Chapter 53: A Night of Drinks, Regrets, and Responsibilities

“So, you were preparing for the civil service exam and ended up becoming a streamer?”

“Yeah. It’s a bit weird, right?”

About an hour had passed. With the alcohol kicking in and a growing sense of familiarity, our conversation became much more natural.

We had a serious talk. How long has it been since I arrived in this world? About fifteen days? It took this long to find someone I could open up to.

Of course, I can’t reveal everything.

I’m actually a transmigrator.

That’s not something I can just say out loud.

No, I must never say it. This secret has to stay buried in my heart forever.

“What about you? You haven’t shared your story yet.”

“Me?”

Instead of answering, Moonhwa pushed her glass forward.

We toasted and drank another shot of soju.

As expected, it was incredibly bitter.

I grabbed a piece of tangsuyuk with my chopsticks.

Maybe alcohol is just a catalyst to make food taste better.

The tangsuyuk felt especially sweet tonight.

“Do you want another drink?”

Is she not ready to talk yet? There’s plenty of time, so I’ll wait. She’ll speak when she’s ready.

As I leisurely refilled my glass, Moonhwa fixed her gaze on me as if she had made up her mind.

“Try searching my name on a portal site.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I said.”

Out of nowhere, Moonhwa told me to search her name online.

It seemed like she had a public profile.

I never thought she was just an ordinary office worker, but judging by her confidence, she might be more famous than I expected.

I took out my phone and opened a portal site. After typing in Moonhwa’s name, the search results appeared.

[Na Hyejeong (Business Executive) – Vice President of Shinhwa Group]

Vice President of Shinhwa Group. So this is who Moonhwa really is.

Well, technically, she is an office worker. It’s just that her position is ridiculously high.

Even though I don’t care much about economics, I know that Shinhwa Group is the top company in the country.

Becoming a vice president at twenty-four? That says everything. She’s incredible.

“Surprised?”

“Yeah. How does someone become the vice president of a major corporation at such a young age?”

“It’s simple. You just need your mother to be the chairwoman.”

[Mother: Na Yuran]

[Na Yuran (Business Executive) – Chairwoman of Shinhwa Group]

I see. Her mother is the chairwoman of Shinhwa Group.

Now the whole ‘succession battle’ thing makes sense.

In other words, Moonhwa is the next in line for the position.

It’s fascinating to meet a chaebol heir in real life, something I’d only seen in dramas.

“Does it bother you? The fact that I’m the heir to Shinhwa Group?”

“Hmm… I don’t really know.”

“Phew. That’s a relief. I was getting anxious over nothing.”

Moonhwa sighed in relief and placed a hand on her chest.

Why did she think I’d be uncomfortable? Sure, I was a little shocked, but I didn’t feel burdened.

If anything, it’s a good thing.

If the chairwoman of my streaming channel turns out to be the future chairwoman of a major corporation, isn’t that a huge advantage?

You can’t ask for a better connection than that.

That said, there’s one thing I need to clarify.

“That apartment, Luxury the Hill…”

“Yeah?”

“That’s a building constructed by Shinhwa Construction, right? Did you get me in without a deposit?”

Moonhwa’s eyes flickered. After hesitating for a moment, she sighed and nodded.

“…Yeah. I wanted you to have a better environment for streaming, so I asked my cousin for a favor.”

“…I feel like an idiot.”

Of course, I appreciate it. But I can’t help but feel a little foolish.

What was the name of the woman who handled my lease contract? Sera? Now I understand why she looked so smug while handing over the keys.

She was doing a favor for the heir to Shinhwa Group.

It must have been amusing to watch me nitpick the contract details, thinking I had any real control.

Just remembering it makes my face burn with embarrassment.

“…I’m sorry. The amount involved was too large to casually mention. I didn’t want you to feel pressured.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for… I should be grateful.

If you hadn’t helped, it would’ve been tough to find a place and manage my stream at the same time.”

I have no reason to be upset.

Moonhwa helped me settle into this world much faster than I could have on my own.

And who knows? I might need her help again in the future.

Asking why she treated me like an idiot? Complaining that she played me behind the scenes for fun? That would be an immature, teenage tantrum. I need to think rationally.

Moonhwa has supported me in countless ways.

She’s practically my benefactor. I should be grateful.

“…But next time, tell me beforehand. I don’t want to be completely in the dark—it makes me feel stupid.”

Still, I have to say this. I don’t want my life to be controlled by others anymore. I want to have the final say, at the very least. That’s only fair.

“Alright, I promise.”

“Thanks.”

We clinked our glasses again and took another shot of soju. The number of empty bottles on the table continued to grow.

“Noona, the CEO wants you to call him.”

“Forget it. Just tell him I’m still filming.”

It’s obvious. He probably wants me to persuade Yuseong.

What a pain.

Why should I clean up his mess when he screwed up the contract negotiations out of greed?

I’m an actress, not an agency employee.

More than anyone else, I hate the idea of having to beg Yuseong. I’ll never do it.

Knock, knock—

Someone tapped on the car window.

When I turned my head, Juhee was standing outside, smiling brightly.

She’s the only actress I’ve grown close to while filming this drama.

I like her because she’s not fake—she’s honest and straightforward.

I unlocked the door, and she hopped in, sitting beside me.

“Aren’t you getting into makeup? You’re supposed to die today.”

“The shoot got delayed by an hour. Hoil suddenly has a stomachache.”

“…Seriously?”

An actor who can’t even manage his own health? Now we’re going to finish even later than expected.

I have to wait for Juhee’s death scene before I can film my part—where I cradle her lifeless body and sob in despair.

“Don’t hate him too much. I actually feel bad seeing Hoil looking so miserable.”

“Did I yell at him? Did I insult him? I treat him politely and professionally. I don’t see the problem.”

“…You openly ignore him. Even when he talks to you, you just give short replies.”

“That’s because…”

Because I don’t want to look at his stupid face.

The way he acts all high and mighty is annoying.

And it’s not like he’s a good actor.

He just recites his lines like he’s reading a textbook.

I’ve had to struggle through countless scenes because of him.

“Unnie, there are only six episodes left. Even if you don’t like him, try to be a little nicer. I saw how friendly you were with Yuseong.”

“…How can you even compare the two?”

The difference is night and day.

Yuseong is my dream man.

I can’t wait to see him again. Just three more weeks.

Once the drama wraps up, I’ll finally have more free time. Then, I can pursue him more aggressively.

“Juhee, by the way, what happened with the favor I asked?”

“Oh, that? Yuseong seems busy. I went to his house a few times, but he wasn’t there. I couldn’t even see him, let alone set up a meeting.”

“Really? Got it.”

I was hoping to use Juhee as an excuse to visit his house and see him more, but it didn’t work out.

I should’ve at least gotten his number on the live broadcast day.

But I acted tough, got drunk, and passed out, missing my chance.

“Unnie, I’m heading out. Get some rest.”

“I was about to go out too.”

I followed Juhee outside.

The male actor had been going to the bathroom multiple times due to stress.

What else could I do? I had to help him relax.

I didn’t care if he was sick or not.

What mattered was that if we left him alone like this, the filming schedule would get messed up.

And if that happened, my reputation would take a hit.

I should console him just enough.

Saying the usual cliché lines like, I believe in you. Let’s hang in there until the end.

A few smiles in front of him, and he’d perk up quickly.

That’s how every male actor I’ve dealt with so far has been.

“Excuse me…”

“Huh?”

I felt someone tapping my back. I swallowed my saliva and sat up.

Looks like I dozed off while drinking.

As I struggled to open my eyes, I saw Moonhwa sprawled out on the living room floor, groaning and grimacing in pain.

Well, we did drink a lot. Each of us had at least three bottles of soju.

“What are you going to do? Are you staying over?”

I lifted my head. So it was Hyesung who woke me up.

He looked at me with a troubled expression.

“No, I should go home.”

If we’re done drinking, it’s time to leave.

I didn’t want to overstep my bounds.

I tried to stand up and walk away, but—thud! My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor.

I wasn’t in a normal state either.

This was the first time in my life I’d ever been this drunk.

My body didn’t even feel like my own. I had no strength at all.

“You can’t leave like this. Just stay over.”

“…Yeah, I guess I have to.”

“Wait here. I’ll get you a blanket.”

Hyesung ran off to grab a blanket.

What time was it? I remembered drinking until around 10 PM.

I pulled out my phone to check the time.

1:20 AM.

It was really late.

I needed to upload my YouCube video ASAP.

If Hyesung hadn’t woken me up, I might have spaced out and slept until morning. That was close.

I had to pull myself together. I still had work to do.

I grabbed the soda on the table and gulped it down. After patting my cheeks a few times, my mind cleared up a bit.

“I brought the blanket. Should I lay it out for you?”

“Take care of Hyejeong first. One sec.”

I forced myself to stand up again.

Normally, I would’ve just carried her to bed, but given my current state, I didn’t want to push myself.

If I fell, that would be a disaster.

Hyesung and I struggled to lift Hyejeong together, placing her on the mattress and covering her with a blanket.

“I’ll be up a bit longer. I’ll use the blanket later.”

“Alright. Uh…”

Hyesung hesitated before pulling out a notepad and a pen from his pocket.

“Could you… sign this for me? I’m a huge fan. I want to be a Twika TV streamer too.”

“Oh, of course.”

It had been a while since I signed something. Back when I was a pro gamer, I did it so much that I got sick of it. But in this world, it was my first time.

Everyone here just wanted to take pictures with me.

[I hope you achieve your dream.]

I wrote him a short message along with my signature and handed it back.

Seeing him beam at the notepad made me feel good too.

Hyesung bowed repeatedly before heading back up to the second floor.

“Should I speed this up a bit?”

[Trying Out a Trendy Lookbook (Warning: Cringe Ahead)]
[How Shin Yuseong TV Videos Are Made – with Dajang]
[Viewer Talent Show – Who’s the Grand Winner?]
[A Tense Game of Wits with Viewers]

I opened my emails, downloaded the attached files, and checked the four edited videos.

I sped through them to wrap things up as quickly as possible.

As expected, there was nothing to nitpick.

Every time, I was amazed at how perfect Dajang’s editing was.

It was so flawless that I hardly even needed to review it.

I immediately uploaded the YouCube videos.

Finally, it was time to sleep.

I really needed to cut back on drinking.

I was dying of exhaustion during the review process.

I was just relieved that I managed to finish my work without any issues.

I pulled the blanket over me.

As soon as I closed my eyes, my whole body started spinning. My head was dizzy.

I pressed my palm against my forehead, forcing myself to sleep while looking forward to tomorrow.