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Chapter 36 - Shouldn't there be a reward for a job well done?
Chapter 36 - Shouldn't there be a reward for a job well done?
Chapter 36: Shouldn’t there be a reward for a job well done?
TL: Aniea
Keueuung-
When I woke up, my whole body screamed in protest. Just how long had I slept? My body was so stiff that even stretching felt exhausting.
I had stayed up several nights memorizing lines to deal with Park Ji-hoon, and then filmed for over ten hours. It’s a wonder I managed to endure it all.
“Let’s take a shower first.”
I don’t remember washing up before falling asleep. No, I didn’t even take off my clothes and just lay on the sofa.
It’s a shame to have left sweat-stained makeup on an expensive sofa, but I didn’t have the luxury to think about that at the time.
“…Huh?”
As I tried to get up, I felt something strange in my hand. It turned out to be a blanket draped over my waist.
When did I get this?
I had never seen such a blanket before.
Maybe because I hadn’t fully booted up yet, my brain couldn’t come up with a clear answer.
I stared at it with half-closed eyes for a while before a sudden thought struck me like lightning.
If I didn’t bring it in my sleep, someone must have covered me with it. How many people have access to this house anyway?
“Could it be Eun-ha ssi…”
With that thought, I quickly regained my senses. I looked around the house like a meerkat, but there was no sign of anyone.
Then I noticed a yellow post-it note stuck to the small table in front of the sofa. I got up quickly and checked the content.
?Since you seemed very tired, I didn’t wake you and just covered you with a blanket. I’ve prepared some food that’s easy on your stomach, so please heat it up and eat it.?
The moment I saw the neatly written letters, a wave of relief washed over me.
“…The housekeeper must have been here.”
She regularly visits to prepare side dishes and clean up. She’s like a caretaker.
She knows a bit about the relationship between Kim Eun-ha and me.
She’s usually very aloof, so we just exchange brief greetings when we meet.
When I was out, she would often leave post-it notes like this, so I was quite familiar with her handwriting.
“How long did I sleep anyway?”
I didn’t even hear the sound of the front door password being entered, which means I slept very deeply. Did I sleep for a whole day and night?
I hurriedly searched for my phone and checked the date and time on the main screen.
“…It wasn’t just one day.”
The drama shoot was on the 5th, but my phone now showed the date as the 7th.
I had slept on the sofa and lost an entire day. Even though the shoot went on until dawn, I had been asleep for almost 24 hours.
“My body isn’t what it used to be.”
In my early twenties, I could stay up all night and wake up fine after just 8 hours of sleep. How did I change so much after just a few years?
Sigh-
I let out a small sigh and fiddled with my phone. In just one day, I had a ton of missed calls and messages.
The first thing I checked, of course, was the message from Kim Eun-ha, which I had pinned to the top.
Boss: Woo-ju ssi.
Boss: Kim Eun-ha has transferred 1,000,000 won.
Boss: What? Are you really sleeping?
Boss: Call me when you wake up.
Hehe-
I couldn’t help but laugh at Kim Eun-ha’s message. Sometimes she can be really cute.
It seemed she wanted to check if I was deliberately ignoring her messages. Even without the money, I always check my boss’s messages first.
“…Huh?”
Haha-
I was momentarily taken aback to find the transfer message was real, but then I couldn’t help but burst into laughter, thinking it was just like her.
Me: I’m back home now.
Boss: Good job. Sleep well.
As I sent the message, I found the text I sent yesterday and Kim Eun-ha’s first reply.
If you glance at it, her message might seem very formal and mundane, but that’s only if you don’t know Kim Eun-ha. Normally, her reply would have ended with “Good job.”
The sentence that followed.
Only three characters long, but why does that short sentence stick in my mind so much? I couldn’t understand it.
Boss: ?
While I was organizing my thoughts, a new message suddenly appeared. Startled, I quickly scrolled down.
Boss: Why are you ignoring my message?
Me: It’s a misunderstanding.
Boss: What misunderstanding?
Me: I just woke up, checked my messages, and was about to reply. But our timing is impeccable!
Boss: (Glaring emoji)
Fortunately, it seemed like Kim Eun-ha was letting it go without further questioning. She probably heard about my situation from the housekeeper last night.
Boss: If you’re awake, get ready to go out. I’ll finish what I’m doing and head over there.
Me: Why?
Even though I wasn’t particularly tired after sleeping for a whole day, I instinctively questioned her because I wanted to laze around at home for today.
Boss: There’s a place we need to go.
Me: Do I have to go too?
Boss: You don’t want to?
In a familiar situation, PTSD suddenly struck me. I could almost hear the drill instructor’s voice saying, “You’re not going to it? Do you want to get dragged here?”
Of course, unlike the army, this was half a choice I made, but I’m only human and sometimes want to rest for a day.
Me: What time should I be ready by?
However, my superior frontal lobe managed to block such lazy thoughts.
My brain, tainted by a lifetime of social experiences, identified the current situation as a “crisis.” It gave the correct answer almost automatically.
Boss: It will take me about two hours to finish work and get there. Allow for a 30-minute margin of error, so be ready.
Me: ?(‘-‘*)
I thought about lying down for just five more minutes, but I quickly shook my head to clear my mind.
I got up immediately, stretched, and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.
I didn’t know what would happen, but from past experience, when Kim Eun-ha gave such notifications, it usually wasn’t an urgent matter.
If it were as serious as the situation with Park Ji-hoon, Kim Eun-ha would have been right in front of me when I woke up. It seemed I could afford to relax a bit.
“…What’s going to happen today?”
Saaaa-
But since there are no absolutes, I pondered again under the stream of water pouring over my head.
*
“You arrived right on time.”
“Got a problem with that?”
“Water too… Never mind.”
I was about to make a joke, but I stopped because even I thought it was inappropriate.
Seeing Kim Eun-ha’s momentary look of disdain, it seemed like a very wise decision.
“Come on out. We need to leave right away.”
“You must be tired. How about a drink before we go?”
“We’ll be late.”
Whatever was so urgent, Kim Eun-ha quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. Feeling the soft touch of her skin against mine, I decided to go along with it.
Since it didn’t feel right to make her drive again after she rushed all the way here, I quickly took the car keys.
“Where to?”
“Just follow the navigation.”
Unfortunately, the navigation only showed an address, so I couldn’t tell where the destination was. All I knew was that it was somewhere on the outskirts of Seoul.
Since she wouldn’t answer even if I asked, I silently started the engine and pressed the accelerator.
“Did the shoot go well?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
Since the destination was farther than expected, we had some small talk.
Most of our conversation was about the past two days, including the day of the shoot and the day I slept through.
“What do you mean I did a lot?”
“You did a lot. When I went to the set, people were really surprised. Especially writer Jung Ha-rin, who said I seemed more realistic.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“You made me memorized the script meticulously to deal with Park Ji-hoon. You also corrected all my detailed mannerisms over the past few days. Thanks to you, my immersion in [Kang Joo-heon] improved.”
Aha-
Kim Eun-ha nodded with a short exclamation, continuing the conversation as if something resonated with her.
“Indeed. The atmosphere did seem to change subtly. I couldn’t explain it precisely, but now I understand.”
“I don’t really know myself.”
“It’s hard for the person to notice.”
“Speaking of which, Eun-ha ssi, you’ve changed a lot compared to when we first met. Did you know that?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Kim Eun-ha tilted her head as if asking what I meant. I explained with a playful smile.
“Honestly, at first, you seemed like a narcissistic, extremely selfish third-generation chaebol, and a sociopath, just like in dramas. But now, you’re different.”
“…You are so casually say some incredible things. I do acknowledge some of it, but anyway, what’s different?”
“You’ve become cute.”
“…?”
Whoosh-
I felt an intense gaze from the passenger seat. It was so hot it felt like it could fry an egg.
Thankfully, I was driving and kept my eyes on the road. If I had looked directly at her, my heart might have stopped.
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing.”
“You said I became cute?”
“I misspoke. Seeing your gaze now, oh wow, you’re sharper than when we first met.”
“…Oh, that mouth of yours.”
Kim Eun-ha shook her head, as if she couldn’t believe it. Finally, the suffocating air lifted a bit.
Though I’ve become more relaxed lately, I mustn’t forget that she could erase me from this world anytime she wanted.
‘…This isn’t baseball.’
Life isn’t like baseball, where you get three strikes.
Life is real.
You only have one life.
Let’s think about Kang Joo-heon, the character I played the other day. How coldly he disposed of Secretary Kim after working together for years.
I didn’t see it firsthand, but remembering my first impression of Kim Eun-ha, she probably has that cold side sleeping within her as well.
“…”
Grip-
With that thought, I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. I kept silent and drove toward the destination.
Kim Eun-ha also kept quiet, and we drove in heavy silence.
– You have arrived at your destination.
The mechanical voice of the navigation broke the heavy silence. I never found the tactless machine so welcome.
“Eun-ha ssi. Why are we here?”
“Get out first.”
“…”
Following her order, I got out of the car and obediently followed her. We arrived at a car showroom.
A vast lot filled with sports cars, sedans, and various expensive cars.
“Choose one.”
“What?”
“If you did a good job, you should get a proper reward, right?”
“…”
Her smile was more mischievous than usual.
Looking at her, I was at a loss for words.
*****
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