Vol. 1 Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Vol. 1 Chapter 14:

Translated by Naralara

Edited by Naralara

“… So, you came here just to refresh your mind before starting the drama?”

“Yes.”

“Winter fishing the day before filming?”

“Yes.”

“Haha…? Ha ha ha ha ha.”

CEO Kim laughed with a bewildered expression on his face. His chin hardened.

That wasn’t it, it was not that.

No matter how good he tried, that was not the case!

Manager Cha, who was leaving with a fishing rod, also found Lee Wooyeon standing in front of the car, and his expression hardened. He quickly noticed CEO Kim, but was unable to say anything.

“When I saw Manager Cha and CEO Kim, I also had a lot of thoughts. I really admire the two of you working together for such a long time.”

“…”

“… okay.”

“I’m going to do some benchmarking while watching.”

Benchmarking? Bullshit. But CEO Kim smiled brightly as he struggled to hold back his from yelling what he wanted to say.

“Yeah, that’s why you came. here? You must be tired because you’re filming a drama next week, huh?”

Lee Wooyeon responded innocently to the meaningful words thrown by CEO Kim, biting his teeth tightly and smiling.

“You know my stamina very well. Well, who cares?”

One of the reasons that directors and PDs liked Lee Wooyeon was his tireless physical strength. No matter how good someone’s physical strength is, if they miss three days of sleep, they will always show signs of tiredness, but Lee Wooyeon was always fresh. There was even gossip about whether he was taking any kind of medicine. To those who asked what the secret to maintaining stamina was, Lee Wooyeon only gave the old-fashioned answer, “It’s exercise.”

“Yeah …You are in good shape.”

“You told me to be friendly with the manager. Why?”

“I’m not asking you to be close … ”

Manager Cha gave a sharp look to the side of CEO Kim as he was about to speak. It was because Choi Inseop was standing next to him with a bag.

“…Ha ha ha ha ha. Of course you should be friendly. Just like me and the Manager Cha.”

CEO Kim said, putting his hand on the shoulder of Manager Cha. Manager Cha smiled and dropped CEO Kim’s arm.

“Who’s driving the car?”

Lee Wooyeon asked. Choi Inseop, who was holding the bag, raised his hand suddenly and shouted.

“I’ll do it!”

All three of them couldn’t help but laugh at his outrageous cry.

“Inseop. Do you have trauma because you couldn’t give a presentation during the class meeting? You can put your hands down.”

“He has a secret desire to present. Mr. Inseop.”

Choi Inseop’s face turned red as he lowered his hand.

“I’ll do the driving. Give me the key.”

When manager Cha gestured, CEO Kim took the key out of his pocket and threw it.

“It’s a new car, so drive gently.”

“Then you can take the company car.”

“The Benz stands out too much. I don’t like people snooping around thinking it’s celebrities.”

“… If you’re just trying to play quietly and comfortably, it’s already too late.”

Manager Cha grumbled as he glanced at Lee Wooyeon. A quiet fishing trip was already ruined because of Lee Wooyeon. If he could only fish at night in a rare place, he had no choice but to lock himself up in the villa during the day.

As the manager sat in the driver’s seat, Choi Inseop naturally climbed into the passenger seat. Seeing the opportunity, he was thinking of taking over the steering wheel.

CEO Kim sat in the back seat, the best seat, naturally, and Wooyeon took the seat next to him.

No one spoke until the car drove through the city. After driving for about ten minutes on the highway, CEO Kim glanced back and said:

“Is there a car behind us?”

“Two. A white car and a gray taxi.”

Manager Cha skillfully turned the steering wheel and answered.

“… is that so?”

Choi Inseop turned his body back to check, but he couldn’t tell which vehicle they were talking about.

“A fan or a journalist. It must be one of the two.”

Lee Wooyeon said as if it was insignificant. CEO Kim said, “Heh, heh,” and grabbed his shoulder.

“Didn’t you just get away from it?”

“The CEO knows better how persistent these people are.”

“No matter what, would we want to play with such crap around us, right?”

Manager Cha glanced behind him and asked if he should get rid of them.

“Get away.”

When CEO Kim’s permission fell, the engine accelerated with a boom. As the speed suddenly increased, Inseop, who was sitting in the front seat, gasped, and grabbed the handle.

“Do not worry. It’s manager Cha, he’s good at driving.”

CEO Kim spoke slowly from behind, but Inseop could hardly let go of the handle because the speed he felt in front of him was enormous.

Manager Cha casually changed lanes and overtook the car in front, increasing the speed gradually.

“Uwahhh.”

As he narrowly passed the car in front, Choi Inseop’s face turned white and he screamed. Lee Wooyeon, who was reading the script from behind, grinned at the sound.

“Don’t worry. He is a man with a personal taxi license because he has been driving without an accident for 20 years.”

Choi Inseop, who was blind to Korea’s jokes, could not read between the lines. While he was holding the handle tightly, he shook his head hard and spoke to manager Cha.

“You even got a personal taxi license while being busy, it’s amazing.”

“What? Why did I take it?”

“The representative… No. Guess there was a mistake…? Ahh.”

Once again, the car swerved sideways. He couldn’t stand it any longer. Choi Inseop took the medicine from his pocket and put it in his mouth and began to chew.

“What drug? Do you take motion sickness medicine?”

It was a heart medicine with a tranquilizer component. Choi Inseop, on paper, was a healthy man, but he ignorantly answered.

“It’s a pain reliever.”

“Are you eating it without water? Don’t you need it?”

“I ate it often so it became a habit.”

Choi Inseop, who had spoken up to that point, realized his mistake. The average person would not have developed the habit of chewing on a headache pill. But no one paid any attention to Inseop’s words. Inseop let out a small sigh.

He didn’t want to show any deviation from the normal and ordinary Choi Inseop.

“Can you read it in a moving car?”

CEO Kim saw Lee Wooyeon reading the script and asked.

“Why?”

“Aren’t you dizzy? I always feel dizzy.”

“The CEO usually gets upset when he reads a book.”

Manager Cha giggled and made fun of CEO Kim.

“When did I? I read a lot of books.”

“Give me the title of a book you read recently.”

“… hey, you’re out of your mind. Close the script.”

CEO Kim, who’s mouth twitched, quarreled with Lee Wooyeon. Lee Wooyeon said, “Let me read a little more,” and didn’t take his eyes off the script.

“Spiteful bastard. You’ve already read it until it became tattered. What more do you want to read?”

Choi Inseop recalled in an interview that Lee Wooyeon said that he reads the script until he memorizes all the other people’s lines. He had a strange feeling. It was not easy to see Lee Wooyeon’s attachment to something and his efforts.

“I have to memorize it.”

“Do you really need to memorize other people’s lines?”

Lee Wooyeon laughed lightly without answering. Manager Cha, who was driving around and around, looked behind him and said.

“We’ve lost them.”

“As expected, Cha. He specializes in this because he has a lot of experience in getting rid of my fans. Ha ha ha ha ha.”

“No way. The representative’s fans weren’t like this. I went out with the representative holding hands.”

“Hey, this guy! What are you saying in front of the kids! Hahahaha, I never did that. Lee Wooyeon, don’t play with your fans.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Don’t do that … what. Does that mean I did that? I didn’t do that either! Manager Cha. Say something!”

Manager Cha blew a whistle and refused to answer. Choi Inseop looked at the two of them and smiled a little.

“Did Inseop laugh again?”

When CEO Kim leaned forward and asked a question, Inseop shook his head tightly.

“Why aren’t you smiling? Don’t you know that laughter brings happiness?”

“All things go well…Is that correct? … … is not it.”

Choi Inseop’s muttering voice gradually diminished because he was a little unsure of the idiom.

“It’s just a saying. Hahaha, I do, but sometimes when I talk to him…”

CEO Kim, who was about to speak, looked at Lee Wooyeon for a moment and kept his mouth shut. He thought of the sense of incompatibility he often felt previously with someone when talking with Choi Inseop.

Lee Wooyeon, who was born and raised abroad, had improved a lot now, but at first seemed like a foreigner who was fluent in Korean. Conversations were often cut off due to differences in cultural thinking rather than problems with pronunciation or tone. Just like right now.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Choi Inseop, who was still clutching the handle by the door, asked with a scared face. CEO Kim said no.

He felt sorry for Choi Inseop, because that bastard Lee Wooyeon had a disease that made him suspicious even of anyone.

“But now… can we slow down a bit?”

Choi Inseop looked at the speedometer with worried eyes. Manager Cha tilted his head with a face asking why.

“Didn’t you get rid of the car that was chasing us?”

“I got rid of it.”

“Still, you’re going so fast?”

“It’s a highway, so I’m driving appropriately. From what Mr. Inseop is saying, you must be a gentle driver.”

“Gentle driver?”

“Wooyeon must be frustrated. When you drive, Inseop.”

“It’s okay, it’s not that bad.”

The only downside to Choi Inseop, who was perfectly adapted to his job, as if he was born to be a manager, was that he drove too slowly.

“Better than the one who is rough.”

“…I’ll be careful and go a little faster in the future.”

When Choi Inseop criticized himself in front of him, Lee Wooyeon closed the script and said no.

“I hate driving that makes me uneasy. Even if it’s a little frustrating, I like people who do it safely.”

“That’s right. Rather make it frustrating. He pretended he was good at driving for nothing and in one day, Kang Taekgeun…”

CEO Kim suddenly shut his mouth. Choi Inseop asked who it was.

“The guy who got into a car accident in one day and left.”

CEO Cha briefly summarized the incident.

A man named Kang Taekgeun, who once said he was on the car racing team, wrecked the Benz front bumper worth 100 million won and wrote his resignation in one day. The cause of the accident in the parking lot was a brake failure of an unknown reason, and CEO Kim only guessed to himself that it must have been Lee Wooyeon’s work.

“Don’t think too much, Inseop, drive safely. That will last a long time.”

CEO Kim gave meaningful advice and looked at Lee Wooyeon. Lee Wooyeon started reading the script again with an expression of not knowing what he was talking about.

In the car, short insignificant conversations took place. Choi Inseop was able to release the handle only after manager Cha lowered the speed to 120.

The car, which had been running like that for a while, fell into the Donghae rest area.

“Why? Just go. It would take another forty minutes or so.”

“My bladder is bursting. People are not considerate.”

Manager Cha grumbled and stopped the car in a suitable place. When Choi Inseop tried to open the car door, manager Cha grabbed his hand and blocked it.

“Wait. You have to make sure your path is clear.”

“Yes?”

“It’s hard to walk around freely because of him.”

“Oh, I see. So what should I do?”

“You should ask him. Will you be in the car? What would you like to buy?”

Lee Wooyeon closed the script and put on sunglasses. Seeing that he was wearing a hat with a hoodie and a jacket, CEO Kim sighed.

“Hey, what kind of trip is this?”

The three got out of the car first and Wooyeon followed. As expected, after walking a few steps, they were surrounded by a group of women who noticed Lee Wooyeon.

“Wooyeon oppa!”

“Oh my God, it’s Lee Wooyeon.”

“It’s Lee Wooyeon, Lee Wooyeon!”

Cameras were heard everywhere. The three of them managed to get through the crowds and managed to find a seat in the dining room.

Lee Wooyeon was sitting in the middle of the restaurant with a face that said he didn’t care about the noise around him. While Manager Cha went to the bathroom, CEO Kim returned after finishing his order.

“Let’s just eat and go. We will eat sashimi again when we arrive anyway.”

“Manager Cha. Here.”

Manager Cha quickly found the three people and came to their seats.

“I’m glad no one is there. If there was a school trip anywhere, it would be really over.”

“This is not the season for school trips. Do you remember before? While filming in the countryside, I stopped at a rest stop, and there were twenty or several school trip vehicles standing there. Ha ha ha ha ha. At that time, there was a riot that prevented the car from starting, and you called me, Lee Wooyeon.”

“Yes. I did.”

It sounded like he was talking about a funny memory, but the anecdote contained therein was bloody.The call to Lee Wooyeon, who went out for a filming in the countryside, was suddenly cut off saying that he had to send manager Cha as he was locked up because of the stupid manager bastard. Wherever Cha went to the location, Wooyeon was in the van, and the manager was in cold sweat because he couldn’t even approach the Benz. The manager, who came to the rest area where dozens of school trip vehicles were standing, said with a very loud voice in the bathroom that he was filming with Lee Wooyeon. In the end, Lee Wooyeon was trapped in the van due to the girls who went looking for him. When another school left, another school arrived, and then another arrived. It was endless repetition. Lee Wooyeon was locked in the car for about three hours, and the filming that day came to a stop.

At that time, the manager was cut off by CEO Kim under pressure from Lee Wooyeon and Cha.

“Oh, that happened. ”

Remembering the bitter memories, CEO Kim smacked his lips. Food came out and the number of people asking for autographs decreased because the women were conscious enough to wait for the others to finish their food.

“As expected, udon tastes the best at rest areas. Although it’s not the same taste I had on a school trip.”

“Yes. Udon noodles are the best when eaten on school trips.”

Manager Cha also said. Lee Wooyeon and Choi Inseop were just using their chopsticks without saying a word.

“Come to think of it, was Inseop from Sinseok High School? Who is it? Didn’t the planning team leader say he was from there?”

“Really? I don’t know.”

“I’m sure it’s right. Shin Seok High School. Don’t you two know?”

“Does the CEO know everyone who went to your school?”

Even if Cha rebuked him, CEO Kim remained firm.

“Of course. All the students in my school know me.”

“That’s what the CEO says. Mr. Inseop must have been kind and docile even when he was in school, but how does it compare to someone who talks like the CEO?”

Choi Inseop was silent and only moved his chopsticks. His school life was miserable. He was a so-called loser in school due to the tag of an Asian adopted child and was held back several times because he was not able to fulfill his attendance. He wondered how many people would remember him. There was no Jenny to remember him, so he didn’t exist in anyone’s memory now.

“Where did you go on a school trip when you were in high school?”

“Yes?”

“School trip.”

It seemed that the topic of the story flowed there for a while. Inseop pretended to think, “Well,” and then got up saying he was going to go to the bathroom. As soon as he left, CEO Kim raised his eyes and began to pester Lee Wooyeon.

“You, Why did you come here?”

“I came here to get some air.”

“What’s your plan? You didn’t follow him to bully, did you?”

Pointing in the direction where Inseop disappeared, CEO Kim continued to interrogate:

“Don’t do what you’ve never done.”

Wooyeon put down his chopsticks and smiled,

“If you were going to be this scared, the CEO would have died of a heart attack in the past. What’s wrong with you? Like an amateur.”

CEO Kim couldn’t even laugh at the joke:

“Don’t say nonsense. Why are you here?”

“I came here because I was curious.”

“What are you curious about? Fish? Are you here because you are wondering what kind of fish to catch?”

“What the hell is going on in our manager’s head.”

“…what are you talking about?”

CEO Kim looked at manager Cha as if for help. Manager Cha shrugged lightly. If possible, he didn’t want to be involved with Lee Wooyeon.

“Aren’t you supposed to care more about Kang Youngmo than that now?”

When Manager Cha mentioned the name of the male actor who had been cast as a second lead actor in the same drama as Lee Wooyeon this time, CEO Kim’s expression also deteriorated.

Kang Youngmo, who is famous for his dirty personality, couldn’t stand it when the spotlight came on other actors besides himself. He was selfish to the extent that he accompanied a writer who changed the script to suit his taste. Those that worked with him once just shook their heads when they heard his name. Still, there was only one reason why he continued to be cast. He was so good at acting that he was one of the few actors who got a decent rating just by appearing.

“Ah. That changed to that person?”

“If I had known he was going to be in the movie, I wouldn’t have put you in there.”

“I’ll do it. Don’t worry.”

“…how can I not be worried?”

Because of Kang Youngmo’s fiery personality, he often heard rumors that he fought with not only the PD, but also the other actors, extras, and even the staff. What Kang Youngmo particularly hated was the situation in which someone else got attention. Lee Wooyeon, who was very popular, seemed to have all the conditions to become his rival.

“When he filmed the movie last time, there was an article saying that Kim Seokhyun poured alcohol into his head and clenched his fists.”

“It’s also been corrected that it’s not true. The two of them are friendly and shoulder-to-shoulder.”

“Then, before the movie was released, would the film company just let such an article go? It’s just that he gave reporters money and fed them alcohol. Kim Seokhyun is a kind kid, so even after fighting, he just put up with it for the film, but what are you going to do?”

Lee Wooyeon smiled brightly,

“I don’t do that.”

When a passerby greeted Lee Woo-yeon, he smiled kindly and bowed his head. In that state, he whispered softly.

“I’ll kill him when no one’s watching.”

“….”

“… … … … .”

“Hahahaha. It’s a joke, a joke.”

Lee Wooyeon waved his hand cheerfully, but they both knew that what he had just said wasn’t just a joke:

“What, I’m nice too.”

“….”

“… … … … .”

Fans often called Lee Wooyeon’s smile a murder smile because of his eyes that bend like a crescent moon when he smiled. CEO Kim and Cha also agreed to the name. If Lee Wooyeon laughed like that, he had a murderous intend.

“Can’t you ask the director?”

When Manager Cha expressed his opinion, CEO Kim jumped:

“Are you crazy? I did all the commercials now and even had a production presentation, but if I asked that, what kind of article would come out?”

“… that’s right. But…”

Manager Cha’s melancholy gaze reached Lee Wooyeon, who was eating udon with a face that had no place in the world.

“But, wouldn’t that be better than being a murderer?”

“Is that so?”

“…Why is the CEO raising a child like that…”

While the concerns of the two were ripening, Lee Wooyeon finished eating peacefully.

“Should we go?”

“That’s right. Why isn’t Inseop coming out?”

“I guess he’s doing his business.”

“I’ll take him to the car. I don’t think he’ll be able to eat the udon anyway, because he was about to go to the bathroom. Please give me the key.”

Manager Cha took the car key out of his pocket and handed it to him. As Lee Wooyeon stood up, several women who were watching him from the corner rushed in with their cameras. Lee Wooyeon steered through the crowd with a modest smile, rejecting them. Seeing this, Manager Cha took a deep breath and said,

“Why did he come?”

“I don’t know.”

“Isthere something wrong with the manager? Did he follow Inseop to kill him?”

“How should I know?”

“Of course the CEO should know. Who else would know?”

“Would I be like this if I knew what he was thinking? Come on.”

“Can’t we just cancel the contract? If it was Lee Wooyeon anyway, there would be a lot of agencies to pick from.”

Manager Cha spat out the words he really wanted to say that he had kept in his heart. CEO Kim, who was eating udon, glared and looked at him asking what he was talking about.

“I’m so nervous when I see him. It’s because he really doesn’t talk. When I think about how hard he worked as a manager, really.”

“… I don’t want you to tell me what to do.”

Did he know how hard he had it back then? It was manager Cha who stripped CEO Kim off of his repertoire. Thanks to this, he had never paid for it while drinking with CEO Kim. The Lee Wooyeon effect was that great.

“Do you think I have him because I like it? We’re going to review the list in 3 months. What’s the point of terminating the contract with Lee Wooyeon?”

“So, I’m even more anxious. What would you do if you had an accident with a child like that and suddenly got delisted? CEO, aren’t you completely risking your life for that?”

“I’m betting. Of course I’m betting.”

CEO Kim was focusing his efforts on listing so much that he was secretly going to the hospital due to stress.

“That’s why I’m paying more attention to Lee Wooyeon.”

“You don’t even care after hiring a rookie manager.”

As manager Cha mumbled like an old man, CEO Kim put down his chopsticks aloud on the table

“That’s why you have to take care of it.”

“You still haven’t given up on that dream?”

“….”

“If I call the reporters and have a press conference and tell them I’m going to die with CEO, are you going to throw them away? That chubby dream.”

“Okay. I won’t. I’m sorry.”

When CEO Kim politely handed the apology, manager Cha nodded and accepted the apology. Both of them had simple and uncanny personalities, so many things had happened, but they were able to be together until now. Manager Cha, who was grumbling like an old man, squinted and asked again.

“Lee Wooyeon and Kang Youngmo. Aren’t you a little nervous?”

“I’m sure he’ll figure it out well enough. He’s like a fox.”

He said so in front of Lee Wooyeon earlier, but inside, it was CEO Kim, who believed in Lee Wooyeon’s pretense. To be exact, he wanted to believe.

“Yes. Looking at the fact that the tail hasn’t been stepped on yet, even that fox is not an ordinary fox. It was luck in a way that we caught him that day… Was it bad luck?”

The expressions of the two, who were recalling the memories of blood, became dark. The depressed faces of the men who knew that they would like to live without knowing filled each other’s glasses of water.

Clink.

The two encouraged each other by hitting their stainless steel glasses together silently.

Cha, who was drinking water and cleaning his mouth, suddenly asked an essential question once again.

“Why is he here? Lee Wooyeon.”