayettes were famous for their hot-blooded nature, characteristic of romantic idealists who charged ahead without hesitation for a greater cause. Historically, his ancestors were passionate and impulsive, following the path their hearts pointed to rather than their heads.

The André, who had twisted the director’s arm and kicked him in the chest for threatening Miran, was indeed a hot-blooded Lafayette. Resting his arms on his knees, he lowered his head and let out a deep sigh.

Bringing Miran to the hotel was also an impulsive decision that wasn’t part of his plan. When he took her from the filming site, he had intended to take her back to the rooftop room in Poidong.

But when Miran suddenly stopped, her face turning pale as she staggered and collapsed, he thought she was going to faint and André’s heart sank. The moment he saw her bright, clear eyes cloud over with tears and her teeth chatter, it felt like he had been kicked in the gut with combat boots.

In that situation, he couldn’t take her all the way to Poidong. Calming her panic was the priority. As soon as he spotted a taxi for U.S. military personnel, he hailed it without even organizing his thoughts. He then brought her straight to the hotel within the base.

The resolve to never see Miran again was completely disregarded. Even if the thought had crossed his mind, he knew he would act the same way if faced with the same situation again.

The problem was that, despite these impulsive actions, he had no regrets whatsoever.

Ah, it wasn’t that he had no regrets at all. André’s expression twisted coldly.

‘I should have arrived at the filming site earlier.’

The inhumane treatment and blatant s€xu@l harassment of a rookie actress at the film set were quite shocking. If he hadn’t been idling and hesitating at the hotel, he could have pulled Miran out before she was humiliated by the director who treated her like a cheap piece of meat.

‘And before she had to kiss the co-actor.’

That one fact made his temples throb with regret.

The murderous intent he felt when he saw the director, who had s€xu@lly humiliated Miran, push her with the script and eventually attempt to assault her, still sent chills down his spine. He rubbed the back of his neck and twisted his head from side to side to loosen the stiff muscles.

‘I should have kicked his temple instead of his chest and broken his neck instead of his arm.’

He knew better than anyone how much effort Miran had put into this film. But because of him, she had lost the role she had worked so hard to secure.

The bigger problem was that the scumbag director had vowed to ruin the career of the rookie actress. It seemed likely he would follow through on his threat. Judging by the power he wielded on set, it was clear how the film industry operated.

Miran had mentioned that the director, who deserved to be in handcuffs, was a rather renowned figure who had won awards at international film festivals. While he knew that character and talent didn’t always align, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

In any case, his interference in her life had only complicated matters further. Despite his efforts to avoid creating situations he would have to take responsibility for, it had come to this.

André felt considerable guilt and frustration knowing that Miran had to bear the consequences of his impulsive actions. However, he had no intention of shirking his responsibility. He was determined to compensate her in some way.

Walking over to the window, André leaned against the windowsill with his arms crossed. The clear, high autumn sky spread out over the Seoul cityscape below.

If this were New York, it wouldn’t be too difficult to secure a minor role for a rookie actress. The high-level connections were intricately and complexly intertwined like a spider’s web, making it possible with just a few introductions.