Chapter 11:
So Casually Cruel
YEEUN
“What if we put out different special drinks each day? Or a special menu where they can get a small discount if they order everything together?” I suggest as Sungjae and I sit in the close coffee shop, talking about how we can improve our sales. Apparently, those things are managed by him too.
“Hmm, good idea. We've tried special drinks before but not the special menu yet.” He says thoughtfully writing down on his notes.
Sungjae is tapping the tip of the pen repeatedly against his chin as he thinks. “Oppa,”
He looks at me. “What?”
I try not to smile. “You know the pen is out, right? It's writing on your chin.”
“Oh, what?” He quickly straightens up and looks at himself through the nearest mirror. “Aish... it looks like a beard.”
I grin. “Have you ever done a cup sleeve event?” I ask as he wipes his chin with a wet tissue.
“Cup sleeve event?”
I nod. “It's really popular among the young people. You know, you put their favorite celebrities as our cup's sleeves. They usually do it during birthdays or anniversaries.”
“Oh, really? I've never heard of that before.”
“It will get a lot of fans coming in, more sales and sometimes celebrities even visit these shops, so it's a good marketing technique.”
Sungjae nods. “How did you know about this?”
“I've been to one...” I reply.
He looks at me. “Yah, don't tell me you still fangirl?”
I smile. “I do. What's wrong with that?”
“No,” Sungjae replies quickly. “It just didn't seem like you. Which groups do you like?”
“Pentagon.”
“I like Blackpink.”
“Who doesn't like Blackpink?”
“Let's do a Blackpink cupsleeve.” Sungjae says excitedly. His whole face lights up.
I laugh. “You need to get their fans to book us first.”
“Oh, aish, what if Jennie comes?”
“I doubt.”
“You said celebrities come to these events!”
“I said sometimes. Sometimes.”
I suggest more marketing ideas to him while we're not opening yet and then I explain the pros and cons of how they might affect the shop and its image.
Sungjae looks drained. “Woah, Yeeun-ah, you're really good at this. You have a lot of ideas.”
I smile a little. “Thanks. It was... It was what I did.”
He ruffles my hair and says, “I don't know why you're not doing something you seem very passionate about for now, but I'm glad you're here with that head of yours. I would probably bring the shop to bankruptcy before Eunbin's honeymoon ended.”
I chuckle. “No... you're doing great.” I say, cheeks heating up.
Sungjae shrugs. “Well, you too. You're improving really quickly, so stay here for as long as you need.”
For as long as you need.
I look at him to say something but he's already getting up to open the doors. “Let's manifest better sales today, Yeeun-ah.” He says.
* * *
SEUNGYEON
I'm standing in front of KBC and I've been walking back and forth in the parking lot, wondering if I should just follow my company's advice of keeping myself out of the spotlight for a while, take this as an opportunity to get some rest, do whatever I wantㅡbut I haven't stayed still for so long in my life. My entirety is craving the buzz of the busy world.
I didn't do anything wrong, so why should I be afraid?
I take a step out of the car. “You're the best, Seungyeon-ah. Don't think about anything else. Live in the moment!” Yujin cheers from the driver's seat.
I smile at her, bending down to look at her through the window of closed car door. “Thanks!” I say with a salute. “I'll call you as soon as I'm done.”
There are whispers in the room as soon as I step in where the other actors are waiting for their turn.
I ignore the loud beat of my heart and take a seat. They give me a number, a waiting queue. I take out the script that Kang Haneul sent me the other day. A small smile on my face creeps up because this is my best friend's work. I haven't told her that I'm auditioning. I think I'll tell her once I pass so that she won't feel too bad about it.
I know Seunghee.
But as soon as I finally get my turn and I'm standing there in front of the producers, directors and apparently, writersㅡmy eyes meet Seunghee's. She didn't tell me that she would be there too, but she doesn't look too surprised to see me. Instead, Seunghee smiles and mouths “fighting!” at me.
Okay, this is kinda weird because yes, my best friends have watched me act on TV before but never on the actual set.
“Hello, I'm Chang Seungyeon.” I introduce myself after taking a deep breath. I spot Cha Hyunjin there and even though he smiles at me kindly, I turn to raise an eyebrow at Seunghee in the subtlest way that I could.
The character I'm auditioning for is called ‘Rana’ and she's the writer who rejected her boyfriend when he proposed marriage to her.
Reading the script that was sent to me, I think Seunghee could have been writing based on experience. She might have given aliases but I would know when someone is writing about us, about our friendship.
I know Seunghee, so I just have to get into her character.
“Why? Why did you say no? I thought you said you love me!” Kang Haneul is doing the reading for the other character in the script.
I swallow, keeping my jaw clench but at the same time, looking pained with the tears forming in my eyes. “You know that I love you but things like these—you should have talked to me first.”
“Would anything change if I did that? Would you have changed your answer?”
“...No, but at least we could have kept it between us! I didn't want to do that to you!”
“Then make me understand!”
“You know me. Look at me. You know I haven't even had a jumpstart in my career and I'm still helping out my family. I'm not ready to get married and neither are you—”
“Who are you to tell me whether I'm ready or not?”
“Then, who are you to decide whether I should be ready or not?”
“Enough.”
“Don't go. Let's talk about this.”
“I think we already did.”
And then the man's character is supposed to leave and I break down crying, and that's what I did. I mute everything out and I drop on my knees and cry like the world has just ended for me.
“Woah! Chang Seungyeon-ssi!” Kang Haneul exclaims, clapping his hands. “I really enjoyed that.” He says, smiling and then turning to Seunghee whose eyes are glued to me. I widen my eyes at her. “What?”
She finally smiles. “You're really amazing.” She says softly. That's so unlike her.
“Thank you!” I say anyway with a smile.
Cha Hyunjin says, “We'll call you.” He seems pretty shaken as well.
For sure, Seunghee didn't actually write their exact break up conversation, right?
Anyway, I feel pretty good about that audition. After all the dark clouds that seem to have been so hard to navigate the past few weeks, I think I could finally see a little bit of light creeping through.
* * *
SEUNGHEE
This is a mistake. It's a mistake writing those lines in the script. Now it's torturing me over and over during the audition. By the end of it, I've never felt so exhausted my entire life.
I stand in front of the vending machine, waiting for my energy drink to come down when someone stands behind me. “Are you crazy?” The familiar voice asks calmly but there's an edge to it that I still recognize even now.
I take my drink and open it up. Hyunjin drops his own coins to the machine. “You know I'm a little crazy.” I tell him before I drink.
“But still, using what happened to us in your script?” He asks, looking at me.
“Writers either write based on their experience or not. There's no in between. Besides, you read the script beforehand. If you had problems with it, you could have told me.”
“That's not my call. You know that, but you have control over your own work—”
“You probably read my first draft before you were hired on this project. You knew I'm writing for this project and you still took on it.”
“I know but—”
“They're fictional characters, Hyunjin.” I say, looking into his eyes. “Drop it. You're happy now with someone else. You shouldn't be affected—”
“Do you know how hard I tried to blur those memories from my head?” He asks sharply.
I'm silent for a moment. The loud clink of his drink dropping breaks our silence. “As I've said, you're happy now with someone else. Just think of this as something fictional. That's all it is now.”
Hyunjin bends down to get his drink and then turns to face me. “You're really cruel.” He says before walking past me.
* * *
YEEUN
“Kids, I cooked for all of us! It's weekend party!” Seungyeon says, turning up the music and dancing in the living room where she has laid out tons of food on the center table and cans of beers. “I feel like we haven't really hung out properly in a while since we moved in together.”
Seunghee and I are quiet, lying on each opposite sides of the sofa.
Seungyeon turns off the music and sighs. “What's wrong with you two?”
“Working with Hyunjin is harder than I thought.” Seunghee says lazily.
“I'm meeting Joon's parents tomorrow.” I chime in.
“You and boy problems!” Seungyeon exclaims, shaking her head and then tossing canned beer to each of us. “Do you want me to toss these fried chicken to you too? Aren't you two eating?”
“Eating.”
“Eating!”
Seunghee and I say at the same time. Seungyeon grins and says, “Everything's going to be alright, girls. Well, it doesn't feel like that right now but it always ends up alright.”
Seunghee bites a drumstick and says, “Shut up.”
“I shouldn't eat too much. I'm meeting Joon's parents.” I tell them.
Seunghee turns to me with a frown. “It's not a date. You're not getting married either. Don't overthink meeting his parents.”
“I think they'll like you. I'm not just saying this because I'm your friend.” Seungyeon says.
I smile a little. “But... Joon said that his parents are always busy with work. That's why he grew up not having a close relationship to them.”
“Woah, his family is either well off or poor.” Seungyeon says, munching on her food.
I sigh. “Joon doesn't tell me a lot about them. He says he'll tell me everything at the right time. I really understand that.” I say, “Everyone has things they find hard to speak of even with people they trust.”
“So, do you think they're rich or poor?” Seunghee asks, elbowing me slightly.
“I think they're well off. Not that it matters.”
“How so?” Seungyeon asks.
“Joon has a car. He's twenty-five. He hasn't been working that long in the company. He also has his own place.” I reply.
Seungyeon waggles her eyebrows. “Have you been there?”
“Yeeun-ah! My baby!” Seunghee exclaims.
They continue to tease me for a while.
“Don't go to his place when you still don't know him that well.” She says later.
“Can we focus on the fact that I'm meeting his parents tomorrow?”
Seungyeon shakes her head. “Yeeun-ah, I'm telling you, it's going to be alright. If they end up not liking you, it's their problem, not yours.”
“That's huuuge coming from you!” Seunghee says.
“I know. Shut up.”
I sigh and drink my beer. I really hope Seungyeon is right.
* * *
Joon picked me up from the apartment despite me insisting that we meet up at the restaurant. There, we sat waiting for his parents to arrive. Seungyeon helped me doll up tonight and seeing Joon's reaction when he picked me up was worth all the hassle but I still can't help feeling nervous.
I think I'm just being pessimistic again. Everything's going to be alright.
“Joon, I need to go to the washroom.” I tell him. “Text me when they arrive so I could come out as soon as possible.”
Joon smiles and I kiss the dimple on his cheek. “No, take your time. Don't worry.”
“Thanks. I'll be back asap!”
I take several deep breaths in the washroom before I retouch my makeup. What if they don't think I'm good enough for Joon? Sometimes even I think I'm not good enough for him.
I'm about to go out when I received a message from Yook Sungjae.
SUNGJAE-NIM:
Yeeun-ah, I saw you at the restaurant just now. Ooh you look kinda different. Is this the important weekend appointment you mentioned the other day? Anyway, fighting! Hope it turns out well! (In case you're wondering I'm sitting with a friend by the window facing your table)
I snort and smile, replying a thanks to him and then I walk out of the washroom to go back to our table and then I freeze from a distance away.
They're there. Joon's parents.
For a moment, I just stood there watching them. My mom always told me that there are a lot to know about a person who doesn't know they're being watched, so always observe.
His mom is petite in lacy black dress. Despite what must be her age, she has a nice body and long iron curled hair. His dad wears suit and tie, a clean cut from the view of his back.
But as I observe longer, the tension in my entire body rises. My eyes glued to Joon's dad.
No.
This can't be. This must be a joke.
I step backwards. My hands begin to shake. “No... please...” I mutter, hitting the wall as I keep stepping backwards.
Joon's dad is my nightmare coming to life.
✨✨✨
trigger warning: yeeun's back story is kinda dark, so please be prepared.
also! SYS are debuting as actresses! i'm living THE LIFE. I'm so excited to see them act. 💞
how would you guys feel about chapter epilogues? I feel like I wanna write chapter epilogues at the end of some chapters and then they would be from our side characters point of view :)
thank you for reading!! <3