A Bad, Bad Act (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1

You know exactly what kind of person HJ Gallery’s Director Cha Hyun is. She’s kinder and more courteous than anyone else, but absolutely unforgiving when it comes to mistakes.

So do well.

Your performance determines the entire year’s revenue and reputation of our ‘Persona.’

Recalling Ji Soo’s earnest plea, Yeo Eun passed through the main entrance of HJ Gallery.

She carried an armful of portfolios Ji Soo had handed her.

Six thick portfolios, each with an elegant fabric cover.

Though their weight threatened to tear her arms off, Yeo Eun didn’t let it show, offering a bright smile as she approached the information desk.

“I’m here to see Director Cha Hyun.”

The desk attendant smiled prettily and asked,

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes, I’m scheduled for 3 p.m. Please just tell her I’m from the image training center ‘Persona.’”

“Oh!”

The attendant’s eyes widened in surprise before she quickly softened into a gentle smile.

“If you’re from Persona, we’ve already been notified.”

She then lowered her voice slightly and whispered something a bit awkward.

“You’re so pretty—I thought you were the model coming in for today’s headquarters photo shoot.”

At her words, Yeo Eun’s smile stiffened uneasily.

Being called “pretty” wasn’t a compliment to her.

Not once in her life had her pretty face ever helped her.

On the contrary, it had only ever gotten in her way—or worse, become an outright obstacle.

Especially today, right before such an important contract, being called pretty felt almost like a curse.

She couldn’t shake an ominous feeling from the attendant’s innocent remark.

The attendant hung a visitor pass around Yeo Eun’s neck and pointed toward the escalator on the left.

“The Director is one floor down from here, in Studio B on the right. Just around the corner next to the studio, there’s a small room—please wait there.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Yeo Eun pushed aside her uneasy thoughts and headed toward the spot the attendant had indicated.

* * *

She hadn’t worn heavy makeup.

She’d simply smoothed out her skin texture and finished her look with just a rose-colored lipstick.

To give a neat impression, she wore no accessories at all, instead putting on glasses to conceal her famously pretty face.

A crisp white ruffled blouse, navy slacks, low-heeled pumps, and her long hair neatly tied back in a single ponytail.

She aimed for an understated yet polished and tidy look. Taking a deep breath, she stepped off the escalator.

“Do your best, Seo Yeo Eun.”

She had to succeed.

The future of Persona rested on her shoulders.

And it wasn’t just that.

If this contract went through, she’d receive a substantial bonus right away.

At the very least, her mother’s surgery fees…

She wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.

This deal mattered immensely—not only for Persona, but for her personally as well.

This particular job referred to a new request from Cha Hyun, director of HJ Gallery, who was both a key client and investor of Persona.

[“I have a nephew. A truly impossible nephew.”]

That was Cha Hyun’s opening line when she’d first visited Persona.

[“My father intends to treat him as the family’s crown jewel, but the way he is now simply won’t do. So I need you to shape him into something special—turn him into the nation’s most beloved ‘it man.’”]

And then Cha Hyun had specifically named Yeo Eun as his trainer.

[“I think Seo Yeo Eun would be perfect. My nephew is rather picky about looks, so you’d better do well. If this works out, I’ll make sure your incentive is very generous.”]

Cha Hyun’s nephew?

Could it possibly be Cha In Woo—the eldest grandson of Hanju Group’s Chairman Cha Ji Seop and son of Vice Chairman Cha Kang?

He was, after all, the only grandson currently working within Hanju Group, serving as CEO of Hanju Properties.

For that reason, Yeo Eun had spent the entire past week researching Cha In Woo, CEO of Hanju Properties.

Though Cha Hyun had called him “impossible,” the Cha In Woo she saw in the media didn’t seem to fit that description at all.

He had a refined appearance, tall stature, impeccable manners, and a gentle smile—everything one could want.

He clearly had all the raw potential to become the nation’s beloved “it man” with just a little polishing.

That’s why Yeo Eun had rated this project’s difficulty level as “fairly easy”—

Assuming, of course, that he would even accept her as his trainer.

“But I still can’t let my guard down. First, I need to win over CEO Cha In Woo…”

Just as she turned the corner past the studio toward the agreed meeting room, lost in thought—

“Oh!”

Her shoulder collided with something, and Yeo Eun’s body instantly lurched off balance.

Her center of gravity shifted, and the portfolios in her arms spilled onto the floor.

She should’ve known the moment she’d been called “pretty”—today’s luck was clearly turning sour.

Of all the times for this to happen, right before a crucial contract meeting! Her mind raced with every possible worry in that brief instant.

She squeezed her eyes shut, praying desperately that no one had witnessed this embarrassing scene.

But thankfully, she didn’t fall.

Her flailing hand had instinctively grabbed onto something within reach.

At the same time, a cool hand steadied her arm.

‘A person?’

Yeo Eun opened her eyes and momentarily held her breath.

Her reflection was sharply imprinted in his deep black eyes.

“Be a little more careful, okay?”

The man whose eyes met hers felt like night itself—or perhaps the entire universe…

Yet there was no warmth in him; a chill crept into her chest.

His gaze briefly lowered.

“You might want to let go of that too.”

Only then did she realize she’d been clutching his shirt collar.

“I’m so sorry.”

Flustered, Yeo Eun quickly steadied herself and released his collar.

The man coldly smoothed the crumpled fabric, his expression clearly annoyed.

He even clicked his tongue faintly in irritation.

“A button came off.”

His icy, muttered remark made Yeo Eun’s shoulders tense up involuntarily.

“I’m sorry, I…”

The shirt was obviously very expensive.

Should she offer to mend it—or perhaps buy him a new one?

As she hesitantly reached out, he sharply brushed her hand away.

“That’s fine.”

Then, his dark eyes ran over her as if examining her, his brows furrowed in displeasure, before he walked off.

Even his retreating back radiated arrogance.

A heavy cedarwood scent lingered where he’d stood.

Only then did Yeo Eun finally exhale, staring at the spot where he’d disappeared for a long while.

* * *

She waited in the office beside the studio for about forty minutes.

Forty minutes later, the woman who’d brought her coffee earlier reentered and relayed Cha Hyun’s message.

“She says to come into the studio.”

Yeo Eun took a deep breath, picked up her portfolios again, and responded to Cha Hyun’s call.

Studio B.

Behind the white wooden door, a photo shoot was in full swing.

So this must be the headquarters photo shoot Cha Hyun mentioned earlier.

The all-white studio was flooded with continuous flashes of white light from the cameras.

Yeo Eun stepped in cautiously but halted after only a few paces.

Her attention was instantly captured by the subject the cameras were fervently shooting.

“That man…”

It was him—the same man from earlier.

The man who’d bumped into her shoulder and kept her from falling.

The man with eyes as deep and rich as darkness itself, yet shining with the noble luster of black sapphire.

“So he’s a model?”

Apparently, yes.

With his shirt buttons undone, giving him a slightly languid air, he moved his body in response to the photographer’s cues.

Sometimes lowering his gaze, sometimes locking eyes directly with the camera.

That was all he did—but with just his eyes, he completely dominated the studio. It almost felt as if his mysterious dark eyes were staining the entire white space black.

Mesmerized by his strangely commanding presence, Yeo Eun couldn’t help but stare.

“Handsome, isn’t he?”

Startled out of her trance by the sudden voice beside her, Yeo Eun turned to find Cha Hyun already standing at her side.

Cha Hyun’s eyes gleamed expectantly as she awaited Yeo Eun’s answer—impossible to believe she was in her late fifties.

Even her snow-white cropped hair had become a signature part of her striking persona.

She was a VIP client at ‘Persona,’ meticulously managing and refining her image with iron discipline.

Yeo Eun respectfully bowed her head to Cha Hyun.

“I’m sorry, Director.”

She should’ve sought Cha Hyun out the moment she entered the studio, not gotten distracted elsewhere.

“I couldn’t help but keep staring—he’s just that impressive.”

“Just impressive?”

Cha Hyun grinned widely, clearly amused.

“He’s got the best face there is.”

And it wasn’t an exaggeration.

Depending on the lighting and angle, his face shifted subtly—but from every perspective, it remained flawlessly perfect.

Indeed, as Cha Hyun said, he had the best face imaginable.

“Yes… he truly does seem to have the best face.”

Seemingly pleased by Yeo Eun’s agreement, Cha Hyun’s face lit up with satisfaction.

“Just as I thought—Seo Yeo Eun, you’ve got great taste.”

That’s exactly why I like you, Seo Yeo Eun!

With a pleased tone, Cha Hyun gently gestured for Yeo Eun to follow her.

“Come this way. Let me introduce you to my nephew.”

Instantly, Yeo Eun’s spine stiffened with nervous tension.

Cha In Woo—Cha Hyun’s nephew, the man holding both Persona’s and her own lifeline.

She needed his approval on this contract to satisfy Cha Hyun, Persona’s VIP client and investor.

Only by satisfying Cha Hyun could Persona have a future—and only if Persona survived could she survive.

Swallowing hard, Yeo Eun followed Cha Hyun’s lead until she stood before the man she’d studied meticulously for the past week.

“CEO Cha In Woo?”

At Cha Hyun’s call, Cha In Woo—who’d been observing the photo shoot—turned toward them.

In person, his face held even greater appeal than in media images, as if cameras couldn’t capture his true market value.

“Say hello. I told you about her—this is Seo Yeo Eun from the image training center ‘Persona.’”

A gentle smile softly appeared on Cha In Woo’s face.

“Nice to meet you, Seo Yeo Eun. I’m Cha In Woo. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

His voice was pleasantly soft too—slightly slow, perhaps, but that was something that could be refined.

She’d worried he might be drastically different from his media persona, given how particular he was, but clearly that concern had been unnecessary.

Cha In Woo seemed not just “fairly easy,” but “very easy” as a client.

His manners were impeccable as well.

He even smoothly took the heavy portfolios from her and placed them neatly aside.

“Carrying something this heavy all the way here—you’ve got grit.”

His words even seemed to dispel the jinx of her “pretty face.”

“I like her, Aunt.”

Hearing those words directly from the client himself practically sealed the deal.

Yeo Eun offered a demure, polite smile and bowed slightly.

“Thank you.”

Cha Hyun looked thoroughly pleased.

She could already picture Ji Soo’s joyful relief and her mother’s tearful gratitude.

Just as a sigh of relief escaped her silently—

“What does it matter if you like her? Do Ha needs to like her.”

Cha Hyun suddenly raised her hand toward someone behind Yeo Eun.

“Over here!”