Chapter 1
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Translator: Diva
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: In This Life, the Oscar, Not My Husband
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Four years ago.
I received a proposal on a cruise ship under this Han River bridge.
"Ha Eun-rae! Marry me!"
The proposal, complete with fireworks exploding and a full orchestra, was as extravagant as it gets.
And that wasn't all.
Gorgeous roses. A dazzling diamond ring.
It was worlds away from the simple, quiet proposals I'd always dreamed of while singing.
"Eun-rae-ya, I'll make your wish come true."
"My wish?"
"Quit acting, have kids with me, and we'll live happily ever after."
If that's all I'd heard, I wouldn't have accepted.
The problem was what came next.
"You said you wanted a real family."
A real family.
Those words made me accept a proposal that wasn't even my style.
They made me choose Kim Do-woon's hand over a blockbuster director's project.
How ridiculous.
I fell for just that one line.
* * *
And four years later.
"The Oscar goes to Director Park!"
That blockbuster director, Park Seo-woo, won an Oscar in America.
The Oscars—the most prestigious film award in the world.
Especially the directing award, where non-English films winning is like grabbing a star from the sky.
In his bow tie, he smiled with a face more handsome and dignified than any actor.
And right beside him was Kang Ye-ji, who had risen to Best Actress nominee for the project I'd turned down.
Meanwhile, I—
"Kim Do-woon. Answer me properly. Did you really sleep with that woman?"
—had become the lead in a third-rate morning soap, spouting clichéd lines.
Steam was billowing from Kim Do-woon's red sports car, and I was the culprit who'd caused it.
From the hotel where my husband had emerged with another woman all the way to this Han River bridge, it was like filming a car chase—except I'd rear-ended his sports car for real.
Kim Do-woon screamed at me, his face flushed with rage.
"Are you insane?! Do you know how much this car costs?!"
"Are you the insane one?"
I pointed to the woman in the passenger seat of Kim Do-woon's sports car, fishing out her sunglasses with a weary expression.
She was someone very familiar to me.
The top actress Kang Ye-ji, whose Oscar attendance had been all over the news lately, dominating every headline.
The woman who'd gone to the Oscars in my place was now comfortably seated in my husband's passenger seat.
"I'm asking if you slept with her."
I spoke with the clear enunciation drilled into me from years of acting.
Kim Do-woon jabbed a finger at me, his face twisted in irritation.
"Can't we talk somewhere quiet?! Do you have any idea how high Ye-ji's stock is right now? Pulling this stunt on the Han River bridge…!"
"It's fine, Do-woon. I already called my manager, so take your time talking. I'll ride with him."
Kang Ye-ji rolled down the window, waving dismissively without even showing her face.
At her nonchalant attitude, my boiling anger began to subside.
Seeing how much more comfortable she looked in Kim Do-woon's seat than I ever had.
Seeing how he fussed over her more than me.
Seeing how natural the two of them looked together.
In the wake of the rage came despair. Then sorrow.
So this is what it feels like.
I'd seen scenes in countless dramas and movies where someone catches their spouse cheating.
I'd even acted them out myself a few times.
I'd wondered if anger came first, or sadness, or resignation—but all those debates were pointless.
They crashed in like waves, one after another, ebbing and flowing.
"Why… why did you do it?"
I asked in a hollow voice.
Kim Do-woon looked at me like I was asking the obvious.
The man who once begged me to marry him with eyes full of love.
"Can't you tell?"
"That's why I'm asking… I don't know…"
Unthinkingly, I reached for his hand.
He yanked it away in disgust.
It was only natural.
To him, I was no longer 'family.'
In the end… I'm alone again.
"She's more successful than you, prettier, better family, earns more money. She's perfect. That's why I told you to manage things properly."
He raked his eyes over my plain jeans and T-shirt.
"When do you think the last time you even wore makeup was?"
"Your bare face is so cute. It's just for me, right?"
Words he'd once said to me flashed by.
It felt like an ice shard piercing my chest.
"Your husband's the head of the channel now. Think of all the pretty celebrities he sees. Then he comes home to you in an apron, reeking of kimchi stew? Even his appetite would vanish!"
"I like you better cooking for me than acting. My one and only wife."
The past four years of marriage crumbled to ash, leaving nothing but emptiness.
You said you'd give me a real family.
A extravagant mother. A father who turned into a monster when drunk. A brother chasing get-rich-quick schemes.
"Must've been so tough, my Eun-rae."
You shouldn't have comforted me like that.
Then I wouldn't have chosen you.
I wouldn't have let go of acting—my one lifeline in that miserable life—and taken your hand.
Just then, a black van pulled up and stopped.
The door opened, revealing a familiar face.
Hong Jong-ho.
My manager once.
"That role is perfect for you. Can't marriage wait a little longer?"
The one person who'd tried to hold me back until the end.
Hong Jong-ho started toward me, but when I avoided his eyes, he headed for the sports car instead.
Suddenly, he was supporting a limping Kang Ye-ji and helping her into the van.
"Manager-nim, take us to the hospital. Aftermath of traffic accidents is scary."
"Uh? Oh… sure."
Hong Jong-ho awkwardly closed the van door.
In that moment, I realized.
It wasn't my husband Kim Do-woon that I'd lost.
By taking his hand,
I'd lost all those opportunities.
The sets that thrilled me.
Audiences holding their breath watching my films.
The times spent with Hong Jong-ho, poring over fresh-off-the-press scripts.
I'd lost it all.
For a guy like this.
Slap!
I slapped Kim Do-woon across the cheek and flung off my wedding ring.
He glared at it, face contorted, and yelled.
"Are you crazy?! Do you know how much that diamond costs…?!"
Kim Do-woon dashed onto the road after the rolling ring, scrambling undignifiedly.
And that's when—
A massive truck barreled toward him.
Oh no…
He's going to get hit.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the truck swerved.
Toward me.
My body lifted into the air.
The sky rushed closer.
The black Han River water filled my view.
Everything slowed like a slo-mo shot.
So I knew for sure.
I'm—
I'm going to die like this.
If there's a next life, I won't choose you, Kim Do-woon. Never.
Then, suddenly, something popped up before my eyes.
[Wiki search results for 'Ha Eun-rae'!]
Wiki? The info site celebrities hate most.
A repository anyone can edit. Where celebs' dark histories get preserved forever.
Why is this—
[Ha Eun-rae]
XXXX Year X Month XX Day ~ XXXX Year X Month XX Day (Died in traffic accident)
- Overview
Actress from South Korea
- Career
Appeared in a supporting role in a hit noir film. Gained attention for nude scenes, then starred in various dramas and movies, but criticized for poor project choices despite her striking looks, and mismatched agency push—
then plunged into ruin over debt investment scandal!
…Even now, she's pissing people off?
Then she dashed into an oncoming car and died (driver luckily suffered only minor injuries but reported massive trauma. All-time nuisance death).
Only Manager Hong Jong-ho and Director Park Seo-woo attended her empty funeral.
But… even for her, a second chance arrives?
A second chance?
[Wiki edit permissions acquired.]
[Edit the Wiki?]
I don't know what this is but—
I can't leave behind a dark history even in death. And why am I the nuisance death?! I'm dying because of Kim Do-woon!
I shouted right away.
'Yes.'