Another Top Star
I shot to my feet, hastily yanking my pants up as I shouted.
I simply could not make sense of it.
"Why the hell are you under someone else's desk?!"
"I... I just ended up here without realizing..."
"Excuse me??"
"I came to drop off a report... and then you suddenly came back, Representative..."
"And that makes you hide under the desk? What, did you commit a crime or something??"
"I was afraid you'd... give me more work!!"
"More what??"
"Since everything was finished... I thought you'd assign me something else..."
"Haa..."
So she had crawled under my desk because she was terrified I would dump more work on her?
This was genuinely ridiculous.
Fine, let's set that aside for a moment.
Then why had she grabbed my cock?
"Then what was that just now supposed to be??"
"That was..."
"It doesn't make any sense! Someone who already quit a job over workplace sexual harassment—why would you...!! You should have screamed and reported it, not grab it! Or at least kicked me!"
"......"
"Not that I'm asking you to kick me right now!"
Jeong Sora's gaze dropped to my lower half. I quickly covered myself with both hands and stepped back.
"Hoo.... Just come out of there first."
"Yes..."
Jeong Sora crawled out from under the desk on all fours, slowly rose to her feet, glanced briefly at the hand that had just held me, then wiped it off on her skirt.
Anyway, I needed to keep this from blowing up.
"Today was an accident. I had no idea it was you, Sora."
"So you thought it was Yena and did that?"
"That's...!! Is that really an appropriate question for this situation..?!"
"It seems pretty appropriate to me..."
"Jeong Sora!"
"Yes, understood. I will take no interest in whoever you may have been meeting with in this office."
Had she already recovered her composure?
She was back to her usual tone.
"That's my private life, so you shouldn't be interested in the first place. And I've never had that kind of meeting here! So keep your mouth shut and don't start any unnecessary rumors. Got it?"
"It just seemed so natural... the way you moved... the way you spoke..."
"You grabbed me pretty naturally yourself, Sora!"
"That was because it was my first time seeing one and I was curious!"
"......"
"......"
An awkward silence settled over us.
Both of us turned slightly away and rushed to wrap things up.
"You can go now."
"Yes, Representative."
Ah... how am I supposed to look her in the face after this?
Maybe I should just skip work for a while?
I still had to come to work.
Lee Do-yun had officially signed with Art Company yesterday, and articles about it had been pouring out nonstop from yesterday into today.
Not that I was satisfied with them.
"The article size feels a little small, doesn't it? And I don't like the headline either. The focus shouldn't be on Lee Do-yun hitting a 15-billion-won jackpot—it should be on Art Company investing that massive sum."
"Yes. I'll request that they re-upload the articles."
A contract with top star Lee Do-yun would elevate Art Company's image.
That elevated image would then have a major impact on contracts with other actors.
"From now on we need to use Lee Do-yun's halo to land as many contracts as possible. Re-signing our existing actors whose contracts are running out in a few years is fine too. Art Company is making major investments and treating its actors well—we need to firmly establish that image this time. So that Art Company can keep signing good actors and singers going forward."
I hadn't signed Lee Do-yun just for the penalty fees.
I was going to squeeze every last drop of benefit I could get out of him.
And once I'd wrung him dry, I would drop him straight into hell.
He needed to feel it too.
The same emotions the people he abandoned had felt.
The feeling of being left alone in the world.
"Don't do it."
"......"
Han Jihyun had shown up at the company entrance.
And without any preamble, she told me not to do it.
"What are you talking about?"
"I've been thinking carefully about what you said, Eunho."
"And?"
"You want to make things difficult for him, don't you?"
"Things will get difficult for him. If I get what I want."
"So please don't."
Unbelievable.
After everything that man did to her, she was taking his side?
"Aren't you even angry?"
"I am. I cursed him. I hated him."
"And?"
"I don't want you becoming a bad person because of me and Serin."
"Hoo.... Han Jihyun, I think you're misunderstanding something."
"Yes..?"
"I already told you, didn't I? I'm doing this to make money. If it happens to become revenge against someone, that's just a side effect of the result. It's not the main purpose."
"Eunho..."
"Mom??"
"Auntie!"
"Hello~"
I should have gone somewhere else.
Because we were meeting right in front of the company, I ran into the kids who had finished morning classes and come for practice.
"Ah, hello...! You're already here for practice..?"
"Yep~ Did you come to buy us something delicious again? Heehee~"
"Ah... well..."
"I asked her to meet. There was something I needed to discuss regarding Miss Yoo Serin."
"Because of me..?"
I rescued the flustered Han Jihyun from Minju's question.
Though I had to scramble a bit to invent a cover story.
"It's... a health checkup! Yeah, that. Since she's a student, I thought it would be good if a parent came along. We were coordinating the schedule."
"......"
What? Why that look?
Was the excuse too obvious?
"That's so unfair! Why only Serin?!"
"Minju, you get one every year because of your parents."
"Well, yeah, but.... Then what about Mei?"
"That's why I asked to meet—so I could request it for both Miss Yoo Serin and Mei together. It felt rude to just call and ask."
"Ah.... Then I want to go too!"
Whew... thanks to Minju, Yoo Serin's expression loosened a little.
She no longer seemed particularly suspicious.
"Do whatever you want with that. Anyway, just let me know a good time and I'll book it for that day."
"Ah.. yes... I'll contact you soon..."
"Since you're already here, have a meal with the kids. Use this for the bill, and leave the card with them."
"No! I can buy the kids' food myself!"
"Oh yeah~!! So we can get expensive stuff, right??"
"Sure. Eat as much as you want. If you feel like dieting."
"That's so mean...! But I'm still eating!!"
That should have smoothed things over well enough.
But a bad person, huh...
If you do bad things to punish a bad guy, isn't that a good deed?
That's how I see it.
So I had no intention of stopping.
One-person agencies.
Successful actors sometimes establish them when they no longer want to split profits with their agency, or when they want more control over their projects.
But most of them eventually go looking for a new agency to nest in again.
Because they hit the limits of a one-person setup.
And this particular actor was facing exactly that situation right now.
Or should I say singer?
She had achieved enormous success as a singer, after all.
"Hello, Miss Baek Seoyun. I'm Yoo Eunho, CEO of Art Company."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Baek Seoyun."
Baek Seoyun.
A star who could generate massive buzz with just her name alone.
But for the past few years, that name had been making headlines for a different reason.
Acting ability controversies.
No one denied she had climbed to the absolute peak as a singer.
As an actress, however, she still wasn't recognized.
Of course, her popularity, recognition, and sheer star power still landed her leading roles.
And that was exactly the problem.
Because someone who couldn't act was taking the lead.
"I'll be honest with you."
"Please go ahead."
"I came today, but only because of Do-yun sunbae. It's the first time he's ever asked me for something like this, so I couldn't really refuse."
The only reason I had managed to arrange a meeting with Baek Seoyun—someone influential enough, rich enough, and successful enough to run her own one-person agency—was thanks to Lee Do-yun, who had once appeared in a small project with her.
"Seoyun-ah..!"
"I'm sorry, sunbae. I really like how things are right now. I'm doing what I want, and I'm happy. I don't want to change my current situation."
"I know that. I know, but..."
"Lee Do-yun."
"Yes??"
"May I speak?"
"Ah.. yes, of course."
Setting up the meeting.
That was the full extent of Lee Do-yun's role.
If Baek Seoyun signed with Art Company because of him, the relationship between her and the company could become awkward once Lee Do-yun fell into ruin.
So persuading Baek Seoyun was my job.
"Are you truly satisfied with your current situation?"
"Yes."
"Even regarding the acting controversies?"
"......"
"Representative!"
"Lee Do-yun, we're in the middle of a conversation."
"Ha..!"
I ignored Lee Do-yun's disbelieving laugh and asked Baek Seoyun again.
"I'm happy. I'm doing work I like and want to do, and my fans still love me. I don't care what people say. Those people would hate me no matter what I did."
"....What are you trying to say?"
"That if the situation doesn't change, Miss Baek Seoyun won't change either."
"......"
Baek Seoyun glared at me for a moment, then let out a small sigh and asked,
"Haa... If I accept Art Company's offer, what exactly changes?"
"You'll have someone next to you who will say what needs to be said. And if you actually listen, Miss Baek Seoyun will change too."
"My current staff already..."
"No, they don't. They can't. You're the boss—what kind of advice are salarymen going to give you? Directors, writers, even network or production company presidents all tip-toe around you. Because you're Baek Seoyun."
"And you can do it, Representative?"
"Yes. Want me to?"
"......"
Baek Seoyun bit her lower lip and shot me an intense look I had never seen from her in any movie or drama.
"That look and expression right now are good. That's exactly the face you make when you're angry. It's not just about scrunching your face up randomly."
"Representative, please stop..!"
"......"
This time I allowed Lee Do-yun to interrupt.
If I pushed any further, Baek Seoyun looked ready to throw coffee in my face.
"I don't want to live as a company doll anymore. I want to live doing the work I want, the work I like. I consider that the reward for everything I've put in so far."
"Then live that way. I won't stop you. I have no intention of interfering either."
"Everyone says that. The moment you sign a contract, you'll turn around and say something completely different."
"I'm not the kind of small-minded man who talks out of both sides of his mouth. If you want, we can put it clearly in the contract."
"......"
"Anyway, I've made my offer. Think it over carefully and contact me."
I placed a business card on the table and stood up.
She was someone with high self-esteem who had absolutely nothing to feel lacking about.
Clingy desperation would get me nowhere.
Stopping here and waiting for the result was the best move.
Well, if it didn't work out, so be it.
But she seemed to be the type who didn't deliberate for long.
"You told me to contact you? Why aren't you answering your phone?"
"I just got out of the shower. I was out and just got back, so of course I needed to wash."
"Haa... Let's just meet. Tomorrow. Immediately."
"Fine. Where?"
"Somewhere quiet. A place where it's okay to raise your voice, and where you don't have to worry about other people's eyes."
"......"
The only place that came to mind for something like that was a hotel...
Don't tell me this woman..?!