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He was greeted with a gloomy morning. The more he thinks about it, the more his face heats up and he feels ashamed and wants to dig somewhere and run away…
“Ha…”
Inseop, leaning on the pillar, sighed as he felt the ground fall.
Today as well! Inseop, who woke up at Lee Wooyeon’s house, took a shower in the bathroom he’s used before, and felt a sense of humiliation to his stomach, wondering why he was like this.
After taking a shower and eating breakfast Lee Wooyeon prepared, Inseop seriously thought about the Korean idiomatic expression that said you can’t tell whether food goes through your nose or your mouth. Fortunately, they didn’t have an early morning schedule today.
Inseop, who came to Yeouido for a CF-related meeting at 11 am, waited for Lee Wooyeon in the parking lot and fell into endless lamentation.
After drinking alcohol, going to the bathroom, meeting a foreigner, entering the room to drink… Ah…
Choi Inseop, inadvertently recalling a scene he should not have remembered, wiped his lips with the back of his hand. Bad bastard, pretending to swallow it but put it in his mouth…
“I am an idiot… ha.”
Even if he pounded his head into the pole, it wouldn’t go away. The bigger problem was that he even saw Lee Wooyeon entering the room with an angry face, but he didn’t remember anything after that. He tried to remember what happened after that, but to no avail.
Obviously there was something that happened. Otherwise, there would be no way Lee Wooyeon’s attitude would change like that. Because of Lee Wooyeon, whose attitude toward him has changed noticeably since this morning, Inseop was restless like a calf sitting on a hot stove all day.
Lee Wooyeon asked Inseop, who woke up this morning, how he was? Inseop, who suddenly became invisible, looked at Lee Wooyeon’s eyes and came to the conclusion that he must have made a terrible mistake yesterday.
“What… what… what have I done?”
Even if he scratched his head and regretted it, he couldn’t remember.
That’s good. Even if he tried to convince himself that Lee Wooyeon was angry, he just had to get fired like this, so he couldn’t help but feel sorry for himself.
Inseop almost drowned in the sense of shame that flooded in every time he found himself drowsy, only looking at Lee Wooyeon’s eyes and thinking about when he would treat him like he did before.
“It’s over…Let’s get fired, great job. Well done.”
He had to leave for America before the next weekend. So he shouldn’t care what he did yesterday and just keep acting like before.
“… Still, knowing what the hell I’ve done can put my mind at ease.”
Mumbling helplessly, Inseop leaned his back against the pillar and sat down. At that time, someone passing by recognized him and greeted him warmly, as if they were close.
“Mr. Choi Inseop?”
“Uh… Hello.”
Inseop stood up from his seat. It was reporter Kim Haeshin. From the fact that she was holding a camera in one hand, it didn’t look like she was there because she had business nearby.
“Ah, this one. Of course, I came to take pictures of Lee Wooyeon.”
“Yes… you are.”
Several of the people at the dinner party were questioned by the police over the attack by Kang Youngmo. It was a simple and formal question, such as what happened that day and when they broke up. Lee Wooyeon was also there, so he was questioned by the police, but someone took a picture of the scene, and posted an article with the title, “The atmosphere of Lee Wooyeon and Kang Youngmo’s filming site was unusual.” Of course, that someone was reporter Kim Haeshin. She was personally showing the most painful example of a reporter becoming an anti-celebrity.
Because of the article posted on the Internet by reporter Kim Haeshin, Lee Wooyeon, who had no anti’s, was also criticized for a while. It was like he knew it would happen, and people who pretend not to know like that were scary.
Lee Wooyeon didn’t care that it was a story without evidence, even if it lasted for three days, but Inseop, who had the evidence, got cold sweats on his hands. He was worried as if he had injured Kang Youngmo.
“I guess it’s not time for him to come out yet?”
“I don’t know.”
Even though it was almost time, Inseop answered that way. Reporter Kim Haeshin smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, let’s have a cup of coffee nearby and wait, okay? I only have time left. Oh, right. You know what? I was suspended.”
“What?”
“There was pressure from above. It’s too bad.”
“… ”
Choi Inseop recalled the words of Chief Cha, who said that even though CEO Kim seems sloppy, he has a wide network of people, so he is sure to protect the entertainers who belong to him.
“So sooner or later, I’m going to do something loud and go back screaming.”
“Yes… do your best.”
Inseop nodded his head. Because he didn’t feel the need to talk to her anymore. She, who was looking at Inseop, asked with a strange smile.
“By the way, is Inseop leaving the job of a manager?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Why did you book a plane ticket?”
“… … !”
“To go to America, next weekend, ah, what was the exact flight number?”
She blurted out her words, pretending that she didn’t remember. The blood drained from Choi Inseop’s face. He had no idea how much she knew.
“What are you talking about…I do not know.”
Inseop turned his gaze and responded calmly. Cold sweat dripped from his hands and he hid them behind his back.
“Remember Blue’s Yoon Ahreum?”
In Inseop’s memory, the face of a reporter with neat short hair came to mind.
“She’s my school mate. I heard that she had exchanged phone numbers with Inseop before, so I asked for it too.”
“…”
As a manager, his phone number wasn’t particularly secretive, but he didn’t feel good .
“Do you know what a copy phone is?”
“…I know.”
In order to dig into the private lives of the celebrities they are pursuing, some polarized fans illegally copy their cell phones and secretly spy on them for text messages and phone calls. Inseop also knew that Lee Wooyeon’s cell phone number was impossible to get because CEO Kim had changed the name in a complicated way.
In the end, reporter Kim Haeshin illegally copied the manager Inseop’s cell phone to find out Lee Wooyeon’s schedule and private life.
“That is illegal.”
“Who said that? I was just telling you that there is such a thing. By the way, the cell phone that Inseop is using now is a cannon phone. The owner came out under a completely different name, what happened?”
“… ”
Inseop bought his number under the name he bought on the Internet to prevent unforeseen events. Later, when the person named Choi Inseop disappeared, it was a choice he made so that he could not find his whereabouts.
It is unknown how reporter Kim Haeshin found out about this fact, but it was very unpleasant and uncomfortable for him.
“You seem to have more secrets than you look. But, seeing that you only got a one-way ticket to the United States next week, you must have quit your job.”
“It is not a matter for journalists to worry about.”
Thinking that only he would get tired if they talked, Inseop bowed his head to avoid her and said goodbye. Reporter Kim Haeshin asked Inseop as he was about to walk away to the car.
“Mr. Inseop, you agreed to have an interview with me before writing your resignation.”
“I never promised anything like that.”
After answering in a rage, Inseop realized his mistake. Inseop was not strong enough to face her, who had thick bones in the entertainment club.
‘Let’s ignore it, ignoring is the best.’
Inseop moved quickly again.
“By the way, does Lee Wooyeon know that Inseop is quitting his job?”
“… ”
“Does CEO Kim Hakseung know? The last time I met him, I asked him, and he didn’t say anything like that.”
“Why are you telling me this?…”
Inseop saw Lee Wooyeon coming down from the elevator in the distance and shut his mouth. Reporter Kim Haeshin also moved her head following his gaze and smiled, saying, “Aha.”
“So it’s a secret that Inseop is going to America next week.”
“… ”
There should have been a clear counter-attack there, but Inseop couldn’t say anything. It was true. It doesn’t matter that he had to quit his job somehow, but he never wanted to be found out about going back to the US. He wanted to prevent any suspicion that the person who provided the information was Choi Inseop.
When Inseop opened his eyes and lifted his head, Lee Wooyeon was already close to him. Lee Wooyeon found reporter Kim Haeshin and greeted her by saying hello.
“I can’t greet you back. Mr. Lee Wooyeon. Did you know I was suspended?”
“I didn’t know. It must be hard.”
He softly offered words of consolation, but Lee Wooyeon’s eyes were not smiling at all. There was no way he would be happy when a reporter showed up wherever he went, took pictures, and wrote delusional articles.
“I’m going to make a big hit soon.”
“Yes. I hope so. Then, I’ll be leaving.”
Lee Wooyeon bowed his head politely and passed by reporter Kim Haeshin. He beckoned Inseop to get to the car quickly.
It was then-
“Lee Wooyeon, did you also know about it?”
“What do you mean?”
Reporter Kim Haeshin said while looking at Inseop, who was standing behind Lee Wooyeon’s back with a pale face. Choi Inseop bowed his head. There could be situations where he cannot go to the United States even with evidence. He didn’t want to do even the slightest bit of harm to the person he had borrowed his name from.
“Mr. Kang Youngmo. They said his condition has improved a lot. Just go to the hospital.”
“Yes. I was going to do that anyway, but thanks for letting me know.”
Lee Wooyeon didn’t listen to the next words, and gestured to Inseop to get into the car quickly. Reporter Kim Haeshin frowned at Inseop, and signed at him with her hand to give her a call.
Inseop walked out and climbed into the driver’s seat of the van. Lee Wooyeon, who entered the car afterward, sighed. A tired look was evident.
“What did you say?”
“Yes?”
“Weren’t you talking to reporter Kim Haeshin?”
Except for the two words in the morning, it was the first time Lee Wooyeon had spoken to him. He wanted to give him a long answer, but he didn’t think it would be okay, so Inseop said it was no big deal.
“I’ll decide whether it’s a big deal or not. Please tell me what you were talking about.”
Lee Wooyeon’s words were particularly sharp.
“She just asked about Lee Wooyeon’s schedule, and I answered that I didn’t know.”
“Really?”
The first thing that caught Lee Wooyeon’s eyes when he was walking from a distance was not the sickening leech-like reporter, but the white face of the manager.
“If possible, do not contact reporter Kim Haeshin.”
“I won’t.”
“Didn’t she say you should call her earlier?”
Lee Wooyeon seemed to have noticed that reporter Kim Haeshin was beckoning from behind.
“I won’t.”
At first, he had no choice but to answer. Lee Wooyeon nodded and leaned back on the seat. As they exited the parking lot and entered the city, Lee Wooyeon’s cell phone rang.
“Yes. This is Lee Wooyeon.”
It was a clear, low-pitched sound. Inseop slowly moved the steering wheel, thinking that the day would not be long before he would hear that voice in person.
“Okay. Yes… That doesn’t make any sense. I want acceptable results. Yes, please contact me again. As soon as possible.”
After the call, Lee Wooyeon closed his eyes with a sigh of exhaustion.
Choi Inseop suddenly remembered the words of CEO Kim, who said that Lee Wooyeon’s blood is made of Bacchus and never gets tired. He didn’t know what Bacchus was, so he searched the internet later to find it, but he laughed for a while by himself. That is why Lee Wooyeon had good physical strength. Even if the person he was following was hard on him, he never showed any signs of that.
But today, he didn’t look particularly good. His mood seemed very bad. In such a case, if he played the 23 club songs that he had carefully selected, he may be fired on the spot.
After a moment’s hesitation, Choi Inseop took out a CD containing the quietest songs among Lee Wooyeon’s favorite songs and put it into the audio. A waltz by Shostakovich. Lee Wooyeon, who had closed his eyes until then, raised his eyelids slowly and pulled the tip of his lips together.
“Mr. Choi Inseop, really…”
“… … .”
Inseop, who was holding the steering wheel, waited impatiently for the next word. However, Lee Wooyeon smiled and closed his eyes again. Inside the moving car, the sound of quiet music continued like a dance.
Inseop stepped on the accelerator, thinking in vain, wishing that the road he was taking would not end.
“I left for a while…”
Lee Wooyeon, who was opening the passenger’s car door, paused and shut his mouth. When he went up for a while, Inseop was asleep. Seeing him curled up and sleeping, he thought that he must have been very tired.
Lee Wooyeon sat in the passenger seat and closed the car door, making as little noise as possible. He was thinking of picking up the documents he handed Inseop earlier and looking for them myself.
Perhaps because of the sound of the car door closing, Inseop made a small moan and tossed and turned. At that moment, the body odor mixed with the smell of Inseop’s sweat spread. It was a sweet smell, like a child with a high body temperature.
Lee Wooyeon, who reached out to search the glove box, turned to Inseop.
As he looked at his slightly chapped lips, he naturally remembered what happened yesterday.
Yesterday;s event was a simple accident.
It was done out of a rush because of the fever when the reckless manager rushed at him to see if his head was spinning. He concluded that the human change in his body was due to starvation for various reasons.
But was he really that hungry?
Looking at the face of the manager who was a billion light years away from his taste, skinny, too gentle, and even a little rustic, Lee Wooyeon thought such a thing.
But with a face like that, panting from below, and being held in his arms, he was in awe.
Inseop tossed and frowned again. It felt a lot more emaciated than when he first saw it. Lee Wooyeon reached out and gently brushed Inseop’s hair up. Feeling itchy, Inseop wrinkled his nose and wiped his mouth.
Lee Wooyeon suddenly had a thought that he wanted to shove something down into his lips.
“Crazy…”
He swallowed a laugh and clicked his tongue. He must’ve been starving for too long.
Lee Wooyeon, who found the documents in the glove box, got out of the car and called the person who he asked for an investigation earlier. He hung up after receiving a reply that by tomorrow morning he would be able to send him the correct material.
Waiting for the elevator to come down in front of the elevator door, he made another call. Then he whispered sweet words to a suitable opponent who could relieve the repulsion of his lower limbs.