Chapter 5.2

Chapter 5.2

Seunghyuk beamed and raised his glass towards her.

“Hehe, thank you!”

Miran answered energetically and picked up the small glass of liquor in front of her. She clinked glasses with one hand respectfully supporting her wrist and tilted her head back to down the strong liquor in one go. The famous 30-year-old whiskey warmed her throat as it went down.

“A movie? Or a drama?”

Miran wrinkled her nose slightly at the lingering smell of whiskey and then relaxed, answering with a somewhat relaxed expression.

“A movie. It’s Director Jung Byungjin’s new film called ‘A Gangster’s Innocence.’ About two weeks ago, Hyunah unni suddenly contacted me to audition, so I went. But I thought I didn’t get it because the assistant director only looked at my face and left. Oh! Now that I think about it, it’s just a minor role with only a few lines—”

“…Hyuna? You mean Yang Hyuna?” Seunghyuk interrupted, his eyebrows twitching.

“Yes, you know her, right? She’s one year below you, the stylish Hyuna unni.”

Seunghyuk’s face twisted slightly. Hyuna was known for her lavish spending, much like Seunghyuk and Jieun. Although she didn’t have her own car, she wore clothes with prominent brand logos and carried expensive handbags, leading to rumors that she was the daughter of a local dignitary.

However, she didn’t quite fit in with the “Orange Group,” the elite group within the United Circle that stuck together.

“There are a lot of rumors about her. Are you close?”

“No, I just know her face. She suddenly contacted me, saying there was a role perfect for me.”

With a hardened expression, Seunghyuk picked up a Marlboro Red from the table and offered the pack to her. This red-capped cigarette seemed to be a necessity for Jieun and Seunghyuk—as well as the orange group.

“Want a smoke?”

“No.”

When she declined, Seunghyuk took a deep drag and turned his head, exhaling the harsh smoke away from her.

“The shi.tty hierarchy and dirty practices in the Korean film industry. I can’t stand it, which is why I’m escaping to study abroad, so I feel lame saying this to you. But since you’ve started, toughen up. Both Yang Hyuna and Director Jung Byungjin have bad reputations.”

“…What?”

As Miran blinked in surprise, Seunghyuk hesitated, touching his chin before sighing and giving her a bitter smile.

“Never mind. What am I saying to someone just starting out? Congratulations again! Do your best. There probably won’t be any problems, but always be careful.”

“Yes…”

Miran answered politely, but an odd sense of unease chilled her heart.

‘What do I need to be careful about?’

After bowing to Seunghyuk and wishing him a safe trip abroad, she luckily ran into Jieun, who was returning to her table. Using the excuse that she wasn’t feeling well, Miran left early.

She dozed off on the sparsely populated bus full of drunk passengers, heading back to her rooftop room in Poidong.

—

On the second floor of an old shopping building on the outskirts of Seoul, Room 203, styled as a gang’s office, was bustling with staff setting up filming equipment.

Miran received a call from the assistant director, instructing her to come to the set early to pick up the script and greet the director. She arrived early in the morning with Hyuna. Having woken up at dawn to do her makeup and hair, Miran was yawning incessantly due to lack of sleep.

Because of her role, Hyuna insisted she wear something that accentuated her figure, so Miran reluctantly put on a strappy dress she wouldn’t normally wear, feeling quite uncomfortable. Feeling too exposed from early in the morning, she tightly buttoned up the cardigan she wore over the dress.

After waiting for about two hours, a disheveled man in his late forties, with bloodshot eyes and a sallow face as if still hungover, entered the shooting location, greeted loudly by the staff.

The assistant director, who had just returned with coffee from a vending machine, rushed over with Miran and Hyuna in tow and offered the coffee.

“Director! These are the actresses for the ‘Choya Salon’ scene, Hyuna and Miran.”

He nudged Miran in the ribs.

“Hello, Director! It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Kang Miran, pleased to work with you!”

Miran greeted energetically, bowing deeply.