# Chapter 13
Woojae supported the staggering Seowoo as they settled into the back seat. As the driver started the car with Seowoo’s home set as the destination in the navigation, Seowoo’s brow furrowed in sync with the car’s movements.
After pressing his forehead against the cool window for a while, Seowoo suddenly dropped his head to the opposite side. His black hair scattered softly over Woojae’s shoulder.
“Hyung, are you okay?”
Fortunately, Woojae was the kind of person who showed concern first before pushing away a drunk friend in disgust. In a state where Seowoo could barely control his limbs as the alcohol spread heavily through his system, this fact made him happy enough to let out a faint laugh.
“Keep asking if I’m okay even after I say I’m fine.”
“You’ve been wobbling like soaked seaweed since earlier, Han Seowoo-nim. But you seem even more drunk now.”
Woojae’s gaze fixed on Seowoo’s face for a moment. His eyes narrowed particularly thin, as if examining him.
“Did CEO Seo make you drink?”
Han Seowoo wasn’t the type to drink just because someone insisted, but who was Seo Dohyun? Woojae couldn’t be pleased with Seowoo returning drunk when he didn’t even know why Dohyun had taken him. Seowoo’s heavy eyelids finally moved slowly.
“Woojae, give me my phone for a sec.”
It was a complete non-sequitur. Woojae was about to say something but stopped and handed over his own phone instead.
Half-dazed, Seowoo turned on the screen only to see an unfamiliar home screen. It didn’t take long for him to realize this wasn’t his phone. Seowoo frowned deeply and handed the phone back.
“Who asked for yours?”
“Then what is it?”
“Mine, idiot. Mine.”
“Why would you look for your phone from me? Weren’t you carrying it?”
At that moment, his mind went blank again as if the alcohol had suddenly evaporated. Blinking urgently, Seowoo lifted his head from Woojae’s shoulder.
“Didn’t you grab my stuff when we left?”
“Of course I did. Everything I could see.”
“What about my phone?”
“I didn’t see it on the table… I thought you obviously had it when you went in with CEO Seo. Isn’t it in your bag? Or your pocket?”
Seowoo thoroughly searched the bag he had pushed aside, but of course it wasn’t there. And it definitely wouldn’t be in his pocket. On the table? Under the sofa? Either way, he had clearly left it at the bar.
His expression instantly crumpled as if he’d never been smiling. Again! Having to go see Seo Dohyun again. He considered turning the car around now, but they had already come too far.
“Hyung… Are you really okay?”
“Woojae, I’m going to close my eyes for a bit, so wake me when we arrive.”
He wasn’t sure how many times he’d been asked if he was okay, but this time he really wasn’t. Dohyun’s face floated around in his head.
Whether Seo Dohyun intended to mess with him or did so unintentionally, he excelled at making Seowoo’s life difficult. Seowoo clenched his teeth with his eyes closed. The sound of his molars grinding together was audible. We’ll see if I just go along with your wishes.
❖ ❖ ❖
The small alarm clock placed on the nightstand as a substitute for his phone alarm rang precisely at 8 AM. Though work often naturally disrupted his sleep pattern, due to long-established habit, his eyes tended to open when the sunlight streamed in.
However, after pouring alcohol beyond his limit the night before, his body couldn’t handle it. As soon as he raised his upper body, his head throbbed. With his hand pressed against his forehead, Seowoo got out of bed.
His body felt too heavy for intense exercise, so he compromised with himself on just a light walk. If he went back to sleep now, he might not wake up until lunchtime.
It was when Seowoo returned from walking a loop around the nearby trail that he saw someone standing anxiously in front of his entrance door, looking around restlessly.
Seowoo instinctively hid his body and peeked out slightly. His first concern was that someone from T&C might have come to his home.
However, after carefully examining the side profile, he realized it was the temporary manager the company had recently assigned to him. Finally relieved, Seowoo carefully approached him.
“What brings you here so early?”
“Ah, Actor-nim!”
The manager bowed politely as soon as he saw Seowoo, then quickly looked him over from head to toe as if checking for injuries.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
Seeing the manager’s deeply relieved response, Seowoo realized. Come to think of it, he had forgotten to contact anyone about losing his phone.
He would have been unreachable from last night until now, so the manager’s concern was understandable.
“I lost my phone… I’m fine, nothing’s wrong.”
“You lost it? You, Actor-nim?”
Perhaps because of his reputation for being meticulous and thorough, the manager’s eyes widened in surprise.
“There wasn’t any accident, was there?”
Genuine concern was evident in his voice. Seeing how worried he had been, Seowoo smiled thinly with both gratitude and apology.
He felt a bit guilty treating the events of last night as nothing, but there was no way to explain this to a temporary manager who knew nothing. The moment he opened his mouth to speak, it felt like Seo Dohyun might suddenly appear like a ghost from somewhere. And then he’d probably wave that contract copy again.
This is why people should never sign contracts carelessly. Since ancient times, hasn’t all ruin started from one promise, one stamp, one signature…?
“I just drank a bit too much. I forgot to contact anyone because I was drunk.”
That much was true, at least. He just hadn’t shared everything. The manager didn’t seem suspicious and just nodded, dropping his shoulders in relief.
“You need to be more careful in the future. You know how dangerous the world is these days, right? The president was extremely worried that you might have gotten involved in something dangerous…”
“Ah… Did the president send you out this early because he was worried?”
Seowoo felt sorry thinking about the manager who must have rushed out at the president’s call first thing in the morning. Judging by his expression, he had been quite tense about what might have happened.
“Ah, yes. That, and also because he asked me to bring you as soon as I got in contact with you.”
“…Me? Suddenly? Why? Not getting my calls was really just because of the alcohol.”
“Ah, I don’t think it’s about the calls. He said he had something to discuss with you…”
But I’m not sure what it is. There was no trace of deception in the manager’s response, and he had no reason to lie anyway.
However, Seowoo had no idea why the president would summon him. It would be best if it were about Jinhyuk, but he vaguely knew that was just a vain hope. Seowoo shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.
“Then please come in for a moment. I just need to shower before we go.”
As Seowoo pushed open the door and entered, the manager bowed his head slightly and followed.
The manager certainly had professional passion, but he wasn’t excessively friendly beyond what was appropriate. This was fine with Seowoo, as there was no benefit in getting attached to a temporary manager.
In a strangely awkward atmosphere, Seowoo followed the manager into the president’s office. The president gestured with his chin toward the manager.
“Would you mind waiting outside for a bit?”
“Yes, sir.”
The manager didn’t ask any further questions and simply bowed before leaving the president’s office. The sound of the door closing was heard.
“What important conversation did you want to have…”
“I just wanted to chat privately.”
The president smiled and sat on the sofa. He gestured to the opposite seat, and Seowoo sat down, leaning his back deeply into the sofa. Several sheets of paper were placed on the table.
“About your new project.”
“Director Kang’s work?”
“Yeah. There’s… a bit of noise about it. It’s not confirmed yet, but there’s a possibility it might happen, so I thought it would be good to let you know…”
Annoyed by the roundabout way he was speaking, Seowoo’s eyes naturally narrowed. The president cleared his throat briefly.
“Apparently, they’ve increased the importance of one supporting role significantly in the script revision. But you know how every minute and second is precious in films. If someone’s part increases, someone else’s has to decrease…”
“My part is being reduced?”
“…That’s how it looks.”
The president caught the direct question that flew at him. He belatedly added, “Well, nothing’s certain yet,” but there was no way Seowoo would hear that.
Since they hadn’t even properly started filming yet, a script revision wasn’t something to make an issue of, but from the nuance, it seemed they were cutting into other characters to create an impactful supporting role.
It was an inconvenience not just to Seowoo but essentially to other cast members as well. Perfect fodder for gossip, but not something that should happen within reasonable bounds, no matter how much someone desired a bigger role. Literally a scumbag move.
“You know Jung Eungyu.”
“Yes, I do. He’s also from the theater scene… He’s quite good.”
“I know, kid. That he’s good. Compliment him directly when you meet him. The problem right now is because of him.”
Seowoo’s expression immediately crumpled, and the president let out a short sigh.
“He’s the one who snatched up all the importance. But you know, no matter how good someone’s acting is, with senior actors lined up, would they just step aside? Even counting all his theater career, he’s still in a different weight class.”
As he said, Jung Eungyu was a young actor even in the theater world. In terms of media, he was a newcomer who had just started showing his face. Even if he liked this role and wanted to be the lead, the director could have essentially rejected it. Because as a newcomer, Jung Eungyu didn’t have career as a guarantee.
Then why? As Seowoo’s expression wrinkled in confusion, the president handed over the papers on the table.
“This is Jung Eungyu’s profile.”
Seowoo naturally took the paper and skimmed through it. Along with the natural impression that the profile picture came out well, his gaze scanning the information was observant and matter-of-fact. The president blurted out with a voice mixed with a sigh:
“As you can see… his agency is T&C.”
“What the hell?!”
For a moment, Seowoo almost jumped up from his seat. It was fortunate that he ended up just gripping the armrest of the sofa. He gripped it so tightly that the veins in his arm were about to stand out.
Not expecting such a strong reaction, the president was also startled, looking at Seowoo with wide eyes. But Seowoo was literally trembling.
T&C, T&C, T&C! It was truly a name like a spell. Just hearing it made his blood circulate throughout his body, his hair stand on end, and his fists clench automatically. Seo Dohyun’s damned face appearing alongside was just a bonus.
The president carefully observed Seowoo’s complexion, then slowly continued with what he had to say.
“T&C is really pushing their people these days. Since it’s not official yet, I’ll have to make a deal with Director Kang. The problem is I don’t know how many gift boxes they’ve brought him…”
“Deal…”
Whether Seo Dohyun did this to nurture his own talent or to mess with Seowoo, the fact remained that Seowoo had been backstabbed. It felt like the anger boiling inside was about to burst through the top of his head in an instant.
If there’s going to be a deal, it should be with that man, not Director Kang. Seowoo jumped up from his seat.
“I’ll go do it myself.”
“Do what?”
“The deal.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
