Ji Hyo was getting dressed up for yet another dinner occasion with her fiancé. She had learned over several months never to get too excited about them. They served mostly as venues for him to hold business meetings, where she was invited only as propriety, or to present to her some grand reveal in an atmosphere where she is pressured to act civil and not react with whatever nonsense actually flies into her head.

The steak entrée was served, and they picked up their forks and knives to saw away at the meat. Above the clinking utensils, Ji Hyo heard Chang Joo take a breath before watching his lips move. Here it is. She doesn't know what he's going to pull today, but she doesn't have a good feeling about it. Her knife cuts slow down as she loses herself in thought. Hmm, how best to prepare for it today?

"So, Ji Hyo, I spoke to the CEO of the company, and he said that he knows some people in Hollywood and they may be able to hook you up with some roles. There aren't that many Korean actresses in the Western film industry now and I think this would be a great opportunity for you to break into it. You'll be a really fresh face. Why don't you give it a try?", he looked at her with hopeful eyes, sensing hesitation in her silence.

"It won't be easy, Ji Hyo", he continued, "but we all have to start from somewhere. Your intial roles may be small, but you have such a beautiful face and interesting personality, I think you'll be able to catch the eyes of many agencies there."

All of her attention directed at the man across from her, she had long forgotten about her dinner, her hands hovering above the steak, frozen in time.

"If you're really scared, why don't you try it out for a year first? If it's really not for you, we can think of something else. Maybe TV or another medium? What do you think?"

She continued to gape at him and opened to respond, but the words suddenly disappeared and her lips flapped onward without control, like the nervous wreck she was inside, but she'd never want Chang Joo to know that. He was trying so hard to be so accomodating. He had planned a seemingly perfect career path. He was promising her a future. Her peers would be so jealous to be in her seat and have even the chance to enter into Hollywood. It's a dream of countless many actors. She'd be stupid to give it all up.

It's out of your comfort zone, but big rewards only come from big risks, she told herself, plus what's the worst that could happen? The shadow of a muscular man flashed in her mind for an instant, but she chose to push it aside. Plus, Chang Joo had already told her that it was okay that it didn't work out. 

Make a decision, woman. God, why are you so scared, she egged herself on as she caught sight of Chang Joo's eager eyes watching her. You are strong, Ji Hyo, you can do it. Prove to yourself you can do it.

She set down her utensils gently before reaching across the table to clasp her hands around his and with the most reassuring smile she could fake, she replied, "Sure oppa. I'll go with you". She hoped her hard swallow afterwards wasn't too obvious. Her insides were screaming, and her mind was telling her to consider if she was taking the wrong fork in the road. She told herself that she had been wrong about plenty of things before in life and this could just be another one, as she tried to shut up the perpetual doubt within herself.

He leaned over to kiss her hands with a saccharine smile. "Great, Ji Hyo. I just knew you were going to say 'yes'", he replied with a toothy grin.

The rest of dinner was a gray blur to her. She had been too busy trying to figure out how to reveal the news to her friends in most subtle way possible to listen to what Chang Joo was blabbing on about or figure out what she was even putting in .

Her still overjoyed fiance, enthusiastically opened the passenger door for her as she stepped in. She watched him circle around to the other side, his right hand already reaching in for his phone. By the time the engine started, he was already connected to the CEO of the company.

"Hi Mr. Song, this is Director Baek. She agreed!...Yes, me too. Now we can really get things moving. Please make sure you send me those documents...Great, see you tomorrow....Bye."

"Hi Ji Hoon, this is Chang Joo. She's coming with me to LA!...You'll finally be able to meet her...Haha, watch out. I'll be keeping an eye on you, you know....Later, man."

"Hi Mr. Kim, this is Director Baek. I just received the answer from her and she said she would take you up on the offer. Please let me know as soon as possible if you have any openings. I'll be in the office all day tomorrow so you can call me back whenever you get this. Goodbye."

Ecstatic messages and conversations with Chang Joo's various business partners and friends filled the otherwise empty silence. Ji Hyo laid a tired arm against her window and rested her head against it. She closed her eyes. Her head hurt. The constant barrage of reminders of her decision from the other seat only further emphasized the gravity of a situation she was already uncertain about. She felt the pounding in her head increase as she realized that he had told so many people of the offer and so much had hinged on her acceptance.

She tried telling herself that at least she didn't reject it to calm herself. It would've been so embarrassing for him to have to tell everyone that it didn't work out. It didn't help.

Eventually between the dim street lights and the warmth of her heated seat, she dozed off to a temporary release from the claws of reality.