After Story 150

The sound from the TV echoed in her ears before fading away. Just five minutes ago, she was laughing and giggling while watching, but right now, none of its content entered her eyes.

Dawoon chewed on her thumb and looked at the phone she placed next to her. The message that Maru sent was on the screen. The simple message lets talk poked her eyes.

She intuitively knew that this was going to be related to Han Haneul.

Without being able to be happy that she was messaged by Maru, she had to send a message; a message that she was busy right now so it was hard to talk.

Im sure she said it. Im sure she went to oppa and blurted out everything.

She threw the remote control at the TV that was blabbing on all by itself. It was noisy. It would be great if it could shut up for a little.

She took her phone and went inside her room before closing the door. What should she do? Han Haneul was a cunning woman.

She had forgotten about this for a while after the shoot and didnt realize that Haneul would backstab her like this.

What would Maru-oppa be thinking right now? Wouldnt he be putting blind faith in his girlfriends words and would start treating Dawoon like total trash?

She felt stifled. First, she took a deep breath. There was a need to calm down.

Her narrow vision recovered a little. Her tightening breath also relaxed.

Dawoon relaxed her body and started thinking in a calm state. This was a disadvantageous battle. Whatever the case may be, Maru would trust Haneuls words more. Moreover, someone like Han Haneul would make up stories to badmouth her.

She felt terrible just thinking about it. That woman was truly terrible. It was no wonder that she schemed with Na Baekhoon behind Dawoons back.

It was because Maru was kind and affectionate that he was being swung around by a woman like that. Dawoon had to rescue the pitiful oppa.

Suddenly, it felt like this was not misfortune, but an opportunity. She organized her thoughts and picked up her phone. There was something she needed to test.

She scanned through her messenger friends list and picked a few who she didnt care if she ruined her relations.h.i.+p with them. Then, she picked someone among them who was dating.

-Jiyoung, it might be my misunderstanding, but I think I saw your boyfriend go to a nightclub with another woman.

After that, she spent twenty minutes talking with Jiyoung. At first, Jiyoung said that there was just no way, but when she kept instigating her, Jiyoungs att.i.tude changed.

Wasnt there anything strange? Doesnt he contact you less and less lately? Wasnt he acting negligently?

She got a phone call. It was Jiyoung. That friend then revealed over the phone that they had been in a strange mood lately while crying.

Dawoon felt glee. She only made up plausible-sounding words, but she managed to put a crack in someone elses relations.h.i.+p. She advised Jiyoung to not bring the topic up first just in case before hanging up. Then she went through her photos on her phone.

She found a photo where Han Haneul and Na Baekhoon were standing side by side and smiling. It was a photo she took during the shoot. There should be absolutely no problems with this photo, but with a few words, she would be able to sow seeds of suspicion.

It didnt matter even if it was a minute crack. If she could dent the relations.h.i.+p between Maru and Haneul, it would be easy to seep through that crack.

She felt relaxed now. She found a way.

When she lay down on her bed with a smile, a sense of shame a.s.saulted her. How tragic was this? What kind of shameful deed was this?

She couldnt help it though. She felt like she would collapse if she didnt do this. This was an inevitable choice to defend herself. If lucky, she would be able to be tied to the person she wanted to be.

She couldnt be bothered to think anymore. She put aside all her worries and closed her eyes. Right before she fell asleep, she heard someone whispering:

What if you start dating? What next?

Nothing really came to mind.

* * *

The song you just heard was Yoo Ans Night of the Leaving Sun. Hearing this song, I want to go to the mountains and just listen to the birds.

Suyeon paused a little before continuing her commentary,

For part three, were joined by Mr. Han Maru, who has come to the studio after a long time. Mr. Maru, hasnt it been too long?

Was I away for about three weeks? I think its been a really long time too. I came into the room, and it felt really unfamiliar.

So please come regularly. While you were away, everyone was looking for you. They said they needed advice from the devil.

Im grateful that people looked for me without forgetting about me. I shall do my best to be the stick.

Suyeons laughter could be heard over the microphone.

Before we start, please tell us about your recent activities. Many of our listeners are curious.

He was thankful that she looked out for him like this. Maru cleared his throat and spoke,

I shot a film this time. I managed to join director Lim Hw.a.n.ggeuns work.

It must have been tough shooting in this hot weather.

I had a hard time, sure. But the results were really good, so I forgot all of that.

You said director Lim Hw.a.n.ggeun, right? Isnt he famous for his Gawol-dong series? Is this movie the sequel to that?

No, this will feel a lot different from his works until now.

So its not a comedy?

Before Maru answered, he looked outside the booth at the producer. Although the progression of the program was up to the DJ, he might not be seen in a good light if he dragged on talking about what might be self-promotion.

If the producer told him to cut it off moderately, then he was going to say a couple more lines before wrapping up.

The producer raised her right hand to create a circle. It was a signal that he could continue. Was she being considerate? Or.

He looked at Suyeon. Suyeon smiled and hinted at him to speak comfortably. It seemed that she talked about it with the producer beforehand.

Suyeon had set him up well. Now, it was his turn to display everything without pulling back.

Theres no sense of laughter at all. There are witty comebacks throughout to refresh the mood, but the story overall doesnt have any comedic elements. So if you watch the movie thinking about his previous works, you might be taken aback by the nuance.

Can you tell me what its about? Im curious.

I just finished the shoot, so I cant tell you much, but I can tell you that its a story about bad guys.

Bad guys, you say?

Scammers. Theyre all out to find weaknesses in others. Theyre people who put aside law and justice, and they live purely for the money in front of their eyes.

Bad guys shouldnt be so charming if theyre just bad. There must be something else too, right?

Im a little embarra.s.sed since this will sound like Im boasting, but Im sure youll come to like the villains in this movie.

Looks like I must go watch it once its released. Youre going to give premiere tickets to our listeners, right?

Ill definitely give some tickets to our audience even if it means using my own money.

Suyeon clapped.

Everyone, you hear that? Its been recorded, so dont you go telling us that you dont remember later. I guess we got some good presents to give away. The writer outside is applauding me for having done a good job.

Maru looked at the monitor in front of him. Messages of encouragement were coming in real-time.

Some of them grumbled, saying that he shouldnt be promoting himself, but those soon got buried under the new messages.

He sighed in relief inwardly. If Han Maru had a bad image as an actor, he wouldve gotten a lot more negative feedback than this. He felt relieved that there were more messages of encouragement instead.

Well then, shall we listen to the resentments of salarymen on their way back from work? Suyeon said into the mic as though whispering.

* * *

Maru, what are you doing after this? Suyeon asked while the radio was on commercial.

Maru took off his headphones and spoke,

Im going to go home and play with my cat.

So you dont have an appointment, huh? Does your cat get lonely often?

Well, from what I see, shes totally fine by herself so I dont think so.

Then you should eat with us. Were having a get-together after the radio today.

Is it okay for me to join you?

We wouldnt invite someone who goes straight home after the program. Youre on close terms with other people too, Suyeon said while looking outside.

The writer opened the door and came in before speaking,

Mr. Han. What are you doing after this? If you dont have anything, you should eat with us.

I was just talking to him about that. But this guy still seems to feel unfamiliar with us. He asked me if it was okay for him to join us, Sueyon said.

He shook his head and replied,

I really like get-togethers. Ill definitely join you.

He waited in the studio for about an hour. The main writer gave him some postcards with stories on them, telling him that he should do some work without dazing around.

There are still people who send postcards, huh?

These days, this is special. There are many people who keep sending them since its quite fun if you get the hang of it. Read them and get some stories that are decent. Lets see how your judgment is regarding shows.

Judgment, huh? He picked a few stories suitable for the radio and gave them back to the writer. Scanning through them quickly, the writer spoke,

Hey, you wanna work here? Ill raise you if you do.

I like my job as an actor.

Thats a pity. Producer, Maru did work, so buy him something nice at the get-together.

The producer smiled and said yes. They went to the nearby stewed ribs restaurant after the show.

Pork ribs colored in red sauce boiled inside a dented nickel-silver pot.

They had drinks and talked. There were four women, and Maru was the only man.

He did various menial tasks for the table. Even then, he kept his ears open.

Maru, do you have a lover?

The main writer, who was grumbling that her husband was giving her a hard time because of his sleeping habits, changed the topic.

Maru put the empty side dishes to one side and spoke,

How do I look? Do you think I have one?

I put my vote on yes.

Me too.

I put my vote on no.

The production crew said a word each. Then, their gazes gathered on Suyeon, who was drinking quietly.

To even things up, Ill put my vote on no.

Then she faintly smiled and drank the rest.

The table became bustling again. They talked about the writers plans to visit overseas to the producers new was.h.i.+ng machine.

While the topics changed, Suyeon did not say much. At most, she smiled and chimed in from time to time.

Shes a lot different from when were doing the radio, right? the main writer said while looking at Suyeon. Its not that shes ignoring us or something like that, so dont think too strangely. We found it weird at first, but we started not to mind ever since we found out that she was that kind of girl.

Suyeon said that she was uninteresting and told them to stop before grabbing a rib with a hand with a glove on.

Shes more noisy than ever during broadcasts, but shes quiet outside the booth. Sometimes, we forget shes even there. Suyeon, talk about something interesting for us.

I got nothing. Also, if you talk too much while you eat, youll lose your fortune.

See? Shes on the more talkative side today too.

The main writer grinned and picked up her gla.s.s. This didnt feel like a drink-and-get-drunk atmosphere.

After they had drunk moderately, someone said they should get up.

The producer paid for the food and left first. Other than the new writer, everyone else had families, so they left soon.

Its good to try your best, but sometimes you need to have some leisure. Actors arent sprinters. Well, you might not need any of this advice. You seem to be doing well by yourself.

Suyeon said those words to him before she got in the taxi.

They were probably words she said without much thought, but Maru could feel the concern of a senior towards her junior.

Im glad that you look comfortable in this life.

What was that? Suyeon asked while poking her head out the window.

Nothing. Watch out on your way home.

Okay, see you at the next broadcast.

Goodbye.

He lowered his head at the taxi that was driving off. He was smiling because he felt suitably drunk.

Just then, his phone notified him of a messenger alert.

-We should meet up once, right? Hanjoo Chicken Feet a.s.sociation!

It was Yoo Jichans message in the group chat.