Chapter 115

"Really?" As soon as Woo-Jin responded after she told him to give it a shot, Hwang Yi-Young became somewhat flustered.

"After all, I'm at the age where I have to start preparing for my thirties."

Kwak Eun-Hyuk had emphasized that even though getting older was inevitable, managing it and taking care of himself was solely his responsibility. Kwak Eun-Hyuk had also mumbled about how he needed to get botox done under his eyes. However, anybody could tell just by looking at his face that so far, he hadn't gotten any botox done. He still looked like he was only in his early thirties despite being in his forties.

But unexpectedly, Kwak Eun-Hyuk mentioned that as an actor, getting older was fun because the older an actor became, the more roles would be open to them. Kwak Eun-Hyuk's words left a deep impression on Woo-Jin. However, he also added that it was important for one to take care of themselves to play a variety of roles for a long time.

"On the other hand, it's also upsetting when you can't get a role because you're older. So whenever you get the opportunity, try taking on roles that are suitable for your age," Kwak Eun-Hyuk advised.

"What kind of roles are you referring to?" Woo-Jin asked.

"A student in those coming-of-age high school dramas or films?"

Kwak Eun-Hyuk pretended to weep, saying he could only play the role of a teacher in those productions. Naturally, he was massaging his eyes with his fingers even at that moment. Coming-of-age high school dramas or movies weren't Woo-Jin's cup of tea, so he wasn't going to take part in them, but Woo-Jin also had something he wished for.

"I want to be cast as a teenager in school when I'm in my thirties." After hearing Woo-Jin's earnest reply, Kwak Eun-Hyuk gently squeezed out the sample of an anti-aging beauty product onto his hand.

***

All of Woo-Jin's scenes with Queen Yoon were scheduled as early as possible because it was the best time to portray their relationship as they met and parted in spring. Additionally, it was good to be immersed in emotions as they were planning to shoot Prince Myeong-Hwan and Queen Yoon's story continuously in one go.

Woo-Jin headed towards a temporary building to put on his wig. The building was currently being used as an area for actors to get their makeup done. He happened to run into the makeup artist on his way there.

"Where are you going? That's the way to the wig room." Woo-Jin asked.

"Ah, we took the wrong hair ornament for Queen Yoon, so I'm going to change it." She then told Woo-Jin to go on ahead. Woo-Jin opened the door to the makeup room without much thought and suddenly stopped moving. Oh Ha-Na and her stylist had already gotten there first. It seemed like the makeup artist was styling Oh Ha-Na's hair earlier on and left the room to get a different hair ornament.

"I'm clearly her senior in this field, no? So how can she look at me that way, acting all arrogant?" Oh Ha-Na complained.

"Well, Kwon Eun-Mi is a world-class model after all," the stylist said.

"Regardless of how famous she is as a model, she's only a rookie and my junior in the acting industry!" Perhaps, Oh Ha-Na was very unhappy with Kwon Eun-Mi and sounded very agitated.

"How can she act as Seol Ha when she doesn't even have any acting experience! Isn't it ridiculous? Because of people like her, innocent actors like us end up suffering. In any case, how can I shoot a movie with such a dirty thing? Just thinking about it makes me sick!" Oh Ha-Na continued.

Even though Woo-Jin heard it by chance, he felt that she had gone too far, so he made his presence known and entered the room. Just like what Oh Ha-Na said, more often than not, rumors would unknowingly start spreading when an actor got offered a role via a secret deal without going through an audition. Some rumors were completely false in this industry too. Nonetheless, there were absolutely no rumors about Kwon Eun-Mi playing Seol Ha. Instead, it was rather well-received by everyone, and Woo-Jin shared the same sentiment as the general public.

When Woo-Jin entered the makeup room, Oh Ha-Na's conversation with her stylist was cut off abruptly. Oh Ha-Na shut her mouth, looked at Woo-Jin, and immediately greeted him with a bright smile.

"Oppa~!" Despite their terrible first encounter, Oh Ha-Na still called Woo-Jin 'oppa' in a friendly way. They weren't enemies, so instead of being awkward, Woo-Jin was moderately polite with her as well. However, hearing that she wanted Kwon Eun-Mi to treat her as a senior, he became more careful with his words.

"You seem to already be done with your makeup," Woo-Jin said.

"I had to shoot another scene, so I got my makeup done first. I'll be done after putting on the hair ornament." Oh Ha-Na smiled as she fixed her hair, looking clean and beautiful like a lady from a Yangban family.

Oh Ha-Na watched as Woo-Jin sat down. Seeing as Woo-Jin hadn't said anything, she spoke first.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

"About what?" Woo-Jin said.

"You heard everything I said before you came in."

Oh Ha-Na might have guessed as much, so she asked him bluntly. Woo-Jin replied calmly, "Just because I heard, it doesn't mean we have to talk about it."

After what happened with Oh Ha-Na the last time, Woo-Jin tried his best not to talk about other people as much as possible. She didn't have anything good to say earlier and even more because he didn't want to contribute or start any rumors. Even if Woo-Jin took Kwon Eun-Mi's side and said nice things about her, the more they talked about her, the more these rumors would be reproduced.

"If that's the case, I'll take it as you share the same opinion as me," Oh Ha-Na said.

"How did you even arrive at that conclusion?" Woo-Jin asked.

"You didn't refute what I said. Doesn't that mean you share the same sentiment as me?" After hearing Oh Ha-Na say that cheerfully, Woo-Jin smiled. This young lady had a knack for making people feel flustered. Regardless of how people reacted, she would set a trap to get them involved, but she wasn't very good at it.

"I see how it can be interpreted that way. However, it's my first time hearing what you said today, so I have no grounds to make an argument. Plus, I don't have the talent to slander other people without evidence, so I'll have to look into it." Woo-Jin whipped out his phone and looked through his contacts. Upon seeing him do that, Oh Ha-Na asked who he was calling.

"I'm calling Kwon Eun-Mi. I have to ask the person concerned if it's true," Woo-Jin said.

"Do you think she'll come clean if you ask her about it?" Oh Ha-Na was shocked and flustered. She got up from her chair and stopped Woo-Jin from calling her.

"Who should I ask then?" As soon as Woo-Jin looked cluelessly at Oh Ha-Na and asked her, she frowned.

"Kwon Eun-Mi should also know what people have been saying about her. Whether she explains herself or refutes it, that's her story to tell. That's not something I can argue about," Oh Ha-Na said.

"Yeah, right." Oh Ha-Na snorted, and her lips twitched after hearing Woo-Jin's reply.

"I think you're naive and don't know anything. You shouldn't go easy on people like that. What kind of truth are you expecting from people whose lives are full of lies?" Oh Ha-Na spoke with conviction. There was no doubt on her face, confusing Woo-Jin.

He didn't know the truth about Kwon Eun-Mi. Rumors buried the truth. As such, rumors could be falsehoods that hid the truth, or they could be something that was connected to the truth. Thus, he couldn't say anything until he uncovered the facts. Even though there were no rumors right now, Oh Ha-Ha spoke with conviction. It was difficult to distinguish whether she had a reason for acting that way or if she had been completely deceived by her own delusions.

"I've brought your clothes, prince." Hwang Yi-Young entered the makeup room with Woo-Jin's costume. She glanced over at Oh Ha-Na and greeted her before hanging Woo-Jin's clothes on the hanger. These clothes were to be worn over the white cotton clothes Woo-Jin was currently wearing after finishing his makeup. Hwang Yi-Young placed it such that the dopo would not get wrinkled. Oh Ha-Na watched her as she did that before sitting down.

She muttered, "If you trust people so easily, you'll get stabbed in the back one day." Oh Ha-Na lamented regrettably. Hwang Yi-Young turned to look at Woo-Jin as if asking if something had happened. Woo-Jin smiled faintly and avoided giving an answer. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I don't know the truth, but it's true that those rumors are not pleasant." This was the most important part to Woo-Jin. Regardless of Kwon Eun-Mi's truth, it was none of his business. All he had to do was act well for the sake of producing a good movie. Woo-Jin wondered why it even mattered how Kwon Eun-Mi got her part or whether or not Oh Ha-Na was lying out of jealousy. He simply hoped that the movie would not get dragged through the mud because of baseless rumors right from the get-go.

"Well, I agree with you. We can't be dragged down together," Oh Ha-Na answered with confidence. As soon as the makeup artist came in with her hair ornament, she completed the finishing touches and left the makeup room for the shoot.

After Woo-Jin wore his wig and only two of them were left in the room, Hwang Yi-Young asked Woo-Jin what Oh Ha-Na meant. To avoid repeating his previous mistake, as well as Oh Ha-Na's mistake today, Woo-Jin spoke with utmost caution.

"I've never heard any rumors about that. Though not everybody with a sponsor ends up with rumors about them. But just like Oh Ha-Na asserted, if anybody interferes with the casting process, people will start spreading rumors within the industry, like in Park Min's case," Hwang Yi-Young said.

Casting was the most sensitive subject in the entertainment industry. Usually, when somebody got cast for a role, people often wondered why and rumors would start spreading like wildfire. Whether it was because of the actor's talent, their agency's power and influence, or external pressure by a third party, etcetera, there was no way it would be overlooked. Meanwhile, the audition for Red Enemy was said to be impartial and stringent. Even if what Oh Ha-Na said was a truth that only she was privy to, it was undoubtedly careless of her to say it out loud in a place where anyone could hear. And if it weren't true, it would be a vicious act that could destroy the career of a good actress.

However, Oh Ha-Na knew that a rumor like that would do no good for their movie. Hence, it was highly likely that she purposely said it in time for Woo-Jin to hear. Oh Ha-Na meant to give the information only to certain people and made sure they heard it. She was trying to drive a wedge between them.

"What a brazen young lady. You can't exactly disregard her because she's playing your lover in the movie. Woo-Jin, you're going to have a hard time." Hwang Yi-Young's worries were not unfounded. Before this movie, Woo-Jin's luck had been strangely good — his co-stars were pleasant to work with. Even though they had different personalities, they were straightforward people who weren't bitter or resentful. Since all of them were older than Woo-Jin, he was always grateful to them for guiding him like a younger brother.

On the other hand, it was a fact that Oh Ha-Na was very different, given what had happened previously, as well as today. However, in just a bit, he had to act out a scene where he fell in love with her. It was Woo-Jin's first time acting as a person's lover towards whom he had absolutely no attraction. In fact, he didn't even like her.

"Don't worry! The actual queen was a bitch anyway. Her reputation just worsened," Hwang Yi-Young said.

"I'm sorry?" Woo-Jin asked.

"They found the queen's diary a couple of years ago." Queen Yoon's secret diary had been discovered by chance while the palace was undergoing renovations. Perhaps, the Jimil Sanggung that served the queen or a court lady secretly hid it during the coup to hide their mistress' flaws. That was the most plausible theory. It wasn't surprising because the diary's contents had acknowledged that Queen Yoon and the prince were lovers even before she entered the palace. Additionally, even after becoming the queen, she still couldn't forget the prince and expressed how much she longed for him.