The Command Performance

“Were you curious to see how much further an already ruined company could hit rock bottom?”

“No. I’m not… I’m not curious about that at all….”

Gye-won’s words stung worse than the threats of the most seasoned debt collector.

“What are you going to do from now on?”

Gye-won leaned his upper body closer to Yi-seo.

Tap. Tap. He rudely poked at Yi-seo’s head, pushing it back with his fingers. Setting aside his pride, the sheer humiliation made Yi-seo squeeze his eyes shut.

“Are you going to behave while I’m being nice? Or are you going to keep acting up?”

“I’ll behave…. I won’t, I won’t act up.”

“Then, what do you need to know for today?”

“W-what?”

“I just told you. What do you need to remember today?”

Gye-won began to fiddle with Yi-seo’s left ear, his other hand still holding the collar.

“The… the company will be divided into departments. An accounting team will be formed.”

Yi-seo might have been slow, but he wasn’t a goldfish; he recited Gye-won’s earlier demands word for word.

“And.”

“And the accounting team will handle all future expenditures….”

“Before that.”

“Before…. Before?”

Yi-seo racked his brain. He thought he’d covered everything Gye-won had said today, but the man’s expression suggested otherwise.

“You missed one.”

“Ugh.”

Gye-won pressed his fingernail firmly into the earlobe he had bitten the night before. Red marks bloomed over the faint teeth marks on the pale, soft skin.

“The contract! New conditions were added. No clubs, and no gay bars.”

“Hmm.”

Gye-won gave the collar a final, forceful shove. With a dull impact against his chest, Yi-seo was sent sprawling back onto the sofa.

“Good. I won’t be so lenient next time.”

Standing over the gasping Yi-seo, Gye-won gave a refreshing smile. Those curving lips whispered a final warning.

“If you act up again, it won’t end with just a grabbed collar.”

“……Yes.”

Yi-seo answered, his wide eyes shaking with fear. Gye-won felt immensely satisfied watching those large eyes tremble.

“Now, shall we have a different conversation?”

With his shirt wrinkled, sweat beading on his forehead, and his earlobe throbbing, Yi-seo was a mess. Yet Gye-won sat down and crossed his legs as if absolutely nothing had happened. He looked so perfectly composed that Yi-seo felt a surge of pure resentment.

“Y-yes. A different conversation.”

But there was no one to listen to his grievances. Yi-seo forced himself upright and answered like a parrot.

“What were you planning to do at the office today? You must have had a schedule.”

“Nothing much….”

“I’ll be the judge of whether it’s ‘much’ or not.”

“Cleaning up the terminated contracts…. Explaining things to Hwi-jun….”

“Is that guy still working? Han Tae-mi left.”

Gye-won rested his arm on the back of the sofa, stroking his chin.

“Ah. Hwi-jun has been with the company since the start…. He only took on the manager role temporarily….”

“Are you two close?”

“Yes…. If I had to say….”

“How close?”

“We went to the same university. Seniors and juniors.”

“Ah. And tomorrow’s schedule?”

“Well…. Since you’ve joined, I need to organize your schedule, right? Look at your next projects….”

“Do you even know I have a schedule tomorrow?”

“Ah! Yes, yes!”

Gun had mentioned in the car that there was a photoshoot for a famous magazine tomorrow.

“You’re coming with me.”

“What… what would I do there…?”

His plan to discuss future business with Hwi-jun while Gye-won was busy was falling apart. He had wanted to explain the contract situation to him, too.

“It’s awkward going alone without a manager.”

“What about Gun-ssi?”

“It’s his day off.”

Taking a day off on a shooting day instead of avoiding it? Gun seemed like a veteran manager, so this was baffling.

“Oh. Then should I send Hwi-jun with you instead?”

“Why is he coming up again?”

Gye-won’s eyes flashed dangerously. Yi-seo quickly added, fearing he’d said the wrong thing.

“It’s just that I’ve never done manager work before. I’m afraid I’ll be a burden to you….”

“You just have to follow me around.”

“But wouldn’t someone with experience be better?”

“I hate being around people who make me uncomfortable.”

“And I… make you comfortable?”

Currently, the most uncomfortable person in the world for Yi-seo was Cha Gye-won.

“Yes, very.”

Gye-won gave a radiant smile and reached out to straighten Yi-seo’s clothes. To Yi-seo, that smile looked incredibly artificial.

“Get to work. And keep an eye on the news articles.”

Gye-won dusted off his jacket, stood up, and walked out of the office, stepping right over the broken teacup.

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

The news broke in an instant. The official statement came from Gye-won’s former agency, while Gye-won’s own stance was drafted by Gun and Yi-seo working together. Fortunately, Gye-won had a stellar image and many long-time reporter contacts, so most of the coverage was favorable.

The articles stated they moved due to “differing goals,” but public reaction was far more chaotic. Speculative comments and rumors of a feud ran rampant.

“The impact is huge….”

Lying on his bed, Yi-seo checked the news on his laptop. Articles were popping up by the second, and “Cha Gye-won” was already the #1 trending search term. Everything below it was related to him, too.

“What am I going to do?”

Interest in Yi-seo’s agency spiked as well. Some people were hurling insults, wondering why on earth Cha Gye-won would join such a company. A few comments even suggested the CEO must have blackmailed him into it.

“I’m the one who got blackmailed, though.”

He’d turned off his phone. Acquaintances he hadn’t heard from in years were reaching out through every possible channel to ask if the news was true. He didn’t have many friends to begin with, but even those few contacts felt overwhelming.

The shoot was scheduled to start around 11 AM. It was almost time to pick up Gye-won.

Perhaps because it was morning, the temperature felt even lower. It was late January and freezing, so Yi-seo prepared several heat packs. He didn’t get cold easily, so these were for Cha Gye-won.

Descending to the parking lot, Yi-seo pulled the car keys from his inner padding pocket. He’d tucked them away as deeply as possible for fear of losing them. He stared at the black van again. It looked completely out of place—a luxury vehicle parked in the lot of a thirty-year-old, low-rise apartment building.

“Up we go.”

The car door was heavy. Sitting in the driver’s seat of the high-profile vehicle, Yi-seo took off his padded coat, set it aside, and buckled his seatbelt. The new van was full of buttons he didn’t recognize. As he poked around curiously, a familiar voice drifted from behind him.

“Why are you out so late?”

“Uwaaaaaaaagh!”

Yi-seo screamed as if he’d seen a ghost. Gye-won, who had been lounging in the back, furrowed his brows.

“H-how did you get in?”

Yi-seo was certain he had the keys Gye-won gave him. He’d checked several times after getting home last night to make sure the doors were locked.

“Spare key,” Gye-won answered curtly.

The sight of Yi-seo’s dazed expression was hilarious. He looked like an idiot whether it was morning or night.

“You didn’t answer your phone.”

Yi-seo had planned to turn it on once he reached Gye-won’s house. He must have called in the meantime.

“I was getting too many calls. I turned it off for a bit.”

“Tsk. Have you eaten?”

“No. Have you, Gye-won-ssi?”

“Why haven’t you eaten?”

“I don’t usually eat breakfast.”

For Yi-seo, breakfast was just a cup of coffee. He couldn’t start his day until he felt the caffeine kick in.

“Let’s go eat breakfast first. I haven’t eaten either.”

“Won’t we be late for the shoot…?”

“The shoot was pushed back by two hours. You wouldn’t know because your phone was off.”

“Ah….”

“Enough. Hurry up and let’s go eat.”

Gye-won waved his hand as if to say ‘no more talking back.’ His nerves visible in every movement, Yi-seo gripped the steering wheel.