Chapter 4

“Huh?”

“If I let you see CEO Choi, what will you do for me?”

Sui looked into his eyes, secretly taken aback.

Just who was this man that he could offer to let her see Choi Hwaja?

Come to think of it, with a face that ridiculously handsome, he didn’t seem like an ordinary person.

Was he an entertainer signed to this agency? Was that why he knew Im Yuna?

For now, Sui decided to back down a little and ask.

“What is it you want…?”

At her question, the man smiled smoothly.

His face was so radiant that even Sui couldn’t help but feel herself melting.

He bent down until their faces were level, took off his jacket, and draped it over her shoulders.

Sui was startled for a moment, but perhaps it was the warmth of the jacket. Her body, which had been so cold she was practically shivering, warmed up in an instant.

“W-what are you doing?”

“You said you were cold. Just wear it for now.”

Perhaps it was because, ever since possessing Yuna’s body, Sui had been treated so poorly by practically everyone she encountered. Whatever the reason, the man’s kindness caught her off guard.

Not that it seemed like pure kindness, either.

“There’s something I need to check, so please excuse me for a moment.”

The man’s hand moved toward her face.

Sui instinctively stepped back, but he smiled gently, as if to reassure her, and carefully removed the sunglasses she was wearing.

With her vision unobstructed, she could see his face more clearly.

His clear, dark eyes. His flawless skin, without a single visible pore. His perfectly straight nose and full, red lips.

The word handsome simply wasn’t enough to describe him.

She had never seen an angel before, but if someone asked her to describe what an angel looked like, wouldn’t this man’s face be the perfect example?

Overwhelmed by his extraordinary beauty, Sui found herself staring blankly once again, her mouth hanging open. It was the kind of face she wanted to keep looking at even if her jaw actually fell off.

“Your eyes are different. Were they always like this?”

“……”

“Arrogant, fearless… and even talking back to me?”

The man murmured absentmindedly, gazing into Sui’s eyes as though he could see right through her.

Every time he spoke, she caught a faint scent of mint.

Perhaps it was his rich, low voice combined with that clean, refreshing fragrance. Even when he bluntly called her arrogant, it didn’t sound particularly unpleasant.

In fact, he almost sounded as though he were complimenting her, as if he rather liked that side of her.

Just then, the students she had seen earlier began shouting outside the company building.

“Isn’t that Kang Tae-hyung? I-it’s Kang Tae-hyung!”

Kang Tae-hyung? I’ve heard that name somewhere before…

Her recent conversation with CEO Lee flashed through Sui’s mind like a series of images.

“There isn’t a role that suits your image. Besides, you…”

“Me? What about me?”

“Let’s leave it at that. Kang Tae-hyung and Oh Ji-hye are the leads. They’re top stars. They’re on a different level from our Yuna.”

Top stars… People in a completely different league from Yuna.

Sui looked up at Kang Tae-hyung, only for him to suddenly take her by the arm and pull her along.

“Come with me for now.”

As the building’s automatic doors opened, she saw an enormous photograph of Kang Tae-hyung covering an entire wall.

He must really be famous. Why else would they have such a gigantic picture of him displayed right at the entrance?

Sui looked around.

Was this luxurious, spacious building Hwaja Entertainment?

Choi Hwaja… That crazy, pathetic girl actually made it this far.

Sui could have cried. She had once thought Hwaja would be lucky if she managed to avoid being looked down on by everyone for the rest of her life.

Sui followed Tae-hyung into an elevator. He pressed the button for the top floor and then stared straight ahead without saying another word.

It would have been nice if he had at least explained where they were going, but Kang Tae-hyung didn’t seem inclined to do that.

An awkward silence settled between them. Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Sui finally broke it.

“Where are we going? Are we going to see CEO Choi?”

“My office.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said we’re going to my office. Is there a problem?”

Only then did he turn his head toward Sui and look down at her.

The height difference was unavoidable, but there was something arrogant about the way he looked down at her.

He seemed to be talking down to her, yet somehow he never quite crossed the line, leaving her with nothing she could easily snap back at him for.

He was the sort of person who observed every proper formality while still making sure he got exactly what he wanted.

Sui, who wasn’t used to dealing with people like him, furrowed her brows slightly.

“What I’m asking is, if I follow you, will I get to see CEO Choi?”

“You?”

She had only used that vague form of address because she couldn’t think of anything else to call him, but apparently even that had rubbed him the wrong way.

Seriously, what is with this guy?

“Forget it. Just tell me where CEO Choi Hwaja is. I’ll find her myself.”

“Before that, you’ll have to do what I want, won’t you?”

“What are you talking about? I never said I’d do anything for you.”

“Hmm. If that’s how you’re going to be, I suppose we should stop here. I have no intention of giving you anything for free, either.”

Sui stared at him incredulously, her eyes widening.

“You’re the one who dragged me here!”

“Then there’s nothing I can do. If you don’t want to see CEO Choi, you can leave.”

He was playing a subtle game of push and pull. His attitude was arrogant, and he was far too skilled with his words.

But regardless of all that, Sui desperately needed his help right now.

Sitting hunched outside the building day after day, waiting for Choi Hwaja to show up, was undeniably a rather primitive approach.

Giving in, Sui practically shouted, “What do you want from me, anyway?!”

“If you want to know, stop wasting time and just follow me.”

They walked down a long corridor before he opened a large door and led her into another area.

Several people who looked like secretaries greeted Kang Tae-hyung with impeccable courtesy. Sui, standing beside him, reflexively bowed her head along with them.

No wonder this man is so arrogant.

He seemed accustomed to being treated with such deference, and, annoyingly enough, the attitude suited him perfectly.

Kang Tae-hyung was an entertainer, just like Yuna, wasn’t he?

Yet he had the kind of commanding presence usually associated with company presidents who had been around for decades. He looked no older than his mid-twenties, but somehow he still managed to intimidate her.

Sui followed him into a large office. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see the sprawling cityscape of Seoul as dusk began to settle over the city.

“Have a seat.”

Was this really his office? Kang Tae-hyung must be a pretty big deal after all.

Sui stood there with her mouth open, looking around. Then her eyes met his. He was sitting arrogantly on an extremely luxurious leather sofa.

“Let’s get straight to the point. Why do you want to meet CEO Choi?”

“Is that what you want to know?”

“I’m asking because I’m curious.”

“That’s not something I need to discuss with you. I’ll tell her when I see her.”

“I’ll have to screen you first before I let you see her. What reason do I have to trust you enough to arrange a meeting with CEO Choi?”

“You know who I am, don’t you? Im Yuna.”

“I do. More precisely, it’s customary for you to meet people with your manager present.”

His tone suggested that he found it suspicious she had been lurking around Hwaja Entertainment disguised with sunglasses and a mask, without even her manager accompanying her.

Sui decided there was no particular reason to hide the truth. She didn’t want to waste any more time on this.

“I want to audition. I want to join this agency.”

“This agency?”

His mocking tone immediately soured her mood. He looked at her as though Im Yuna wasn’t remotely qualified to join a place like this.

“What? Am I not allowed to join?”

“Your current agency won’t take that lying down, will they?”

“My contract is almost up. First, I just want to get away from them. And this place seems like an agency I can trust.”

“That’s true. CEO Choi is someone you can trust. She’ll turn even someone who isn’t a genius into one, and she knows how to protect her own people better than anyone.”

“Exactly. So hurry up and take me to CEO Choi.”

“But I’m not like her.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I don’t accept people who lack talent.”

What was he talking about? Judging by the way he spoke, you would think he was the president of the company.

“CEO Lee Hwan-soo of The Olim Entertainment won’t leave you alone, Yuna. You know that as well as I do. Isn’t that why you’ve been trapped there for ten years?”

How did he know so much? Was every detail of Im Yuna’s circumstances already public knowledge?

When Sui stared at him without answering, the man continued in the same relaxed tone.

“CEO Lee Hwan-soo is well-known in this industry. So is the fact that he cherishes you like his own child.”

Sui narrowed her eyes.

He was indirectly saying that CEO Lee had a notorious reputation in the industry.

Without being intimidated, Sui replied firmly, “You seem to know the situation pretty well already. That’s exactly why I want to get away from him. He’ll use all the weaknesses he’s collected on me over the years to hold me back. I can handle that much.”

“That’s your problem, Im Yuna. Do you really think CEO Choi will take a risk on you? An entertainer who has done nothing but commercials, has no notable work to her name, and is surrounded by nasty rumors?”

Sui was so irritated that she could hardly stand it.

Kang Tae-hyung was laying out the grim reality of Yuna’s situation in a cold, analytical tone, without the slightest change in expression.

And it wasn’t pleasant hearing another actor rattle off every last detail of Yuna’s shortcomings as though he were reading from a report.

Still, he wasn’t wrong. This was the reality she couldn’t simply ignore, so she had no grounds to argue.

“I feel like I’m the one being interviewed here.”

At her remark, Tae-hyung leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. A strange smile played on his lips as he spoke.

“Im Yuna.”

“…What?”

“Why are you acting like this?”

“Like what, now?”

“Are you pretending not to know? Or is this some kind of concept?”

She had no idea what he thought she didn’t know, or what he meant by a concept.

But Sui had a feeling that looking at him with an expression that said I don’t know anything would be a bad idea.

His expression suddenly changed as he spoke, and the atmosphere became intensely oppressive. Between his imposing stature and the unmistakable sense of menace he exuded, he seemed like someone she absolutely shouldn’t treat carelessly.

“Until I give my permission, CEO Choi’s opinion is completely irrelevant.”

“……”

“How long do you expect me to put up with your act, Yuna?”

“Ah…”

At that moment, Sui sensed something ominous.

Her eyes darted around until they landed on the nameplate sitting prominently on the desk in front of the broad window.

How did I fail to notice that earlier…?

Executive Director Kang Tae-hoon

This man… wasn’t Kang Tae-hyung after all.

No matter how she looked at the photograph displayed so prominently at the entrance of Hwaja Entertainment, the face was identical to Kang Tae-hyung’s.

And hadn’t the students loitering outside called him Kang Tae-hyung, too?

What was going on? If his name was Kang Tae-hoon, could he be Tae-hyung’s brother?

But that wasn’t the real issue for Sui right now.

Based on the clues she had pieced together in a flash, she arrived at a quick conclusion: Kang Tae-hoon was the person who actually held power within the company, while Choi Hwaja was merely the figurehead whose name adorned the agency.

In the past, it had been common for companies to put a famous person forward as president while someone else handled the actual business and management behind the scenes. So Sui’s guess was probably right.

Even if she was mistaken, one thing was certain: this man had more influence than Choi Hwaja herself.