Interview
Lee Ha-eun, the top-star actress.
Every time I saw her, my heart, which had always been cold and still, gave its first hard beat.
If you asked whether that flutter was rational excitement or affection, honestly, I wasn’t sure.
Stories like the ones in dramas and films, where people fall in love as if by fate, didn’t exist in real life.
And Lee Ha-eun and I, if anything, were bound by a vicious kind of bad blood.
We had hurt each other, clawed at each other, hated each other.
The depth of that feeling was still lodged in my chest.
How could I be sure I felt a thrill for a woman tied to me by such a mess of a relationship?
But one thing was certain.
The way this woman liked someone was so gentle and so tender, and yet so clumsy, that I couldn’t deny the fact that my heart had been beating for her.
My chest warmed.
That lukewarm warmth spread like an infection, and before long it was heating my whole body.
The warm consideration of a woman who liked me felt as though it might knock reason clean out of me.
At that moment, the voice inside me whispered, No.
Human beings adapt.
Since I had already crossed that line once, crossing it again would be far easier than the first time.
Keep your distance. Don’t get any closer.
That would be best for both me and Lee Ha-eun.
I was clinging to that cold reality, forcing my wildly beating heart back into place, when the head of the PR team blinked at me like a fool and called my name.
"Manager Kwon? What’s wrong with your face? It’s suddenly gone bright red."
I managed to move my lips.
"I think I’m a little off today."
"...That doesn’t seem like the issue. Your face is practically."
"Let’s talk about work. Work."
The PR team leader tilted her head.
Luckily, she didn’t press me any further and changed the subject.
"Really? Then what do we do? Everyone knows you ran around yourself to persuade Lee Ha-eun and Seo Tae-jun to take Black Bride, Manager Kwon. Is it okay to put it out like this?"
I thought for a moment at her question.
It would be fine to release it.
There might be some noise around this level of interview, but no real controversy would come of it.
The company’s opinion doesn’t matter to me or Lee Ha-eun, and the public reaction to the work itself won’t be a problem either.
Black Bride was going to draw at least five million viewers.
So in the long run, Lee Ha-eun’s interview wasn’t an issue.
What I cared about, then, wasn’t the project or the public. It was the actress herself.
How much had Lee Ha-eun agonized before she agreed to do this interview?
The suspicions that came down on her.
The pressure from the company.
The criticism from fans.
Lee Ha-eun had chosen this work while looking only at me through all of that.
And now she was trying to bear that responsibility and all that criticism alone.
There would be a sweet reward at the end of it, sure, but until then her heart would be burning down to the bone.
She acts tough, but she’s still soft.
Right.
I didn’t like that.
The way Lee Ha-eun tried to shoulder everything alone for my sake.
So what I had to do now wasn’t for Lee Ha-eun.
It was for me.
The success of Black Bride was my success, too.
I was only doing a manager’s job and taking care of an actor’s mental state.
As I talked myself into that, I spoke at last.
"Would it be all right if I filmed an interview video too, Team Leader?"
The PR team leader tilted her head.
"An interview? What kind of interview?"
"Something like, what is Black Bride to Lee Ha-eun and Seo Tae-jun’s manager. Could you set up a cooking-video-style interview like that?"
The PR team leader stared at me for a moment, then grinned with a sly look.
"Hmm. So you want to take care of your own rice bowl?"
That wasn’t exactly it, but it was close enough.
Black Bride was my rice bowl, after all.
Then the PR team leader nodded.
"Sounds good to me. These days, making-of videos don’t always have just actors in them anyway. Staff and directors show up sometimes, too. And besides, it’s not just anybody. Someone at your level, Manager Kwon, will go over well with the fans."
The PR team leader gave my shoulder a light pat.
"Lee Ha-eun’s fans like you, don’t they? You’re the only manager who’s lasted more than a year with her."
"Then there’s no problem?"
"Right. Should we film it now? You got your lines ready?"
At her question, I nodded.
"Yes, I’m ready."
After answering, I let out a breath.
Anyway, an interview by one manager isn’t going to change the direction of public opinion.
But it could ease the pressure and the burden someone else was carrying.
Yes.
So this interview wasn’t for someone else.
Lee Ha-eun.
It was for one actress who was trying to carry everything by herself.
Baekhak CEO’s office.
General Manager Park Yu-hyeon stood with his hands clasped behind his back, quietly watching the back of CEO Baek’s figure.
Perhaps sensing the stare on him, the CEO, who had been gazing out at the Gangnam nightscape spread beyond the terrace, murmured slowly, "You look like you’ve got a lot you want to say, Park."
Park Yu-hyeon’s lips moved faintly.
"I do have something I’d like to say."
"If you keep it bottled up, it turns into anger. Say it."
With a careful expression, Park Yu-hyeon spoke.
"I’m starting to think you may be favoring Manager Kwon too much."
CEO Baek smiled faintly.
"That’s what it looks like to you, General Manager Park?"
"If I’m being honest, yes."
The CEO agreed without resistance.
"Hm. Yes, well. You’re right. I do favor Manager Kwon a little."
Park Yu-hyeon added, "His recent results have been good, but he should still know restraint."
"In what way?"
"At this week’s team-leader meeting, I think he should have been sharply reprimanded when he refused the team-leader promotion."
Park Yu-hyeon said it with conviction.
"It was an exceptional offer, one you made by breaking precedent yourself, Representative. For him to judge it by his own standards and refuse it could have disturbed the atmosphere of the whole company."
CEO Baek nodded slowly.
"True enough. Seen one way, it was a step over the line."
"That sort of thing must not happen again, Representative."
CEO Baek gave a bright little smile.
"It’s rare to hear you speak so strongly, Park. But do you know something?"
The CEO turned to look at him.
"When Manager Kwon refused the team-leader position right there, did you see the faces of the team leaders?"
Park Yu-hyeon’s eyes widened.
"The team leaders’ faces..."
"If Manager Kwon’s behavior really had been the kind of thing that muddied the company’s atmosphere, as you say, do you think their expressions would have been that good?"
"!"
CEO Baek chuckled under her breath.
"Honestly, I was annoyed when he turned down the offer too. But I couldn’t show it, not when I saw the team leaders’ faces."
"..."
"If I had pushed it there, what would have happened? Wouldn’t that have muddied the company atmosphere even more?"
Park Yu-hyeon fell silent.
Taking that silence as agreement, CEO Baek clasped her hands behind her back again and slowly began pacing across the office.
"Seeing it this way, isn’t Manager Kwon a rather shrewd person?"
"..."
"It’s not easy, pulling the people who were supposed to become your enemies over to your side. And who would have guessed he’d use the team leaders as leverage like that?"
Tap.
CEO Baek’s shoes stopped.
"He got me good, but I don’t even feel bad about it. In fact, I’m a little excited."
The CEO’s voice had turned slightly warm.
"What am I supposed to do, Park? I think I’m really starting to like Manager Kwon."
Park Yu-hyeon frowned slightly.
"Representative."
CEO Baek smiled and made a casual suggestion.
"Kwon Hyun-bin, the Hallyu star we’re recruiting this time."
"!"
"If the contract goes through, I’d like to hand him over to Manager Kwon. That’s fine, isn’t it?"
Park Yu-hyeon moved his mouth a few times, then let out a long sigh.
"You are impossible, truly."
"See? Why do I get so fixated once I’m interested in something?"
"Sometimes you make life miserable for me, Representative."
"That’s why I like you, Park. When I make a mess, you clean it up."
CEO Baek broke into a soft, pleased laugh.
Watching her quietly, Park Yu-hyeon thought, She has already decided to give Manager Kwon Hallyu star Kwon Hyun-bin.
Should he stop her?
After a moment’s thought, Park Yu-hyeon shook his head.
Just moments ago, they had been talking about the representative’s authority and the hierarchy of the company.
In that context, going against CEO Baek’s words would not be the right thing to do.
What a shrewd woman.
She had probably brought this up now precisely because she knew that.
Suppressing a sigh, Park Yu-hyeon nodded.
"If we recruit Kwon Hyun-bin, I’ll hand over the transfer to Manager Kwon."
"Thank you, Park."
"Not at all."
CEO Baek turned back toward the view.
The strange magic of Seoul’s nightscape, washed in darkness, had a way of tickling at a person’s heart.
A bright smile settled on her lips.
"This is getting interesting..."
Her words trailed off as she tapped the terrace with one finger.
"He says he’s bringing back results, but what kind of results will he bring? Is he really going to come back with a ten-million-ticket film?"
The next day.
Arriving at work in a restless mood because of Lee Ha-eun’s interview, I headed to the meeting room where Team 5’s meeting, led by Team Leader Ma Seok-du, was being held.
Still dazed and waiting for the meeting to start, my Team 5 coworkers kept stealing glances at me and then speaking up.
"Manager, I heard you turned down the team-leader position?"
"?"
My runaway mind came back to me.
At the same time, a question mark floated over my face.
"...Where did you hear that?"
"Team Leader Ma told us."
"..."
"Our Manager Kwon said he’d save the team leaders’ dignity and, bam! turned down Representative Baek Ji-won’s offer in one clean shot! They said Manager Kwon’s presence was insane then, apparently..."
".........."
Damn it.
I’d forgotten to tell Team Leader Ma to keep his mouth shut.
With a deep sigh, I waved it off.
"That’s an exaggeration. I just politely asked for understanding because I thought people would start talking if I accepted the promotion to team leader."
The road managers’ eyes lit up.
"Isn’t that cool?"
"Exactly. Who turns down a team-leader promotion?"
"This is what a romantic salaried life looks like. Refusing the team-leader seat just to protect the team leaders’ face? Wow..."
Judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like anything I said would change their minds.
So I shut up and tried to beat the Team 5 road managers’ nonsense with silence.
That was when the problem himself appeared.
"Everyone here? Ah, looks like everyone’s here."
Team Leader Ma’s gaze locked onto me.
"...And our future team leader is here too, hahaha."
Ugh.
What was I supposed to do about that infuriating mouth of his?
Meanwhile, Team Leader Ma pounded the whiteboard twice to pull everyone’s attention.
"All right, all right, listen up! We’re starting the meeting, so cut the chatter and open your ears wide. First item: Team 5 is getting more people next week."
Team Leader Ma said this while passing the documents in his hand around to the Team 5 employees.
"Two road managers who’ve finished training in HR will be handed over to Team 5 sometime tomorrow, and Manager Kwon will probably be the one handling them."
My eyes widened slightly.
"Uh, Team Leader Ma?"
"Go ahead, Manager Kwon."
"Manager Kim is still out on external work right now. You’re assigning all of them to me?"
Team Leader Ma nodded.
"Manager Kim has, what, five road managers under him already? But Manager Kwon, it’s just Ms. Lee Ye-ji for you, right? Isn’t it hard to keep the staffing balanced?"
That was true.
As Team Leader Ma said, it was hard.
With Choi Go-eun and Seo Tae-jun.
And To.Any on top of that, I had lost count of the times I’d wished I had three bodies.
Team Leader Ma scratched exactly where it itched.
"If you’re a manager, act like one. Don’t just run around the field; manage it."
"..."
"The existing road managers are all under Manager Kim anyway, so from now on, Manager Kwon, you should focus on the newcomers. It’s not great if a manager is out running around too much."
At his explanation, my expression soured.
So he gives with one hand and takes with the other, huh?
Still, that medicine had arrived at exactly the right time.
While I clicked my tongue, Team Leader Ma continued the meeting.
"Manager Lee, how’s the overseas concert for Lee Joon-su going right now?"
"It’s progressing without issue. We finished meeting with the local concert staff yesterday, and next month I’ll go to Japan in person to discuss the details."
"Okay, Lee Joon-su’s Japan concert is the biggest project our Team 5 has this month, so stay on top of it."
Brother Seok-du’s gaze turned to me.
"Manager Kwon, how are things with Black Bride?"
"We finished the script reading last week, and we’ll go into principal filming in about two weeks."
"How are Seo Tae-jun and Lee Ha-eun doing?"
"Yes, there are no particular issues."
"How’s Lee Ha-eun’s schedule?"
"I brought the materials here."
After checking Lee Ha-eun’s schedule, Brother Seok-du clicked his tongue.
"An overseas fashion show and a Jakarta fan meeting... isn’t this a little too packed?"
It was packed.
But this had already been adjusted after as much compromise as possible.
Lee Ha-eun’s popularity was extremely hot right now.
On top of that, Queen of Joseon had become a hit overseas too, and reaction across Southeast Asia was fierce.
There were even requests from local brands saying they wanted to book ads for this fan meeting and fashion show.
Brands that used domestic celebrity models usually hired stars from their own country, but Lee Ha-eun had broken that rule.
For a top-star actress like her, a murderous schedule was unavoidable.
Besides, Lee Ha-eun managed her own schedule, so there wasn’t much room to interfere.
After I explained all that in detail, Team Leader Ma nodded slowly.
"True enough. Whatever else Lee Ha-eun may be, she definitely has an appetite for work. Still, keep an eye on her. We can’t have her body giving out before the project even starts."
After finishing his point, Brother Seok-du resumed the meeting.
Then, a little later, as the meeting neared its end, Brother Seok-du clapped his hands and said, "All right, Team 5. Let’s push a little harder. You know we came in second among the five teams in this quarter’s revenue, right?"
"!"
One road manager asked in surprise, "Really, Team Leader Ma?"
"Of course it’s really second."
"...Huh? So even if we couldn’t beat Team 4, we actually passed Teams 3 and 2?"
Brother Seok-du grinned.
"Doesn’t make sense, does it? But that nonsense is exactly what Queen of Joseon pulled off."
"!"
"And To.Any, which Manager Kwon handles, blew up this time too. The revenue itself still isn’t that huge, but hitting number one on the digital charts and then running the university event circuit really did the trick. This is why a well-raised idol group is such a cash cow for an entertainment company."
All the road managers’ attention shifted to me.
...I ignored it and kept my expression under control.
Meanwhile, Brother Seok-du declared in a voice burning with enthusiasm, "This month’s bonus is probably going to be huge."
"!"
"And if we keep this momentum going, bonuses won’t be the only thing. We might even have a year-end performance bonus party. So let’s keep our heads up and push a little harder."
In his rough, unmistakably Team Leader Ma way, he managed to light a fire under the road managers.
I found myself watching him closely.
So that’s what Team 5 leadership looks like.
Then, when I became a team leader, how would I lead a team?
While I was imagining that, Brother Seok-du clapped his hands and brought the meeting to a close.
"Let’s keep this momentum and hold it all the way to year-end. All right, meeting’s over! Everyone, get back to work!"
Brother Seok-du left the meeting room first, and I slowly got to my feet as well.
As I was gathering up my files, the Team 5 road managers came over.
"...Hehe. Thank you, Manager Kwon."
"Wow, thanks to Manager Kwon, what even is this?"
"Because of Queen of Joseon, I’m getting my first bonus in my life, ugh..."
Rather than listen to their pointless chatter, I hurried out of the meeting room.
We all worked hard to land second place in revenue. What does that have to do with me?
And yet my mouth corners twitched upward, dancing despite my grumbling inside.
I couldn’t help snorting at myself when my smartphone rang.
It was an unknown number, so I tilted my head and answered.
"Hello?"
A rough voice came through the speaker.
-Ah, this is Manager Kwon of Baekhak Team 5, right?
"Yes, I’m the Team 5 manager. But who is this?"
-Oh! Right, I forgot to introduce myself. This is Hwang Deok-gu, PD from TAN’s variety division.
My eyes widened.
Hwang Deok-gu, PD from TAN’s variety division...
Wasn’t he the chief PD for the singer-songwriter competition show TAN was planning right now?
My guess proved exactly right.
-I’ve got a variety show project I’m planning right now, and I’m calling because I’d like to set up a meeting about casting Ga-eul from To.Any. Would that be all right, Manager Kwon?
A faint curve touched my lips.