Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Isn’t My Brother Acting Strange?
After a long journey, the cast and crew of Welcome to the Guest House arrived at the airport. Before collecting their luggage and leaving the gate, they gathered for a brief farewell.
“Everyone worked so hard.”
“Good job, everyone!”
An unusually large crowd gathered around Yu Yeon-seo. Having spent over a month with him, they had come to understand his personality, which was different from the rumors.
Aside from his foul temper, he was a successful celebrity from a chaebol family, so everyone was trying to cozy up to him and build connections. Yu Yeon-seo gave his contact information to the staff member who had driven the car when he sent Raoul off in the helicopter, then stood next to Park Seung-hwan.
“Let’s all get together for a meal when we have time.”
“Yeon-seo, what about you?”
“Yes, if I have time.”
Reporters waiting for them to emerge started taking pictures, but Yu Yeon-seo kept his head down and quickly walked past.
He saw Lee Tae-gyeom waving enthusiastically from behind the reporters.
“You’re here!”
“I’m here.”
Yu Yeon-seo answered nonchalantly and rolled his suitcase toward Lee Tae-gyeom. As if used to it, Lee Tae-gyeom took the suitcase and loaded it into the trunk.
“Did you gain weight?”
“N-No, I didn’t.”
“What do you mean, no? Looks like you had a grand old time while I was away.”
While Yu Yeon-seo was abroad, Lee Tae-gyeom had automatically gotten a vacation. Halo Media was playing it safe, knowing Yeon-seo would be furious if he found out Tae-gyeom had worked as a road manager for another actor.
There was probably no other road manager in all of South Korea as relaxed as Lee Tae-gyeom.
“But what’s with your face? Did something happen?”
“...Must be a tan.”
“Really? Well, it was a resort destination…”
This unnecessarily sharp guy. Yu Yeon-seo glared at the back of Lee Tae-gyeom’s head before reclining his seat until he was almost lying down.
“Heading home?”
“No, to the office.”
“The office? Why? Aren’t you going to rest?”
Yu Yeon-seo closed his eyes without a word. It wasn’t the first or second time he’d ignored him, so Lee Tae-gyeom didn’t press for an answer and focused on driving.
Arriving at the company, Yu Yeon-seo familiarly opened the door to the CEO’s office. CEO Han shot up to greet him.
“You didn’t cause any trouble over there, did you?!”
“What’s with the sudden question? Did you hear from Producer Lee?”
CEO Han flinched. Just then, a message from Producer Lee Jae-hak was on his phone screen. It read: [Yu Yeon-seo is a sly fox].
Apparently, thanks to Yu Yeon-seo, running the guest house had been too easy from the start. And Yeon-seo, who was supposed to suffer, had actually gone on vacation and come back refreshed.
Damn it, I was so happy I’d finally get to see him struggle… CEO Han inwardly seethed.
“Anything come in for me?”
Meanwhile, Yu Yeon-seo sat in CEO Han’s chair, spinning around, looking utterly detestable.
“Can’t you just send Tae-gyeom to pick things up from now on instead of coming here?”
“Why should I?”
The chair’s this comfortable, and I get to tease CEO Han? Yu Yeon-seo grinned.
CEO Han sighed. Yu Yeon-seo was the only celebrity who diligently showed up at the office just to get on his CEO’s nerves.
“I already had everything prepared in the conference room after hearing you were coming.”
“Of course. This is why I come to the office so often.”
“Don’t come next time. Please.”
“We’ll see how you behave, CEO Han.”
After getting in one last jab at CEO Han, Yu Yeon-seo headed to the conference room. Manager Park and Lee Tae-gyeom were bustling about.
“There’s even more than last time.”
As expected, the number of scripts and synopses that had come in for him was… immense. Yu Yeon-seo sat down and casually skimmed through the materials on the desk.
“Just give them a quick look. I’ll sort through them for you.”
After Manager Park left, he stared intently at Lee Tae-gyeom, who was sitting beside him, looking over a script. Whenever he was choosing his next project, Lee Tae-gyeom had always stayed by his side, reading the remaining scripts and synopses.
“So, are you trying to become a manager?”
“What?”
“Why the scripts? Aren’t you trying to become a manager?”
A road manager just had to get in the car, but becoming a full-fledged manager was a different story. It was a position that involved participating in project selection and showing up at important events. At the blunt question, Lee Tae-gyeom scratched his cheek awkwardly and replied.
“Well, I can’t just keep driving forever, can I?”
In truth, he had started doing it because Manager Park, who was like his mentor, had told him to. He’d added that Yu Yeon-seo had a good eye for picking projects, so he should watch and learn.
At first, he hadn’t been very keen on it. He had thought, Doesn’t Yeon-seo handle all the important stuff anyway? All I have to do is drive well, right?
[I mean, I’ll do it if you tell me to… but why are you asking me to do this?]
Lee Tae-gyeom had asked Manager Park this while Yu Yeon-seo was abroad for the variety show filming.
[Tae-gyeom. Do you think Yu Yeon-seo will stay an actor forever?]
He was a third-generation heir of Juseong Group, not just any company. Even if he treated acting as a hobby into his thirties, would he continue into his forties and become a veteran actor? It seemed unlikely. At least, that’s what Manager Park thought.
[I think he will.]
But Lee Tae-gyeom thought differently. Momentarily speechless, Manager Park took a sip of coffee to wet his throat.
[Really? Then let me rephrase. Do you think he’ll stay with Halo Media forever?]
[That’s…]
[Right? You also think he doesn’t have a shred of loyalty, don’t you?]
[But there’s no reason for him to stay with this company. His background is insane…]
Is he defending his own celebrity now? Manager Park laughed hollowly.
From Halo Media’s perspective, it was better to keep Yu Yeon-seo no matter what trouble he caused, but Lee Tae-gyeom was right. Yu Yeon-seo was someone who could manage perfectly fine on his own without an agency’s help.
[Honestly, it’s true that things have gotten easier for me since you took over managing him. I don’t want you to quit easily like you did before.]
[I like it too.]
Even though he could be maddening at times, being the manager for a much-tamed Yu Yeon-seo was a sweet gig. He didn’t have to be a road manager for other actors, and there were breaks between projects, so he could rest.
Being Yu Yeon-seo’s manager even came with hazard pay, so his salary was higher than other managers’. Plus, the performance bonuses he occasionally threw his way were generous.
[Anyway, you need to grow too.]
[Me?]
[Whether Yu Yeon-seo moves to another company or starts his own one-man agency and leaves, do you think he won’t take care of you? You can’t just be a road manager forever. You need to learn what it takes to be an industry professional.]
[…Really?]
Manager Park had given him some realistic advice in his own way. Persuaded by this, Lee Tae-gyeom started to show more interest in the other duties a manager could perform.
Yu Yeon-seo silently studied Lee Tae-gyeom’s face.
“What, you gonna fire me?”
Is he saying I’m not qualified to be a manager? Lee Tae-gyeom said, feeling a surge of indignation. Yu Yeon-seo chuckled.
“Why would I? Even if you become a manager, you’ll still only be in charge of me.”
“So what, I’m supposed to just hold a steering wheel for the rest of my life? Let me hear people call me ‘Manager’ for once.”
“Sure, whatever. Give it your best shot.”
So you’re planning on being my manager for life? How admirable. Yu Yeon-seo dropped the script in his hand as if tossing it aside. The short nap in the car wasn’t enough to shake off the fatigue from the long flight.
“I’m tired. I’m going home.”
“Got it.”
It hadn’t been long since they’d brought the scripts to the conference room, but Lee Tae-gyeom simply stood up without a word, used to his whims.
“Then, is it okay if I sort through these and bring the ones that look good to your place?”
“Go ahead.”
Excited, Lee Tae-gyeom twirled his car keys and led the way.
Look at him, so happy. A smile crept onto Yu Yeon-seo’s lips as well.
“You don’t need me to bring them inside?”
“Yeah, you can go.”
After sending away Lee Tae-gyeom, who had brought the luggage, Yu Yeon-seo entered his home for the first time in a while. Even in his absence, someone came to clean periodically, as there wasn’t a speck of dust on the display cabinets.
Thinking that the house was still ridiculously large, Yu Yeon-seo lay down on the sofa. Just two days ago, he had been in a bustling place… maybe that was why it felt a little lonely. The moment the thought crossed his mind, he scowled.
“...Me?”
This is all the original body’s fault.
<Then shall we begin today?>
“Let’s take it easy today.”
<Yes, understood.>
Yu Yeon-seo had spent New Year’s 2020 on the island, and not long after he returned to Korea, the Lunar New Year arrived.
“You don’t look well.”
“Ah… I think I got a bit of a tan.”
Perhaps because they were brothers, Yu Eun-ho immediately noticed the change in his younger brother, who hadn’t been sleeping well lately.
“You’re not tan.”
“It’s just… I haven’t been sleeping well.”
And his brother was persistent. Even after the vague answer, he didn’t drop his suspicious gaze.
“Let’s go.”
As always, Yu Yeon-seo got into the car of Yu Eun-ho, who had appointed himself as his chauffeur, and headed to their grandfather’s mansion.
Ugh… I don’t want to go.
When he had come to the mansion with Lee Tae-gyeom and Im Seung-hyeon, his stomach had suddenly churned, and he thought it was probably because he had seen the annex. That made him want to go even less.
Why does grandfather keep living in that house?
Yu Yeon-seo leaned his head back and squeezed his eyes shut.
“If you don’t want to go, just say so. I’ll take you back home.”
“What?”
“You don’t look very happy.”
Yu Eun-ho was the one who was always subtly pleased whenever Yu Yeon-seo quietly attended family events. So it was suspicious for him to say something like this. Did something happen? Yu Yeon-seo narrowed his eyes and looked at his brother.
“You don’t want to go either, do you?”
Yu Eun-ho didn’t answer. He just gave a small, helpless smile.
Well, my brother is human too. This kind of gathering must be uncomfortable for him as well. And the expectations their grandfather placed on the eldest grandson were considerable.
Still, seeing his brother extend an olive branch first seemed to lighten his heavy heart a little.
“Yeon-seo, you’re here.”
As he got out of the car, he ran into his older and younger aunts and their husbands, who were about to enter the mansion.
“Eun-ho, too.”
“Hello.”
Huh? Something was strange. Yu Yeon-seo stared intently at Yu Eun-ho’s back as he dealt with the adults. Until someone tapped him on the arm.
“Hi, Yeon-seo.”
“Hey. You brought the bag.”
“Of course. Look who I got it from.”
Park Yu-jeong, the eldest daughter of his younger aunt, had received Yu Yeon-seo’s gift through Park Seon-woo. Before, she barely made eye contact, but now she was even starting conversations with him. The gift must have been to her liking.
The problems in their family relationships had stemmed from Yu Yeon-seo anyway, so as he let down his walls, they naturally approached him more warmly.
“Next time, you should give a gift to Se-a and Seoyun too. They were so jealous.”
“Really?”
The cousins in this family get along really well.
Se-a and Seoyun were the two daughters of his older aunt. Come to think of it, both his aunts had been pestering him about when they would all go shopping together. At this rate, he’d end up taking all the women in the family out.
“Seon-u was bragging about how well your project is doing. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
Anyway, something is definitely strange. Yu Yeon-seo stopped in his tracks and stood next to Park Seon-woo, who was trailing at the very back.
“Hey, Seon-u.”
“Huh?”
“Doesn’t my brother seem strange?”
“Eun-ho?”
Park Seon-woo, who had been reading comments on his channel, looked up and observed Yu Eun-ho.
“He seems the same as usual.”
“You think so?”
That’s weird… Yu Yeon-seo didn’t take his eyes off Yu Eun-ho.
As they passed through the entrance and into the living room, their grandfather and grandmother greeted them. Yu Yeon-seo flinched as Park Geum-ju approached him.
“Yeon-seo, you’re here?”
“...Yes.”
Yu Yeon-seo hid his reluctance and nodded. He still wasn’t sure how he should treat his grandmother.