Chapter 252

Son Chaeyoung crossed the parking lot.

Her eyes seemed both fiery and chillingly frozen.

“Chaeyoung!”

“No need to follow me. I’ll take my own car.”

“You could have an accident if you drive now! Wait, I have something to say…!”

Despite his pleading, Son Chaeyoung stopped walking.

“What do you want to say?”

“Here?”

“If you’re not going to say it, never mind.”

“Wait! Just a minute.”

After looking around to make sure no one was nearby, Cho Byunghwan swallowed hard and spoke.

“Chaeyoung, why don’t you just, come work with me at the company?”

Son Chaeyoung’s brows furrowed. Cho Byunghwan quickly added,

“It’s because I’m so frustrated! Why are you getting treated like this here? You’re Son Chaeyoung! How many companies would welcome you barefoot?”

In a burst of frustration, Cho Byunghwan glanced around once more.

“Since when was Lee Songha a top figure? It’s annoying how the director only openly favors Lee Songha and that guy Jung Sunwoo. It stresses you out every time you see Lee Songha. So, how about changing companies now?”

“To which company?”

Cho Byunghwan lowered his voice.

“A big firm like Pine Tree would be best. I don’t know how the director will react. You know what happened to the former team manager. Moving to a bigger company could give you a shield…”

“It would be harder for you to settle in at a new company.”

Son Chaeyoung spoke in a relaxed tone.

“You could just ask for better treatment when I transfer. Right now, I’m just an acting team leader, but who knows when I’ll lose that position. You heard what Lee Songha said to me? He told me to call him ‘team manager’, the team manager! If I…”

Cho Byunghwan suddenly became aware of his surroundings and lowered his voice again.

“I need to have a higher position to push for you and take care of you at the new company. We need to help each other, Chaeyoung. How many years has it been for us?”

“It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah, should I keep contacting other companies? Shall we move together?”

“No.”

Son Chaeyoung said, and she walked on.

Cho Byunghwan stood briefly in disbelief, then quickly followed.

“Why? You said you weren’t going to renew your contract and leave several times! Why not?”

“Just because.”

“What? Chaeyoung… Chaeyoung! You asked me before if I would follow you to the company!”

“I should have said yes then.”

Son Chaeyoung stopped and turned around sharply.

“When I asked you then, you should have said yes.”

“But, it was a bit unclear for me at that time! Realistically…”

“Even if it was just empty words.”

Son Chaeyoung spoke with an expressionless face.

“You should have said it then.”

As Cho Byunghwan was about to say something, the elevator in the underground parking lot opened. A few employees came out talking and stopped when they saw Son Chaeyoung and Cho Byunghwan. Cho Byunghwan quickly composed himself.

“Chaeyoung, let’s calm down and talk in the car, okay?”

“Never mind. Don’t follow me.”

“Wait, Chaeyoung! Just a minute!”

As Cho Byunghwan held onto her, checking if the departing employees were gossiping, he spoke.

“That thing about us leaving together, keep it a secret from the director…”

Son Chaeyoung chuckled sarcastically and shook off his hand.

“Got it.”

“And, if you were upset, you should have talked to me about it. You could have.”

“Upset? What do I have to be upset about? I never expect anything from Director Cho, not then, not now.”

Son Chaeyoung shot back coldly and climbed into the driver’s seat.

As the car drove away, Cho Byunghwan, left alone in the parking lot, cursed.

He strode back to the company, sparks flying in his eyes.

***

Lee Songha seemed to have done something.

Lee Kwanwoo had been trying to decipher a dying message when he finally just called.

-Yes, Team Manager!

You’re alive.

“Where are you?”

-I’m taking Songha to the lodging. We ran into Ms. Son Chaeyoung at the company a bit ago.

Ah.

It was bound to happen sometime, just not when I was away.

He glanced at his watch and spoke.

“I’ll send you the address, come here.”

As soon as they arrived at the familiar Korean restaurant, the company van caught his eye.

Lee Kwanwoo, spotting them, burst out of the driver’s seat, followed by Lee Songha.

“Team Manager, you’re here

?”

“Your face, what happened? Was there a war or something?”

“Well.”

Lee Kwanwoo opened his mouth wide, then shut it without saying a word.

Lee Songha approached with the sound of crushing gravel underfoot. It was a sunny day without a cloud in sight, yet his face was filled with shadows.

He looked a bit defeated, yet still seemed to be simmering with something.

Lee Kwanwoo, lips tightly sealed, tried hard to convey something through his expression.

Whatever it was, it must have been huge.

For now.

“Shall we eat?”

“Yes. Let’s eat first.”

Lee Songha answered immediately.

Lee Kwanwoo glanced their way and took a step back.

“I’m not hungry. I’ll head back to the office first, Team Manager.”

“Alright. See you there.”

After sending Lee Kwanwoo off, Lee Songha and the Team Manager entered the restaurant.

The two demolished a meal meant for four, and by the time they received sweet omija tea and snacks for dessert, Lee Songha’s face had loosened up a bit.

He looked much better than before.

“Feeling less stressed?”

“Don’t you want to ask what happened?”

“You ran into Son Chaeyoung at the office. She must have started it, right?”

It was obvious. It wouldn’t be the first time for Son Chaeyoung, the walking natural disaster, to start trouble, and Lee Songha wasn’t the type to just take hits.

Lee Songha bit his lip as he held his teacup.

“It’s been bothering me all day. I tried to endure it.”

“It’s not easy.”

“Yes.”

While gauging my reaction, he looked straight at me.

I took a sip of the sweet tea and casually said,

“I know. I also couldn’t hold back at GTBN recently.”

“They started it. You can’t just take that.”

“Exactly.”

It’s like…

Like two troublemakers gathering to share a sense of camaraderie.

Thinking that made me laugh out loud without realizing.

Lee Songha, too, had cleared his face and was now demolishing the snacks. His appetite seemed to have returned.

I pushed my dessert towards him and said,

“If you really can’t bear it, don’t. It’ll only make you sick. Just be careful not to cross the line.”

“What if…”

Lee Songha hesitated.

“If I seem to be crossing the line, please stop me.”

“You?”

Lee Songha crossing the line?

Rather…

“You should be stopping me.”

“Me?”

Lee Songha blinked widely.

After a while, I looked him in the eye, smiled nonchalantly, and half-jokingly, half-seriously said,

“Let’s not go there with each other.”

***

Lee Songha was let in, and it was only after returning to the company that Lee Kwanwoo encountered her.

Lee Kwanwoo, who had detailed the incident at the company earlier, added with an uneasy expression, “And on the way to the company, in the car, there was talk about Jung Jaei.”

“Really?”

“Jung Jaei asked how well she acts compared to herself, and whether there is any footage of the camera test.”

“Ah…”

“It might be best not to watch it, Songha cut off saying it should be ignored as if unheard. It seems shes still preoccupied with it. I was warned not to tell the manager, and I acknowledged.”

Yet soon after, he felt guilty for relaying the message, his face darkening. I lightly patted his shoulder and said, “She had a downturn once before because of that. There are people who compare, so it’s bound to be nerve-racking. Be more cautious around her in the future to avoid problems.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Don’t trust too easily when she says it’s okay. It’s a habit.”

“Understood.”

Lee Kwanwoo nodded gravely.

“And for a while, I’ll accompany Songha on her individual schedule.”

“Yes, Manager.”

After sending Lee Kwanwoo off, just as he was about to immerse himself in thought, the door to the manager’s office burst open as Director Cho Byunghwan entered.

His face was red, almost rotting with rage, “Do you know what Lee Songha did earlier? In front of the company staff, do you have any idea how rudely she spoke to Chaeyoung?!”

“…”

“What did you incite as her manager, with her being so young, fearlessly disrespectful! And the big guy following her around just stood there watching!”

Watching him rage like a provoked wild boar, I said calmly, “Keep it down. This is someone else’s office.”

“What?!”

“Do you like sorting out seniors and juniors, Director Cho? Then you shouldnt speak informally to me.”

Director Cho Byunghwan gaped as if struck unexpectedly.

“You, you think I’m…”

“Why can’t I sort out our ranks? I’ve been hearing rumors that youve been gunning for Jung Sunwoo to fail, and you treat me like I’m nobody.”

Director Cho Byunghwan flinched, perhaps realizing how his words had traveled back to me.

I stood up and walked up to him, “Director Cho, do I look like someone who takes other’s venting lightly? When I decide to screw someone over, my adrenaline starts pumping.”

“…”

“So, let’s try to live peacefully.”

I gestured towards the door, signaling him to leave and attend to his actor.

***

It was a day when the rain poured down fiercely.

Yesterday’s sunny weather seemed like a lie, the sky now completely covered in dark, ominous clouds. Thunder cracked loudly at intervals. The weather was truly foul.

The division chief looked out the window and said, “The company has been quite noisy lately.”

“Has it?”

Baek Hansung, the CEO, rubbed his neck peeking out over his shirt collar.

Stirring his steaming milky tea, the division chief tasted his drink, “Team Leader Sunwoo has always been a bit nave despite his looks. Lately, he seems increasingly unstable; I wonder if its alright to just leave him be. Maybe I should talk to him.”

“It’s alright for him to be a bit lost. Its that age.”

Baek Hansung smiled faintly.

“I think he’ll find his path soon enough. Once he dips his toes, he gets soaked right away.”

“What?”

It was then Son Chaeyoung entered the room with a knock that sounded almost violent, her face as grim as the stormy weather outside, foreboding like the calm before a storm.

The division chief glanced between Son Chaeyoung and Baek Hansung and asked, “Chaeyoung, whats wrong?”

“I can’t shoot for about a week. Make up some excuses for the schedule that won’t cause a stir. Even being hospitalized is fine.”

The division chief nearly dropped his teacup, shocked.

“You cant shoot? You, Chaeyoung?”

Outside the set, Son Chaeyoung was like a ticking time bomb, but inside, she was nearly a perfect actress. It was uncharacteristic of her to announce she couldn’t shoot like this.

The division chief’s face turned serious.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“I’m not feeling well.”

“How unwell must you be to miss a shoot? Youve never done this before.”

“Very unwell.”

Son Chaeyoung tiredly brushed back her long hair.

“God, you had a go at Lee Songha yesterday, is it because of that…”

The division chief murmured as Son Chaeyoung shot him a sharp look.

 He sipped his milky tea again.

Meanwhile, Baek Hansung quietly observed Son Chaeyoung.

He spoke up, “Sit down and tell us whats wrong. You can’t just say you cant shoot. If there’s a problem, we need to solve it.”

“Ill go ask Manager Jung Sunwoo to handle it.”

“What?”

The division chief made a strange noise and raised his head.

Son Chaeyoung shrugged lightly, “Sometimes it seems like he handles things better than you, CEO. I prefer working with the best, as you know.”

The division chief abruptly stood up, glancing at Baek Hansung before quickly approaching Son Chaeyoung and whispering, “You’ve said this before, why do you keep provoking the CEO by mentioning Sunwoo? If you have issues or desires, speak up. How long will this continue? Even the CEO has his limits.”

“Then dont hold back!”

Son Chaeyoung shouted fiercely.

She strode across the CEOs office, looking down at Baek Hansung and said, “Why dont you ask about what happened between me and Lee Songha?”

“Is it something I need to know?”

Baek Hansung retorted.

“You need to know. You should know what terrible things happen to your leading actress. She says even if we fight, you wouldnt take my side anymore. Is that true? Are you not on my side anymore?”

“…”

Baek Hansung sighed tiredly.

“Dont look at me like that. Like Im pathetic. Am I annoying now? Do I look crazy to you? I’ve always been like this! Didnt you know?”

“Chaeyoung, you’re not well right now. Calm down…”

Ignoring the attempt to calm her, Son Chaeyoung continued to yell.

“But still, you should be on my side! You were my person, whether I fought with anyone or did anything!”

“If only you had continued to be the best.”

“…”

Son Chaeyoung’s face turned as pale as a corpse.

—————

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