The Unyielding Fan and the Unfazed Lover

“What on earth did you do?”

Inwoo clapped his hands over his ears, trying to escape Dakyung’s rapid-fire accusations.

She had arrived at the hospital room that morning, having somehow learned that Seo Junwon had collapsed there the previous night. Despite Inwoo’s feigned ignorance, she relentlessly probed, demanding to know why Seo Junwon had been found unconscious in his room at such a late hour.

“Surely, you didn’t hit him, did you?”

Inwoo gazed at Dakyung, who stood in a combative stance, as if her own sibling had been beaten somewhere.

Fangirls can be truly terrifying, he mused.

“If you keep this up, I might just hit you.”

“Seriously, what’s wrong with you?”

“No, what’s wrong with you? Anyone would think I’d harmed Seo Junwon.”

“So you’re saying a perfectly healthy and robust person suddenly suffered hyperventilation, even though you did nothing?”

“Exactly. He just collapsed. Thud.”

“And you did nothing?”

“Nope.”

“Cross your heart?”

Inwoo placed a hand over his chest. There, satisfied? he silently challenged.

“Swear on your mom and dad?”

This time, Inwoo hesitated. Hey, let’s not involve my parents, he thought.

Dakyung’s expression clearly showed she had expected as much. Yet, Inwoo felt genuinely wronged. All he had truly done was show him ‘the hole.’

Was my hole really that shocking? he wondered. I’m often told it’s quite beautiful. Or perhaps it was so sexy that the blood rushed to his head and he fainted?

The latter seemed far more plausible, no matter how he considered it.

Damn it, he mused, why am I so handsome and overflowing with s*x appeal?

He picked up the small mirror from his bedside table and admired his reflection. Even in the morning, when most people looked a bit puffy and disheveled, he showed no such signs.

As he briefly marveled at his own beauty and silently thanked his parents in Jeju Island, Dakyung approached him.

She handed him the confiscated phone.

He took it, powered it on, and accessed the internet, noticing that his name, which had been trending all day, was now gone from the search results. Most of the related articles had also been removed.

Unanswered calls and messages began flooding his phone.

Most were concerned inquiries about his well-being, though some contained rather crude jokes. Many numbers were unfamiliar. As he deleted the messages instead of replying, a video call from his mother came through.

A smile spread across Inwoo’s face.

He tapped the answer button, and after a brief moment, his mother’s face appeared on the screen. Behind her, a clear blue sky was visible, indicating she was outdoors. She waved cheerfully at Inwoo.

[Son, hello?]

“Hi, Mom? Where are you? Are you out?”

[Yes. And you? Still at the hospital? I called yesterday, but couldn’t get through. So I contacted CEO Yang directly.]

“I had too many calls, so I turned it off for a bit.”

[Are you alright? Your dad’s really worried. I barely managed to stop him from taking the morning flight up here.]

A moment later, a rugged-looking man appeared beside his mother’s face.

Uncharacteristically, he smiled so widely his eyes crinkled, tenderly calling out, “Son—”

Inwoo waved back at him this time. Hi, Dad.

[We came out for a walk, your mom and I. Are you okay?]

“I’m fine. Perfectly alright.”

[That’s a relief. Take good care of yourself.]

“I will.”

[Oh, by the way, did Seo Junwon come to visit you?]

His father unexpectedly brought up Seo Junwon. Did he perhaps harbor ill feelings because Seo Junwon caused me to be like this? Inwoo wondered.

“He came yesterday. Why?”

[What a shame. You should’ve gotten an autograph.]

Inwoo’s brow furrowed instantly.

From beside him, his mother’s voice chided, calling his father ‘frivolous’ and asking if a mere baseball player’s autograph was more important than their sick son. She pushed his father aside, her face reappearing on the screen.

[Don’t mind your dad, just take good care of yourself. I’ll call you again tonight.]

She smiled like a young girl, waving her hand playfully.

She even tilted the camera to show him the blue sky and sea, telling him to look at it for a change of mood. His stifled emotions calmed slightly.

After ending the call, he gazed at the disconnected phone with a wistful smile. I miss Mom and Dad, he thought.

Watching from the side, Dakyung remained perplexed.

Others might assume that Inwoo, given his numerous relationships, lacked parental love or suffered from affection deficiency. The reality, however, was quite the opposite.

He had received abundant parental love, and still did.

He received it from fans, from various men and women—an overwhelming amount of affection—yet Dakyung couldn’t fathom why his desires were so insatiable.

After hanging up the phone, Inwoo got out of bed and stepped onto the scale placed to the side.

Every morning, he habitually checked his weight.

Despite not being prone to gaining weight easily, he pushed himself relentlessly, leaving no room for error in his self-management. Dakyung found Inwoo both admirable and, at times, pitiable.

“It’s the same,” she observed.

Indeed, Inwoo thought. He pushed the scale aside and began to stretch, pulling at his arms.

“Oh, right, what happened with Director Yoon? Has CEO Yang said anything?”

Dakyung, who was about to take juice from the refrigerator, flinched.

As her eyes met Inwoo’s, she quickly feigned disinterest.

“I don’t really know…. CEO Yang said he hasn’t heard anything either.”

“That’s strange. I distinctly heard he was in Seoul over the weekend.”

“If he was… CEO Yang would have known, surely….”

Her voice trailed off as she tried to quickly evade him, but Inwoo suddenly appeared, blocking her path.

With his arms crossed, he tilted his head and stared intently at Dakyung. When she forced an exaggerated smile, lifting only the corners of her lips, Inwoo leaned his face even closer.

“So he did come to Seoul.”

“I don’t know.”

“You know, it’s written all over your face when you lie.”

The moment he tapped her forehead, Dakyung’s face fell into an expression of utter defeat.

CEO Yang had explicitly warned her not to say anything, so who could have told Inwoo? Most of the people Inwoo socialized with were involved in the industry, many of them well-connected and with ties to higher-ups. It would have been easy for him to find out if he wanted to.

“Just forget about it…. Honestly, there are so many directors who want to work with you, Oppa. I don’t understand why you’re so fixated on Director Yoon.”

“Does it seem like an obsession?”

Dakyung hesitated, then nodded.

Inwoo chuckled. He pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator and quickly guzzled half of it. Then, he walked to the window and looked outside. The sky was impeccably clear and blue.

Watching his back, Dakyung fell into thought.

According to CEO Yang, Director Yoon was preparing a new project after a hiatus of several years. He had already become an internationally recognized director, having won major awards at several film festivals.

With successes in both artistic and commercial realms, many actors desired to work with him, eagerly awaiting his selection. However, Inwoo’s fascination with him wasn’t solely due to his fame.

[I told you to act, but all you’re doing is acting?]

This was Director Yoon’s first assessment of Inwoo. It was back when Inwoo was 21, during his peak popularity.

Though he was still successful now, CEO Yang had mentioned that Inwoo possessed a different kind of freshness and passion back then. Dakyung, of course, found that hard to believe.

Inwoo’s decision to audition for Director Yoon’s film stemmed from simple fandom.

He had loved Director Yoon’s movies since the director made independent films, and thereafter, he consumed all of his works, regardless of their box office success. He had always dreamed of collaborating with him someday.

Everyone had expected the audition to be a mere formality, anticipating that Lee Inwoo would secure the lead role.

However, Director Yoon cast an entirely new rookie instead of Inwoo. Inwoo pretended to be fine at the time, but he seemed to have been more shocked than expected, as he unexpectedly enlisted in the military.

Before that, he had only ever schemed about how to get an exemption.

The actor who was cast over Inwoo at the time was Kim Wonki, whose name now frequently appeared in the media as Inwoo’s rival.

Kim Wonki had shot to stardom with that very film. He was renowned not only for his handsome face but also for his exceptional acting skills, conduct, and character.

Everyone assumed he would likely be offered this new role as well.

CEO Yang had strictly warned them not to let Inwoo hear about it, but given the current circumstances, it was only a matter of time before Lee Inwoo found out.

“I heard he’s living in a house he built somewhere deep in the mountains. Should I go look for him there?”

Dakyung’s eyes widened. She had heard that rumor herself.

“What would you even say if you found him?”

“I’d throw a tantrum and demand he cast me.”

His expression showed he was serious.

Should I inform CEO Yang before he causes trouble? she wondered. As she pondered, a knock echoed. The door opened, revealing a man dressed in a crisp suit.

Dakyung’s eyes widened slightly in recognition. A faint smile also spread across Inwoo’s face as he turned around.

“Why are you here?”

“A hospital visit.”

Behind the tall, handsome man, an older, middle-aged man entered, carrying a large fruit basket. He placed it on a nearby table.

“Are you that free? Free enough to visit your ‘s*x partner’ in the hospital?”

Despite Inwoo’s blunt remark, the man remained completely unfazed. It was Dakyung who discreetly glanced at the man and his secretary.

“He’s the representative model for our company, so of course I should pay attention. Don’t you agree, Manager?”

The man directed his question to Dakyung, who forced a smile. The man’s name was Seo Youngmin, the eldest son of a prominent domestic conglomerate.

Just as Inwoo had stated, he was also Inwoo’s s*x partner. Dakyung wasn’t precisely sure when their relationship had begun, only estimating it was sometime after an advertisement they did together.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?” he inquired.

Inwoo grinned impishly.

“Curious? Should I show you now?”

Dakyung couldn’t hide her expression of disgust. Whether it was a joke or not, the two immediately shifted to another conversation.

Her nerves bristled at the mention of a “party.” She knew that chaebol heirs and celebrities sometimes held parties where drugs were secretly exchanged.

One truly commendable thing about Lee Inwoo was his absolute avoidance of drugs and drunk driving.

However, he often negated that virtue by running his mouth carelessly. Furthermore, Dakyung was well aware of how chaebol viewed celebrities, which naturally made her uneasy.

Wishing he would quickly leave the room, Dakyung picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

The sixth game of the Korean Series was being broadcast. As she increased the volume, the roar of the crowd and the sound of cheering songs burst forth from the large screen.

[Ah, Player Seo Junwon is absolutely on fire today!]

Inwoo, who had been conversing with Seo Youngmin, instinctively turned his head towards the sound. The screen showed a close-up of Seo Junwon’s face, baseball cap pulled low.