A Premeditated Holiday

“[CEO! Did you get home safe?]”

Contrary to his worries, Kim Gun’s voice over the phone was incredibly bright. He sounded high-spirited, almost as if he’d had a drink or two.

“Yes, yes. Is something wrong?”

“[Wrong? Nothing’s wrong. I just called because I was worried. Everything go okay with Gye-won?]”

“Yes. Nothing happened. Yeah. The shoot went well. No trouble at all.”

Yi-seo’s face flushed at Kim Gun’s question. The events inside the car flashed through his mind. The tip of his nose, where the mark was still fresh, felt tingly.

“[Phew, that’s a relief. No one else has ever looked after Gye-won before, so you don’t know how worried I was. You really went through a lot today, CEO.]”

“It was nothing. All I did was drive.”

And even then, Cha Gye-won had done all the driving on the way back.

“[Isn’t that guy a handful? Just being with him is a struggle. Sometimes I feel like I’m suffocating! I wasn’t going to call since it’s late, but I was just too anxious.]”

Despite appearances, Kim Gun seemed to be quite a warm-hearted person. It seemed their ten years of working together weren’t for nothing; his voice carried genuine concern. Seeing them bicker just a few days ago, Yi-seo assumed it was always like that, but perhaps not.

“You did the right thing. It’s not even bedtime yet. I’m the one who’s grateful you called. Did you get some good rest, Manager?”

“[Of course! Every single minute and second of this unexpected vacation has been pure bliss. Haha.]”

“Vacation…?”

Kim Gun’s jovial laugh was full of happiness. Yi-seo, bewildered, asked for clarification.

“[He’s not usually the type, but he suddenly gave me some time off. I guess he’s finally growing up.]”

“Gye-won-ssi gave you a vacation?”

“[He even gave me plenty of vacation pay, so I went shopping. I’ll show you tomorrow! It’s from the new collection.]”

Listening to Kim Gun’s excitement, it didn’t sound like a lie at all.

“Wasn’t today your regular day off?”

“[A day off? Who? Me?]”

“Yes…. No?”

“[Ehy. What are you talking about? What kind of manager takes a day off on the day of an actor’s shoot? I’m not that thoughtless.]”

“Right…. Of course….”

Yi-seo had thought it was strange himself. But since Cha Gye-won had said so, he hadn’t been able to say much. He regretted not calling Kim Gun right then to check.

“[Wait, did Gye-won tell you it was my day off?]” Gun asked cautiously, sensing Yi-seo’s lukewarm reaction.

“Ah, no. I must have been mistaken. Today is Hwi-jun’s day off, you see.”

“[Ahaha. That can happen. Well, get some rest. I’ll hang up now!]”

“Yes. You rest too, Manager.”

Yi-seo stared at his phone for a long time after the call ended.

“What… the hell….”

The image of Cha Gye-won saying the shoot was delayed by two hours overlapped with the image of him claiming Kim Gun was off duty and had no one to accompany him. No matter how he looked at it, Cha Gye-won was not normal.

It was late afternoon when Yi-seo finally woke up. He was never an early riser, but lately, his wake-up time had been getting later and later. Specifically, since the moment Cha Gye-won joined the company. It felt like his entire daily routine had been trashed.

The sunlight streaming through the window was blinding. Judging by the intensity, the sun was high in the sky. Reaching out from his lying position toward his charging phone, he saw a text from Hwi-jun.

[CEO, please contact me when you get to the office.]

Come to think of it, it had been a while since he’d seen Hwi-jun after Cha Gye-won arrived. Originally, they had so little to do that they spent every day putting their heads together to worry, but he’d been so busy being jerked around by Gye-won that he hadn’t had the time.

“I guess I should go.”

He had planned to rest at home today, but it seemed that wasn’t happening. Thinking about it, he didn’t have time to be lying around idly. Now that Cha Gye-won was here, there would be plenty of small tasks. First, he had to organize the articles that had piled up overnight.

“I should check on Taemi, too.”

Since then, Taemi and Seong-ah’s contracts had ended. However, there had been no news of her signing with a new company. He’d heard she was already in talks with an agency, so she was likely the one putting it on hold.

He’d received several texts from Taemi asking to talk again. The reason was obviously Cha Gye-won. Her eyes had sparkled the moment she ran into him at the office.

“It’s not like I can renew her contract.”

Since the day he met Taemi, Cha Gye-won had made it clear that she should never be taken back. At first, Yi-seo thought it was just a passing remark, but as soon as Gye-won saw a text from Taemi on Yi-seo’s phone, he had snatched the device and blocked her.

“I’ll just have to buy her a meal later.”

He knew Taemi’s personality well. She would definitely lose her patience and come looking for him at the office. He could explain things then while treating her to dinner. Besides, his company was far from being able to satisfy Taemi’s ambitions anyway. He had just been stubbornly holding on to something that wasn’t working.

Arriving at the office, Yi-seo looked around the room. Once they moved, he wouldn’t be coming to this office anymore. Although it was a rented space, he had grown attached to it as if it were his own.

“What are you doing?”

Just then, Hwi-jun opened the door and entered the office.

“Oh. I was just looking around. I told you to go home early today.”

“I have no reason to go home early. I haven’t seen you in days, CEO.”

“It hasn’t been days.”

Hwi-jun trudged over and sat on the sofa. Because he was so well-built, the old sofa looked small under him.

“What exactly happened with Cha Gye-won? You haven’t explained it to me yet.”

“Ah. That….”

“…….”

The stare Hwi-jun gave him was sharp. He was a very perceptive person.

“I told you back then. We signed a contract. We’re moving offices soon, too.”

“But why?”

“Well. He said he wanted to join our company.”

Yi-seo shrugged and sat across from Hwi-jun. There wasn’t a speck of dust on the table. Hwi-jun must have wiped it. Seo Hwi-jun came to the office every day even when there was no work. He swept and mopped even the hidden corners. He wouldn’t listen even when told not to.

“Not that. I mean the reason for moving the office.”

“Um…. I guess he doesn’t like this office. He suggested we move. Since he’s paying for it out of his own pocket, I couldn’t really stop him.”

“I think you should be careful with Cha Gye-won, CEO.”

“…….”

“I don’t know the exact reason, but joining our company even at a loss… it’s strange, isn’t it?”

Hwi-jun was uneasy. His first impression of Cha Gye-won had been in the parking lot. Despite it being their first meeting, the expression Gye-won wore while looking at him was clearly hostile, and the way he pulled Yi-seo away was almost violent. Yet, an air of confidence surrounded him. One could tell just by looking. He was a dangerous man.

“I know.”

“If you know, then why…?”

Seeing the face full of worry, Yi-seo gave a soft smile. Hwi-jun was blunt, but he was a sucker for affection and valued loyalty above all. Looking at him, Yi-seo felt that his judgment of people wasn’t entirely bad. It was also Hwi-jun who handled the debt collectors who occasionally showed up at the office.

“Whatever the reason, it’s a win for our company.”

“…….”

“We’re not in a position to be picky, are we?”

“But what if you’re the only one being used, CEO?”

It had been like this since college. His senior, Baek Yi-seo, was easily deceived and too trusting. In fact, Hwi-jun’s first impression of Baek Yi-seo as a freshman hadn’t been that great. An indecisive and naive person. The Baek Yi-seo he saw back then was exactly the type of person he disliked most.

“……I just have a bad feeling about this.”

However, the more he stayed by his side, the more he realized Yi-seo was different from that first impression. He was a person of conviction and fortitude. Though he always told Hwi-jun he was loyal, the truly loyal one was Baek Yi-seo. When Hwi-jun’s mother passed away, Yi-seo was the only one who stayed with him until the funeral procession. That was why he always felt more concerned about Yi-seo’s affairs.

“It’s not like I’m important enough to be used. And I think… Cha Gye-won won’t stay for long. I think he chose our company because he needed one he could control comfortably.”

“Are you saying we should just let him control us?”

“Not exactly, but there’s nothing to lose. Even if he leaves soon, we can get the company’s name out there. We already have.”

“…….”

Despite Yi-seo’s calm explanation, the uneasy look on Hwi-jun’s face didn’t fade.

“Since the contract is already signed, let’s just watch the situation for a bit longer.”

“……If anything happens….”

“You really worry too much.”

“There’s always a ‘what if,’ isn’t there?”

“If that happens, I’ll tell you.”

“……Okay.”

Hwi-jun gazed at Yi-seo. His eyes were a mix of worry and a silent plea.

“You must do that.”

Waking up late again today, Yi-seo popped an energy bar into his mouth for brunch. Managing meals was such a chore. Since living alone, he often skipped meals. The crunchy nuts tasted savory. By the time he finished washing up and idling around, it had been two hours since he woke up.

“Hwi-jun’s probably at the office already….”

That diligent guy was bound to have been there since morning. Yi-seo hurriedly found a pale yellow sweater and dark brown slacks in his closet. He was just about to put on his socks when—

Bang! Bang!

Someone pounded on the front door.

“Who is it?”

Not many people came to his house. He had almost no friends to begin with, and even fewer who would drop by his home. Hwi-jun or Chan-hyung only came over occasionally when invited.

Bang! Bang!

Even though the doorbell worked perfectly fine, the unknown intruder continued to hammer on the door. He was afraid the neighbors would complain. With a slightly annoyed face, Yi-seo stopped putting on his sock and opened the door.

“Cha Gye-won… ssi?”