The Price of a Secret

[For several days, the story of Seo Junwon has set the internet ablaze. When he first announced his retirement, he only cited “personal reasons.” However, this caused considerable trouble for Lee Inwoo.]

[Indeed, it did. Seo Junwon’s fans reportedly stormed Lee Inwoo’s home, causing a significant disturbance.]

[Yet, Seo Junwon’s team has now released an explanatory article. It states that his recurring shoulder injury, sustained years ago, had caused him immense mental distress, ultimately becoming the primary reason for his retirement.]

[Well, I beg to differ slightly. Seo Junwon has played baseball since he was quite young. He garnered attention even in middle and high school, consistently playing a crucial role in leading his team to victory.]

[I believe the decisive factor behind his success isn’t just his skill, but also his unwavering resolve. Look at him during games: no matter how much opposing players provoke him or conflicts arise, he never bats an eye. He simply smiles it off every time.]

[Director Kim even affectionately called him a “bear” for his composure.]

[So, you don’t believe it was a psychological reason?]

[Probably not.]

[Then, could it truly be because of Lee Inwoo?]

[That’s even less likely. According to a reporter from a certain daily newspaper, the two share an unexpected friendship, often dining together. A photo of them having dinner together was even taken on the very day of the incident.]

[Ah, if that’s the case, then it’s a huge relief! You’re watching this broadcast, aren’t you, Lee Inwoo? Please don’t sue us!]

Inwoo, diligently running on the treadmill, let out a scoff. The two men who had been disparaging him just days ago were now fervently debating the reasons behind Seo Junwon’s retirement.

Don’t sue us? he thought. Hmph. Where was that sentiment when they were tearing into me?

Just you wait, all you hateful commenters, he vowed. There will be no forgiveness.

As he grumbled, he heard a presence from downstairs. Who could it be? The housekeeper never comes at this hour.

Pressing the stop button, the rapidly moving treadmill belt gradually slowed to a halt. He grabbed a towel from a nearby hook and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

As he descended the stairs, he spotted Dakyung standing in the first-floor living room. Sensing his presence, she looked up.

“What’s wrong? Isn’t today your day off?”

Having evidently rushed over, Dakyung’s face was flushed crimson. Before Inwoo could even reach the bottom of the stairs, she sprinted up to meet him.

“Oppa, what is this?”

Dakyung shoved her phone directly in front of his face. Inwoo’s eyes widened slightly as he read the text message.

Huh? Why did this go to Park Dakyung?

Seeing Inwoo’s bewildered expression, Dakyung gritted her teeth. She had gone to the salon to get her hair done, having some free time. Just as she was finishing a trim and about to get a perm, her phone buzzed.

The moment she checked the message, Dakyung nearly foamed at the mouth and collapsed.

“Good heavens,” she exclaimed. “I only read the first line and thought my local supermarket was having a customer appreciation event!”

She began to read the message content aloud.

“Thank you, everyone, for your love and support. Due to personal circumstances, I will no longer be able to meet with you all. While this may be regrettable and disappointing, I kindly ask that you wish me happiness. It’s been a pleasure. I hope no one will linger.”

“I sent it as a group message earlier, and it seems it accidentally went to you too.”

Dakyung shook her head. Some mistakes are simply inexcusable, she thought.

“Give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“I need to check who received it so I can clean up this mess, don’t I?”

“No, it’s fine. I sent it correctly to everyone else, just not you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Do you think I’m a blockhead?”

At that moment, Dakyung’s phone rang. Seeing “CEO Yang” on the caller ID, she quickly answered.

“Yes, CEO.”

Inwoo moved towards the kitchen as if nothing had happened. His throat felt parched from his workout. He opened the refrigerator and took out a small bottle of water.

As he uncapped it and brought it to his lips, his eyes met Dakyung’s. Her gaze burned with fiery intensity. Coincidentally, her red eyeshadow today made her look even more intimidating from a distance.

“No, CEO,” Dakyung said, forcing a laugh. “Inwoo Oppa was just playing a prank. Yes, I was surprised too, haha. Alright, you can go now. Yes, yes.”

After hanging up, Dakyung gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. Inwoo approached her and patted her shoulder.

“It’s alright. It probably only went to you and CEO Yang.”

“Just hand over your phone, quickly.”

Inwoo tilted his head. I’m sure I sent it correctly, he thought. He found his phone and handed it over, whereupon Dakyung took it and began to scroll through the message recipients. Even as she did, more messages kept coming in.

[I’ll wait for you anytime. Contact me if you need anything.]

[That’s harsh. Did you find someone new? Now I’m curious.]

[What a shame. We were a good match, weren’t we?]

[Got a new lover? Let’s see how long it lasts lol.]

[Everyone’s curious about your new lover. At least tell us! By the way, I bet five hundred that it won’t last a week. Junhyuk bet ten million, lol.]

[Did you get hit by a ball or something?]

The general atmosphere of the messages suggested everyone was taking it lightly. That’s only possible because none of these people are his actual lovers, she mused.

As Dakyung scrolled through the messages, her eyes widened slightly. There was even a message from Seo Junwon. While most numbers were unsaved, Seo Junwon’s was stored by name.

[Inwoo, I arrived home safely. You must be tired, so please get some good rest.]

The phone slipped from her grasp as if pulled from the ground. Dakyung frowned, staring at Inwoo. They disappeared yesterday, and I had a hunch, but did he actually sleep here?

Before she could fully process the shock, Inwoo’s mouth automatically curved into a wide grin as he read the message. Witnessing this, Dakyung was utterly speechless. He’s not actually smiling while reading Seo Junwon’s message, is he?

“Did Seo Junwon sleep here last night?”

“I’m not telling.”

“What are you going to do?”

“About what?”

“Are you truly asking because you don’t know? He’s Seo Youngmin’s younger brother!”

“I’m not in a serious relationship with him. Seo Youngmin probably dates a dozen other celebrities besides me. And Junwon already knows everything. He says it’s fine.”

Dakyung was left utterly speechless. Everyone, it seemed, had gone mad except her. While she admired Seo Junwon the baseball player, she couldn’t shake the impression that Seo Junwon the man was, at a glance, naive and somewhat guileless. He was twenty-nine, yet he possessed an unblemished, pure quality.

And Lee Inwoo? He wasn’t just tainted; he was the very embodiment of grime.

“Dakyung, I’ve been thinking…”

“No, don’t even go there.”

“Seo Youngmin thought I was attractive, didn’t he?”

Dakyung merely stared, offering no reply. What nonsense is he going to spout now?

“He cherishes and adores his younger brother, Seo Junwon, immensely, right? So, if two people he adores are dating, wouldn’t he bless us?”

“Wow.”

Inwoo’s eyes sparkled as Dakyung even clapped her hands.

“There’s a possibility, isn’t there?”

“Yes. There’s a high probability of you getting beaten to death. What kind of brain comes up with such ideas?”

“You don’t think so?”

“Oppa…”

“Why?”

“What exactly are you thinking when you live your life?”

“I don’t particularly live with much thought.”

“It certainly looks that way to everyone.”

With a sigh of resignation, Dakyung went to the sofa and plopped down. Ugh, I’m drained, she thought. I was supposed to get a perm at the salon. What a way to spend my day off.

She leaned back on the sofa with a pout, letting out a long sigh. It was true that Seo Youngmin was kind to Lee Inwoo, but that was only when they met alone. Would he still be so amiable if he knew of such a relationship with his own brother?

However, since Lee Inwoo, the person involved, seemed utterly oblivious, it was futile for her to fume and fret alone. Even trying to teach the alphabet to a stray dog wouldn’t be this frustrating, she thought.

Turning her head, she spotted a stack of scripts on the table. She reached out and picked them up.

“Have you read this?”

Inwoo, sitting opposite her, shook his head.

“Not yet.”

“Director Park really wants to work with you, Oppa. Judging by the condition of the script, it looks like you’ve read it all.”

Inwoo pretended not to hear her. He had worked with Director Park once before, and while they certainly had many compatible aspects, this particular script was simply not to his taste. It was a romance film about a playboy who meets a girlfriend and completely turns his life around.

Come to think of it, it’s pretty similar to my current situation, he mused. Why is my life unfolding like a movie?

“You still don’t know where Director Yoon lives, do you?”

At the sudden mention of Director Yoon, Dakyung subtly averted her gaze.

“Well, yes…”

She mumbled, then glanced at Inwoo. He was sitting in a chair by the window, looking utterly dejected. What’s with him now? Always getting on my nerves.

If I told him, he might go that very day, kneel, and beg to be cast. Honestly, it wouldn’t bother me, but CEO Yang would absolutely flip if he found out. CEO Yang still harbored resentment and sadness over Director Yoon’s rejection of Inwoo.

“Just give up. There’ll be no point in going there.”

“You never know. What if he’s impressed by my passion and casts me?”

“If that were the case, he would have contacted you first. Don’t you remember? Every time you came to Seoul, you visited him countless times, but he always disappeared before you arrived. Being busy was just an excuse; he was clearly avoiding you.”

Inwoo’s shoulders slumped. He let out a long sigh, then, still wearing his slippers, pulled his feet onto the chair and curled up tightly. Perhaps due to his loose pants and knit sweater, he looked even more dejected.

He was usually a person who constantly boasted about himself, so seeing him with such a gloomy expression was unusually irritating.

Actually, I did manage to get the address from someone… The real question was whether or not to tell him.

Considering CEO Yang, I absolutely shouldn’t tell him. If problems arise later, I could get caught in the crossfire. But he wants it so badly…

If he goes there and gets rejected, will the aftermath be too severe? Or should I just tell him now so he gives up entirely?

“If you’re going to tell me, don’t stall, just tell me quickly.”

Dakyung, startled, straightened her expression upon seeing Inwoo’s faint smile.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s written all over your face right now. You’re agonizing over whether to tell me or not.”

“I am not.”

“‘I am not’? Oh, that awkward acting.”

Busted, damn it. Dakyung was speechless, her mouth agape. It wasn’t that she was bad at lying; it was that Lee Inwoo was disgustingly perceptive. She had let her guard down for a moment, and her expression had betrayed her, yet he caught it.

As she chastised herself with a sigh, Inwoo rose from the chair and swiftly approached the sofa. He sat beside her and pushed his phone forward. Curious, she looked and saw a picture of a luxury bag.

“Dakyung, your birthday is next month. So, Oppa picked out a few bags that would suit you.”

Oh, seriously. Dakyung tried to get up and leave, but Inwoo quickly grabbed her, pulling her back into her seat. As he thrust the phone into her face, Dakyung squeezed her eyes shut.

“Just open your eyes. This is really pretty. It’s perfect for you. Completely your style.”

Dakyung covered her ears and shook her head vehemently. No! Go away! Get away from me, you devil! Satan! Begone! In the name of the Lord, I command you to leave, you blockhead!

She waved her hands to shoo him away, but Inwoo clung on stubbornly.

“Wow, look at the color! Dakyung, they say this is a limited edition. You won’t be able to buy it if you don’t get it now.”

When Dakyung refused to open her eyes, Inwoo forcibly lifted her eyelids. Dakyung, who had been resisting with all her might, finally saw it: the tote bag she had been eyeing for a while. Her expression completely softened, like someone who had found food after ten days of starvation.

“Damn it. I swore I’d cut off my wrist if I bought another bag…”

“Why would you quit something so good? Look closely. Imagine wearing a black dress with this, then a dazzling necklace, and going to your year-end reunion. Game over. Park Dakyung wins.”

Oh, seriously. Dakyung clutched at her hair.

“If CEO Yang finds out, I’m dead.”

“I’ll go without him knowing. Even if I get caught, I won’t say you told me. You know I’m a corpse without my guts, right?”

“Well, you’d literally be a corpse without your guts. It’s about loyalty, I suppose.”

“Exactly, loyalty. Anyway, I’ll keep my promise.”

Inwoo mimed zipping his lips. However, Dakyung still hesitated. Inwoo again pushed the bag photo in front of her, moving it in a circular motion. You will speak. You will speak. Park Dakyung will reveal everything.

Dakyung reached out and stopped Inwoo.

“Wait. Just a moment. Give me five minutes to think. Exactly five minutes will do.”

Inwoo smiled and clenched his fists. It worked. He left Dakyung to ponder and walked back towards the window. At that moment, Inwoo’s phone rang. Who is it? Seo Junwon?

He eagerly reached to answer, but his face hardened. There was no name, but the last four digits alone told him who it was. The smile vanished from his face.