Shotgun K

The CM shoot went by like a breeze. It was easy; I only had three small lines. And since the setting was in a gym, I got to work out and sweat some of the stress out. Sweat a bit, take off my shirt here and whip out the lines, and it was over.
The CM was for a energy drink of some sort; it made sense right?

I quickly changed for the millionth time today, and it wasn’t even noon. I jumped into the shower and out like my life depended on it, put my regular cloths back on before being rushed out of the studio and back in the car. By this time I was glad that Mr. Park had volunteered to drive for the day.
I gazed out the window, too tired to do anything other than just sit there. Right now, we were on our way to LUV Magazine Publishing offices for the interview. Turns out, the director of Take My Hand wanted to reshoot a scene with a few changes, so my scene was postponed to later tonight. So, after some calls, we rescheduled the interview to be earlier so I could still make it to both.
Interviews…normally I wouldn’t mind them. For interviews for girl magazines, they had a pattern; what’s my favorite food, any favorite hobbies, my ideal girl, and my past and current relationships. But with Yun and I breaking up, and the rumors spreading around, I really didn’t want them asking about relationships.
No doubt it won’t go as smoothly as the last one did.

“What are you thinking about?” Mr. Park asked as he drove.
I sighed.
“I’m just tired.” I said simply.
We came to a stop at a red light. I heard rummaging from the driver’s side and I turned to see Mr. Park reaching into the back seat for something.
“What are you doing?” I asked, looking at the traffic light to make sure it was still red.
“Here,” he grunted, and he tossed me something. “You should at least have some of that.”
I looked down at what he had tossed me and saw that is was a power bar.
“You didn’t eat anything today, right? You should eat that atleast so you don’t burn out before the day is over.” he said.

Ah… I was hungry, and all I had was a bottle of water.
“Oh…Thanks,” I said awkwardly. I don’t know, I hated it when people were nice to me, including my manager. But he seemed to get it, because he left me in peace to eat.

A few minutes of me silently chewing on my power bar, and him driving through traffic pursued. That left me and my mind to wander to the upcoming interview with LUV Magazine.
What would they ask me? What do they want to know? Why do I have to do another one?
I sighed, and stared out the passenger side window.
Jae-Sung, calm down; you are master of words. Just smoothly knock out any questions that come your way---

“So the last interview, it sounded like you were having a lot of fun.” Manager Park said.
I glanced at him once, blinking at the unexpected conversation before returning to staring out the window.
“It was fun.” I admitted. “A lot different from the magazine ones.”
“You were always a good speaker, it didn’t seem like you had any trouble.” he noted.
I didn’t know how to reply. Not that what he was saying bothered me, but rather that my thoughts on that were making me anxious.
“…I didn’t.” I said, after a few moments of silence. “But only because I lucked out with easy questions.”
Mr. Park didn’t press on with questions for some reason, and just let me sit and just think. I didn’t know what was worse; Mr. Park pushing me to speak my mind or me having all my thoughts to myself.

What would I say if they asked me about my relationship now with Kang Yun?
---“Jae-Sung, I just heard this from a friend of mine; there’s been a rumor that you and Kang Yun are no longer an item, is it true?”
“According to the statement the young actress made, it seemed that you guys broke up; how do you feel about being single?
“Seo Jae-Sung, what are your thoughts on being dumped for the first time---

“Mr. Park,” I shot out, and my manager nearly jumped a foot in his seat. I had spoken louder than I had intended to.
“What?” he demanded, looking around his surroundings, bewildered.
He looked at me and I stared at him. Then, wordlessly, I practically lunged at the car radio and jabbed in the power button.

“—and today’s forecast for the day is…”

I sighed out, relaxing with the new sounds of the weatherman’s voice in the car. A distraction; yea, this is all I need. Breathe in, and out…just listen to the man and his rant on rain clouds and think of nothing else---

“Top news: Early this morning, a body of a young girl, around the age of eighteen was discovered in Yongsan Park. Police officials say she was killed sometime between 10pm and 12 am. Motives are unclear but they have given a statement saying at the looks at the brutality of the crime, it does not seem to be a robbery but of a personal conflict. Police has yet to release the identity of the victim…”

“10pm? We were still on our way back to your apartment.” Mr. Park said. “And not so far away from where we were…”
“Yea…” I said.
Mr. Park sighed.
“How horrible, to die so young.” he said thoughtfully. “I wonder what she was doing out so late?”

No kidding; what was she doing out that late in the city? No girl should be out at the time of night alone…

“---and they have yet to name a suspect in this crime. Now, onto celebrity news.”

I glanced outside the window and noticed that we were stuck in slow-moving traffic.
“Damn, I hate traffic.” I muttered, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. “We better not be late to this interview thing.”
“Jae-Sung, about the interview…” my manager started to say.
I frowned at his hesitant tone.
“What?” I asked.
“Well…you don’t have to force yourself into something that’s uncomfortable, you know?” he said. “I know the whole break up with Yun is still new to you, and if you’re not ready to say anything about it, just pass any questions that may come up in the interview.”
I fell silent, not knowing what to say. So, he knew what was bothering me.
“I---I mean…I’m just saying, you don’t have to do this interview if you don’t want to…”
I sighed, shaking my head, more to myself than to my manager.
“No, it’s not a big---”

“---BIG news for all you Seo Jae-Sung fans girls! The latest scoop on his relationship status!”

I froze, my thought drowned out by the perky female voice on the radio.
“Uh…Jae---”
“SHHH!” I shushed Mr. Park harshly. My undivided attention was won over by that annoying, grating voice speaking to me on the radio---

“---the turnout was huge! And the promotion event was said to be an even bigger success than it was originally anticipated. But surprise, surprise… the star of the night, Jae-Sung had arrived to the scene WITHOUT. A. DATE! His top rated actress-slash-model girlfriend, Kang Yun, was nowhere to be seen. Can this mean a break-up??? According to a source, the ‘it’ couple separated on her 26-th Birthday last week.”

My jaw dropped, probably in the most unattractive way as I heard this. No one, and I mean NO ONE should know that we broke up on her birthday. She had pulled me aside at her party into a private room none of her guests were allowed and just like that, ended it. This was all before the cake was even served. And I was left to take home the gift I got her, and that was the icing on the cake. HA!

“The statement has been confirmed as: TRUTH! …by the one and only Kang Yun!”

My skin crawled with an electric buzz, and my stomach sank all the way down through my seat.
This was unreal. This was not happening. This is all a really bad nightmare.

“Kang was spotted two days ago at her reportedly favorite restaurant, eating lunch with Li Jin Ho, the sole rival to Seo Jae-Sung. Sources say the pair seemed to be enjoying each other’s company, and they were reportedly seen holding hands!!”

With-out- A-Date…Truth…hol-ding-hands. Not to be dramatic, but each syllable hurt my pride like a bullet.

“But that’s not all Kang left us with.”

Really, what is left?! This is a really long news segment…

“When our source approached Kang, the popular actress willingly gave us a statement concerning her relationship with our beloved Jae-Sung, saying, I quote: ‘Jae-Sung and I are no longer seeing each other. It was fun while it lasted, but at the end of the day, fun is not all that I’m looking for.’ She also went on to comment that nothing really went wrong in the relationship, it was just going nowhere. ‘Jae-Sung is a good boyfriend, but it’s hard to date competition,’ and that the break-up was mutual.”

Mutal my ass. Fun while it lasted? …Li Jin Ho?!
I fell back into my seat, shock leaving me too drained to even sit up straight. She said all that, she went out into the pubilc not even a week later holding hands with my rival. To her, I was competition for the spotlight.

“No.” I said. “It’s not uncomfortable or troubling in the least bit. I know exactly how to deal with it.”

Kang Yun…Bring it.



A ribbon of steam escaped from the coffee set before me as it sat on the table, untouched and neglected. A photographer and his camera snapped away in the background, subtly moving around from angle to angle as to not to disturb the image he was trying to capture. And I sat up tall and put on a charming smile; I was on a mission.
“My, I always thought you were handsome, Jae-Sung, but really…you are shockingly attractive in person.” my female interviewer said.
I let out a timid laugh, averting my eyes to my coffee.
“Kamsamnida,” I thanked her quietly, nodding my head slightly in a respectful manner.
This earned a giggle from my interviewer.
“Oh stop being so polite! It kills me!” she laughed. She then reached into her bag and pulled out something thin and narrow. She seemed to check it over once before she set it on the table. It was a recorder.
“Now, shall we get started?” she asked.

Lady, let’s do this already.

“I’m ready.” I told her, making definite eye contact.
She blinked, as if she wasn’t expecting that. But then she blushed.
“Alright, just so we’re clear, we have a photographer here to take random shots of our interview. These pictures will be for the magazine.” she said. “We also have a video camera set up over there; they are for the vlogs on our websites.”
She pointed over to the corner just over her shoulder, pointing directly at me. I waved towards it pleasantly with a smile.
“Now, through the interview, I don’t want you to be worried about them. They will do their own thing so just pretend this is just a conversation between us one-on-one.” she continued.

Now I was starting to get impatient. It’s not like I haven’t done these interviews before.

“Got it,” I told her, just to get her going.
A recorder, the photos, and the camera; this may be fun afteralll. The interviewer reached over to the recorder and pressed the REC button.
“First question, here we go!” she said excitedly. “It’s been a while since our last interview when you first debuted. Since then, what has changed in your life?”
I smile, took a deep breath and started doing what I do best: charm.



“---Wow, so much done in so little time! What is your secret in being so successful in your career?”
I hummed to myself and thought hard.
“My secret…huh, I don’t know if I have any.” I said. “I guess in any career, it’s important to pace yourself and work hard.”
“So to ask you about work; you are still in the middle of filming a romance drama, Take My Hand, is that right?” came the question.
I smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I am. I’m actually going to be filming later on tonight.” I replied.
“Can you tell us more about your experiences playing your character, Min Han in this drama?”
“Min Han and I are similar in some ways, and different in others.” I replied. “I feel that Min Han is a type of character I respect. He is selfless and patient in ways I am not, sometimes I learn from him through his actions when I act as this character.”
“Ah, I see…” the interviewer mused. “Yea, I’m a huge fan of Take My Hand, but I love Min Han especially! He’s really very caring and nice; just like you.”
She smiled dazzlingly at me and I allowed a small, light laugh.
“It’s nice that you think that way.” I said.
“But after this drama, you have a new drama, SHATTERHEART and you are playing the lead in that as well.”
“Yes.” I confirmed.
“I watched the promotion event last night on tv…”

Just as I thought, this interview followed the same pattern. After business, she went into drama and acting. Then it should be relationships.
Just a little bit more and I’ll be able to strike.

“Your name is everywhere these days, you really took over all of Asia with your talent.” she complimented.
“Kamsamnida,” I said.
“Now, to the more…personal agenda…”

I had for force myself to pull back on the smile that threatened to creep up on my face. It was really hard to refrain from grinning like a madman when your plans were playing out perfectly.

My interviewer looked at me, her expression slightly worried.
“I hope you don’t mind me going to this topic.” she said.
I quickly shook my head and put on an earnest smile.
“No, I really don’t mind.” I reassured her. “Please go ahead; I’ll try to answer as honestly as possible.”
“Oh? Is that so?” she said, raising an eyebrow at me in a teasing manner. “I might just ask the hardest questions I can think of.”

Bring it on, lady.

“That’s fine.” I said, smiling.
“You won’t lie to me now, would you?”
“Of course not.”
The interviewer sighed, and gave me a sneaky smile.
“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” she said.
I leaned back slightly in my chair, waiting for the right question. And she will ask it, I just know it…

The interviewer smiled, and leaned in closer as if she was waiting in anticipation for the answer to the question she had yet to ask.
“I think I know what we, all of your fans want to know most.” she started, building up for it. “There’s been rumors going on about your relationship with fellow actress Kang Yun…”

…bingo.
I put on my best poker face and braced myself for her to ask the question.

“…is it true, that you two are no longer a couple?”

I stiffened in my seat, intentionally let my poker face slip and showed a specific series of expression.
Surprise, mild shock…and hurt.
I saw a sudden flash of bewilderment come across my interviewer’s face and I quickly recovered my poker face. I cleared my throat and sat up, and let out a slow and heavy sigh.
“…yes. It’s true.” I murmured.
I cast my eyes down the slightest bit away from the interviewer’s face, but not before I caught sight of her troubled expression.
“Oh, I---I’m…I didn’t mean---” she stammered.
“No,” I said, cutting her off. I gave her a weak smile in reassurance. “No, you did warn me so I can’t complain.”

My interviewer didn’t speak; it was almost as if she was rendered speechless. Oh no, we can’t have that, now can we?

I looked up at her face and let out a short, bashful laugh.
“You’re not going to ask more about it?” I asked. “It’s really okay, I’m alright about talking about it.”
She took the bait, clearly more than just a little bit curious about what I had to say.
“Are you really alright, Jae-Sung? About me asking about…this?” she asked quietly.
I nodded, and she let out a breath she seemed to have been holding.
“Alright then…” she said. “You clearly cared for her very much.”
“Yea,” I said dully, not ellaborating.
“If you cared about her so much, why didn’t you disagree with the break-up? Why have a mutual break?” she practically demanded.
I had a feeling she wasn’t asking about this just because the interview. I sat up, shifting in my seat as I considered my answer carefully.
“I…I couldn’t.” I replied.
“You couldn’t?” she echoed, baffled.
I leaned in slowly, propping my elbows on my knees and gave her a calm, even stare.
“I couldn’t…because I care about her.” I said.
The interviewer gave me a confused stare I had been anticipating for this whole hour and I sighed.
“I may have cared for her a lot, but in the end, it wasn’t enough. If I couldn’t make her stay with me, it’s just means that I wasn’t the right one for her…”
I stopped, and shook my head.
“No, we weren’t right for each other. Like she said, it was fun while it lasted but at the end of the day, fun is just not enough.”
I looked down at my hands and smiled.
“But you know, she did have a point. It’s hard to date a person in the same entertainment industry. Whether you like it or not, it really is a popularity competition. You don’t like bringing work home, but with us, it just followed us everywhere.”
I inhaled deeply and exhaled.
“With that said, I wish her the best of luck in her career. She is a valued professional in entertainment, and she deserves all the respect.” I said lightly.
I put on an easy smile on my face and looked up at her. Genuine shock shot through me to see her eyes brimming with tears.
“Uh…are you---” I started.

“---AWWWW~!” my interviewer cried out.

Before I even knew it, she had her arms around my neck, holding me in a hug. She was sobbing quietly on my shoulder.
“It’s okay, Jae-Sung! FIGHTING!” she kept on saying, rocking us back and forth. “It’s okay to cry and be comforted!”

…Who needs to cry and be comforted here?

“Uh…thanks.” I said awkwardly, but went on to gently pat her back. But then, I felt a small smile make my way onto my face.
“…thanks.”



“That interview back there, was some work.”

I looked up from my Take My Hand script and at my manager, who had come to stand in front of me as I sat in the chair in my dressing room. He didn’t look to happy. In fact, he was giving me his pouty ‘stern’ look.

“Huh?” I let out.

Mr. Park sighed and came to sit next to me.
“That interview, that was retaliation, wasn’t it? For what Yun said.”
I didn’t reply or even look at him.
I heard my manager let out another heavy sigh.
“Look, Jae. What Yun said and how she handled it wasn’t good. But for you to go out and lie---”
“I didn’t lie.” I said, cutting him off sharply. I turned to him and met his gaze. “I didn’t lie.”

Mr. Park looked at me with confusion.
“But then all you just said in the interview…”

“I meant it.” I said. “Yea, it was retaliation, in a way. But I was just giving her what she wanted. She did all that to get exactly the reaction she knew she was going to get out of me, because she knew it would injure my pride.”

There was a knock on the door of the dressing room.
“Jae-Sung, we’re ready for you.” a male voice called in.

I got up from my chair and walked to the door.
“Believe it or not, I really did care about Yun.” I said over my shoulder. “But it’s also true that we were both dating competition. All I can do is wish her the best and end this for good.”

With that, I walked out of my dressing room and headed to the main set.

That’s right, it was retaliation. My way of retaliating professionally; wishing her the best and walk away. I got the last word in, it is finalized. Anything said about this afterwards is excessive and will most likely be childish or obnoxious.
But most importantly…

I breathed in and out, unable to even muster a small smile at the moment.

Kang Yun, don’t pick a fight with me. Because you will not win.