Why Are You Under My Desk?
Ah, right.
I was supposed to come see her after work today, wasn't I?
Completely slipped my mind.
A call came through right away, and Shin Yena spent over thirty minutes dumping her complaints and fury on me.
Seriously, if I wasn't showing, shouldn't she just take the hint and leave?
Why wait around like an idiot for two whole hours?
"Haa..."
I slipped the phone into my pocket after finally ending the call and headed inside the house.
My last appointment had run longer than expected and spilled over into dinner, so I was getting home much later than usual.
And of course, I hadn't messaged anyone here either.
"Would you like to eat first?"
"I'm sorry. I already had dinner."
"Ah... I see..."
"Please, go ahead and eat comfortably."
"Yes..."
I started toward my room, then turned back around. I walked over to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
I wasn't hungry, but for the first time, Han Jihyun's utensils were set on the table right next to mine.
Until now she had only ever watched me eat. Not once had we shared a meal at the same table.
"You're going to eat?"
"Just a little. Half a bowl is fine."
"Yes! I'll bring the rice and soup right away!"
Han Jihyun returned with a tray carrying two bowls of rice and two bowls of soup, setting one of each at my place and one at hers.
"This is the first time we've eaten together like this."
"I thought it might make you uncomfortable if I sat with you..."
"And today?"
"Iseul said... she doesn't really like it when you eat alone..."
I didn't particularly hate eating alone. I didn't love it either, but I wasn't the type who needed company for every meal.
It was just that it was Iseul, so I ate with her whenever I could.
"Go ahead and eat."
"Then... what should we do from now on...?"
"Just eat with me. Setting the table twice is a hassle, and it can't be comfortable for you to eat my leftovers either."
"Yes!"
Why was she so bright all of a sudden?
This afternoon she had been crying her eyes out in the bathroom.
Well, the seats were set. Maybe it was time to bring it up.
"Lee Do-yun."
"Yes...?"
"I decided to sign a contract with Actor Lee Do-yun today."
"Ah... yes...."
"Do you know Lee Do-yun?"
"I-I... don't really know him...."
I shifted my gaze from the side dishes I had been picking at to Han Jihyun's flustered face. The moment our eyes met she grew even more flustered and dropped her head.
"Do you know why I decided to contract with Actor Lee Do-yun?"
"Because he's a famous actor..."
"You said you didn't know him."
"W-well, he's famous..! I at least know that much..."
"Wrong."
"What??"
"I didn't sign him because he's a famous actor."
"Then...?"
"Because he's a man who threw away something precious."
"......"
"The woman he loved, and the daughter in her belly."
"E-Eunho..."
"I decided on the contract at that restaurant. The same restaurant where you happened to run into Lee Do-yun."
"You... knew...?"
"Yes. I heard everything. At first by chance. Later on purpose."
There was nothing to hide, so I told her straight. Or rather, I was going to tell her straight.
"I need information on Lee Do-yun."
"What... kind of information...?"
"His past. Not the past that involves you. The kind of past an actor who lives off his image absolutely has to keep buried."
"Why do you want to know that...?"
"To make money. And for someone, it might also be revenge. Will you tell me?"
"......"
Han Jihyun didn't answer.
But it wasn't as if there was no way to find out. In a world where money could buy anything, there always was.
The moment I walked into the office that morning, CEO Hong Min-cheol and Head of Department Park Eun-mi were staring at me with worried faces.
I ignored them, carefully reviewed the contract, and set it down.
"The penalty is triple.... Can't we set it higher?"
"Triple is the industry standard."
"But why a penalty clause at all? Lee Do-yun has spent fifteen years as an actor without so much as a minor scandal."
"You never know. These days plenty of people get taken down overnight by old dirt coming out."
"If something like that existed, it would have come out long ago. Lee Do-yun didn't become a top star yesterday."
Head of Department Park Eun-mi had a point. Any window for that kind of exposure had closed a long time ago.
But you never really know how the world works.
"Representative, are you putting up a 15-billion-won signing bonus just so you can collect the penalty?"
"Of course not. It's purely a just-in-case. Insurance against any accidents that might happen. Anyway, please take good care of the contract today."
"You're not coming, Representative?"
"Why waste time on a fish that's already caught? Better to spend it on a cup of coffee. Good luck~"
I said it wasn't the case, but that was exactly what I intended.
I was going to turn 15 billion into 45 billion.
Without fail.
That was why I was handing over a signing bonus that large in the first place.
"Aigoo, Representative~ How have you been keeping? Hahaha~"
I went up to the U-I office, stepped into the CEO's room, and dialed immediately—the head of the errand agency I had used to dig into the bastards who had harassed Lee Chan.
"That's a bit much for a greeting, isn't it?"
"Not at all~ We simply treat people according to what we've received, hahaha."
"Then I'm curious what kind of greeting I'll get next time."
"Sounds like a big job?"
"Actor Lee Do-yun. Dig into him. From the moment he was born until now."
"Lee Do-yun... That's a pretty big size."
"Advance of 100 million. Success bonus of 200 million. Enough?"
"I'll count every hair on his head. How much time can you give me?"
"As fast as possible. But if it goes past a month, the success bonus drops to 100 million. Agreed?"
"Don't worry. I plan on collecting the full 200 million. I'm busy, so I'll hang up now."
"Ah! One last thing—there's a 100-million bonus. Perfect setup. You know what I mean?"
"Leave it to me, Representative."
This was a guy who, at twenty, got an eighteen-year-old high school girl pregnant. The moment he heard she was pregnant, he left her with nothing but the word "get rid of it" and ran.
No matter how hard a man like that cosplayed as a decent human being, his true nature couldn't stay buried forever.
Of course, it was possible that shaking him down would turn up nothing.
But as long as Han Jihyun and Yoo Serin existed, the chance of this investment failing was zero.
The only problem was that those two would take a deep wound.
Knock knock knock—
"Come in."
"Representative. Composer Lee J called to say the recording work is finished."
"Is that so? Let's head down now. Sora, keep working."
"Thank you."
Her tone was the same as always, but the dark circles under her eyes had sunk even lower than yesterday.
Is she actually going to collapse at this rate?
Just give it a rest and admit you were wrong already.
What a stubborn person.
"......"
I stepped out of the CEO's office, shot a quick glance at Jeong Sora as she glared at her monitor like she wanted to murder it and hammered the keyboard as if trying to break it, then slipped out of the office in a hurry.
I took the elevator down to the second floor, where the recording studios and production rooms were.
"Huh?? Oppa!"
"Hello, Representative."
"Hello.."
The moment the elevator doors opened I ran straight into Min-ju, May, and Yoo Serin.
But calling me "oppa" at the company?
"Use the proper title, Miss Lee Min-ju."
"Yeees..."
"......"
"Representative.."
"Tsk tsk."
I clicked my tongue and walked past them. Min-ju quickly fell into step beside me.
"Where are you going?"
"The production room."
"Why?"
"They said the work is done, so I'm going to listen."
"Then let's go together!"
"Why?"
"Because it's our songs!"
"......"
It wasn't just Min-ju. When I looked back, May and Yoo Serin were trailing after us as well.
Well, listening together or alone wouldn't change anything, so I let them come into the production room with me.
"You're here, Representative?"
"Did the recording go well?"
"You're going to be shocked when you hear it. It's way better than the singers we originally planned to use. Especially Min-ju's rap parts—they're seriously fire. And May and Serin go without saying."
"High expectations just mean bigger disappointment. Let's hear it first."
Slerix, the main protagonist group of K-Sler, had four tracks.
The opening song, How It's Run.
Glory, which would showcase Yoo Serin's vocals.
Knockdown, built around Min-ju and May's rap.
And What It Sounds Like, highlighting the three of them in harmony.
I listened to each track in order, then turned to Lee J.
"And the director?"
"He loves it. How does it sound to you, Representative?"
"Oppa, what about you?!"
"How is it??"
"Do you like it..?"
The questions came flying back at me. I looked at the four of them one by one, then gave a small laugh.
"Even a tone-deaf guy like me thinks they're fantastic."
They really were fantastic.
That was the only word that fit. Every single song hit exactly right.
Even the tracks Jeoseung Boys had recorded, and the duet Yoo Serin and Lee Shin-woo had sung—there was nothing to say except that they were perfect.
"Ah, you heard that the Representative is matching all the character names too, right?"
"Of course. I'm so grateful I wanted to send him some Korean beef, but since he's in the States I just sent my thanks."
Not only Min-ju but the Jeoseung Boys as well had received Director Negi Kang's confirmation and were now fully involved in the K-Sler music production.
And that wasn't all.
Just as Lee J said, they had agreed to match the character names exactly, and they had already filmed the recording process and sent over the video files.
The plan was to show a short clip after the movie ended, like a cookie video. If the film took off, we might not even need separate promotion.
Of course, that was only if it succeeded on the level of Frozen.
"Um... Representative... I have something I need to say..."
"Go ahead, Miss Yoo Serin."
"In private..."
"What? Serin, do you have a secret from me?"
"Yeah, we're family, remember?"
"Th-that's...! I-I'll tell you... when the time is right...."
"That's so mean! Even if you don't tell her, you have to tell me!"
"Hey, that kind of rubs me the wrong way."
"You don't count, but I've been friends with Serin since middle school!"
"Still annoying."
"Yeah? Then I'll apologize."
"I'll accept it."
"Okay, now spill it right here."
"Spill it."
"......"
I stared at Min-ju and May as they bickered among themselves, then took the flustered Yoo Serin and led her out. We stepped into an empty recording booth.
If we talked in the hallway they would open the door and eavesdrop for sure.
"All right. Talk."
"It's just...."
Yoo Serin kept her head bowed for a moment, gathering herself, then carefully lifted her eyes and spoke.
"Thank you for protecting Mom..."
"What?"
"Yesterday at the restaurant..."
"......"
She saw it?
Han Jihyun meeting Lee Do-yun?
Then she heard everything?
Han Jihyun had denied it, but from Serin's position she would have known. That Lee Do-yun was her father.
"I'll be going now.."
"Yes. Go ahead."
I didn't ask any further questions.
Maybe it really was just gratitude for protecting her crying mother.
If she had gone back to her seat after crying, her eyes would have been swollen and her makeup ruined, and I had been standing in front of the restroom turning people away at that exact time.
And in the worst case, it was a truth that would come out into the world eventually anyway.
There was no need for me to run my mouth.
Damn it.
I forgot again.
I had completely forgotten Shin Yena's promise to wait for me again today and left work once more.
So I spun the car around in a hurry and came back to the company.
"Huu.... What? Did she just leave?"
There was no sign of Shin Yena in the Art Actors office or the U-I office.
I had made her wait twice already. This time it was my turn to wait.
I went into the CEO's office, sat down at the desk, and pulled out my phone.
I didn't send the message.
I deleted what I had typed and set the phone on the desk.
There was no need to send it.
Rustle—
A sound from under the desk.
I unzipped my pants.
Then I pulled down my underwear and took out my still-cute little guy.
"Pull one out on your own. That's a secretary's job."
"......"
Chapter 45. I remembered that one.
Last time the content had gone past chapter 80 so I hadn't known, but I had read up to chapter 50.
The situation was a little different, though.
In the webtoon it was a scene where the male lead got service from the heroine under the desk while receiving a report from a subordinate.
Then again, no matter how much of a pervert Shin Yena was, she probably couldn't enjoy that much of a thrill.
But why was she being so quiet?
"If you don't do it, you won't be leaving work tonight. And you'll spend a terrible time with me."
"......"
It was a line the protagonist used early on rather than in chapter 45, but it fit the situation perfectly, so I used it.
And Shin Yena reacted.
Tok—
Fingertips brushed against my little guy, then slipped and gently wrapped around it.
Sss— sss—
The soft touch began to stroke, and my little guy started to respond.
But then....
"Is this... also part of a secretary's duties...?"
"......"
Ice cold.
My little guy, which had been gathering strength, instantly wilted, and I slowly scooted my hips back to check under the desk.
"Aaaaaaah!!!!!! S-Sora? What are you doing under there?!!"
"......"
Why the hell was Jeong Sora holding my dick?!!!