Saturday, the Joo household.
The Joo family lived rather close to the Heo family, with only a few houses between them.
Similar to the Heo household, the Joo family's house was large and well-decorated, befitting of a high class neighbourhood. Therefore, after wrapping up her last shoot of the day, Yeo Ri was able to head straight to the Joo household since Secretary Kwon was already familiar with the route.
In Guk had invited the Lees to his home in favour of it being the weekends. His father was usually busy with other things during the weekdays, so he decided to have the siblings come over to his house on the weekends since it was his father's days off.
Being the supportive friend that he was, Jin Goo was also present.
He knew about the altercation between Mrs. Joo and the Lees that had transpired all those years ago, and because he was worried for Yeo Ri, he decided to come along to make sure that everything was civil.
And so, Jin Goo had gone to pick up Gun in the morning, and when Yeo Ri arrived at the house after work, she was greeted by a somewhat stiff atmosphere.
Being one of the hosts, Mrs. Joo opened the door to let her in.
"Welcome," the older woman said, a stiff smile on her face. She vaguely remembered the incident from back then and how she had lost face due to this girl who acted like a weak little flower. She had also disapproved of her son's friendship with the delinquent Lee Hyuk, thus her impression of the Lee siblings were already biased even though neither Yeo Ri nor Gun had ever acted rudely towards her.
"It has been a while, Madam. Thank you for allowing us to intrude," Yeo Ri politely greeted.
"My, Miss Lee Yeo Ri, you're here? Come in, come in!" Since the girl was so polite, Madam Joo could not hold it against her and invited her in with faux-cordiality.
"Thank you," Yeo Ri bowed perfunctorily, exchanging her shoes for the already prepared indoor slippers. As she trailed after the older woman, she felt her phone buzz in her bag, which she assumed to be Secretary Kwon. He had told her beforehand that he had been recalled to the office by Park Soo Yeon, and that he would not be able to accompany her to her private lunch with the Joos.
Yeo Ri found it ridiculous that he even thought that he was allowed to join, but considering the recent dangers around her, Yeo Ri decided against saying anything. It was too tiring to keep pushing his buttons, after all.
As they made their way to the dining room, neither of the ladies spoke a word to each other. Mrs. Joo's gait appeared restless, and she had a barely concealed look of reluctance and mild forbearance as she led the way.
"Yeo Ri!" As soon as the men seated around the dining table spotted the two ladies, In Guk sprung up from his seat and called out to her. A large, excited grin hung on his face, showing how much he had been looking forward to seeing her.
Yeo Ri did not match his energy, but returned his greeting with a happy smile of her own. "In Guk-oppa, Jin Goo-oppa, hello!"
"It's been a while, Yeo Ri-ah," Jin Goo calmly greeted. He had been busy with school lately and didn't have the time to check up on her in person, but seeing her radiating with energy, he felt relieved.
Yeo Ri bowed towards the man seating at the head of the table, "Hello, Uncle Joo. I'm Lee Yeo Ri. In Guk-oppa has been taking care of me."
Mr. Joo smiled, his face glowing with mirth. "Come on over here and sit down! No need to be polite," he laughed boisterously, "In Guk wouldn't shut up about you. Welcome, Yeo Ri! Make yourself at home. Also, congratulations on your success. I heard your commercial is doing really well."
"Yes, thank you," Yeo Ri displayed her gratitude with another bow, a sweet smile gracing her lips. She didn't think twice before heading towards her brother who had already been seated on the table, taking the empty seat next to him.
"Good girl, good girl!" The older man could not help but feel an urge to pamper her after seeing her pretty, demure looks, thinking about how nice it would have been if he had a daughter like her. Unfortunately, he was 'blessed' with two stinky, unfilial sons instead.
Sending a silent reproach at his youngest son, he motioned for everyone to gather around and called for the food to be served.
The men seemed to have had their fair share of chattering before she arrived, and as they dined, the conversation steered more towards Yeo Ri and her current occupation.
"So how is it, working as an actress?" Mr. Joo asked. Once upon a time, he had also dreamt of becoming a celebrity, but never went through with it as he knew it was only a pipe dream. It wasn't easy to become a celebrity, so he was rather awed by the girl who was quite famous for her age. Even though her name wasn't quite well-known yet, almost everyone could recognise her face.
"It's not too bad. Everyone has been nice to me, and Auntie Soo—President Park—is sorting through some offers as of late. I think I'll be quite busy soon," Yeo Ri explained. Yeo Ri often received updates from the company, and every time she went to her acting classes, Park Soo Yeon would pull her aside to discuss some scripts. The older woman was looking into some lead roles for her, though Yeo Ri hadn't asked for it, but not many of the scripts she had received were impressive enough to attract the woman.
In terms of doing commercials, Park Soo Yeon was even pickier. Just as proven from Yeo Ri's VitaQua commercial, just one ad could impact her career. Park Soo Yeon had to be careful so as to not accidentally accept a job offer from D Corporation's rivals seeing how Yeo Ri had become VitaQua's 'face'. Of course, she also took care to filter out the ridiculous or inappropriate products that would not suit a child like Yeo Ri.
"Just a small commercial. It's not like she's some big celebrity... what a showoff," Madam Joo mumbled indiscreetly. No one seemed to have heard her except for In Guk who sat next to his mother. His face warped and reddened, feeling ashamed that his mother was so petty. Luckily, her complain remained unheard—or perhaps those who had heard her simply pretended they didn't.
"Is that so? That sounds wonderful." Mr. Joo, noticing the slight tension in the air, changed the subject. "I heard you're looking for a new apartment? It's good that you're choosing to move to a nicer place. I heard that some crazy fans like to break into celebrities' homes. I own a few units that have good security, but if you're unsatisfied with them, I'll give my contacts a call and see if there's a good one available," the man flashed an amiable smile at the young girl.
The girl responded with a smile of her own. "Thank you very much, Uncle. We really appreciate your hel—"
Bzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzz.
Before Yeo Ri could finish her words, her phone buzzed. The sound was loud enough for the group to hear, seeing as how silent the wide, echoey dining room was.
As everyone looked around to check their phones, Yeo Ri blushed before bowing her head apologetically, rummaging through her bag. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Seeing the name [Auntie Soo Yeon] flashing on the screen, Yeo Ri did not have time to panic and immediately picked up the call.
"Auntie?"
"Ah, Yeo Ri-ah! I'm sorry to call you so soon after you just finished work. I was having lunch with a few old friends, and one of them is interested in seeing you act. Actually, he wants to meet you. Do you know Director Bang Ji Han?"
"—D-Director... Bang Ji Han?" Repeating the name, Yeo Ri's hands trembled. Who didn't know Bang Ji Han? He was a famous director who had won many international awards. Each and every one of his works were box office hits. Such a person was interested in her acting? Yeo Ri couldn't believe her ears!
The other people seated around the dining table ceased their interactions and focused on the flustered girl, peering at her curiously. The name she had just spoken seemed to pique their interest.
"Yes—uh—actually, he's with me right now and—what? You want to talk to her?—wait, no—don't you dare pressure her, alright? here—Yeo Ri-ah, he wants to talk to you," Park Soo Yeon seemed to be conversing with another person beyond the call, and after hearing some rustling, a new voice greeted her.
"Hello?" The voice that was obviously male and different from Park Soo Yeon's voice greeted.
Yeo Ri almost jumped off from her seat. Standing up in alarm, she hurriedly replied, "Yes—yes, h-hello, Director Bang!" The utensils clattered loudly as she stood up, and Yeo Ri's face flushed deeply. She bowed her head again in apology, moving away from the dining table as she mouthed 'work' to the confused group.
"Yes, hello. You must be Miss Lee Yeo Ri. I've heard a lot about you, and a lot of my friends seem to have nothing but praises for your talents." The man said, his voice light and relaxed. "President Park and her husband have been my longtime friends, and your acting coach—Madam Yang—is one of my closest friend. Actually, she was the one who recommended you to me. I've seen some of your practice videos, and I thought you did very well."
Yeo Ri felt uncomfortable with having an unknown male's voice ringing so closely in her ears, but she reminded herself to bear with it as it was her obligation to be professional while working. "Y-yes, nice to meet you, Director Bang! Thank you—thank you for reaching out to me; I feel very honoured to receive such high praises from such an accomplished personage such as you!" Yeo Ri stumbled on her words, but managed to speak out some of her true thoughts to the man.
Director Bang laughed, his mood soaring thanks to the girl's candid flattery. Though he was used to such words, it was pleasant to hear it being said by a cute girl.
"Miss Lee, I'll be in the country until tomorrow, and I was wondering if you have some free time to meet? For a small audition. I'm working on a new film and after seeing your picture, I thought, 'ah! She looks perfect for this one role.' How about it?"
"Audition?" Yeo Ri gasped quietly. She hadn't expected to receive such an offer from such a famous man. It still felt like a dream to her, and to even have a chance to audition for a role in a guaranteed blockbuster film, Yeo Ri was truly shocked and somewhat agitated. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as a familiar feeling of excitement, and greed, flashed in her eyes. She—
—Yeo Ri had found it.
—Something she wanted to do.
Even though it was just an audition, and success was not guaranteed, she was still greedy for the chance.
At that moment, Yeo Ri thought, 'This is what I'm meant to do.' She could feel it—deep within her bones—that this was her calling.
"I—um—right now?" Yeo Ri asked shakily, snapping out of her thoughts. She glanced at the still group who were staring at her. Yeo Ri met her brother's worried eyes before turning back to hear the director's answer.
"If possible, yes. If not, we can schedule it for another day. I'll be back in South Korea in—" he paused, as if checking something, "—a month? My new movie is about to release soon so I'll be busy doing a promotion tour in other countries with the crew and actors."
"Then—" Yeo Ri bit her lips. Did she really want to wait for one whole month? What if his interest had dimmed down by then? Just as many people had advised her before, such a golden opportunity wouldn't come by twice. "Um, can you wait a moment, Director? I'll need to ask for permission from my guardian."
"Oh, yes, of course. Go ahead," the man replied amicably.
Yeo Ri pressed her phone down on her chest, covering the speaker, and moved back to the dining table. She looked at the faces of the group uneasily before opening her mouth to speak. It was rude of her to leave so suddenly while they were in the middle of a meeting, however informal it may be, but she couldn't exactly refuse the opportunity either. Something inside her didn't want to let it go.
In Guk noticed her predicament first. With his usual grin, he said, "Is it work? I heard you mention 'Director Bang Ji Han'. Are you going to meet him?" A tinge of excitement could be heard in his voice. Bang Ji Han was a household name, and even people who didn't pay much attention to the film industry knew who he was.
Everyone else also turned to look at the girl, waiting eagerly for her confirmation.
"Yes. He's going abroad tomorrow, and he asked if I wanted to audition for him before he leaves."
"What?!"
Madam Joo's surprised voice caused everyone to turn their gazes toward her. She quickly cleared her throat, schooling her reaction as if she hadn't been shocked silly by Yeo Ri's statement.
"When did he ask to meet?" Gun remained calm and asked levelly. He could see the happiness shining in his sister's eyes, and that made him happy too. He reached for her free hand and squeezed it comfortingly.
She smiled at her brother, feeling her nerves calming down thanks to his action. "Right now," the girl answered simply. She realised how unprofessional she was being—and how unprofessional the director was, she inwardly thought. But it was also her who wished to go as soon as possible even though she could just set the time to be after the lunch with the Joos. But, again, who could resist a one-on-one audition with the legendary director himself? Even the man seemed to know and had confidence in the charm of his name.
"What?!" Once again, Madam Joo yelled.
This time, no one paid attention to the old woman. They were far more interested in Yeo Ri's situation.
"Then, what are you waiting for? Go. We can discuss this on another day," Mr. Joo encouraged her. A large smile was on his face, as if he was proud of being acquainted with a future famous celeb.
"No—but—"
"It's okay, Yeo Ri. Go. I'll handle the talks. It's not like we're going choose an apartment immediately." Gun smiled at her gently. Yeo Ri was still young and didn't know much about houses anyways, so he doubted she would be interested to sit down and talk about it, especially since he had always been in charge of their housing. It would be better if she goes to chase her dreams without having to worry about such paltry, tedious things.
"Really?" Yeo Ri looked at him with a slight wrinkle between her brows.
"Just leave it to me," Gun assured. He actually had half a mind to follow Yeo Ri, but figured it would not look good on her part, especially since this impromptu audition seemed important. Thus, he decided to stay behind and settle the issue of their new accommodation right away since Yeo Ri would be busier and more popular in due time. Their current home was not safe enough for someone like Yeo Ri; even now, there were dubious-looking people skulking around the building, as if stalking her. Gun didn't want his precious baby sister to get hurt just because he wanted to save some money.
"Alright, then. Please excuse me," Yeo Ri apologised once again, bowing her head. Turning away from the group, she raised her phone back to her ear, accepting the director's offer.
"—Yes, I will be very honoured to audition for you as soon as possible."