Young In couldn’t move a single step.

The fact that Cha Sung Hyuk was the CEO of SL Entertainment was truly a bolt from the blue.

SL Entertainment suddenly offering to buy Hyesung Entertainment, the newly appointed CEO Cha Sung Hyuk – could all of this really be a coincidence?

She had an ominous feeling, as if she had walked into a tiger’s den of her own accord.

As Kang and Young In stood motionless at the doorway, a look of perplexity appeared on the face of the legal team leader.

“Please… come in…”

Kang, who had been staring intently at Sung Hyuk’s face due to force of habit, suddenly came to his senses.

“Ah, yes!”

Nice mask. And even better atmosphere.

Remembering that he had come to sell the company he had built with his own hands, intending to leave this industry, he inwardly chuckled and looked to the side.

Young In was standing there blankly with a dazed expression.

You seem to be interested in him too.

With a look of understanding, he moved his lips as if ventriloquizing.

“Team Leader Chae.”

Finally coming to her senses, Young In bit the soft flesh inside her lip hard. Then she followed Kang as he walked towards the sofa.

Sung Hyuk, who had been watching the two from his seat at the head of the sofa, stood up and offered his hand to Kang.

“I’m Cha Sung Hyuk.”

“I’m Kang Yu Geon.”

Sung Hyuk extended his hand to Young In as well.

Young In shook his hand while avoiding his persistent and intense gaze.

As his long, slender fingers gently grasped her hand, a strange thrill ran through her. Flustered by the feeling of goosebumps all over her body, she pulled her hand away from his grip as inconspicuously as possible.

Sung Hyuk lowered his hand calmly and gestured towards the sofa with his eyes.

“Please, have a seat.”

Young In and Kang sat side by side to his right.

“Then, let’s proceed.”

The legal team leader, sitting across from the two, handed over the prepared contracts to Sung Hyuk and Kang respectively, and the contract was finalized by them taking turns signing it.

Sung Hyuk leaned back on the sofa and announced the future plans.

“Currently, SL Entertainment has a total of four actor management teams. The Hyesung members will be assigned to the newly established Team 5. I’d like Chae Young In to take on the role of team leader.”

Kang brightened up and nodded vigorously.

“Our Young In, I mean, our Team Leader Chae will do well. She’s a very capable person.”

Sung Hyuk was already uncomfortable with the “our Young In” part.

Although he wasn’t unaware of the personal relationship between Kang and Young In, Kang’s familiarity with Young In greatly irritated him. He had always disliked all men close to Chae Young In. Still, he didn’t show it outwardly.

“I know. That’s why I wanted to make Team Leader Chae my person.”

Kang and the legal team leader thought it was just a cliché expression often used in the talent recruitment process.

However, Young In immediately noticed the subtle nuance in Sung Hyuk’s words. She was anxious, not knowing what else might come out of his mouth.

“Of course. If I hadn’t made up my mind to leave this industry, I would never have let Team Leader Chae go.”

To end the conversation with Kang, who seemed to choose only words he didn’t like, Sung Hyuk changed the subject.

“If you have time, would you like to have dinner together tonight?”

“Time is all I have.”

As Sung Hyuk’s gaze turned to Young In, Kang jumped in.

“Team Leader Chae doesn’t have any plans for tonight either. I know.”

Young In turned to Kang and clenched her molars.

The dinner appointment may be free, but I don’t want to go to that place!

No one knew that Young In was silently screaming behind her calm expression.

“That’s great.”

Sung Hyuk asked for Kang’s understanding as he nodded with satisfaction.

“I have something to say to Team Leader Chae privately. Would you mind waiting in the reception room for a moment?”

“Take your time.”

Kang left the CEO’s office with the legal team leader without any suspicion.

As soon as the door closed, Young In, who had been holding back her words, finally spoke.

“What do you have to say, CEO Cha Sung Hyuk?”

Her tone was clearly sarcastic.

“Nothing. I just thought you might have a lot to say to me.”

Young In asked as if she had been waiting for this.

“Why did you come as the CEO of SL Entertainment?”

“To see you every day.”

Young In flinched for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and responded calmly.

“I thought you were going to the Management Planning Division.”

“I was going to, but changed my mind.”

“Because of me?”

“Yes.”

“Are you crazy?”

Young In was well aware of what the position of Head of Management Planning meant in the SL Group.

“I might be.”

Sung Hyuk chuckled and continued playfully.

“Who told you to catch my eye? If it weren’t for you, I would have gone to the Management Planning Division.”

“Are you blaming me now? I didn’t know you were in that position.”

“Anyway.”

“Should I apologize?”

“No, just accept it. Or resign yourself to it.”

Young In neither accepted nor resigned. Instead, she warned.

“Separate work and personal matters.”

“Do I really have to do that? I just want to live doing what I want to do.”

Sung Hyuk crossed his long legs elegantly and smiled.

“Although I couldn’t, I believe you will strictly separate work and personal matters.”

Young In’s brows furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

“I believe that even though you found out I’m the CEO of SL Entertainment, you won’t go back on your word about not quitting. Surely the person who just lectured me about separating work and personal matters wouldn’t do that.”

Young In clenched her fist tightly, having no words to refute.

She had met all sorts of people before, but never had she encountered someone as challenging as Cha Sung Hyuk. A sense of unease swept over her, fearing that if she sat across from him any longer, she might end up doing whatever he wanted.

“Our CEO doesn’t like waiting, he’s impatient. Let’s get up.”

Sung Hyuk retorted seriously.

“Isn’t your CEO me now, Team Leader Chae?”

“…”

“I hope you’ll be careful with your titles and references from now on, Team Leader Chae Young In.”

Young In suppressed her rising anger and murmured softly.

“I’ll keep that in mind, CEO.”

“Let’s go.”

Sung Hyuk, who stood up first, led the way out of the office. A faint smile lingered on his lips.

Young In watched with displeasure as Kang, drinking expensive wine like water, talked incessantly.

“The thing I emphasize most to my employees is don’t grovel to the artists, you’re partners, not slaves. I’ve told Young In this until she’s sick of hearing it. Well, she’s not the type to grovel even if told to… But that’s not the point… I’m the one who made the current Team Leader Chae Young In.”

She understood that he had already finished two bottles of wine by himself, as he was originally fond of drinking. But she couldn’t fathom why he was rambling on about her when she was just sitting there quietly.

“I’m the one who brought Young In into this industry, so I feel sorry and worried about leaving her behind while I leave… My feelings are quite complicated.”

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll support her well.”

Young In couldn’t relax due to Sung Hyuk, who kept making risky comments on top of Kang’s behavior.

“Young In did a short-term part-time job at Hyesung during the summer vacation of her senior year in college.”

“I know.”

Kang tilted his head with a blank expression.

“You know?”

“Team Leader Chae told me just now.”

Sung Hyuk managed to smooth over the situation with quick thinking, despite his slip of the tongue. In fact, he had heard about it more than three years ago.

“Ah, Young In mentioned it…”

Muttering to himself and nodding, Kang continued his story.

“Anyway, I persistently persuaded her and brought her in right after graduation.”

Young In had joined Hyesung Entertainment not long after breaking up with Sung Hyuk.

“She’s a poor child who’s been working herself to death for over three years since joining Hyesung. With that face, she hasn’t even dated once…”

“CEO, you’re quite drunk.”

Young In was more incredulous about the claim that she hadn’t dated once than about suddenly becoming a pitiful child.

No matter how much her lie about seeing someone hadn’t worked on Cha Sung Hyuk, she never expected it to be nailed down like this. She felt like sewing that blabbering mouth shut.

“No, I’m not drunk at all.”

Kang, with his eyes unfocused, turned back to Sung Hyuk and corrected himself.

“I misspoke. It’s not that she couldn’t, but that she didn’t. There were so many men interested in Young In. Even some surprisingly famous actors.”

Young In glared at Kang, who seemed determined to reveal everything about her, and downed the wine in front of her in one gulp.

“You’re drunk.”

As Young In slammed her glass down and glared, Kang became sheepish even in his drunken state.

“Ah, I did feel a bit tipsy. I am drunk. I’m drunk…”

And so ended the well-intentioned exposé.

Young In felt a bit tipsy as the alcohol started to take effect. It was because she had downed the wine repeatedly in her agitation.

“I’ll be right back from the restroom.”

When she returned to the room after washing her hands with cold water, Kang and the legal team leader were nowhere to be seen.

Young In quietly stood watching Sung Hyuk, who was sitting with his back against the chair, looking out the window.

The pitch-black night sky, the dazzling night view spread out below, and one man. It was like a painting.

Looking at Cha Sung Hyuk, he seemed like an existence where light and darkness coexisted. Some days he was like brilliant sunshine, and other days like a deep abyss.

“You’re back?”

Young In, suddenly coming to her senses, tried to naturally change the atmosphere, hoping that a look of admiration hadn’t appeared on her face.

“Our CEO…”

Quickly changing her words to avoid being picked on again, she asked,

“Where is CEO Kang Yu Geon?”

A smile spread across his face as if praising her.

“He was quite drunk, so I asked the legal team leader to take him home.”

“Let’s go too.”

Young In walked to her seat and picked up her bag.

“I’ll take you home.”

“I can call a taxi.”

“Alright, then.”

The two left the fine dining restaurant together. Coincidentally, there was a taxi waiting at the entrance.

“I’ll go first.”

Sung Hyuk simply nodded without saying much.

Immediately after the taxi carrying Young In departed, the valet brought his car.

He, who hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, got into the driver’s seat and followed the taxi. He returned only after confirming that Young In had gotten out of the taxi and entered through the front gate of her home.