Damage Control
What the hell is this situation? Why is the manager standing outside the window when I wake up? And why is Hinami facing that guy right across from me? My head is throbbing, making it hard to process anything.
“…How long was I out?”
I turn on the phone in my hand and check the time. It’s been over ten minutes past when we should’ve arrived. …Was I really that exhausted? No matter how I think about it, it shouldn’t have been that bad.
“Ah, over there. Jia-ssi…”
“Jia…”
The manager and Hinami call out to me from outside the window. It feels so unreal, like a scene from a dream. I pinch my cheek, wondering if I’m still asleep. The sharp pain confirms this isn’t a dream, but that only makes it more suspicious.
Why? Hinami should’ve gotten off at her place first, so why is she here with me now? While that guy was supposedly taking Hinami home… why did the manager just wait instead of waking me?
“…”
I’ve fallen asleep in cars plenty of times, but I’ve almost never been so out of it that I couldn’t wake up even if someone tried. Unless my schedule was so brutal I couldn’t sleep at all. I’ve never been so deeply unconscious that I couldn’t even dream—just enough to lose track of whether what happened while I was asleep was real or not. Today I’d slept plenty, more than enough. That’s why this situation, where I have zero memory of anything after falling asleep, feels so grotesque.
“Move.”
Driven by that eerie sense of déjà vu, I open the car door and step outside. I shove the manager, who’s leaning against the driver’s side, out of the way, then pick up the coffee can sitting there with its lid still on. I hold it up to the light and peer inside.
…I hadn’t noticed earlier, but there’s a faint, unidentifiable sediment at the bottom. I want to think it’s cigarette ash, but there’s no smell of smoke in the car at all.
“…”
I stare into the can for a long moment, then whip my head toward the manager. His face isn’t just surprised—it’s terrified, and he’s avoiding my gaze.
…Hah. The tiny spark of suspicion I’d been nursing suddenly flares into an open flame. I’d heard of cases like this before, but the coffee was so bitter I never noticed anything. Never thought it would happen to me.
“…Manager-nim.”
“Y-Yes…”
“Would you rather go to the police station like this, or shut your mouth forever and quit right now?”
“…”
That fake, overly kind face of his suddenly looks revolting. I never imagined someone who always acted so saintly would pull something like this. I knew he had feelings for me beyond our professional relationship, but I never thought he’d do something this dangerous. He’s drenched in cold sweat, frozen stiff. I spit the words out and hand the coffee can to Hinami, who’s still standing there looking just as confused.
“Um, Jia…?”
“It’s evidence. Hold on to it for now.”
“…”
With my hands free, I press my fingers to my throbbing temple and try to organize my thoughts. What was he trying to do by drugging me? …The most realistic answer is sexual assault. Touching me, or filming me. But my clothes aren’t disheveled, so nothing that extreme seems to have happened. The dashcam probably doesn’t record inside the car anyway…
“…Manager-nim. If you’ve still got a mouth, how about answering?”
“…”
While I keep pressing the manager, who’s still refusing to speak, I glance sideways at Hinami and that guy, who are both staring into the coffee can. …I’ve always thought that guy was the same type, but at least right now, in this situation, he won’t try anything stupid. The manager, though—I can’t even begin to imagine how far he might go. Even now, with his hand shoved in his pocket, I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled out a knife. Does a man who’s already drugged someone still have any lines he won’t cross?
So, just in case, I start edging slowly behind that guy. The moment I’m fully positioned behind him—
“Ow…!”
The manager suddenly swings his arm at the can in Hinami’s hand, leaving a small scratch on her thin skin as he snatches the evidence away. Then he bolts past us like a madman.
“…That crazy bastard.”
But the second he starts running, Kang Juhyuk, who’d been standing in front of me, takes off after him without a second thought. Before they even get far, the manager is pinned to the ground, choking and thrashing pathetically under Juhyuk’s weight.
“Hahk… Let go, you son of a bitch…”
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
The coffee can the manager stole rolls across the asphalt with a clatter. I walk over to where Juhyuk is, already pinning the guy’s hands like he’s done this before. The manager’s face is smashed into the ground, but all that does is scrape his cheek against the asphalt. With their massive size difference, there’s no way he’s getting free.
“Let go, you fucking psycho! I’ll sue you for assault, you crazy bastard!”
“Go ahead, you dumb fuck. You scratched up someone else’s girl and made her bleed, and you’ve still got plenty to say? You’re out of your goddamn mind.”
I pick up the coffee can from the ground. Just in case he tries to grab it again, I slip it into my pocket. Hinami, who clearly has no idea what’s going on, is standing there looking dazed, clutching her slightly bleeding wrist. I stop her from following me and pull out my phone, pointing the camera at the manager sprawled on the ground.
“Manager-nim.”
“…”
“…Sleeping pills, right? You put them in the coffee.”
“…”
The mouth that had been hurling abuse just moments ago snaps shut instantly at my question.
“If you don’t answer, I’ll take that as a yes and call the police right now.”
“No. Fuck, it’s not like that…!”
“…Then what is it, you psycho stalker bastard?”
“…”
I used harsh words to force him to talk, but he just keeps his mouth shut, offering nothing but excuses and no real explanation. I’m trying to figure out how to handle this when—
“…Fuck. Let go. If you don’t, I’ll leak all of this to the press.”
“What?”
“You. Hinami. Running around with some guy at this hour. I’ll expose everything, you bastards. Not just you—your seniors too. I’ll drag all you bitches down, you fucking whores…”
…Even now, standing on this empty street and breathing hard, the manager is trying to threaten us instead.
“…Ah, um…”
“Wait.”
Juhyuk stops Hinami, who’s fidgeting and trying to approach, with a gesture, then presses the manager’s head down hard and covers his mouth.
…Can brute force really calm this situation down? From his perspective, the manager is just lashing out because he’s cornered, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t hit a nerve. If he really does spill everything to the media, it’ll be disastrous for us.
“Hey, Seo Jia.”
“Yes.”
“What the fuck do we do with this? This is way beyond what I can handle.”
“…I don’t know either.”
Even Kang Juhyuk can’t come up with an answer. This situation is uncomfortable for all four of us. Hinami, Juhyuk, and I can’t afford any scandals, and if the manager gets caught here, prison time wouldn’t be surprising.
“Hah…”
Juhyuk scratches his head hard, lets out a long sigh, then holds his hand out to me while I’m still recording. He waves his palm and says,
“…Call someone who can fire this guy.”
“…The director?”
For a second I hesitate, wondering if I should even involve the agency, but—
“I don’t know who that is, but can they fire someone and sweep it under the rug without any issues?”
“…Yes.”
“Then call them. …We need to get rid of this bastard first, don’t we?”
I pull out my work phone, scroll through my contacts, and dial the most reliable person with actual authority.
—Hello? Jia-ya, what’s going on after work…
“…The manager caused an incident.”
—Wait, what? Did you get into a car accident or something?
“No, it’s something else…”
The moment I identify myself to the director—
“Hello? Is this the agency director? …Your manager tried to drug Seo Jia-ssi with sleeping pills and got caught by us. That’s why I’m calling.”
—…Yes? Who is this?
He snatches my phone and starts explaining everything in his own words.
“I’m Seo Jia’s older sister’s boyfriend. Her sister wasn’t answering her phone, so I came down to check and witnessed it. I live in the apartment below hers.”
“Hey, you fucking bastard, that’s a lie—kghk……!”
He erases any mention of Hinami’s presence, uses my sister as an excuse, and relays the facts while keeping the manager’s mouth covered.
—Wait, what? Sleeping pills? The manager did?
“I’m not sure if it was sleeping pills exactly. Could be drugs or something else… Anyway, he put something in her drink. So, could you come here? We’re right in front of Seo Jia’s place. We’ve got him restrained, but we don’t want this turning into an article.”
—Ah, yes. Yes, yes. I’ll be right there. Wait, Jia—
“Just a moment.”
After summarizing everything, he hands the phone back to me, sends Hinami upstairs, and asks her to bring my sister down.
—Hey, Jia-ya. What the hell is going on? Is this all real?
“…Yes. It’s… real.”
—…This is insane. Don’t hang up. Just wait. I’m coming.
“Okay.”
…Just like I expected. I look at Kang Juhyuk, who’s trying to cover this up and erase it completely, and feel absolutely nothing. Even in the middle of all this emotional chaos, the fact that he looks so unnaturally calm is what really gives me chills.