"Who do I like?"
Hwarin stammered, clearly flustered.
"What are you talking about?? Think about it logically. Why would I like him? Why would I like… Woojin? We're not even close yet!"
"Really?"
"Yes! I told you, I liked him because his acting in that short film was really good. And you know I got the offer for this variety show before Woojin did, right?"
…
"Ah, seriously, it's true. Unnie, really."
Their quiet exchange was cut off by Hwarin's chubby manager.
"Excuse me. May I speak with you for a moment? Hwarin, it's time to go, right?"
"Ah! Yes, yes! Unnie, I'll head out first."
"Okay. Message me."
"Right, unnie. Let me know what happens too!"
Hwarin waved quickly and stepped into the elevator.
Hong Hyeyeon watched her leave with a small smile.
Then, as she walked down the hallway with her team, a strange feeling rose inside her.
She couldn't quite name it.
'I didn't expect Hwarin to get involved.'
It felt like unease.
──────────
A short while later, Hong Hyeyeon arrived at the meeting room and met PD Yoon Byungseon.
He and the writers greeted her with bright smiles, clearly surprised.
"Haha, Hyeyeon. I was really surprised when you contacted me."
"Did I arrange this meeting too suddenly?"
"Not at all. Even if you called out of nowhere, we'd run barefoot to greet you. You're Hyeyeon."
She smiled lightly.
"You're exaggerating, PD. You haven't changed."
"Variety shows always need a little exaggeration. Haha. But are you really interested in my program?"
"Yes. On my way here, I ran into Hwarin. She said she's already confirmed?"
"Ah, so you saw her. Yes, she's confirmed."
He accepted a file from a writer and opened it.
"I'll show you the confirmed lineup so far. Please keep it confidential. Hwarin, Kang Woojin, Ahn Jeonghak, and Ha Kangsu. One more is still being adjusted, and now you're confirmed too, Hyeyeon."
"Hwarin was the first one you contacted, right?"
"That's right. We approached her first. And Woojin's from the same agency as you, so we revealed him early due to the situation."
He smiled mischievously.
"Come to think of it, you're close with Hwarin, right? And you and Woojin share an agency. The three of you should have great chemistry. You know some of the others too, don't you?"
"To some extent. But isn't it an issue that Woojin and I are from the same agency?"
Yoon Byungseon closed the file and grinned.
"Not at all. As long as it's entertaining, viewers don't care. Only reporters nitpick things like that."
Hong Hyeyeon nodded slowly.
She had already decided the moment she saw Hwarin earlier.
"What kind of format will the show have?"
"Hyeyeon, do you like cooking?"
"Cooking? I can make ramen pretty well."
"That's enough."
He spread out the plan.
"How's your schedule for the second half of the year?"
──────────
About an hour later.
After arriving at a salon in Cheongdam-dong, Hwarin received a message.
It was from Hong Hyeyeon.
My love: Hwarin! I decided to join the variety show too.
Hwarin immediately replied.
Really?! That's amazing!! Unnie, I want filming to start already so we can have fun together!
She meant it.
She was genuinely excited.
But at the same time—
Her emotions were tangled.
'I should've just admitted from the start that I was Woojin's fan.'
She had fastened the first button wrong.
──────────
That night.
It was past 11 p.m.
Most people had finished work and were resting, but Seoul still glittered with lights.
Cars continued to flow through the streets.
Among them, a sleek black imported car stood out.
It looked expensive at a glance.
The car sped toward Sinsa Station, then slipped into quieter alleyways where the crowds thinned.
A few minutes later, something strange happened.
The car repeated the same route several times.
It stopped briefly in front of a building, left, then returned again.
Anyone watching would have found it suspicious.
Eventually—
Whoosh.
The car entered the building's underground parking lot.
The building housed a plastic surgery clinic on the third floor.
The car parked quietly.
Thunk!
A short-haired woman stepped out from the driver's seat.
Her face was completely covered.
A full mask, a black cap pulled low, and even sunglasses.
After scanning the parking lot, she moved toward the elevator.
Tap.
She pressed the button for the plastic surgery clinic.
It was well past 11:30 p.m.
The clinic should have been closed.
But she moved as if she were familiar with the place and opened the dark glass door.
It wasn't locked.
She entered as if it were her own home.
──────────
About thirty minutes later, she came out again.
This time, she carried a small paper bag.
She returned to the underground parking lot, got into the car—
Vroom!
—and drove out.
Silence returned.
But only briefly.
Soon, another engine started.
A compact car that had been waiting followed her out.
──────────
About an hour later.
The imported car entered a luxury apartment complex in Cheongdam-dong.
After parking, the woman stepped out and opened the door to her home.
At the same time—
"Whew."
She removed the mask, cap, and sunglasses.
Her face was revealed.
Short hair. Elegant features. Subtle allure.
And—
she was top actress Seo Chaeyoon.
"It's already this late. Tch."
──────────
Meanwhile, outside her apartment—
The compact car that had followed her remained parked nearby.
Security was too strict to enter.
Inside the car were three people.
Two men in front, one woman in the back.
Not police.
But not ordinary either.
The woman held a large camera.
"Check the dashcam footage first."
"Yes."
The driver, a dark-skinned man, spoke again.
"Did you get everything?"
"Yes. From when she arrived at the clinic to when she entered her apartment."
"Clear shots of Seo Chaeyoon?"
"Yes. But only when she got out of the car. Her face was fully covered."
The driver grinned.
"That's perfect. That's what makes it interesting."
He turned to the passenger.
"Did the dashcam capture her car clearly?"
"Yes."
"And you took still photos?"
"Yes."
"Good. Even if her face is hidden, anyone can recognize her car. Just in case, take full shots of the apartment too."
The woman nodded and snapped several photos.
Who were they?
Entertainment reporters.
From a major outlet—Power Patch.
The driver spoke quietly.
"Don't tell the editor-in-chief yet. If that bastard finds out, he'll rush to publish immediately. Keep this between us."
The passenger frowned slightly.
"But are we sure about this?"
The driver smacked him lightly.
"You idiot. You doubt my sources? Who sneaks into a plastic surgery clinic at night? It's obviously propofol."
"The clinic will deny it."
"That's fine. According to my source, she's not the only one. There are others—regulars. We've got a witness. We just need more material."
In short—
they were preparing something bigger.
The engine started again.
"Seo Chaeyoon is the big fish. We'll take down everyone connected to her in one shot."
The woman in the back asked,
"When do we release it?"
"Next month, once we gather enough. When it drops, everything will explode. Investigations will follow, and they'll all go down together."
The driver laughed.
"And every project they're involved in will go down with them."
──────────
At the same time, near Samseong Station—
Kang Woojin's apartment.
It was past midnight when he returned home, exhausted.
He didn't even bother changing.
After kicking off his shoes, he collapsed onto the bed.
"I'm so tired… Looks like I'll sleep until tomorrow afternoon."
His call time wasn't until noon anyway.
He replayed his day.
A meeting.
A YouTube interview.
An event.
A late-night SNS photoshoot.
His schedule had been relentless.
"If I didn't have the void space, I'd probably be dead."
He was barely holding on thanks to it.
Even now, he was still just an ordinary person at heart.
The industry was intense.
But he was adapting.
"Ah."
Just as he was about to fall asleep, he forced himself up.
He couldn't pass out like before.
At the very least—
skincare.
"What was it again… start with the face pack…"
Dragging himself to the living room, his eyes landed on a script on the table.
'Ah, that one.'
Frozen Love Part 2.
"I should organize this."
He picked it up and tapped the black square beside it.
"Let's see…"
In an instant, he entered the void space.
The endless white rectangles stretched before him.
Frozen Love Part 2 had been registered.
"Good. Time to get out."
He was about to leave—
Then stopped.
"…What?"
His eyes fixed on one rectangle.
Something had changed.
"…Why is it like this?"
It was The Island of the Missing.
And—
its grade had dropped.
[3/Scenario (Title: The Island of the Missing), Grade D]
"…What the hell?"
It had been A+ earlier.
Now it was D.
"What happened?"
He ran through possibilities.
Director Woo Hyungoo came to mind.
That project had dropped to F after his scandal.
'Then… Director Kwon Gitaek?'
No.
That didn't make sense.
If it were him, the drop would have happened earlier.
And his personality—
didn't fit.
'Then the staff?'
Unlikely.
Even if something happened, it wouldn't drop this much.
"…An actor?"
That made more sense.
Actors were the heart of a film.
The Island of the Missing had several top stars.
Ryu Jungmin?
"No… not him."
Then—
three names remained.
Jeon Woochang.
Kim Iwon.
Seo Chaeyoon.
"…It has to be one of them."
For some reason, Seo Chaeyoon's face came to mind.
Maybe because of that unpleasant first impression.
"…I've got a bad feeling about her."
And—
his instinct wasn't far off.
TL Notes
Propofol: A medical sedative often linked to high-profile drug scandals in Korea.