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Chapter 2
Charge Me Up
A luxurious sedan sped smoothly down the open road.
Leaning back in the rear seat, Ho-rang examined some documents, a frown creasing his handsome face.
“What a bunch of thieves.”
When he muttered his dissatisfaction in a indifferent tone, Secretary Yoon—who was driving—glanced at Ho-rang’s face in the rearview mirror.
“Are you not satisfied with the terms of the contract?”
“After all the money we poured into this, we only get 5 seconds of exposure? Do those network folks think sponsors are suckers?”
“Isn’t that why you’re on your way to negotiate right now?”
“Who am I meeting today?”
“Director Jang. You met him once before.”
“I remember. That shameless face demanding hundreds of millions per second of airtime.”
“Yes, that’s right. That was what happened back then.”
“It seems they mistakenly think the network pays their salaries. Unaware that it all comes out of my pocket. Where would the network be without me? They’re barely making a living thanks to me, so why are they acting so stiff?”
Secretary Yoon pursed his lips where Ho-rang couldn’t see him, watching the man boast about himself without even a change in facial expression.
Baek Ho-rang. Noble and proud like his name—which meant “White Tiger”—he was the grandson of Chairman Baek Man-seok of the Taeseong Group, a conglomerate that held sway over South Korea’s economy. Ho-rang was considered the most prominent heir to the group.
He was a sharp, razor-like individual. Countless people had approached him without guard, drawn in by his handsome looks, only to end up hurt by his cold—if not ruthless—words. This was especially true when it came to business interests.
“Ah, and since you’re coming by, the president of the broadcasting station requested a quick meeting with you.”
“Meaning he wants to ask for more money while I’m there.”
“After your meeting with the station president, you’re scheduled to meet Director Jang at a nearby cafe.”
“Alright. Got it.”
Ho-rang closed the approval folder, tossed it onto the adjacent seat, and looked out the window.
With architecture and automobiles as its core pillars, the Taeseong Group operated hundreds of hotels and resorts worldwide. Ho-rang was in charge of the resort division, and he had decided to sponsor a TV drama to promote a newly opening shopping center.
They were already providing filming cooperation for a brand-new shopping center that hadn’t even welcomed customers yet, on top of funding the drama’s production costs—so why were they being so brazen? Except for the fact that they weren’t holding weapons, those network people were nothing short of highway robbers.
“Nothing in this world comes for free.”
Even a five-year-old kid pays when buying candy at a neighborhood corner store, knowing that nothing in life is free. Yet full-grown adults often fail to grasp what even a five-year-old understands.
When kindness is shown continuously, people start treating it as an entitlement; when given free samples repeatedly, they demand the full product. Shameless human beings.
Ho-rang despised those types of people the most—those who blindly asked for handouts.
Secretary Yoon carefully observed Ho-rang’s discontented face and spoke cautiously.
“Also, Professor Kwak asked you to come to the hospital early tomorrow. He said you should be in the best possible condition.”
At Yoon’s words, Ho-rang looked up at the sky. The cloudless blue sky was dazzlingly bright.
“Now that you mention it, the surgery is tomorrow.”
“I took quite a earful because you didn’t check into the hospital today.”
At Yoon’s comment, Ho-rang chuckled softly, picturing Professor Kwak nagging away. With the professor’s fastidious personality, Ho-rang could easily imagine how much he must have badgered Secretary Yoon.
Out of habit, Ho-rang fiddled with the tie pin fastened to his tie. Hopefully, this surgery will go smoothly without any trouble, too.
‘Just as you’ve always done, you’ll protect me, right?’
Ho-rang muttered silently to himself as he looked at the tie pin. As if replying, the worn tie pin glinted in the light.
“We have arrived.”
Stepping out of the driver’s seat, Secretary Yoon opened the rear door, and Ho-rang stepped out of the car with the aura of a high-fashion model.
The moment he walked into the broadcasting building, the lobby instantly turned into a runway, and people’s eyes widened. Whispers spread across the room, asking if a famous actor or model had arrived for a shoot. It was an unfamiliar face—unfamiliar, but impossibly handsome.
“Is he a celebrity? An actor? A model?”
“I’ve never seen his face before. Is he a rookie? How can someone be that handsome?”
“If someone looks that good, shouldn’t he be an actor for the sake of the Korean entertainment industry?”
Though people whispered, Ho-rang simply walked straight ahead with a rigid posture. Reaction like this happened everywhere he went, so it was neither new nor surprising.
Moving his long legs forward, Ho-rang knit his brows as he saw a loud, crowded mob gathered in the lobby.
“Is today some special day? Why is it so chaotic?”
When Ho-rang asked, Secretary Yoon standing beside him answered.
“I’m not sure. It looks like some kind of fan club.”
Men holding cameras as big as cannons, men waving placards and glowsticks, men scattering confetti and firing bubble guns.
As Ho-rang surveyed the lobby with a displeased look, Secretary Yoon carefully spoke up while reading his mood.
“From now on, I will schedule meetings on quieter days.”
“Forget it. The network needs to make money, too.”
Ho-rang spoke bluntly as if bestowing mercy, then resumed walking.
Just then, a girl group dressed in flashy outfits made their entrance.
“Woah! Sweetie Girl!”
“We love you, S-wee-tie Girl!”
“Milky-skinned Sweetie Girl!”
At the arrival of the girl group, male fans cheered and surged forward toward them all at once. Amidst the chaos, a woman walking precariously caught Ho-rang’s eye.
She was walking gingerly, her body curled inward as much as possible. But right at that moment, a soap bubble blown by one of the men floated through the air and landed on the floor. The woman stepped on it and began to wobble.
Losing her balance, the woman fluttered around like an inflatable tube man in front of a gas station before sliding directly toward Ho-rang!
“Aaaaah!”
Screaming, Bo-bae slid straight toward Ho-rang.
Ho-rang instinctively tried to dodge her, but Bo-bae grabbed onto him for dear life. Perhaps her desperate desire to survive outweighed his instinct to avoid her? Before anyone knew it, she was wrapped in Ho-rang’s arms.
Bo-bae raised her eyes and looked up at the man who had saved her.
A face handsomer than most actors, clear and deep eyes that felt like falling into, a sharp nose, fair skin, and firm forearms!
The moment her eyes met his, Bo-bae felt her heart drop with a heavy thump.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
The beating of her heart sounded like the heavy reverberation of a club beat. In that moment, as if the entire world had stopped and only she and this man were alive and breathing, pink confetti scattered from somewhere, and transparent soap bubbles fluttered in the air.
A neat appearance that suited a suit perfectly, red lips that invited a kiss, broad shoulders, and stone-solid forearms. In contrast to all that—hands that were surprisingly soft.
‘Soft. So soft. Can a man’s hands really be this soft? What would it feel like to go on a date holding a hand like this? Walking while holding hands tightly… Wait! Soft hands?’
Letting her imagination fly, Bo-bae opened her eyes wide and turned her head. There, she saw her own hand clutching his hand tightly! And the man was staring down at her with a completely unfazed face!
Seeing this, Bo-bae’s eyes quivered violently, as if hit by an earthquake.
‘He’s holding my hand and nothing’s happening?’
Far from showing any pain, the man had an entirely nonchalant expression. This was impossible. If they were touching to this extent, there should at least be the sharp smell of burnt squid wafting through the air, yet this man was completely fine.
Overcome with shock, Bo-bae pointed at their hands and asked,
“Are you okay?”
“As you can see, I believe I am fine.”
“No, not that. I mean, you’re holding my hand, and you feel nothing at all?”
Ho-rang knit his brows at Bo-bae’s question. Holding her hand and feeling nothing? It was a question whose intention he couldn’t grasp.
As Ho-rang frowned in confusion, Bo-bae asked again.
“Does it not tingle? The moment you held my hand, didn’t electricity surge through your entire body, giving you a sharp shock?”
At Bo-bae’s question, Ho-rang’s face contorted as he answered.
“No. Not at all.”
Hearing him say he felt completely fine, Bo-bae raised her fingers and poked at Ho-rang’s hand, face, and neck.
“For real? Seriously? Like, totally fine?”
“For real, seriously, totally fine.”
As Ho-rang answered while suppressing his rising anger, Bo-bae let out a low gasp of amazement.
“Wow. You’re the first man who didn’t get shocked when touching me.”
He had heard lines like ‘You’re the first woman to slap my cheek,’ but he had never heard a line like this before.
While Ho-rang was staring at her in utter disbelief, mistaking her for someone in the final stages of princess syndrome, Producer Jang’s words flashed through Bo-bae’s mind.
“Other writers are creating cappuccino kisses, candy kisses, even underwater kisses! They’re becoming masters of kissing scenes! And all you can write is, ‘And then the two of them kissed’? Good grief! Writer Na, if someone saw this, they’d think you wrote the script without ever having kissed anyone in your life!”
“Go meet some men. Date someone. Kiss someone. Okay? You need plenty of experience to write good stories.”
‘If he doesn’t get shocked when touching me… does that mean any kind of physical affection is possible?’
Bo-bae thought: ‘If I have this man, wouldn’t I be able to write heart-pounding, pulse-racing romantic kiss scenes exceptionally well?’
Just then—
“Now then, please stand up.”
As Ho-rang tried to help her up, Bo-bae grabbed his tie and shouted:
“Hey, you!”
“…”
“Kiss me just once!”
No sooner had her words left her mouth than the fan club passed right beside them, scattering flower petals and soap bubbles into the air.
In the early summer, the meeting between the two looked utterly romantic.
