Chapter 190: The Bombing Starts (11)
“Ow, go easy.”
“Sorry, did it hurt?”
Bo-Ra was lying on her stomach on her queen-sized bed as the morning sun shone into her apartment. The lady doing a full body ma.s.sage on her was Yu-Na, from the same agency, ICU Entertainment.
‘This b.i.t.c.h…’ Yu-Na could only swallow her fury. She was about to turn in for the night after an entire night of dance practice when Bo-Ra called for her out of the blue, which resulted in her doing an uncompensated ma.s.sage session for Bo-Ra.
“I said to do it gently, but you’re not exerting any strength now.”
“Really? Then how about this amount of strength?”
“After ma.s.saging my shoulders, help me do my calves as well. I feel sore all over recently due to the overwhelming schedule.”
Yu-Na glared at the back of Bo-Ra"s head.
How did she end up being the maid of this b.i.t.c.h? She had no idea that borrowing some money for her living expenses would lead her to become Bo-Ra"s maid. It was the worst mistake she had made in her life.
"Unni, you should cheer up."
"Hmm? Me?"
"They say that even dogs have their days. Your team will do well if you guys debut in winter."
"Yeah… Thanks. I"ll have to do my best." Yu-Na replied in a nonchalant tone. Her hands were extremely sore while ma.s.saging the calves, but she couldn"t stop, nor could she let out a soft groan, eventually finishing the ma.s.sage.
"Ah, how refreshing. You did great; your ma.s.sages are the best."
Yu-Na smiled with a slight frown. Bo-Ra"s compliment didn"t make her feel good at all. Bo-Ra stood before the full-length mirror in her room and stretched her body lazily while admiring her legs, revealed fully by the hot pants she was wearing.
"Let"s have some food, unni. I want something light."
"Got it." Yu-Na understood Bo-Ra"s meaning and headed to the kitchen. Bo-Ra"s proposal meant for Yu-Na to prepare the food, and having something light meant that she wanted chicken breast salad.
Bzzt!
Bo-Ra’s phone rang on the table. Bo-Ra cleared her throat and answered the call with a slightly humbled voice.
“Yes, Director. Ah, my voice? No. I’m just feeling a little tired after watering all the flower pots I have at home. I do have quite a lot of them…”
‘Ugh, I’m gonna be sick.’ Yu-Na ground her teeth as she overheard the conversation.
Bo-Ra bought so many flower pots wasn’t out of her love for flora. It was nothing more than just a means to impress the executives of the agency with her feminine side. She didn’t even care if the flowers withered, and watering the plants had always been Yu-Na’s responsibility.
“Please eat proper lunch. I’m worried since you haven’t been looking good, Director. You won’t be able to concentrate at work. That’s too much; I really mean it. Yes, I’ll see you in the evening. Goodbye.”
Bo-Ra giggled as she hung up the call.
Yu-Na felt a chill down her spine upon hearing that.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Aren’t you going to cook?”
“Hmm? I-I’m just starting.” Yu-Na looked down and began chopping the cabbage.
Yu-Na knew that Bo-Ra was on the phone with Director Cho Cheol-Won of See&Good—the parent company of ICU Entertainment.
‘Her methods are good for a twenty-year-old.’
Bo-Ra’s popularity was growing rather quickly, and she was trying her best to make her heyday since her debut. While appearing in various variety shows, she was even cast as the female lead for a cable channel’s youth drama. Taking on the commercial film for a health drink broadcast on a public cable channel was a bonus, and this was all possible because of Director Cho’s authority.
‘That man’s pathetic, too. What’s so good about a girl who’s slick on the outside but rotten inside? Does he not have a keen eye for judgment on girls?’
Yu-Na had already guessed their relationship; both of them were secretly exchanging what they needed. Bo-Ra hadn"t mentioned it, but Yu-Na could tell, and she only noticed because of how close she was with Bo-Ra.
“Bo-Ra, it’s done. Come eat.”
Bo-Ra and Yu-Na sat across each other at the dining table. Bo-Ra watched the TV as she ate her salad, which was playing the entertainment news on a cable channel.
“Are you coming back late today?” Yu-Na asked casually.
Bo-Ra smiled without even glancing at Yu-Na. “What do you mean?”
“No, I was just thinking if you’re coming back late or staying out, I won’t have to make extra to store it. Since you’re meeting Director Cho this evening…” Yu-Na caught herself on time and kept quiet immediately.
Bo-Ra’s gaze immediately turned cold and glared at Yu-Na. “Didn’t I warn you not to talk about it?”
“S-Sorry. I didn’t realize… Ack!” Yu-Na let out a scream as Bo-Ra suddenly shot up and pulled at her hair viciously.
Yu-Na’s head bent backward in pain, facing the ceiling, and her face turned pale as a ghost.
“Unni, do you want to die so badly? Is that it?”
“I-I really said without thinking, since it’s just the both of us—Ack!” Yu-Na let out another scream.
Bo-Ra pulled her hair back even rougher and said, “Don’t spout nonsense even when you’re alone. If I catch you again, know that I’ll pull out all your teeth and shove them down your throat. Got it?”
Bo-Ra poked at Yu-Na"s front teeth with a fork.
Yu-Na closed her eyes tightly and nodded profusely like a madman.
Bo-Ra looked down at Yu-Na, her face and smile full of venom and cruelty.
"You"d better keep that in mind. If I hear of any strange rumor traveling around, I"ll definitely think of you first in my mind." Bo-Ra finished and finally let go of Yu-Na"s hair.
Yu-Na shook visibly on the spot; she couldn"t even think about fixing her messed-up hair. Meanwhile, Bo-Ra calmly returned to her meal.
The news captions showing on the screen just then read: X Broadcasting Station a.s.sistant writer"s astonishing exposé, is it true?
However, Bo-Ra didn"t see it.
Bzzt!
"Aish, why disturb me when I"m eating."
Bo-Ra threw her fork down and picked up her phone.
"Yeah, what is it?"
— Hey, Chae Bo-Ra. You saw the news, right?
Her manager sounded horrified.
Bo-Ra picked up her fork again and asked bluntly, "What news? When did you see me watch the news?"
— D-did… you really do it?
"Ah, what?!"
— Did you really ask her to delete Write Ha Jae-Gun"s script?
"...?!" Bo-Ra"s hand that was holding the phone froze at once.
Yu-Na watched blood drained from Bo-Ra"s face.
— Hey! Bo-Ra! Did you really ask her to do that? Did you really try to throw off the project from its original schedule and tell her that you"d let her join Writer Ko"s one-act play that was in preparation?! Why aren"t you answering me?!
"I-I know nothing about it. Where is this nonsense coming from?"
— An a.s.sistant writer by the name of Won Ji-Yeon. She revealed her real name and uploaded a post about it. The original post was deleted two hours after it was uploaded, but it"s already all over social media!
Bo-Ra headed to her laptop. She didn"t even have to look up a keyword on Navin"s search engine.
Chae Bo-Ra deletes Ha Jae-Gun"s ma.n.u.script.
a.s.sistant writer Won Ji-Yeon and Chae Bo-Ra"s relationship.
a.s.sistant writer"s exposé.
A variation of keywords occupied the top search rankings. It was the same on all social media sites as well.
There were thousands of comments posted in real-time under the post that was linked to Ji-Yeon"s exposé.
- Bo-Ra Unni isn"t this type of person. She would feel hurt even cutting flower stalks, so she doesn"t even do flower arrangements.
- If this is real then it"s really;;; I had quite a relatively good impression of her recently. Even if she couldn"t act, I still thought she was a good person;;;
- f.u.c.k kekekeke she"s f.u.c.king scary if this is real. Deleting the entire ma.n.u.script kekekeke she"s great at execution.
- Cheer up, Bo-Ra unni. The truth will reveal itself soon. I hope you will show the bitterness of this society to the original poster who spread such malicious rumors about you.
- Stans should just go away. Chae Bo-Ra is getting much more criticism because of you guys. Don"t make a mountain out of a molehill, and just wait quietly.
- Why would something like this erupt just when the protests are going on? Am I the only one feeling uncomfortable here? T.T
- Honestly speaking, I think this is defamation without evidence. She looked quite natural on the show when helping out the less fortunate. Those were actions that could not be done if they weren"t from her heart. I believe in Bo-Ra.
"That sneaky b.i.t.c.h…!" The veins at Bo-Ra"s neck were popping out. She never imagined that the weak Won Ji-Yeon would dare to stab her in the back like this.
Just then, her manager"s urgent voice came through the phone again.
— Bo-Ra, what are you going to do? Huh? Dong-Ah Osaka called as well. If this incident is true, they will be canceling the commercial contract. Not just the commercial, but also all the programs that you"re on…
"No! It"s not me!" Bo-Ra wailed on the phone. Her hateful gaze glared at the screen, and she grumbled, "Upload a short post using my account. And I"m going to sue her."
— S-Sue? Who?
"Of course, I"m suing that b.i.t.c.h Won Ji-Yeon! I"ll sue her for defamation and everything else that applies! I didn"t do anything wrong! She must be doing this just because I treated her coldly before, so I"ll make sure to let her pay the price! Contact Attorney Kim Seung-Gook at once!"
— A-alright. Bo-Ra, I"ll go over to your place first. Let"s talk in person. I"ll be there in twenty minutes.
Bo-Ra hung up the call and returned to the kitchen, then reached out her hand.
"Give me your phone."
"O-okay…"
Bo-Ra used Yu-Na"s phone to call Won Ji-Yeon.
However, the mechanical voice told her that the phone was turned off.
Enraged, Bo-Ra threw her salad bowl with a loud roar.
***
"Aish, I almost missed it." Park Do-Joon hurried to the living room and sat on the sofa, turning on the TV. He had just finished filming for a drama through the night and had a shower upon arriving home.
Let"s Watch A Movie had just started.
Bzzt!
"Yeah."
Park Do-Joon did not check the caller"s name and answered without hesitation, as no one else would call him right before the show started aside from Lee Chae-Rin.
— Oppa, are you already home?
"Yeah, I just sat down, about to watch Let"s Watch A Movie. I won"t sob or sniffle, so don"t worry and let"s talk later…"
— I didn"t call because of that. You haven"t read the news on the internet, right?
"Why? What"s wrong?"
— It"s about Ha Jae-Gun oppa. You"ll know once you enter Navin.
Chae-Rin avoided explaining it right away. Park Do-Joon sensed the strange feeling from her and lowered the volume of the TV.
"Alright, I"ll take a look and call you again."
— I"m saying this in advance, but please don"t get angry after reading it.
"Whatever it is, let"s hang up first."
Park Do-Joon hung up the call and accessed the search engine. His eyes widened as soon as he saw the real-time search rankings. The entire nation was in a blaze from the expose by a.s.sistant writer Won Ji-Yeon.
"That d.a.m.n b.i.t.c.h…!"
Park Do-Joon"s teeth were chattering in anger.
He had already seen Bo-Ra"s character long ago, and it wasn"t hard for him to see the truth from his perspective. He treated the humiliation that Ha Jae-Gun had experienced as his own, and it had always been weighing down on him.
Just then, Park Do-Joon flinched.
The voice coming from the TV was awfully familiar. His jaws dropped open when he watched the screen.
“Ha Jae-Gun…?”
Let’s Watch A Movie specifically introduced old movies, but the person sitting in the chair holding a microphone was none other than Ha Jae-Gun.
“...I originally had stage anxiety, but my close friend played a big role in my decision to appear on this corner. All of you must have known this for some time, but that friend often watched this show with his older brother when he was still young. His older brother has pa.s.sed, but he still makes sure to catch this program despite his busy schedule.”
Park Do-Joon covered his mouth in shock. He locked eyes with Ha Jae-Gun on the TV. His closest best friend in this world was speaking in a gentle tone with the most comfortable smile.
“The first movie I’ll be introducing to all our viewers today was released in 1996, Dragon Heart. Dennis Quaid plays as the knight Bowen and popular actor Sean Connery voices the dragon’s lines. As a fan of fantasy genres, I love this movie a lot and remember purchasing its DVD and watching it dozens of times.”
A bitter smile crept onto Park Do-Joon’s face. He was thrilled to see the surprise gift prepared for him. Although he wanted to continue watching the episode today, he had no choice but to turn off the TV for now.
“I’m sorry for watching a rebroadcast of your first appearance, my friend.”
Park Do-Joon got out of the sofa and picked up his phone immediately. After a short while, his manager, Woo Tae-Bong, answered the call.
— Yeah, Park Do-Joon. Are you not watching Let’s Watch A Movie?
“Hyung, please come over to my place.”