Would you believe | Ambw | Discontinued

Chapter seventeen: The Start of Drama

HAE-JIN

Actor Park Hae-jin was spotted on a date with a mystery woman. The two looked quite close. Who is she? 

I stared at the headline of the paper and the photograph of me and Dae when we were out together. My manager Abeo was staring holes in my head. He snatched the paper from me and hit me with it.

"You fool. You damn fool!" he shouts. Abeo sits back in his chair. His gaze was heavy on me.

I rolled my eyes and snatched the paper from him and pretend I was going to hit him.

"Have you lost your mind?" I asked him.

He smiled at me, saying, "No. But I see you have. Do you know the amount of shit that's going to happen behind this?"

I threw the paper beside me and relaxed on my sofa, trying to think of anything that would save my ass.

 "It's not a big deal," I said. "I was on a date with a friend. Nothing romantic in the least."

"Hae-Jin, you're feeding her cake with this goofy I'm in love look plastered across your face." He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. "I'll have to write a statement. Okay, give me something you will say."

"Abeo," I said. "There will be no statement."

His eyes flew open and pointed at his bald head. "You see, Hae-Jin, you're the reason I don't have hair!"

"You didn't have hair when I met you."

"Watch it."

We both sat in silence, just staring at nothing.

"The company. They're going to question you about her and put out a statement themselves." Abeo said softly.

"I know." I breathed out.

Do I lie or tell the truth? I didn't want to put my relationship out there with Dae too quickly, especially without her permission.

Abeo's phone rings and steps away to answer it. I sat there on the sofa listening to him pace around in the kitchen. Five minutes later, he came back to the living room.

"Get dressed. CEO Choi wants to hear from you."

"Do I have a choice?" I didn't mean for it to be answered. I got up and headed to my room to get ready.

~~~

I thought about what I'd say when the CEO questioned me. I'll deny anything that would have to do with Dae and me.

Abeo stood closely at my side like he was my emotional support. But I knew he was only here because Mr. Choi wanted him to be. If I didn't give my manager my words to write my statement, then the CEO would give Abeo words that weren't even minded to write. 

CEO Choi sat at his desk with a not-so-happy expression on his wrinkled face.

"Park Hae-jin." He said. "Who is she?"

"A friend, sir."

"A friend?" he laughed. "Abeo from the picture. Did the two of them look like friends?"

Abeo glanced at me from the side and cleared his throat. "N-No Sir."

"A foreign woman, huh?" CEO Choi questioned. "What's her name?"

I didn't answer him.

But Abeo did. "Dae."

"What are we going to do about this?" he asked.

"Nothing, Sir," I said.

"Nothing?"

I nodded.

CEO Choi let out a laugh that filled his office space. "This woman must mean something to you then?"

I said nothing.

He clapped and reclined in his chair. "Abeo, please write the following statement that the lady seen with Mr. Park was nothing but a friend," he said. "Add other stuff and make sure he posts It on his socials. And as for you, Hae-Jin, stay away from her. She's black and that isn't going to sit well with your fans."

I balled my fist at my sides, biting back the words that sat on the tip of my tongue. I bowed out of respect and excused myself.

Abeo followed me out into the hall. He stood there quietly, looking at me like some small child who was about to be scolded by their parents.

"I'm fine." I took a deep breath. "Take me to the set."

During the car ride, I checked on Twitter and saw I was trending. I closed out, and the phone rang.

Shit.

Fake happy voice.

"Eomma," I said into the phone.

"Hae-Jin. We need to talk."

"Eomma, I can't now. I'm heading to the set."

"Hae-Jin!" my mom yelled into the phone. "Do you want to embarrass yourself even more?"

"Eomma sorry you're breaking up–"

I ended the call and threw my phone on the seat beside me.

"Abeo, make sure they don't allow Ji-Min onto the set."

I couldn't deal with my mom right now and sure in hell couldn't deal with my ex-wife.

"Okay, next Yeri and Hae-Jin will have a kissing scene in the coming week. So let's prepare for that." the director said.

Yeri inches her way closer to me. "Oppa, I saw the newspaper this morning. Are you okay? You were pretty off doing the whole filming."

I smiled at her saying, "I'm fine."

"Are you and Dae dating? Please, please, say yes!" she bounced on her tippy toes.

"Ask her when you see her."

Yeri lets out a giggle. I smiled at the girl as she rushed off to head to the studio.

I wanted to go to see Dae. But right now, things weren't that good for me to just show up. So I'll have to wait it out till things die down a bit.

"Ma'am you just can't storm on to set like that!"

"Where the hell is he? Where is Park Hae-jin?"

Her voice made my skin crawl. I tried to duck away before she saw me, but it was too late. She comes marching up to me and delivers a hard slap to my face.

"Ji-Min," I said through clenched teeth. "Why are you here?"

"Dinner with your parents you never showed. Which led me to look like a complete fool. Then on top of that, I see the papers with you on a date with some woman!"

I rub my aching cheek and stare at her. "So?" 

"So?" she asked.

"We aren't together. So me being with another woman shouldn't bother you."

"Well, it does!"

"When you were screwing other people behind my back, it didn't bother me. So what I do shouldn't bother you."

She let out a scream and everyone around us looked our way. Abeo couldn't even do that one thing and keep her offset.

Ji-Min regained her composure and smiled at me. "Your parents want to speak with us tonight. So it's best if you are there."