I’m doomed.
She tried to endure it a dozen times, but she eventually ended up exploding. The worst of all, she did this in front of all the staff.
“Ha….”
Ji-an, who changed her clothes in one of the cars of the costume team, sighed as she looked at the ruined dress.
The drop-sized pearls on the chest had disappeared, leaving only the thread behind, and its sleeves and hem were ripped to shreds, resembling a unique style.
The dress had been borrowed from the costume team to play the character of an immature rich girl. Even if it was not from the luxury brand that everyone knew, it was still from a brand that was worth at least four to five 100,000 won bills.
Of course, the responsibility of reimbursement fell on her. It was a reality that she really wanted to deny. All her life she had only played as a minor supporting character, so she could hardly afford even 10,000 won.
Standing near the door, Ji-an hesitated, unable to get out. She slammed her forehead against the door and closed her eyes tightly.
Suddenly, a memory of 10 years before, that she had hidden away deep inside her mind, vividly flashed before her eyes.
“Hey hey, you guys know what? Our junior Seo Ji-an.”
“What? What about her?”
“My mom went to Sashin-dong to see a fortune teller and she ran into her. You know what, the lady there picked her up from the streets and raised her. Isn’t this really crazy?! See, I even got goosebumps.”
“Really? Oh, my God…..Poor thing.”
The cheap earphones, which she used as earplugs, could not stop the vain noises from reaching her ears.
Her heart sank as she rested her head down on the desk by the window and tried to relax under the sun. She hadn’t committed any crime, but why was she feeling so embarrassed and afraid as if the world was going to end?
“From her looks, I thought she was the daughter of a rich family.”
“See? I told you she wasn’t rich. I saw her wearing the same pair of socks before.”
“Hehe! If that’s the case, do you think her panties have holes?”
“Oh my! That would be hilarious. Hey, Minwoo. You go and roll up her skirt.”
“Why don’t you do it, asshole! Don’t you know she’s got a nasty temper?”
The chair she was sitting on was suddenly pushed down. Ji-an was so angry that she pulled out her earphones and furiously threw them on her desk.
At that moment, she saw Gunho entering the classroom. She looked straight at the people who were spouting nonsense about her and did something totally unexpected.
It was an extremely impulsive move.
She lifted up her skirt and revealed her underwear.
“Hah!”
“Ughh….”
The girls who were stunned, closed their eyes tightly. The boys on the other hand couldn’t find the time to close their eyes and their faces reddened with shame.
“Did you all see it clearly? My panties are fine.”
As she walked out of the classroom, she passed by Gunho, who was standing as still as a rock. Seeing this, she thought,
‘What have I done! I have really gone nuts.’
She was young then. Even after ten years, she never thought she would have to hear someone make fun of her for being an orphan.
It’s really pathetic.
“Miss Seo Ji-an, are you done?”
The door rattled on being knocked from the outside. Ji-an opened the door, rubbing her forehead, where a chill from the metal was lingering.
The chief of the costume team was looking at her fiercely with his arms folded. Ji-an held up the mess of her costume with a regretful face.
“I’m sorry. If you would let me know your account number and the price for this dress, I’ll reimburse you.”
The chief snatched the dress from her hands and held out a note. His actions were fast, too fast. The account number and the price of the dress were already in the note.
‘600,000 won. Wow… God, I’m about to go crazy.’
“Make sure to put it in today. It was a limited edition. I wasn’t going to give you this in the first place, but I changed my mind only because of the shoot.”
The chief of the costume team turned his back on her even before dismissing her. He took the ragged dress and walked away. After him, the Assistant Director came as if he had been passed a baton. He scratched the back of his head with an awkward face.
“Well, that will be all for today, so you can go. As for your next schedule,….. I don’t know what would happen, but I’ll contact you if there is something.”
“…I’m sorry. Assistant Director.”
After receiving her apology he heartlessly turned around, but after a moment, he sighed and looked back at Ji-an again.
“No, why would someone who knows Bae Seo-young’s character make things so big?! Aigoo! Why did you go and provoke her like that?.. For now just go.”
Over the back of the Assistant Director, she saw the tired staff members. Their eyes looking at Ji-an were not at all nice. The current filming atmosphere was already not good due to the drastic fall in ratings. After filming all day and night, when the temperature would reach above 35 degrees Celsius, who would have an understanding heart towards some minor actor’s quarrels?
In the first place, they didn’t even care about her. To them, the main culprit of the whole incident was the supporting actress who left a scar on the leading actress’ face.
Maybe they might get rid of the character Shin Yuri one day. Of course, even if one knows the truth behind this case, the outcome would not change much. The main character of the drama was Bae Seo-young and no matter what anyone says, she would continue to lead it.
‘As for your next schedule,….. I don’t know what would happen, but I’ll contact you if there is something’
“So the director’s decision was already hidden in his words.”
Ji-an casually rubbed her hot cheeks. Her cheeks, which were scratched by Seo-young’s fingernails, stung.
The blood from an open wound was smeared unpleasantly on the back of her immaculate white hand. It was a pathetic wound that neither the chief of the costume team nor the Assistant director had seen. In fact no-one had paid any attention to it.
“Wow, I must look like a beggar.”
Ji-an, who swept up her disheveled hair, turned around clutching the 600,000 won note. She felt dozens of eyes staring at the back of her head.
Soon after, she turned around the corner of the building, struggling to press down the sorrows in her heart.
“Ah!”
Something unexpected happened. At that moment, she felt darkness shrouding her, making her hit her head with some big obstacle. Ji-an, who was pushed to the ground defenselessly, fell unseemingly on her buttocks.
Oh my God, today is really an unlucky day…!
A black shadow fell over her, as she groaned in pain, holding her throbbing buttocks.
“Are you all right?”
Ji-an raised her head, reflexively narrowing her eyes. The man’s face, with his back against the moonlight, was obscured in the dark. The only thing that she could see was his pupils that glistened unnaturally under a black hat.
I didn’t feel any sign of his presence, so where did he suddenly appear from?
“Ah… yes I’m okay.”
Ji-an looked down awkwardly and pressed her palms against the floor. As she applied force on her wrists to get up, a big hand suddenly reached out in front of her.
How can a man’s hands be this thin and white? I feel embarrassed to even hold such a beautiful hand.
After wiping the dirt off from her palms, Ji-an held the man’s hands lightly. At that moment, her body was pulled up in an instant.
It didn’t seem like he put much effort into it, but he pulled her quite strongly, enough to make her almost hit her forehead against his chest again.
“Thank you.”
She thanked the man awkwardly, but he still kept holding her hand.
Maybe it was just her delusion, but strangely the hand holding her hand seemed to be burning. Jian twisted her fingers awkwardly, raising the corners of her mouth.
“You can now let go.”
Only then did the man relax his hold and subtly touched her fingertips before letting it go.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t see properly in the dark.”
A gentle enchanting voice came out of the man’s lips. The low guttural voice was unusually attractive.
“No, It was my fault. I was thinking about something else….”
When Ji-an looked into his eyes, she couldn’t help but look at the man’s features. I think he must be 190cm tall… The slender yet intimidating shoulders were strangely tense as if restraining something. Eventually, she lifted her gaze from the tip of his chin to the man’s nose.
Ji-an suddenly felt very flustered. She bowed awkwardly and quickly passed by the man’s side. His heavy, smoky woody scent deeply spread around her, permeating her senses.
Somehow she felt his scent linger even after being quite far away from him..
“What… What’s wrong with you?”
Ji-an, who was still looking at her slightly warm hand, took a few steps blankly and looked over her shoulder.
The man had already disappeared. She let out a breath that she didn’t realise she was holding.
* * *
Deep in the night beside a window
Seung-won removed the hat and headed straight to the dressing room, running a hand through his silky soft hair. Byung-cheon followed closely behind and asked anxiously.
“How are you feeling? Is there anything wrong?… Look at that. Didn’t I say I’m sure this time? Haha!”
Seung-won quietly took off his hoodie and hung it on the hanger. In the midst of this, the irritating voice of Byung-cheon, who was talking excitedly, came from behind his back.
“Oh, there really was a descendant of Ho-in left! Actually, I was only about two percent sure. Seeing that Wolho now can be saved, my heart is pounding so violently that I feel like I’ll go out of breath. Can you hear that? That’s my heart beating against my chest!”
Seung-won looked dismally at Byung-cheon, who was breathing hard with his face full of excitement.
“Please shut up. It’s all so overwhelming that I feel like I’m dying.”
“Oh no, you can’t die. We’ve finally found a descendant of Ho-in!”
“Ha…”
This noisy cat.
Blue eyes gleamed with a sigh, hardening Byung-cheon’s mouth, who was rambling continuously without a stop.
“Ugh! Hugh!”
Byung-cheon couldn’t close his jaw and wriggled his head pitifuly. “I’m sorry, Wolho. Please let me go, please. T_T“ Just by looking at his face, one could hear him crying without actually hearing it.
“Tmk hmm.“
Seung-won clicked his tongue and jerked his head towards the door with an annoyed face.
“Get out. I’m going to wash up.”
“Oh okay!”
Only then was Byung-cheon released from the spell. He slumped down for a second and then quickly slipped out of the dressing room.
As the annoying cat went away, the hand that was loosening the belt slowed down. Disordered visions of Seo Ji-an’s face came to his mind.
Hair ripped off from her little battle, horribly smeared makeup, cheeks and neck littered with scars and her small warm hand held in his hand.
Seung-won, recalling the warmth of her hand, gently closed his outstretched hand.
As soon as his hand touched her, he felt as if he couldn’t breathe. His body was burning. There was a tremendous heat flowing through his body which made his skin ache.
He wasn’t sure whether her body was actually that hot or it was some kind of pain, but it was very different from what he had experienced so far. So he couldn’t confirm anything right away.
If that peculiar sensation was another side effect of the curse, by now, his breathing should have quickened and his body should have been wrecked by a terrifying pain, making him feel like his whole body was being pricked by needles. And then, the heat should have worsened, making his vision blur.
These were the usual symptoms that he experienced before passing out because of the curse. However, he was okay. That hot sensation only remained on his fingertips.
Also, the fox beads, which had been cultivated for hundreds of years, were clearly responding with an unfamiliar heat.
There was no doubt that she was a descendant of Ho-in.
Seung-won, staring at his hand, let out a sigh.
“Ha. It was real… .”
He really had no expectations after all those hundreds of failures. Furthermore, he was somewhat sure that the seeds had completely dried up. So that’s why he had reached out to the woman without any tension.
[T/N: seeds have completely dried up- it means everyone belonging to a certain clan/family have been killed. Basically no member exist anymore.]
But he still couldn’t believe it. Just like what Byung-cheon said, there was a descendant of Ho-in alive.
I’ve been waiting for hundreds of years, but with only 150 days left…. what should I say? He felt strange.
The fact that he was this close to giving up made him a little frustrated, but now that he could finally save himself from the curse, he felt very excited.
After swallowing an exhilarating gasp along with all his complicated emotions, the corners of his lips soon rose up in a sneer. At the same time, the dark blue pupils flashed green.
“… Seo Jian.”
With a thousand years of fate ahead, at last…
I finally found you.