Boundary
Honestly, I’d been worried about this Black Bride script reading from the start.
A junkie hiding out like a rat in the shadows.
With Lee Ha-eun joining the project, the anticipation had only grown, but the suspicious looks aimed at Black Bride had never really gone away.
And then I went and stood in front of Chairman Baek, boldly claiming we were looking at ten million viewers.
One incident piled on top of another, and the scale of it all kept growing. Naturally, the weight on my shoulders, right at the center of that storm, grew heavier too.
But... yeah.
At least the other problems were manageable.
If I ran myself ragged enough, I could still clean things up with my own hands.
There was just one issue I couldn’t control.
Lee Ha-eun.
The top-star actress leading this project was the one thing I couldn’t rein in.
Well, of course not.
Even God probably couldn’t predict what Lee Ha-eun might do after suddenly deciding she liked me.
So I’d been on edge, but thankfully it turned out to be unnecessary worry.
She’d gone off-script at first when she made her entrance, but after that she completely took over the atmosphere in the reading room as the lead actress.
Right. I’d almost forgotten.
For all I knew, Lee Ha-eun was more professional than anyone else when it came to acting.
That was why she could wear the label of a crazy woman and still remain the most beloved actress in the industry.
Thanks to that, the Black Bride script reading ended on a good note.
And at the center of it all was top-star actress Lee Ha-eun.
Her astonishing performance as the lead had carried the reading to a successful close.
Which meant... I couldn’t bring myself to refuse Lee Ha-eun’s invitation.
"What are you doing? Buy me dinner."
"..."
"Were you seriously planning to leave without seeing me after this?"
I hated admitting it, but yes.
Lee Ha-eun had shown the best side of herself today, the best performance she could possibly give as the lead actress.
Buying a meal for an actor like that was the least I could do as the manager in charge.
But that didn’t mean I could walk into a lion’s den without armor.
So I called in the human shields who would keep me alive.
"Seo Tae-jun, Jeon Hyeong-u."
"Yes?"
"Dinner’s on me, so let’s go eat."
The day of the first script reading ended, and I took my actors out for our first company dinner.
****
An upscale Chinese restaurant in Jongno.
Seo Tae-jun stared across the table at the pair of man and woman with a strange look on his face.
"No, really, Lee Ha-eun? We came all the way to a Chinese place because of you, and now you’re not eating?"
"I’ll gain weight if I eat."
"...Are you kidding me right now?"
"You eat more. You like jajangmyeon, don’t you?"
"I’m already eating plenty."
Lee Ha-eun snorted a laugh.
"A guy who’s already eating plenty has a face that looks half-dead. What, do you usually skip meals?"
I replied with a flat expression.
"I take care of myself just fine."
"I told you. Taking on rookies is a pain."
"If I’d been managing you, it would’ve been the same pain."
"Really? I think suffering is easier to bear when you’re being treated well."
"Stop nagging and eat. Aren’t you going to eat? Your noodles are going to get soggy."
Lee Ha-eun’s lips curled in amusement.
"If you want to feed me that badly, then feed me."
My brow furrowed.
Seeing that change in my expression, Lee Ha-eun burst into a fit of quiet laughter and stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"The bathroom."
She picked up her bag, turned, and left the private room.
Watching her go, I let out a long sigh and muttered, "Why did that woman choose a Chinese restaurant if she wasn’t going to eat anything?"
At that, Road Manager Jeon Hyeong-u blinked at me and called out, "Chief Manager."
"Yes?"
"...Were you always that close with Actress Lee Ha-eun?"
My brow shot up instantly.
Hyeong-u tilted his head, flustered.
"Uh... wait, you’re not close?"
"Do we look close to you?"
"Yes!"
"..."
"No, I mean, right? I’ve only been Lee Ha-eun’s road manager for three months, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen her talk this much."
I shook my head.
"She’s just teasing me. She’s always been like that."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah. That’s all."
Seo Tae-jun uncrossed his arms and cut into the conversation.
"It’s not teasing. Actress Lee Ha-eun really does seem to like you, Chief Manager."
"...Can we not do this too, Seo Tae-jun?"
Seo Tae-jun let out a quiet, mocking laugh.
"This is troublesome."
"What is?"
"I feel like Lee Ha-eun might steal you from me at this rate."
"?"
I stared at him with my mouth hanging open like an idiot.
"...You’re serious?"
"Half joke, half serious?"
"...That’s not happening, so please just eat your jajangmyeon. No, seriously, why did everybody who came here to eat refuse to eat and start acting like this?"
At my plea, Seo Tae-jun’s smirk deepened into a low laugh. Then the door, which had been closed, opened and Lee Ha-eun appeared.
"Looks like you were having some fun without me."
My gaze, which had been on Seo Tae-jun, naturally shifted back to Lee Ha-eun. Seo Tae-jun did not like that one bit.
"Do you still have more schedules today, Lee Ha-eun?"
"Yeah. A lot."
"And you’re eating this casually anyway?"
"I don’t know. If I’m late, I’ll deal with it then."
"...What, you don’t care about Hyeong-u?"
"I don’t want my meal interrupted by my schedule."
Lee Ha-eun and I were talking in a world of our own. Watching us silently for a moment, Seo Tae-jun called her name in a low voice.
"Lee Ha-eun."
My attention snapped back to Seo Tae-jun. A faint smile curved his lips.
"I watched your acting today. You seemed to come very well prepared."
Lee Ha-eun, who’d been looking only at me, slowly turned her gaze toward him. Unlike before, her eyes had gone dark and heavy.
A thin line formed at the corners of her mouth. Wearing a look that mixed a smile and irritation, Lee Ha-eun answered lazily, "Did it seem that way? Well, I didn’t really prepare that much."
"If that was you not preparing much, then that’s impressive."
"I’m just naturally gifted."
"How was my acting?"
Lee Ha-eun let out a snort of laughter.
"Well, more or less... it was fine."
Seo Tae-jun barked out a dry laugh.
"More or less? That stings my pride a little."
"Oh, did you take it that way? Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that."
"I’ll have to come better prepared next time. And also..."
Seo Tae-jun let the sentence trail off and tipped his chin toward me.
"You seem pretty interested in my manager. Are the two of you close?"
"!"
At the question directed at Lee Ha-eun, I, sitting beside her, coughed in surprise. In the next instant, the top-star actress smiled brightly.
"Oh, Chief Manager Kwon was your manager, Seo Tae-jun?"
Lee Ha-eun tilted her head.
"But if he’s a chief manager, doesn’t that usually mean he manages, not cares for people? As far as I know, Chief Manager Kwon also handles girl groups, so he wouldn’t really be your personal manager, would he?"
Seo Tae-jun shrugged.
"What’s the difference?"
"Quite a big one."
"Really? Then I guess I’ll make a strong request to the company. Come to think of it, I like Chief Manager Kwon way too much. I should ask to have him assigned to me as my personal manager."
Lee Ha-eun snickered.
"That’s funny, Seo Tae-jun?"
"I didn’t know I was this funny, either."
A bright smile hung on both actors’ faces, as if they’d planned it in advance. I was still coughing from choking on myself, and when I finally looked at their expressions, I opened and closed my mouth in disbelief.
...What the hell is with these two?
Why were they suddenly having a pissing contest over me?
Just then, Road Manager Jeon Hyeong-u, who had been silently shoveling down jajangmyeon and tangsuyuk, jumped to his feet and shouted, "L-Lee Ha-eun! We have to leave for your schedule right now!"
With that cry, Team 5’s dinner came to an end.
***
I couldn’t even tell whether the jajangmyeon went up my nose or down my mouth. The only good thing was that the meal ended without any major disaster.
Seo Tae-jun and Lee Ha-eun had had a strange little battle of wills at the end, but...
For a meal I’d been worried about this much, it wasn’t a bad ending.
"Tae-jun, you worked hard at the script reading today."
"Did I do well?"
"You were the best."
"Now I’ve got a little energy back, hearing that from the manager."
Seo Tae-jun called a taxi.
"I’ve got plans tonight, so I’ll head out first."
"Have fun and get home safe."
Seo Tae-jun grinned.
"Yeah. It’d be great if you paid this much attention to me all the time."
"?"
"Now that we’ve started the project, stop neglecting me and pay some attention. All right, I’m off."
He dumped out whatever he wanted to say and disappeared into the taxi. Watching him go, my expression soured.
...Have I really been that bad about calling him?
I had neglected him a bit after the first meeting, but since then I’d thought I’d been in pretty regular contact. After a moment of serious thought, I clicked my tongue.
The PR team leader might be right.
It seemed Seo Tae-jun was feeling the absence of a personal manager now that he didn’t have one.
Still, it makes no sense for an actor at Seo Tae-jun’s level not to have a personal manager.
I’d have to talk this over with Seok-du hyung when I got back to the company. Turning around, I headed back toward the restaurant.
Lee Ha-eun, wearing sunglasses, was standing a little distance away at the entrance.
"Why are you out here alone?"
"Hyeong-u disappeared to take a call."
"Then wait in the van."
"Take me home."
"?"
"It’s not exactly safe for a celebrity to walk around alone at night, is it?"
A smile tugged at the corners of Lee Ha-eun’s mouth.
"What if something happens while I’m walking alone? Doesn’t our Chief Manager worry about the actor he’s in charge of?"
...Every time, she was shamelessly slippery. I let out a long sigh.
"Let’s go. Where did you park?"
Instead of answering, Lee Ha-eun started walking. I naturally fell in beside her.
............
The street was dark now.
A quiet silence settled between Lee Ha-eun and me as we walked.
That silence eased the tension I’d been carrying.
Slowly lifting my head, I looked up at the sky. The dusk above us was tinged with countless shades of color, and the strange magic of that evening sky sent a belated wave of relief through me: the day had ended safely.
If Lee Ha-eun hadn’t been beside me, I might have relaxed enough to nod off.
By then, Lee Ha-eun had reached the familiar van and stopped in front of it.
Maybe Hyeong-u had handed her the key; she opened the door and got in. I watched her quietly, and then she turned back again.
"I watched the broadcast."
My eyes widened slightly.
"I saw the article too. You were basically a superstar. The manager who saved an idol in crisis? Should I start calling you the star manager instead of Chief Manager Kwon?"
The mental fog that had loosened a little snapped back into focus. My voice came out dry.
"Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?"
"Why? Am I not allowed?"
With that, Lee Ha-eun smiled brightly.
As I stared at that expression, lightning cracked inside my head.
...Jealousy?
I held my breath.
What was this? Was I imagining things?
No... I’m not imagining it.
Lee Ha-eun was smiling with perfect ease, but the feeling hidden behind that smile was so clear I could almost touch it.
It was jealousy.
My heart started pounding like crazy at that moment.
Thump, thump.
The same heart that had been beating hard now started to tingle instead. I gaped like an idiot and muttered, "Lee Ha-eun... is jealous?"
Because of an article written by some tabloid hack with a wild imagination? Because of comments left by a few malicious trolls, and she’d misunderstood them?
...It was hard to believe.
But the emotion I’d seen in Lee Ha-eun at dinner earlier gave this ridiculous reality a little more weight.
As some unfamiliar thrill crawled up my spine, Lee Ha-eun tilted her head.
"What, lost your voice?"
My runaway reason finally came back to me.
Taking a breath, I carefully chose my words.
"...Lee Ha-eun."
"Yeah?"
"I think you might be misunderstanding something."
"I’m misunderstanding?"
"Yes. It’s not what you think it is."
Lee Ha-eun laughed, looking utterly at ease.
"What exactly are we to each other for me to misunderstand?"
"..."
"I’m just a little worried. Once the project starts, if useless issues pop up, both of us end up in a difficult position, don’t we?"
The smile on Lee Ha-eun’s lips deepened.
"So be careful. Don’t cross the line, not like you did with me."
Breathing a little harder, I stared at her face.
Voice, expression, that smile.
It was the same arrogant, overbearing Lee Ha-eun I always knew.
But... yeah.
That was a mask.
Beyond that easy smile, the jealousy and restlessness hidden underneath it were painfully clear to me. It was both fascinating and unsettling to see that side of her.
I started to worry, suddenly, that this newly changed Lee Ha-eun might do something reckless. Caught in that complicated, half-delightful feeling, the corners of my mouth twitched.
"What? Why are you smiling all of a sudden?"
Lee Ha-eun’s eyes turned sharp.
Instead of answering, I closed the distance between us.
Startled, Lee Ha-eun stepped back.
For a brief moment, our gazes locked.
The dark had deepened enough that I couldn’t make out her expression very well, but that was almost better.
Sometimes there are things you need to say without looking someone straight in the face.
My mouth opened slowly.
"I’m more rational than you think, Lee Ha-eun."
Shrouded by darkness, she let out a quiet laugh a beat later.
"You?"
"Yes, me."
"I don’t know. Doesn’t look that way to me."
"Think whatever you want. But I feel like you should know this."
This wasn’t something I was saying to Lee Ha-eun. It was something I was saying to myself.
"The line I crossed back then was the last one."
I am not someone who repeats the same mistake twice.
"The line I’ll cross starts and ends with you, Lee Ha-eun."
The last time I crossed a line with one of my actors was the end of it. So unlike what Lee Ha-eun feared, I had no intention of crossing one with anyone else.
I said it firmly, with that conviction behind it, and Lee Ha-eun, hidden in the dark, fell silent.
In those few short seconds, I could feel the air around us change in density.
As I steadied my breathing inside that silence, I thought I’d made my feelings clear enough and started to straighten up.
Then Lee Ha-eun suddenly yanked on my tie.
"!"
My legs wobbled as she pulled me toward her. I caught the van door with both hands a second too late and braced myself, but by then her face and mine were already pressed close together.
The sweet scent of her skin and the familiar warmth of her body made my heart start pounding like it was about to burst again.
Then Lee Ha-eun leaned in by my ear and whispered,
"That’s why everyone’s so desperate to get tangled up with you."
Her voice was sweet.
The hot rush of her cheek against mine.
My reason flickered like a blown fuse.
"So you’d better keep the promise you just made, Kwon Chan."
At the way Lee Ha-eun’s voice coiled around me like a snake, my pounding heart finally exploded.
"The line you’ll cross is me. First, and last."