The executive bastard threw a massive fit, but I couldn't care less.
Like I give a damn about some other company's executive.
I just said what I had to say.
"I'm only saying this because our actress is starring in this movie, and I want it to succeed. Your previous script was way better, director. You know perfectly well that blindly cramming in blockbuster elements doesn't guarantee a hit. The current script is like kimpitang."
Nobody hates kimchi, pizza, or sweet and sour pork.
So, someone had the bright idea to combine everyone's three favorite foods into one, creating the hybrid monster known as kimpitang.
The new script was exactly like that.
At least kimpitang was somewhat successful in its own way.
This script was just dogshit.
How can I be so sure?
Because my 'Inspect' skill told me so!
Thankfully, Hansung Lee was a brilliant director.
He didn't just brush off my words. He fell silent with a serious expression.
He'll figure out the rest on his own.
I had done enough.
It wasn't even a movie produced by our company, and honestly, as an outsider, intervening this much was already overstepping my bounds.
As I took Hyunah Lim back to the van, she started whining.
"You did that to the director because of me, right…?"
"No?"
"Come on, don't deny it, manager. You said you were saying it because you wanted the movie I'm starring in to do well."
…I thought she was fast asleep.
I had no idea when she started eavesdropping.
Well, it is true that I did it for her.
Even so, I didn't think I did anything that incredible.
Isn't it only natural for a manager to look out for their actor?
"It's nothing, so don't worry about it and get some more sleep. Once filming starts, you'll be insanely busy."
"Hehe. I love you, manager!"
…She was totally drunk.
Hyunah kept acting up.
"Ah, I wish I had met you sooner. Can't you just be my exclusive manager? I'll pay you a massive salary when I make it big!"
"I'll pass. I have plenty of money."
"Oppa!!!"
"Actress Hyunah, aren't you older than me…?"
We were around the same age, but I was pretty sure she was about a year older than me.
"I don't care! If you're my manager, then you're my oppa!!!"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go with that."
"You can't go back to Ina Kim!"
"Trust me, that will never happen."
"Please stay as my manager!!"
"That's also a bit…"
"Awww!!!"
Listening to her drunken rambling, a thought crossed my mind.
That actress Hyunah Lim was a handful in her own right.
Hmm… I should just hand her off to another road manager.
* * *
The next day, I received a text.
「Thank you, Chief Manager Lim. You were a huge help. I will never forget what you did for me this time.」
It was a message from Director Hansung Lee.
He didn't need to go out of his way to text me.
I was too lazy to reply.
Today is my day off. Work texts are strictly off-limits.
But I couldn't completely ignore him, so I just left a 'like' reaction on KaTalk.
In the past, I would have sent a frantic, essay-length reply as if it were the greatest honor of my life, but I didn't feel the need to do that anymore.
Still… was just leaving a 'like' a bit too cold?
A flicker of doubt crept in, but the moment I looked out at the Han River view from my 20-million-won-a-month penthouse, my chest puffed up with pride and all my trivial worries vanished.
He was the one who tactlessly texted me on a holiday anyway. A like is more than enough.
I decided to throw away all thoughts of work and go shopping to actually enjoy my day off.
To the department store!!!
It wasn't my first time setting foot in a department store, but I had never actually bought clothes from one.
"Are you looking for anything in particular, sir?"
The moment the employee kindly spoke to me, my stress levels spiked.
"I'm just… browsing."
"Understood. Please take your time, and let me know if you need anything at all."
Her polite attempt to avoid pressuring me only made me feel more pressured!
Get a grip! I'm rich now! I could buy every single piece of clothing here if I wanted to!
A comfortable-looking casual suit caught my eye, but I immediately put it down after checking the price tag.
Who the hell pays 1.5 million won for a single suit?
But before I knew it, the employee swooped in like a hawk closing in on its prey.
"Oh, you have an excellent eye. These casual lines are super popular right now. The fabric is directly imported from Italy, so it fits beautifully and is incredibly comfortable to wear. You have a great physique, so I think it would look especially good on you. Shall I show you some other lines?"
"Ah… yes…"
Seriously, just be rude to me already! Where's that cliché where the staff looks down on the rich protagonist thinking he's poor?!
She was way too nice, making it impossible to ignore her.
"This line is made from top-tier cashmere blend fabric. It was produced in very limited quantities, so we only have a few left. Shall I help you try it on?"
And just like that, swept up by her dazzling service, I ended up like a complete pushover, trying on clothes one after another.
I swallowed hard in front of the mirror.
…It actually looks pretty good.
I had always worn cheap street brands—basically, off-brand clothes. Wearing proper designer brands completely changed my vibe.
The eye-watering price tag was still an issue, but—
"I'll take everything."
"How would you like to set up the installments?"
"In full, please."
5.5 million won.
That was the amount I just swiped.
To think I just dropped over five million won on a single shopping spree.
The old me could never have imagined this.
But now, I had to get used to the lifestyle of the rich.
Even the lawyer said it was a good idea to increase my spending habits to some extent. He said my father didn't want me living a miserable, penny-pinching life.
Living the life I wanted to the fullest without being consumed by money.
That was what my father had wished for me.
Feeling hungry, I headed up to the food court on the top floor of the department store.
There was an Italian restaurant, a neat Korean dining spot, and more.
30,000 won for a single bowl of soup…?
It was a price that made me tremble, but I confidently ordered a bowl anyway.
"Here is the meal you ordered."
However, I tilted my head when I saw the face of the server who brought out my food.
What the?
She was beautiful.
Young employees working at department stores usually looked neat and tidy, but she stood out so much it immediately caught my eye.
She could easily rival the celebrities I see at work, couldn't she?
But I wasn't just staring because she was pretty.
Her face was literally glowing.
[Would you like to inspect?]
"???"
Out of nowhere?
I hadn't figured out everything about this ability yet, but from what I gathered, I could only inspect people connected to me somehow.
[Sena Lee]
Type: Singer
Rank: F
Potential: B-rank (Upgradable to S-rank with proper producing)
[Special Note: An artist belonging to Star Entertainment's Team 5. Currently in a legal dispute with the company and needs to pay off a penalty fee.]
She's an artist from our company?! And on the same team, no less?
Still, I had never seen her face before.
Well, it's not like I know every single artist at Star Entertainment.
Star Entertainment didn't focus on a small elite roster; they operated like an octopus, spreading their tentacles everywhere. As a result, they had a ton of artists.
There are plenty of nobodies and nameless artists. But having to pay a penalty fee… does that mean there's some kind of contract trouble?
I couldn't get any additional information.
"Do you need anything else?"
"Well… n-no."
Sena frowned at my reaction like I was a creep, then spun around and vanished.
I got the feeling she didn't have the friendliest personality.
And until I finished my entire bowl of soup, Sena never reappeared.
* * *
AAAARGH! I must have been out of my mind!!! Oppa? OPPA?!
Now sober, Hyunah violently kicked her blankets on the bed of her run-down studio apartment.
The memory of her drunken rambling to Chanwoo Lim had come rushing back in full detail.
I'm older than him! No, aside from that, how could I be such a nuisance?! He must hate me!
Since her debut, no manager had ever taken care of her the way Chanwoo had.
She had a road manager tag along when she landed somewhat significant roles, but all they ever did was drive her around.
In contrast, Chanwoo not only gave her genuine advice but also raised his voice at the director to defend her.
He had even picked a fight with an executive just because he wanted her movie to succeed.
All just for my sake.
Her heart swelled with emotion.
She had never met a manager like him before.
And she probably never would again.
I should apologize quickly for acting like an idiot while drunk. I absolutely don't want the manager to hate me.
「Manager, did you get home safely? Thank you so much for yesterday. I'm sorry for acting out of line while drunk.」
Thankfully, the read receipt popped up almost immediately.
Her heart pounded as she waited for a reply, but—
「👍」
…A thumbs-up emoji?
Nothing else.
Or so she thought.
Chanwoo's KaTalk status message had changed.
[Day Off]
"…?"
Hyunah spent a long time agonizing over what his new profile message meant.
* * *
Monday morning.
At the regular weekly team leaders' meeting, Head Director Soohyuk Kim was frowning.
…Chanwoo Lim.
A guy he wouldn't normally give a second thought to was lately grating on his nerves.
"…Ina Kim isn't reachable?"
"Yes. Her new exclusive manager keeps trying to contact her, but she refuses to deal with anyone other than Manager Lim…"
"…What kind of childish nonsense is this?"
Ina was throwing a protest to get Chanwoo back.
It was absolutely absurd, but then again, Ina had always been a crazy bitch.
He had tried to separate them for exactly this reason, but her attachment seemed much more severe than he had anticipated.
"…If we don't bring Chanwoo back, it looks like she might actually cause a major accident. Why don't we just reinstate him to Team 2?"
Head Director Soohyuk frowned even more deeply.
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"W-well… What if we just coax him a bit?"
"Him? The bastard who ignores me even when I show up in person?"
Soohyuk had suspected it for a while.
After all, Chanwoo kept blowing off his secretary, claiming he was busy.
But after confronting him in person, he became certain: Chanwoo was actively ignoring him.
It wasn't completely incomprehensible.
From Chanwoo's perspective, he had done nothing wrong and had been unfairly demoted.
Still, how foolish. No matter how hurt his feelings are, if he wants to stay in this industry, acting like that toward me won't end well for him.
He had planned to talk some sense into him nicely, but that clearly wasn't going to work.
After the meeting ended, he spoke to his secretary.
"Bring Chanwoo here. Right now."
"…Understood."
But as expected, the secretary returned empty-handed once again.
"…He says he can't because he's in the middle of work."
"Hah."
Head Director Soohyuk's eyebrow twitched as he stood up from his seat.
At this point, it was a matter of pride.
Fine. Let's see who breaks first—you or me.
But Soohyuk stopped in his tracks upon arriving at Team 5.
Chanwoo was in the middle of a meeting with someone.
…Sena Lee?
It was a familiar face.
An artist currently in a legal battle with Star Entertainment over her contract.
"Head director?"
"I… came because we need to talk."
"I'm sorry, but I'm in the middle of a consultation with an artist."
"…It's important."
"The work I'm doing right now is also important. As a manager, is there anything more important than consulting an artist about their problems?"
It was such an airtight argument that Soohyuk couldn't utter a single word in response.
In the end, he was forced to turn around and leave without even bringing up his reason for being there.
"…That was the head director just now, right? Are you sure it's okay to treat him like that?"
"I didn't say anything wrong. Right now, there is nothing more important than your situation, Sena."
Chanwoo spoke while looking at the inspection window.
[Sena Lee]
[Special Note: Currently in a legal dispute with the company and needs to pay off a penalty fee.]
This was the same information he had seen when he coincidentally ran into her at the restaurant over the weekend.
But was it because this was their second encounter? There was an additional detail.
[Due to the penalty fee, she is short on funds for her mother's cancer surgery.]
"Shall we work together to find a solution that benefits both you and the company?"
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