Back in the office, she found Sang-Jun sitting by himself, focused on his laptop as usual. She sat at her desk without saying anything and checked her emails. Now that her heart had just stopped beating so fast, she needed to ground herself back in reality.
"So, did everything go well?" Noelle suddenly heard.
She looked around. Where was that voice coming from? She had recognized it, but it was hard to believe she was being addressed by him twice in one day. No, no one else was there. Only Sang-Jun. He wasn't looking at her. Had she imagined it?
"He didn't see you, right?" Sang-Jun said. Now she saw his lips moving. Yes, she wasn't imagining things. He was indeed talking to her.
"No, your advice worked out. Thanks." she replied.
"Good. I will give you another piece of advice now. Don't go to the set," Sang-Jun said.
Noelle was taken aback once again. Why was he suggesting this? Hadn't he just helped her watch the rehearsal barely an hour ago? She kept looking at him with a puzzled look, even though his eyes were fixed on his screen.
"It is a piece of friendly advice. He seems like he doesn't consider you a problem now, but I know him better. He just pretends to be the good boy while taking a break to think of his new plan," Sang-Jun said, as if noticing she was full of questions.
"He can't let go of many things. I don't want you to go there and upset him. We are working on many important things at the moment, and I want him focused." Sang-Jun turned to look at her and said: "Keep a low profile, write your paper, and go home."
And, being the cold and insensitive person he was, he turned his eyes back to his screen. He was so calm and detached, as if he hadn't just threatened her. Because that was exactly what he had done.
Noelle couldn't say a word. She came to realize that not only could she not connect with him, she also couldn't even converse with him. So much for arguing. So much for talking back. She never stayed silent in situations like this. But he was so disarming. She beat her brains out to find something to say, but nothing seemed right.
Sang-Jun's phone rang and he picked it up. "Hello? Yes. Ok" she heard him say before he stood up. "I'm going to catch up with our friend" he said and walked out of the office.
Noelle, alone and confused, started thinking over what she had been told. Sang-Jun discouraged her from visiting the set, even though Chloe wanted her to. He insisted that Ye-Jun still wanted her out, while Chloe thought he was over it. She herself believed the same—that Ye-Jun wouldn't give up so easily. She couldn't figure out why Sang-Jun would give her friendly advice. The guy who would barely address her wanted to help her out. Unless...
She figured it out. It was his last word. Friend. They were friends. Ye-Jun wasn't just looking for his next trick. He was already implementing it. He had convinced Sang-Jun to play along and scare her off. The message was simple: 'Don't do much, stay away, and I might not crush you.' Ye-Jun had Sang-Jun act behind Chloe's back, independently, so she would believe that he wasn't bothered by her.
Who the fuck did that brat think he was, playing with her academic and professional life?! The blood rushed to her head, and she felt dizzy with anger. But this time, the dizziness didn't turn into panic. It turned into determination.
'Damn you, Yeong Ye-Jun!' she thought. In that moment, her path became clear. She would not hide. She would fight. Now, all she had to gain was Chloe's support and a good reference letter. She wouldn't return home defeated. She wasn't going to get what she'd originally hoped for, but she would at least get her experience and her pride. Noelle would show him that he was nothing, that without Chloe he would be a nobody—that...
"Phew! That went well! Even though that brat took notice of the headset on the sofa" Mi-Suk told her as she sat down. Noelle was so lost in her thoughts of vengeance that she hadn't noticed her colleague's return.
"Yeah! Indeed!" Noelle said with the widest smile she could master. It was a mask, meant to cover all the other emotions inside her.
"You look excited. So I guess you liked it?" Mi-Suk asked.
"Yes, I did!" Noelle replied, the smile still on her face. "I wish I could do it again! For the time being, I can't wait for the day after tomorrow! I think it will be great to see him acting, too!" she added.
"Hold your horses. He's not that good at acting. But I can't believe you changed your mind so quickly! So that's what Chloe was trying to achieve—to make you appreciate him! It would be a shame to leave without getting to know him. He is not that bad..." Mi-Suk said, looking relieved.
"Well, I have to get the most out of it, and the clock is ticking. I can't afford to lose any opportunities. Chloe said I could be on set the whole next week!" Noelle replied, avoiding a direct response. Her cards were now on the table. She wasn't going to stay low.
"Really? I'll discuss it with Chloe, and we'll figure out what else you can do then!" Mi-Suk said amused.
All of a sudden her expression changed. Darkened, in a non-Mi-Suk way. Her gaze was fixed on an envelope delivered to her desk.
"What's wrong?" Noelle asked.
"Oh! Nothing! Let me file the mail". Mi-Suk stood up and opened a drawer in the filing cabinet. She tossed the envelope inside and returned to her desk. She was restless, a visible shudder ran through her.
Noelle knew that all Lexi needed was a little push. "Hey, Mi-Suk. That didn't look like nothing."
Mi-Suk's eyes darted around the room. She knew it was wrong, but the secret was eating her up inside.
"Remember? The big secrets I told you about? I think this is one of them. They just instructed me to place these envelopes in there and ask no questions. Take a look and you'll understand…"
Noelle was on it. Curiosity got the better of her. The drawer was full of these envelopes. All the same plain beige colour. The recipient was 'Mr. Yeong Ye-Jun'. No sender's information. They had all been opened. Hesitantly, she pulled a few out to inspect the contents.
Each one contained the same items. A single 'Thank you' note card and a photograph of Yeong Ye-Jun. Not a picture from a magazine. Not a picture from his socials. A picture of him entering his building. A picture of him in a studio, preparing, unaware he was being watched. A picture of him jogging down the street… All looked like private moments.
A chill spread down her spine. Did he have a stalker?
Noelle was in a constant state of unrest the following days. The pictures were one thing - creepy stuff. But facing him again on the set, knowing how determined he was to kick her out, was another. No matter if someone was stalking him, or whatever other problems he had, Yeong Ye-Jun had no right to behave like that.
'Focus! Forget the pictures! They have nothing to do with you,' she advised herself.
She indeed focused on her new assignment - which might be a big mistake.
Should she have listened to Sang-Jun instead? When she saw him again, he was his usual distant self and didn't bother to give her any more advice. It was as if she had imagined their entire conversation. On the other hand, she found out that Chloe was pleased with Mi-Suk's report. Her plan was on the right track. It was too late to change her course.
The day of the set visit arrived rather quickly. She was at the park entrance at ten to ten—ten minutes earlier than planned. She had that feeling of unrest you get when you're about to do something wrong.
She had her new hat on—the one she had bought the previous day on Mi-Suk's recommendation—and lots of sunscreen. She knew they would be moving around a lot. The park was closed to the public for the filming, and she was waiting for Mi-Suk, who would bring their passes.
The weather was already warm, so she understood why Mi-Suk was always complaining. The set had been selected to serve as the exterior of a palace. Why a palace? Because Yeong Ye-Jun was playing a prince. Not the crown prince, but a prince nonetheless. His character comes into a lot of trouble and valiantly fights against all odds to save his younger brother from a conspiracy, set in motion by their other brother, a half-brother who is the crown prince. In the process, he—what else?—falls in love with a beautiful girl who happens to be the crown prince's concubine. It doesn't end well for either of them, except maybe for the younger brother, who becomes the crown prince after Ye-Jun's character kills the former one.
Yes, Noelle knew the story. Since she was on his team, she had access to all the scripts. She had dived into the new work, reading it before bed. She was still wondering why she had decided to do so. The reason she'd settled on was that she needed it for her paper.
Mi-Suk appeared. "Good morning, sweetie! I see you're all set. Nice hat" she told Noelle and handed her a pass with her picture on it.
"Hi! Yes, I think yellow was a nice color" Noelle responded.
"Let's go in!" Mi-Suk proposed, and they went through the security guarding the gate. The park was huge, and she followed Mi-Suk, who knew her way around well. They soon arrived at the place where the crew was gathered. Several tents were set up there, and she could see some trailers. Mi-Suk went to greet some production staff and introduced Noelle. There were a lot of people there, and she feared she wouldn't be able to remember them all. The good thing was that she still hadn't stumbled upon the one person she hoped to avoid—if it was even possible.
"Where are the stars? I don't see them at the makeup station" Mi-Suk asked the production crew.
"The director took them to the shooting location to give instructions" a girl—whose name she couldn't remember—replied. "It's taking ages. They've already done their makeup. The heat will ruin everything" the girl complained.
"Oh, I can't stand Myeong's whining again" Mi-Suk said, referring to Yeong Ye-Jun's co-star.
"Speak of the devil. Here they come" the girl said, nodding towards the area behind Mi-Suk and Noelle.
Noelle mechanically turned around, following everyone's gaze. On the pathway through the trees, Yeong Ye-Jun was walking in their direction. He was breathtaking, dressed as a Joseon prince, his hair slicked back allowing his sharp facial features to stand out... Next to him was Ms. Myeong, also dressed in Joseon royalty, followed by other people in 21st-century clothes—the director and crew, she assumed.
She froze. She wanted to crawl into a hole. She shouldn't be there. But there was no point in regretting it now. She couldn't hide. He had already spotted her, and his eyes had narrowed. It wasn't just surprise; it was a cold, calculating gaze meant to strip away her newly forged determination.