Young In arrived at the hotel lounge located on the 80th floor.

It was a place she had visited a couple of times before.

With Cha Sung Hyuk. Privately.

It was a bit excessive for a boss and subordinate to discuss work matters. She began to doubt again if it was really about work.

When she told the staff waiting at the lounge entrance the name of the reservation, she was immediately guided to a window seat.

It was a seat overlooking Seoul city and the Han River. Knowing how spectacular the night view would be once darkness fully settled, she felt a little excited.

“Sit down, Team Leader Chae.”

Sung Hyuk, who had arrived first, had a smile on his face that was far more splendid than the night view.

Young In sat in the chair opposite him while he told the staff they would order food a little later.

“Have you been here before?”

Though she wondered why he was asking this when they had come together before, it seemed he was trying to firmly establish the main concept, so she decided to play along for now.

“Yes.”

“With whom?”

“I came with someone I dated briefly in the past.”

Young In put particular emphasis on ‘briefly’. However, it had no impact on Sung Hyuk. Perhaps if it had been ‘someone I’ll never date again’, it might have been different.

“With anyone else?”

“I haven’t been here with anyone else.”

Sung Hyuk, who had asked three questions to hear this answer, brought up his business with a satisfied expression.

“I asked to see you because I have a favor to ask Team Leader Chae.”

His attitude became quite serious, so Young In had no choice but to respond seriously as well.

“Please go ahead.”

“You probably know too. That SL Entertainment lacks substance compared to its size.”

Young In nodded calmly.

“When you hear the name SL Entertainment, nothing specific comes to mind. No works or actors.”

“So I was thinking of creating a signature work.”

Sung Hyuk leaned his upper body forward, moving away from the back of his chair, and continued speaking.

“I need your help, Team Leader Chae.”

“How can I be of help?”

“I heard from CEO Kang. That Team Leader Chae has an excellent eye for picking works. That Hyeseong’s quick establishment was thanks to you.”

CEO Kang hadn’t just made revelations at the last drinking party. He had praised Young In endlessly, saying that all the actors who appeared in works she recommended became famous.

“When did he say such things…?”

“When you went out to take a phone call.”

“I don’t deserve such praise.”

Young In knew that CEO Kang cared for her like a younger sister and sincerely wished for her success. But hearing this from Sung Hyuk was a bit embarrassing.

She thought that perhaps it wasn’t him who couldn’t distinguish between public and private matters, but herself.

“We need a work to invest in generously. Pick a good work for me, Team Leader Chae.”

Young In knew Cha Sung Hyuk’s scale better than anyone. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t tempted, but the pressure from the word ‘generously’ was greater.

“My main work is management.”

“I heard that at Hyeseong, your main job was reviewing scripts?”

“I merely chose works from a thoroughly popular and commercial perspective, and recommended works that best suited my actors. Because an actor can only rise if the work rises.”

Sung Hyuk, who had been listening attentively to her honest confession, curved the corners of his mouth into a smile. His obsidian-black eyes sparkled as if he had found his prey.

“A thoroughly popular and commercial work, and an actor suitable for that work, that’s exactly what I want. Because I’m someone who needs to produce results.”

“…”

Young In was at a loss for words as he readily accepted what she had meant as a refusal.

“I really dislike people who do art with other people’s money.”

Young In sensed it was time to state the reason for her refusal directly.

“CEO.”

Sung Hyuk slowly nodded his head as he leaned back against the chair again.

“Go ahead.”

“It’s difficult for me to accept a proposal stemming from personal feelings.”

“It’s not a proposal, it’s a request.”

He had never made a request to anyone before. He had never particularly needed anything in his life, so there was no reason to make requests.

But he found it a bit strange that the words of request came out so easily to this woman named Chae Young In.

“Are you not denying that it stems from personal feelings?”

“Half.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, I’m not doing this solely based on personal feelings. It’s a conclusion I’ve reached after thoroughly investigating you and careful consideration.”

“…”

“It wouldn’t be a big deal if I ruined one affiliate company, but I’m not crazy enough to trash my reputation because of one woman.”

Young In, who had been silent for a moment, calmly opened her mouth.

“Senior.”

He responded naturally, as if he had been waiting for this.

“Yes.”

It was just when he was getting tired of playing the role of an inadequate boss.

“Can I give you a piece of advice?”

“By all means.”

“Stop now and go back to your original position.”

“Where is my original position?”

“You were originally going to the Management Planning Division, weren’t you?”

“But I didn’t go. So it’s not my position.”

Young In’s brow furrowed slightly.

“What are you trying to do when you know nothing about this field and have no interest in it? Do you know the trends? Do you know what movies and dramas are popular these days? How many actors can you name?”

Young In sincerely hoped that Sung Hyuk would change his mind. She wished he would really stop now. She felt sorry for him wasting his time because of her.

“Do you pride yourself on being well-versed in the trends of this field, popular movies and dramas, and actors, and having a lot of interest in them?”

Young In’s choice of studying Media and Communication wasn’t due to any clear motivation. In fact, before starting this job, she didn’t particularly like movies or dramas, nor had she ever been deeply into celebrities. But now she could answer confidently.

“Yes.”

Sung Hyuk shrugged his shoulders as if to say, what’s the problem?

“Then that’s enough.”

“What is?”

“My role is to efficiently manage capable personnel like you.”

“…”

Young In hadn’t realized that her answer would give Sung Hyuk such confidence. She couldn’t refute because that was exactly the role of the highest decision-maker.

“Right now, I need someone who can pick works worth investing in properly, but I also need someone who can give objective criticism. No matter how I think about it, there’s no one more suitable than you.”

“Criticism isn’t difficult, but the other part is burdensome.”

“What’s burdensome about it?”

“I’m afraid the work I choose might fail.”

“What’s there to do about that? We’d just tilt our heads once wondering why it failed, and that’s it.”

As Sung Hyuk laughed and tilted his head in demonstration, Young In pursed her lips.

“It’s easy to say…”

“What’s difficult about it? I’ll take responsibility for any failures.”

“…”

Young In disliked her own failures, but she disliked his failures just as much. What she disliked most was the thought of him failing because of her.

“You want to say that feeling burdened isn’t something you can just not feel because someone tells you not to, right?”

“Yes.”

This man’s perceptiveness was unparalleled. That’s why she felt uneasy. Afraid that he might have already seen through her heart.

Perhaps he had known the moment they met again at the club. That she still hadn’t forgotten him.

Maybe that’s why he could push forward like a bulldozer like this. But she couldn’t admit it. She intended to pretend it wasn’t true until the end.

As long as she was Chae Young In and he was Cha Sung Hyuk, nothing had changed from before.

She planned to bury deep in her heart the ambivalent feelings of not being able to start over with him, but also not wanting to desperately push him away.

“I won’t ask you to answer right now. Think about it slowly.”

“…”

She should say there’s no need to think about it, that she’s refusing, but somehow the words wouldn’t come out.

“I can’t say I’ve completely excluded personal feelings, but you should make your decision completely excluding personal feelings. You know well it’s an opportunity too good to miss.”

Of course, she knew well. She also knew that if she put aside personal feelings, there was only one conclusion.

“I’ll think about it.”

Suddenly, she became curious. When would he leave this place that was far removed from building his succession base?

Somehow his presence had become familiar, and imagining suddenly not being able to see him like before made her heart feel empty already.

Sung Hyuk, not knowing what Young In was thinking, assumed her gloomy expression was due to careful consideration.

“Would you like to have a glass of wine with dinner?”

“I drove here.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to drink alone.”

“You didn’t drive?”

“No, I left my car thinking you’d bring yours.”

“…?”

Young In tilted her head to the side. She couldn’t immediately understand what correlation there was between her bringing her car and him leaving his.

“You’ll give me a ride home, right?”

Young In let out a laugh as she finally understood Sung Hyuk’s scheme.

“No.”

“Are you going to be this petty? If there’s a give, there should be a take.”

“This isn’t like prostrating for a bow. Who asked you to bring me? It wasn’t what I wanted.”

“Even if you don’t want it, I’ll keep prostrating for a bow.”

Because only then could he insist like this. If he didn’t do at least this much, Chae Young In wouldn’t budge an inch.

“Do I have no choice in this?”

“Why wouldn’t you? I told you once before. Either accept or give up.”

“…”

“There are no other options.”

He flashed a smile at Young In, who looked dumbfounded, and raised his hand to call a staff member.

After finishing their meal in an atmosphere that, while not warm, was comfortable, the two left the lounge.

Just after Sung Hyuk pressed the elevator button, a man’s voice was heard from behind.

“Young In.”

Sung Hyuk, who turned around at the same time as Young In, immediately recognized the man who had called Young In’s name affectionately.

Seo Jin Gyo, a representative actor of South Korea.

What kind of relationship do they have?

The moment the question arose, Young In responded to him familiarly.

“Senior.”

Sung Hyuk’s brow furrowed sharply.