The Woman He Couldn’t Reach
Wait just a moment.
The Black Bride production presentation had begun.
The veteran entertainment reporters carefully chosen by Baekhak gasped in admiration.
"Wow... Lee Ha-eun is a work of art no matter when you see her, isn't she?"
"Exactly. How can a person be that elegant?"
"I've put every big-name actor I've ever covered through this lens, but Lee Ha-eun is different. I don't know how else to say it, but she seems made of a different material. She doesn't even feel like the same kind of human being!"
Every camera in the room was fixed on one actress at the Black Bride production presentation.
Top star actress Lee Ha-eun.
The actress who ranked among the true stars even in a crowd of luminaries.
Perhaps because of that.
As befit Black Bride, the quarter's hottest title, the stage was lined with actors who would have held their own anywhere from the leads to the supporting cast, but everyone's attention still drifted to her.
Yet the actress sitting there with a proud look on her face didn't spare the cameras even the slightest glance.
She had been staring intently at one spot ever since a moment ago.
"..."
Lee Ha-eun wrinkled the bridge of her nose a little, as though something displeased her.
Even so, the man monopolizing Lee Ha-eun's gaze never once looked away from his smartphone.
And then, at last, the man who had been staring at his phone throughout the whole presentation opened his mouth.
"At this rate..."
Kwon Chan, manager at Baekhak.
The corner of his mouth drew into a deep curve.
"Is there any reason to hesitate about investing in films?"
***
In truth, I'd been thinking about film investment for a long time.
The movie market might have been in a slump under the current circumstances, but if you had the right source, a good film could still make a huge amount of money.
The problem was that very source, and the future message that had just arrived gave it to me.
The article the future text had sent this time was, astonishingly, this year's independent film box-office ranking.
From the Busan International Film Festival to the Jeonju International Film Festival and the Seoul Independent Film Festival, the list of independent films recognized for both artistic merit and commercial appeal was now in my hands.
And among them was...
"Na Jun-hu's new film, Love in May, is the number one earner among independent films?"
The new film from the double-million-audience director, the one with Choi Go-eun cast as the lead and already named a newcomer winner at the Busan International Film Festival, was on that list too.
I slowly stroked my chin as I thought it over.
Has the future changed?
Originally, Na Jun-hu's new film was supposed to be one of those unlucky projects that couldn't even make it to release because of investment problems.
If a film like that had ended up topping the earnings chart, did that mean the future had changed?
The odds were high, but I couldn't say for sure.
I still didn't know whether it had overcome its financing problems and earned those results, or whether some other variable had intervened.
So what mattered here was...
The fact that in my hands, I held the titles of the independent films that ranked in the year's top ten in revenue.
Just because it's an independent film doesn't mean it can't make money.
Starting with the famous Burning in this industry, even Waves, the eternal dream of anyone born in the 1990s, was an independent film.
If the film itself was good, an independent movie could make even more money than a commercial one. That was the market.
The problem is capital.
Even with a good source in hand, you still needed money to actually succeed at film investment.
But I...
Didn't I already have that capital?
Along with the thought, I pictured the lottery account I had kept tucked away at home.
1.4 billion won, untouched since the day I'd won the lottery.
To be honest, I sometimes got the impulse to buy something, but it never actually went as far as making a purchase.
I had even considered investing in real estate because it felt wasteful to let such a lump sum sit there, but in the end I couldn't make a decision and had only kept putting money into savings.
But now that things had come to this, I felt a strange sense of fate.
What if the reason I hadn't touched the money in my lottery account until now was for this very moment?
As that thought struck me, a nameless shiver ran down my spine.
"...Wow. Look at this."
Everything lined up too neatly; it was enough to give me goosebumps.
Of course, the practical problems were still there.
No matter how independent the film, no unknown production company or investment house would trust money to a nobody, and I couldn't juggle film investment on top of my manager work.
Given those realities, it was still too early to think seriously about investing in films.
But even with those practical concerns hanging over me, I couldn't take my eyes off the future message in my hand.
What if...
I invested in these films and they succeeded?
Wouldn't I be able to climb even higher?
And if I kept succeeding with those investments until I became someone nobody in this industry could ignore, then, by that point...
I cut off the thought and lifted my head to look at the stage.
"Actress Lee Ha-eun, could you say a few words about Black Bride?"
A woman stood beneath glittering flashes and lights.
My gaze lingered for a moment beside that woman standing in a place so dazzling it felt impossible to approach.
Sometimes this distance felt so vast that it left me breathless, but not now.
Before I knew it, I found myself murmuring,
"I think I've found a way."
Maybe I had just found a way to stand proudly beside that woman.
***
The Black Bride production presentation ended.
I decided to put thoughts of film investment out of my head for the moment.
That was something I could think about later, and for now the important thing was Black Bride.
Once I wrapped things up on this side, there would still be time to deal with film investment.
With that settled in my mind, I went looking for Choi Cheol and manager Jeon Hyeong-u.
Far off in the distance, I could see Choi Cheol and Jeon Hyeong-u talking about something with the staff on site.
As I drew near, Jeon Hyeong-u said brightly, his face lit up with excitement,
"Team Leader! They're saying there's a company dinner today. You'll be coming, right?"
"They're suddenly holding a dinner?"
"You didn't hear? They said it was the after-party we couldn't do last time, so they're holding it today."
Ah, was that so?
After searching through my memory for a moment, I vaguely remembered that such a schedule had existed.
"According to Director Park Jun-seo, this is the first time since the script reading that all the staff, including Lee Ha-eun and Seo Tae-jun, are gathering together like this!"
Jeon Hyeong-u glanced at me cautiously.
"On a first gathering like that, Team Leader Kwon, you're naturally coming too, right?"
I rubbed my still gritty eyes and thought it over.
Normally, my rule was not to stay up all night and not to drink at company dinners, but...
Fine.
There was no way I could be the only one to skip a dinner everyone else was attending.
I gave a light nod.
"Got it. Let's go."
"Oh, yes! Then I'll get things ready."
After leaving Jeon Hyeong-u and Choi Cheol in charge of the actors, I immediately started making the rounds to greet people.
"Hello, reporter."
"Oh, Team Leader Kwon!"
"I'm only acting Team Leader for now, reporter."
"What? You were only promoted to chief manager not that long ago, and you're already Team Leader?"
The reporters invited to today's event were name-brand journalists who had built friendly relationships with Baekhak.
In other words, they were top-class entertainment reporters, people who wrote favorable articles for Baekhak.
If I wanted to keep asking them for good coverage from time to time, I needed to at least offer my thanks in advance as a matter of courtesy.
After talking with the reporters, I had a brief conversation with MC Park So-rim, who was in charge of today's event, then left the production presentation hall.
The staff had already moved on, and the entrance area was quiet.
I grabbed a taxi and, during the short ride to the dinner venue, started checking the reaction to the Black Bride presentation.
After reading the comments carefully, I let the corner of my mouth rise.
"The reaction isn't bad."
If I could carry this positive response through to the teaser video from today's presentation, then I could count the early promotion as a success, couldn't I?
Was it because I felt like I'd gotten off to a good start, or because of the future message I'd received earlier?
My condition on the way to the dinner venue felt better than expected.
No, at this rate...
Maybe it even felt kind of good?
Still, I kept reminding myself that I'd barely slept because of last night's overtime and decided not to push it.
The dinner venue I arrived at late was a barbecue restaurant in Hongdae, and already nearly a hundred staff members were gathered there, grilling meat.
As I stood there looking around, an all-too-familiar voice called out to me.
"Team Leader Kwon! Team Leader Kwon, over here!"
"Ah, coming, Tae-jun."
I made my way carefully past the tightly packed tables toward the seat Seo Tae-jun was waving me over to.
Lee Ye-ji and Choi Cheol, seated on either side of Seo Tae-jun, were already grilling meat with obvious enthusiasm.
I glanced around and asked quietly,
"I don't see Jeon Hyeong-u or Lee Ha-eun."
"Ah, they're over at that other table."
At that, I lifted my head and looked toward another table.
Just as Seo Tae-jun had said, Lee Ha-eun and manager Jeon Hyeong-u were seated at a different table.
Before I realized it, I clicked my tongue softly.
Weird. I still haven't had much of a chance to run into her today.
Maybe that was why.
I found myself focusing on that woman's expression, and then I realized it.
"Huh?"
Lee Ha-eun.
Why did she look so sulky for no reason, making it impossible not to think about her?
***
Seo Tae-jun, seated across from me, poured soju into my glass.
"Ah, I'm fine without alcohol."
"You came to a dinner, and you're not going to drink?"
"No. I pulled an all-nighter yesterday, so if I drink, I'll probably collapse immediately."
At my answer, Seo Tae-jun wore a disappointed expression and muttered,
"Team Leader Kwon, do you know something?"
"Know what?"
"We've known each other almost a year now, and we've still never properly had a drink together."
My eyes widened at that.
Had we not?
Had I really never had a drink with Seo Tae-jun?
After thinking it over carefully, I realized that it did seem to be the case and looked a little startled.
"How did I never have a drink with you, Seo Tae-jun?"
"Seriously, why are you asking me that? You should be asking yourself."
"...Let's just have one drink."
"You said you're tired. Let's just clink glasses."
I let out a snort of laughter and said,
"One drink isn't going to kill me."
I shot down the soju in one go with Seo Tae-jun and spoke with a bit of sincerity.
"You worked hard filming, and going forward with promotion..."
"Oh, Team Leader Kwon!"
"?"
Startled by the familiar voice calling my name, I turned my head.
Director Park, his face flushed red, was holding a bottle of soju and grinning broadly at me.
I sprang up from my seat and hurried over to support him.
"No way, you're already drunk, Director Park?"
"Ah, I'm not drunk at all! Haha! Take a drink from me."
...I'd just downed mine in one shot?
Though I was a little taken aback, I ended up accepting the drink Director Park Jun-seo handed me.
Meanwhile, Park's somewhat unfocused voice started lavishing praise on me.
"You know I really like you, Team Leader Kwon, riight?"
"You're very drunk, Director."
"Ah, I said I'm not drunk! Honestly, to tell the truth, I got so much help from you while making this film that I've been worrying every day about how to pay you back... I do have a conscience, you know, so how could I just keep taking and taking! That's why I trusted you and set the release for May too, heh heh!"
At Park's words, the surrounding attention naturally shifted this way.
Fortunately, Team Leader Kim, who appeared from somewhere at just the right moment, dragged Park away and disappeared with him.
Scratching my head, I turned around and saw Seo Tae-jun staring at me with wide eyes.
"What? You were the one who decided the release date, Team Leader Kwon?"
I shrugged and answered,
"Not decided, discussed. Discussed."
"...You do know May is when the Hollywood blockbuster Apocalypse series is coming out, right?"
"Yeah. We took that into account."
"?"
"All right, enough talk about work. Let's eat the meat."
Just as I was about to get around to eating some meat, someone else called out to me again.
"Team Leader Kwon."
When I turned, veteran actor Park Tae-sik was smiling broadly at me.
"Isn't it been too long? Feels like it's been almost since the reading that I've seen you."
With that, Park Tae-sik poured more alcohol into my glass.
...I silently drained it and replied,
"Please speak casually, Actor Park Tae-sik."
"Ah, that's right. We said we'd drop the formalities last time, didn't we?"
"Yes. Have you been well?"
"I've been fine. But why does Director Park like Team Leader Kwon so much? He keeps going on and on about you whenever he opens his mouth."
"Maybe I made a good first impression."
Actor Park Tae-sik burst out laughing.
"Team Leader Kwon, you're not exactly the type to leave a good first impression."
Seo Tae-jun, sitting beside him, chimed in.
"But he's a good person once you get to know him, sunbae."
"Oh, really? Wow... So even Actor Seo and Director Park are stepping in to defend Team Leader Kwon?"
Seo Tae-jun gave me a sidelong glance and said,
"He does annoy people for no reason, but he's also incredibly good at taking care of people, that guy."
"Oh, is that so? Hmm... If I weren't exclusive, I'd try to get Team Leader Kwon's number. Too bad."
What on earth were these people saying?
At a loss, I let out a hollow laugh and poured drinks for both of them.
"Even after exclusivity ends, I still work as a manager, Actor Park Tae-sik."
"Oh, you're starting a sales pitch here?"
"When does a sales job ever get to rest? It's open twenty-four hours a day."
As we chatted and passed around drinks, we'd emptied a bottle before we knew it.
Feeling a little tipsy, I excused myself and headed for the restroom.
Standing in front of the sink, I splashed cold water on my face and muttered,
"This tempo feels a little fast..."
Fortunately, my condition was still holding up despite the overtime, so I could still manage for now, but I was going to have to rein things in a bit.
As I was leaving the restroom with that thought in mind, I heard someone calling my name from one of the tables.
"Oh, Team Leader Kwon?"
When I turned my head, I saw Kim Sil-jang from another agency, someone I knew.
Beside him were several other celebrity managers, most of them unfamiliar faces.
"Kim Sil-jang, if you were here you could've at least said hello. Why pretend not to know me?"
"Anyone can see you're busy, so why would I bother? More importantly, come over and have a drink."
Kim Sil-jang grinned and pointed at the still-young-looking managers.
"You know these guys have all been wanting to meet Team Leader Kwon and say hello, right?"
I tilted my head.
"Me? Why?"
"Because you're Baekhak's youngest Team Leader."
"..."
"You're someone who's walking the elite path in this industry, so why don't you have a drink and tell us a few heroic stories? Just what did you do to get promoted that fast?"
At Kim Sil-jang's words, I turned away with an awkward expression.
Cautiously, uneasily...
The managers who had been looking at me with timid eyes all rose from their seats in a rush.
"I'm Choi Woo-sik from F&B!"
"...I'm Ho Seok-jun, chief manager at Butterfly Entertainment, Team Leader Kwon!"
"I've wanted to introduce myself for a while. It's an honor!"
I blinked in surprise and said,
"No, what honor? Relax, all of you. Relax."
As I sat down, the managers, as though they had been waiting for permission, handed me drinks and business cards.
...I couldn't bring myself to refuse, so I accepted both the cards and the glasses and thought,
Haa... right.
I came to a drinking party. Could I really not drink?
I steadied myself and lifted my glass.
"You know the first drink has to be a one-shot, right?"
***
The entertainment industry, while not quite like the music industry, still had its own set of rules among managers.
That didn't mean there was any actual toxic hierarchy, just the usual small-scene etiquette of treating one another with seniority and respect.
So refusing the drink being offered here was awkward.
"Wow... so Team Leader Kwon really handled Queen of Joseon?"
"You also made To.Any a success, right? Wow... no wonder you're the youngest Team Leader at Baekhak."
"What's your secret? Queen of Joseon is one thing, but making Baekhak's girl group a hit is really something else."
People on the other side had already shown their courtesy and come to me first, so refusing alcohol because I was tired would have looked bad.
I was here as Seo Tae-jun and Lee Ha-eun's manager, after all.
There was no need to create gossip by refusing drinks for no good reason.
Given the nature of this industry, it would be more than enough for rumors to spread that I'd "looked down on people and refused drinks because I'm the manager for Seo Tae-jun and Lee Ha-eun."
So I paced myself, but I didn't refuse the drinks, and I took them down one after another.
After clearing that table and getting back on my feet, this time the staff and actors spotted me and grabbed me.
"Team Leader Kwon!"
"Come over here and have a drink!"
...No, seriously. Why was everyone looking for me?
Just as I was starting to find it absurd, Team Leader Kim from Blue Pine appeared out of nowhere and came up to me.
"Director Park keeps going on and on about Team Leader Kwon, that's why."
"...What was he saying that made everyone keep looking for me?"
"Something like Team Leader Kwon has a ninety percent stake in making this film happen?"
"..."
How much time had passed after that?
I suddenly felt the alcohol hit me hard.
Damn, this was dangerous.
Just as I felt the ceiling and floor in front of me start to sway, the drinking party thankfully wrapped up.
I returned to our original table and grabbed Seo Tae-jun, who was getting ready to head home, saying,
"Tae-jun."
"Yes, Team Leader Kwon."
"Tae-jun."
"...You called me twice."
Ah, had I?
I clung to my dizzy thoughts and said,
"Get home safely, and don't drink and drive."
"Oh, I won't, I won't."
"One drunk-driving incident and you're done."
"Yes, yes, got it."
"One drunk-driving incident. One shot."
"?"
Seo Tae-jun, who was getting ready to leave with Choi Cheol, tilted his head.
"Team Leader, are you drunk by any chance?"
"No? I'm not drunk."
Seo Tae-jun leaned in and stared at me closely.
...Suddenly my stomach rolled, but I barely held it back.
"Huh, you don't look drunk, so why do you keep repeating the same thing twice?"
"Aren't you the one who's drunk, Seo Tae-jun?"
"Ah, fair. I am kind of drunk, actually."
Seo Tae-jun grinned.
"Anyway, tonight was fun, Team Leader."
"Same here. Get home safe."
"You too, Team Leader."
After seeing Seo Tae-jun off, I also said goodbye to Director Park, who was already dead drunk.
After that, how many times did I repeat the process of greeting everyone I knew one by one?
Before I realized it, my vision had started to shake and blur.
Ah, damn.
I was completely drunk.
My stomach was still fine, thankfully, but I could no longer tell heaven from earth.
Could I even get into a taxi like this?
While I was worrying about that, Lee Ye-ji came up to me.
"Team Leader!"
"...Ah, Ye-ji."
"Aigoo! What kind of person stays up all night and drinks this much?"
Fair enough.
What kind of drink had I had, exactly?
My strength suddenly drained away, and I collapsed back into my seat.
Lee Ye-ji looked at me and said,
"I'll go buy some fermented oriental raisin tea, so please wait in the car!"
After Lee Ye-ji left, the world started spinning again.
I couldn't tell what I was doing now, or where I was... I couldn't make anything out.
Had it really been this long since I got this drunk?
I had promised myself I'd never get this wasted again, but it's hard to stay sober while living a social life.
As I was thinking that and lifting my head, someone called,
"Kwon Chan."
Someone was calling me.
In the barely visible blur of my vision, I focused on that silhouette.
A sharp nose, pale white skin.
Even with a hat on, her features were so clear that her beauty couldn't be hidden.
And it wasn't just her face that was beautiful; the faint fragrance drifting from her was as sweet as her looks.
I closed my eyes for a moment and savored that scent.
Ah, right.
This smell, I'd never forget it.
Because there was only one woman in the world whose scent was beautiful too.
I opened my eyes again.
The faint afterimage from a moment ago had taken on shape.
The actress I'd been unable to run into all day, even though we were in the same place.
The one I'd wanted to see all the more because of that.
The corner of my mouth curved into a deep arc.
"Lee Ha-eun."
At my call, the actress's eyes went wide.
***
Lee Ha-eun stood with her arms crossed, looking down at Kwon Chan.
Her gaze drifted to both of his ears.
They were red.
When he got drunk, his face stayed perfectly normal, but his ears turned oddly red.
This man was definitely drunk.
Lee Ha-eun let out a long sigh.
"This is the first time I've really seen your face today, and you're drunk?"
Kwon Chan covered his face and muttered,
"Sorry."
Lee Ha-eun moved her lips as if she had something to say, then shut them again.
She had a lot she wanted to say, but it wasn't something to say in front of a drunk person, so she swallowed it down inside.
Instead, she just watched Kwon Chan closely.
He was usually so sharp there wasn't a gap to slip a finger into, but today he was looser than usual, almost alarmingly so.
The sight was a little strange, but also unfamiliar.
"Should I take a picture or something?"
Him losing his head from drink, a little...
Cute?
Just as Lee Ha-eun was seriously wondering whether she should take a photo, Kwon Chan suddenly lifted his head and called her name.
"Lee Ha-eun."
"What?"
"Why are you so cute?"
"?"
"Do you even know how pretty and cute you are?"
Lee Ha-eun's pupils shook.
Watching her, Kwon Chan smiled brightly.
"You know I've been thinking only about you lately, right?"
...Lee Ha-eun's mouth fell open in shock.
---