Every word Team Leader Kkae had thrown at me before had a clear intention. Mostly, it was to tease or provoke me.
But now, that unmistakable intention was nowhere to be felt.
‘The oddly detached atmosphere has disappeared too.’
Was it just my imagination, or did the spot where he sat feel unusually shadowed?
With the familiar atmosphere gone, he suddenly felt like a stranger.
Setting aside his strange appearance, there was something about him that made your gaze involuntarily linger once as you passed by.
A coldness and calmness I had never sensed from anyone I’d ever met.
“……”
And a sense of alienation.
Though clearly sharing the same space as me, he didn’t seem to blend in.
There was a disconnect between him and the surroundings—like a person cut out and pasted onto a background.
I blinked slowly while staring at Team Leader Kkae. But that wasn’t what mattered now.
‘He knows I’m fully prepared.’
Looking at the quest assigned to me, I was certain the company was watching my daily life.
But now that Team Leader Kkae openly showed he knew my situation, an involuntary sense of resistance crept up.
“Why do you ask something like that?”
“Ha ha.”
He glanced at his lips and then broke into a broad smile.
“Just curious.”
“……”
“I found it surprising that you’d be so passive on what might be the most important matter.”
“……”
“Or maybe you’re not mentally ready yet?”
He muttered that last question as if to himself, but the intent was clearly directed at me.
“You seem more interested in me than I thought.”
“I’ve always been interested. Surely you’re not just realizing that now?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“……”
“Doesn’t this make you suspicious? Like there’s some scheme by the company you don’t know about?”
“My goodness.”
Though not visibly so much, I thought he would be taken aback, but Team Leader Kkae just laughed. He looked pleased that I caught his intent.
‘…Disgusting.’
I rubbed the goosebumps on my forearm and let out a small sigh.
“I’ll handle that on my own.”
Removing the manager wasn’t part of the quest. It wasn’t a ‘task’ assigned by the company, which meant Team Leader Kkae couldn’t force me.
“Well, I can’t force you. But it’s best to get it over with quickly. If it drags on, it’ll be hard to just watch.”
Though the subject was omitted, I knew who he meant.
‘The company, of course.’
I nodded, and Team Leader Kkae gave his trademark bright smile and stood up.
Just as if he were about to disappear, he suddenly looked at me and said,
“By the way, Yoo Chaemin’s manager and the agency’s CEO are uncle and nephew.”
“…What?”
“I thought you should know.”
Then Team Leader Kkae vanished like smoke. I stared blankly at the empty space where he had been.
‘The manager is the agency CEO’s nephew?’
I took a sip of the just-finished coffee. The hot, bitter liquid slid down my throat.
Breathing in the faint warmth and fragrant coffee scent, I picked up the phone next to my laptop.
The screen was filled with voice files. Of course, I had backed them up on several devices as well.
‘Even though I’m already prepared.’
Just like Team Leader Kkae said, the preparation was complete.
There was no need to edit anything. I didn’t know how ridiculous Yoo Chaemin appeared to the manager, but he hadn’t even tried to be careful with his words.
A lot of what he said was outright verbal abuse directed at Yoo Chaemin.
Verbal abuse. And even the times he pretended to hit Yoo Chaemin were all recorded.
Yet I had kept delaying dealing with this…
I shook my head to cut off the thoughts.
It didn’t matter why I was postponing it.
What mattered was that the manager was deliberately sabotaging Yoo Chaemin’s schedule.
At first, it was just a suspicion without solid proof, but not anymore.
‘So that’s why the scripts for the next projects were like that.’
I’d doubted it before but found it hard to be sure. After all, Yoo Chaemin was infamous for bad acting. And from his perspective, even more so.
Even if I tried to think otherwise, the manager must have told him, “These kinds of projects fit your acting skills.”
Still, Yoo Chaemin’s filmography wasn’t all that terrible.
Most works were questionable, but there were a few rare shining moments.
Though those too didn’t get much recognition thanks to Yoo Chaemin’s “amazing” acting.
Was that the result of Yoo Chaemin’s own efforts? Or just opportunities that come to anyone once in a while?
These various thoughts floated around in my mind with no end or conclusion.
I knew the knot wouldn’t untie itself. I had to have the will.
“…?”
Breaking the heavy silence, footsteps sounded from somewhere.
Light, impatient steps approached the front door, followed by the sound of pressing the door lock keypad buttons.
‘The manager.’
I started recording and placed my phone in a corner of the sofa, covering it with a cushion so it wouldn’t be easily noticed.
I tossed it carelessly but in a way that wouldn’t catch the eye unless someone specifically looked for it.
The door opened, and shoes were carelessly kicked off with a short thud. I stared toward the living room while sitting on the sofa.
Soon, the manager appeared.
He looked the same as always. The smell of alcohol was strong, so I thought he was drunk, but his eyes and gait were steady.
He must have been drinking from late night until morning.
When he saw me silently watching from the sofa, his brow furrowed.
As usual, I expected a barrage of harsh words, but he just twitched his mouth and suddenly smiled brightly.
His eyelids trembled slightly.
“Chaemin, how’ve you been?”
The affected voice was insincere.
“…What brings you here?”
“What brings me here! Do we only see each other when there’s work? You’ve changed lately. Why are you talking to me like that?”
What scheme was this now? Did the girl group he was producing fail? Or was there some problem at work?
‘Still, I don’t think he’d come looking for Yoo Chaemin.’
Instead of answering, I lowered my gaze. The manager chuckled and plopped down beside me.
“Hey man, your drama’s been getting good reactions lately, so you must be feeling great, huh?”
His tone was like talking to a clueless kid. It felt oddly familiar.
‘This bastard, no way.’
When you keep pushing someone relentlessly, they eventually push back.
Sometimes, pretending to care lets you spin your scary behavior as “for your own good.”
“I came here knowing you’d be like this. Remember during ‘Pump Up’? I told you not to get cocky just because you got popular. Popularity can disappear just as suddenly as it comes, man~ Everyone said your road would be smooth after ‘Pump Up’, right? The company, and even our uncle…”
As expected, he rattled off the usual lines but suddenly glanced at my face.
“No, even the CEO told you back then, right? Not to get arrogant. So how did it end? The group failed, disbanded, right?”
‘Oh…’
That was a crafty statement. After happiness, bigger misfortune comes. So why wouldn’t it be the same this time?
It crushed Yoo Chaemin’s hopes of gaining strength from the drama’s success.
By the way, it really was true that the CEO and manager were uncle and nephew.
“So listen to me, Chaemin. If you… um, want to say something to the CEO, keep telling me like you have until now. You know he’s a bit mad at you, right? If he suddenly contacts you, don’t reply. Tell me immediately.”
‘Clumsy.’
The manager wasn’t exactly clever or calculating. I didn’t know what had happened between Yoo Chaemin and the CEO.
But it was clear the manager feared Yoo Chaemin and the CEO reconnecting.
‘Maybe I see it clearly because I’m not involved.’
Things that are obvious to outsiders often become invisible once they become your own problem.
Even if you know it intellectually, it’s not easy to escape.
“Got it, Chaemin?”
I faintly nodded at his disgustingly affectionate voice.
The manager seemed pleased with my reaction and rattled on with useless advice before leaving.
There was no mention of upcoming schedules or future projects.
‘Did the recording go well?’
After confirming the manager had completely left, I retrieved the phone hidden under the cushion.
The recording was clean once again. I immediately backed up the file and opened the messenger app.
I stared at one of the chat rooms lined up.
A few days ago, a message had arrived from an unsaved number.
[BS Park Sungjoo: How have you been?]
It wasn’t hard to figure out he was the CEO of BS Enter. Just searching the name he set for himself on a portal site was enough.
“……”
Staring at the still-unopened message, I finally tapped the chat room.
BS Enter’s headquarters, which I was visiting for the first time, was larger and tidier than I expected.
I’d heard the idol group they debuted after ‘Pump Up’ had quite a success, so maybe that was why.
For a moment, I recalled the unfamiliar idol group photo displayed prominently on the building’s exterior before moving forward.
“Um…”
“Oh, Yoo Chaemin!”
Since my face was basically my ID, there was no need for any identity verification.
After I said I was here to see the CEO, the staff quickly confirmed and guided me toward the elevator.
I pushed my hat down deeper to check if the manager was inside.
I didn’t want rumors spreading that Yoo Chaemin had come to the building.
Arriving at the CEO’s office, I knocked on the door.
From beyond the door came the sound of something crashing to the floor.
‘What was that?’
Not long after, the door opened.
A middle-aged man wearing glasses greeted me with an awkward smile.
“Welcome.”
“Hello, CEO.”
I bowed politely. He looked uncertain and said,
“Oh dear, oh dear. You don’t have to be so formal.”
I’d only greeted him, but his reaction was like that.
When I looked up, I noticed sweat gleaming on his forehead.
It was February, still a cold season.
“Please come inside. Would you like something to drink?”
Though standing right before me, he couldn’t look me in the eye.
He behaved like someone who knew they’d done a big wrong.
Not young and experienced enough to handle emotions well as a company CEO, yet clearly shaken.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come.’
A bad feeling settled in.
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