The Timid One's Secret Crush
Min Seo-eun was heading to the twentieth floor of the Four Square headquarters for her meeting with Namgoong Min. The face reflected in the elevator mirror wore a complicated expression, heavy and sunken. She gripped her phone tightly, eyes fixed on the floor. Lately, everything around her seemed designed to erode her confidence. The biggest reason, of course, was her groupmate Shin Ju-ri's acting debut.
Shin Ju-ri had never seriously aimed to become an actress, yet she had snatched the very opportunity Min Seo-eun truly wanted, backed by overwhelming support. The fact left Seo-eun with a crushing sense of defeat. Ju-ri was already the group's center and its shining star; now the path to acting had opened for her as well. Meanwhile, Seo-eun… felt her own clumsy popularity within the group. The current reality—that she showed no particular standout talent in performance or vocals—plunged her into deep self-loathing.
She had written “acting” on her profile as a dream, but in truth she could barely handle being an idol. Even on stage her hands trembled with nerves, and she always felt somehow awkward during fan meetings. Why… am I so lacking?
That was why, even though Seo-eun had long harbored feelings for Namgoong Min that bordered on a crush, going to meet him felt uncomfortable. To her, he was a perfect being. She had been aware of the emotions that had slowly built since her middle-school days, growing stronger with time. On the day he retired from his playing career, she had cried as if the world were collapsing. It took her several days of tears before she could pull herself together and push him to the back of her heart in order to focus on her debut goal.
Of course, the realistic gap between her position as a trainee and his status as a national hero had played a part. She had convinced herself it was nothing more than a silly adolescent phase. After setting those feelings aside, the longing only continued to pile up—until the day he came to her.
Looking at her with deep, gentle eyes and a smile, he had said, “I… really wanted to work with you, Seo-eun. That’s why I pestered the CEO to arrange this meeting. Just trust me once, okay?”
Her heart had nearly stopped. Even if it were a movie or drama, the development would have drawn criticism. She tried to tell herself it was just one of those common coincidences. But at the same time… it felt like fate.
The man she had believed she could never reach had extended his hand and asked to walk beside her. The man who shouldn’t even have known she existed had told her she caught his eye and that he needed her. If this wasn’t fate, what could it be?
At her previous agency she had been judged lacking for the debut team, but thanks to that fated encounter she switched companies and successfully debuted. Sometimes he would visit the practice room to encourage and cheer her on. Even though the whole group was present, just being able to talk with him and laugh together made her happy. She felt the distance between them shrinking, and the impossible dream of standing at his side seemed like it might actually come true.
But after debut, those happy fantasies quickly returned to cold reality. Her lacking skills and introverted personality held her back. The popularity gap with her fellow members only widened over time. Even though they were barely a year into their debut, there was no sign the difference would narrow. The more that happened, the more timid she became and the lower her confidence sank. Eventually she even began to wonder, Would the group be more popular if I weren’t here?—a toxic mix of inferiority and self-doubt that tormented her.
The thought that this meeting might simply confirm her shortcomings in front of him made her chest tighten. What if the CEO is disappointed in me? What if he thinks I can’t shine like Ju-ri…?
She was terrified he would deliver a disappointing evaluation or tell her there would be no more opportunities. There was nothing more painful than revealing her inadequacies in front of someone she liked. Her hands trembled faintly.
The elevator stopped and the twentieth-floor hallway appeared. Seo-eun took a deep breath to steady her anxiety. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror—pure, innocent face, quiet smile. But the anxiety and self-loathing hidden behind it could not be concealed. Gathering her courage, she knocked carefully.
Knock. Knock.
Her heart pounded as if it would burst. The moment that would either confirm her true dream or crush it forever had begun.
A low, calm voice came from beyond the door.
“Come in.”
Opening the door and stepping inside, Seo-eun greeted him as politely as she could.
“Hello, CEO. I’m Min Seo-eun.”
Namgoong Min lifted his gaze from the documents he had been flipping through and waved lightly with a smile.
“Ah, come in, Seo-eun. Make yourself comfortable and have a seat.”
The two eventually sat facing each other across a table prepared in one corner of the office.
Namgoong Min slid an elegant teacup across the table with a gentle smile.
“Have some tea, Seo-eun.”
Seo-eun accepted the cup with both hands and answered softly.
“This is the first time we’ve met alone like this.”
At his words, Seo-eun tensed without realizing it and replied, “Yes… You visited the practice room a few times, but the whole group was always there.”
Min smiled softly, though a hint of awkwardness showed on his face.
“It really has been over a year… and we’re only now doing this. I’m a terrible CEO. Haha.”
His self-deprecating attitude eased some of Seo-eun’s anxiety. Seeing this human side of him made her long-buried crush raise its head once more. Changing the subject, Min continued.
“You must have heard the talk about Ju-ri lately, Seo-eun?”
Seo-eun flinched. There were two main rumors circulating about Ju-ri in the company these days. The first was business-related: that every project would revolve around Ju-ri. The second was slightly embarrassing—that Min had personal feelings for Ju-ri and that was why he had made the decision. The second rumor, however, was closer to playful gossip.
Seo-eun assumed he meant the first rumor and nodded calmly.
“Yes. Ju-ri is so bright and pretty, after all. It makes perfect sense.”
Min looked at her with a faint smile. His expression seemed somehow amused by the situation. Seo-eun felt as if he could see straight through her heart; her face flushed slightly. The hand holding her teacup trembled faintly.
“You… must have felt quite upset about Ju-ri’s acting debut, Seo-eun.”
His direct question caught her off guard. How did he know…? She blinked, flustered that her inner feelings had been exposed. But she quickly guessed he was referring to the “acting aspirations” line on the profile she had submitted. He really does watch over everything…
For some reason, a corner of her heart stung. Even though she felt unnoticed, the fact that he recognized both her dream and her disappointment gave her a small but thrilling feeling. Because it was attention from someone she liked.
The next words from Min pointed out cold reality.
“It would be nice if we could run multiple projects at once, but manpower is more of an issue than funding, so it’s not easy.”
It was true. With Min’s overwhelming wealth, production costs were never the problem. But talented writers and directors were limited, so there were constraints. Seo-eun understood, yet she couldn’t help feeling disappointed. She had to accept with logic the reality that opportunities were concentrating on Ju-ri. Beneath that disappointment lay deep self-doubt that only made the pain worse.
“Yes… It’s fine, CEO. I understand.”
Her voice was small and calm, but she couldn’t hide the disappointment. Yeah… I guess I’m still not good enough.
Then Namgoong Min continued.
“Still… even if it feels disappointing right now, please wait just a little longer, Seo-eun.”
Seo-eun lifted her head to look at him.
“…Yes…?”
“I have something in mind. It won’t take long. For your dream.”
“My… dream?”
Her voice was barely above a whisper. The question was cautious, but her eyes shone with tension, hope, and anticipation. Her hand trembled slightly around the teacup, and her cheeks were already flushed red.
Min kept smiling, his tone slightly teasing and playful.
“If I tell you first, it won’t be any fun……”
Then he added with absolute confidence,
“So don’t feel upset, Seo-eun. There will probably be something satisfying waiting for you.”
“......”
Min watched with leisurely interest as every possible emotion flickered across Seo-eun’s reddening face. Then he continued with a soft smile.
“You really wear your thoughts on your face, Seo-eun. It’s cute.”
At the final word—“cute”—Seo-eun’s mind went blank. C-cute? From the CEO…? She realized that her anxiety, disappointment, and anticipation had all shown clearly on her expression without her knowing. She felt embarrassed, yet the fact that his observation ended in praise made her heart race wildly. She tried to tell herself rationally that it was just comforting words with no deeper meaning, but the pounding of her heart was loud enough to drown out everything else.
Seo-eun couldn’t lift her head and only fiddled with her teacup. Namgoong Min seemed to say a few more things to her bowed, flushed face, but nothing reached her ears. Caught in the fierce excitement sparked by that single “cute,” she was trapped in her own sweet delusion—his smile, his low voice, the feeling that his gaze lingered only on her. All of it completely captivated her.
Then, when Min spoke a little louder, Seo-eun snapped back to reality.
“Seo-eun?”
“Yes?”
She looked up, startled. His face, still smiling gently, filled her vision.
“Hahaha. What were you thinking about so deeply? You didn’t answer at all.”
In that instant Seo-eun realized she had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t followed the conversation at all. Overwhelmed by embarrassment and shame, she bit her lip as if she had committed a crime. Her face was already burning bright red.
Watching her reaction, Min smiled even wider and said,
“Let’s have dinner together sometime—just the two of us.”
“………!!!!!”
Seo-eun’s face radiated scorching heat. Too red to meet his eyes, she barely managed to ask,
“J-just… the two of us?”
Min read her panic and excitement perfectly yet spoke naturally.
“Yes, just the two of us. That way I think I’ll be able to hear your honest thoughts, Seo-eun. You’re so kind that you can’t even speak properly in front of other people.”
“Ah……”
His words carried consideration, but they also contained a cool analysis of her timid personality. Seo-eun felt the explosive excitement from earlier settle a little. What was I even thinking…? There’s no way the CEO would suggest dinner with any other meaning.
Dinner alone. The words that had sounded like a secret invitation had actually been spoken out of consideration for her shy nature. She felt embarrassed for mistakenly thinking he might be approaching her with personal feelings. At the same time, a faint sense of disappointment remained. The fierce excitement slowly cooled into realistic judgment.
“Ah… yes. Th-that makes sense.”
Right… It’s just business. Stop dreaming so wildly… Get a grip!
Min was watching her with keen interest. With a relaxed, full smile he teased her once more.
“Like I said, Seo-eun, everything shows on your face……”
At his words her face grew hot again. Amid the emotional chaos she lowered her head, and without thinking the complaint slipped from her heart straight out of her mouth.
“Player……”
“Pardon?”
“Ah?”
In the sudden silence, Min’s bewildered voice rang out and Seo-eun’s mind snapped back. The CEO was staring at her with wide, surprised eyes. She fell into complete panic. What? What did I just say? Player? Out loud? To the CEO?
Embarrassment and mortification turned her face scarlet. She flailed her hands, desperately trying to salvage the situation.
“N-no… that’s not… I’ve been watching too many dramas lately… I didn’t mean…”
Her words were completely tangled. At the same time she felt her entire life had become tangled too. Inside, Seo-eun was screaming and crying.