A Sudden Outing

The air inside the car was freezing.

Only Cha Gye-won’s humming resonated throughout the silent vehicle.

Kim Gun finally spoke up, unsettled by the tone of a man who didn’t seem to care about the person walking on eggshells right next to him.

“Is there really no room to reconsider?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself. It’s annoying.”

His voice was as cold as if the humming from a moment ago had been a lie.

“I’m saying this because it’s a loss for you, too….”

T-Y, the agency Cha Gye-won was currently signed to, was the most powerful entertainment firm in South Korea.

“A loss? Manager, do you worry about losses when dealing with ants?”

Of course, the agency itself wasn’t the problem.

The company had grown that large precisely because of Cha Gye-won.

The real issue was that his contract still had two years left.

“The penalty alone is 2 billion won. All the projects we were set to start are being halted…. If they file a lawsuit, that’ll be a whole different kind of headache.”

“Then tell them to pay the penalty. Simple.”

“How about at least finishing the movie before moving? You’re almost at the end.”

“…….”

Cha Gye-won didn’t even spare a glance for Kim Gun, who was practically pleading.

“……Everyone at the company treated you well. The CEO practically grovels for you. They accommodate everything, so what exactly is making you so unhappy—?”

Grovelling was an understatement.

The agency, knowing Cha Gye-won’s temperament all too well, was always on pins and needles, terrified of offending him.

“Ah.”

“Am I wrong? I’m saying this for your sake!”

“f*cking hell, seriously.”

At the irritation in Gye-won’s voice, Kim Gun let out a long sigh and shut his mouth.

The CEO alone had called more than fifty times yesterday.

Gun wasn’t an employee of the agency; he was someone Cha Gye-won had hired personally ten years ago.

On paper, he wasn’t tied to the company at all.

If he had to choose between Cha Gye-won and the firm, he obviously had to choose Cha Gye-won.

“I’ve really worked with you for a long time, but I truly don’t know what goes on in your head.”

He was a piece of work like no other.

The comedy of it was that Gye-won was actually relatively “kind” to him.

Gun couldn’t quit because of the bond they’d built since Gye-won was a child, and Gye-won was the type to pay his people very handsomely.

“I’ll release the statement saying the contract ended on mutual terms due to ‘differing interests.’”

“Do whatever.”

Cha Gye-won replied disinterestedly.

By tomorrow, the entertainment world would be in an uproar.

Articles would flood out, followed by all sorts of speculative rumors.

Not that Cha Gye-won would care.

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

“Let’s just go straight home. The reporters have probably already caught the scent.”

“What does it matter?”

The struggle lasted longer than expected.

Rather than a struggle, it was more like one side clinging on desperately.

CEO Kim Jin-soo, whose stock prices had soared for four years thanks to Gye-won, ended up literally grabbing the hem of his pants.

“Leeches.”

Cha Gye-won muttered.

When nothing else worked, the CEO had even tried threats—asking if Gye-won would take responsibility for the stock crash, threatening to leak articles about his terrible personality, or vowing to block him from future projects.

Of course, none of it worked.

Cha Gye-won’s mother ran a newspaper company that even owned a broadcasting channel.

That influence was a major reason why not a single negative article about him had ever surfaced.

In an instant, the target of the threats had shifted.

Furthermore, his grandfather was the founder of one of the country’s leading trading companies.

“Why can’t people understand when I use words?”

Kim Jin-soo, who didn’t want to see the company he’d dedicated his life to crumble, eventually let Gye-won go while weeping.

He had broken down on his own and begged Gye-won to leave, even waiving the penalty fee.

“Drop me off here.”

The place Gye-won arrived at was K-New’s underground parking lot.

Since the building was small, the parking lot was cramped.

“We’re here, but why? Isn’t this that Han Tae-mi’s agency?”

“Stop talking and park.”

Ignoring Kim Gun’s nagging, Gye-won’s eyes landed on a rounded back of a head and a large figure standing in front of it.

His brow furrowed instantly.

“Ha. What is that now?”

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

“Make sure to deliver it well.”

“……I will continue to stay here.”

The tanned nape of Hwi-jun’s bowed neck caught Yi-seo’s eye.

Feeling like he was holding Hwi-jun back, Yi-seo had suggested several times that he should use his degree to find a different job.

Each time, Hwi-jun would bow his head just like now and state firmly that he would stay.

‘Loyal bastard.’

Yi-seo wondered what this tiny speck of a company had to offer that made him stay for nearly five years.

Hwi-jun was the only one left from the original team when the company first started.

His silent steadfastness made the tip of Yi-seo’s nose tingle.

“Of course, you punk! Were you planning on leaving too? It’s too late now anyway.”

“Hyung!”

Hwi-jun usually called him “CEO,” but when he was flustered, he would slip into “Hyung” or “Sunbae.”

Yi-seo had told him to speak comfortably since college, but he never listened.

He was a manager by title, but he helped with accounting in place of the inexperienced Yi-seo and handled odd jobs because of the lack of staff.

That was why he had ended up as Tae-mi’s manager.

“Always drive carefully.”

“Yes. You take care too, CEO.”

“Once things are settled with Tae-mi, I’ll officially make you a Director. Not that the work will be much different.”

“I don’t mind either way.”

He probably didn’t.

Seo Hwi-jun was the type of guy who would stay even if he were told to only clean the office.

That blunt expression and way of speaking were paradoxically a source of strength sometimes.

“Get going.”

Yi-seo smiled and gave a small wave.

“I’ll be heading out then….”

Hwi-jun, who was about to turn away after saying goodbye, suddenly paused.

Following Hwi-jun’s gaze, Yi-seo turned his head to see Cha Gye-won striding toward them.

His long strides were impatient.

“Cha Gye-won-ssi? What brings you….”

“Who is this?”

Instead of an answer, a sharp question came from Cha Gye-won as he grabbed Yi-seo’s arm.

“Ah. This is Hwi-jun from our company. Seo Hwi-jun. This is perfect. I was actually planning to introduce you two anyway….”

“Hello. I am Seo Hwi-jun.”

Hwi-jun offered a handshake first.

Cha Gye-won tilted his head to the side and stared down at the hand.

Seeing that he had no intention of taking it, Yi-seo hurriedly changed the subject.

“I mentioned Cha Gye-won-ssi, right? He’ll be joining our company from now on.”

“Not ‘from now on.’ I’m already in.”

“Haha. Right….”

Yi-seo awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

His slightly upturned, round eyes were full of confusion.

“You’re working quite late. You must be very passionate.”

There was an unmistakable, unprovoked sarcasm in Cha Gye-won’s voice.

He sounded angry for some reason.

“We were just about to leave. Go on, get home. It’s late.”

“……I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Whether he read Yi-seo’s desire to send him away or simply felt the bad atmosphere, Hwi-jun left the parking lot without another word.

Gye-won, who stood with his arms crossed watching until Hwi-jun’s car was gone, finally spoke.

“What is he to you?”

“What are you doing here, Gye-won-ssi?”

It had only been a few hours since they parted after a meal that had given Yi-seo indigestion.

He wondered what was going on, especially with Gye-won radiating such a fierce aura.

“……It’s good if you come by often. To get used to the company.”

“Uh….”

He had definitely said they were moving the office, so Yi-seo wondered why he needed to “get used” to this one, but he didn’t say it out loud.

He didn’t want to stir up trouble with unnecessary words.

“I asked what your relationship is with that guy.”

Cha Gye-won’s tone was savage.

His heavily furrowed brow was rigid.

“He’s Tae-mi’s manager for now. Didn’t you see him during the movie shoot?”

Right now, Cha Gye-won was practically interrogating him.

Yi-seo found his overstepping attitude incomprehensible and uncomfortable, but wanting to escape this sharp atmosphere, he intentionally answered with a feigned nonchalance.

“Manager, my ass. Does he usually look at you with those eyes in heat, then?”

As if refusing to let Yi-seo escape, Cha Gye-won asked aggressively.

“Pardon?!”

The sudden use of such vulgar language made Yi-seo’s face flush all the way to his neck.

He hoped he had misheard the question.

Seeing the slight trembling of Yi-seo’s jaw as he stuttered, Cha Gye-won let out a smirk.

“Do you like guys who look like that?”

Cha Gye-won pointed with his chin toward where Hwi-jun had left.

“What on earth are you…. Why are you saying such ridiculous things…!”

Yi-seo’s voice rose higher than usual.

He had never experienced such direct harassment in his life.

Gye-won grabbed Yi-seo’s neck—where the veins were now bulging—with one hand and pulled him right up to his face.

Yi-seo’s forehead bumped against Gye-won’s collarbone.

“Gack… cough, cough.”

The sudden force made him swallow his saliva the wrong way.

Gye-won’s expression didn’t change at all as he watched Yi-seo choking.

“You’re a gay CEO. So, are the two of you colleagues, or are you sleeping together?”

Cha Gye-won spoke with a sneer.

At the sudden outing, Yi-seo’s heart plummeted, making him forget even to swallow.

Thump. Thump. His heart pounded violently with a sense of frantic anxiety.

“N-no….”

His panicked mind blurted out a denial first.

“Ha?”

“I’m not, why….”

“You’re not?”

“I have no idea why you’re asking such things…. This is my private life, and also….”

“You’ve slept with me before. But you’re not gay?”

One corner of Cha Gye-won’s lips curled up crookedly.

At that look of utter contempt, Yi-seo’s complexion turned from pale to a ghostly, sickly white.