By Zephyria Song Hyun-soo stared intently at Yoon Joo-ho’s profile.
He knew? He thought Yoon Joo-ho had just unconsciously started using informal speech and wasn’t even aware of it. The thought that Yoon Joo-ho himself had allowed their distance to narrow made him chuckle uncontrollably.
Unable to hide his laughter, Song Hyun-soo leaned forward to look at the touchscreen on the center fascia.
“Can I play with the audio?”
“Go ahead.”
He tried turning on the radio first. It was just a radio advertisement, but the surround sound was so vivid, it was like a war movie was playing. It seemed like he had upgraded to a better audio system as an option.
“But, sunbae, how much would a car like this cost with these options?”
“……”
Song Hyun-soo, who had been leaning towards the center fascia, sensed Yoon Joo-ho’s gaze and turned his head. Yoon Joo-ho, still propping his temple, looked down with an expression that suggested he had a lot to say.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Most people are cautious when talking about money. It’s just… I thought it was a simple question.”
“Aren’t you just curious about the price? Even if you try to say it elegantly, you’re still going to ask the same thing. So, how much is it?”
Song Hyun-soo leaned further towards Yoon Joo-ho, his eyes shining.
“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”
With a curt reply as if he were annoyed, Yoon Joo-ho gently pushed Song Hyun-soo’s cheek to the other side.
It was just a light touch. Song Hyun-soo’s mind snapped awake as if he had been slapped. No, his face flushed as if Yoon Joo-ho had gently stroked his cheek. This man was touching someone else’s face, bare skin, with his hands…
He could feel his ears burning, and though his ears weren’t cold, he instinctively grabbed them and pressed them down. Then, trying his best to act nonchalant, he said to Yoon Joo-ho as if throwing the words.
“That’s a really annoying thing to say, you know?”
“What’s annoying?”
“It’s a car that starts at 330 million won for the base model, and you don’t even remember the price. For someone like me, it’s bound to seem annoying.”
“Ask Sang-ho Hyung. He remembers everything.”
Including options, taxes, and various additional costs, it would probably be around 400 million won. A 400 million won car. If this were a chat room, I’d be typing ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ infinitely.
“Then, I guess I’m also consuming about a million won worth of this car right now…”
Song Hyun-soo lowered his voice and then fell completely silent. It was because of the news that came on the radio after the advertisement ended.
“We continue to report. Top actress Kang Mi-yeon has been having a transactional relationship with model-turned-rookie actor Nam Min-woo for several months, according to a revelation by Nam Min-woo today. According to Mr. Nam, Kang Mi-yeon has been receiving hundreds of millions of won as compensation for their encounters…”
Song Hyun-soo and Yoon Joo-ho were silent.
■■■
With the radio still on, Song Hyun-soo took out his phone from his padding pocket.
Every portal site was filled with the same story.
The top actress Kang Mi-yeon, in her mid-thirties, had been seeing Nam Min-woo, a rookie actor in his early twenties and a former model, and Nam Min-woo had revealed it was a transactional relationship.
Kang Mi-yeon wasn’t just a fleeting star. She was an A-list actress with a solid career. As it was a personal scandal involving her, the impact was immense, regardless of its truth. It had completely overshadowed the recent ‘Yoon Joo-ho patricide article’ that had garnered the most public attention. A story about private life in bed was far more sensational than a fight with parents.
“Kang Mi-yeon has officially announced her stance, stating it was a romantic relationship, not a transactional one. They claim Nam Min-woo, after being rejected, made a false accusation out of spite.”
“Does it matter to people what the truth is? The bait has already been thrown.”
It was a bitter thought, but Song Hyun-soo had to agree with Yoon Joo-ho’s words. For many in the public, the truth doesn’t matter. They only want more sensational stories. They want to see more immoral, more shocking, more tragic truths.
It’s not important to accurately reveal the truth. What they want is chosen as the truth. Even if presented with clear evidence, stating this is not true, this is the truth, the majority refuse to accept it.
Having experienced Choi Hong-seo’s death, Song Hyun-soo knew the madness and malice of it all too well.
Goosebumps ran down his spine from his back to the nape of his neck. He didn’t even dare to look at the comment section. Song Hyun-soo swallowed dryly.
“What, were you a Kang Mi-yeon fan?”
“…No?”
“Your face is ashen.”
“No… it’s not that. Can I smoke? Ah, if you don’t smoke in the car…”
“There’s no such rule. Smoke. I’m going to have one too.”
Saying that, Yoon Joo-ho slightly lowered the windows of the driver’s and passenger’s seats. Breathing in the outside air made him feel a little better.
They each lit a cigarette.
On the radio, the three hosts continued to chatter about Kang Mi-yeon and the rookie male actor. Their voices were so serious, as if the fate of the nation depended on it.
Rookie actor Nam Min-woo claimed he had been engaged in so-called compensated dating with Kang Mi-yeon for about seven months, receiving high-end apartments, sports cars, luxury goods, and cash for living expenses from her.
“If this is true… to put it mildly, compensated dating is just a euphemism for a sponsor, or in other words… prostitution. Regardless of the truth, the impact on actress Kang Mi-yeon is expected to be severe.”
One of the hosts droned on in a pretense of dignified tones. Song Hyun-soo, who had been silently smoking a cigarette until then, could no longer stand it.
“Why should it be a severe impact regardless of the truth? If it’s not true, there should be no impact.”
Song Hyun-soo raised his voice towards the audio speaker, as if trying to be heard by the radio hosts, and then turned off the radio. Why was he reacting so excessively? He felt Yoon Joo-ho’s curious gaze but couldn’t explain in detail.
“Shall I offer you some advice that might become blood and flesh for your life in this industry from now on?”
Shaking the ash from his cigarette into an ashtray, Yoon Joo-ho opened his mouth.
“The secret to not getting caught up in scandals like that.”
“Is there such a method?”
“It’s simple. You only sleep with top stars.”
“……”
“People who have a lot to lose protect each other’s secrets.”
Yoon Joo-ho took a long drag, frowned, and exhaled smoke as he spoke.
“Look at this incident. Did Kang Mi-yeon leak it? They say the male side, whether he’s a model or whatever, exposed it. Such exposés are always made by those who have nothing to lose. From Kang Mi-yeon’s perspective, it doesn’t matter who she dated or was involved with; she has no reason to reveal it.”
Although he was trying to suppress it, Yoon Joo-ho’s voice was gradually becoming agitated.
“A top star girlfriend who rented her an apartment in Gangnam, bought her a car, gave her pocket money, and even secured her roles—do you think the man would let her go easily when she wanted to break up? When Kang Mi-yeon said she wanted to break up, he must have lost his mind. He had nothing to lose anyway. He went all out, thinking, ‘If I go down, you go down too.’”
“Is that also one of your trade secrets, Senior?”
Hmph. Yoon Joo-ho chuckled low. A sneer played on his thin lips. It was a meaningful laugh. Though he didn’t answer the question, the laugh served as his reply. A ‘yes.’
Indeed, Yoon Joo-ho had never been involved in any significant private scandals since becoming an adult actor, over ten years ago. Whether it was about sex or relationships, if he had only been involved with people of similar standing, the chances of information leaking would have been slim. It was a valid point.
With a secretive smile, Yoon Joo-ho belatedly offered a vague answer.
“Well, at my age and with this face, I don’t plan on just masturbating. I’ll sleep with someone, of course.”
Only top stars.
“But what if the person you’re attracted to isn’t a top star?”
“If it’s just a casual relationship, why would you need to be attracted? If you’re that attracted, you’d date them.”
The mere mention of the word ‘dating’ from Yoon Joo-ho’s lips sent an unfamiliar tremor through Song Hyun-soo’s chest. The sensation, which surged up and then plummeted, was akin to motion sickness.
“So, you can date someone who isn’t a top star, right?”
“Didn’t you hear the news? Kang Mi-yeon dated that guy too. But look at the mess it caused.”
Song Hyun-soo twisted his body entirely to face Yoon Joo-ho.
“So. You only date top stars too?”
Yoon Joo-ho pinched the filter of his now-shortened cigarette between his thumb and index finger and shrugged.
“No matter who it is, dating never lasts long anyway.”
“Do you get bored quickly and break up, Senior?”
“The other party broke up with me.”
“Why?!”
His voice was loud.