Chapter 41
Cheong-yeon lowered his head, avoiding the director’s gaze. Cold sweat beaded on his pale complexion.
Weren’t they divorced? Divorce? No, he was some kind of singer who suddenly married a JT Electronics director. What? I’ve never heard about it. Me neither. I guess they really controlled the media. There wasn’t even a single article, so most people don’t know. Wow, that’s creepy. Is he throwing a tantrum because of those connections?
The whispers of the gathering crowd reached his ears. Their voices stabbed at Cheong-yeon’s nerves like sharpened blades.
Cheong-yeon stared at his increasingly damp clothes before turning away, unable to bear the growing criticism.
I need to escape. That single thought filled his mind.
“Hey, where are you going! Damn it! Is this guy really crazy?”
The lighting director roughly grabbed Cheong-yeon’s collar as he tried to flee. His loud shout spread widely around them.
Trapped, Cheong-yeon’s lips trembled.
“Mr. Cheong-yeon?”
At that moment, someone emerged through the crowd surrounding the film crew.
Cheong-yeon turned his head at the familiar voice.
“…Secretary Shim.”
It was Secretary Shim. Passing by the area and coming to investigate after hearing a commotion in front of the company, Secretary Shim approached Cheong-yeon immediately upon spotting him.
“What brings you here? And who are all these people?”
He calmly looked back and forth between Cheong-yeon and the people surrounding him, as if trying to assess the situation.
“Were you filming here by any chance?”
“Ah…”
“And who’s this now?”
The lighting director aggressively charged at Secretary Shim who had suddenly intervened. Despite being intimidated with a fierce expression and loud voice, Secretary Shim didn’t flinch.
“Hey! We’re filming right now, so anyone not involved should leave.”
“Aren’t you unilaterally pressuring someone here?”
“What are you talking about? This is all done by mutual agreement. We’re busy, so move aside quickly.”
“Surely this isn’t part of the filming as well, is it?”
Secretary Shim gently asked Cheong-yeon, as if the lighting director wasn’t even there.
Cheong-yeon blankly looked up at him before stiffly shaking his head. With so many eyes focused on him, he couldn’t find his voice.
“Since you seem to be in a difficult situation, let’s go inside to talk. You’ll catch a cold if you continue standing in the rain like this.”
“Hey, you! Can’t you hear me? We’re filming right now, what are you doing interrupting? Do you know him?”
“Step back, please.”
Secretary Shim firmly pushed away the lighting director who had come right up to his face. The lighting director, already in an agitated state, turned bright red.
“Who are you? Do you know where you are to be interfering like this? We’re filming right now…”
“Please bring an umbrella for Mr. Cheong-yeon.”
Ignoring the lighting director’s protests, Secretary Shim stood in front of Cheong-yeon and instructed someone in the crowd to bring an umbrella.
Moments later, security staff in black suits rushed over and opened umbrellas.
Even the film crew members who had been merely watching like bystanders sensed something was amiss and began cautiously approaching.
“Excuse me, where are you from? We’re in the middle of a broadcast filming—what are you doing suddenly appearing like this?”
“Mr. Cheong-yeon. Do you need to continue discussing with these people?”
Even with the film crew present, Secretary Shim asked for Cheong-yeon’s opinion first. An inexplicable sense of relief washed over him at the respectful tone.
The crushing pressure that had been weighing on his chest momentarily lightened. Despite knowing there were scenes scheduled to be filmed here today, Cheong-yeon desperately shook his head.
“No… no.”
Cheong-yeon barely squeezed out the words, his voice barely audible.
“Then I’ll escort you to the Director’s office for now. It’s too chaotic to continue standing here.”
Secretary Shim took off his jacket and draped it over Cheong-yeon’s wet costume. At his gesture, the security staff, except for those holding umbrellas over them, cleared a path for them to proceed.
“They’re a drama filming crew. They received prior permission, so there’s no issue with the filming itself.”
Just then, an employee who had rushed from outside approached Secretary Shim and whispered in his ear. Being very close to them, Cheong-yeon could hear everything.
“Please inform the security team to disperse them.”
“Understood.”
As soon as Secretary Shim gave the order to disperse, the security team demanded the staff halt filming. The lighting director, who had been shouting like a dictator, looked around in confusion.
“W-what are you doing? We’re following all procedures—how can you interfere like this? Where are you from?”
“This is obstruction of business, you know? Do you know how much today’s filming costs…”
“Are you all just from the building? Hey, Yoo Cheong-yeon! What’s going on! Get back here!”
The lighting director pointed at Cheong-yeon, who was entering the JT Electronics building under an umbrella held by a security team member. But he was soon blocked by another employee in a black suit and disappeared from Cheong-yeon’s view.
Secretary Shim guided Cheong-yeon into the building as if the commotion wasn’t worth listening to.
“You can take this elevator.”
Secretary Shim pressed the button for the executive elevator located further inside, not the one used by regular employees.
Cheong-yeon nodded but anxiously gazed through the glass doors. It was even more chaotic outside than when he had been standing there, with more people gathering.
The staff were still in disarray, staring at Cheong-yeon beyond the building entrance.
“Is it okay for me to just leave like this? There was filming scheduled for today that’s been halted because of me…”
“I believe that even if filming permission was granted, it can be canceled on the day due to natural disasters or unavoidable circumstances. You don’t need to worry about that.”
Secretary Shim calmly explained as they boarded the elevator. But Cheong-yeon found it difficult to calm his churning stomach. The situation he had just experienced kept replaying in his mind.
How should he have handled it? If he had explained his position more articulately without trembling, would the director’s reaction have been different?
One thing was certain—he absolutely couldn’t have filmed as they wanted. Even if it might have slightly helped his career, it would simply be using Do-heon to make a name for himself.
“Besides, it’s unacceptable for you to continue dealing with such rude people in an unwanted situation. If the Director had seen it, he would have immediately ordered them to disperse.”
Secretary Shim added, noticing Cheong-yeon’s still gloomy expression.
The elevator arrived at the floor with Do-heon’s office, and Secretary Shim led the way, opening the door in the middle of the corridor.
Inside, the secretary’s desk at the entrance to Do-heon’s office was visible. It was familiar to Cheong-yeon, who had visited several times before.
“The Director is currently returning after discontinuing his external schedule. Please sit comfortably and wait for a little while.”
Another secretary sitting at the desk set down warm tea and a blanket on the guest sofa table, kindly asking if anything else was needed. When Cheong-yeon shook his head, the secretary promptly left the office.
Left alone in the spacious room, Cheong-yeon sat blankly for a while, drinking the tea. His mind was in chaos, as everything had happened so quickly.
Is it right for me to be sitting here waiting for Do-heon? Secretary Shim had brought him here so naturally that he hadn’t thought to question it, but it seemed improper for him to be in Do-heon’s office.
They were now strangers, not close enough to be involved in each other’s affairs.
However, he didn’t want to go back outside the building right away. Just recalling how he’d been surrounded by people like a zoo monkey and criticized made him dizzy and his hands and feet turn cold. The lighting director’s shouts seemed to still echo in his ears.
“Haah…”
Cheong-yeon stood up with his teacup and approached the window. Looking down from the upper floors of the building, the entire cityscape was visible at a glance. He could also clearly see the movement of the film crew surrounding the building.
The building’s security team in black suits was forcibly evacuating the film crew. Large trucks loaded with equipment and several vans were slowly departing.
Despite feeling guilty for causing an entire day’s filming schedule to be lost, he felt like he could finally breathe again after being suffocated.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
