2.
Part 1
“Good, you’re doing well. It would be nice if you looked a little closer, why not try some skinship? Yes, just like that! Ah, that’s good. Expressions, expressions… More refreshing! I’m a fruit! I’m a lemon, and I’m an orange!”
The scene of the profile shoot for an idol group about to debut.
Five boys strike poses in front of a large white screen, while the photographer holding the camera circles around them, continuously pressing the shutter.
Stylists and agency staff, the photographer’s crew too. More than ten people standing around the screen watched the shoot, making the not-so-large studio quite bustling.
Among them, only two stood apart from the wall, having a serious conversation. They were the agency’s CEO, Im Sang-jin, and the team manager, Yong Jae-man.
“Didn’t you make them practice their poses and expressions? Normally, all they do is take photos of themselves, but now that we’ve set the stage, what is this?”
The CEO said discontentedly.
“Isn’t this their first official shoot in a studio? Of course, they’re nervous. Still, compared to ‘Titan’s debut, these kids are at a pro level.”
“Well, there’s that, but…”
Manager Yong’s words softened the CEO’s expression a little, but there was still a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
They were a boy group that ENA Entertainment introduced for the first time after the disbandment of ‘Titan,’ which had only started to gain traction after a long period of obscurity. As such, the CEO had been having sensitive days lately.
“Look at Sang-yeon and Jun-woo. They don’t get along, but they’re sticking together in front of the camera. They weren’t even told to do that. Anyone seeing them would think they’re dating.”
“Anyone stepping into this industry needs that level of grit. If you can’t smile like an angel even with someone you want to beat to death in front of you, you won’t last long anyway.”
The CEO firmly stated as he uncrossed his arms and picked up the cup of coffee he’d placed on a materials box. Holding the cup, which seemed too small compared to his large frame, he took a sip through a straw and said with apparent relief, his eyes fixed on the shoot.
“With that kind of professional attitude, at least they won’t end up like ‘Titan.’ We don’t need to worry about that.”
The shoot was temporarily halted. While the photographer changed cameras, the stylists busied themselves tidying the members’ appearances.
Placing the coffee back on the materials box, the CEO crossed his arms again. As if to share a heavy secret, he leaned closer to the manager.
“Yong-jae, about Hyean…”
He hesitated as if his lips wouldn’t move, then spoke reluctantly with a deep sigh.
“That kid… I don’t know how long we should leave him like that.”
“What do you mean, how long?”
“That guy, without any family… He’s been unconscious for four months now, and unless a miracle happens, he doesn’t seem like he’ll wake up.”
“Still, he’s breathing… What can we do?”
“That’s true… That’s also true.”
The CEO sighed deeply in resignation, smacked his lips awkwardly, then picked up the cup again and placed the straw to his mouth.
Despite his intimidating face and large build, which could scare new acquaintances, he wasn’t a harsh person. However, he wasn’t enough of a saint to continuously support an unconscious, uncertain-when-to-awake entertainer from his agency either.
“How much money does Hyean have left?”
“Not much now. The account balance is almost depleted… At best, there’s the deposit for the officetel.”
“Take out everything from that house. We’ll have to redirect the few hundred in monthly rent to hospital bills. We don’t have any other choice.”
“Still…if he wakes up, he’ll make a fuss.”
As if Hyean could wake up and chase after him at any moment, manager Yong slouched his broad shoulders and watched the CEO nervously.
“We have to keep paying his hospital bills to have a chance of waiting until he wakes up. I’ll wait until Yoon Hyean’s money runs out. As much as my heart aches… I’m not a philanthropist. We can’t keep paying hospital bills for someone with an unknown awakening date, incurring debt. Put the officetel on the market today or tomorrow.”
“Yes…”
If Yoon Hyean were confirmed as untraceable with no family, the hospital’s ethics committee would decide whether to continue his treatment. Simply put, Yoon Hyean’s life would be in the hands of the hospital’s decision.
Thus, the CEO had registered himself as Hyean’s guardian for now and had been paying the hospital bills from Hyean’s bank account. But he had no intention of paying the bills with his own money. To the CEO, doing so felt like pouring water into a bottomless pit. If Yoon Hyean didn’t miraculously wake up and repay by working again, it would be money that couldn’t be recouped.
While checking the officetel market price on his smartphone, manager Yong glanced back at the CEO as if remembering something.
“I did some research… Apparently, the number of people waking up from comas isn’t as low as you’d think.”
“You were the one who suffered the most because of his temper. Do you want him to wake up?”
“It was tough, but… a person’s life is still a life. We should save a person first.”
“That’s why Hyean treated you worse.”
“Even if he wakes up, I don’t want to manage him again.”
“I too wanted to take you off, punk. But what can I do? You’re the only one in the company who can handle him. All the others quit within a month under him. There has to be a solution.”
The brief break ended, and the shoot was about to resume. The photographer chose a powerful rock song as the background music, changing the previous lively atmosphere. Maybe because the tension had eased, the members’ poses looked more natural, and the studio became even more lively.
“CEO.”
The CEO sipped his coffee and watched the smooth progress of the shoot vigilantly, while manager Yong looked at his phone.
“What?”
“Wow… This is… CEO.”
Even as manager Yong urgently nudged and called him, the CEO didn’t look, merely chewing on the straw and answering half-heartedly.
“Ah, what… Speak.”
“Lee Seokyeong has died in Thailand.”
“What?”
Only then did the CEO turn his gaze to manager Yong. He snatched the phone from Yong’s hand.
“What are you talking about?”
“They say he was shot and killed a few hours ago?”
The breaking news that the CEO confirmed himself was precisely what Yong had said.
The news detailed the killing of Lee Seokyeong, the third-generation chaebol and executive director of Nox Hotel, who had made headlines nationwide with numerous charges such as violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, prostitution, embezzlement, etc.
After receiving a guilty verdict in the first trial, he had been ordered to cooperate with ongoing investigations related to bribery in Thailand and Malaysia before preparing for the appeal trial. This unusual case had been widely reported in foreign media.
The news stated that Lee Seokyeong was shot dead before even stepping into the prosecution office after arriving in Thailand.
“Isn’t Lee Seokyeong the grandson of the founder of Hanseo Group? Even someone that powerful can die.”
Manager Yong mumbled in a dazed voice, seemingly shocked, but the CEO quickly lost interest. Handing the phone back to Yong, he smacked his lips and took another sip of coffee through the straw.
“Is there an order in which people die? Just because you have money and power doesn’t make you immortal. There are people who live as if they’re invincible, but.”
Leaning against the materials box, the CEO added as if it didn’t matter.
“He must have been shot by someone as bad or worse than him.”
