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Chapter 379: Trauma Therapy

I hadn\'t spoken to her or exchanged any messages after the incident in China. Nonetheless, as it could have been about work in China, I reluctantly answered the call.

Instantly, Ju Yung-In\'s cheerful voice came through.

-Oppa, what are you up to?

"I\'m always working. But what\'s up? Did something happen with the work in China?"

-As expected of you, Yoon-Ho oppa. Your after-service is top-notch.

"Well, the money you earn comes into our company. Of course I need to pay attention."

My contract with Ju Yung-In allowed me to receive 5% of her income from Wolf of the Battlefield.

-But are you really going to keep using formal language? Didn\'t you say we could speak informally from now on?

Since Ju Yung-In\'s confession, I recalled having to agree to one thing to prevent her from going overboard—allowing informal speech. To be honest, I had been using formal language on purpose to keep a distance.

I was afraid my past memories might become clearer if I became closer to her. However, since I had already made a promise to her, I couldn\'t keep ignoring her any further.

"Fine..."

At that moment, Ju Yung-In\'s voice rose by two tones.

-Oh? You just spoke informally! Didn\'t you?

"Enough. Just tell me what\'s up. I need to go pick up Miso right now."

-Wow~ Miso is so lucky to have you take care of her every day. Can\'t you take care of me like that too, oppa?

"I\'ll hang up if you keep beating around the bush."

Once I started speaking informally, it quickly became easier than I thought.

-Tsk. Fine, fine. You\'re so prickly... but I guess that\'s part of your charm.

"Alright... I\'m hanging up..."

Only then did Ju Yung-In speak up.

-They decided to screen Wolf of the Battlefield in Chinese theaters, not just on Yooko. They\'re planning a national release, so I wanted to let you know.

In my past life, Director Jang Tae-Yoon\'s Wolf of the Battlefield couldn\'t be screened in Chinese theaters due to the Korean Wave ban. As a result, it was shown only on Yooko in China though theaters screened it in Korea, Australia, the US, and Japan.

Now, Ju Yung-In was telling me it could be shown in theaters in China as well.

"How did that happen...?" I asked with surprise.

-What? Wasn\'t it thanks to you? Mr. Wang Long said we should thank you for it.

That\'s when I suddenly remembered the authority granted to me by Wang Min, Wang Long\'s father. Wang Min had promised to allow one work to screen in theaters despite the ban on Korean media.

Although I hadn\'t mentioned any project for this year, it seemed he approved it after hearing that I was managing Wolf of the Battlefield. Since I didn\'t have any other films to release in China this year, I figured I should take advantage of the goodwill.

"That\'s good news."

-Aren\'t you happy? Why do you sound so cold?

"It\'s just that I\'m kinda surprised by the news. I\'ll look into it and take care of the details. Now, I\'m hanging up—"

-Oh, stop saying that! That\'s so heartless! Anyway, here\'s the real reason I called... I sent you a gift, oppa.

"A gift?"

-I told you, remember? I promised to give you a gift. Don\'t you remember?

It belatedly dawned on me that she had once promised me a gift as a thank-you for handling her situation and avoiding a scandal in China.

"I thought I made it clear I didn\'t need anything."

-Well, I don\'t care. I sent it anyway! Oh, It should have arrived by now. Open it and let me know what you think. I\'m heading to a shoot, so I\'ll hang up now!

Click.

"What in the world did she send...?"

Just then, I imagined Yoo-Jin opening the gift Ju Yung-In sent. Yoo-Jin never touched my belongings, but I couldn\'t predict her reaction to something sent from Ju Yung-In.

A chill ran down my spine.

As I felt the urge to return home quickly, I pressed down hard on the accelerator.

***

Zing.

The moment I arrived at the house in Cheonho-dong, the electric garage door slowly lifted. The way it was rising so slowly today was making me anxious. \'Hurry up already...\'

My heart pounded like crazy, worried that Yoo-Jin might have seen Ju Yung-In\'s gift.

\'Why did Ju Yung-In even send a gift...?\' I wondered anxiously.

I turned off the engine and stepped out of the car after parking.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin and Miso came running out. They were already dressed and ready to go to Choi Ji-Yung\'s house.

Miso, with her hair in a bouncy ponytail, ran over and wrapped herself around me. "Uncle Yoon-Ho, why are you so late? Were you busy again?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

Yoo-Jin approached with a smile. "Are we leaving right now?"

"Yeah, but I need to...check something before we leave."

At that instant, Yoo-Jin spoke up. "Oh, oppa. The delivery came earlier, so I accepted it for you."

My eyes widened. "For me?"

I felt my voice tremble slightly without realizing it. "Did you... see it?"

"See what?" Yoo-Jin asked.

"No, I mean... Did you look at the package?"

"Come on~ how could I look at your things without consent? I just left it in the living room on the third floor."

"It wasn\'t too heavy, was it?"

"It\'s pretty hefty—maybe around Miso\'s weight?"

Just then, Miso still clinging to me pouted. "Mom! I\'m not heavy!"

Yoo-Jin turned her gaze to Miso. "Really? I didn\'t know! You\'ve been eating so much lately that I can\'t even lift you anymore~"

"Mom, you\'re a meanie!"

As Miso pouted and buried her head into my chest, Yoo-Jin consoled her, saying it was just a joke.

\'Well, as long as she didn\'t look at it,\' I silently remarked.

Since we were tight on time for our appointment with Choi Ji-Yung, I decided to check out Ju Yung-In\'s gift later.

"Let\'s get going. We\'re almost late for our appointment."

Yoo-Jin tilted her head and looked puzzled. "You\'re not going to check the package?"

I forced myself to act casually and shook my head. "It\'s not urgent. Miso\'s plans are more important, so let\'s go see Ms. Choi."

"Alright."

By then, Miso was no longer sulking and pointed toward the car with her finger. "Let\'s go~!"

Following Miso\'s lead, Yoo-Jin raised her finger and echoed, "Yes, let\'s go~!"

With that, we headed to Choi Ji-Yung\'s house.

***

When I pressed the doorbell upon arriving at Choi Ji-Yung\'s house in Nonhyeon-dong, a familiar voice greeted us—but it wasn\'t Choi Ji-Yung\'s.

-Yoon-Ho~ The door\'s open. Come on in~

It was the voice of Lee Ji-Yeon.

As I opened the door, Lee Ji-Yeon was standing beside Choi Ji-Yung.

"Ms. Lee, what brings you here..." I asked.

"Yoon-Ho, hi~"

As Lee Ji-Yeon greeted us, Yoo-Jin and Miso bowed their heads politely. "Hello, Ms. Lee~!"

At that moment, Lee Ji-Yeon crouched to Miso\'s eye level and congratulated her. "Miso, congratulations. I heard you got cast as the young lead actress in Hwaranjeon."

Miso took off her shoes, ran up into the living room, and headed straight to Lee Ji-Yeon.

Standing in front of Lee Ji-Yeon, Miso flashed a big smile and replied, "Yes, Ms. Lee! I tried really hard."

Lee Ji-Yeon smiled and nodded. "Yes, I heard all about it. I heard you beat all the other kids and came in first~."

"Hehe. But it was a bit tough this time. Yi-Ji unnie and Gong-Ju did really well too."

"That Yang Yi-Ji kid is the one everyone says is the best at acting these days. But since you beat Yi-Ji, that makes you the best now, right?"

"Really?"

"Of course! I watched the audition recording, and it was so impressive that I came here to compliment you in person."

"Hehe."

However, something felt a bit unusual. While I knew Lee Ji-Yeon was fond of Miso, she seemed especially supportive today.

That\'s when Lee Ji-Yeon gave me a wink. Suddenly, I understood why she was acting this way. \'She\'s doing it on purpose.\'

It seemed Choi Ji-Yung had asked Lee Ji-Yeon to come and help Miso relieve any lingering negative emotions.

In the meantime, Miso took Lee Ji-Yeon\'s hand and headed toward the living room table. Yoo-Jin and I followed them into the living room.

After setting down the melon we had brought as a gift, we spent a few minutes chatting about various things.

Ten minutes later, Choi Ji-Yung stood up slowly. "Alright, Miso. How about we start some acting practice now? But today, we\'ll do something different from last time."

Miso replied excitedly and jumped up from her seat. "Yes! I\'d love that!"

This time, Choi Ji-Yung suggested that Yoo-Jin join them in the practice room. "Yoo-Jin, I need your help for this one."

"Me?"

"Yes, there\'s a role you can help with."

Yoo-Jin tilted her head in curiosity and followed the two into the practice room.

Once the soundproof door closed, I moved to sit across from Lee Ji-Yeon. "So what brought you here today, Ms. Lee?"

"Ms. Ji-Yung asked me to come and lend a hand."

\'Just as I thought\' I remarked inwardly before asking, "But what exactly are they doing that requires Yoo-Jin\'s help?"

"I don\'t know all the details. But from what I heard, they\'re doing some acting exercises combined with psychological therapy."

"Psychological therapy?"

"Yes. I think Ms. Ji-Yung did some part-time work at a psychiatric clinic back when she was struggling. You know about drama therapy, right? For psychological treatment, they use role-playing."

Now that Lee Ji-Yeon mentioned it, I recalled hearing of that approach where role-play was used to help patients with psychological issues process their buried emotions.

At the same time, I found myself looking toward the practice room where Miso had gone. Miso always delivered surprising performances, so I somehow trusted that she would do well this time too.

Nevertheless, this was no easy matter and Miso was only seven years old. As much as she wanted to do this, I felt a pang of regret for not stopping her.

Just then, Lee Ji-Yeon patted my shoulder. "Yoon-Ho~ don\'t beat yourself up. With Miso\'s talent, she would have had to face this sooner or later anyway. Plus, this is a healthy way to start processing all kinds of emotions."

"But still..."

Lee Ji-Yeon quickly interrupted me. "Nope! Just think of it as her going through growing pains a little sooner than most. So you just need to stay close by to support her. Miso will handle it just fine."

I thought it over and realized Lee Ji-Yeon was right. For Miso to become a true actress, it was essential to understand every emotion deeply.

Seeing my worried expression, Lee Ji-Yeon smiled and said, "Miso really does have a way of keeping us all on our toes, doesn\'t she?"

Experiencing the emotional aftermath of a role meant her immersion was that strong. The clearly impressed Lee Ji-Yeon noted that Miso was born to be an actress, just like her mom.

I nodded. "Yes. She surprises me constantly."

After traveling back in time, I hadn\'t even imagined Miso would have such talent. At just seven years old, Miso showed a level of skill that could sway everyone around her—much like Yoo-Jin.

***

After about an hour, the door opened with a soft click and Miso\'s little head peeked out.

Miso looked at me with a big smile. Although there were traces of tears around her eyes, her face seemed much brighter than the last time I saw her.

I opened my arms wide, welcoming her with a warm smile.

Miso sprinted over and jumped into my embrace. "Uncle Yoon-Ho~!"

Miso began to chatter away with a bright grin in my arms. "I did something really cool in there."

Her face radiated with joy as if she had let go of all her negative feelings.

"Oh, really? Did you~?"

"Yes! With Ms. Ji-Yung..."

Following Lee Ji-Yeon\'s advice, I nodded with enthusiastic encouragement, hoping Miso could release her negative emotions more quickly.

***

We all gathered around the living room table and waited for the steamed king crab delivery.

King crab was Choi Ji-Yung\'s favorite dish and I had ordered it as a gesture of gratitude.

Choi Ji-Yung spoke in an excited tone. "Mr. Jung, I\'ll give Miso lessons once a week from now on."

I hugged Miso close and replied, "Thank you very much. I\'ll make sure to arrange payment with the company."

At that moment, Yoo-Jin interjected, "Oppa, I\'ll cover Miso\'s lesson fees."

"No, it\'s fine. The company can handle the expenses."

Choi Ji-Yung chimed in with a playful pout. "We\'re really going to talk about money between us?"

Choi Ji-Yung insisted she wouldn\'t accept any payment, saying that no amount of money could repay the kindness of giving her a second chance.

I shook my head. "You should never give free lessons. Rather, you should charge a lot to show everyone how valuable you are."

Once rumors that Choi Ji-Yung was giving one-on-one lessons started to spread, requests from other agencies would pour in. She was already known for her intense and bold acting and for supporting her hoobaes on set.

In this industry, reputation and fees were often closely linked in determining one\'s standing. As such, I planned to broadcast Choi Ji-Yung\'s lesson rates widely to demonstrate that Top Star Choi Ji-Yung was back in full force.

Choi Ji-Yung instantly understood my intention. "Ah, seriously...you are making me emotional."

With a grateful expression, Choi Ji-Yung murmured how thankful she was just for having been given a new start, let alone help with managing her reputation.

After a brief moment of consideration, Choi Ji-Yung said, "Then I\'ll only give lessons to actors under Hoop Entertainment. I won\'t even consider other agencies."

This exclusive access to Choi Ji-Yung\'s lessons gave me a significant advantage, especially since I was working to bring more actors within the company to my team. I thought about it for a moment and decided it was too good an offer to pass up.

I smiled. "I\'ll be counting on you, Ms. Choi."

Choi Ji-Yung smiled and joked, "With you taking such good care of my reputation, how could I possibly work with anyone else? You\'re responsible now!"

I playfully joined in. "Shouldn\'t you be asking Mr. Park Woo-Min to take responsibility instead?"

Choi Ji-Yung replied in a flustered tone. "Why are you bringing up Woo-Min oppa here...?"

Recently, Choi Ji-Yung and Director Park Woo-Min had grown quite close. I had even heard they had been going on "work-related" dates, though nothing significant had developed yet.

Yoo-Jin chimed in with a mischievous grin, "Ms. Choi, are you dating Mr. Park now?"

"Ms. Choi? You can just call me sunbae."

"Alright, sunbae-nim. But are you really dating him?"

Choi Ji-Yung\'s face turned a bright shade of red. Gone was the charismatic actress from moments before. Now she looked more like a schoolgirl confessing her first crush. "Well, it\'s just... Woo-Min oppa is so cautious."

"What do you mean?"

Choi Ji-Yung replied with a pout, "He keeps saying that dating between a talent agent and an actress could lead to rumors, so we haven\'t really progressed."

At that moment, Yoo-Jin looked even more frustrated than Choi Ji-Yung and questioned.

"What? If he likes you, he should just say so and go for it. Why bring up this whole talent agent and actress issue?"