A Forced Reconciliation

CEO Yang had instructed them to briefly stop by the company. Inwoo deliberately chose one of his less-used cars to drive.

As they left the parking lot and drove down the road, a crowd of people became visible near the complex’s entrance. Security guards stood before them, engaged in a standoff. What is this? Inwoo wondered, before his eyes landed on their picket signs.

[Lee Inwoo, apologize. Give us back Seo Junwon.]

They wore headbands and chanted slogans, resembling warriors proclaiming a fight to the death. Inwoo’s mouth fell agape at the sight.

“What in the world is all that?”

“Can’t you tell? They’ve gathered here to see you, Oppa.”

Wow, seriously, Inwoo thought, shaking his head with a look of utter exasperation.

“You have no idea how terrifying die-hard baseball fans can be. If I weren’t your manager, Oppa, I might even be among them right now.”

As they drove past, several people recognized Inwoo with uncanny speed and began protesting fiercely. There were numerous picket signs: “Lee Inwoo, the Devil,” “Lee Inwoo, the Traitor, Kneel and Apologize to Seo Junwon,” “No to Retirement. Lee Inwoo Should Retire.” Amidst the chaos, someone held up a photo of Inwoo with his eyes gouged out. Seeing it, Inwoo let out a horrified cry.

“Dakyung, is that eyeless picture me?”

“Who else would it be?”

“Hey. Even without eyes, I’m still handsome. Right?”

Dakyung, gripping the steering wheel, gnashed her teeth. How can he crack jokes like that when my mind is in such turmoil? she thought. She blared the horn, urging the crowd to move. Despite the efforts of security guards and private firm employees to block them, the sheer number of protestors proved overwhelming. Some even pounded on the car with their palms. They were utterly unable to advance. Just then, before Dakyung could intervene, Inwoo rolled down his window.

“Oppa!”

The crowd, having spotted Lee Inwoo, erupted into a murmur. “It’s Lee Inwoo!” “Get out, Lee Inwoo!” “You bastard!” “You son of a b*tch!” Not only young people, but also quite a few middle-aged men and women were present. Amidst a torrent of curses, Inwoo calmly raised his phone camera and began filming the protestors.

“Move, while I’m asking nicely. Otherwise, I’m filing a lawsuit immediately. Move! Move!”

At his shout, the crowd flinched. Dakyung seized the opportunity, pushing through the throng and slowly moving forward. Suddenly, a middle-aged man reached out and grabbed a handful of Inwoo’s hair. “Agh!” Inwoo shrieked, and Dakyung, startled, turned to look. “Oppa!”

“Hey, hey, I’m dying! Dakyung! Help me!”

Dakyung threw open the driver’s side door and leaned out. “Take your hand off him, now!” This time, a young woman grabbed Dakyung’s hair. “Agh!” Not to be outdone, Dakyung retaliated, yanking the woman’s hair in return. As they screamed to be let go, tangled together both inside and outside the car, the villa guards and private security personnel rushed in to separate them.

Inwoo and Dakyung, terrified, scrambled back into the car and quickly rolled up the windows. A path finally cleared, and Dakyung roughly accelerated through it. Once free of the crowd, she began to pick up speed. A few baseball fans hurled their signs and chased after them at a frantic pace. Inwoo, looking back, watched his face turn ashen.

“Whoa, goddammit! What are those things?! Are they people or zombies?”

“Why did you do something so foolish? I told you not to open the window!”

Dakyung shrieked, while Inwoo, wearing an aggrieved expression, smoothed his disheveled hair. A clump of torn-out hair came away in his hand. He was utterly dumbfounded and bewildered. He could only gape, laughing with a dazed, unhinged look.

Dakyung caught her reflection in the rearview mirror and sighed. Then, she glanced at her own hand, which held a clump of hair she’d torn from a baseball fan earlier. At least I didn’t lose, a slight smile touched her lips. The car, which had been speeding frantically, eventually stopped at an intersection. Looking back, she saw no one was still chasing them. While the car was paused, Dakyung tied her messy hair into a single knot. She turned to see Inwoo continually raking through his hair, muttering to himself. He seemed quite shaken.

“I’m going to sue them. I’ll sue them all….”

“Yes, do it. Sue them and reach ten million antis! You can do it, Lee Inwoo! Go for ten million antis!”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“Neither am I. You should have appeased Seo Junwon earlier, then none of this would have happened.”

“Appease what?”

“If you keep this up, you’ll only hurt yourself, Oppa. And why do you keep pulling at your hair?”

“I’m not pulling it out; it’s already come out. Am I going to go bald at this rate?”

“Perfect. We can go for hair-filler and wig commercials now.”

“Hey. How can you only think about landing commercials at a time like this? Park Dakyung, you’re a scary person.”

“Of course. In this state, all our existing commercials will be canceled, and we’ll starve to death.”

“If we just leave it alone, it’ll die down!”

“Really? Just wait and see. This is probably just the beginning.”

Inwoo, about to retort, ultimately gave up and sank deeply into the seatback. His scalp ached from where his hair had been torn, and his heart was heavy. He resented the situation, wondering what terrible sin he had committed to deserve such treatment. And of course, Seo Junwon was infuriating. His eyes stung with a surge of sorrow.

Dakyung, watching him in the rearview mirror, let out a silent sigh. Perhaps in a past life, I committed some terrible sin against Lee Inwoo, she mused. Maybe I’m suffering through this hell to atone for it. Despite her thoughts, seeing him so utterly deflated made her inexplicably concerned. When she called his name, he looked at her, and she deliberately offered him a bright smile.

“Cheer up. Even if your antis increase, they’re still just antis.”

Inwoo offered a weak smile. That’s true, he conceded. The two fell silent. After driving for about thirty minutes, they arrived in front of the company, where they witnessed an unbelievable sight. Though they hadn’t expected it, a man was standing near the building, holding a picket sign in a one-person protest. Despite the cold weather, he wore only a sleeveless shirt, and his entire body was covered in tattoos, making it seem as if he were fully clothed at first glance. Inwoo gaped at him.

“Even if I’d sold the country, they wouldn’t go this far….”

“Don’t stick your head out again. Looking at that man’s biceps, if you get caught this time, it won’t just be your hair that’s torn out; your head might be ripped off.”

Seeing the man’s forearm, as thick as his own thigh, Inwoo instinctively nodded.

“Yeah, I agree.”

All his earlier bluster about suing them had vanished, replaced by the feeling of truly being a traitor. To avoid being recognized by the man, they quickly drove into the underground parking lot and parked in the most secluded spot. After checking for anyone outside, Dakyung exited first, then allowed Inwoo to get out.

As they rode the elevator up to CEO Yang’s office, Inwoo repeatedly sighed, gazing at his reflection in the mirror. I’ve aged a decade in half a day, he thought. Is this a wrinkle between my brows? He rubbed the spot with his fingertip, until they reached the top floor.

The doors opened, and the two walked towards the CEO’s office. When Yang Daehwan first branched out to establish the company, he had only managed to secure a single small office. However, after Lee Inwoo concluded his contract with his previous agency and joined, the company’s recognition soared. By continuously recruiting other actors, it expanded its scale, eventually transforming into one of the top five major entertainment agencies in the country.

Upon reaching the CEO’s office, the staff member at the desk greeted them. Knock, knock. The door opened, and the two stepped inside. However, both Dakyung and Inwoo found themselves stopping short at the doorway. There were already guests in the office.

“Why are you both so late? Come in quickly.”

Junwon and his manager had arrived earlier.

“You know these two, right? Seo Junwon, and next to him, his manager Kim Taehoon. Oh, but Junwon has retired, so should I call him his ‘former’ manager?”

“It doesn’t matter. You can call me whatever you like.”

Inwoo glanced back and forth between the two men. The manager smiled affably, while Junwon gazed at the table, avoiding eye contact. After ten days, his face appeared a little gaunt, yet his shirt still fit impeccably. Even amidst this tense situation, Inwoo found himself so pathetic for scrutinizing Junwon’s physique that he wanted to gouge out his own eyes with his fingers.

Dakyung also found the atmosphere equally awkward. It was useless to resent CEO Yang for not giving them a heads-up. Had he told them in advance, would Lee Inwoo truly have come? That was uncertain. As the two pairs sat facing each other, CEO Yang, seated in the middle, clapped his hands lightly, signaling the start of their conversation.

“Alright, now that everyone is here, I’ll begin. First, Junwon and your manager, thank you so much for coming today. I asked Director Kim to arrange this, and I was quite worried you wouldn’t show up. My sincere thanks.”

“Not at all….”

“As you know, there’s been a misunderstanding, and our side is in a very difficult situation. We’ve received a call from the private security firm reporting that people are increasingly gathering at the villa entrance. You may have seen him on your way here, but there’s also a person in front of the company….”

Dakyung, who had been listening silently, spoke up.

“Yes. Inwoo Oppa and I had our hair pulled out in front of his house. Look, he’s a celebrity, for heaven’s sake! What are we supposed to do when they grab him by the hair like that?”

Dakyung ruffled the crown of Inwoo’s head. Seeing more hair still coming loose, CEO Yang’s eyes widened. “What, what scoundrel did this?” He shot up, ready to chase after them, but Dakyung subtly motioned for him to stop. Junwon, who had been sitting opposite, looked surprised and finally met Inwoo’s gaze. As their eyes locked, Inwoo glared, practically shooting lasers from his eyes. This is all your fault, you dumbass bear!

“Yes, so after consulting with Junwon, we’ve decided to release an article this evening. I also spoke with Reporter Yoon from Seohan Daily on the way here. We plan to make a public statement tomorrow. We’ll say it was for personal reasons, but it seems the fans have had a ridiculous misunderstanding. We sincerely apologize for any unintentional harm caused.”

CEO Yang stood up from his seat, clapping his hands.

“Oh, this could have been resolved so easily, couldn’t it? Inwoo. Quickly, shake hands with Seo Junwon. You two need to clear up this misunderstanding. Hurry.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Junwon hesitantly extended his hand. Inwoo, however, remained with his arms crossed, leaning back against the sofa, offering no response. Embarrassed, Junwon withdrew his outstretched arm and idly rubbed his thigh. Regardless of their awkwardness, CEO Yang was clearly thrilled that the situation was being resolved.

“Well, now that everything’s settled, let’s all go out for a meal. Oh, Dakyung! Tell Reporter Song to come. It’s been ages since we last ate together.”

Dakyung quickly rose. Yes, she thought. It seemed they planned to include a reporter, publishing an article in tomorrow morning’s newspaper with photos, asserting that Lee Inwoo was blameless and that they were, in fact, on good enough terms to share a meal. Everyone else seemed relieved, but Inwoo and Junwon could not share that sentiment.