Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Coincidence?
While Yu Yeon-seo was training at the action school, Im Seung-hyeon paid a brief visit to the Juseong Group headquarters. He was there to process the expenses from bringing Lee Tae-gyeom on board and to look up the records of Yeon-seo’s previous attendants.
‘I need more detailed information about the young master.’
Things like his likes and dislikes. His desire to know more meant that working under Yu Yeon-seo was proving to be worthwhile.
When he opened the door to the Strategic Planning Division, he noticed several empty desks scattered around the office. Like him, many were out in the field, assisting members of the Yu family.
“Hello.”
“Oh? Seung-hyeon. How’s the work going?”
“It’s going well.”
The employee who greeted Im Seung-hyeon watched him walk away with a curious expression. It had been a little over a month since he had been assigned to Yu Yeon-seo, and there had been no complaints from the young master’s side. Moreover, Im Seung-hyeon looked much better now than when he was stuck in the office.
Im Seung-hyeon sat at his desk and quickly drafted a report on the expense processing. A middle-aged man approached and patted him on the shoulder.
“Seung-hyeon. It’s been a while.”
“Director.”
“Don’t get up. You look busy.”
“No, I just finished.”
Im Seung-hyeon sent the email and stood up abruptly. The Director of the Strategic Planning Division was a long-serving executive who reported directly to Chairman Yu Chang-ho and Vice Chairman Yu Geon-min.
“What brings you here? Aren’t you busy these days?”
“I just stopped by for a moment after finding a manager for the young master. I was planning to handle my tasks and leave right away.”
“I see. How is the manager?”
Im Seung-hyeon paused for a moment.
‘Come to think of it, why is the Director here?’
He was in charge of the Chairman and Vice Chairman, so he was rarely in the office. Was it a coincidence that he showed up the moment Im Seung-hyeon dropped by?
‘It’s not the Director… It’s the Chairman who’s curious.’
Im Seung-hyeon’s eyes shifted. He had been instructed to report on anything that might be an attack on Yu Yeon-seo. But no matter how much it was for Yeon-seo’s sake, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Having to report things behind the scenes made him feel like a spy.
‘Well, I suppose I can say this much.’
After a moment of thought, Im Seung-hyeon spoke.
“He’s fine, aside from being a bit prickly. His background is clean, too. Personally, I thought it was good to see him getting along with the young master like a friend.”
“I see.”
Wanting to change the subject, Im Seung-hyeon glanced around. The people in the office were strangely quiet.
“A few people are missing?”
“Yes, they’ve been transferred to other departments.”
“Is that so?”
He didn’t think much of it. In fact, he disliked the people who sat next to him, predicting his downfall. He still hadn’t forgotten the farewell party they’d thrown for him when he was assigned to Yu Yeon-seo.
“You’re aware that the employees under the young master didn’t last long… Is the work manageable?”
“Yes, it’s fine. He’s… different from the rumors.”
The Director studied Im Seung-hyeon’s expression. He seemed perfectly fine.
“I should be getting back to the young master now, Director.”
“Don’t you need to report to the Managing Director?”
“I work under the young master, not the Managing Director.”
“Alright. Let’s have a meal together sometime.”
A meal with the Director… It sounded like it would give him indigestion. Im Seung-hyeon simply smiled and left the office.
“Looks like this one will last…”
Left alone in the office, the Director smiled warmly. It seemed he wouldn’t be called into interview rooms to hire new staff anytime soon.
He answered his phone, which rang just then.
“Yes, Chairman. You don’t need to worry.”
Yu Yeon-seo in talks for lead role in movie ‘White Tiger,’ “Positively reviewing” [Official]
One Seven’s Han-gyeol in discussions for ‘White Tiger,’ Yu Yeon-seo and Park Min-woo also being considered
-What do you guys think of White Tiger?
└Nah.
└It’ll probably flop.
└You never know, right? It’s Yu Yeon-seo’s pick, so maybe.
└Yu Yeon-seo’s taste and mine overlap, so I’m kind of looking forward to it.
-Ugh… my favorite actor is doing a movie with Yu Yeon-seo. I hate it so much.
└I know, right?
└└Me too. Why him of all peopleㅠㅠ
└My idol too, lol..
└└Ah… let’s hang in there.
-Isn’t this Yu Yeon-seo’s first action movie?
└It’ll flop.
└Wow, I thought he’d never do action, but here he is.
└Isn’t action better? They can just use a stunt double.
-A group that got famous from a viral hit and a deserter are meeting lol.
I wonder what Yu Yeon-seo thinks when he sees One Seven doing so well now?
└Why would he have to think anything?
└He probably doesn’t think anything at all lol.
└A chaebol has nothing to regret lol. And even if he ditched the group, those who want to stay friends behind the scenes will. Only the fans get their hearts broken.
“Hyung, are you really going to do that movie?”
Lee Han-gyeol of One Seven looked up at the words of his fellow member, Park Ju-won, who was a year younger. In Lee Han-gyeol’s hands was the script for ‘White Tiger.’
“I have to. It’s a great opportunity. There are a lot of action scenes, but the script isn’t bad.”
“You know that’s not what I’m talking about. Hyung, are you really going to do it? Are you okay with seeing him?”
“So what if I am?”
Lee Han-gyeol closed the script and looked at Park Ju-won. Faced with his calm expression and steady gaze, Park Ju-won averted his eyes.
“Ju-won, we’re past the point of caring about him.”
“I don’t want to get involved with him anymore. And I don’t want to see you guys or the other kids involved with him either.”
Park Ju-won mumbled under his breath. Lee Han-gyeol sighed.
“...It’s not that I don’t understand how you feel.”
Yu Yeon-seo hadn’t always had such a bad reputation.
On the contrary, when the news broke that the chaebol heir, the son of the much-rumored Lee Hui-seo, was debuting as an idol, he garnered a great deal of attention. His visuals were, of course, outstanding, and his skills were quite good, so he quickly gained recognition and a large fanbase from the start.
The members all felt that thanks to Yu Yeon-seo, One Seven had started on a much higher rung than other rookie groups. Because of that, his crappy personality was something they could tolerate.
(He’s not even a foreign member, so why did Yu Yeon-seo suddenly leave?)
(Didn’t his family tell him to stop?)
(But if that were the case, they would have said something before his debut. The fact that he debuted means Juseong didn’t interfere, right?)
(Then isn’t there another reason?)
Even immediately after Yu Yeon-seo’s abrupt departure from the group, public opinion was on his side. This was thanks to the halo effect of Juseong Group’s corporate image and Lee Hui-seo’s positive image during her lifetime.
(Maybe the other members bullied him because he was the only chaebol and stood out?)
(He didn’t seem close with the other members. It looked like he didn’t have any friends in the group?)
(Well, it did feel like their teamwork was off… but wasn’t he kind of close with Kim I-jun?)
At the time, Yu Yeon-seo’s nasty personality was packaged as being quirky, and the blame for his sudden departure was shifted onto One Seven.
Later, when Yu Yeon-seo debuted as an actor, he gave an interview with a magazine, stating he had left simply on a whim. The interview was so off-putting that even non-fans were annoyed, and the arrows of blame turned toward him.
When Yu Yeon-seo was packing his things at the dorm, saying he couldn’t stand how shabby it was and that he’d rather be an actor than an idol, Lee Han-gyeol didn’t feel angry or resentful.
Yeah, I can see that. After all, the reason One Seven became this famous was because of Yu Yeon-seo. He probably didn’t want to carry the whole group either. That’s all he had thought, quite calmly.
But after experiencing a long hiatus and a period of obscurity, even the usually stoic Lee Han-gyeol, like the other members, started blaming Yu Yeon-seo for everything and grew to resent him.
‘Thinking about it now, it’s strange.’
The fact that we didn’t make it could have just been our problem, or our agency’s. To only realize that now, after our song went viral and the group is stable… This is why when your heart and your bank account are empty, your thoughts always turn negative.
“Where else would I get a chance to be cast as a supporting actor in a big-budget movie like this?”
In any case, Yu Yeon-seo was Yu Yeon-seo, and work was work. Lee Han-gyeol wasn’t foolish enough to miss an opportunity just because of a former member.
“Anyway, from what I hear, he just does his acting and then holes up in his car. We probably won’t run into each other that much.”
“...Really?”
This was a lie purely to reassure Park Ju-won. Their roles had quite a few scenes together, and to master them, they would have to practice together a lot before filming even began.
‘Actually, there is one thing that bothers me.’
What Kim I-jun had said after impulsively visiting Yu Yeon-seo’s hospital room kept echoing in his ears.
[What if… what if there was a reason he couldn’t tell us for leaving the team?]
[What if he quit because of pressure from his family?]
During their hiatus, One Seven practiced to fill the empty main vocalist position and then resumed their activities. Even during their time in obscurity, they consistently released songs and albums, and with each release, they faithfully appeared on music shows.
But where did the money for those activities come from? Their agency didn’t have the funds to keep a hopeless idol group going. A single music show appearance could easily cost thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars. Where did the money to buy songs and shoot music videos come from?
‘It’s been strange for a while now.’
Their manager and CEO would make a call to someone whenever they needed money. And when asked who it was, they would just brush it off, saying they’d coincidentally found a good investor.
‘Was that a coincidence?’
Lee Han-gyeol stroked the script in his hand.
“So, can you do a move like this?”
Director Park Seong-jin demonstrated a high-level martial arts tricking move. Yu Yeon-seo watched it once and immediately copied it. The trainees murmured in awe.
“Have you really never learned this anywhere before?”
“Never. I just exercised a bit for my health after the accident, and my body feels a little lighter.”
With Im Seung-hyeon here today, the lie about learning some self-defense wouldn’t work. Im Seung-hyeon, along with Lee Tae-gyeom, was staring in astonishment at the moves Yu Yeon-seo was performing.
“Wow, this isn’t something you can do just by exercising a bit. Your movements look like you’ve been doing this for decades.”
“You think so?”
It’s still not enough. My body isn’t fully built yet… If he reached a physical state similar to his Kang Jin-hu days, the director would probably faint from shock. Yu Yeon-seo smirked.
“Isn’t it all because I’m just that good?”
“Booo!”
The trainees booed loudly at his arrogant remark. During his time at the action school, Yu Yeon-seo had quickly become friendly with the trainees and directors.
It might have been due to the camaraderie of sweating together, or perhaps the meals and snacks he bought every time. But the biggest reason was Yu Yeon-seo’s surprisingly mellow personality.
“Ah, I look forward to working with you on ‘White Tiger.’ You’re in charge of the action, right, Director?”
“I’m the one who should be grateful. If it weren’t for you, Yeon-seo, where would my kids get a chance to earn money?”
‘White Tiger’ is a mystery thriller set on a naval warship patrolling the northernmost waters of South Korea.
With the production budget swelling thanks to Yu Yeon-seo’s confirmed casting, many directors and trainees from the Cheonha Action School were scheduled to participate as stunt performers.
“Young Master, it’s time.”
“Then I should get going.”
Yu Yeon-seo rose from his seat. Today, there was a meeting with the director, writer, and the main and supporting cast of ‘White Tiger.’