Chapter 167:

Chapter 167:

"Hmm..."

After receiving a call from Go Seoyeong and agreeing to work together, the junior reporter, Lee Gija, was sitting in the office early in the morning, blinking at the file sent by Go Seoyeong.

"There's definitely something fishy about this."

The contents of the file sent by Go Seoyeong were straightforward. It detailed Kang Jinseok's school days, mentioning a brawl that landed several students in the hospital, and the fact that KL Entertainment possessed the related documents.

Moreover, the information suggested that, for some reason, KL Entertainment was still keeping quiet about the issue.

"If there was something wrong between KL Entertainment and Kang Jinseok, they would have exposed it right away... Why are they keeping silent?"

In reality, the reason was simple. Revealing this now would cause more damage to KL Entertainment. Of course, it could be strategic, saving it for later when the benefits would be greater, but Lee Gija's intuition didn't lean towards such an idea.

Tap, tap.

"I feel like there's something here..."

As Lee Gija pondered, tapping the mouse with his finger, the editor-in-chief, with long dark circles under his eyes, entered.

"What's this? Did this reporter pull an all-nighter?"

"Oh, Editor-in-chief, did you come in early today?"

"Yeah, did you sleep well last night or something? Woke up early in the morning."

"Did you sleep well? The dark circles under your eyes suggest otherwise."

"You're not in great shape either. So, why did you stay up last night?"

"Well, about that..."

Lee Gija chuckled and vaguely replied.

"It's a secret."

"A secret? What kind of secret?"

"It's a secret because it's a secret."

"Is this guy joking? Hurry up and spill the beans. Are you trying to bring in another nonsensical report and article?"

"No, it's not like that. This time, I'm really sure."

"You, last time you said it was definite and almost got our company, OS Entertainment, sued for trying to write an article about some square relationship between Kang Jinseok, Yeo Hyemin, Park Hayeon, and Seo Yeonsoo. I still haven't forgotten that. Hurry up and spill it! Do you know how much trouble I got into with the boss because of that?"

"Oh, that was originally not a lawsuit matter, but Senior Go Seoyeong set an example... Anyway, this time it's really, really solid, so look forward to it, Editor-in-chief. I'll go cover it!"

"Hey, you! Where are you going? Morning meeting...!"

Ignoring the editor's scolding, Lee Gija rushed out of the office door. Then, he raised his thumb to the editor and said, "Give me a week! I'll bring back something really, really solid!"

***

A few days after shooting the scene where the female lead and male lead met for the first time.

I returned to Dongkyung University to film the next scene. While waiting for my call time in the classroom I used it as a waiting room.

"Wow... Actor-nim, have you seen outside?"

"Outside?"

"Yes. There are a lot of rabbit fans today too."

"Rabbit fans... you mean my fans?"

"Yes. It seems like there are one or two times more than last time. Oh, there! That person seems to be selling carrots?"

Approaching Ha Jun, I leaned toward the window.

"...Really."

Looking outside, there were various fans in rabbit costumes, and occasionally someone even cosplaying with rabbit ears over a hat.

"Should I go say hello?"

I thought about it but quickly shook my head. It wouldn't be polite to act solo just before filming. Moreover, without any control, going to greet so many people could lead to trouble. It might cause inconvenience to the staff.

"But I should greet those who are still here after the shoot. Let me take a picture first."

Click, click.

After taking pictures from various angles, I returned to my seat. There was still some time until the call time, so I planned to read the script once more.

——

"Someday, we'll meet again." Leaving the woman's words behind, the protagonist Shirosaki returns to Tokyo. Back in Tokyo, Shirosaki visits the school again to repay the money he borrowed from the principal. While having a brief conversation with the principal, he realizes a shocking truth.

——

"The shocking truth is..."

I was about to read the next part when...

Knock, knock.

"Excuse me. Is Actor Kang here?"

A staff member opened the door and entered.

"Yes, that's me."

"Oh, there you are. Actor Kang, would it be okay to start the shoot a bit earlier?"

"Sure, I'll go now."

As I casually stood up, Ha Jun, who was next to me, seemed surprised. He didn't say anything, but his expression seemed to convey, "They're calling the actor when there's still 30 minutes until the call time?"

Call time is a promise actors must keep, but it's also a commitment the production team has to uphold. So, I understood and appreciated Ha Jun's reaction.

"It's okay, Ha Jun-nim. It's good to shoot quickly and move on to the next scene. Waiting is the hardest part in filming, after all."

I lightly joked, and Ha Jun nodded with a cool smile.

——

"A good place?"

——

"Yes. It was somewhere I really needed it."

——

“Hm...”

——

The headmaster stared at Tadano with a long gaze. When Tadano didn't avoid his gaze, the headmaster smiled subtly and spoke.

——

“I don't know what happened for the past few days, but your face seems to have improved. Your voice, too. You might not notice it yourself, but anyway.”

“What do you mean, I don't understand. I haven't changed anything.”

“People often don't realize the changes in themselves. Anyway, if it's difficult to tell what you did with the money, tell me what else you did. By the way, did you write a diary? It was also an assignment.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to write the diary.”

“It seems like you had quite an enjoyable trip if you forgot your assignments. You're a good student, just like that.”

——

As the headmaster spoke with a slightly teasing tone, Tadano chuckled.

——

“It wasn't particularly enjoyable. It was just a bit of a busy trip.”

“A busy trip, huh? What happened?”

“Well, that's...”

——

Tadano hesitated with his words. Then, as if reminiscing about old memories, he began the story with a vacant look.

——

“After parting ways with the headmaster at the station, I went into a restaurant because I was hungry and wanted to eat.”

“I see. And then?”

“I met a woman in that restaurant. We ended up sharing a table by chance.”

“Oh, so you shared a table with a woman? I kind of liked the sound of that.”

“It's not like that. We just ended up sitting together purely by chance. She was quite talkative, and I even got to know her name. Her name was...”

“?”

“Her name was... well...”

——

Tadano, who had been speaking casually, suddenly got stuck at the mention of the woman's name.

——

“...What was her name?”

“?”

“Wait a moment. It was quite a common name. Her name was...”

——

Wrinkles formed on Tadano's forehead. He struggled to find the woman's name in his memory to the extent that sweat formed on his forehead. However, the name eluded Tadano's lips.

After Tadano failed to utter the name for a while, the headmaster spoke as if unconcerned.

——

"It's okay about the name. More importantly, what kind of place did you go to? In travel stories, these details are important."

"Oh, yes. That place was..."

"?

"So, what kind of place was it? It was a shop that sold things that didn't suit Mozuku at all. They sold alcohol, too, and there were a lot of people. It was in an alley behind the station. For some reason, the woman said that people with stories gathered there."

——

Tadano struggled to recall the ‘shop' as if trying to memorize answers to an exam he had stayed up all night studying for. However, the crucial ‘shop' didn't come to mind, and only miscellaneous details about the shop circulated in his head.

The headmaster initially looked at Tadano with a smile, perhaps thinking that Tadano was joking inappropriately. However, as Tadano exerted himself to find the memories to the point where his breathing became labored, the headmaster's expression became a bit more serious.

——

"Tadano-kun? Is there a problem?"

"Oh, no. No problem. Just, well, the shop where I met that woman... a bar? No, it wasn't. I chased after her the second time we met. The first place we met was..."

Tadano continued to mumble and fumble. However, instead of obtaining the desired answer from himself, he kept muttering unnecessary information.

After a while, as Tadano continued to murmur, he asked the headmaster with a trembling voice.

——

"Um... Headmaster?"

"...?"

"Why did I go on that trip?"