A Scandalous Pair | Kim Mingyu FF | Svt

Do-hee

"Do-hee?"

After I got fired from my project, I felt so lost, angry, and disappointed that instead of staying at home, here I am, sitting in a park drinking beer. Suddenly, I got a call from Mingyu. I picked it up immediately.

"M-Ming-gyu."

"Do-hee, what happened? Are you hurt?" he asked worriedly.

"Can you please come over?"

"Sure, just tell me where you are."

"I'm at the park near your place."

"You stay right there. I'm coming, okay?" After a few minutes, I saw Mingyu, wearing a blazer, coming toward me. When he reached me, I looked up at him and immediately hugged him tightly, crying into his arms. He hugged me back just as tightly, comforting me as I sobbed. He kept me close, running his hands up and down my back, rocking me gently without asking yet what had happened. When I finally calmed down a bit, he spoke to me in a gentle voice, "Is everything okay, Do-hee? What happened? Why were you sitting here and crying like this?"

I took a deep breath and told him everything. "I got removed from the movie I was working on, apparently."

"You got removed from the movie? Who asked you to leave? I mean, didn't you guys already start shooting? How could you be removed in the middle of shooting?" I looked at him, feeling a little reluctant to tell him the truth. Maybe he saw it because he said, "Do-hee, you can trust me. Tell me what happened."

"It's the director, Park Gwanhee. He... had previously tried to make a move on me, but I refused to go along with his advances and made it clear that I wasn't interested in him like that. He started acting harsh and rude toward me because he was mad that I didn't comply with his desires. Working in such a toxic environment really took a toll on me. The other actors were just as unsupportive, and the whole thing was very tiring and frustrating. It was really stressful, but I kept on enduring it because I was passionate about the script and the role I was playing." I sniffed, "And now... this happened. Today, before I was supposed to shoot my part, he suddenly called me. I thought he was going to make some harsh comments again, but I was wrong. He said he didn't like how I acted the character, and that since I was a popular actress, I should know how to work in this industry. But according to him, apparently I don't." I chuckled bitterly. "I could clearly get his double meaning. He then said he had found a new actress who has both the skills and sense to work with him, so I can now leave the project. And here I am, working my butt off just to get such mistreatment." I tried to hold back my tears, feeling like I had cried enough in front of Mingyu.

He hugged me tightly, his voice filled with compassion as he continued to comfort me. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I hate that director for doing something as terrible as this, and it infuriates me how he is abusing his power to harass you. But believe me, Do-hee, there is nothing wrong with your acting skills. In fact, your dedication to your work is inspiring, and I really like your performance. The director is just trying to sabotage you because he can't deal with his jealousy and insecurity about your talent."

"Thank you so much for your support and kind words. It has been really difficult dealing with all this harassment and abuse, but it's so relieving to hear someone who understands my side of the story."

"I'm glad you feel that way. But what I'm slightly sad about is that all these things happened and you never once tried to tell me. Aren't we friends, Do-hee? Or is it only me who thinks that?"

"NO! It's not like that. I just... I didn't want to burden you. I felt... I just... All my life, I've always tried to solve my own problems by myself. I felt like a burden if I tried to share. All my life, people whom I chose to show my vulnerable sides always ended up betraying me or hurting me. Only Haewon stayed by my side. I'm tired of showing my vulnerability to people because, at the end of the day, I'm going to get hurt. I've been screwed over so many times that I don't... I don't feel anything anymore. I just try to suppress it. That's how messed up I am. And you, Mingyu, are one of the people who has ever been nothing but helpful and good to me in my life. And I like being your friend. But that's the thing. You've seen enough of my shitty situations; I didn't want to add more. I wanted to somehow show you my good side instead of this messy version of what you call 'my life.'"