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Haejoo’s voice rang out clearly. Youngjae knew he shouldn’t take her demands lightly.
“It’s not good for either of us to do this when our interests aren’t aligned.”
“It will just take time.”
“Manager, you’re not someone who deserves this kind of treatment from me.”
Haejoo also felt sorry for the situation. With Youngjae’s abilities and experience, he could handle any capable actor. Everywhere, people were desperate to recruit him. She assumed that GN was able to scout Youngjae because of the power of money.
“I’m not trying to push Hyunseong out. It’s good to have even one more person on the team.”
“Hyunseong is enough for me.”
“GN had certain requirements.”
“What are they?”
“They asked me to create a stepping stone for Haejoo to become a global actress. I also believe Haejoo has enough potential.”
As Haejoo listened to Youngjae, her eyes were tinged with sadness. Perhaps another actress would have been swayed. But not Haejoo.
“GN probably used that as an excuse to tie down Manager Youngjae.”
“What do you mean?”
“They want to control me.”
Youngjae had reported to GN that he was rejected at GN Entertainment. Han Jintae then confidently boasted that he would solve the problem. But the way he handled things was somehow strange. He heard that Han Jintae had suddenly gone to Hyunseong and threatened him. Youngjae had also experienced unreasonable treatment in this industry. Although regrettable, in such situations, it was wise to align himself with a greater power.
“I will act as an intermediary to ensure that what Ms. Lee Haejoo fears does not happen.”
“Is reporting my every move to them an intermediary role?”
“That won’t happen.”
“Again, I don’t want Manager Youngjae.”
“Then would it be okay for Hyunseong and me to work together?”
There was no way to reason with him. Perhaps Youngjae had no intention of listening to Haejoo in the first place. She couldn’t keep delaying. The staff behind them were waiting impatiently, so she stopped the conversation.
Haejoo went to her seat to get her makeup done. Youngjae watched her, staring at the mirror with a stern expression.
“Hyunseong, get me something to drink.”
“Yes, Noona.”
Hyunseong stood up to grab the takeout drink on the table. Youngjae stepped forward and placed a water bottle in Haejoo’s hand.
“Drinks with too much sugar cause thirst, so it’s better to have them after the shoot.”
“Hey!”
Youngjae didn’t even allow Haejoo to have a drink. Only Hyunseong, holding a drink with whipped cream behind him, felt awkward.
After her makeup was done, Youngjae left the studio to make a call. Hyunseong used that opportunity to hand Haejoo the drink.
“Hyunseong, call the director.”
Haejoo was also angry. While she was getting her hair done, Hyunseong called Jinhan on Haejoo’s phone.
-Yes, Haejoo.
“Director, this is Hyunseong. Just a moment.”
Haejoo put on her Bluetooth earphones. She lowered her voice, keeping an eye on Youngjae’s movements outside.
“Director, Manager Youngjae is being unreasonable. It seems Chief Secretary Han Jintae threatened Hyunseong this morning.”
-Is that true?
“Do something about it. I’m at the set now, and I’m so uncomfortable.”
Haejoo usually didn’t act this way. But the thought that even trivial matters would be reported if she went with Youngjae tormented her.
-It’ll be useless to talk to Manager Youngjae.
“Then what?”
-I’ll go to GN.
“...Okay.”
Jinhan meant he would meet Chairman Yoo directly to settle things. Unable to press him further, she put down her phone.
“Hyunseong, there’s nothing we can do today. Just bear with it for a little while.”
“Okay.”
Youngjae returned after finishing his call. He meticulously observed Haejoo’s transformation.
“Being unique is good, but being abstruse is not.”
“It’s a pre-determined concept.”
“Where is the editor-in-chief?”
Youngjae was being meticulous, checking the photoshoot concept. The reason was that on the first day he came, he had intended to attend the meeting but just turned back. The editor-in-chief and photographer, who were talking to him, had dark expressions. Then, unable to bear it, the editor-in-chief cut Youngjae off.
“Let’s discuss it again after seeing the results.”
“I hoped the film and photo atmosphere would match this time, if possible.”
“Saying that now is a bit...”
“Can’t we even change the lighting?”
Unable to listen any longer, Haejoo walked out. She stood in front of Youngjae and raised her voice.
“Stop it! It’s incredibly rude to do this belatedly.”
“From now on, this kind of haphazardness won’t do.”
“What did you say?”
“The photoshoot needs to be linked to the upcoming film. It’s better for promotion too.”
“Even if the outfit is a wedding dress, it’s not a romantic setting.”
“As the editor-in-chief said, let’s discuss it again after seeing the results.”
The good atmosphere plummeted. Because of Youngjae, Hyunseong had no room to intervene and could only watch.
Finally, Haejoo came out in her first outfit. Hyunseong comforted her, trying to compose herself somehow.
“Noona, just focus on the photoshoot.”
It could have easily turned out to be a common wedding photo. Contrary to her worries, the photographer created a dreamlike atmosphere with props and lighting. Matching that, Haejoo’s gaze transformed. Her initially stiff poses became more flexible with time.
“Good! Lift your head, one more shot... Good!”
The photos taken by the camera were displayed on the computer monitor in real-time. The editor-in-chief and stylist were highly satisfied with Haejoo’s professional sense. Youngjae also seemed to consent only after seeing the results.
“Please prepare the next outfit.”
Fortunately, it was a good start. While Haejoo changed her outfit and had her makeup retouched, the editor-in-chief went to Hyunseong.
“You know about our promise, right?”
“Of course.”
Haejoo was to wear a total of four dresses today. In the meantime, she perfectly pulled off the third outfit, as the afternoon passed. It was slowly getting tiring. Haejoo put snacks in her mouth whenever she felt hungry.
“Now, the last outfit?”
“Yes, just a little more effort, Haejoo!”
With the staff’s encouragement, Haejoo took off the third dress. The dress the stylist carefully brought resembled mermaid scales woven with lace.
“It’s a piece personally created by Luca, the chief designer of the L brand.”
Even a small pattern exuded beauty and elegance. Especially the skirt line, which subtly revealed her figure while elegantly flaring out, was graceful. It was a priceless masterpiece. Wearing an outfit that was not easy to obtain was a great honor as a model. A smile finally appeared on her face, which had been troubled by Youngjae.
Haejoo had her makeup retouched while standing.
“This time, the concept is natural, so I’ll let my hair down.”
Haejoo’s naturally flowing hair was appropriately voluminous. It was pure and innocent, with no artificial dyeing whatsoever. When she appeared in the studio, the staff cheered. The moment her plump lips and eyes received the lighting, they became a work of art themselves.
“Haejoo, there’s a model to shoot with this dress.”
“Oh, really?”
She hadn’t heard about another model. Even though Haejoo was shy around strangers, she accepted it as part of the job.
“Model, please come out!”
At the editor-in-chief’s call, footsteps were heard on the stairs from outside the studio. Everyone’s gaze turned, and Haejoo also showed interest. With a click, the door opened. The person who appeared was Dojun, wearing a tuxedo.
“Dojun!”
The sharp, clean lines accentuated Dojun’s overwhelming physique. His hair, which he had casually swept back that morning, was now firmly styled. His gaze towards Haejoo was unusually alluring. With his hands tucked into his pants pockets, he looked like the most handsome scoundrel in the world.
“Lee Haejoo, you’re beautiful.”
Having been troubled all day, Haejoo suddenly teared up. Just seeing Dojun made her heart swell.
“What happened?”
At Haejoo’s question, the editor-in-chief laughed playfully and replied.
“You have no idea how much trouble we had casting CEO Park Dojun.”
“I see.”
“He’s so busy, so we’re grateful he made time.”
“The pleasure is all mine.”
Dojun courteously responded to the editor-in-chief’s greeting. Even that sight radiated brilliance, causing a commotion among the staff in the studio. Amidst all this, Youngjae couldn’t smile. His expression, facing Dojun in person, was parched.
“Let’s start the shoot.”
Dojun strode over to Haejoo’s side. He warmly held her hand, and warmth flowed through her body.
“Are you really okay?”
“I’m not good at this, so you lead.”
“Just be natural.”
Dojun had received a call from the magazine editor-in-chief a few days ago. He had suggested a surprise photoshoot with Haejoo. He had a lot of work, so it was difficult to make time. He kept delaying his answer and only managed to call yesterday to schedule it. It was a difficult commitment, but Haejoo was very happy. That was all that mattered.
“Alright, let’s begin!”
With the photographer’s shout, the shoot began. Dojun’s eyes were alive, so elaborate poses weren’t necessary.
“Let’s have you two face each other more closely?”
Dojun wrapped his arm around Haejoo’s waist. Soon, a precarious scene unfolded, as if their lips would touch at any moment.
________________________________________
Haejoo imagined being in bed with Dojun. Recalling his suffocating persistence, she became immersed in the alluring atmosphere. Exclamations erupted from everywhere. Without needing to take many shots, the photographer called out.
“That’s enough!”
Haejoo’s body relaxed, and she leaned into Dojun. Even that sight was lovely, and the photographer didn’t miss it, capturing it.
“This shot is a gift, so can you two act as you normally would?”
Dojun intertwined his fingers with Haejoo’s. Just as they seemed to be standing side by side facing the camera, his head tilted towards Haejoo. Then, in front of everyone, their lips met. The photographer didn’t miss the moment, capturing it with his camera.
“I’m so envious I can’t shoot anymore. That’s really it!”
A burst of laughter erupted at his playful complaint. Dojun, expressing his gratitude, helped Haejoo to the waiting room.
“You worked hard.”
“I’m hungry.”
“Let’s take Hyunseong and go get dinner.”
“Before that... there’s a problem.”
“Problem?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Youngjae approached. Behind him, Hyunseong stood dejectedly. Dojun turned his head. Seeing Youngjae, whom he had assumed was just staff until now, he narrowed his brows.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Manager Kim Young-jae. I’ve separately contracted with GN this time to work with Ms. Lee Haejoo.”
“Was there an agreement with the agency?”
“GN Entertainment is under GN’s management. I was told that agreement or permission isn’t important.”
“Did Chief Secretary Han Jintae say that?”
“Yes.”
Dojun’s lips twisted into a wry smile. Although he had heard about Youngjae from Haejoo a few days ago, he hadn’t taken it seriously. He had assumed Jinhan would handle it appropriately, but that wasn’t the case.
“You, go change your clothes first.”
Haejoo headed to the changing room. In the meantime, Dojun took Youngjae outside the studio. By then, dusk had fallen, and the sky was dark.
“Did you say you’re Manager Kim Young-jae?”
“That’s right.”
“Have you met Chairman Yoo?”
“I haven’t met him yet.”
“Chief Secretary Han Jintae must have offered you special conditions to sign the contract.”
“They were indeed exceptional.”
“Did you receive the contract payment?”
At Dojun’s interrogation-like questions, Youngjae briefly fell silent. He chewed on his words under a pressure he had never experienced before. He felt that any plausible excuse to Dojun would be instantly exposed. So, to some extent, he revealed the truth.
“I was told I’d receive 50% of the promised incentive upfront if Ms. Lee Haejoo accepted me as her manager.”
“So, you signed the contract?”
“I cannot say more.”
“I assume Chief Secretary Han Jintae would have made an escape route for himself.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you sign the contract before payment?”
Dojun had recently looked into Han Jintae. He was known for not making losing deals, and many had been used and discarded by him. The conditions Han Jintae offered Youngjae were obvious. He would make sweet, intangible proposals and then demand desired results. If the mission succeeded, there was a high possibility he would then generously provide a secret payment. And even then, only a portion, not the whole amount.
“How did you know?”
“That bastard is a con artist.”
“...”
Youngjae’s eyes widened. His eyelids fluttered involuntarily, and Youngjae forced a cough. Dojun then threw him a suitable bait.
“I’ll give you double the incentive Han Jintae promised. So, join me.”
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