Scandal Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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In the evening, Heewon headed to a pocha¹ in Cheongdam-dong.

It was a gathering to see the faces she had missed for a long time, as she hadn’t been able to meet her friends due to filming.

No matter where she went in Korea, people recognized Heewon, but in Cheongdam-dong, perhaps out of respect, even when celebrities were seen, there weren’t many people asking for autographs. Hence, she could avoid the hassle.

“Why is it so hard to see our big star’s face?”

Heewon clinked glasses with her friends, whom she had shared every joy and sorrow with during her idol trainee days.

“I missed you, Heewon.”

“How is it that you’re getting prettier and prettier? What’s your secret? Is it the camera effect?”

“Ugh… getting prettier? My insomnia is getting worse, and my makeup doesn’t even stick anymore.”

They had once shared dreams and friendship when they were young. However, aside from Heewon, none of her friends had seen much success.

Friends who had devoted their whole lives to becoming celebrities but grew distant from their dreams had left the group. Now, the remaining friends from their trainee days, including Heewon, were just the three others.

“Congrats.”

“You’re buying us drinks, right?”

The close friends didn’t feel any jealousy towards Heewon and genuinely congratulated her.

Every time this happened, she felt an unexplained sense of guilt, but she also believed that if they kept working hard, their time would come too, in one way or another.

Dongwon, who had debuted but quietly disappeared from the entertainment industry without ever making it big, spoke to Heewon.

“That Yurally incident was really bad this time. People were going crazy on the internet.”

Dongwon, who once had an embarrassing history of confessing his feelings to Heewon in their youth, now spoke freely. Of course, that was a story from their teenage years; now, Heewon and Dongwon were just casual friends.

“Do you know what’s even more ridiculous?”

Heewon, recalling Kwon Ji-seop, whom she had met in the morning, took a drink.

“What?”

“I met CEO Kwon’s son this morning. It was a meeting for DK Electronics’ advertising representatives and all that. Do you know what he said to me?”

Her friends, who didn’t need Heewon to act reserved around them, all focused their attention on her.

“He told me not to just study English but also study history!”

“Seriously!”

“Isn’t he crazy?”

Her friends all sided with Heewon.

It made sense, because the friends who had once been in DK Entertainment all shared a complex due to their frequent absences and lack of education.

Now, another friend who had switched to a different agency, Yoon Ji-ye, let out a wry laugh. Ji-ye was more of an SNS influencer than an actress, but she still kept her dreams alive, occasionally taking supporting roles in dramas.

“CEO Kwon’s son is famous for having a horrible personality.”

“Really? How do you know that?”

When Heewon asked Ji-ye, she responded.

“Do you remember when CEO Kwon lost money on the movie Zombie’s Girlfriend?”

Heewon recalled the awkward title of the old movie before even reading the script. DK Entertainment had invested a huge sum in that film.

“Yeah, he was ahead of his time.”

“The script was behind time, though.”

The three of them burst into laughter as they reminisce about the movie Zombie’s Girlfriend.

“Apparently, it was CEO Kwon’s son who suggested quitting the entertainment business back then.”

CEO Kwon Gu-yong had been full of superficial ambition when it came to the entertainment industry, but he lacked the ability to invest.

He was what people called the “minus touch.”

Despite this, what had brought Heewon to this point was solely her beauty, which had been her biggest asset.

“How could he? He’s his father! We were all so scared back then.”

“Yeah. We thought the company was going to go bankrupt, and we were all crying and freaking out.”

The friends clinked their glasses, reminiscing about the past.

Six years had passed, but for the three of them, time had stopped six years ago.

Talking about old times made them feel like they had returned to the innocent days, which lifted their spirits.

Thanks to that, the alcohol seemed to go down smoothly.

At least Ji-ye seemed to be doing well with her influencer career, but Heewon couldn’t help but worry about Dongwon, who had failed at his idol career.

Unable to voice it, Heewon felt sympathy for him. However, as the alcohol took effect, she finally gathered the courage to ask Dongwon.

“Dongwon, what have you been up to lately?”

Unlike Heewon, who had been extremely poor, Dongwon had been born in Apgujeong and had grown up in Gangnam. He wasn’t quite a “gold spoon” but definitely had a “silver spoon” life.

“Just investing in various things for the future.”

“What kind of investment?”

“Trying to improve myself for some grand dream, I guess?”

Dongwon’s father had made a fortune by developing land and becoming a nouveau riche.

“A grand dream? What is it? Are you planning to get back into the entertainment industry?”

“I’m too old now, and it’s hard to stick around any longer. I’ve had enough. I’m just studying for now.”

“Really, Kim Dongwon is studying?”

Heewon and Ji-ye giggled at Dongwon’s words.

“Studying? What kind of studying?”

“Kind of like investment studying.”

Heewon and Ji-ye exchanged a glance and furrowed their brows simultaneously. They both felt a little uneasy, wondering if Dongwon, claiming to be studying investment, had lost all his money in cryptocurrency.

“You’re studying, and yet you’re wearing a watch like that?”

Ji-ye, with sharp eyes, scanned Dongwon’s wrist while sipping her drink.

In Heewon’s drunken state, she hadn’t noticed at first, but now that she looked, Dongwon’s outfit alone was worth millions.

“My father bought it for me.”

Heewon tilted her head. Sure, Dongwon’s family was well-off, but she wondered if they were rich enough to buy him such an expensive watch. Furthermore, he was twenty-two and still couldn’t pay for his own meals.

“What about the clothes?”

This time, Heewon asked.

“Old fans sent them as gifts.”

“Are you still living off your fans’ wallets?”

Heewon’s remark was followed by Ji-ye’s teasing.

“Do you even still have any fans left?”

At the blunt questions from the two women, Dongwon raised his voice in frustration.

“What’s wrong with that? Just because I’m not doing anything now, you’re going to look down on me?”

Just then, Dongwon’s phone, which had been lying on the table, began vibrating.

 

The name that appeared on Dongwon’s phone seemed far from ordinary.

Dongwon, glancing at his friends, quickly declined the call from the person named “So-young Noona.”

Heewon, with her sharp eyes, immediately asked him.

“You’re not doing something like being a host, are you?”

Heewon had unknowingly let her concern slip out. She had seen too many people from the entertainment industry fall into that kind of life, which made her worry.

At Heewon’s words, Dongwon gulped down his drink and raised his voice.

“Hey! Lee Heewon! Just because you’re successful now, you’re going to look down on me! A host? Watch what you say!”

“No, I’m just worried. You’re studying, but your outfit is a bit much.”

“Your outfit is more expensive, though.”

At Dongwon’s words, Ji-ye raised her voice instead.

“How much do you think Heewon makes?”

“Geez, you guys are hopeless. Now that you’re older, you treat people like garbage.”

As the atmosphere began to turn sour, Heewon tried to calm the situation.

“Why are you getting so angry? I’m just saying this out of concern.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. You’ve crossed the line today. A host? My outfit isn’t the problem, it’s your words!”

Perhaps it was the alcohol that was making things worse. Heewon felt a little guilty for pushing her close friends too hard, and she belatedly softened her tone.

“I’m tired. Should we head out now?”

By now, the two bottles of whiskey on the table had been emptied, and the three of them stood up from their seats.

“I’ll call a driver to take me home!”

Ji-ye’s red sports car, emblazoned with an excited message about valet parking, came to a stop in front of the pocha. After handing the keys over to the valet, Ji-ye slumped into the passenger seat and immediately passed out.

Dongwon, now left alone with Heewon, asked, “Do you want me to drop you off on the way home?”

After raising his voice in the drunken argument, Dongwon awkwardly tried to ease the tension, hesitantly speaking up.

Heewon, who had pulled her hat low, checked the time.

At the age of twenty-two, Heewon still didn’t have a driver’s license.

She had often used the excuse that her busy schedule left no time to get one, but the real reason was that after failing the written test three times, she had given up on getting her license.

Heewon’s mind was still pure in many ways.

The fact that she could memorize scripts was almost a miracle.

Her brain’s capacity seemed to be entirely dedicated to remembering lines.

“Then, I’d appreciate it.”

She felt bad about calling her manager for a personal matter past midnight, but there was no way she, a drunk superstar, could take a taxi home alone.

A black foreign car stopped in front of the pocha after a while. As expected, it was an extravagant car for Dongwon, who was studying. However, if she kept pressuring him, it seemed like their friendship would end, so she held back the words she wanted to say.

“Heewon, take care.”

The chauffeur dropped Heewon off in front of her house. Dongwon, who got out of the car, waved his hand at Heewon.

Heewon staggered into ‘That Village’ in Hannam-dong. 

As soon as she entered the house, Heewon collapsed on the bed. 

Of course, even though she was drunk, she didn’t forget to masturbate with her clean hands. 

No matter how drunk she was, it was Heewon’s chronic illness that she couldn’t fall asleep easily. 

But today was strange. 

Usually, a dick with no eyes, nose, or mouth would linger in her head as if teasing Heewon. But today, someone’s face vaguely came to mind.