Preparation (5)
The advertising proposal scattered into the air.
Han Ahyoung, who had flung the stack of papers with a sharp flick of her wrist, let out a sigh.
She furrowed her brows and swept her bangs upward, revealing her broad forehead. A soft light played across the pretty, petite brow that framed her face.
Han Ahyoung raised both arms to tidy her flowing hair. Her short sleeves slipped down, exposing smooth, hairless armpits without a single strand of hair.
"Ah…"
"Huk…"
The managers from Team 2 nearby averted their eyes as if they had glimpsed something forbidden. It was impossible to tell what kind of fantasies a mere armpit had ignited in them.
Han Ahyoung paid no mind to their reactions, as though they were only natural, and spoke.
"Who brought this, I ask? Do I have to say it twice?"
An arrogant tone, the kind an upper hand uses with subordinates. One manager hesitantly stepped forward.
"Um… what's wrong?"
With slumped shoulders and a tense expression he looked like a fresh newbie, but he was actually a senior manager with more than seven years of experience.
Han Ahyoung jabbed a finger right in front of his face.
"Do you even know what ads I'm currently doing? I'm already doing a clothing ad, and you want me to take a shoe ad?"
"Ah, there's no shoe clause so it's not a violation. So I just threw it in once."
"Manager Kang. Shouldn't you know the market better than I do?"
Han Ahyoung cut him off.
"Harang Group's rival is LIC Group. Top half Harang, bottom half LIC. You want me to wear it like that?"
To the silent Manager Kang, Han Ahyoung let out a sneer.
"If I take it the money doubles, nice. But… ads live and die on trust, don't they?"
"…"
"Who's going to give me ads after that? Do you want to assassinate me? Do you not like me?"
"Absolutely not… s-sorry."
Her voice never rose, yet the jabbing finger and the tone steadily built pressure. It was no rare thing for a popular celebrity at an agency to throw her weight around and throw tantrums. They were the stars who fed everyone. Even when they were wrong and reversed the blame, you had to swallow it all and stay low. And since he had actually made a mistake, he could not lift his head at all.
Han Ahyoung, who had the entire Team 2 under her thumb, let out a long sigh. Afraid of crossing her mood, the Team 2 managers even stopped breathing. Popular stars becoming the bosses was only natural, yet with Han Ahyoung they were especially submissive. It was as if power itself resided in her person. Beyond mere beauty, a unique aura radiated from her—something that made you lower your gaze the moment your eyes met.
The managers kept glancing toward the office door outside, waiting for someone. Then one manager's face brightened. In the hallway a man and a woman stood side by side, approaching this place. The woman with a bright, eager voice spoke coquettishly to the man.
"Team Leader, you mean it, right? You have to recommend a script. You have to!"
"Yeah. Got it. I'll read them all by tonight and tell you."
"Thank you, Team Leader! Um… can I call you Yeonho oppa?"
"No, call me Team Leader. Or ajusshi. What's with oppa."
"Why? Team Leader, you're young."
"I thought so too. But no. They keep teasing me that I'm old."
"What? Who on earth?"
"Well, just some dog-like kids."
Clack.
Answering nonchalantly and opening the door, Chun Yeonho looked inside. Dozens of eyeballs swung all at once toward this place. Anxiety, tension, worry, restlessness. Relief, expectation, trust, wonder. He had rushed over the moment he got the call. Just from the pouring gazes and the office atmosphere he could guess what had happened. The managers belonging to Team 2 were looking at Chun Yeonho like a savior.
Since it was a regular occurrence, Chun Yeonho was about to take Han Ahyoung away, but the woman beside him ran over first.
"Waaah… Hello! I'm rookie actress Jin Haeun. I'm a huge fan."
Her eyes sparkled brightly as if the fan claim was no lie.
"You're hundreds of times prettier in person…!"
Seeing Han Ahyoung's beauty, she could not close her mouth, as though she had witnessed a supernatural phenomenon. A pure light of wonder shone in her eyes. That gaze seemed a little similar to Park Seoh-ah's.
Han Ahyoung, remaining seated, merely nodded roughly. That was it. Even as a rookie actress, Jin Haeun was older. As if she could not grasp the situation, Jin Haeun stood blankly.
"Aigoo. What's wrong today again?"
Chun Yeonho quickly intervened and whispered quietly to Jin Haeun.
"Ahyoung's in a bad mood today. She's not usually like this, but she's moody so she goes up and down."
"…Moody?"
"Yeah. And… well, her personality isn't the good type either. That's why I told you not to expect much."
"Ah… yes."
Her eyelids trembled like a child who had just lost her innocence. Jin Haeun glanced at Han Ahyoung as if she could not believe it. Chun Yeonho hid the profound feeling that another fan had disappeared today and focused on Han Ahyoung.
Han Ahyoung looked at Chun Yeonho and said,
"Manager Kang is slacking off. Does he want to bury me?"
"No. That's…"
Manager Kang's tiny eyes grew as big as lanterns. Soon he shut his mouth under Han Ahyoung's high-pressure gaze. There was probably no man who could face that haughty look and not avert his eyes.
"Manager Kang wouldn't do that. It must have been a mistake or just a misunderstanding."
"Mistake? Misunderstanding? Isn't this an industry where one of those can send you straight to hell?"
She sneered with a mocking smile. The way she primly lifted her chin fully revealed her strong personality. No one who came could soothe her mood right now. But Chun Yeonho answered smoothly.
"Ugh. Manager Kang messed up. I thought wrong. First, cheer up and let's go eat?"
Han Ahyoung stared at Chun Yeonho, then sighed.
"Alright. Lead the way."
Han Ahyoung rose in silence. From around them, very faint sounds of admiration could be heard.
"No, how on earth…?"
"Team Leader Chun has charisma, yeah. And he's handsome too."
"How many actors has Han Ahyoung seen? She becomes obedient just because he's handsome?"
"There's a reason he's called the Thousand-Year Manager. You need to be at least that good to become team leader."
Han Ahyoung followed Chun Yeonho out of the office without a word. The managers could not relax until Han Ahyoung's back completely disappeared from view. Only after they were completely gone did they let out sighs of relief.
"Just having actress Han Ahyoung come shortens your lifespan."
"There's a difficult atmosphere about the person herself. Like she could rule all things?"
"She's drop-dead gorgeous though. Even her bossing around has an elegant vibe."
"Come to think of it, no cigarette smell today? Rather a nice scent."
"Huh? Yeah. Always smelled of cigarettes. Did she quit this time? Because of filming Ghost Story Company?"
"I wondered why she came out on the weekend, but seems she's preparing in earnest? She stopped by the practice room too?"
Meanwhile, the very person who had sucked the soul out of Management Team 2 was endlessly leisurely. Entering the company smoking area, Han Ahyoung said,
"Cigarette."
Chun Yeonho took a cigarette pack from his pocket. It was the cigarettes Cookie—Kim Jiwoo—had given him just yesterday. After receiving these cigarettes, Han Ahyoung smoked them whenever she had a chance. She had smoked often originally, but the frequency had increased even more. Chun Yeonho had tried a few himself, and it felt like a completely different dimension from ordinary cigarettes. The taste, the cleanliness, the addictiveness. It even seemed to leave a good scent on the body. But he had no idea where they were sold. No company logo or cigarette name was written on the pack.
I was going to ask earlier but forgot.
There shouldn't be many left now. Thinking that, Chun Yeonho opened the pack and paused for a moment. The inside of the pack was completely empty.
The one I smoked earlier was the last…?
While Chun Yeonho gulped, Han Ahyoung sat on the bench and crossed her legs.
"Tsk. Why does nothing please me. Should I just overturn everything?"
Once they were alone, Han Ahyoung dropped her speech the way she addressed "Sundoong-i." Chun Yeonho fidgeted his hands and first continued the conversation.
"Let's overturn it. Who the hell made our Ahyoung upset."
"The production company is in Busan. The set too. Can't even go home and have to ride in the car all day. Annoying."
"…"
"It's just this. If we do the drama we're producing, don't do any other schedules."
Han Ahyoung piled on complaints, then glared at Chun Yeonho who was not giving her the cigarette.
"Not giving it?"
Chun Yeonho quickly handed her a cigarette. When Han Ahyoung put it in her mouth, Chun Yeonho naturally lit it with a lighter. The moment Han Ahyoung took a deep drag, she coughed and hacked.
"What is this, this cheap-ass cigarette."
Han Ahyoung furrowed her brows. Wrinkles formed on her pretty forehead. That look felt both frightening and beautiful. She gazed steadily at Chun Yeonho, then asked,
"Is this… the one I used to smoke?"
"Yeah."
"The ones Cookie gave?"
"Th-those, I smoked them all."
Chun Yeonho said while reading Han Ahyoung's mood.
"I'll contact him right away and ask where he buys them. I'll get them immediately."
With an anxious look, Chun Yeonho pressed the call button.
"The call cannot be received and is being connected to voicemail. After the beep……"
No matter how many times he dialed, Kim Jiwoo never answered.
"Ha…"
Only Han Ahyoung's sigh pressed down on Chun Yeonho. When she said nothing and simply snuffed out the lit cigarette, his anxiety grew even worse. A chain-smoker who went through more than a pack a day had taken one drag and thrown it away. One could guess how much of an emergency this was. Chun Yeonho's foot trembled as he kept calling.
"After the beep……"
No answer.
Sniff sniff sniff ♥
"If you smell it you have to speak. Look Master in the eyes ♥"
I lifted my head from the armpit reeking of strong body odor. I met my younger sister's jet-black eyes with a deep gaze and said,
"…I love Master. I, lo…ve… ♡"
Thump thump ♥
Every time I confessed love, my heart went strange. Even though I had already submitted and sworn loyalty. Every time I spoke it with my mouth, the submission and affection seemed to grow lushly.
The bed full of my sister's scent. I turned my body, stepping on the mattress and bed. Next I buried my face in Park Seoh-ah's damp armpit. After being steeped in the mind-numbing strong scent, I similarly met her eyes and confessed my heart.
"I love Master… ♡"
As I exhaled heated breaths, Park Seoh-ah's plump lips entered my view. Lips that, once entangled, would not let you move. The moment Park Seoh-ah licked her lips with her tongue, my pupils shook as if an earthquake had hit. Park Seoh-ah saw my expression and grinned. Then she puckered her lips as if for a kiss.
Chuu ♥ Chu ♥
Making lewd sounds. My mind snapped and my body convulsed. I have no choice but to submit to those scarlet lips… As if entranced I parted my lips and brought them over. Then force was applied from the side and I lost balance and fell. My head buried in my sister's breasts. My sister had pulled my body.
"Because of Cookie, Master's nipples got hard ♥ Suck ♥"
Was it just my imagination? It felt like she had snatched me away from Park Seoh-ah. While blankly sucking my sister's nipple, my sister grabbed my head and lifted it. We met gazes for a long time at a distance where her breath could touch my nose. Perhaps because I had licked her nipple, my sister's complexion was overall flushed. Her eyes were a bit moist too, radiating a sexiness I could not capture in my head. So, like this, close. Gazing steadily.
"Hik… He, hek… ♡"
Twitch twitch twitch ♥
Just as my eyes were about to go blank, my sister said.