SWEET TEMPTATION

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"HERE, Sumin-ah," Wonhee said while handing a hangover drink to Sumin. "Drink this and pull yourself together."

Sumin just stared at the bottle blankly.

Is she alright?

After Sumin asked Wonhee earlier if she wanted to become a Guide, Sumin suddenly almost fell to the floor even though she was just standing there.

Wonhee didn't want to get in the way of the staff preparing the set for her photo shoot, so she kindly asked for the director's understanding and asked for a thirty-minute break. Fortunately, the director and the entire team completely understood why she had to leave and bring Sumin with her to the dressing room.

"I'm not drunk," Sumin insisted, even though she was almost sprawled on the sofa. "I don't need that."

Most drunk people really deny that they're drunk when confronted, huh?

"Alright," Wonhee said, putting the hangover bottle on the table. And then she handed a water bottle to Sumin. "At least drink water, then."

Sumin just accepted the water bottle without saying anything.

"Where's your manager, Sumin-ah? Did you come to the studio alone?"

"Yes, I came running as soon as I heard you were doing a photo shoot here. I left my phone in the car, but I'm sure my manager oppa would come and find me here soon," Sumin said, then she glared at her. "God. I hate how you still look so fit and beautiful even though you're only wearing a white shirt and a pair of jeans."

That was the standard dressing code that all GEE artists abide by when taking pictures for their artist profile.

I need to change into a dress for the second half of the photo shoot, though.

"Are you sure you're not an Awakened Person?" Sumin continued with her rant. "Why are you prettier than them when you're only a Civilian?"

She's really drunk, huh?

"I thought you weren't going to act again after you ran away before."

Oh.

Wonhee turned to Ahyeon and Billie– her manager unnie.

They look nervous, as if they're waiting for Sumin to grab my hair like she did before.

"Billie Unnie, can you go back to the set and see if they're already calling for me?" Wonhee asked politely. "Ahyeon-ah, can you go and grab drinks and snacks for everyone on the set as an apology for causing the delay?"

Ahyeon and Billie both looked reluctant to leave, but they still did when Wonhee insisted.

"Chu Wonhee, you must be thinking I'm being shameless."

Wonhee let out a sigh. "Why would I think of you that way, Sumin-ah?"

She would admit that Sumin wasn't a close friend of hers.

They met when Wonhee filmed her last drama before the Outbreak. She played the role of a melancholy high school student, while Sumin played the role of a bully. Since that drama was a huge hit, Wonhee and Sumin did a lot of commercial films after that.

But the two of them didn't grow close.

"When I heard that you signed with GEE, I begged you to recommend me to the CEO because it's the only agency that signs exclusive contracts with Civilians," Sumin said, smiling bitterly to herself. "But after I discovered your secret, I used that to blackmail you and force you to go on another hiatus."

Ah, right.

It's true that Sumin forced me to go on another hiatus, but it wasn't all because of her.

"All your projects during that time were given to me," Sumin continued, still bitter. "I thought I finally got the chance to prove my worth. But I realized I wasn't you– I didn't have the face and the talent to compete with the Awakened People who made a debut that time."

Wonhee remembered that the drama Sumin starred in that time, the one that she had to drop, flopped so badly because the rival drama had a famous Guide for a main lead.

That was the last time Sumin played a main character role.

Sumin looked at Wonhee with dead eyes. "I envy you even though I was the reason people cursed at you for being "lazy" and "unprofessional" when you suddenly dropped all your projects and went on a hiatus. But that didn't last long because the general public began missing you when they realized none of the new stars could replace you in the industry. Why are you still popular, Chu Wonhee? Even though Awakened People have dominated the industry, the general public still acknowledges you as the IT girl of our generation."

"Do you not read comments online, Sumin-ah?" Wonhee asked, smiling sadly. "I get a lot of hate for simply existing as Seodam Oppa's girlfriend."

"You only get hate within the small community of weird fans who ship real people."

That was true.

Unfortunately, that small community was also the loudest.

"Chu Wonhee, you're the only Civilian who retained her A-list status in the entertainment industry after the Outbreak," Sumin said, her voice trembling as if she was trying hard to hold it in. "Unfortunately, I don't have your face or talent."

"Sumin-ah, that's not true–"

"But I found a way to survive in this industry."

Hmm?

"The Awakened People have dominated the industry because they received a visual upgrade when they awakened– and that's what I'm aiming for once I awakened."

Wonhee knitted her eyebrows. "Once you awakened? You talk as if you know you're going to awaken soon, Sumin-ah."

"Chu Wonhee, haven't you heard of 'Forced Awakening?'"

Of course, she had heard about that.

However…

"That's illegal, Sumin-ah," Wonhee said firmly. "The side-effects of Forced Awakening have killed people before, so the government has banned Civilians from doing it."

"They found a way to make the Forced Awakening look as natural as possible so we won't get caught," Sumin said, and she looked pretty desperate. "Chu Wonhee, don't you want to awaken as a Guide for Lee Seodam?"

***

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