A Bad, Bad Act (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2

The person Cha Hyun had just waved to was none other than the model who, just moments ago, had been shooting a fashion spread.

The man, having just finished his shoot, was now approaching in response to Cha Hyun’s call.

Looking at him, Yeo Eun suddenly recalled the encounter she’d had with him in the hallway just earlier.

An icy arrogance flowed through the man from head to toe—his slightly furrowed brow alone was extraordinary.

Behind him, as he walked forward with an impassive expression, trailed the entire photography crew.

The staff hurried after his long strides with visibly tense faces.

Yet, it was deeply striking how he handed his cufflinks to the crew, as though bestowing mercy upon them.

He seemed like an absolute sovereign reigning over them all—his slightly lowered eyes and lips devoid of even the faintest smile radiated unmatched arrogance.

And yet, his presence was so breathtakingly beautiful that Yeo Eun nearly believed the studio lights were still shining solely on him.

Perhaps that was why a sudden chill ran down her spine once more.

Of course, she’d felt something similar from Cha In Woo—but, in meaning, it was entirely different.

With Cha In Woo, it had been the nerves of a job candidate just before an interview; this, however, was a far denser emotional whirlpool.

It was like the awe one feels standing before a masterpiece created by a grand master.

Or perhaps the primal fear stirred by facing something utterly untouchable.

For a fleeting moment, she even thought of running away.

Only when that untouchable figure stood right before her did she realize she’d been staring at him far too intently.

“Ms. Yeo Eun?”

Snapped back to reality by Cha Hyun’s voice, Yeo Eun had to hold her breath for a moment.

Those cold, glossy black eyes of his were capturing her in a strangely unsettling way.

Up close, the man’s presence was far more overwhelming than when she’d briefly glimpsed him earlier.

It was an overwhelming aura emanating from his very being.

Something indescribable in words.

Due to her professional experience, Yeo Eun recognized instantly that this aura was something not just anyone could possess—and so, she merely held her breath.

This man was a born predator.

Not just any predator, but one at the very top of the food chain.

A being with untamable wildness.

He was the complete opposite of Cha In Woo, whose demeanor was gentle and soft.

Just then, she briefly thought how fortunate it was that this man wasn’t her client.

“Ms. Yeo Eun, please greet him,” Cha Hyun said, introducing the man.

“Our Hanju Group’s Head of Strategic Planning Division…”

Head of Division?

He wasn’t a model?

“Cha Do Ha.”

Surprised, Yeo Eun tightly pressed her lips together.

If he was the Head of Hanju Group’s Strategic Planning Division and bore the surname Cha…

Could it be?

She suddenly remembered Cha Hyun’s offhand remark to Cha In Woo just moments ago:

[What does it matter if you like me? It’s Do Ha who needs to be pleased.]

A sense of foreboding began creeping up from the soles of her feet.

“My other nephew.”

Cha Hyun looked at Cha Do Ha with a proud smile.

“He’s Hanju’s pride and joy. He’s also the very person I’ve hired Persona to assist.”

Words stuck in her throat as if weighed down by something heavy.

So, the client wasn’t Cha In Woo—but Cha Do Ha?

They didn’t want her to shape someone gentle and fluffy like cotton candy, but rather this wild leopard always ready to sink its teeth into your throat?

It felt hopeless.

She’d already been an image trainer for three years.

With her prior experience as a style manager, she’d spent quite a long time shaping others’ images—but never before had she encountered a project this challenging.

At that moment, the difficulty level of this job skyrocketed from “very easy” to “insanely difficult.”

Cha Do Ha slowly opened his mouth.

“So you’ve actually…”

A flicker of disdain flashed in his dark eyes as he looked at her.

Already cold by nature, with just a slight raise of an eyebrow, he instantly froze the surrounding air into delicate ice crystals.

“You’ve brought an image trainer? Ignoring my opinion completely?”

His crooked eyebrow and twisted smile added a touch of rebellious insolence to his already arrogant face.

What was almost absurd was that even in this moment, Cha Do Ha exuded a haughty elegance.

Would a man like this even need image training?

Why? For what purpose?

While Yeo Eun was lost in these thoughts, Cha Hyun spoke to her.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Yeo Eun. As you can see, our Division Head Cha Do Ha is a bit rough around the edges. But I’m sure you’ll be kind to him, won’t you?”

Snapped back to reality by Cha Hyun’s words, Yeo Eun quickly nodded.

Then, she looked straight at the man before her and handed him her business card.

After all, her future—and Persona’s—depended entirely on this man’s next words.

“Nice to meet you, Division Head Cha Do Ha. I’m Seo Yeo…”

But before she could finish, Cha Do Ha uttered the worst possible words.

“I don’t need something as trivial as image training.”

His cold eyes swept over her offered card as he continued icily,

“So please leave, Ms. Seo… Yeo Eun.”

“Leave”—the very last words she wanted to hear.

Her mind went completely blank.

At the same time, she desperately hoped this whole situation was merely another test.

But as if to prove that hope utterly absurd, Cha Do Ha turned away indifferently.

As he walked off, he tossed over his shoulder in a cool voice,

“Director Cha Hyun, you seem so efficient—yet so inefficient at the same time.”

The sarcasm in his tone made Cha Hyun’s brows furrow.

“Division Head Cha Do Ha!”

Cha Hyun’s voice rang sternly through the studio.

But Cha Do Ha, picking up his jacket, ignored her call entirely and headed toward the studio door.

“Division Head Cha! Hey, Cha Do Ha!”

Cha Hyun’s voice grew urgent as she chased after him.

“It’s the Chairman’s order! This is the basic condition!”

The white wooden door of Studio B.

Cha Do Ha paused briefly in front of it, then turned back.

For just an instant, his gaze seemed to linger on Yeo Eun.

Then, with an icy expression, he spoke.

“Why must I follow orders? It’s not like I’m doing this willingly.”

“Do Ha-ya…”

“If you’re this desperate, just tell the Chairman to do it himself—that face of Hanju’s.”

Forget image.

Throwing one last glance at Yeo Eun, Cha Do Ha added one final cutting remark before leaving the studio.

The tension that had gripped the studio finally melted away.

Even the toes of Yeo Eun’s feet, which had been clenched tight, could finally relax.

* * *

“We’re ruined.”

At Persona, the image training center located on Serosu-gil in Sinsa-dong,

Ji Soo sat in the rooftop lounge, clutching her hair in both hands.

“If we fail to pull this off, Director Cha Hyun said she’d withdraw all her investment.”

Ji Soo had been like this ever since her call with Cha Hyun just moments ago.

Though Cha Hyun was Persona’s biggest investor, Ji Soo was confident she could easily find other investors—that wouldn’t be worth this much despair.

But Cha Hyun wasn’t stopping at just withdrawing her investment—she was threatening something worse.

[-Do you really think I’d stop at just withdrawing funds? I’ll cut off every lifeline you have in this industry. You know that, right? Even Memories Entertainment, which Persona is currently collaborating with, is under my influence. Same goes for La Merle Lang Hotel.]

Industry blacklisting.

Cha Hyun had more than enough power to do exactly that.

In the fields of culture and art, there was hardly a place in Korea untouched by Cha Hyun’s influence.

“But how are we supposed to handle her nephew, who’s dead set against cooperating?”

Ji Soo groaned, still pulling at her hair.

“He may carry Hanju blood, but isn’t he that infamous troublemaker Cha Do Ha?”

“Troublemaker Cha Do Ha?”

“I don’t know all the details, but the rumors are nasty—he’s dragged into every scandal involving alcohol, women, and God-knows-what else.”

Ji Soo shuddered.

“People say things like, ‘How did such a son come out of conservative Hanju?’ They say even Chairman Cha Ji Seop threw his hands up and shipped him off to the U.S. all this time.”

Cha Do Ha was that kind of person?

Yeo Eun’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Anyway… if even Chairman Cha Ji Seop couldn’t handle him, how are we supposed to do anything? It’s utterly impossible.”

It sounded absurd even on the surface.

But Cha Hyun wasn’t the type to listen to reasonable objections.

Yeo Eun heaved a deeper sigh as she looked at Ji Soo.

Three hours ago, as Yeo Eun was leaving HJ Gallery, Cha Hyun had said to her,

[By any means necessary, Ms. Seo Yeo Eun, you must become Do Ha’s image trainer.]

Yeo Eun had honestly voiced her concerns to Cha Hyun then.

[I graduated with a degree in Aesthetics and earned my Ph.D. in Psychology.] [I know. Not only your undergraduate degree, but your master’s and doctorate too—all from Korean universities.] [I also have extensive hands-on experience in this field.] [I’m aware. That’s precisely why I’m entrusting Do Ha to you.] [That’s exactly why I’m saying this.]

Cha Do Ha couldn’t be tamed.

[Division Head Cha Do Ha isn’t someone who needs image training. He already has his own distinct identity, a firmly established sense of self…]

He was already complete as he was—calculating precisely how his expressions and words would affect others before acting.

And he knew that better than anyone.

Unable to finish her sentence, Cha Hyun gave a cold smile.

[He certainly has his own colors. A solid identity. Stronger than anyone, smarter than anyone—and incredibly beautiful. In short, he’s a perfect child.] [Yes. That’s exactly why I don’t think he needs something as trivial as image training… No, Division Head Cha Do Ha isn’t someone who can be trained. He’s perfectly content with who he is right now.] [Yet he’s also the kind of being who uses that contentment self-destructively.]

She added that while she deeply appreciated Do Ha’s worth—which was obvious at first glance—the environment surrounding him was more than enough to drive him toward self-destruction.

[I want my perfect nephew to be used in a more worthwhile way. To do that, he must let go of his current rough edges.] [Then…] [Exactly. Let’s try taming this ferocious wild beast together.] [“Together”… you mean?]

That word “together” offered slight comfort.

It meant Cha Hyun herself was deeply committed to this project.

But that only made things worse.

The greater the expectations and stakes, the heavier the consequences of failure would be.

[You know my personality. I’ve already decided that Ms. Seo Yeo Eun will be Division Head Cha Do Ha’s image trainer—and if that doesn’t happen, I’ll do whatever it takes. So say you’ll take the job. No—say you’ll absolutely succeed.]

There was no other way.

She had to convince Cha Do Ha.

“Senior—no, CEO.”

Yeo Eun called out to Ji Soo, who, having given up on pulling her hair, was now banging her forehead on the table.

“I’ll find a way. I’ll make it work.”

Ji Soo frowned at Yeo Eun’s words.

“What do you mean, ‘make it work’? Forget it.”

They’d known each other for nine years—since university club days, where they’d first met as seniors and juniors.

Just by Yeo Eun’s expression, Ji Soo knew exactly what she was planning—and scolded her for it.

“You’ve got a sickness.”

Rubbing her sore forehead, Ji Soo continued,

“That self-sacrificing thing? That’s a sickness. In the end, nobody will even notice.”

She looked utterly resolute.

“Not your family, not your company. Nothing should ever matter more than yourself. Understand?”

I, your CEO, am sitting right here—why are you stepping forward? Stop it.

It’s all because Grandmother’s been gaslighting you since you were a child.

Everything’s your fault; everything’s your responsibility to fix.

That’s not a good thing.

In the end, you’ll just be left holding the bag, sacrificing yourself alone.

As Ji Soo’s long lecture continued, Yeo Eun recalled Cha Hyun’s words once more.

[I—no, Hanju Group—can destroy Persona with just a single phone call.]

And that wasn’t even the worst of it.

They said Hanju Group possessed the strongest intelligence network in Korea—and indeed, Cha Hyun had struck at Yeo Eun’s deepest vulnerability.

[And that’s not all. I could ruin your family too. Naturally, your mother’s surgery would be delayed—no, you wouldn’t even be able to get a reservation for it.]

It was like a bolt from the blue.

And Cha Hyun had been cruel to the very end.

[So succeed. Succeed, and save your miserable life.]

Left holding the bag, sacrificing alone?

So what?

There was no other way to save her wretched life.

“It’s not about sacrifice. It’s about earning money. You know that. I need the money.”

Yeo Eun gave Ji Soo a bright smile, then spoke more firmly.

“I’ll try. I’ll try with Cha Do Ha.”