0 Prologue

“It’s not that, but….”

Baek Yi-seo hesitated, unable to easily open his mouth.

His pale, thin fingers were nervously picking at the office sofa.

This sofa was also something Cha Gye-won had bought.

By now, there wasn’t a single spot in the entire company untouched by Cha Gye-won’s influence.

“I was wondering… how you’d feel about moving to a different agency.”

“Why. Do you want me to leave?”

With a smirk, Cha Gye-won approached the seated Baek Yi-seo and leaned down to meet his eyes.

The way Yi-seo trembled while avoiding his gaze was almost pathetic.

“It’s not that…. It’s just… our company is so small…. We can’t take proper care of you, and a place that suits you better would be….”

His lips twisted into a smirk as he grabbed Baek Yi-seo’s chin.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m really not.”

Cha Gye-won narrowed his eyes.

Baek Yi-seo’s lips quivered as he continued to avert his eyes.

“…….”

“Our company does so lit-little for you…. And also.”

“Are you doing this because you want to suck my d*ck?”

Baek Yi-seo’s flushed face distorted in shock.

Cha Gye-won painfully pressed down on those contorted lips.

“I’m thinking of you…. If you look for a more organized place….”

As if the suggestion was absurd, he yanked the chin he was holding.

“Don’t try to use your head. Open your mouth.”

*************************************

The filming set was bustling.

Because this movie had an unusually high number of outdoor shoots, manager Kim Gun felt like he was walking on thin ice.

“Gye-won. Should I bring you some more blankets?”

“I’m fine.”

Sitting in an outdoor chair, the legs he had crossed to the side were exceptionally long and straight.

The way he rubbed his temple made it clear that something was bothering him.

“Or do you want to wait in the car? I think it’ll take a while longer before we start shooting.”

“Are you trying to advertise that I have a shitty personality?”

“Oh, no. Not at all! I’ll just go grab some coffee. Wait a second.”

Kim Gun waved his hands in dismissal and ran off.

A dissatisfied gaze followed his retreating figure.

“Tsk.”

Cha Gye-won had a foul personality.

To be honest, he was just a total mess—to the point where even a manager who had worked with him for nearly ten years had to grovel.

And he didn’t exactly bother to hide his true colors.

“Huff, huff. Gye-won, here’s your coffee.”

Kim Gun panted as he held out the coffee.

Beads of sweat had formed on the forehead of his slightly chubby face.

“……You have it, Manager.”

Cha Gye-won flicked his hand dismissively.

Despite the gesture, his face was full of smiles and composure.

He was well aware that the eyes of everyone on set were fixed on him.

“Uh, right. Thanks.”

Kim Gun took an awkward sip of the coffee.

Cha Gye-won was, quite literally, a celebrity among celebrities.

Having hit it big since his days as a child actor, he had never experienced a period of obscurity and was the undisputed top star of South Korea.

In the meantime, his looks only grew more radiant, and his popularity soared higher with each passing day.

“Don’t schedule anything for a while after this movie is finished.”

“Right, right. Got it. Rest is important, of course. Haha.”

The suggestion of taking on just one commercial was swallowed back down.

The frantic cries of the CEO, who had insisted he deliver that message to Cha Gye-won today, seemed to echo in his head like a ghost.

“Ah. Hello, Actor-nim!”

Through the chilly air, someone suddenly offered a greeting to Cha Gye-won.

Amidst the bright greeting, the tip of a nose turned red from the cold stood out vividly against pale skin.

It was Baek Yi-seo, the CEO of K-New, the agency Kim Gun had just received the coffee from.

“I brought a coffee truck today. Please have a cup, Actor-nim!”

He held out a steaming latte with both hands.

Cha Gye-won glanced toward the coffee truck.

Signs were posted saying things like [K-New Entertainment] and [Cheering for the great actress Han Tae-mi].

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

His eyes curved softly as he accepted the coffee.

Internally, Kim Gun shook his head.

Cha Gye-won’s fakery was impressive every time he saw it.

“Yes! Please take good care of our Tae-mi!”

After a deep bow, Baek Yi-seo headed back toward the coffee truck.

His plump, ivory-colored short puffer jacket waddled with every step he took.

“Should I throw that away for you? You don’t drink lattes.”

Kim Gun reached out his arm as if to take it.

Ignoring the hand, Cha Gye-won didn’t drink the latte but simply switched it to his other hand.

“Is he a fan?”

“What?”

“That person. Is he a fan of Han Tae-mi?”

“Ah. No. That’s the CEO. The head of Han Tae-mi’s agency.”

“The CEO is handing out coffee?”

Cha Gye-won asked back as if it were strange.

It was unheard of for a company CEO to personally lead a coffee truck.

Baek Yi-seo was even carrying a tray, delivering coffee by hand.

A few members of the production team accepted the coffee and thanked him.

“Han Tae-mi got a bit of fame recently, right? Apparently, she’s moving agencies. He’s doing that to stay on her good side, I guess. Trying to hold onto even one actor.”

“I see.”

The name K-New was certainly unfamiliar.

Cha Gye-won stared intently at Baek Yi-seo.

The earlobes of the man, who was now handing out coffee to the camera crew, were as red as his nose.

His light brown hair curled softly against his scarf.

“Why. Someone you know?”

“Maybe.”

Cha Gye-won took a sip of the latte.

The coffee, which had cooled easily in the harsh weather, had already become lukewarm.

A latte—and a lukewarm one at that—was exactly what he loathed.

“Manager.”

“Yeah?”

“How much time is left on our current contract?”

*************************************

Yi-seo stamped his feet behind the cameras.

He was standing a step away from the staff.

The cold winter wind scratched against his cheeks.

Tae-mi’s filming for the day would be over once they finished this scene.

“Cut!!”

The director shouted loudly.

“Let’s call it a day. The sun is going down.”

The staff bustled about, packing up equipment and discussing the dinner menu.

Yi-seo took a blanket from the manager and ran toward Han Tae-mi.

“Tae-mi! It was cold today, wasn’t it? Good job. The weather is even colder than yesterday.”

As he patted her shoulder and wrapped the blanket around her, Tae-mi accepted it with a cold, haughty expression.

She was an actress in her third year since debut, having just turned twenty-three.

“What brings the CEO all the way out here?”

Her glare was icy.

The sparkling eyes that used to shine with the promise of doing anything if only she could debut were nowhere to be found.

“What do you mean ‘why’? I came because you’re working hard filming.”

“Well, I suppose. Is there anyone else working in our company besides me?”

“Haha. That—that’s true, isn’t it?”

Since it wasn’t entirely wrong, he couldn’t refute it.

Currently, there were only two actors in K-New.

Even then, one of them only did extra work.

Baek Yi-seo had run himself ragged day and night to get Han Tae-mi her debut.

He had been grateful to her for trusting a penniless agency, and he had made a desperate vow to make her a star.

He hadn’t expected in the slightest that his vow would lead to this result.

“Tae-mi, can we talk for a moment?”

Not long ago, she had made a name for herself through a commercial.

The commercial featured an addictive song and refreshing visuals, and thanks to that, she was cast in her first movie—and in a supporting-lead role at that.

To land that one commercial, Baek Yi-seo had practically worn down the doorstep of that ad agency.

His debts had increased even more from providing snacks and drinks multiple times.

And Tae-mi had notified him that she would be moving agencies after this movie.

In a way, it was a natural progression.

He couldn’t blame her. It was an actor’s ambition to go to a more famous company, and the contract was coming to an end anyway.

“Ah, I don’t want to. It’s a bother. A bother! Don’t you have any consideration for someone who just finished filming?”

The eyes of several staff members fixed on them at Tae-mi’s intentionally loud voice.

Yi-seo’s face turned bright red.

The whispering voices wondering if he was the CEO made his ears sting.

“CEO.”

Hwi-jun, Tae-mi’s manager and Yi-seo’s junior, pulled on Yi-seo’s arm.

It was a sign to talk later since there were too many eyes around.

“It’ll only take a moment. I’m not trying to blindly ask you to stay with our company.”

“I don’t care. I don’t care! I’m going to go rest. We can talk next time!”

Tae-mi turned her back sharply.

“Then even just in the car….”

“Why? Do you think I’ll renew my contract if we do?”

“…….”

“Everyone going to the company dinner, gather here!”

“Yay! Me! I’m going! Manager! Come quickly.”

An excited Tae-mi ran toward the crowd.

Hwi-jun glanced at Baek Yi-seo.

His expression was full of worry.

“You go too. You have to look after Tae-mi.”

“But the CEO….”

“I’ll head out first, so don’t worry.”

“……I’ll be going then.”

“Yeah. Don’t let her drink too much. You should only have a little too.”

“Yes.”

Hwi-jun bowed and joined the crowd.

Seeing him look back several times, he seemed to have Yi-seo on his mind.

Seo Hwi-jun was a silent and loyal person.

One of the few people Yi-seo could truly call his own.

“Sigh.”

Yi-seo moved toward his car.

It was a ten-year-old used sedan.

It was what Kim Seung-ju had given him along with the CEO position.

Of course, rather than “giving” it, it was more accurate to say he had left it behind and run away.

“Phew. What a life.”

It was just as he let out a deep sigh.

A low, smooth voice drifted from behind him.

“Are you leaving now?”

“Huh? Ah. Cha Gye-won-ssi.”