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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: 양가감정
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Yeongin arrived at the hotel lounge located on the 80th floor.
She had been there a couple of times before.
With Cha Seonghyeok. Personally.
It was a bit too extravagant a place for a superior and a subordinate to discuss work. She began to doubt again if it was truly about business.
When she told the waiting staff at the lounge entrance the name of the reservation, she was immediately guided to a window seat.
It was a spot overlooking the entire city of Seoul and the Han River. Knowing what a magnificent night view would unfold once darkness fully settled, she felt a slight flutter of excitement.
“Have a seat, Team Leader Chae.”
Seonghyeok, who had arrived first, had an even more splendid smile on his face than the night view.
Yeongin sat in the chair opposite him while he told the staff they would order food a little later.
“Have you been here before?”
She wondered why the person she had come with was asking this, but it seemed he was determined to stick to his 'representative' persona, so she decided to play along for now.
“Yes.”
“With whom?”
“I came here with someone I briefly dated a while ago.”
Yeongin put particular emphasis on 'briefly.' However, it had no effect on Seonghyeok whatsoever. Unless it was 'someone she would never date again,' that is.
“With anyone else?”
“No, I haven't.”
Seonghyeok, who had asked three questions just to get this answer, brought up his business with a satisfied expression.
“I asked to see you, Team Leader Chae, because I have a favor to ask.”
His demeanor had become quite serious, forcing Yeongin to be serious as well.
“Please tell me.”
“You know, Team Leader Chae. SL Entertainment is all bulk and no substance for its size.”
Yeongin nodded calmly.
“When you hear the name SL Entertainment, nothing specific comes to mind, does it? Neither works nor actors.”
“So, I'm thinking of creating a signature work.”
Seonghyeok leaned forward, taking his back off the chair, and continued.
“I need your help, Team Leader Chae.”
“What kind of help can I offer?”
“I heard from Representative Kang. Team Leader Chae, he said you have an exceptional eye for choosing projects. He said Hyesung quickly established itself thanks to you.”
Representative Kang hadn't just spilled secrets at their last drinking session. He had praised Yeongin endlessly, saying that every actor who appeared in a project she recommended became famous.
“When did he say such a thing…?”
“When Team Leader Chae went out to make a call.”
“It's not to the extent of deserving such praise.”
Yeongin knew that Representative Kang cherished her like a younger sibling and sincerely wished her well. But hearing such words from Seonghyeok made her a little embarrassed.
She wondered if perhaps it wasn't him, but herself, who couldn't distinguish between public and private matters.
“I need a project to invest in without holding back. Team Leader Chae, please choose a good one.”
Yeongin knew Cha Seonghyeok's scale better than anyone. It would be a lie to say she wasn't tempted, but the pressure of the phrase 'without holding back' was even greater.
“My main job is management.”
“But I heard script review was your main job at Hyesung?”
“I merely chose projects from a thoroughly popular and commercial perspective and recommended the ones best suited for my actors. Because for an actor to rise, the project must succeed.”
Seonghyeok, who had listened intently to her honest confession, curved his lips into a smile. His obsidian-black eyes sparkled as if he had found his prey.
“A thoroughly popular and commercial project, and an actor suited for that project—that's what I want. Because I'm someone who needs to produce results.”
“…”
When he readily accepted what she had said as a form of polite refusal, Yeongin was speechless.
“I utterly despise people who make art with other people's money.”
Yeongin instinctively knew it was time to state her reason for refusal directly.
“Representative.”
Seonghyeok leaned back against the chair again and slowly nodded.
“Speak.”
“It's a proposal stemming from personal feelings, so it's difficult for me to accept.”
“It's not a proposal; it's a favor.”
He had never asked anyone for a favor before. He had never lacked anything in his life, so there was no reason for him to ask for one.
Yet, with a woman named Chae Yeongin, the word 'favor' flowed so easily from his lips, which he found a little strange himself.
“Are you not denying that it stems from personal feelings?”
“Only half.”
“Pardon?”
“It means I'm not doing this solely out of personal feelings. It's a conclusion I reached after thoroughly researching you, Team Leader Chae, and careful consideration.”
“…”
“Wrecking one subsidiary isn't the end of the world, but I'm not crazy enough to ruin my reputation for just one woman.”
After a brief silence, Yeongin calmly spoke.
“Seonbae.”
He responded naturally, as if he had been waiting for it.
“Hm?”
He was, coincidentally, tired of playing the clumsy boss.
“Can I give you a piece of advice?”
“Anytime.”
“Stop now and go back to your Seonbae position.”
“Where is my position?”
“You were originally going to the Management Planning Department, weren't you?”
“But I didn't go. So it's not my position, is it?”
Yeongin's brow furrowed slightly.
“You know nothing about this industry, you have no interest in it, so what exactly do you plan to do? Do you know the trends? Do you know what movies and dramas are popular these days? How many actors can you name?”
Yeongin genuinely hoped Seonghyeok would change his mind. She truly wished he would stop. She felt sorry for him, wasting his time because of her.
“Do you pride yourself on being well-versed in this industry's trends, popular movies, dramas, and actors, and having a lot of interest?”
Yeongin hadn't chosen her major in media and communication studies for any specific reason. In fact, before starting this job, she didn't particularly like movies or dramas, nor had she ever been deeply infatuated with celebrities. But now, she could answer with confidence.
“Yes.”
Seonghyeok shrugged as if to say, 'What's the problem?'
“Then that's fine.”
“What do you mean?”
“My role is to efficiently manage talented individuals like you.”
“…”
Yeongin hadn't realized that her answer would give Seonghyeok such conviction. Since that was precisely the role of a top decision-maker, she couldn't offer any rebuttal.
“Right now, I need someone to choose projects worth investing in properly, but I also need someone who can give objective, harsh criticism. No matter how I think about it, there's no one more suitable than you.”
“Harsh criticism isn't difficult, but the other part is too much pressure.”
“What's so pressured about it?”
“That the project I choose might fail.”
“What are you going to do? What are you going to do? Just tilt your head and wonder why it failed, then move on.”
As Seonghyeok smiled and mimed tilting his head, Yeongin pouted her lips.
“Easier said than done…”
“What's so difficult about it? I'll take responsibility for any failures.”
“…”
Yeongin disliked her own failures, but she disliked his failures just as much. She hated the thought of him failing because of her, most of all.
“You want to say that pressure isn't something you can just decide not to feel, right?”
“Yes.”
This man's perceptiveness was unparalleled. That's why she felt uneasy. Afraid he had already seen right through her heart.
Perhaps he had seen through her the moment they reunited at the club. That she still hadn't forgotten him.
That's why she wondered if he could push forward like a bulldozer. But she couldn't admit it. She intended to pretend otherwise until the very end.
As long as she was Chae Yeongin and he was Cha Seonghyeok, nothing had changed from before.
She couldn't start over with him, but she also didn't desperately want to push him away—this ambivalence she intended to bury deep within her heart.
“I won't ask for an answer now. Take your time to think it over.”
“…”
She should have said there was no need to think, that she refused, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.
“I can't say I've completely excluded personal feelings, but you should decide by completely excluding personal feelings. You know well that it's an opportunity too good to miss.”
Of course, she knew. And that if she set aside personal feelings, there would only be one conclusion.
“I'll think about it.”
Suddenly, she wondered. When would he finally leave this place, so far removed from establishing his succession foundation?
His presence had become familiar to her, and imagining a day when she couldn't see him anymore, just like before, already made her feel empty inside.
Seonghyeok, unaware of what Yeongin was truly thinking, simply assumed her expression was clouded because she was deep in careful consideration.
“Want to have some wine with dinner?”
“I drove here.”
“Then I guess I'll be drinking alone.”
“Didn't you bring your car?”
“Nope, I figured you'd bring yours, so I left mine behind.”
“...?”
Yeongin tilted her head. She couldn't immediately grasp what correlation there was between her bringing her car and him leaving his behind.
“You'll drive me home, right?”
Only then did Yeongin realize Seonghyeok's ulterior motive, and she let out a hollow laugh.
“No.”
“Are you going to be so petty? There should be some give and take.”
“This isn't like begging for a favor, and who asked you to drive me? It's not what I wanted.”
“Even if you don't want it, I'll keep begging for favors.”
Because that's the only way he could even try to insist. Because if he didn't do something like this, Chae Yeongin wouldn't budge.
“So I don't have a choice?”
“Why wouldn't you? I told you once before. Either accept it or give up.”
“…”
“There are no other options.”
He smiled faintly at the bewildered Yeongin, then raised his hand to call a staff member.
***
Though not exactly cheerful, the two finished their meal in a comfortable atmosphere and exited the lounge.
Just after Seonghyeok pressed the elevator button, a man's voice came from behind them.
“Yeongin.”
Seonghyeok, who turned around at the same time as Yeongin, immediately recognized the man who had affectionately called Yeongin's name.
Seo Jingyo, an actor representing South Korea.
What's their relationship?
The moment the question arose, Yeongin responded to him familiarly.
“Seonbae.”
Seonghyeok's brow crumpled abruptly.
