ACT 2
A LOVELY DISASTER
Soonho woke me up. I've drunk with my friends at the after party my parents arranged for me.
I grabbed my phone to see it spilling with notifications and messages from people I probably have only been with once.
That's the thing about being an actor. You meet a lot of people, that's true. And if you're lucky, you get to connect with them, become almost friends. Almost, because as soon as your project together ends, you become two strangers again. Until you come across each other in another time. You greet each other and take photos, but you're only doing this for the fans who are craving for your interaction.
"Your mother is asking if you can watch your brother's charity game next week."
Soonho said as he returned with his coffee.
"Of course. I won't miss it."
His manager and friend nodded, clearing his throat too. "Taeyeon will be there too. She's an endorser of one of the sponsors of the charity event."
"I don't care." I shrugged easily. I really don't. Just as she sent me a congratulatory message last night, Youngbae shared that she's reportedly dating a movie producer.
Another influential guy. The third guy she's reportedly dating since we broke up.
Youngbae has been right about her. She only dates someone to elevate her status, and I can't blame her. She's fighting attention from a sea of more talented actresses. She's good, but she's also one dimensional, like mom always tells me.
I'm just another name that helped her stay longer in the spotlight. Too bad I fell in love with her, so much that I asked her to marry me.
She wanted me to announce our engagement in public, but I want to keep it until our wedding. I should have sensed then that she's only after the clout.
Eventually, she broke up with me, citing that I'm not proud of our relationship. I'm only protecting her.
I loved her, and our breakup ruined me. Next thing I know, she's dating a famous idol. That's when it hit me. I was used. And I swore never to date a celebrity ever again.
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I'm waiting for my trainer when I checked my social media accounts. I'm not really a vain person, but it keeps my fans longer by my side.
Even the simplest photo makes them happy, and that makes me happy too. I'm not an attention seeker, but I like the feeling of being regarded highly.
It's an ego boost.
Good thing my father is always there to keep me in check. He's my anchor when people starts to lead me to a different path. As an athlete, his mental concentration is a great training for me to block off the monstrosities of fame.
I checked my tagged photos and a similar shot is all over my phone. A photo of me hugging Dara. I checked Naver and saw that our names are trending, sixteen hours after our little interaction last night. What's funny is that our movie, Hello, is on the trending list too. There are no dating speculations on the news, but fans are talking about it. I need to fix this.
"Soonho, can you get me Dara Park's number?"
He smirked at me as he stood up. "Finally!"
"What?"
He's already tapping on his phone. "You're finally making a move with a girl. You should start dating again, Ji. Taeyeon's already on her number three since you."
" off. I'm only going to apologize about the hug. I don't want to make any news about this."
Soonho shook his head as he brought his phone to his ear. Just as he stepped out for that call, Youngbae joins me. A few minutes after, our trainer is making us sweat like pigs.
I really hate working out so I invited my childhood best friend with me. I need the physical training for my next movie. Another thriller where I play the role of a wounded detective who's out to seek the man who killed his girlfriend.
"Do you need abs for the movie?" My trainer, Seunghoon, asked.
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