WOORI, before her downfall, was actually a young artist painter with a bright future.
She had her first solo art exhibit when she was only sixteen years old.
Thanks to that, she became something akin to a celebrity among people her age back then— especially to her peers who were also pursuing art.
Woori was known for her monochromatic paintings, primarily in a specific shade of blue called 'Denim Blue.' She was so well-known for her dedicated use of this color that art people began saying Denim Blue was her signature color.
It was funny how some art experts overanalyzed her love for Denim Blue.
They say my monochromatic approach in my paintings is a 'symbol of freedom.'
Of course, that wasn't true.
There was only one reason why Woori loved painting with the color Denim Blue.
Park Seoham looks good in denim.
But it wasn't like she could reveal it, so she didn't correct the misunderstanding.
Thanks to that, Woori had gained the title 'Denim Blue Goddess.'
But her glorious days didn't last long, though.
The moment her parents were revealed to be scammers, her perfect life also began to crumble.
Including her career, of course.
Her 'rival'— a classmate who was always second to her in every painting contest she had joined— gave her the most painful reality check back then.
"Maybe you were never really good, Joo Woori. If your parents can scam innocent people, then surely, it's easy for them to bribe the judges. You don't deserve all the honor and rewards that you received from all those rigged painting contests."
And then her rival dropped the final nail in the coffin:
"You know what? I also heard that your parents sponsored your solo art exhibits to use your paintings for money laundering. Do you see it now, Joo Woori? Between the two of us, I'm the only real artist. How dare you make me feel insecure all these years when you're nothing but a fraud?"
That was the day Woori became unable to pick up a paintbrush again.
However, years later, she picked up a digital pen.
All because I remembered how much Park Seoham loved reading webcomics when we were in high school.
"Parasocial was my first published work as a webcomic artist."
CEO Kim Yisook looked confused by Woori's random statement, but the elegant boss lady nodded as if telling Woori to continue.
"I created Parasocial during Park Seoham's rookie era as an idol. It was inspired by his obsessive fans who stalked their group and even invaded their dorm before," Woori began with her story. "That was how I became Artist Jeans. After Parasocial, I switched to creating short rom-coms because Park Seoham likes that genre."
Parasocial was a thriller with only 15 episodes.
The other titles that she created after that were rom-coms with only 30-50 episodes.
Her first long webcomic that hit 100 episodes was called 'Tastefully Yours.'
It was about a to-be-concubine lady from the Joseon Era who escaped her soon-to-be tyrant husband, only to be transported into the modern world. There, she met a modern, hot but grumpy CEO who was always in a bad mood— all because he couldn't taste food. Luckily for him, the lady from the Joseon Era was actually a great cook.
That was the premise of the webcomic, and it was a huge hit.
The director and the head writer, who saw the potential in her webcomic, were desperate to adapt Tastefully Yours into a drama. In fact, the two even reached out to 'Artist Jeans' and promised they would include her in the production.
Luckily for Woori, her company— SolaToon— gave her the right to decide whether to accept the drama or not.
She only had one condition then.
"I asked the drama crew to consider Park Seoham for the role of the main lead," Woori said, clenching her hands tight. "At the time, Park Seoham's group had just disbanded since they only had a 3-year contract. He tried acting then, but all the shows he starred in were a flop."
"Yeah, that era was tough for us," CEO Kim Yisook said while nodding. "Our Actor Park Seoham-ssi actually felt bad because he felt like the company wasted money on him. After all, we gave him a huge signing bonus."
"He deserved it," Woori insisted. "Park Seoham came from a very famous idol group. Even though his shows were a flop, the advertisers still loved him. I'm sure you didn't lose money when you signed a contract with him."
"Sweetie, I didn't say I agree with Park Seoham's thoughts. No need to be defensive."
Ahem.
"Park Seoham-ssi regained his confidence as an actor when he heard that Artist Jeans personally picked him as the male lead. He didn't want to disappoint you, so he really worked hard to give justice to the role entrusted to him," CEO Kim Yisook said. "The drama adaptation of Tastefully Yours was a huge hit— both domestically and globally. Thanks to that, Park Seoham-ssi still says he owes his success as an actor to Artist Jeans."
"Not at all. I strongly recommended Park Seoham for the role, yes. But I also told the director and the writer that if they didn't like his acting, then they were free to choose another actor. In the end, they loved Park Seoham's acting. The viewers, too."
"The fan of the original series approved Park Seoham because you drew the CEO character very similar to him."
"I love drawing Park Seoham."
When Woori was in high school, she would often sketch Park Seoham's portraits.
But as a webcomic artist, she taught herself how to draw Park Seoham the 'manhwa way.' That meant stylizing him as a character.
As a result, Park Seoham became the perfect actor for the role.
The character was based on him, after all.
"Woori-ssi, Park Seoham-ssi believes he owes his success as a celebrity to two faceless people he hasn't met personally yet. The first one was the fansite master who helped him debut as an idol, and the second one was Artist Jeans— the artist who helped him bag his breakthrough drama," CEO Kim Yisook said. "If you tell Park Seoham-ssi that you are Artist Jeans, then…"
"I don't want to be forgiven that way, ma'am. In the first place, I didn't do it to be forgiven. I just wanted to support Park Seoham because I'm his fan," Woori said, offering a smile to the CEO. "So, please keep this a secret between us."
"Of course, I will keep this a secret if that's what you want. After all, we owe you a lot. But do you think Park Seoham-ssi won't figure out the truth, eventually?"
"No, the thought of me drawing webcomics won't even cross his mind."
CEO Kim Yisook knitted her eyebrows, confused. "Why not?"
"This may sound arrogant coming from me, but Park Seoham kind of put me on a pedestal when we were in high school. He probably thinks I'm still the same sheltered, rich, artsy girl who only reads classic books and paints deep stuff," Woori said, smiling quite bitterly. "I wonder how he'll react if he finds out how I'm living right now."
***
"GET IN."
Woori raised an eyebrow when a domestic car stopped in front of her after she got out of the hospital.
The one in the driver's seat was Park Seoham.
I'm pretty sure this isn't his car since he only drives fancy, foreign cars.
"I won't let you run away, Joo Woori," Park Seoham said firmly. "So, I'll drive you home to know where you live right now."
Woori blinked slowly, a little confused.
You could have just asked me where I live, though?
***
WOORI got in the car instead of confronting Park Seoham because she didn't want to cause traffic or attract attention.
Plus, I don't mind if he knows where I live.
It was just that the almost one-hour ride was very uncomfortable.
The silence is loud.
Park Seoham only broke the silence when they finally arrived at Woori's house.
"It seems like you've been living well all this time, Joo Woori."
Ah, he's being sarcastic.
"You live in a rich neighborhood," Park Seoham said, smirking bitterly, before he glanced outside the window. "And your house is big."
Oh, wait.
"Park Seoham-ssi, do you see the little room on the rooftop?"
"What about it? Is that your painting studio or something? It looks too small to be your studio, though."
"Because it's not. That's where I live— that's my place," Woori explained to clear the misunderstanding. "The landlord owns the house, and he just lets me rent the one-room[1] on the rooftop."
"You call that tiny room your house…?"
Park Seoham looked so shocked while still looking at the one-room in disbelief.
Woori thought the actor's horrified reaction was weird.
Shouldn't he be happy that I live like this now?
***
Please ADD
[1] In Korea, "one-room" refers to a studio apartment where the living, sleeping, and kitchen areas are all within a single, open space, though there is a separate, private bathroom.