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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Taking It Out
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“Get up.”
A chilling cold permeated Seonghyeok’s eyes as he looked down at Beomjun. However, Beomjun, even more intoxicated than he had been twenty minutes earlier, was completely oblivious to the atmosphere.
“Huh? It’s Seonghyeok!”
As he grinned foolishly, his eyes were unfocused and hazy with drink.
“You, I didn’t want to drink alone anyway. Sit down.”
“Sit down? Where? Didn’t you hear me say get up?”
“Didn’t you come here to drink with me?”
“I came to pick up a guy who can’t go home alone, so stop making me repeat myself and get up.”
“You’re not… you didn’t come to pick me up instead of Yeongin, did you…?”
“That’s right.”
After the strategy meeting, a team leader meeting was held regarding the reduction of the management business. Seonghyeok also attended to alleviate the anxieties of the management team leaders.
The meeting, which began at 5 PM, lasted longer than expected, so they had a simple dinner with packed lunches and continued the discussion. Seonghyeok’s proposal to Yeongin to have dinner together that day had, in a way, come true. Although it wasn't just the two of them.
Then, during a short break, Seonghyeok grabbed his phone and quickly left the conference room, following Yeongin to the emergency exit. As soon as he heard her say she couldn't pick him up, he knew it was Beomjun’s call.
He’d gotten annoyed by the shouting that seemed to pierce through the phone, so he snatched Yeongin’s phone and answered it himself.
“I’ll go.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to let you know that from now on, if you call her, I’ll be the one who comes.”
That was why he was here now.
“Why would you…?”
A question clouded Beomjun’s entire face.
“I was in a meeting. The meeting isn’t over yet.”
“Ah…”
“Yeongin is in charge of a very important project. It’s a project vital to the survival of SL Entertainment.”
“I didn’t know Yeongin was in charge of such an important project…”
Beomjun mumbled, avoiding Seonghyeok’s sharp gaze.
“Let’s go.”
Beomjun swayed like a floating weed as he stood up, then staggered after Seonghyeok, who had turned and was leaving the room. The atmosphere was so chilling that he couldn’t even suggest going slowly.
He finally made it out of the building to find Seonghyeok’s car parked at the entrance.
As he opened the passenger door, receiving salutes from the guards, a cold voice came from the driver’s seat.
“Get in the back.”
“…The back?”
“I came to pick you up, so I should make sure you’re comfortable.”
“No. I’ll just…”
“Why do you keep making me repeat myself? Get in the back.”
Beomjun hesitated, then quietly lowered the foot he had raised and obediently got into the back seat.
Far from being comfortable, it felt like he was sitting on a bed of thorns. How could he be comfortable when Cha Seonghyeok was acting as his chauffeur?
“Seatbelt.”
Beomjun immediately pulled the seatbelt and buckled it. He was trying to stay alert, fearing that if he asked again, he’d be cursed at.
After the car started, Beomjun remained silent for a long time before cautiously parting his lips.
“But you… with Changgeun’s incident last time, and now… why are you taking care of Yeongin so much…?”
“Because you don’t.”
“…”
“Because you act worse than a stranger, it makes me want to take care of her myself.”
“You should take care of Arim or something…”
“If you knew how angry I was, you wouldn’t say that.”
“Arim is still immature. Please try to understand her.”
“Get out.”
“Huh?”
Only then did Beomjun realize they had arrived at his house.
“From now on, if you need someone to take you home, call me. Don’t call busy people.”
“Alright…”
“Get out.”
“…”
Shoulders slumped, Beomjun got out of the car and stood there blankly, watching Seonghyeok’s car speed away as if it didn’t want to stay for another second.
He pondered whether he should be nicer to Yeongin from now on.
It was a baseless thought, a wild goose chase, stemming from his firm belief that Seonghyeok would never like someone like Chae Yeongin.
***
The next morning, Yeongin parked her car in the company parking lot and headed for the elevator. However, a van was parked in the hallway near the elevator.
She was walking, thinking someone must be waiting for someone, when someone got out of the driver’s seat. It was Baek Huiran’s field manager.
He bowed respectfully and got straight to the point.
“Teamjang-nim, Huiran-nim says she has something to talk about and wants you to get in for a moment.”
Realizing that the ‘someone’ they were waiting for was her, Yeongin obediently got into the van. A cold aura emanated from Huiran’s face.
“You said you had something to tell me.”
She was inwardly curious as to what it could be that made them intercept someone on their way to work.
“I heard something absolutely outrageous from Oh Changgeun yesterday.”
“Oh Changgeun?”
“You don’t know Oh Changgeun?”
“I do.”
Huiran relayed exactly what she had heard from Changgeun yesterday.
“Are you saying that’s because of me now?”
“Changgeun oppa said it’s because of you.”
“…”
Yeongin was so dumbfounded she lost her words. This was the first time in her life she’d been blamed for something so preposterous. But then she heard something even more absurd.
“Go and beg.”
“Beg?”
“I don’t know what you did to upset Changgeun oppa, but go and grovel, say you’re sorry. And get confirmation for my contract renewal.”
Huiran couldn’t give up the Seongmyeong Construction advertisement because of money. It was a matter of pride.
It was already bad enough that people who envied her, who had only become popular five years after her debut, were waiting to see how long her popularity would last. The thought of how much they would laugh if the model changed after just six months was horrific.
Furthermore, she found it even more intolerable that the reason for the model change was due to someone else, not herself.
And it was even more annoying that that someone else was Chae Yeongin. It was as if the person she disliked was specifically doing things to annoy her.
“I don’t know what your relationship with Oh Changgeun is, but you two should resolve it yourselves.”
She only said that, but she generally guessed what their relationship was.
“Well, I’m telling you, it’s not something I need to resolve, is it? It’s because of you, so why should we resolve it together?”
“Please show some courtesy. It’s not that I can’t speak informally, I choose not to.”
“I thought we were the same age?”
“Baek Huiran-ssi, do you just speak informally to everyone your age without asking for their consent?”
“…”
“I’ll be going now.”
Yeongin left Huiran, who was momentarily speechless, and got out of the van. After walking about two steps, a sharp shout hit her in the back of the head.
“I’m not finished talking!”
Yeongin’s legs paused.
*You really can’t control your temper, can you.*
She was either too agitated to consider that someone might hear, or she didn’t care if anyone did, but either way, it was equally reckless.
The moment she was about to resume her paused steps, Seonghyeok’s face came into view. Yeongin turned to look at him as he passed her and headed towards Huiran.
Seonghyeok stopped in front of Huiran and asked in a flat tone,
“What’s going on?”
“I was just talking with Teamjang-nim Chae Yeongin.”
“I heard a loud voice.”
“I have good vocal projection.”
“Ah, is that so.”
“I have a shoot, so I should get going.”
As Huiran, feigning innocence, got into the van and disappeared, Seonghyeok turned towards Yeongin. And he asked her the same question he had asked Huiran.
“What happened?”
“Just talking for a bit on my way up.”
“The loud voice I heard?”
He cut her off before Yeongin could answer.
“If you’re going to say Baek Huiran has good vocal projection, don’t say anything at all.”
“…”
Yeongin said nothing, just gave a silent nod and walked away as he instructed.
Seonghyeok, forgetting that he had come to retrieve his phone that he’d left in the car, fell deep into thought.
What could possibly be going on between them?
Of course, no amount of pondering would yield an answer.
***
The weekend passed, and Monday arrived.
On a busy Monday morning, someone visited Management Team 5.
“Knock, knock.”
Everyone turned their heads in unison towards the direction of the charming voice.
Huiran, with a fresh smile, stood in the doorway. Her red pencil skirt and red high heels immediately caught the eye.
“Chae Yeongin-ssi.”
The expressions of everyone in Team 5, except Yeongin, instantly hardened. It was clear she had deliberately omitted the title of Teamjang-nim.
Disrespecting the Teamjang-nim was akin to disrespecting the entire Team 5, so it was natural for them to be displeased.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
With a composed face, Yeongin rose from her seat and followed Huiran, who had turned and walked away.
Huiran entered an empty conference room, perched lightly on the desk, and smiled faintly.
“You probably haven’t received the call yet.”
“What call?”
“The memorial poem recitation for the 현충일 (Hyunchungil) commemorative event next week, Min Sahi was chosen to do it, right?”
“Yes.”
“And she’s your assigned actress?”
“Yes.”
“I decided to do it.”
“What?”
As surprise and shock flickered across Yeongin’s usually impassive face, a satisfied smile spread across Huiran’s lips.
“I came to tell you myself.”
“…”
“She was so happy when I said I’d do it first, even though she couldn’t even dream of it, you know?”
Min Sahi, who had been chosen to recite the memorial poem, was an actress who occasionally appeared as a female lead’s friend in movies or dramas. Personally, she was also a bereaved family member of a national meritorious person.
Recalling the face of her actress, who had been delighted to participate in such a meaningful event, Yeongin clenched her fists tightly.
“Do you have to go this far?”
“Yes, I have to go this far.”
Huiran’s eyes crinkled as she smiled prettily.
“If you want to take it out on someone, take it out on me. Don’t harm my innocent actress.”
“I want to, but no matter how much I think about it, the only way to take my anger out on Chae Yeongin-ssi is to fire her. But I don’t think that alone would be enough to vent my frustration.”
“And you can fire me?”
Yeongin let out a derisive snort, and Huiran’s expression stiffened.
“Why? You think I can’t?”
“No, I don’t think you can.”
“…”
“Think carefully about what meaning there is in taking out your anger by ruining your own image.”
Yeongin left the conference room after delivering those indifferent words.
Huiran, who had been biting her lips for a long time, followed her out of the conference room. And she got into the elevator.
Huiran’s destination was the 8th floor, the Daepyo-nim’s office.
