Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Taking Care of Business
I’m taking care of it.
The aftereffects of the memory synchronization lingered longer than expected, and as a result, Yu Yeon-seo missed filming. For two whole days.
At first, he wondered, Is this really okay? But his body simply wouldn’t cooperate. To make matters worse, Im Seung-hyeon and Lee Tae-gyeom stayed at his house for those two days, taking care of all sorts of chores. It was convenient, but also a nuisance.
‘It was hard just pretending to be okay.’
He had to secretly struggle not to let Im Seung-hyeon and Lee Tae-gyeom see how much pain he was in.
When he simply said he suddenly wanted a break, the two readily understood. In times like these, the troublemaker shield was a godsend. It allowed them to rationalize his behavior, thinking, He’s always been like this.
Arriving at the film set, Yu Yeon-seo got out of the car and frowned slightly. His limbs still tingled, but it wasn’t unbearable.
He habitually greeted a passing staff member. Just greeting people often was enough to chip away at his negative image.
“Hello.”
“...Yes, hello.”
Yu Yeon-seo’s eyebrows twitched. Something was off. As he stood there blankly, someone lightly tapped his shoulder. It was Lee Han-gyeol.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah. Did something happen?”
“Someone suddenly bailing for two days is something, I’d say.”
“Ah...”
No wonder the looks he was getting felt like they were from the first day of shooting.
“So, they said it was aftereffects from the car accident.”
Yu Yeon-seo nodded. That’s Im Seung-hyeon for you. I knew I could count on him.
“But did you get a dog?”
“A dog? No?”
“...Really?”
What was that about? Lee Han-gyeol’s expression was strange, a mix of disappointment and suspicion. He proudly mentioned that his fan club was providing a buffet today before heading inside the set.
Left behind, Yu Yeon-seo narrowed his eyes and looked back. Im Seung-hyeon would never screw up, which left only Lee Tae-gyeom.
“Hey, Lee Tae-gyeom. What did you do?”
“Huh? Uh… well.”
“Spit it out.”
“The thing is…”
Lee Tae-gyeom stammered, then tucked his tail and bowed his head under Yu Yeon-seo’s intense gaze. As he listened, Yu Yeon-seo got so pissed off he squeezed his eyes shut.
Manager Park had later relayed the message to the assistant director exactly as Im Seung-hyeon had instructed, but the excuse about going to feed a dog had already been firmly planted in almost everyone’s mind. If anything, they thought the agency was just trying its best to clean up after Yu Yeon-seo’s whim.
“Hey.”
“I mean, when you collapsed like that, my mind just went blank… Sorry, my apologies.”
As Yu Yeon-seo’s voice dropped low, Lee Tae-gyeom, knowing his mistake, quickly apologized.
“How about getting a dog while you’re at it? You know, like for animal therapy or something…”
“Bullshit.”
The sharp words escaped Yu Yeon-seo’s lips before he could stop them. Was it because the memory synchronization was over 10%?
‘It’s spilt milk, can’t be helped…’
At the time, Yu Yeon-seo hadn’t been in his right mind. His body was killing him, and he felt like he could lose consciousness at any moment, yet he had to act in that state. Thankfully, he finished the scene in one take and instinctively went somewhere secluded before passing out.
It was a good thing Im Seung-hyeon and Lee Tae-gyeom found him. If it had been anyone else, it would have been quite a headache.
‘He and Im Seung-hyeon must have been frantic too.’
He must have been in a state of panic because I suddenly collapsed… It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand.
‘It’s a bit of a waste of the money I’ve been spreading around, though…’
His recent uncharacteristic actions were partly to improve his bad image, but in truth, his original self had a history of being a tyrant and tormenting a wide variety of people in numerous ways.
‘It’s not like I expected to completely fix my already ruined image anyway.’
Since he hadn’t received all the memories yet, he didn’t know everyone he had wronged. So, he had spread money around indiscriminately, hoping to hit a few targets by chance. It was a form of atonement.
‘At this rate, it might be better to just keep the troublemaker image.’
It was convenient, after all. Yu Yeon-seo sighed.
“Yeah, well. Good job. It’s better than revealing I collapsed.”
“Really?”
“You must have been frantic too. Thanks, anyway.”
“Whoa…”
Lee Tae-gyeom’s eyes widened as he stared at Yu Yeon-seo’s retreating back.
“Did he hit his head when he collapsed…?”
“Hello.”
As Yu Yeon-seo entered the set, the staff members bowed their heads in greeting. As expected, no one said anything, even if they were dissatisfied internally. The real power on this set was Yu Yeon-seo.
“Makeup will take a bit longer today. I hope you understand.”
“Yep.”
The scene he had to shoot today was the revival of Sergeant Kim Woo-jin, who was thought to be dead after being impaled by his superior-turned-monster.
If they had continued filming right then and there, the continuity would have been perfect. But because he had suddenly bailed, the special effects makeup artist had to meticulously recreate every bloodstain while looking at photos from that day.
“Could I possibly see the footage from the previous shoot? I didn’t get to monitor it.”
“Would you like to? Just a moment…”
“I have it right here.”
Park Min-woo, who was getting his makeup done in the next chair, said with a bright smile. He held out the phone in his hand. He seemed… awfully eager to offer it.
Seeing Yu Yeon-seo’s expression, Park Min-woo smiled shyly.
“Your acting back then was insane, so I saved the video to learn from it.”
“R-Really?”
Hearing that from Park Min-woo felt awkward.
“It was like you became a completely different person. Seriously, tell me. What did you learn from Mr. Park to improve so much?”
“Haha…”
Yu Yeon-seo just laughed, feeling embarrassed. He didn’t think he could do it again if asked.
“Are you on something? Oh, don’t get me wrong. I just mean you were that good.”
“Would I do something to ruin my own life?”
“True…”
Yu Yeon-seo fixed his gaze on Park Min-woo’s phone and monitored the footage from that day. Park Min-woo, not wanting to disturb him, kept his mouth shut.
‘…I did do well.’
But it was a result born from truly torturing his body. He was still a long way from being able to bring his acting to that level on a regular basis.
‘Still, I understand the sensation of pain.’
Yu Yeon-seo clenched and unclenched his fist.
“Hello.”
It was Oh Beom-su, the manager from One Seven who had taken his business card.
‘No wonder he kept staring. He must have something to say to me.’
The reason Im Seung-hyeon had sought out a secluded hallway was to deliberately lure Oh Beom-su out.
“Yes, hello, Mr. Oh Beom-su.”
“Um… I contacted you yesterday.”
“Yesterday? Ah, the text message.”
“Yes, the payment hasn’t been made yet…”
That rude text message that just had an account number and an amount? Im Seung-hyeon was flabbergasted but managed to compose his expression.
“I’ve been busy attending to the young master. I’ll take care of it today.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“By the way, Mr. Oh, how long have you been with AST Entertainment? I’m just personally curious. It hasn’t been long since I started working for the young master.”
Was this what they called a face that could pass any interview? Im Seung-hyeon’s expression and demeanor instantly put Oh Beom-su at ease.
“It’s been three years. You must have it tough. He goes through people so quickly.”
“You have no idea. My predecessor didn’t give me any handover notes, so I’m learning everything the hard way.”
“That must be difficult. Do you smoke?”
“I don’t.”
Im Seung-hyeon found it pathetic how Oh Beom-su acted like he knew the young master so well after only three years.
Without even asking for permission, Oh Beom-su lit a cigarette. A vein twitched on Im Seung-hyeon’s temple, but Oh Beom-su didn’t notice.
“So, is this sort of thing common?”
“Well, yes. I heard that when the company needs money, we should just find Yu Yeon-seo’s assistant.”
“I see. Who gave you that order?”
“Our CEO and a manager. It was great, saved us on investment funds. The boys were able to promote consistently and even had a resurgence on the charts…”
That was enough. There was no need to hear more. Not only the CEO and manager of AST Entertainment but even a manager who had been there for only three years were using him for their own benefit.
Im Seung-hyeon suddenly pushed himself off the wall and glanced around the center of the hallway.
“What are you do—Keuk!”
He was checking for CCTV. With his right arm, Im Seung-hyeon swiftly pressed down on Oh Beom-su’s neck, subduing him. His movements were nimble, proof that the athletic prowess that had taken him to the national reserve team was still intact.
“You think our young master is a pushover because he gives you money so readily?”
“Heok…!”
“The young master is a pushover, and Juseong is a pushover? Then you should pay the price for underestimating them.”
After hearing those suggestive words from Oh Beom-su, Im Seung-hyeon had dug into Yu Yeon-seo’s bank transfer history. Records showed that over seven years, sums of money that an ordinary person could never touch had been sent.
Next, he used Juseong’s intelligence network to look into AST Entertainment. For the first four years or so, the money Yu Yeon-seo sent had indeed been invested in One Seven.
But human greed knows no bounds. Realizing that he would send money without a word whenever they asked, a significant amount had been siphoned off to satisfy the personal greed of the CEO, the manager, and this manager.
“Relay this to the CEO and that bastard manager, loud and clear. It would be wise not to make any more of these bullshit demands.”
“Ugh…!”
“You’d do well to understand that I’m not making empty threats.”
“Heuk!”
“Answer me, Mr. Oh Beom-su.”
How can I answer if you don’t let me breathe! Oh Beom-su flailed his arms. Despite the full-grown man’s struggles, Im Seung-hyeon’s arm didn’t budge an inch.
“Mr. Im Seung-hyeon.”
“…Young master.”
“What are you doing over there?”
Im Seung-hyeon’s eyes widened as he looked toward the end of the hallway. Seeing his surprised expression for the first time, Yu Yeon-seo smirked. You’re doing a good job, why are you so nervous?
“Mr. Im Seung-hyeon.”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t I tell you to ‘take care of it’?”
Catching the subtle nuance, Im Seung-hyeon grinned.
“I’m taking care of it.”
“Just don’t take too long. We have to go to my grandfather’s house after this.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Yu Yeon-seo waved and walked off in the other direction. He had, in fact, heard the entire conversation between Im Seung-hyeon and Oh Beom-su.
[…In exchange for me leaving, I’ll invest in the company. But only until the boys’ 7-year artist contract is up.]
He, too, knew about the money that had flowed to AST. He had thought it was a gesture of loyalty for leaving the group without notice, but the promised period had passed. It was time for it to stop. Of course, he hadn’t expected them to have forgotten that and still be treating him like an ATM.
‘Not a madman, but a mad pushover.’
He felt a sliver of pity for his former self.
After confirming Yu Yeon-seo was gone, Im Seung-hyeon took the cigarette he had snatched from Oh Beom-su and crushed it against the wall near the man’s ear. A sizzling sound echoed ominously.
“Heok, heeoook…”
“And one more thing.”
Just as Oh Beom-su’s face turned bright red from lack of oxygen, Im Seung-hyeon took a step back. Oh Beom-su collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.
“If you don’t return what you’ve pocketed, AST Entertainment will close its doors that very day. You know what happened to Entertainment Jump, don’t you, Mr. Oh?”
They had a resurgence, didn’t they? Then they should be able to pay it back. Im Seung-hyeon looked down at Oh Beom-su and neatly straightened his disheveled clothes.
Oh Beom-su’s eyes widened as he stared at Im Seung-hyeon. Entertainment Jump, the outlet that had attacked the discharged Yu Yeon-seo by impersonating his escort, and then a few weeks later, had suddenly shut down…
“Heok… that… don’t tell me?”
“Well then, I’ll take that as you understanding. I hope we don’t cross paths again.”
Im Seung-hyeon smiled gently and patted Oh Beom-su’s shoulder. He then walked briskly in the direction Yu Yeon-seo had gone.
“Heok…”
Only Oh Beom-su’s ragged breaths echoed in the deserted hallway.
But Yu Yeon-seo wasn’t the only one who had been eavesdropping on that conversation.
‘…What is all this about?’
Hidden against the wall in the opposite corridor, Lee Han-gyeol swallowed hard.
‘Then… that thing… was real…’