Come Back

“Mr. Myung, you have to make it clear that even the smallest decision-making authority regarding the work belongs to the director.”

“Yes, that’s right. I was being presumptuous.”

At the actress’s admonition, President Myung bowed his head and stepped back.

“Today, it is a good opportunity to introduce Hongseo to the distinguished guests and attract investment. It is also true that it would have been difficult to make it happen without the help of the famous CEO. So, Director, please relax now. It would be embarrassing for nothing to only Jeong Ji-in.”

“It’s not the actor’s fault. I’m sorry…”

Director Kang, although stubborn about his work, was not a very cruel person. He still had a sullen expression on his face, but he glanced at Jeong Ji-in and rubbed the armrest of the sofa as if he felt sorry.

The actress patted Director Kang on the back and whispered a few words to him before she got up from her seat, holding her clutch bag.

“Then, I’ll wrap up the conversation with Mr. Jeong Ji-in. Mr. Ji-in, shall we see each other for a moment?”

Neither President Myung nor Jeong Ji-in could disobey her orders.

Choi Hong-seo stared blankly for a moment at the back of Jeong Ji-in as she followed him out of the reception room.

“Hongseo, what was that fly? Your team had a song like that, right? Why? A song that makes you turn your pelvis so that it’s blocked. Let’s see that dance.”

At the sound of President Cho’s voice, Choi Hong-seo’s head instinctively turned to face the front again.

“Yes, if it’s okay with you, I’ll show you here for a moment.”

Choi Hong-seo answered immediately without hesitation, as if being asked to do something like this was not at all humiliating, but rather a welcome thing.

“It’s an honor that CEO Cho knows all of our children’s songs.”

The famous CEO also seemed to have completely forgotten the awkwardness from a moment ago and smiled. Then he touched his cell phone and connected it to the Bluetooth speaker in the reception room. Choi Hong-seo unbuttoned his tuxedo to dance, and soon the intro of the recent hit song ‘Layered’ began to play.

Dancing alone, in a place that wasn’t even a stage, without lights. And it wasn’t a performance, or even an audition. It was just a ‘trick’ to liven up a drinking party held by the rich.

No, I guess I should call this a ‘product introduction’ asking people to buy me, someone so talented and charming.

“Look at that, sir! Look at that, look at that… look at that pelvis turning. Don’t you think she’s cute even like that?”

President Cho shouted excitedly during a choreography that gently shook his hips and shoulders from side to side. The alcohol overflowed from the glass he was holding.

“He’s cute in my eyes? At my age, all boys the same age as Hongseo are just cute. I’m jealous of Hongseo when I see him in person… But I’m jealous of our baby right now.”

The woman sitting next to President Cho was leaning loosely against the back of the sofa and looking at Choi Hong-seo with a pleased expression on her face.

“The director has developed a bad habit. Do you accept that I am jealous?”

Allowing jealousy? President Cho looked at him with an expression that said it was ridiculous.

“I thought that was cute.”

“Ah… If the director rejects me, I’ll play with Hongseo for a bit. When I was little, I didn’t feel like eating it because I thought it would be too sour… But now, it feels like sweet juice will flow out.”

President Cho’s bloodshot red eyes scanned over Choi Hong-seo, who was dancing. The woman snorted as if she found it amusing.

“Isn’t Hongseo over twenty-five? To President Cho, the younger she is, the prettier she looks?”

“There are exceptions to everything.”

Without taking his eyes off Choi Hong-seo, President Cho emptied the alcohol in his glass in one go.

“Mr. Myung, can I dance like this? Isn’t this more erotic than shaking it openly? No… Is it more erotic because Hongseo is dancing it?”

And then, with his chin tilted at an angle and his gaze fixed on Choi Hong-seo, he continued speaking in a voice that was slurred by the alcohol.

“Hongseo, that dance… do you want to dance under me?”

The VIP that needs to be ‘served’ today is not the man at the top, but President Cho. As Choi Hong-seo was racking his brain with such thoughts, he glanced at President Myung.

“Please turn off the music.”

A voice came out from the VVIP saying that it was boring, pathetic, and unpleasant and that they could not listen or watch it.

The slow, low voice, filled with irritation and sighs, was clearly drowned out by the loud music. Yet everyone in the living room responded to the voice. It was as if he had shouted.

In the tense atmosphere, Choi Hong-seo’s dance moves gradually slowed down and stopped. President Myung, who was watching the other guests, also stopped the music.

The man in the upper seat, who had barely changed his posture the whole time, untied the quilt that was resting on his lap. Then, as if he had a headache, he pressed and acupressured the area around his eyebrows.

“I made time because it was called an investment attraction briefing, but did I come with the wrong information?”

The tone was soft, even though there was a negative nuance to it.

Perhaps judging that he wasn’t as angry as he thought, President Cho laughed heartily and took it as a joke.

“Vice President, you are currently reviewing the capabilities of the actor who will play the lead role.”

“Is that person’s role that of a hostess in the entertainment industry?”

“… … ”

At the man’s quiet yet sharp retort, President Cho’s laughter, which had been chuckling until then, completely disappeared.

“You’re being too harsh. Let’s lighten the mood a little. Who said you treated me like a hostess?”

Although he was clearly keeping a certain line so as not to greatly offend the man, President Cho could not completely hide his displeasure.

“Isn’t that the atmosphere from a little while ago that was excessive?”

“Hongseo, were you uncomfortable?”

President Cho’s gaze suddenly turned to Choi Hong-seo.

Choi Hong-seo, who was standing like a criminal this time too, could only smile awkwardly and shake his head.

“No, I’m fine.”

In the first place, this was the only answer Choi Hong-seo could give in this situation. The question had no meaning. Nevertheless, President Cho spoke to the man in the upper seat as if to tell him to look at it and as if to say, “What’s the problem?”

“Didn’t the person involved say it was okay, Vice President?”

“Are you saying that it is not enough just because I am uncomfortable?”

“… … ”

The man’s logic was direct and clear. He pressed President Cho with a quiet and clear gaze, asking if he could not understand what he meant even after he said this much.

President Cho, whose lips had been tightly shut, lowered his gaze from the man and lowered his tail.

“… … No. That can’t be.”

Just as Choi Hong-seo had no choice but to say no to President Cho’s question of whether he was uncomfortable, President Cho also had no choice in answering the man’s question. He had no choice but to say no. That was the difference in class.

Choi Hong-seo felt relieved that President Cho had been hit. But more than that, he was nervous because of the man in the upper seat. Based on his previous experience, there was no way that man would come forward to help him. He had never seen or heard of such a powerful person. So he could not know the man any better.

I thought I had been through a lot and was very seasoned in the so-called high-class entertainment world where celebrities and those in power are intertwined, but this was the first time I had encountered someone like that.

The man felt that the atmosphere had calmed down to some extent, so he relaxed his expression a little. Then he spoke to Director Kang.

“I received information about the movie in advance. Is it certain that the lead actor will be Choi Hong-seo?”

“It’s not confirmed yet… but you can assume it’s about 90% likely.”

“As you know, director, most of the films I’ve invested in so far are low-budget films by new directors.”

The man chose a cautious tone, without using too harsh a tone. He also tended to speak softly. He seemed to be used to the other person listening to his story.

Director Kang nodded.

“I know very well. The fact that the vice president has sponsored good works without caring about recovering the investment is a well-known fact to everyone in this industry. It’s because it hasn’t been widely known to the outside world.”

“Thank you for saying that. Of course, I also respect Director Kang’s world of work, and I would be honored if I could help. However… I have to be a little cautious about the scale of the investment compared to the works I have participated in so far. If the director and the actor are okay with it, can I see a little bit of acting?”

The man who finished speaking calmly turned his gaze to Choi Hong-seo. Just as he did not raise his voice, the man did not move his face or gaze quickly. His minimal movements and calm behavior seemed elegant, like the slow flow of deep water.

When asked if he could see the smoke, Choi Hong-seo was busy looking back and forth between the man, Director Kang, and President Myung.

“Because I have never seen an actor act before.”

The man added with a slightly apologetic tone, and Director Kang stepped forward and chimed in.

“Yes, Vice President. It’s hard to make an investment decision without knowing who the lead actor is. Mr. Hongseo, are you able to act now?”

“What kind of… scene should we do?”

Just like a regular ‘entertainment’ event, all I had to do was sell smiles, pour drinks, and liven up the atmosphere. That’s what I thought, so when I heard about the performance, Choi Hong-seo’s mind went blank.

The man who had been looking this way from the seat opposite changed the direction of his crossed legs and spoke slowly.