lovenovelstory Chapter 31 Park Ji-yeon
Chapter 31 Park Ji-yeon
After Park Ji-yeon finished filming her second scene, the crew wrapped up. The staff packed up their equipment, the lights went out one by one, and the living room darkened. She stood in the corner, still clutching the prop knife. It was plastic, the handle a little rough, but she didn't let go.
Su Yu stood up from behind the monitor and lit a cigarette. "Aren't you leaving?"
"Let's go. Right away." She stuffed the knife into her backpack and zipped it up. "Representative Su, that potted plant has survived."
"You've said it several times."
"Because it really came back to life." She paused, "and two new leaves have grown."
Su Yu didn't reply, took a drag of his cigarette, and the smoke dissipated in the dim light.
"Representative Su."
"Um."
When will the contract be signed?
"next week."
Which day next week?
"What's your hurry?"
Park Jiyeon didn't speak, lowered her head, and gripped her backpack strap tightly. Su Yu stubbed out his cigarette, took out his phone from his pocket, and checked the calendar.
"Come to the company next Wednesday afternoon."
"it is good."
She turned and walked away, stopping at the door without looking back. "Representative Su, thank you for not replacing me."
Why should I change the person?
"Because I haven't acted enough before. My resume has nothing on it. You're not replacing me because you can't find a more suitable candidate, right?"
Su Yu leaned against the wall, watching the shadow she cast blocking the doorway. "It's because you acted well. You didn't dodge when you took that slap, and that scene was done in one take. Your hand was shaking when you held the knife, but you didn't hesitate when you stabbed. These are things that can't be written on a resume."
She didn't speak. She pushed open the door and went out. Her ponytail swayed. Su Yu stood in the empty living room, listening to her footsteps fade into the distance, down the stairs, out of the hallway, and gone. He picked up the folder on the table and opened it. Park Ji-yeon's resume was still inside, printed on A4 paper, with only a few lines of text, as thin as a sheet of paper. He closed the folder and put it back in the drawer.
For the next few days, Park Jiyeon didn't come to the company. Su Yu didn't contact her either. On the seventh day, he received a call from Park Jiyeon.
"Representative Su, tomorrow is Wednesday."
"I know."
"What time should I come tomorrow?"
"Two o'clock in the afternoon."
"Okay. Representative Su, that potted plant—"
"Alive?"
"To live."
"Take a picture when you come. Let me see it."
After hanging up the phone, Su Yu leaned against the windowsill and glanced at the potted plant there. It was a gift from Shirley. The leaves had been wilted for a long time, but recently they seemed to have turned a little greener. It wasn't him who watered it; it was Cai Xiubin. She would pour some water for herself every time she went downstairs for a drink. Su Yu hadn't said thank you, and she hadn't asked.
The next afternoon, Park Jiyeon arrived on time. She was wearing a grey hoodie, jeans, canvas shoes, and her hair was in a ponytail. She wasn't carrying a document bag, but rather a potted plant. The leaves were green, and two new small leaves had sprouted.
"You brought the flowers?" Su Yu asked.
"Didn't you want to see it?"
"I said just take a picture."
"You can't see it clearly in the photo." She placed the plant on the table, clapped her hands, and said, "It's alive. Look."
Su Yu glanced at the green plant, then at her. "The contract is on the table. Take a look. Sign it if there are no problems."
Park Jiyeon picked up the stack of papers and flipped through them page by page. The profit-sharing ratio, signing bonus, contract term. She turned to the last page, picked up the pen on the table, and signed her name. The three characters, "Park Jiyeon," were written slowly, stroke by stroke. She put down the pen and pushed the contract over.
"It's all signed."
Su Yu glanced at it and put the contract into the drawer.
"Representative Su, aren't you going to ask me why I signed it so quickly?"
Why?
"Because when you gave me that role, you didn't ask me why I wanted to play it. You only looked at how well I performed."
Su Yu leaned back in his chair. "So, you want to talk now?"
Park Jiyeon lowered her head, her fingers twirling on the table. "I was insulted for years. After the bullying incident, people online said I bullied my teammates, said I didn't deserve to be in T-ara. The company wouldn't give me acting roles, so I went to find them myself, but directors rejected me as soon as they saw my name." She paused, "I thought this was how my life would be. Insulted, no one offered me acting roles. I thought I'd write a memoir when I'm old, saying that Park Jiyeon was once famous, but then she was insulted and disappeared."
"and then?"
"Then you called. You said there was a role, two scenes, and asked if I wanted it." She looked up. "You didn't even watch my audition, and you just wanted me to act in it."
Su Yu leaned back in his chair, looking at her. "Because Yin Shiyun said you can do it. I believe him."
"Have you seen it yet?"
"I watched it. The acting was alright."
She laughed. Not the kind of laugh that says "I acted well," but the kind that says "You're being stubborn."
"Representative Su."
"Um."
"Could we put that potted plant in the office?"
"Weren't you taking good care of yourself?"
"It will live longer if you leave it here."
Su Yu glanced at her but didn't reply. Park Jiyeon picked up the plant from the table and placed it on the windowsill, next to the one Sulli had given her. One plant was Sulli's, and the other was hers.
"I'll still be able to see it when I come to the company in the future."
Su Yu didn't say anything. She turned and walked away, stopping at the door without looking back.
"Representative Su, it's Wednesday."
"Um."
"The contract has been signed."
"Um."
"So, am I considered an artist under your company?"
"Yes," Su Yu said, "but when there are no films to shoot, we still have to paint the walls."
She didn't turn around, but a slight smile played on her lips. She pushed open the door and went out. Her ponytail swayed. Su Yu stood by the window, watching her walk to the alley entrance, turn the corner, and disappear.
The sound of keyboards clicking upstairs continued. On the windowsill, two potted plants sat side-by-side. One was a gift from Shirley, the other from Park Jiyeon. Su Yu picked up a water glass and watered both plants. Too much water spilled onto the windowsill. He wiped it with a cloth, but it wasn't clean enough, so he gave up.