A Truly Good Woman (3)

Park Siwoo hurriedly unlocked his phone and opened YouTube. There was no need to search. Her video was sitting right at the top of the screen.

That's not a spot you land unless the algorithm is firmly on your side.

Then again, ten million views in a single ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠day — of course it would be sitting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up there. He thought as much as he hit play.

Lee Yena appeared onscreen in pink cargo pants, a white cotton tee, and a blue shirt worn open over it, and began to dance to the music. The choreography was a far cry from her innocent outfit — slow, sticky, sensual. She dragged her hands down her chest. She popped her hips. It was a dance the usual Lee Yena would never have performed.

Did she put this choreography together just to promote me?

He watched in silence, and before he knew it he had been completely absorbed. He only came back to himself when the music ended and the video rolled on to the next.

"Ah."

He lifted his head, and Lee Yena's flushed face filled his vision. Their eyes met, and she smiled, small and knowing.

"You seem to like it an awful lot."

Had he been staring that obviously? Park Siwoo gave an awkward smile.

"Well. You are extraordinarily beautiful."

"My, you know how to say things like that?"

Lee Yena giggled, then squared her shoulders with a little flourish.

"You're going to compliment me properly, right?"

Park Siwoo smiled.

"You did wonderfully. Thank you."

"Hehe. It's nothing. I did it all because I like you, Siwoo."

"Come on, time to eat!"

She grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the table. Park Siwoo let himself be led, putting up only the faintest show of resistance.

"I had everything ready."

True to her word, something was bubbling away in the kitchen. From the smell of it—

Soft tofu stew?

"Tonight's dinner is sundubu-jjigae!"

As if confirming his guess, Lee Yena beamed and picked up a ladle.

"I added Dokdo shrimp, so it'll be extra spicy."

Wait. Dokdo shrimp?

"Yena, isn't that a bit expensive to put in?"

"I'm living in your house. This much is the least I can do. You just enjoy the meal!"

Before he could protest, she slipped on heat-resistant gloves and carried over the earthenware pot. Steam unfurled from the sundubu-jjigae right in front of his eyes.

"I made jeon, too."

Beside the black pot, meat pancakes, skewers, and an assortment of other pan-fried dishes were piled high and glistening. Park Siwoo's eyes went wide.

"You made all of this yourself?"

"Yes. While you were at the office, I went out and did a little grocery shopping."

Frying jeon was no trivial chore. The ingredients were fussy, and standing over a pan was exhausting work. And yet she had gone shopping, filmed a challenge, and finished an entire meal — all of it — in the time he had been gone.

"Eat up."

Lee Yena handed him a heaping bowl of fluffy white rice, smiling gently. Whether from tasting the stew or not, her lips, curved in a crescent, looked especially red.

"Thank you."

Park Siwoo accepted the rice. Lee Yena dragged a chair over and sat across from him, a salad in one hand. He looked at her, startled.

"You haven't eaten?"

"Ah, no. I wanted to eat with you."

She smiled with her eyes.

"You go first."

Park Siwoo let out a helpless little laugh.

She really is such a good woman.

The next day, Park Siwoo went straight to the office. Same as always, Lee Yena had prepared breakfast for him. She must have been tired, but she showed no sign of it — she even saw him off at the door and told him to have a good day. His steps were remarkably light because of it.

And more than that—

"The CEO would like to see you."

The moment he arrived, he was summoned by Cha Yeseung. He rose from his seat under a wave of openly envious stares.

"Team Leader Park, what kind of results did you pull this time?"

"He's on a whole different level from the Head of Department, isn't he?"

"That's not even a question."

"How does he get everything done so well?"

Feeling their admiring gazes on his back, Park Siwoo headed for the CEO's office.

Knock, knock, knock. He rapped on the door and went in.

Coincidence, perhaps — the damn Head of Department was in there too. The man scowled the instant he saw Park Siwoo walk through the door. Cha Yeseung, by contrast, greeted him with a bright, open smile.

"Team Leader Park!"

"Good morning."

Park Siwoo bowed and walked toward her — coincidentally, right next to the Head of Department. He could feel jealous glances jabbing into his side. He paid them no mind whatsoever. The man was not even in a league worth noticing.

"Did you see the views? Twenty million. Twenty million!"

She was clearly thrilled.

"Shorts of people doing the challenge are exploding, and Neon Heart's promotion is going absolutely insane right along with it."

Cha Yeseung let out a bright, ringing laugh, then leaned in.

"How on earth did you get Lee Yena on board?"

Ignoring the Head of Department's audible shock beside him, Park Siwoo answered evenly.

"I made her acquaintance a while back over a contract matter. I asked, and she was happy to do it."

"And you… didn't even spend any money?"

"That's right."

"Huh…"

Cha Yeseung sucked in a breath. Right then, the Head of Department found his voice.

"D-did you recruit Lee Yena or something?"

Cha Yeseung's brow furrowed.

"Head of Department, do you not even do market research?"

"Pardon?"

"You should at least know the basic entertainment news. Do you even know which group our company is putting out?"

"Well… I know we're debuting Neon Heart…"

"And you don't know that Lee Yena did a challenge to a Neon Heart song?"

The Head of Department's face said he had just realized his mistake. A bead of cold sweat rolled down a forehead as wide as the Pacific. Park Siwoo watched from a comfortable distance, thoroughly enjoying the show.

"I'm not telling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you to match him. I'm telling you to do even a quarter of what Team Leader Park does!"

"I'm sorry."

The Head of Department bowed. Being humiliated like this in front of Park Siwoo clearly stung; he ground his teeth. Park Siwoo merely shrugged.

"Raise your head."

"If this keeps up, you'll be out of a job before long."

"Y-yes…"

"You may go."

The Head of Department turned on his heel in a hurry — and his eyes met Park Siwoo's, a sharp, electric glance. Joy and misery crossed the two men's faces. The winner was unmistakably Park Siwoo.

The Head of Department averted his gaze and fled the CEO's office as if running from a fire. Watching him go, Cha Yeseung clicked her tongue.

"Tsk. Completely useless. Just taking up a seat. It would be so much better if someone like you took the Head of Department position. Should I just fire him and give you the job?"

Have I lost my mind? Doing composer work and taking on Head of Department on top of it?

Park Siwoo redirected that thought into a polite deflection.

"I'm grateful you'd even say that."

"I'm serious. I'll double your salary."

"Hahaha."

Still no, thank you. Park Siwoo forced a laugh and let the offer pass. Cha Yeseung smacked her lips but did not push further. The conversation moved on quickly.

"Debut isn't far off now. Give it everything you've got until the end."

"Of course."

Park Siwoo nodded. Right then, Cha Yeseung rummaged in her desk and pulled out a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠white envelope.

"Ah, and this. A performance bonus. Twenty million won."

"Pardon?"

"As of yesterday, Neon Heart's future has tilted completely toward success. All thanks to you bringing Lee Yena on board."

"Take it. My arm's getting tired."

"Thank you."

Park Siwoo took the envelope promptly. Inside was a check.

It really is twenty million won.

In the past, he would have been delighted. Twenty million won was no small sum — not by any measure. But the Park Siwoo of now felt something lacking. So he spoke.

"CEO."

Cha Yeseung's eyes flickered for a moment. She seemed to know exactly what he was about to say.

"I know, I know."

Before he could even get the words out, she reached into the drawer again. She pulled out a single sheet of paper and handed it to him. It was none other than—

A blank check.

"Write whatever amount you want. And I'll say this now — twenty million was the original figure. This is an investment in you. In Guitar Hero."

"Of course."

Park Siwoo smirked and picked up a pen.

How much should I write?

The fact that she had pulled out a blank check the moment he opened his mouth meant she had been prepared to spend this all along. She had probably just been testing the waters until now. If he had asked for more, she could have given more.

That's rather cheeky of her.

This was a man who had been contacted by Justin Bieber. He could have received glittering offers that would make twenty million won look like pocket change. So then.

Shall I put her to the test?

Let's see how Cha Yeseung really sees me. Park Siwoo began to move the pen. And the amount written on the blank check was none other than—

One hundred million won.