Not Fun!
The theater cafe.
Across from me, a man in a Hawaiian shirt that seemed allergic to the season kept slurping down cola.
I was so dumbfounded that I forgot to be polite and asked before I could stop myself, "What brings you here?"
At my question, SAG CEO Park Su-chan gave his cola glass a little shake and said, "I came to the movie theater to watch a movie. What else would I be here for?"
And he expected me to believe that?
My gaze narrowed on Park Su-chan.
Whether I believed him or not, he calmly looked over the Black Bride poster, his expression unruffled.
Watching him for a moment, I let out a long sigh and got to my feet.
"If you have nothing to say, I’m leaving."
Without taking his eyes off the Black Bride poster, Park Su-chan replied, "Make some time for me."
"There’s still plenty of time before the movie starts."
"I’m not talking about the movie’s time. I’m talking about your time, Manager Kwon."
With a soft thud, Park Su-chan set the Black Bride poster down.
Pretending not to know what he meant, I tilted my head. "Didn’t you say you came here to watch a movie?"
"To watch a movie, and to see you, Manager Kwon. Well, killing two birds with one stone."
With that, Park Su-chan grinned.
Wearing a sour expression, I asked, "I’m a little busy today."
"I won’t keep you long. Ah, should we just get to the point?"
Park Su-chan leaned toward me.
"How would you feel about becoming an executive in the management division?"
"Pardon?"
"It’d look a little awkward if you jumped straight into that seat, so start as a team leader for now. Wait one year, just one year, and I’ll give you the executive position in the management division. How does that sound?"
My eyes widened.
What?
...What the hell was he talking about?
Was he saying he was offering me an executive position at the company?
Directly from the SAG CEO?
So shocked I could only clamp my mouth shut.
Meanwhile, Park Su-chan kept explaining.
"If you sit in an executive seat at SAG, you’ll get plenty of investment offers. As you know, what’s the endgame in this business? Starting your own company."
He wasn’t wrong.
For a manager, a job with miserable pay and no hope of work-life balance, the only real dream was exactly what Park Su-chan said: build your own career, then found your own company.
"If you stay at Baekhak, how many years would it take before you could start your own company, Manager Kwon?" Park Su-chan folded his arms with a leisurely look.
"Five years? Hard to say. You’d have to wait at least ten. But if you come to us, we can cut that down to five."
If those conditions held true, then it wasn’t exactly wrong.
That made my expression turn strange.
"Why are you doing this?"
Park Su-chan gave a low chuckle.
"Hm, because I like you, Team Leader Kwon?"
"I didn’t think you were the type to casually offer an executive seat just because you liked someone."
"Oh? That’s a pretty good read of me. You’re right. I’m not offering you that seat just because I like you, Team Leader Kwon."
Park Su-chan snapped his fingers.
"First of all, if I snatch you away, it’s obvious Baek CEO will be pissed, right?"
...I was so dumbfounded my mouth opened before I could stop it.
So if he took me, Baek CEO would get angry?
That was the reason he was offering me an executive position?
Wondering if he was messing with me, I stared at him hard, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
Park Su-chan was serious.
"That’s the first reason. The second is just what I said earlier: I personally like you, Team Leader Kwon. How should I put it..."
Trailing off, Park Su-chan broke into a snicker.
"You’re kind of interesting."
Keeping my face under control, I answered, "I’m not an interesting person."
"Ah, really? I’m not talking about your personality or anything like that. I mean your stance. The way you keep turning me down even though I’m coming after you like this."
All at once, Park Su-chan prodded right into the sore spot.
"You’re not interested in money, are you, Team Leader Kwon?"
"I, uh, do like money."
"Ah, wrong wording. It’s not like money is everything in this line of work, right?"
If he put it that way...
That was true.
What I did wasn’t all about money.
There were a lot of reasons mixed together.
Meanwhile, Park Su-chan made the offer again.
"Those parts are what I like, too. So why wouldn’t I try to bring you over? Besides, you’re not the kind of guy who can’t do the job. You personally handled Black Bride, didn’t you?"
Park Su-chan leaned forward a little.
"What do you say? If we work together, I think we’d get along pretty well. You and I seem to have a similar wavelength, Team Leader Kwon."
At that, I thought it over for a moment.
I didn’t know about wavelengths, but purely on the conditions, it was definitely tempting.
SAG wasn’t some second-rate company compared to Baekhak, and the executive seat in the management division was the dream position for managers in this business.
But I still wasn’t moved.
Even though Park Su-chan’s first impression had improved a little since our first meeting.
So I answered without much hesitation.
"I’ll pass."
"Ah, rejected again, huh?"
Park Su-chan clicked his tongue, then shrugged as if he wasn’t all that attached to the idea.
"That’s a shame. I may be a little flippant, so my words come out that way too, but I really was serious."
"Maybe it just isn’t fate."
"Really? Then is it fate between Baek CEO and you, Team Leader Kwon?"
I tilted my head. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
"Baek CEO has a talent for throwing people away."
My eyes widened slightly.
Watching my reaction, Park Su-chan went on.
"Right now he’ll probably act like he’s cherishing you and pouring everything into you, but the moment you’re no longer useful, he’ll toss you aside."
My gaze narrowed.
Was this bastard trying to drive a wedge between us?
But strangely enough, there wasn’t the slightest hint of that in Park Su-chan’s face.
Unlike before, his serious expression carried a firm conviction that Baek CEO would indeed discard me.
That caught me off guard, and then Park Su-chan suddenly seemed startled too.
"Oops."
Holding his popcorn and cola, his face turned awkward.
"I guess this is where we stop for today."
At that, I blinked in confusion and turned my head.
At the table across from us.
There was Lee Ha-eun, in black jeans and a short rider jacket, staring daggers at Park Su-chan.
Maybe it was because of her long legs.
Even that simple outfit radiated an aura that was impossible to describe.
And that aura was cold.
Lee Ha-eun, the top-star actress who gave off a chill like winter itself.
As her frigid expression made my eyes widen slightly, Park Su-chan clicked his tongue and muttered, "Looks like a fully enraged lioness has appeared."
***
Lee Ha-eun’s gaze followed Park Su-chan as he drifted away.
I watched her carefully from beside her.
What’s wrong with her?
She’d shown up already furious, and not in a normal way.
As someone who could rightly call myself Dr. Lee Ha-eun, I could guarantee it: she was one hundred percent genuinely angry.
And my guess wasn’t wrong.
Lee Ha-eun’s voice rose, sharp and high. "What did you do with that man?"
Before I could stop myself, I answered in a small voice, "Nothing..."
"If you did nothing, why was he here?"
At her words, I asked without thinking, "Lee Ha-eun, are you mad right now?"
Her expression wavered for a brief second.
She was an actress by trade.
Even so, she couldn’t keep her face straight and looked adrift for a moment before scowling and flicking her hair back.
Seeing her like that, like she had plenty to say, I grabbed her wrist.
"!"
Lee Ha-eun looked up, startled.
I led her away from the seat and into the hallway beside the guest waiting room.
Once I made sure no one was around, I turned back to her.
"What are you doing showing up without even wearing sunglasses?"
"..."
Instead of answering, Lee Ha-eun stared hard at my hand still holding her.
"Kwon Chan."
"Yes."
"You’ve gotten awfully comfortable with skinship lately, haven’t you?"
Startled, I finally let go of her wrist.
A tiny smile lifted the corner of Lee Ha-eun’s mouth.
"Why? You could’ve kept holding on."
"What are you even saying? More importantly, why are you so angry?"
Lee Ha-eun’s voice softened a little as she answered, "I’m not angry."
"Liar. You were just angry a second ago."
"That was... because you were with that man."
Lee Ha-eun looked at me and asked, "Why did that man come looking for you?"
After a brief pause, I answered honestly. "He told me to come work for his company."
Lee Ha-eun’s eyes widened.
"He offered you a job transfer?"
"Yeah."
Her expression turned strange again.
In the way only a face can, I could see urgency and unease mixed together.
Her voice came out rough and shaky. "You didn’t say yes, did you?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Don’t worry. I turned him down."
Even after my answer, the worry didn’t leave her face.
Only then did I realize something was off and explained again. "What time do I have to be thinking about switching jobs? I shut him down immediately, so don’t worry."
Lee Ha-eun stared at me intently, her eyes trembling slightly.
I met that gaze without looking away, and only then did the fear in her expression begin to recede.
Even so, I could still feel the lingering fear in her face, so I slowly bent down to meet her at eye level.
"Are you really that worried about me changing companies?"
At that, Lee Ha-eun answered plainly.
"Yeah. I am."
I laughed to myself.
Ah... this woman.
Why was she so damn cute these days?
Thanks to the sudden meeting with Park Su-chan, my taut nerves had softened like jelly.
"I’m not going anywhere. Don’t worry."
"..."
"So relax your face. You always nag me for scowling, and now look at you."
I lifted a hand and lightly rubbed the middle of her brow.
Lee Ha-eun looked back at me with her eyes wide open.
Meeting that look, I gave her a small grin.
"We still have to go do the stage greeting. You’re not planning to go up there looking like this, are you?"
Lee Ha-eun murmured while looking at me, "Why, do you think I look prettier when I smile?"
This time, I flinched.
Seizing the opening, Lee Ha-eun teased me with an easy expression.
"Well, someone did say I’m the prettiest woman in the world when I smile."
...Damn it.
I take back the cute part.
How was it that this woman never gave an inch?
Still, our usual back-and-forth loosened the mood between us.
Lee Ha-eun and I both let out small laughs at the same time, as if by some impossible coincidence.
And in that moment, I straightened from where I’d been hunched over.
"It’s time. Shall we go get ready?"
I started toward the set stage.
Lee Ha-eun followed close beside me.
"As the actress with the prettiest smile in the world, make sure you smile well today too. This is the stage greeting for six million admissions, after all. You know what I mean, right?"
***
Starting with the stage greeting, the full promotional campaign got underway.
TV variety shows, NutTube, ad shoots, interviews.
Any medium that could carry promotion, we accepted it all without discrimination.
Subway ads, billboards, commercials, even NutTube ads and community posts.
Literally wherever you looked, posters and promo videos for Black Bride were everywhere.
It was a brutal schedule, no question, and you could feel the actors and staff being ground down by it.
But the effort had absolutely paid off.
The cumulative audience for Black Bride had crossed 6 million.
To reach 10 million... we were less than halfway there now.
Maybe that was why.
My phone was practically on fire from all the congratulations flooding in from every direction.
Still, I felt a little disappointed.
"The pace is starting to slow down."
The momentum itself wasn’t bad.
But... how should I put it?
It felt like there just wasn’t enough force behind it to carry us to 10 million.
I didn’t know why the pace had suddenly broken.
Both audiences and critics were praising it, and the promotion was moving smoothly.
Even with everything going this well, it still didn’t feel strong enough to hit 10 million?
More than disappointment, I could only let out a sigh.
But from another angle, maybe that was only natural.
The title of 10 million viewers sounds light enough, but in reality it means one out of every four people in the country saw the same movie.
That meant one out of every four people you passed on the street had seen it too, and if that record could be reached casually more than once, then something would be wrong with the world.
Still, it wasn’t as if all chance had vanished.
For Black Bride, and for me.
The chance was still there.
The Hollywood flagship series Apocalypse.
The series’ massive new installment was finally going head-to-head with Black Bride in the third week of May.
***
Baekhak headquarters.
The fourth team leader stared straight at me.
More than a manager, he looked like he ought to be in a rock band, and his fierce gaze made me a little awkward.
"Is there something on my face, Team Leader Four?"
Team Leader Four muttered in a low voice, "I should’ve been the one to bring you in."
"?"
"Damn it! I should’ve poached Team Leader Kwon before you got this big!"
That left me staring at him in disbelief.
What the hell was he talking about all of a sudden?
Team Leader Ma Seok-du, standing beside him, chimed in. "Come on, Team Leader Four, don’t you remember how you used to say Team Leader Kwon looked like a thug with a filthy face and seemed like a rude bastard?"
Team Leader Four glared. "Why are you dragging up something from ages ago, Team Leader Five?"
"What, just because it was a long time ago means it never happened?"
"Since when were you the kind of person who cared about reason and due order?"
With that, Team Leader Four glanced at me.
"Team Leader Kwon, you know that’s not what I mean, right?"
I knew that wasn’t what he meant.
So, for the love of God, I wanted him to move out of my seat.
I already had someone to meet today, and plenty of work to do, so this was seriously inconvenient.
But judging by the atmosphere, Team Leader Four and all the managers who’d crowded around me didn’t look like they were going to budge anytime soon.
In the end, I sighed, set down the documents I’d been holding, and folded my arms.
"What are you all so curious about?"
Team Leader Four asked with a grin, "How much of a bonus are you getting, Team Leader Kwon?"
"I don’t know."
"Come on, just tell us once! Two of the actors you handled are in a movie that’s about to become a 10-million-viewer hit. You’re telling me you got nothing?"
I could feel the ears of Team Leader Five and the other managers gathered near my desk prick up at that.
I wanted to satisfy that curiosity, but I had to have actually received something first.
Then an all-too-familiar voice cut into the conversation.
"It’s still got a long way to go before it hits 10 million, doesn’t it?"
The managers, including Team Leader Four, turned their heads.
My own gaze followed naturally, and there was Team Leader Lee Jae-min, sipping his coffee.
"Besides, I saw that the Apocalypse series opens this week, too."
Team Leader Four asked back, looking annoyed, "Our Team Leader Three sounds like he’s hoping it won’t become a 10-million movie."
"Come on, Team Leader Four. Why would I do that? I’m just saying it’s realistically difficult."
Team Leader Lee Jae-min shrugged.
"No matter how strong Black Bride is, once Hollywood’s $200 million blockbuster Apocalypse series opens, hitting 10 million won’t be easy, will it?"
"..."
Team Leader Four mumbled with an awkward expression. "That’s true, but... never mind. Anyway, what’s up with you today? Why are you dressed like that?"
Team Leader Four’s eyes swept over Team Leader Lee Jae-min, who was dressed more formally than usual in a suit.
"What, did you come from a wedding or something?"
"Not a wedding. I came from a meeting."
"A meeting? What kind of meeting?"
"A meeting for Backstreet Police."
Team Leader Lee Jae-min glanced at me in a subtle way.
I met that look with a stare that clearly said, What are you looking at?
Startled, Team Leader Lee Jae-min looked away from me and started rambling.
"It was a production meeting today, and it looks like SBS is going to back Backstreet Police all the way. They’ve already wrapped the rights deal with China, and if things go well, they’re even aiming for a simultaneous Netflix release."
Team Leader Four let out a low exclamation. "China rights and Netflix? That’d be huge."
"Right? Whew... though I’m not sure I should even be talking about this in front of Team Leader Kwon."
"And why’s that?"
"Well, Backstreet Police was originally supposed to be yours, Team Leader Kwon."
Team Leader Four looked shocked. "Huh? Seriously?"
"Yes! It was supposed to go to Team Leader Kwon, but he turned it down. And when I heard the reason..."
Team Leader Lee Jae-min trailed off, then looked at me again.
"Apparently, the actor originally meant for Backstreet Police, Kwon Hyeon-bin, suddenly got hit with acting syndrome."
At that, I tilted my head.
Kwon Hyeon-bin got hit with acting syndrome?
Wasn’t that the project I’d actually pushed him into taking?
But there was no chance to tell the truth.
All the managers were already straining their ears toward Team Leader Lee Jae-min.
Team Leader Four, standing nearby, egged him on and asked, "No way, is that really true?"
"Of course! That Kwon Hyeon-bin suddenly got hit with acting syndrome and dropped Backstreet Police."
"Jeez... if that’s true, then that’s a bit much."
"Right? But what can you do?"
Team Leader Lee Jae-min shrugged as if to show off.
"When an actor at Kwon Hyeon-bin’s level gets picky about a project, that’s a natural disaster. A disaster."
Team Leader Four was about to answer when he hesitated.
In the meantime, I slowly shifted my gaze to the space behind Team Leader Lee Jae-min.
Hm.
The person who needed to come had arrived right on time.
Whether he noticed or not, Team Leader Lee Jae-min kept looking at me and shook his head.
"Anyway, I’m sorry things turned out like this, Team Leader Kwon."
"..."
"But you know there wasn’t anything I could do, right? That’s just how luck works for people. Still, we’re all family here, so I’ll buy you a meal sometime. Anything you want to eat?"
I kept my eyes fixed on the space behind him and answered, "No, I’m fine."
"Come on, no need to refuse."
"No, I really don’t need it."
"?"
A question mark seemed to appear on Team Leader Lee Jae-min’s face.
At the same time, Team Leader Four and the others crowding around my desk began to step back.
Only now, with the space around my desk finally clearing a little, did I stand up and say, "You’re here?"
My greeting echoed through the office in a cool, low voice.
"Yes, I’m here."
Team Leader Lee Jae-min flinched.
Then, his expression stiffened, and he slowly turned his head to look behind him.
Standing there behind Team Leader Lee Jae-min was...
Hallyu star Kwon Hyeon-bin, his head tilted slightly, staring blankly ahead.
When I turned my head a little, I saw Team Leader Lee Jae-min’s complexion go pale blue.
Well, yes.
If I were him, I’d be dizzy too.
Then Kwon Hyeon-bin opened his mouth.
"The actor with acting syndrome has arrived, Team Leader Kwon."
Ah, our Kwon Hyeon-bin.
You heard every bit of Team Leader Lee Jae-min’s trash talk, didn’t you?
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