Trap
After Kwon Hyeon-bin’s appointment was over, we headed to a nearby café.
“Welcome... oh!”
The female part-timer taking our order clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise. There was no way she was reacting that way to me, so it had to be because of Kwon Hyeon-bin standing beside me.
Even with a mask, a cap, and sunglasses on, he still gets that kind of reaction?
Damn, Kwon Hyeon-bin.
Just how handsome are you?
I got petty for no reason and grumbled, “The handsome one pays for the coffee.”
Without a word, Kwon Hyeon-bin took out his card and handed it to the clerk. Startled, I hurriedly grabbed his hand.
“Hold on, you’re actually paying?”
“Is there a problem?”
“...No. No problem.”
What was with this guy? Why was he taking it so seriously?
Shouldn’t his reaction be something like, Why am I paying?
Left speechless, I asked, “Kwon Hyeon-bin, do people around you tell you you’re no fun a lot?”
“I’m often told I’m serious.”
“...”
I let out a heavy sigh and said, “What am I supposed to make of myself when you’re paying with that straight face?”
“I think I can at least buy one cup of coffee for Chief Manager Kwon.”
“...Well, that’s true. I’ll happily take you up on it, Kwon Hyeon-bin.”
Kwon Hyeon-bin gave a slight nod.
I turned and found an empty table, then sat down. In the meantime, Kwon Hyeon-bin came over with two coffees and a few cookies on a tray.
“Were these cookies free?”
“Looks like it.”
“They gave them to you because you’re handsome, didn’t they?”
Kwon Hyeon-bin pointed to the table next to ours. There were two men sitting there too, but unlike us, they had no cookies. I burst out laughing before I could stop myself.
“Wow... life as a handsome man really is enviable.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah. You get perks like this a lot, don’t you?”
“Not always, but sometimes.”
Kwon Hyeon-bin picked up one of the complimentary cookies and handed it to me. Snacks weren’t really my thing, but when I thought of them as free, they went down surprisingly easily.
We talked over coffee and cookies, and before long the conversation naturally drifted to his checkup.
“What did the doctor say?”
“He said I would’ve been in serious trouble if it hadn’t been for you, Chief Manager.”
My eyes widened.
“No, was it really that bad?”
“He said it was severe depression.”
Severe depression?
There was a top-tier actress currently filming Black Bride who had once struggled with mental illness, so I knew quite a bit about this field.
Severe depression means it’s really serious.
That was the stage where people lost the will to go on because of depression. My expression hardened as I muttered, “This sounds like a situation where everything else should be dropped and you should just rest.”
“I’m fine.”
“What do you mean, fine? If it’s severe, you need to rest.”
“The doctor said that if I manage it properly, I’ll be okay.”
Kwon Hyeon-bin explained the situation in more detail. Listening closely, I slowly nodded.
“...I’m glad it’s getting better. So you don’t need medication?”
“He said I just need to stop by the hospital periodically for checkups.”
Once I understood the situation, I folded my arms and said, “Kwon Hyeon-bin, are you an idiot?”
“Pardon?”
“How did you not realize it until your condition got that bad?”
Kwon Hyeon-bin let out a snort of laughter. I tilted my head and asked, “What’s so funny right now?”
“Isn’t it strange?”
“What is?”
“You noticed the depression in my eyes at a glance, even though I didn’t notice it myself.”
Ah, that?
I scratched my cheek and thought to myself, Actually, I noticed because of the future text messages...
I couldn’t exactly say that out loud, so I’d made up a sloppy excuse. Had it sounded too implausible?
Fortunately, Kwon Hyeon-bin didn’t press the issue.
“Anyway, I don’t think there’ll be a problem with joining a project.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to finish treatment before taking one on?”
“Then wouldn’t that put you in a bind, Chief Manager?”
“Huh?”
“If I keep resting, wouldn’t that make things difficult for you?”
“...”
“And joining a project doesn’t mean I start filming immediately, so you don’t need to worry about the treatment.”
My expression turned awkward.
“No, who’s worrying about who here? Worry about yourself.”
Kwon Hyeon-bin let out that same quiet laugh again.
Watching him with my arms folded, I thought, He does seem a little more relaxed now.
The Hallyu star I’d first met had been so unreadable that I couldn’t even guess what he was thinking, let alone see him smile.
Now, though, he was laughing under his breath when he talked to me.
It’s still a little early to slot him into a project, but if he improves a bit more from here, it might be fine.
If that happened...
Then I’d probably have to schedule him for The Wise Life of a Namhae Intern Doctor, right?
Just then, Kwon Hyeon-bin said to me, “Chief Manager Kwon.”
“Yes?”
“I received an invitation to next month’s Baeksang Arts Awards.”
“...You were suddenly invited to the Baeksang Arts Awards?”
“The film 46km, Marathon, which I shot before transferring to Baekhak, was nominated for Best Picture.”
My eyes flew wide open. Across from me, Kwon Hyeon-bin set down the coffee cup he’d been holding and said, “I don’t have a personal manager yet, so please go with me then, Chief Manager Kwon.”
A few days after my meeting with Kwon Hyeon-bin, I headed to Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
It was a small concert hall with about 2,000 seats, a famous venue where just about every idol group had performed at least once. Thanks to that, the on-site staff, who had plenty of experience with idol concerts, moved on their own without needing much direction.
With nothing else to do, I sat in the waiting area, idly passing the time while lost in thought.
...Right, now that I think about it, there was a future text message like this too?
I remembered what Kwon Hyeon-bin had asked me to do a few days earlier, and with it, the future text message I’d forgotten about came back to mind as well.
[Comprehensive] Baeksang Arts Awards wraps to great success, with “Kwon Hyeon-bin” and Baekhak Team 5 manager Kwon Chan...!
Rubbing my chin slowly, I muttered, “This was a future text message I’d completely forgotten about after signing Kwon Hyeon-bin, and now it’s really happening?”
It was a fairly interesting situation.
Because this future text message was coming true on its own, even though I hadn’t done anything.
In that case, does that mean the other future messages are eventually going to come true too?
I still couldn’t be sure, but it wasn’t impossible.
Clicking my tongue lightly, I murmured, “Thanks to that, this year-end is going to be brutal.”
It had barely been a few days since the Busan International Film Festival ended, and yet the Baeksang Arts Awards, Lee Ha-eun’s... the Eclat d’Or launch party, and a string of other schedules were stacking up without a single gap to breathe.
I wasn’t planning to spend the year-end quietly, but isn’t this a little too hectic?
Just as I was thinking that, a faint trace of perfume drifted past my nose.
Looking up, I saw Park Ga-eul standing there with her hair cut into a short bob.
“What are you thinking about, Chief Manager?”
“Ah, just spacing out.”
“Wow, a manager slacking off.”
Park Ga-eul laughed and sat down naturally beside me. I couldn’t help studying her expression.
Today, Park Ga-eul looked brighter and more alive than usual, her previously faint and blurry features clear and vivid.
Ga-eul, is she all right now?
After we’d parted like that last time, I’d been worried, but fortunately, Park Ga-eul seemed to be doing well now that we’d met again.
Still, maybe it was because I’d learned just a few days ago that Kwon Hyeon-bin had suffered from severe depression.
I couldn’t shake the uneasiness gnawing at me.
Because of K-Singer-Songwriter, Ga-eul might be suffering from a mental illness she doesn’t even realize she has.
I cleared my throat and asked as lightly as I could, “You’re working on songs to appear on K-Singer-Songwriter, right?”
Park Ga-eul’s eyes widened.
“How did you know?”
“Mm, that’s a secret.”
“Chae-i told you, didn’t she?”
“...How did you know?”
“The only person who’s done any recent personal schedules with you is Chae-i.”
Huh. I suddenly felt bad for our youngest member.
Park Ga-eul, who had been looking at me steadily, suddenly let out a burst of laughter.
“Don’t worry, Chief Manager. It’s not like I’d scold Chae-i for saying something like that.”
“Oh? Good, then.”
“You’re still busy these days, right?”
“Yeah. I’d like to rest a little, but work keeps pouring in.”
Propping her chin on one hand, Park Ga-eul let out a long sigh.
“I’m busy enough to die too. Song work, schedules... once this concert is over, things should calm down a bit, right?”
“They should. Once the concert is over, the big schedules are all done, so you should see your family and get some rest.”
“Come on, where would I find time to rest? I still have to prepare for K-Singer-Songwriter.”
At that, I said in a slightly concerned voice, “Ga-eul.”
“Yes?”
“It’s good to work hard, but pace yourself.”
“...”
“If you push too hard to do everything perfectly, you can make mistakes. K-Singer-Songwriter is an important schedule, sure, but that doesn’t mean you need to wreck your health for it.”
A bright smile spread across Park Ga-eul’s lips.
“Chief Manager, are you worried about me?”
“Of course. You’re one of the artists I manage.”
“...Hmm. But you don’t need to worry. I’ve finished all my song work now.”
My eyes widened.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. So I’m not stressed about it anymore.”
“...That’s a relief. How are the songs? Did they turn out as well as you hoped?”
“Yes, I think they came out even better than I expected. And...”
Trailing off, Park Ga-eul tilted her head slightly.
“I think I’ve figured out my direction too.”
“Your direction?”
“Yeah. My music direction, my life direction... a lot of things. I just sort of found my overall direction.”
Park Ga-eul’s tone was more serious than before. Looking at her expression, I nodded slowly.
She doesn’t seem to be saying that lightly.
I didn’t know exactly what direction she’d found, but she definitely looked more at ease than she had before. Seeing that positive change, a smile crept onto my face without me even noticing.
“That’s good. I’d been worried about you, Ga-eul, but your expression looks much better.”
“I’m sorry, Chief Manager. I won’t make you worry anymore.”
“It’s okay to make me worry. That’s what a manager is for. So...”
I met Park Ga-eul’s eyes and said, “From now on, if anything happens, make sure you tell me. Got it?”
“Yes, I definitely will.”
As she answered, Ga-eul’s eyes narrowed like a fox’s. Seen like this, she really did have a bit of a fox-like face.
Just then, a staff member came over and called out, “Rehearsal prep is done! Vocalists, please move to the stage!”
I stood up and said, “Shall we go?”
“Yes, Chief Manager.”
To.Any’s first-album wrap-up mini concert was about to begin.
At that same time, in the Baekhak management office.
Because most of the managers were out on afternoon errands, Team Leader Ma Seok-du was leaning an arm against the partition and drinking instant coffee in an office quieter than usual.
Watching him, the Team 4 leader stood up from his seat with a dumbfounded look. “What’s with the whole pose while you’re just drinking coffee, Team Leader Ma?”
Ma Seok-du answered slowly, “I’ve got something on my mind.”
“Something on your mind? You?”
“Yeah. A very big something.”
“...”
The Team 4 leader looked momentarily flustered, then tilted his head in curiosity.
Team Leader 5 has something on his mind?
The Team 5 leader, who usually lived more comfortably than anyone else in the world?
Intrigued, the Team 4 leader walked over to him.
“Team Leader 5, I’m basically a counseling expert, you know.”
“Hmm.”
“Come on, talk to me. If you keep worries bottled up, they’ll make you sick.”
At the Team 4 leader’s sly whisper, Ma Seok-du thought, Is Team Leader 4 some rat stealing away Baekhak managers?
The odds were low.
His fashion and hair were flashy as hell, but Team Leader 4 was a man whose loyalty was solid.
Still, Ma Seok-du couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Team Leader 4 was a traitor.
Haa, damn it! Because of Kwon Chan, everyone looks like a rat to me!
No, wait.
Was that really Kwon Chan’s fault?
No.
All the blame lay with that rat trying to sell out one of his own!
Grinding his teeth, Ma Seok-du muttered, “If I catch him, I’m going to fold his waist in half.”
“...Huh? Fold his waist in half?”
“Ah, just talking to myself, Team Leader 4.”
“...Team Leader 5, if you fold someone’s waist in half, they die.”
Team Leader 4 asked again, “But what kind of problem are you having that you’re thinking about folding someone’s waist in half? Did somebody screw you over?”
“...Hoo! I can’t say right now, Team Leader 4.”
“Come on, why make me curious like this!”
“I’d like to spill everything myself.”
Just then, Ma Seok-du’s smartphone rang.
With a look that said, There it is, Ma Seok-du checked the message.
“Boss, I’ve been called by the director, so I’m heading over.”
“Hey! Team Leader Ma! What’s the problem? Seriously! You put on all that dramatic acting to get me to ask, and now you won’t even tell me the story!”
Ignoring Team Leader 4’s shout, Ma Seok-du headed toward the executive office while thinking, Chief Manager told me to persuade Director Park Yu-hyeon first, right?
The point here was not to say everything.
According to Kwon Chan, Director Park Yu-hyeon would pick up on the situation from just a short clue.
All I need to do is subtly hint that there’s an insider inside Baekhak helping with this headhunting.
Finishing his thought, Team Leader Ma shouted, “All right, let’s do this, Ma Seok-du!”
Yeah, this was doable!
Steeling himself, Team Leader Ma yanked open the executive office door with energy.
“Director, Team Leader 5... huh?”
Ma Seok-du blinked like an idiot.
At the most honored seat in the executive office, it wasn’t Director Park Yu-hyeon sitting there.
It was someone else entirely.
“Team Leader 5?”
There was a woman in a pure white suit, with a sharp bob haircut and red heels.
Demonstrating in person that she possessed a dignity all her own, CEO Baek Ji-won fixed Team Leader Ma with her signature cold gaze and asked, “What brings Team Leader 5 into the executive office at this hour?”
Ma Seok-du’s pupils shook violently, like an earthquake had just hit them.