“...It’s my debut.”

She had no idea how happy she had been when she first heard the news that she had finally been cast in a drama.

And when she heard it was a drama starring Senior Isia and Senior Choi Sihyeon, two people she admired and respected so much, she had barely been able to sleep for days.

But the moment she stepped into the script reading on the first day of filming, that anticipation and joy had been mercilessly shattered.

“I’m the one who got you in here, Seo Yumi.”

“...What?”

“Ha. You seriously didn’t know? If it weren’t for me, how would someone like you ever get into a drama like this? You’re not on the right level.”

Hearing that she had gotten into the drama not through skill but through someone else’s help, and that the person in question was Lee Dowoo of all people, had completely shattered her pride as an actress.

And even after that day, the nightmare had continued.

“Why are you so cold, anyway? You’re no fun.”

“......”

Seo Yumi lowered her head even further.

At the sight, a greasy smile flashed across Lee Dowoo’s mouth and disappeared just as quickly. The way his hand came to rest over Seo Yumi’s shoulder was far too natural.

“So be good to me.”

Even without looking at him, she could feel that sticky gaze, and Seo Yumi bit down even harder on her lip.

She wanted to fling his hand off and run away that very second.

But...

That would just be the beginning of a different kind of hell. Not only would she be cut from the drama, she might even be thrown out of the agency.

“You can’t even act, and the only reason you’ve lasted this long at our agency is because of me. The teachers trying to coach you came to me and complained. They were asking if they really had to keep someone like you around. The president wanted to throw you out, and I’m the one stopping him.”

“I...”

“The director said something too. Since you’re so bad, he told me to teach you properly. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve been cut ages ago. Aren’t you grateful to me?”

“No. I’m grateful, Senio—”

“Wow, you’re unbelievable. Is it really that hard to call me brother?”

“......”

With Lee Dowoo’s words being driven into her head several times a day, her confidence had steadily shrunk, and it had started to feel like everyone she met was cursing her with their eyes. Her body naturally curled in on itself.

“Ugh, whatever. Time will take care of it. Don’t worry so much. You just have to trust me.”

The hand that had been resting on her shoulder slowly slid lower, beginning to stroke her arm.

At that touch, which had become even more blatant, Seo Yumi bit into her lip hard.

Thwack!

“Ugh! Wh-What the hell!”

At that moment, Lee Dowoo suddenly staggered and cried out in pain.

Feeling something slam into his head, he hurriedly looked down. A crushed can was lying on the ground there.

“Sooorry.”

“......!”

Lee Dowoo, who lifted his head to see what was going on, found one person standing in front of him, waving with a bright smile.

“Isia?”

Instead of answering, she strode toward them and casually picked up the can lying near his feet.

“I kept hearing that hollow clanking sound, so I thought this was the recycling bin for empty cans.”

“...What did you say?”

The moment he understood what she meant, Lee Dowoo’s face instantly turned red.

Isia and Lee Dowoo were around the same age, and they had debuted in the same year. Of course, there was an enormous gap between them in popularity and recognition.

“Y-You... what did you just say?”

Grinding his teeth, Lee Dowoo glared at Camilla, who had just literally compared him to an empty can.

“Can you take responsibility for what you just said?”

“What thing I just said?”

“You said you got Ms. Seo Yumi cast in this drama.”

“Th—!”

Confusion flashed across Lee Dowoo’s face and vanished. Still, he was an actor, so he quickly smoothed his expression over with a false calm.

“So what?”

“I’m curious whether you’d still be that confident if you were standing in front of the director.”

“Wh-What?”

But that mask shattered in an instant.

At the sight of Camilla taking out her phone as if she were about to call the director right then and there, Lee Dowoo hurriedly spoke.

“I-I mean! What’s it to you? Whether I got her into this drama or not, what does that have to do with you?”

“It has something to do with me.”

Camilla stepped in even closer and curled one corner of her mouth up. Her eyes, meanwhile, had gone colder than ever.

“Because I respect Director Gil Sangyeop very much.”

That was not a lie at all. Director Gil Sangyeop was good at directing, and he had a real eye for actors.

He knew how to draw out the maximum of what an actor was capable of, and while he was easygoing, he also had a firm side to him, which was why so many people followed him.

“So I just can’t believe a director like that would use an actor some nobody like you shoved into the cast.”

“S-Some nobody like me? Hey!”

“So I’m going to check. And if what you said is true, I’m quitting.”

“What?”

Camilla deliberately waved her phone in front of Lee Dowoo’s face.

“If he’s the kind of director who’d use an actor shoved in by a guy like you, then that drama’s already doomed, isn’t it? There’d be no reason for me to stay in it.”

“Ha! You think the press would just sit still if you quit that irresponsibly?”

Lee Dowoo sneered at her, forcing down his panic.

No matter how high and mighty Isia was, even she would never be able to take the press lightly.

“Of course they wouldn’t sit still. Everyone would want to know why I dropped out of the drama.”

But contrary to what Lee Dowoo expected, Camilla still looked completely at ease. If anything, she smiled.

“And then I’d tell them the truth. That I dropped out because it was ridiculous watching the director get pushed around by some empty-headed actor who sounds like a can.”

“...What?”

“So I should confirm it first. You can say what you just said in front of the director too, right? You’re certain that girl got into this drama because of you?”

“......”

Lee Dowoo could not say a word. He only stared at Camilla’s phone with trembling eyes. He looked terrified she might call right away.

Seeing that, Camilla clicked her tongue.

“At least cans get recycled. What use are you supposed to be?”

“Y-You...!”

Only then did Lee Dowoo seem to realize that she had seen through everything and had been mocking him the whole time, and his face flushed hot.

“Hey, if you can’t act, then at least learn how to lie better. Running around spouting bullshit when you can’t even fool anyone. Do you think a rookie is easy prey?”

“Ugh!”

Lee Dowoo, gritting his teeth with his face red, finally lost his temper and raised his hand.

“I’d heard rumors that you like using your hands. I didn’t think I’d get to see it with my own eyes.”

Camilla only let out a short laugh. Then she leaned even closer into his face.

“Go on. Hit me. It’s been a while since I made the trending searches.”

“Urgh...!”

“What? You can’t do it?”

Lee Dowoo, standing there with his hand raised and shaking, eventually took a step back and let his fist drop.

No matter how recklessly he behaved, he had no confidence he could deal with what would happen if he used violence against Isia.

Smack!

In that instant, Lee Dowoo’s head snapped sharply to the side.

Because he could not even immediately process what had just happened, he froze with a blank look in his eyes.

Seo Yumi, who had been watching the entire thing from the side with trembling eyes, was so shocked that her mouth fell open.

“Damn. That hurt like hell.”

Camilla lightly shook out the hand that was throbbing and smiled at Lee Dowoo, who still looked stunned.

“What? You mad? Then report it.”

“Y-You...!”

Only then did Lee Dowoo come back to his senses. Clutching the cheek Camilla had slapped, he looked at her like he might lunge at her any second.

“Go tell them I hit you. Or should I introduce you to a reporter I know?”

“Y-You...! Hey!”

“Maybe you’ve heard the rumors too. I’ve always been pretty good at fighting with the press.”

“W-What the hell are you doing this to me for? What did I ever do to you!”

He had a brain too. He did not pick fights with just anybody. What kind of idiot would mess with people above his level and see what happened?

He swore he had never given Isia even the slightest reason to be offended. If anything, because he knew perfectly well what a nasty personality she had and how little fear she showed, he had always made a point of staying out of her way.

Then why?

Why was she doing this to him?

At the sight of Lee Dowoo protesting his injustice, the smile disappeared from Camilla’s mouth.

Step.

“......!”

She had only taken one silent step closer, but Lee Dowoo flinched without realizing it.

“How dare...”

In that moment, goosebumps rose all over his body.

Her voice was too cold.

“How dare trash like you pollute a sacred set.”

“Th...!”

Lee Dowoo’s body trembled. He could not even manage a proper rebuttal.

Overwhelmed by her force, he only opened and closed his mouth for a while before turning and fleeing the scene.

“Tch.”

Camilla watched him go with plain contempt, clicked her tongue once, then turned to look at Seo Yumi, who was still standing there in a daze.

“Ms. Seo Yumi.”

“Y-Yes... yes, yes!”

Only then did Seo Yumi seem to snap back to herself.

As she looked at Lee Dowoo, now long gone in the distance, she bit her lip out of habit.