Chapter 814: Yeon Bo-Ra (1)
"Her name is... Yeon Bo-Ra."
The moment I heard that name, my heart jolted.
The first time I met Yeon Bo-Ra was one summer day in 2025, four years later. Out of nowhere, Kim Dong-Soo showed up with Yeon Bo-Ra at Top Entertainment.
Yeon Bo-Ra was a fragile-looking beauty with delicate features that naturally stirred protective instincts, and her eyes were always filled with a quiet sadness. The moment I saw her, I knew she had the potential to become a star. And sure enough, Yeon Bo-Ra immediately began drawing attention from viewers after appearing as a supporting actress in the morning drama Sound of Waves.
However, the moment public interest started to gather around her, Kim Dong-Soo shut down the flood of role offers coming her way as if this much was enough.
So I requested a private meeting with Kim Dong-Soo, because I wanted to push Yeon Bo-Ra further as an actress. Nevertheless, Kim Dong-Soo rejected my suggestion outright. He told me he had other plans and that I shouldn't concern myself with her anymore.
Something felt off, so I immediately started digging into the background. That was when I realized the truth. From the beginning, Yeon Bo-Ra had been brought into Top Entertainment as a hospitality celebrity.
A hospitality celebrity was someone entertainment companies introduced when powerful figures or chaebol families needed a lover or sponsor. The company used them to curry favor with people in power. By borrowing powerful figures' influence, they planted other celebrities as leads in big-budget projects.
In other words, instead of nurturing Yeon Bo-Ra as an actress, Kim Dong-Soo had blocked her growing opportunities because he intended to use her to further expand the rapidly growing Top Entertainment at the time.
However, Yeon Bo-Ra was different from the typical hospitality celebrities who willingly stepped forward for money. The sorrow that always lingered in her eyes was there because she hated what she was being forced to do. Once I understood that, I couldn't pretend I didn't know.
So on the day she was supposed to meet a sponsor, I volunteered to drive her myself. On the way to the hotel, I deliberately caused a minor collision with a wall and took her to the hospital. I immediately admitted her into a room and told her plainly that if she didn't want to do it, she should say she doesn't want to.
But back then, Yeon Bo-Ra didn't even look at me when she rejected my offer to help.