EMTM 06

Chapter 06

“Come in.”

Jung Yi-won, Tae-hoon’s executive secretary, entered carrying a stack of documents.

“It’s about Deoreollim Entertainment.”

Tae-hoon answered lazily, sitting comfortably and leaning back against his chair.

“Yes.”

“As you know, President Lee Hwan-soo is notorious in the industry for being particularly unscrupulous. He used to work as a model, but after an accident, he apparently established an entertainment agency. The first person he recruited was Im Yu-na. Perhaps because her image has been so heavily worn down, he seems to be turning his attention toward whatever can make him money. All of her existing advertising contracts have been terminated as well…”

It seemed Jung was about to ramble on about things Tae-hoon already knew, so Tae-hoon cut him off.

“…Is there anything else besides what I already know?”

“Ah, apparently there was another suicide incident recently. There are even rumors that her pulse stopped and then she came back to life.”

“Recently?”

“Yes. It probably happened less than a week ago. And I believe this is the third suicide incident.”

Something was strange.

The Im Yu-na Tae-hoon had seen didn’t have the eyes of someone who would ever make such an extreme choice.

Her eyes had been filled with determination, as though she were desperately struggling to survive and somehow find a way through no matter what.

It was the exact opposite of the dark, depressed eyes of Im Yu-na he’d seen on television.

Had she somehow become a different person after dying and coming back to life?

The irony of it was strange.

“There’s not much time left before Im Yu-na’s contract with Deoreollim Entertainment expires. It seems Im Yu-na’s side removed the automatic renewal clause. However, Lee Hwan-soo appears likely to use an adult-film contract as leverage to extend the agreement.”

“An adult film.”

At the words adult film, Tae-hoon let out a cold laugh.

It seemed Lee Hwan-soo intended to squeeze every last drop out of Im Yu-na.

Now that she was no longer useful, he was already turning his attention toward that.

Tae-hoon rolled the fountain pen lying on his desk between his fingers before asking Secretary Jung,

“The fact that there’s no automatic renewal clause is fortunate, at least. Anything else?”

“I heard her mother is particularly difficult regarding the adult-film contract. Apparently, negotiations have been delayed because she demanded an enormous signing fee. If the contract goes through, however, Im Yu-na would effectively be locked into an automatic renewal with Deoreollim.”

“Hmm…”

“Also, her mother apparently manages all of Im Yu-na’s expenses. But she has gambling debts, so she has already put the property up for sale. It seems buying and selling real estate happens every year.”

“I see.”

So while Lee Hwan-soo and Im Yu-na’s mother were pushing and pulling over the adult-film contract and the renewal of her agreement with Deoreollim Entertainment, Im Yu-na had been wandering around Hwa-ja Entertainment’s headquarters.

Im Yu-na’s circumstances were even worse than Tae-hoon had thought.

Tae-hoon remembered the state of mind Im Yu-na must have been in when she’d suddenly come to Hwa-ja Entertainment and announced that she wanted to audition.

She must have been desperate.

And on the verge of collapse.

What would have happened if Im Yu-na hadn’t caught his eye?

For some reason, Tae-hoon felt a chill run through him at the thought.

“Shall I investigate further, Executive Director?”

“No.”

Tae-hoon put down the fountain pen he’d been rolling between his fingers the entire time.

“It’s too sordid. I can’t listen to any more of it. I’ve made my decision.”

“Yes? What decision?”

“I’m bringing Im Yu-na over to my company.”

“Im Yu-na…?”

Secretary Jung’s eyes widened in surprise as he repeated the name, but Tae-hoon paid no attention to his reaction.

“When is CEO Choi Hwa-ja coming back?”

“She’s currently in New York working on an album and giving lectures, so I don’t think she’ll be able to return until sometime this year.”

“What is she trying to screw up over there that she needs to stay that long?”

“Ah, well, she apparently has a great deal of interest in the overseas market as well.”

Jung smiled awkwardly and watched Tae-hoon’s expression.

Hwa-ja and Tae-hoon did not have a particularly good business relationship.

Although the two of them had contributed greatly to the growth of the entertainment business, they were like opposite poles when together. It was actually more comfortable for both of them to stay apart.

Yet Tae-hoon had been quietly waiting for Choi Hwa-ja to return, something he normally wouldn’t have cared about at all.

It was because of Im Yu-na.

For some reason, to the point that even he found it strange, he wanted to meet CEO Choi.

Of course, there was nothing strange about a singer wanting to make contact with a songwriter.

But whenever Im Yu-na spoke about Choi Hwa-ja, there was something resembling longing in her expression.

Someone she wanted to see.

Or someone she had missed.

It was strange that she could look at another person that way when they seemingly had no connection whatsoever.

Of course, it could simply have been the admiration of a fan toward a songwriter she liked.

But Tae-hoon sensed something different.

“Tell her to return as soon as possible.”

“Yes?”

“You keep asking me to repeat myself. Can’t you hear me?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll pass on the message.”

He was curious.

If Im Yu-na met CEO Choi in person, what kind of expression would she make?

Su-i hadn’t been able to sleep all night, and she couldn’t do anything the entire day.

Her heart kept pounding, and her face would suddenly turn red.

Kang Tae-hoon.

What woman wouldn’t be startled if a man with that face told her to sing only for him?

She rushed to the bathroom sink and frantically splashed cold water over her face.

Then she stared at Yu-na’s reflection in the mirror—pale, beautiful, and completely bare-faced.

She had followed Tae-hoon because he’d promised to show her Choi Hwa-ja, only to somehow end up auditioning as well.

And there had been no contact afterward.

Apparently, she’d been rejected thoroughly.

Su-i brushed her swaying hair back and steeled herself again.

Am I upset because I failed the audition, or is my chest tight because I can’t get Tae-hoon’s face out of my head?

She had tossed and turned all night thinking about it, and now her entire body felt exhausted.

Dragging her tired body around, she opened the closet, got dressed, and prepared to go out.

The moment Su-i stepped outside, Jin-sook called her.

This woman called several times a day without ever letting up, always unloading a torrent of abuse on her.

She must be getting desperate.

Su-i had already been planning to visit her mother’s house.

It seemed that Yu-na’s bank account and registered seal related to her contract were both in Jin-sook’s possession.

It appeared that this CEO and Jin-sook had been handling everything without any regard for Yu-na’s wishes.

If they suddenly stamped her seal on a contract agreeing to make an adult film, Su-i would be in a difficult position as well.

After all, in this situation, if Yu-na took her clothes off, it would be Su-i taking them off too.

She absolutely could not let that happen.

Su-i picked up the phone that had been ringing incessantly.

“Hello.”

[Hey. Where are you?]

“Give me your home address. I’m coming over.”

[What?]

“Give me some food. I’m hungry.”

[What the hell are you talking about food all of a sudden? I need to see you too, so come here right now.]

The call ended immediately, and one minute later, Su-i received a text containing nothing but an address.

What is this? Were they mother and daughter but never even visited each other’s homes?

Su-i had even prepared a whole string of excuses in case Jin-sook asked why she wanted the address.

She hadn’t expected her to simply send it without another word.

The mother lived in a top-of-the-line apartment with tight security while leaving her celebrity daughter in a shabby apartment.

Yu-na. You should’ve just given your soul to your mother too. Tsk.

Su-i could only shake her head in pity for the kindhearted Im Yu-na.

When she rang the doorbell, Jin-sook opened the door with an unmistakably displeased expression.

Su-i couldn’t understand what grudge this woman had against Yu-na that she looked like that every time she saw her.

If you’re her mother, shouldn’t you at least know how to look at her warmly?

Well, that wasn’t exactly something Su-i could say to the woman who had grabbed Yu-na by the hair the moment she’d woken up in the hospital.

Su-i looked around the spacious, luxurious home before sitting down at the dining table near the kitchen.

And there, sitting right on the table, were the bankbook and registered seal belonging to Yu-na that Su-i had been looking for.

Just as she began fiddling with them, Jin-sook approached Su-i with an angry expression.

Su-i put on the most innocent expression she could manage.

“Where’s the food?”

“Are you still going on about food? Forget that nonsense and get ready. You need to go straight to the hotel.”

My mother used to pile food onto my plate whenever it came to meals. Why is this mother so desperate to send me somewhere instead of even giving me food?

And what did she mean by a hotel?

Jin-sook looked Su-i up and down with an expression of disgust.

“You call yourself an entertainer and you came all the way here looking like this? You look like a beggar. Put on some makeup. The director wants to see you in person because of the movie you’re going to shoot this time.”

“You want me to shoot that movie? You mean you agreed to the contract?”

Su-i’s eyes widened as she glared at Jin-sook.

Even after she’d gone through such an ordeal trying to die, they were saying she was going to sign that adult-film contract after all.

“I already did. You’re getting older, and there’s no point delaying it anymore.”

“I told you I wasn’t doing it!”

“Then what are you going to do about the debts?”

“What debts? Why should I pay off debts that you incurred yourself?!”

Before she could even finish speaking, a box of tissues flew straight into Su-i’s face.

It didn’t hurt, but it dealt a serious blow to Su-i’s pride.

“This is how you’ve been talking back to me ever since you woke up in the hospital? You’ve really started getting out of line, haven’t you?”

Su-i bit her lip and took a deep breath so quietly that Jin-sook wouldn’t hear.

Endure it, Jeong Su-i. This woman isn’t someone I know, and she’s not actually insulting me. There’s no reason to get this worked up.

Su-i desperately suppressed her natural temper with an extraordinary amount of patience.

She didn’t know whether being possessed had somehow caused her to absorb Yu-na’s emotions, but why was she so angry and indignant?

“Then are you planning to renew your contract with President Lee too?”

“Where else are you going to go? Do you really think there’s another place that would accept someone like you? President Lee is coming here now, too. We’re going to meet the director together, so you’d better know that.”

“You… are you really her biological mother?”

“How dare you glare at me and talk back! I took you from a freezing cold orphanage and raised you!”

An orphanage? So she’s not Yu-na’s biological mother…? Then what? Did she take this little girl and throw her into the entertainment industry? Like a machine for producing money?

Su-i accidentally let the thought escape aloud instead of keeping it to herself.

“Wow. This is seriously trash.”

“What? T-trash?”

“Ah, it slipped out. Sorry.”

“You can’t even repay everything I’ve spent raising you, and you’re talking about whether I’m your real mother! Go to hell, you wench!”

Jin-sook picked up another nearby object and was about to throw it when—

A phone began ringing from the living room.

It wasn’t Su-i’s phone.

It was Jin-sook’s.

“Just you wait.”

Apparently, it was an important call. Jin-sook shot Su-i a fierce glare before turning toward the living room.

As Jin-sook walked past her, Su-i casually stretched out her leg.

“Aah!”

Jin-sook tripped over her leg and went sprawling onto the floor.

She immediately began screaming.

“Ah, ow! Why the hell are you sticking your leg out?! I ought to break it!”

Resting her chin on her hand, Su-i spoke languidly.

“That’s a bit harsh to say to your daughter.”

“I’ll kill you.”

Then, as Jin-sook hurriedly tried to get back up, Su-i stretched out her leg again.

Jin-sook caught her toe once more and this time fell straight onto her backside.

Su-i secretly cheered in triumph, but outwardly remained completely calm.

“Are your legs giving out? Why do you keep falling?”

“M-my back… Ouch.”

“I’ll help you up. Stay still.”

Su-i smiled sweetly and grabbed Jin-sook’s arm tightly, pulling her up.

At that moment, Su-i’s own phone began ringing as well.