Kim Hyunjo grabbed my shoulder just before I entered the office.
âFor a new recruit, who hasnât been working for more than a month, to enter the CEOâs office multiple times, youâre going to be successful in the future.â
When I simply smiled, Kim Hyunjoâs voice became low, almost to a whisper.
âFrom what I know, the CEO, Sung Dowon, the director, management team 2 leader and team 3 leader⌠Younghoon hyung are inside. If there are any problems inside, just ask Younghoon hyung.â
âYes. Thank you.â
I had a few meetings with the management team 3 leader in the past so I knew him a bit.
He was a refreshing and funny person.
âThen Iâll be going now.â
I left Kim Hyunjo and Sung Dowonâs manager behind me and entered the office.
Like he told me, there were 5 people holding a discussion in the office. CEO Baek Hansung was sitting in the top seat, while Sung Dowon and the bearded management team 2 leader were sitting on the left sofa, and the director and management team 3 leader were on the right.
Because they had been able to overcome this crisis well, everyone was happy, except for the team 2 leader. He looked at me with unpleasant eyes.
Just what was wrong with him? I had never seen him before so why did he hate me so much?
âOh my, if it isnât our team 3âs Lucky Charm, come here and sit.â
Team 3 leader said jokingly as he tapped the seat next to him. I greeted everyone and went towards him. When I comfortably sat down and looked up, I saw Sung Dowon directly in front of me, smiling softly.
Wait. This layout seemed somewhat familiar.
I recalled why in a few seconds.
Last time I came here, I was too busy and the haziness in the office I remembered was too severe to make out⌠but now that I was sitting directly in front of Sung Dowon, I figured it out.
This was the office I was in the first time I experienced the faulty future.
âYour name is Jung Sunwoo, right?â
CEO Baek Hansung asked me abruptly.
âThat is correct.â
âDid you hear the results of the photo?â
âYes. I heard from Team Leader Park.â
âI heard our employees call you team 3âs Lucky Charm. I guess we could call you W&Uâs Lucky Charm from now on.â
CEO Baek Hansung, who had been complimenting me, suddenly asked me another question.
âDo you have a car?â
âPardon? No, I donât have one yet.â
âYou plan to get one though?â
âYes.â
Of course, I planned on buying one. I simply didnât have the money.
âThen pick one out. The company will pay for it.â
â⌠Excuse me?â
Give what to me?
I looked at him thinking I misheard him, but the director added in while laughing.
âWhy are you hesitating? You have to quickly accept when he offers you these things.â
âAh, thank you.â
I was thankful, no, it was so abrupt that I became tongue-tied.
âBut what are you going to do if he picks out a something like a Rolls Royce? Kids are scary these days.â
âThen Iâll have to give him mine and walk.â
Light laughter sounded out at his joke.
Holding onto the photo with Sung Dowon and the married woman, CEO Baek Hansung quietly said.
âWhatâs more important than the fact this photo is fabricated, is that Pure Star really did have a hand in this. Itâs a relief we knew ahead. How s.h.i.tty would we feel if we later found out that we had fallen for their tricks?â
As expected, it was Pure Star Entertainment.
So that was why he offered me a car⌠No. Letâs think about that seriously when I have more time.
Then what would happen to Pure Star now?
Taking photos without permission, fabrication and threats would be enough to file a lawsuit. Recalling what Director Park said in the future, it didnât seem as though Pure Star Entertainment had continued to be victorious.
âThen Pure Star EntertainmentâŚâ
âSung Dowon and I are going to meet their CEO tonight. Thatâs a problem weâll deal with.â
I was curious what kind of conversation they would have.
It didnât seem like they would simply talk to each other.
âAnyways, thatâs my present. Dowon said he also has something to say.â
CEO Baek Hansung fell back and this time Sung Dowon turned his torso towards me. He slightly bowed his head in greeting before looking directly at my eyes and saying.
âYou are Sunwoo, correct? I am really grateful about todayâs incident. You are my benefactor.â
âPfft, thatâs too muchâŚâ
The team 2 leader grumbled, but Sung Dowon firmly shook his head.
âHe is my benefactor. If it wasnât for Mr. Sunwoo, I would have fallen for their trap and my acting career might have been over. So thatâs whyâŚâ
The moment I heard these words I had continuously thought about to the point of memorizing them.
The faulty future had become my present.
âI would like Sunwoo to be my manager.â
Just when I was making my way through a torrent of complicated emotions.
The team 3 leader clicked his tongue and said.
âIf it was anyone else, I would have said something about them taking away our good recruit, but I canât resist our top star.â
âSorry, team leader.â
âOh well⌠Nothing I can do.â
The team 3 leader placed his hand on my shoulder.
âWhat do you think? Do you want to work with Dowon?â
âHa, how frustrating. Do you really need to ask him?â
The team 2 leader cut in with a snort.
âHonestly, can we even compare Neptune and Sung Dowon? Even Jang Seomoon was able to become Dowonâs manager by overcoming multiple candidates. Heâs offering someone, who hasnât even worked for a month, a position like that. Who would be crazy enough to refuse?â
âWhy do you have to say it like that? No one knows what will happen in the future. Who knows whether Neptune will suddenly increase in popularity next year? Neptuneâs on a roll.â
I knew something for certain.
Even though they were both team leaders, they didnât have a good relationship with each other.
Although they hadnât started thrusting their fingers at each other, the situation was growing more heated. But there was no mediator. CEO Baek Hansung and the director, they were elegantly drinking their coffee as if this was usual.
âWe need to wait and see to know if theyâre on a roll or not.â
The team 2 leader added flames to the fire by mumbling those words. This time, even I felt angry.
âHuh, what kind of dogs.h.i.t manner is this? Why are you pouring cold water on someone else?â
âWhoâs the one with dogs.h.i.t manners? The guy next to you poured cold water on our Chaeyoungâs next project. Chaeyoung is a sensitive girl, but after meeting him, she became even more emotional.â
Son Chaeyoungâs name was mentioned out of the blue.
I was wondering why this team 2 leader I had never seen hated me, and now I knew.
âWeâre lucky things went well this time, but I have never seen anyone, who is as meddlesome as him, not mess up. Itâs already uneasy leaving him next to Dowon⌠Iâm only letting it pa.s.s because we need to find a new manager once Jang Seomoon leaves anyways, and since Dowon likes him.â
âWow, this is why your nickname is Mother-in-law.â
I flinched while listening to their conversation.
It seemed that Jang Seomoon was Sung dowonâs manager, who was outside. If they said they were going to push him out and place me in his position, didnât that mean they were going to fire him? Because of this incident?
To be honest, I thought that this was more of Sung Dowonâs fault than the managerâs⌠Since it was Sung Dowon who lied and left the manager behind. But the one who was blamed and chased out was the manager.
Of course, I knew that the relationship between a manager and a celebrity wasnât as close and familial like in the dramas. Since they were in a relationship tied by business.
I was well aware that there were many cases where a celebrity would abuse their manager and that the opposite was true as well. I knew that, in the worst cases, they would even end up going to court.
Though I was well aware of it⌠This situation felt a little bitter to me.
Since I felt that I could one day end up like Jang Seomoon.
âThatâs enough. Letâs hear what the person in question has to say. Heâs unable to speak because you two team leaders are bickering.â
The CEO calmed the situation.
The office quickly became silent. However, I wasnât able to speak easily. If I accepted, that meant I would be Sung Dowonâs only manager, and if that was the case, it would be impossible to be the manager of both Sung Dowon and Neptune.
I turned my head to tell the team 3 leader about my worries, but just then, as if he had read my mind, he said.
âWhy? Is it because of Neptune?â
âYes. It is an important time for them⌠Would it be possible to be a.s.signed to both Neptune and Sung Dowon?â
The team 3 leader showed a complicated expression as he scratched his neck.
âItâs good that you have a sense of responsibility, but thatâs a bit difficult. Dowon has a lot of overseas schedules. He goes to China as if heâs going to lunch and we are planning on going to Hollywood next year. Since heâll be new there, youâll have to be next to him on set. You wonât be able to manage Neptuneâs schedule with all that.â
âAhh.â
âMaybe if you had the experience of a chief, but youâre currently still learning. This isnât good for you nor is it good for Neptune and Sung Dowon.â
The team 2 leader suddenly cut into our conversation.
âNeptune has another new recruit anyways. You can come after letting him take over. I heard that you wanted to be a.s.signed to an actor. Dowon is the top within our company. You canât even tell when youâve hit jackpotâŚâ
If I looked at it rationally, the team 2 leaderâs words were right.
This wasnât a choice I needed to think about.
A top actor who possessed outstanding acting skills and box office performance. Being a.s.signed to an actor like Sung Dowon was something I antic.i.p.ated and wished for the most when entering W&U. And I had already decided that if I was to change the present, I would choose the better future.
Neptune was a group who had potential but was only starting to get traction now.
Sung Dowon was someone who was considered top in the nation and was preparing to go overseas.
If I asked 10 people, 9 would instantly choose Sung Dowon. And the remaining one would be called crazy.
Excluding the things that were preventing me from making a decision⌠When I thought about the connections and experience I would gain overseas, especially in Hollywood, the moment I accepted his offer and how beneficial it would be to my future. This wasnât a decision worth troubling over.
But⌠why wasnât I able reply right away?
It felt as if something was clinging to my ankle.
âHaha.â
The director laughed as if this was amusing.
âI never knew you would have so much trouble deciding between Dowon and Neptune. It seemed youâve gotten quite close to Neptune in such a short time. Should we give you more time to think about it?â
âHa, Iâm at a loss for words.â
The team 2 leader hit the table and said.
âWhat more do you need to think about? No, we wonât force anyone who doesnât want to. Do you know how many people would quit their jobs to be Dowonâs manager? Thereâs no need for more time, decide here.â
The faces of Neptune, especially Lee Songha who had only today told me her true thoughts, pa.s.sed by in front of Sung Dowonâs face which was looking at me.
Then that moment.
The world flipped over, and the scene in front of me changed.
âWell⌠Itâs like that.â
Director Park clicked her tongue and said.
âThough the relationship between Sung Dowon and Pure Star was originally bad since they both had dirt on each other, they shouldnât have crossed a certain line⌠But once Pure Starâs tricks came to light, they had pa.s.sed a point of no return. That slowly started to worsen until it eventually exploded.â
What did Director Park say just now?
Sung Dowon and Pure Star pa.s.sed a point of no return? It eventually exploded?
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I tried to concentrate harder than ever to decipher Director Parkâs words, but then she dropped a bomb.
âSung Dowon and Pure Star started to expose each other and had press conferences which eventually led to both a criminal and civil suit in court.â
âThey exposed each other?â
âPure Star did a lot of dirty things, but it turned out, they were both peas in a pod.â