Chapter 29
“Good work.”
“Thank you! Good work today!”
The three trainees shouted as if reciting in unison, and Se-rang laughed as she came out of the studio.
“How was it? It wasn’t as big a deal as you thought, right?”
“…….”
“So it was a big deal. Sorry about that. But it can’t be helped. You have to get used to it. I’m someone who firmly believes that if you want to earn your meals somehow, you need to live while being qualified to do so.”
At Se-rang’s words, the three trainees fumbled awkwardly but nodded hard.
“The qualifications you need are singing the songs you’re given well, dancing well, performing well onstage, and not disappointing the fans and the public.”
“Yes…!”
“And my role is to support you as hard as I can so you can become idols like that. So no matter where you get stuck, tell me. I’ll do my best to help.”
No. These little lambs are about to be moved.
Se-rang decided to pour cold water on them.
“I’m just doing my job, so it’s troublesome if you get moved. Instead of wasting time being moved, think about how to put on a better stage.”
After saying that, Se-rang opened the practice room door on the same floor.
“Now, practice. Let’s become admirable young men who practice instead of crying.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Watching the three young men trudging inside, Se-rang chuckled.
This was what it felt like to raise a new idol group. Right.
At the soft, warm feeling she had not felt in a long time, Se-rang rolled her shoulders hard.
She felt oddly embarrassed.
“Director.”
Just as she tried to shake off that embarrassment, Secretary Cha approached her.
Seeing Secretary Cha’s slightly darkened expression, Se-rang sensed that the news was not very welcome.
“The Chairman says you are to attend dinner.”
Ugh. Of course.
Se-rang nodded. Yes, yes. For now, I’m still the subordinate party, and you’re the superior party.
I have to go.
“Who’s coming? So I can prepare myself mentally.”
“All your family members will be there.”
So those unlucky brothers are coming. Se-rang sighed.
She could already see what they were going to talk about.
“Ah, and Representative Baek as well.”
“Shit.” Se-rang blurted it out without realizing.
Secretary Cha seemed to have noticed by now that Se-rang no longer liked Baek Do-gyeong the way she used to, so this much should be fine… or maybe not?
When Secretary Cha looked quite flustered, Se-rang tilted her head in confusion.
“Secretary Cha?”
“Representative Baek said he would like to escort you to the dinner….”
“I’m fine, Secretary Cha.”
“!”
At the familiar voice coming from behind her, Se-rang felt a chill run down her spine.
Then the bastard standing behind me right now is no way….
“We agreed to have lovers’ quarrels only at home, Yeon Se-rang.”
So it’s you, Baek Do-gyeong….
“…….”
“You were speaking so well earlier, so why are you keeping your mouth shut now?” Inside Baek Do-gyeong’s car.
Se-rang sat in the back seat with a sullen face, arms crossed by herself.
Sitting in the back seat instead of the passenger seat was her last shred of pride. She simply could not bear to sit next to Baek Do-gyeong.
“If you received trainers from me, shouldn’t you at least pretend to be grateful?”
“I’m very grateful.”
“You should relax your face before saying that.”
When she felt Baek Do-gyeong’s eyes turn toward her through the rearview mirror, Se-rang quietly took sunglasses out of her bag and put them on.
No matter how much you look at me with those melodrama eyes, this side isn’t a melodrama. It’s a thriller, horror, that kind of genre.
“When you’re driving, focus on driving. I have no desire to die on the same day and hour as you.”
“Fine. You live longer. Live long and hold my funeral.”
“Why would I take care of your funeral? Are you insane? Handle your funeral by yourself.”
“We’re going to be husband and wife. Can’t we do at least that much for each other?”
Husband and wife? Se-rang pretended to vomit, then sighed.
“Are you still going on about being husband and wife, Mr. Baek Do-gyeong? We already settled everything by agreeing to end this as a show-window engagement. Hurry and send the contract. I’ll stamp it roughly, and we can walk only the true show-window path.”
“Yes, we did agree on that.”
“What, did you change your mind again? What are you, a reed?”
“While writing the contract, you see, I realized there was no discussion of the next stage after our engagement.”
“What? Next stage? Why would we discuss something like that? The only next stage is a perfect breakup.”
“Exactly. I dislike that part very much.”
No, why exactly do you dislike that? Se-rang was sincerely growing disgusted with this fiancé.
To think there was still affection left to lose. The worst.
Naturally, Se-rang had never thought deeply about any next stage in this contractual engagement. After taking over Imperial, she planned to completely expel Baek Do-gyeong from both the company and her life.
“Have you lost your mind? Why does that bother you? Don’t tell me you’re seriously saying you suddenly want to grow old together with me or something?”
“Growing old together is a little difficult. I don’t intend to live that long. But I do think living while rubbing against each other until one of us dies is a fairly acceptable answer.”
“Me, with you, until death? Are you saying that because you want to die right now? Unless that’s the case, take back that nonsense.”
“It’s not as if I want to marry you because I like it either, Yeon Se-rang. But I don’t want to become a poor Cinderella who gets used by you and then tossed aside. Cinderella at least married the prince and entered the palace, but I’m about to be unable to even step over the palace threshold, aren’t I?”
Is he comparing himself to Cinderella right now?
Se-rang clicked her tongue as she looked at her fiancé, who had no grasp of his place at all.
“Of course. Honestly, a dungeon suits you much better than a palace.”
“Palaces have dungeons too.”
“Stop nitpicking. What do you want? Get straight to the point. I already have a headache because I have to eat with Grandfather, and now you’re acting like this too, so I really feel like causing a car accident.”
“Marry me. We only need to share the same family register for ten years, then divorce.”
Ha.
So that was his real intention. Se-rang let out a hollow laugh. Unfortunately, she had already heard about this from a lawyer.
“If we maintain the marriage for ten years, I have to give you my property. Don’t make me laugh. I’d hate to give you even half a bean, and you want me to split the company with you? Absolutely not.” Se-rang scowled hard as she looked at Baek Do-gyeong’s eyes through the rearview mirror.
Does he think I’ll hand over half my property just because he’s handsome?
“That’s interesting.”
“What is?”
“You. Do you know you’re talking under the assumption that you’ll definitely inherit this company?”
“Of course I’ll inherit it. There’s no room for doubt.”
Baek Do-gyeong was smiling brightly, as if amused or entertained.
That man smiling like that gives me chills for no reason.
“Well, fine. You need that much confidence to enter this competition.”
“It’s not confidence. It’s certainty.”
“In the past, I would’ve just laughed you off, but seeing how you’ve been acting recently, I’m a little scared because it seems like there’s a one percent chance.”
“…One percent? Are you joking?”
“That’s already being generous. That number came out after factoring in the fact that Chairman Yeon cherishes you the most among the three siblings.” After saying that, Baek Do-gyeong sank into thought briefly, then continued. “If that happens, I’d like to reduce my risk a little too.”
“Get lost.”
“I’m not asking for much. Just hand over half of your shares.”
“That’s exactly asking for much. You’re saying something absurd. If you want to get something for free without labor, buy a lottery ticket. Why are you eyeing someone else’s family property?”
“Well, even if I win the lottery, I wonder if there’d even be one billion won left after taxes. But if I win Yeon Se-rang, it jumps straight to the tens of billions.”
So greedy. Se-rang snorted.
Fine, it’s an amount that would make my eyes spin too. After all, I’m trying to swallow the Yeon family, someone else’s family, myself.
But still.
“The problem is that I’m a person, not a lottery ticket. I have absolutely no intention of playing someone else’s lottery ticket.”
One thief in this family is enough.
“Then hand over at least two labels.”
“Are you insane? I’ll hand over your label. Nothing more than that.”
“I’ll need the broadcasting station too.”
“Have you lost your mind? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Imperial’s predecessor was practically that side. Aren’t you being too greedy?”
“I don’t think I’m being too greedy. Because without me, you won’t be able to take Imperial, and if that happens, the newspaper company won’t be the issue. You’ll have to leave after receiving only some cash, real estate, and a little bit of stock.”
“…….”
“At first, I only wanted to use the card called you just enough not to be excluded from the succession competition… but I thought of something better than that. How about we properly join hands and take Imperial together? Then we can think again afterward.”
“Did you just call me a ‘card’?”
“Don’t nitpick when I know you think of me the same way.”
Se-rang’s face hardened coldly.
“You think I can’t get Imperial without you?”
“Of course. Even this dinner we’re heading to right now, you’ll need me there.”
“What kind of confidence is that? He’s my grandfather and they’re my family, so why do you think I’ll need you?”
“If you wanted to say so confidently that you didn’t need me, Yeon Se-rang, you shouldn’t have gone around using my name.”
“What did you say?”
“This dinner. It was arranged because Yeon Si-ho tattled to the Chairman.”
“!”
“You apparently ran your mouth quite well, saying I knew Yeon Si-ho’s weakness. Next time you bluff like that, could you at least give me a heads-up?”
Damn it. Se-rang clenched her teeth. Yeon Si-ho, you useless bastard who doesn’t help anyone’s life at all.