We Should Go to Another Company
The head of the PR team flung open the department door and shouted, “Everyone in PR, listen up!”
“?”
“Actor Kwon Hyun-bin is in the management office right now, so move!”
At that one line, the PR staff’s eyes went wide.
“What do you mean, suddenly Kwon Hyun-bin?”
“How would I know? Team Leader Kwon dragged him over all of a sudden!”
“R-really? Kwon Hyun-bin actually came to the company?”
“Quit talking and grab your cameras first! It’s the first time a Hallyu star has ever come to headquarters, so why are PR moving so damn slowly?”
Spurred on by the team leader’s barking, the PR staff rushed into motion.
“It really is Kwon Hyun-bin?”
“What the hell is going on...? Wasn’t Kwon Hyun-bin basically Mewtwo, the legendary Pokémon?”
“Stop chatting and move! The team leader’s glaring at us!”
The entire PR team gathered their equipment and headed for the management office.
Meanwhile, the news that Kwon Hyun-bin had been seen in the headquarters lobby began to spread through Baekhak in whispers.
“Hey, Kwon Hyun-bin’s here!”
“What? That Kwon Hyun-bin came to headquarters?”
“Why did Kwon Hyun-bin suddenly come to headquarters?”
“No idea, but I heard he’s in the management office right now.”
A heavyweight star who could send Baekhak’s stock price into a frenzy just by signing with them. Hearing he had come, Baekhak employees began drifting toward the management office one by one.
“Wow... that mysterious Kwon Hyun-bin actually showed up?”
“If not now, when else would I ever get to see his face? Might as well go look.”
“They say his face glows, but that’s probably a lie, right?”
With a Hallyu star who rarely appeared on variety shows except for commercials and CFs suddenly arriving, Baekhak staff swarmed the management office like a cloud.
“When’s Kwon Hyun-bin coming out?”
“We’re not supposed to take pictures, right?”
“Try it if you want to write a report.”
“Wow... all these people came just to see Kwon Hyun-bin?”
The place was chaotic, like a market at its busiest. By then, instead of being confused, the Baekhak staff had become genuinely curious.
What kind of person was the mysterious Hallyu star Kwon Hyun-bin?
Just as everyone was staring at Meeting Room 3, the door finally opened.
The Baekhak staff who had gathered to catch a glimpse of Kwon Hyun-bin widened their eyes.
“Huh?”
The person who stepped out of Meeting Room 3 was, surprisingly, not Kwon Hyun-bin.
“Seo Tae-jun?”
The Prince of Romance, Seo Tae-jun. And beside him stood a female actress with a prim little expression.
“Oh! That’s Choi Go-eun!”
“Who’s Choi Go-eun?”
“You know, the actress Director Na Jun-hu said he wanted to work with!”
With the unexpected appearance of the two actors, the atmosphere in the management office heated up all at once. Then Kwon Hyun-bin finally appeared as well.
“It’s Kwon Hyun-bin!”
The duo of Seo Tae-jun and Kwon Hyun-bin, and Choi Go-eun, who had received a love call from Director Na Jun-hu.
With the three actors standing side by side, the Baekhak staff could only stare in awe.
“Wow... what is going on?”
“Whoa, amazing! Look at the proportions on Seo Tae-jun and Kwon Hyun-bin.”
“No, but... why are those three together?”
“Yeah, why are those three coming out of one place?”
“Did their manager call all three of them in?”
What remained after the awe was curiosity and questions. Just what kind of manager had gathered those three actors in one place?
Then someone stepped forward between Seo Tae-jun and Kwon Hyun-bin.
“Huh? That person is...”
A man with a cool, sharp look, Team 5’s Team Leader Kwon.
He swept the Baekhak staff with one glance, then turned back to the three actors and said, “The cafeteria’s lunch menu today was inari udon.”
At that, the staff who had come to see Kwon Hyun-bin all stared blankly.
A slight smile tugged at Team Leader Kwon’s mouth when he saw their expressions change.
“Let’s have lunch together there. Baekhak’s inari udon is a specialty.”
***
I headed to the cafeteria with the actors. Two male actors over 180 centimeters tall and a young female actress moving together naturally drew everyone’s eyes.
“Uh...”
“Isn’t that Kwon Hyun-bin?”
“It really is! It’s Hallyu star Kwon Hyun-bin!”
“Hey, Seo Tae-jun’s there too!”
Baekhak employees often ran into celebrities, so seeing most stars didn’t do much for them. To be honest, meeting entertainers more often than their own coworkers was just part of life here.
But when it came to a Hallyu star like Kwon Hyun-bin, the story changed.
As soon as we stepped into the cafeteria, the employees’ attention swung toward us. The female staff in particular looked especially intense.
Whoa. Kwon Hyun-bin’s face is about to get worn through at this rate.
But the attention wasn’t only on Kwon Hyun-bin. It was also fixed on Seo Tae-jun and Choi Go-eun.
Well, fair enough.
Seo Tae-jun, Kwon Hyun-bin, and a rookie actress who’d received a love call from Director Na Jun-hu were standing together. Of course people couldn’t help staring.
Trying not to laugh, I thought to myself, At this rate, I think I’ve done enough to satisfy CEO Baek Ji-won’s request.
CEO Baek Ji-won had only asked me to draw attention.
But when the CEO asks for something, can I just do the bare minimum? I gathered the three actors with the intention of setting the whole of Baekhak buzzing, and so far the plan seemed to be going smoothly.
I’ve done this much. The rest is probably on the CEO now.
Feeling a little more relaxed, I turned my head. Under all those piercing stares, my actors’ faces were dripping discomfort.
Time to end the show here.
“Wow, everyone’s staring while we’re trying to eat, huh?”
“...?”
“I reserved a private room, so let’s go there and eat comfortably.”
Seo Tae-jun looked at me in disbelief and fired back, “If you reserved a room, we should’ve gone there from the start.”
“I wanted to tease you a little, Seo Tae-jun.”
“...”
“Come on, let’s move. If we stay here, we might actually have to do a fan meeting.”
I led the grumbling Seo Tae-jun, the still awkward Kwon Hyun-bin, and the very tense Choi Go-eun into a private room inside the cafeteria.
Once the surrounding eyes were cut off, the three actors looked a lot more at ease. But only their expressions had relaxed; the awkward atmosphere was still there.
The three of them kept gauging one another.
While I watched that subtle little power struggle for a moment, Seo Tae-jun spoke first.
“Now will you explain, Team Leader Kwon?”
“Explain what?”
“What exactly is this situation?”
Seo Tae-jun jerked his chin toward Kwon Hyun-bin and Choi Go-eun. I shrugged and answered, “Hmm, a little get-together?”
Seo Tae-jun’s brow wrinkled instantly.
“I don’t really want to get close to you.”
“Why not? It’s good for actors under the same company to get along.”
Choi Go-eun quietly hid behind my back and whispered, “Who’s that scary-looking guy, Team Leader?”
“Huh? Choi Go-eun. You don’t know Seo Tae-jun?”
“Nope.”
Seo Tae-jun let out a hollow laugh.
“Scary-looking guy? And who are you?”
“I’m Choi Go-eun.”
“Never heard that name before. Newbie?”
The two of them suddenly started bickering. Watching them, I clapped my hands to mediate.
“Go-eun, what kind of tone is that with your senior?”
“...”
“And Tae-jun, why are you barking at a kid?”
Seo Tae-jun’s expression turned awkward.
Seeing that, I explained the situation.
“There’s no special reason I called you today. I had a few things to tell you, and this was the only time that worked.”
“...”
“So I gathered everyone together. If this was uncomfortable, I’m sorry. I should’ve said so beforehand, but I’ve been swamped.”
My apology softened Seo Tae-jun and Choi Go-eun a little. Then Kwon Hyun-bin opened his mouth.
“Nice to meet you.”
Watching him, I was slightly surprised.
“I’m actor Kwon Hyun-bin. This is our second time meeting, right, Go-eun?”
I hadn’t expected Kwon Hyun-bin to be the first to speak up. Seo Tae-jun, who had been watching my face for cues, hurriedly stood and extended a hand.
“I’m Seo Tae-jun.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Actor Seo Tae-jun.”
“I’ve heard a lot too. But the person handling Kwon Hyun-bin is...”
Trailing off, Seo Tae-jun asked in a voice a little higher than usual, “I didn’t know it was Team Leader Kwon. Aren’t you too busy to manage Actor Kwon Hyun-bin yourself?”
Kwon Hyun-bin replied in an indifferent voice, “He takes good care of me even if he’s busy.”
“Oh, really? Still, for someone like Kwon Hyun-bin, wouldn’t it be better to have a manager who could pay more attention?”
Kwon Hyun-bin gave a small snort of laughter.
“Thanks for the advice, but I’ll handle it myself.”
“...”
Seo Tae-jun’s face hardened.
Watching that, Kwon Hyun-bin asked in that easy, unhurried voice of his, “That said, Seo Tae-jun, you and Team Leader Kwon look very close.”
Seo Tae-jun answered with a slightly sharper edge, “Well, he’s my manager, so of course we should be close, right?”
“Is Team Leader Kwon your personal manager?”
“Something like that.”
“I heard Team Leader Kwon only handles management.”
“That may be true, but once a manager, always a manager.”
“Then he’s not your personal manager, is he?”
Seo Tae-jun let out a scoff. Just then, Choi Go-eun, who had been sitting beside me, suddenly shouted, “Team Leader Kwon is my manager!”
Both their eyes snapped to Choi Go-eun at once. Startled, she ducked back behind me.
Looking at that, I muttered in disbelief, “Why are you two suddenly fighting over me like I’m some object? What am I, a piece of merchandise?”
Awkward silence followed my words. The three actors looked at me with embarrassed expressions. I picked up my chopsticks and said, “The inari udon’s getting cold.”
“...”
“Aren’t you going to eat? This stuff is seriously good.”
At that, the three of them reluctantly picked up their chopsticks. Watching them, I thought, How nice is it to see them eating quietly like this?
I was even wondering if I should take a picture when Seo Tae-jun set down his spoon and said, “Ah, this is annoying.”
“What is?”
“Could you sort this out for us, Team Leader Kwon?”
That made me tilt my head.
“Sort what out?”
“Team Leader Kwon, whose manager are you, exactly?”
“...You’re bringing that up again?”
“So make it clear this time.”
Choi Go-eun, sitting beside me, shouted too. “Yeah. You always brush it off by saying you’re just handling management, but whose manager are you, seriously!”
Why was this kid acting up too? I looked at Kwon Hyun-bin as a last hope, but he was staring back at me with the same expectant look.
For a second I hesitated and scratched my cheek. “Is that really such a big issue?”
Seo Tae-jun and Choi Go-eun answered at the same time.
“It is.”
“It is.”
The two of them said the exact same thing, then glanced at each other before turning back to me.
Under those relentless stares, my head tilted.
...Is it really that important?
To me, it wasn’t a major issue, but apparently the actors felt differently.
Still, I couldn’t really call myself anyone’s personal manager. On paper and in practice, my work was centered on actual management, after all.
Just as I was hesitating, lips moving without a proper answer, Kwon Hyun-bin cut in quietly.
“On paper, then.”
“?”
“On paper, isn’t Team Leader Kwon my manager?”
That made my eyes widen.
“Oh? That’s the correct answer.”
“!”
“Seo Tae-jun and Choi Go-eun both have personal managers, but Kwon Hyun-bin doesn’t have one yet. So for now, I really am Kwon Hyun-bin’s manager.”
At my words, Kwon Hyun-bin lifted the corners of his eyes slightly and looked at the other two actors.
“Ha...”
Seo Tae-jun downed his cold water in visible disbelief, and Choi Go-eun glared at Kwon Hyun-bin with her eyes wide open.
Kwon Hyun-bin called my name in a voice full of lazy ease.
“Team Leader Kwon.”
“Yes?”
“Like you said, Baekhak’s inari udon really is delicious.”
Slowly, a smile spread across the lips of the Hallyu star who had been suffering from depression.
“I’m going to have to stop by the cafeteria more often. The side dishes and the food are all excellent.”
***
After the meal, Kwon Hyun-bin left first.
“I’ll head out first, Team Leader Kwon.”
The man who usually looked gloomy seemed unusually bright today. By contrast, Choi Go-eun, who always smiled at me, was now staring at me with a sulky face.
“Team Leader, are you really Actor Kwon Hyun-bin’s manager?”
“Oh, come on, you’re still on that?”
“It’s a really important issue to me!”
“He doesn’t have a personal manager yet, so I’m temporarily in charge.”
Even after my explanation, Choi Go-eun still looked pouting.
I stroked my chin, then tapped her forehead lightly.
“Ow! Why’d you hit me!”
“Why are you frowning on a pretty actress?”
Choi Go-eun shot me a sidelong look and grumbled, “You’re trying to brush it off again.”
“What’s there to brush off? Like I said, I’m only in charge temporarily, just as Actor Kwon Hyun-bin said.”
“...Really?”
“Of course. So stop worrying about personal managers and get ready for your next project.”
Only then did Choi Go-eun’s eyes widen.
“My next project...?”
“Director Na Jun-hu is thinking of casting you as the lead.”
“!”
“It hasn’t been finalized yet, so don’t go around telling people. Keep it secret, okay?”
Choi Go-eun’s mouth fell open.
“...Me? The lead in a Director Na Jun-hu project?”
“Why, is that hard to believe?”
“I-it is hard to believe! Director Na Jun-hu is a ten-million-audience director!”
“Technically, a double-ten-million-audience director. But I don’t think it’s strange at all.”
Choi Go-eun tilted her head. “Why not?”
“Because of the performance you gave in Multicultural.”
“...”
“You didn’t see Director Na Jun-hu’s face when he watched your acting at the Busan International Film Festival. He was completely blown away. So why would it be strange? You may be a rookie, but if you charmed a director with your acting, getting cast as the lead is only natural.”
Choi Go-eun’s pupils trembled.
Confusion and surprise.
Somewhere in between, that was the emotion written across her face.
She stared at me for a moment in that state, then hung her head and muttered, “That’s so unfair...”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know. You’re just unfair, Team Leader.”
Then she lifted her head again and said, “Team Leader.”
“What now?”
“You can manage other people... but.”
Her voice trailed off, and this time her eyes shook with unease.
“Just don’t leave me behind, okay?”
I gave a small laugh and answered, “I’m not going anywhere, so don’t worry.”
Only then did Choi Go-eun relax and smile brightly again. After confirming her mood had settled, I handed her over to Park Ho.
“Go-eun’s in your care, Park Ho.”
“Y-yes, understood, Team Leader!”
“Also, I’m planning to visit Go-eun’s home in two days, so keep that in mind.”
“...Pardon?”
At my words, Park Ho and Choi Go-eun both widened their eyes at once. Looking at them, I shrugged and said, “We’re about to start proper activities now, so I should go meet Go-eun’s guardian. Think of it as a home visit and get ready.”
Choi Go-eun’s mouth dropped open in shock.
***
After calming Choi Go-eun down and sending her off in a panic over the sudden home visit, I headed toward Seo Tae-jun.
Seo Tae-jun was leaning against a red sports car with sunglasses on.
“Our Tae-jun. Standing there like that makes you look like you’re shooting a fashion spread.”
At my joke, Seo Tae-jun took off his sunglasses and said, “Team Leader Kwon.”
“Yes?”
“Today’s a little much.”
There was a deep trace of hurt in his voice.
“You haven’t even been coming to set lately, and then you call me to a place where the other actors are too?”
“Was it that uncomfortable?”
“Not uncomfortable, just annoying. And...”
Seo Tae-jun’s voice suddenly trembled.
“You’re hooked on Kwon Hyun-bin, right?”
“What are you talking about now?”
“Am I wrong? You’re hooked on Kwon Hyun-bin, so you’ve been neglecting me, haven’t you?”
That made me laugh before I could stop myself. Seo Tae-jun’s eyes sharpened like blades.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Ah, sorry. It’s just...”
I shrugged.
“From my point of view, it’s kind of a funny thing to say.”
“...?”
“I haven’t ignored you, Seo Tae-jun. I’m trusting you.”
Seo Tae-jun’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean?”
“The other actors cause trouble if I don’t keep an eye on them.”
“...”
“But you don’t need that, do you? You don’t cause problems like the others, you always get your work done properly, and you’re professional.”
Seo Tae-jun’s expression turned strange. In a voice full of certainty, I said, “Out of all my actors, you’re the one I trust the most. So it’s not that I don’t care. It means I trust you that much.”
At that, Seo Tae-jun’s shoulders gave a small jolt.
Looking a little flustered, he avoided my gaze and muttered, “...You’re just going to talk your way out of it again, aren’t you?”
“No, I mean it.”
“So you’re saying you pay less attention to me in the end.”
“Yes. Because I trust you, Seo Tae-jun.”
Seo Tae-jun fell silent for a moment, then messed up his hair.
“Ha... I really came out here ready to say something today.”
“Go easy on me. I’ve been having a rough time too.”
“I know you’re having a rough time, which is why I’ve been holding back everything I want to say.”
From the sound of it, he’d already said everything he wanted to say...
As I chuckled, Seo Tae-jun called my name lightly.
“Team Leader Kwon.”
“Yes?”
“It’s good that you trust me, but don’t just pay attention to the other actors. Take care of me too.”
At that, I nodded at once.
“Of course. You’re my number one pick, Seo Tae-jun.”
“Seriously, how is a person this slick?”
Seo Tae-jun got into the car.
“I’m off. Next time, you come find me first, Team Leader Kwon.”
“Got it. Next time I’ll buy you a meal.”
“I’m going to make you treat me to something expensive. Really, I’m going now. Take care of your health and work at a steady pace.”
Seo Tae-jun drove off. Watching his back, I stretched my arms overhead.
“Well, more or less wrapped up, I guess...”
There was more tension between the actors than I’d expected.
If I’d brought Lee Ha-eun here too, it would’ve been an actual war.
...No, not just a war. It probably would’ve turned into a world war.
Hmm.
Past me, good job.
You really did prevent World War III.
I shook my head and looked back at Baekhak headquarters.
“All right, the board’s set...”
The rest was on CEO Baek to handle, right?
With the corners of my mouth lifting, I started walking back toward headquarters.
***
Baekhak Management Office. Team 3’s Lee Jae-min did not bother hiding his irritated expression as he said, “Seriously, that Team Leader Kwon bastard. Doesn’t he treat the company like his own living room?”
“...”
“He’s not even promoting his actors properly. Dragging them around like some division commander making an entrance, isn’t that disgusting, Team Leader 3?”
At that, Team Leader 3 let out a hearty laugh.
“It’s true that Team Leader Kwon’s been incredible lately. Getting all the actors under his wing together like that was no joke.”
“Ha! No joke? Take out Kwon Hyun-bin and there’s nothing special there...!”
Lee Jae-min didn’t bother hiding his jealousy toward Team Leader Kwon.
Watching him, Team Leader 3 slowly murmured, “At this rate, Lee, Team Leader Kwon might take your team leader position from you.”
Lee Jae-min’s face hardened.
“Seriously, if that happens, I’m quitting. I still have some pride. How am I supposed to call Team Leader Kwon ‘team leader’?”
“Really? Then...”
Team Leader 3 paused for a moment, then offered a light suggestion.
“Think about changing companies seriously.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you got an offer to move the other day.”
A smile curved on Team Leader Kim Hae-chan’s lips. That familiar, amiable smile of his.
“If Baekhak won’t recognize you, then go somewhere else. Baekhak isn’t the only company in the world, is it?”
At Team Leader Kim Hae-chan’s words, Lee Jae-min’s eyes went wide.