Hidden Intentions

“I’m still so lacking…. It’s not like I have outstanding looks like you, Sunbae.”

Lee Jin-kang stammered in response to Yi-seo’s praise. Despite having debuted several years ago, he was still not used to compliments. Public reactions always felt excessive to him, and they made his skin crawl every time he heard them.

“Everyone has different charms. I’ve been impressed every time I watch your acting,” Yi-seo replied.

While Cha Gye-won was undoubtedly a top star, everyone possessed their own unique appeal. And with someone as polite and passionate as this, he was sure to become an actor with a bright future.

“I’ll take that as… empty praise. You flatter me too much.”

“I’m incapable of empty praise.”

Yi-seo’s eyes rounded as he spoke with total seriousness. It wasn’t just talk; Lee Jin-kang was surprisingly talented. Usually, those who enter the industry through a viral moment fade from public interest quickly. But he was different. His acting and character immersion were so polished it felt as though he had been training for a very long time. Jin-kang’s ears turned red at the blunt sincerity of Yi-seo’s compliment.

“……Thank you. And you don’t have to call me ‘Actor.’ It’s a bit awkward.”

“Ah. Should I call you Jin-kang-ssi, then?”

“Yes. I’d be much more comfortable with that.”

With that, Yi-seo and Lee Jin-kang stood side by side, watching Cha Gye-won’s shoot. As it progressed, the exclamations from the staff grew louder.

After a while, Jin-kang spoke again, his tone slightly hesitant.

“But… did something happen earlier?”

“Something happened?”

“They said you’d be late all of a sudden, so I wondered if there had been an accident.”

“Pardon…?”

Late? This was news to him. Cha Gye-won had explicitly told him that the shoot had been pushed back by two hours.

What’s going on?

Yi-seo opened his phone to check his messages. There wasn’t a single notification regarding a delay. Thinking back, it was strange. When he turned his phone on, there were no calls or texts from the production team. Schedule shifts happened all the time, but usually, a manager would be notified via text.

The idea that only the actor, Cha Gye-won, had been contacted didn’t add up. At the very least, Kim Gun would have reached out.

Why on earth…?

Beside him, Jin-kang asked again.

“Was it a personal matter?”

“Ah, yes. It was a personal matter, so it’s hard to say….”

Sensing Yi-seo’s predicament through his vague answer, Jin-kang looked apologetic and flustered.

“I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you in a spot….”

“No, no. It’s fine. It was nothing major,” Yi-seo reassured him with a forced smile. Though the smile was stiff, Jin-kang didn’t notice and let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s a relief. When I heard Sunbae had contacted them personally, I thought something terrible had happened.”

Personally?

The more he heard, the less the situation made sense. No matter how much he racked his brain, Cha Gye-won didn’t have any urgent business or personal errands. All they had done while the shoot was “delayed” was eat and drink coffee.

“Excuse me….”

After deep thought, Yi-seo spoke up.

“Do you think… it looked very rude?”

“Hmm… Are you talking about Sunbae?” Jin-kang rested his chin in his hand.

“Yes. Delaying things so suddenly on the day of the shoot is quite rude, after all.”

Setting the reason aside, that was his primary concern. An actor lives on their image. Even if the atmosphere on set was friendly, no one likes a sudden delay. The staff’s schedules would have been pushed back, and since Jin-kang had a slot afterward, his time was affected too.

“Haha. Not at all. Sunbae is such a professional. Everyone just accepts it as one of those things.”

“Is that really how it works?”

Even if it was Cha Gye-won, he had disrupted the schedule. But unlike Yi-seo’s worry, Jin-kang’s reaction was nonchalant.

“Honestly, someone of Cha Gye-won Sunbae’s status could probably pull a no-show and no one would dare say a word. Besides, he called personally to ask for understanding—who would look unfavorably on that? He even provided meals for everyone. I enjoyed the food as well.”

“He provided meals too?”

“……You didn’t know? I thought you were aware.”

He had no idea. Even when they were eating together, the only time Cha Gye-won had stepped away was for a brief moment to go to the restroom.

“I guess you didn’t know. Did I make a mistake…?”

“No. He mentioned it earlier, but I must have forgotten. I’m just glad you enjoyed the meal.”

“I’m the one who’s grateful. I was treated to a meal and even coffee.”

Jin-kang’s gratitude was embarrassing. Yi-seo wasn’t even that curious about why Cha Gye-won had done it anymore. Instead, an inexplicable sense of anxiety began to bloom in his heart. Yi-seo turned his head toward Cha Gye-won. Gye-won was already looking back, his eyes meeting Yi-seo’s as if he had been watching him the whole time. The flashing lights felt stinging. Using the camera as an excuse, Yi-seo looked away.

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

While Cha Gye-won went to change his clothes, Yi-seo leaned against the wall next to the dressing room. He wasn’t the one being filmed, yet his body felt exhausted. Gye-won hadn’t shown a single hint of fatigue throughout that long shoot.

“Oh, you haven’t left yet?”

It was the assistant photographer from today’s shoot. Despite being in the same space all day, this was the first time Yi-seo had heard his voice. When they met in the dressing room, the man had done nothing but bow his head. His voice was thinner and faster than expected.

“Gye-won-ssi is changing right now. Aren’t you going in, Photographer?”

“I’m not finished cleaning up yet.”

The man leaning against the wall next to Yi-seo had a frail build. His jacket, with its mismatched shoulder lines, made him look even more diminished. He hadn’t noticed while the man was looking down, but there were dark circles under his hollow eyes.

“You worked hard today,” Yi-seo offered a polite greeting first. The man’s aura was different from when he was standing next to the lead photographer; he seemed to exude a mix of gloom and gloominess.

“…….”

“I think the photos will turn out great. You and the others worked so hard.”

Usually, a polite greeting would follow at this point, but the man didn’t bother. He simply pulled a cigarette out from the pocket of his baggy jacket and lit it.

“Won’t they turn out well? It’s Cha Gye-won, after all.”

A sharp, cynical answer came out along with a puff of acrid smoke.

The man did not like Cha Gye-won. Nor did he like this “CEO” who was looking at him with a slight frown. It wasn’t that he had hated Cha Gye-won from the start. With the joke going around that half the nation consists of Cha Gye-won’s fans, how could he?

Including today, he had worked with the lead photographer and Cha Gye-won three times. And he had been there for all three. The “national actor” Cha Gye-won was fastidious and insufferable.

He was the one who always drafted the initial concepts, but his plans—made after staying up for days—were often scrapped with a single word from Gye-won: “This is mediocre.”

The most frustrating part was that whenever they followed Cha Gye-won’s suggestions, the shoot was always a massive success. No matter how many times he prayed for it to fail, it never did.

“You’re the CEO? Looks like you’ve transitioned to being a manager.”

The man snapped at Yi-seo.

The lead photographer had praised Baek Yi-seo until her tongue was dry—this CEO of a company she’d never even heard of. She was someone stingy with compliments. In the nearly ten years he’d worked as her assistant, the best praise he’d ever heard was, “That’s decent enough.”

“The person who usually handles manager duties was busy.”

“Looked like a lackey to me.”

Yi-seo knew this was just the man venting his frustration. But still.

So what if he’s venting?

Yi-seo’s mood was currently hitting rock bottom because of this pale, sickly-looking man. If he didn’t say something back, he wouldn’t be able to sleep from the sheer indignation. This man was just like the rest—a snob who only exchanged greetings with the lead photographer while treating him like he didn’t exist.

“We’ve just met; your words are quite harsh,” Yi-seo’s tone turned cold. The man’s hostility was blatant.

“Aren’t you the ones being harsh?”

The man blew smoke directly toward Yi-seo.

When Baek Yi-seo had left the dressing room earlier, the man’s eyes had followed him involuntarily. Partly because of his delicate looks for a man, and partly because of the lead photographer’s praise. As he was watching him walk away, something had thudded at his feet.

It was the concept draft—the one that had been approved just yesterday.

“Since you’re so distracted by other things… do you think the shoot will go properly?”

With that one remark from Cha Gye-won, the concept had been changed. Subtly enough not to disrupt the sets or costumes. The stinging look of rebuke from the lead photographer was a bonus.

“Cough, cough!”

“Are you coming the day after tomorrow too?”

Yi-seo coughed repeatedly. The man tossed his half-finished cigarette butt next to Yi-seo.

“Who comes or doesn’t come is none of your concern, Photograp—”

Click.

“What’s going on here?”

Just as Yi-seo was about to snap back in anger, Gye-won stepped out of the dressing room, having changed his clothes. He glared fiercely at the scene. The lingering smell of smoke hit his nose. He had vaguely heard Yi-seo coughing from outside the door, and this seemed to be the cause.

“I asked what you think you’re doing.”

Gye-won’s face contorted instantly. As he took a large stride forward, the man recoiled.

“……I just stopped by for a moment.”

“For what purpose?”

Gye-won’s voice was savage. At the sound, the man, having lost all his previous bravado, backed away. It was the complete opposite of how he had treated Yi-seo.

“I just wanted to say good job today…. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The sneering attitude about being a “lackey” was gone; the man tucked his tail and vanished. Yi-seo stared at his retreating back in disbelief. He had dealt with all sorts of strange people, but this was a new experience. On the floor, the ember of the cigarette butt the man had discarded was still glowing.

“……Let’s go.”

Gye-won stepped on the cigarette butt, crushing it, and walked ahead.