Reading
Jeon Hyeong-u’s question left a sour look on my face.
So Lee Ha-eun was interested in animals?
Not at all.
That woman didn’t even like other people. There was no way she liked animals.
At that, Seok-du-hyung tilted his head.
"Actress Lee Ha-eun watches animal videos? Seriously?"
"Yes. But why are you reacting like that, Team Leader?"
"I mean... I just think it’s funny. A woman who doesn’t even like other people watches that kind of NUTube? But why predators, of all things? Don’t people usually watch cat or dog videos?"
Seok-du-hyung said what I was thinking for me.
Jeon Hyeong-u blinked.
"Really? Maybe you’ve got it wrong. Actress Lee Ha-eun watches animal-related NUTube like crazy."
"...What is this. Did she change into a different person?"
Watching the two of them talk, I crossed my arms.
So, like Seok-du-hyung said, maybe her tastes changed while I wasn’t looking?
Did she secretly get a pet or something?
Was that why she hadn’t been contacting me?
If her attention had shifted somewhere else, should I count that as good news?
While I was thinking that, Seok-du-hyung stood up.
"Ugh, I don’t know anymore."
"Where are you going, Team Leader?"
"I’ve got an afternoon meeting, so I’m heading out. You kids have fun."
Team Leader Ma Seok-du got to his feet.
And while I was still trying to crawl out of that Lee Ha-eun swamp, I checked the time.
I should head back up soon.
I had a meeting scheduled today.
If I went now and got ready, I wouldn’t be late.
I stood and said,
"Hyeong-u, should we head back up too? I’ve got a meeting at the company today."
"Ah, right! I’ve still got to write my report too... Ugh! Just thinking about it makes me mad. I have to write almost a whole month’s worth today!"
Together with Jeon Hyeong-u, I headed to Baekhak headquarters.
We passed the first-floor lobby and pressed the elevator button.
As I waited, a voice I knew well and yet somehow didn’t know at all stabbed into my ear.
I turned my head.
"Ah, n-no, hey, Seung-jun!"
"Don’t call my name if you’re going to annoy me."
"...Haah. I, uh, apologize about the advertising meeting."
"Why are you apologizing all the time? If you’re sorry, then do your job properly. Should I list the last ad you blew too?"
It was Manager Lee Jae-min from Management Team 3.
And beside him was...actor Lee Seung-jun.
An idol-turned-actor with decent visuals and acting chops, he had climbed all the way to a leading role in a terrestrial weekend drama, making him an A-list actor.
With both his idol fandom and drama fandom behind him, he was one of the rising stars riding a pretty strong wave lately.
I clicked my tongue without meaning to.
Of course I had to run into those two.
My relationship with Manager Lee Jae-min was already bad enough after the last round of trash-talking...
And Lee Seung-jun was honestly the type I didn’t want to cross paths with either.
Little Lee Ha-eun.
If Lee Ha-eun was genuine insanity, then Lee Seung-jun was... right.
A classic case of celebrity disease with a rotten personality.
The kind of guy who got hot overnight and had his character devoured by it.
Whether the rumor was true or not, Manager Lee Jae-min was sweating buckets, clearly trying to read Lee Seung-jun’s mood.
Ignoring the rising tension as best I could, I looked away.
Then Lee Jae-min and Lee Seung-jun, who had come over this way, spotted me and stopped arguing.
Lee Seung-jun stared at me blankly and asked,
"You’re the Star Manager, right?"
...Damn it.
That again? Star Manager?
Lee Seung-jun, who had just been chewing out Lee Jae-min, now turned his attention to me.
"You’re the manager from Star Observation!, right? That’s got to be you."
I lifted the corner of my mouth and turned to him.
"Yes, Lee Seung-jun. I’m not the Star Manager, but I am the manager who appeared on Star Observation!."
"Wow... Nice to meet you. I watched Star Observation! too. You showed up there like Superman, didn’t you?"
"Seems the edit was a little exaggerated."
"Really? For something exaggerated, the picture sure looked strange."
Lee Seung-jun smiled slyly.
"Who was it again? To.Any? That girl looked completely smitten with you, Manager."
My eyebrow twitched.
...Should I just headbutt him?
Before I knew it, I was seriously considering it, but then I caught the expression on Lee Jae-min’s face as he grinned beside Lee Seung-jun.
I let out a short breath.
Fine.
I’d let it go once.
I couldn’t afford to start trouble right before the Black Bride reading.
So I summoned some inhuman patience and ignored Lee Seung-jun.
Unfortunately, that bastard didn’t seem interested in leaving me alone.
He slid right up beside me.
"Come to think of it, you’re the manager for Seo Tae-jun, right?"
"..."
"How’s that guy doing lately? I heard he dumped all his usual romance nonsense and took the lead in an occult project instead."
My mouth curved upward.
By then Lee Seung-jun was talking without pause.
"Seriously, what is he thinking? He’s probably got some artsy disease and wants to broaden his acting range, but doesn’t he have any brains?"
"..."
"I mean, what if he tanks the whole project because of his own greed? Doesn’t he think about the company or the work itself? And yet his pride is ridiculous. You got pushed around by him too, didn’t you, Star Manager? That guy’s been notorious for his personality problems for years..."
Mm.
Right.
If I kept holding back any longer, I’d be a moron.
I turned and met Lee Seung-jun’s eyes.
"Lee Seung-jun."
"Yeah?"
"Even if Seo Tae-jun’s personality sucks, isn’t he still better than you?"
Lee Seung-jun’s shoulders jumped.
"...Hah? What’s that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I said."
I smiled brightly.
With the biggest smile I could manage.
"Wouldn’t Seo Tae-jun still be better than an entertainer who bullies his manager just because his own status dropped and he lost an ad?"
Lee Seung-jun’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.
Seeing that expression change, I knew it instantly.
I’d just gone and headbutted him for real.
But I didn’t regret it.
In my book, sitting there quietly and taking it while he badmouthed one of my actors would have been the bigger idiot move.
Lee Seung-jun, who had frozen solid, let out a disbelieving laugh.
"Hah? What the fuck? What are you trying to do? Are you picking a fight with me right now?"
You’re the one who picked it.
Then Manager Lee Jae-min, who had been watching silently, cut into the conversation.
"Hey! Manager Kwon! What the hell do you think you’re saying to Seung-jun?"
"..."
"He said something a little too harsh, so you think you can talk like that too? You’re a manager, and you can’t even read the room?"
Well, look at that.
As soon as he got the chance, he started barking at me. It was less frightening than pathetic.
But the situation was not in my favor.
"Star Manager? No, what’s your name?"
Lee Seung-jun, now fully heated, glared at me with sharp eyes.
The look on his face made it clear he had no intention of backing off.
I folded my arms and thought it over.
How should I handle this?
Or should I just push back even harder?
Just as I was weighing it carefully, an unfamiliar hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.
I stumbled one step away, and Seo Tae-jun, the one I was supposed to meet today, walked out.
My eyes widened.
"Seo Tae-jun?"
"Wait a second, Manager."
Seo Tae-jun was wearing a look I’d never seen before.
It was the face of a man so angry he looked ready to explode.
"Lee Seung-jun."
A cold edge ran through Seo Tae-jun’s voice.
"What the hell are you doing grabbing my manager, you bastard who supposedly dropped so low?"
Lee Seung-jun, who had been running wild without knowing his place, flinched and stumbled back under that vicious glare.
"S-Seo Tae-jun? What the hell? Where did you come from?"
"That’s what I want to ask."
Seo Tae-jun’s frosty gaze shifted to Manager Lee Jae-min.
"I’d like an explanation for how the two of you suddenly showed up and started running your mouths at my manager. Anyone going to explain?"
A beat later, I noticed the situation with a start.
Seo Tae-jun’s clenched fist did not look normal.
This time I grabbed his shoulder and said,
"Tae-jun, calm down."
"Hey, let go, Manager."
"Everyone’s staring. If you’re going to fight, take it outside."
Seo Tae-jun snapped his head around.
Only then, after realizing the lobby entrance had drawn a crowd, did he click his tongue and step back.
Seeing that he had calmed down, I tilted my chin toward Manager Lee Jae-min.
"You can go now, Manager Lee."
Manager Lee Jae-min, who had frozen up under Seo Tae-jun’s glare, jerked in surprise.
"W-what? You want me to go?"
"Yes. Or do you want to keep going?"
The corner of my mouth lifted, thin and cold.
"I’m confident. Want to see how this ends?"
At my provocation, Manager Lee Jae-min shut his mouth tight.
I did cross the line too, but he was the first one over it.
Knowing that, he couldn’t exactly argue.
Meanwhile, Lee Seung-jun, who had been watching from the side, scowled hard and took the elevator out of there.
Manager Lee Jae-min followed him in a rush, finally coming to his senses.
Jeon Hyeong-u, who had been holding his breath beside me the whole time, let out a sigh.
"...Hah. What the hell were those guys, anyway?"
I’d like to know that myself.
They started a fight out of nowhere, then disappeared out of nowhere.
What the hell were those guys?
Seo Tae-jun irritably brushed his bangs back.
Except he had a buzz cut, so there wasn’t much bang to brush.
He let out a heavy sigh and muttered,
"Damn. I completely forgot about that bastard. He’s with Baekhak too, right?"
I snapped my head around and glared at him.
"Seo Tae-jun."
"Yeah?"
"Okay, showing up looking cool is one thing, but were you seriously going to hit him?"
Seo Tae-jun shrugged.
"Of course not. No matter how wild I get, huh? I still live by the law."
"Then why’d you clench your fist like that?"
"Because I was pissed."
"What kind of kid gets so mad he wants to hit someone?"
"No, seriously, I was annoyed. Then why did you step in without holding back, Manager?"
My eyes went wide.
What.
Had he heard all of that?
Seo Tae-jun stuck out his lips like a duck and grumbled,
"That guy’s a psycho. Who knows what he might do, so you should be keeping your temper in check too, Manager."
I had no response.
Put like that, I wasn’t exactly in a position to lecture him.
Jeon Hyeong-u, who had been watching the two of us in silence, muttered under his breath,
"Well, there’s the manager, and there’s the celebrity."
Seo Tae-jun and I both grimaced at the same time.
***
We moved the meeting location.
I rode in Seo Tae-jun’s sports car to a nearby Japanese restaurant.
As expected from a place chosen by a true foodie like Seo Tae-jun, the smell of something savory drifted out from the entrance.
Once we sat down, Seo Tae-jun’s complaints began.
"It was when I got cast in that KBN project with Lee Seung-jun."
As expected, Lee Seung-jun and Seo Tae-jun really did have bad blood.
Though honestly, was this even just bad blood?
"I was the lead and that bastard Lee Seung-jun was a supporting actor, but the truth is, the lead role had originally been his. Then he got pushed down to supporting because of me, and after that he kept picking fights with me every time we met."
From the way he told it, it sounded like Lee Seung-jun’s jealousy had been entirely one-sided.
Well, of course...
"But you think I’m the type to just sit there and take it?"
"...No, you’re not."
"Exactly. I hit him twice as hard and sent it right back. That was the end of it. That was the whole of my relationship with Lee Seung-jun."
So Seo Tae-jun was the one who fueled that sense of grievance and jealousy.
A dry laugh escaped me.
"Calm that temper down and live a little."
"I don’t need to hear that from you, Manager."
"...Fair. Come to think of it, I can’t exactly calm mine down either."
While we talked, the tonkatsu we’d ordered arrived.
Seo Tae-jun placed mine in front of me first and said,
"Don’t get tangled up with Lee Seung-jun. You don’t dodge because the shit is scary. You dodge because it’s disgusting."
"I get it, so stop nagging."
"After what I saw today, I really don’t trust you, you know? Anyway..."
Seo Tae-jun picked up his water glass and tilted his head.
"Why’d you contact me first and ask to meet?"
I looked at his face for a moment, then said it outright.
"You’re not on drugs, right?"
"Pffft-!"
Seo Tae-jun sprayed water everywhere and stared at me in disbelief.
"Manager. Have you lost your mind?"
Mm.
No, then.
If he was reacting like that and still doing drugs, I’d have to admit he was impressive.
I lifted the corner of my mouth and smiled brightly.
"Just kidding. Just kidding."
"What kind of joke..."
"No, seriously. The whole drug issue has been a mess lately, so I figured I’d ask just in case. More importantly..."
I trailed off and changed the mood.
"The reading’s right around the corner. How’s practice going? Is the acting coming along well?"
Seo Tae-jun wrinkled his nose.
"Well... by my standards, it’s going well."
"By your standards?"
"I’m not sure. Acting is relative, right?"
True enough.
That was why leads were usually cast with actors of similar stature.
When the chemistry had to be balanced, if one side was too weak, the flaws stood out more clearly than the visuals.
Seo Tae-jun muttered in a low voice,
"This kind of acting is new for me... and Lee Ha-eun, damn it. I don’t want to admit it, but she’s got a lot of experience in this kind of role, too, right?"
My eyes widened.
Even Seo Tae-jun, of all people, worried about this kind of thing?
"I’m not without confidence, but... I can’t help feeling a little restless. It’s Lee Ha-eun, after all."
I folded my arms and thought it through.
Should I encourage him, or should I stoke his competitive fire?
Knowing Seo Tae-jun’s personality...
Right.
This wasn’t even a question.
I spoke immediately.
"You’ll get eaten alive."
Seo Tae-jun’s brows twitched.
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"If you act too casually, Lee Ha-eun will drag you around by the nose."
"!"
"The Lee Ha-eun acting I’ve seen up close... yeah. She doesn’t make concessions. If the other actor can’t keep up, she just covers everything herself and keeps going."
I raised my head and quietly checked Seo Tae-jun’s expression.
There was a competitive fire burning in his black eyes.
"Our Manager Kwon is trying to provoke me again?"
"Oh? That sounded like provocation?"
"Cut the act. I’ve got your personality figured out by now."
Seo Tae-jun’s mouth curled upward.
"But still... I can’t exactly let this provocation slide, can I? Me, getting eaten alive by Lee Ha-eun?"
My own mouth rose with his.
Yes. This was the Seo Tae-jun I knew.
I laughed inwardly and shrugged.
"Then I can look forward to it, right?"
I leaned forward.
"On reading day... I can expect Seo Tae-jun to swallow Lee Ha-eun whole with his acting, right?"
Seo Tae-jun snorted.
"Why just swallow her whole? I was planning to pin her down."
That answer made me laugh out loud.
That’s so Seo Tae-jun it hurts.
At this point, well...
It looked like I’d given the confidence-starved Seo Tae-jun exactly the motivation he needed.
Then a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
What about Lee Ha-eun?
The reading was right around the corner now. With her schedule so packed, had she actually managed to practice properly?
After thinking it over for a while, I shook my head.
No. It’s Lee Ha-eun.
Of all things, this one I could trust about her.
A monster of acting.
The Lee Ha-eun I knew was... right.
The best actor in the world, hands down.
And she was someone who worked harder at acting than anyone else.
Worrying about Lee Ha-eun’s performance quality would be a luxury.
My lips slowly curved upward.
Now I’m starting to look forward to it.Black Bride was just ahead.
What kind of performance would the top actress show?
***
Two days passed after the meeting with Seo Tae-jun.
- [HOT!] Black Bride rises from the quarter’s most anticipated title to the quarter’s hottest topic...!
The flood of promotional articles about Black Bride finally started to settle.
But the attention was still very much ongoing.
Through NUTube Shorts and SNS tweets, Black Bride kept getting mentioned.
In particular, Lee Ha-eun’s fandom was paying close attention to this reading.
- Ahhhhh T_TTTTTTTTT
- I really want to see our queen’s next project ASAP lol
- They’ll release stills from the reading, right...?
- If they don’t, that’s basically a crime...
- They will. Our queen’s number one on the actor-interest ranking right now, so they’ve gotta milk the views!
- Guess I’ll rewatch Queen of Joseon while I wait...
- She looked like she’d lost a little weight in that airport fashion shot, and somehow she got even prettier!
The more I checked those reactions in real time...
The more my own anticipation started to explode.
It wasn’t even the actual shoot yet, just the reading... but still.
If it felt good from the reading alone, then the real shoot would hit hard too.
And there’s something else I need to do.
Since this was the first reading, all the actors would be gathered in one place.
I...
was planning to catch the tail of that drug addict in the middle of everyone gathered there.
And so time passed, and at last the day arrived.
- [Breaking] The quarter’s hottest title, Black Bride, holds a closed reading today at Cafe A in Jongno-gu...!
The long-awaited Black Bride reading was finally happening today.