Not for the First Time (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
Young In arrived at the hotel lounge located on the 80th floor.
It was a place she had been to once or twice before.
With Cha Sung Hyuk. Privately.
It felt a bit too extravagant for a superior and subordinate to discuss work-related matters. She began to doubt once again to doubt whether this was really about work.
When she told the staff waiting at the lounge entrance the name of the reservation holder, they immediately guided her to a window seat.
It was a seat that overlooked the entire Seoul cityscape and the Han River at a glance. Knowing how spectacular the night view would be once complete darkness fell, she felt a little excited.
“Sit down, Team Leader Chae.”
On Sung Hyuk’s face, who had arrived first, there was a smile far more splendid than any night view.
Young In sat in the chair across from him while he told the staff they would order food a little later.
“Have you been here before?”
She wondered why the person who came with her was acting like this, but it seemed he was firmly pushing the “CEO concept,” so she decided to play along for now.
“Yes.”
“With whom?”
“I came here once with someone I briefly dated in the past.”
Young In put particular emphasis on the word “briefly.” However, it didn’t affect Sung Hyuk in the slightest. Unless it was someone she would “never date again,” it didn’t matter.
“With anyone else?”
“I’ve never come with anyone else.”
Sung Hyuk, who had asked three questions just to hear this answer, brought up the main topic with a satisfied expression.
“I asked to meet because I have a favor to ask of you, Team Leader Chae.”
His attitude suddenly turned serious, so Young In had no choice but to respond seriously as well.
“Please go ahead.”
“You probably know this too, Team Leader Chae. SL Entertainment lacks substance compared to its size.”
Young In calmly nodded.
“When people hear the name SL Entertainment, nothing in particular comes to mind. Neither works nor actors.”
“So I’m thinking of creating a representative work.”
Sung Hyuk leaned forward, detaching his back from the chair as he continued.
“I need your help, Team Leader Chae.”
“What kind of help can I provide?”
“I heard from CEO Kang. He said you have an outstanding eye for choosing projects. That Hye Seong was able to settle in quickly thanks to you.”
CEO Kang hadn’t just made revelations at the last drinking gathering. He praised Young In endlessly, saying every actor who appeared in projects she recommended became famous.
“When did he say that…?”
“When you stepped out to take a phone call.”
“It’s not something worth hearing to that extent.”
Young In knew well that CEO Kang cherished her like a real younger sister and genuinely wished for her success. But hearing such words from Sung Hyuk made her feel a bit embarrassed.
She suddenly thought that perhaps the one who couldn’t separate public and private matters wasn’t him, but herself.
“I need a project worth investing in without holding back. Please pick a good one for me, Team Leader Chae.”
Young In knew Sung Hyuk’s scale better than anyone. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t tempted, but the pressure from the words “without holding back” was greater.
“My main duty is management.”
“I heard that at Hye Seong, your primary role was script review?”
“I simply selected projects from a thoroughly popular and commercial perspective and recommended the ones that suited my actors best. Because only when the project succeeds can the actor succeed too.”
As Sung Hyuk listened intently to her honest confession, the corners of his mouth drew an arc. His obsidian-black eyes sparkled as if he had found prey.
“A thoroughly popular and commercial project, and an actor who fits it perfectly—that’s exactly what I want. Because I’m someone who has to produce results.”
“…”
When he eagerly accepted the words she had meant as a polite refusal, Young In was at a loss for words.
“I really hate people who do art with someone else’s money.”
Young In instinctively felt it was time to directly state her reason for declining.
“CEO.”
Sung Hyuk leaned back against the chair again and slowly nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“It’s difficult for me to accept a proposal that stems from personal feelings.”
“It’s not a proposal—it’s a request.”
He had never made a “request” to anyone in his life. He had never lacked anything, so there had never been a reason to ask for something.
Yet with the woman named Chae Young In, the word “request” came out so smoothly that even he found it surprising.
“So you’re not denying that it stems from personal feelings?”
“Only half.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean I’m not doing this solely because of personal feelings. This is a conclusion I reached after thoroughly looking into you and thinking carefully.”
“…”
“Losing one affiliate wouldn’t be a disaster, but I’m not crazy enough to ruin my reputation over a woman.”
After a moment of silence, Young In spoke calmly.
“Sunbae.”
He responded naturally, as if he had been waiting.
“Yes.”
He had actually been getting tired of the awkward superior act.
“Can I give you one piece of advice?”
“As much as you want.”
“Please stop this now and go back to your original position.”
“Where is my position?”
“You were originally supposed to go to the Management Planning Headquarters.”
“I didn’t go. So it’s not my position.”
Young In’s brow slightly furrowed.
“You know nothing about this industry, have no interest in it—what exactly are you planning to do? Do you know the trends? Do you know which movies or dramas are popular these days? How many actors can you even name?”
Young In genuinely hoped Sung Hyuk would change his mind. She really wanted him to stop now. She felt sorry for him wasting his time because of her.
“Are you confident that you’re an expert on industry trends, popular movies, dramas, and actors, and that you’re deeply interested?”
Young In?”
Young In hadn’t chosen the Media & Information department for any clear motive. In fact, before starting this job, she hadn’t particularly liked movies or dramas, nor had she ever been obsessed with celebrities. But now she could answer confidently.
“Yes.”
Sung Hyuk shrugged as if to say, “What’s the problem?”
“Then that’s settled.”
“What is?”
“My role is to efficiently manage talented people like you.”
“…”
Young In hadn’t realized her answer would only strengthen his conviction. Since that was precisely the role of the top decision-maker, she couldn’t refute it.
“I need someone who can pick worthwhile investment projects right now, but I also need someone who can give me frank, objective criticism. No matter how I think about it, there’s no one more suitable than you.”
“Giving frank criticism isn’t hard, but the rest feels burdensome.”
“What’s burdensome?”
“That the project I choose might flop.”
“What can we do about it? We just tilt our head once and wonder why it failed.”
When Sung Hyuk smiled and mimicked tilting his head, Young In pouted.
“That’s easy for you to say…”
“What’s so difficult? I’ll take full responsibility for any failure.”
“…”
Young In disliked her own failure, but she disliked his failure just as much. The thing she hated most was him failing because of her.
“Are you going to say that burdens don’t disappear just because I tell you not to have them?”
“Yes.”
This man’s intuition was unmatched. That’s why she felt anxious. She feared he might already see right through her heart.
Perhaps he had known from the moment they reunited at the club—that she still hadn’t forgotten him.
Maybe that’s why he could push forward like a bulldozer. But she couldn’t admit it. She planned to pretend otherwise until the end.
Because she was Chae Young In and he was Cha Sung Hyuk, nothing had changed from before.
She couldn’t start over with him, but she also didn’t want to desperately push him away—she decided to bury those conflicting feelings deep in her heart.
“I won’t pressure you to answer right now. Think about it slowly.”
“…”
She should say there’s no need to think and that she’s declining, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“I can’t say I completely exclude personal feelings entirely, but you should decide after completely setting personal feelings aside. You know well it’s an opportunity too good to miss.”
Of course she knew. If she set personal feelings aside, there was only one possible conclusion.
“I’ll think about it.”
Suddenly she became curious—when would he leave this place so far removed from building his succession foundation?
Had his presence already become familiar? Just imagining the day she suddenly couldn’t see him anymore, like before, made her heart feel empty already.
Sung Hyuk, unaware of what Young In was thinking, assumed her darkened expression was because she was seriously considering his offer.
“Shall we have a glass of wine with dinner?”
“I drove here.”
“Then I’ll have to drink alone.”
“Didn’t you drive?”
“No, I figured you’d drive, so I left mine behind.”
“…?”
Young In tilted her head, unable to immediately understand what connection her driving had with him leaving his car.
“You’ll drive me home, right?”
Only then did Young In realize his ulterior motive and let out a hollow laugh.
“No.”
“You’re going to be that stingy? There has to be give and take.”
“It’s not like bowing a hundred times—who asked you to give me a ride? That’s not what I wanted.”
“Even if you don’t want it, I’ll keep bowing a hundred times.”
Because that’s the only way he could even attempt to insist. Because if he didn’t do at least this, Chae Young In wouldn’t budge an inch.
“So I don’t even have a choice?”
“Why wouldn’t you? I told you once before—either accept it or resign yourself or resign yourself to it.”
“…”
“There are no other options.”
He flashed a small smile at the dumbfounded Young In and raised his hand to call the staff.
Though the atmosphere wasn’t exactly warm, the two finished their meal comfortably and left the lounge.
Right after Sung Hyuk pressed the elevator button, a man’s voice came from behind.
“Young In-ah.”
Sung Hyuk turned around at the same time as Young In and instantly recognized the man who had called her name so affectionately.
Korea’s representative actor, Seo Jin Gyo.
What kind of relationship do they have?
The moment the question arose, Young In responded to him warmly.
“Sunbae.”
Sung Hyuk’s brow instantly creased.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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