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Chapter 10
The next morning.
Yujeong tilted her head as she watched Secretary Yoon walk into her office looking even more serious than usual. His expression was never exactly bright, but today it looked unusually dark. At a glance, he resembled a nervous new intern.
‘Have I been giving him too much work lately?’
Thinking back on it, there hadn’t been anything particularly overwhelming. Sure, there had been the complicated contract-termination issue with Seora, but it wasn’t nearly enough to justify that expression.
“Don’t tell me someone stole our coffee truck again?”
It was meant as a joke to snap him out of it, but Secretary Yoon didn’t crack a single smile.
‘Is something actually serious?’
There hadn’t been anything unusual in the morning documents, and the articles she’d skimmed during her breaks didn’t mention any scandals involving their actors. Not that there were any actors in their roster who were prone to causing trouble anyway.
‘Then what on earth shocked him like that?’
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Yujeong eventually spoke first.
“If it’s about a drug or DUI scandal like those incidents at other entertainment companies recently—don’t try to hide it. Just write the apology statement immediately.”
Of course, as far as she was concerned, none of their actors were the type to do such things. Still, given how grave Secretary Yoon looked, she threw it out half-jokingly, imagining it’d have to be something of that scale.
Secretary Yoon finally shook his head, snapping out of his daze.
“Oh, no, CEO. None of our actors have caused any trouble. It’s just… you have a guest waiting for you. You told me to clear your schedule for them…”
At that, Yujeong thought of Gogyeol and nodded. Last night during dinner she suddenly made an appointment, and she’d told Secretary Yoon someone was coming without giving any details.
“Ah, I guess Gogyeol is here?”
When she asked casually, Secretary Yoon looked flustered but nodded quickly.
“Yes!”
Once he left, Yujeong searched for the contract she had prepared. She planned to revise it together with him anyway, so showing him the draft early wouldn’t hurt. Everything was progressing more smoothly than expected.
‘If Seora suspends her activities, our revenue is going to take a huge hit. But if this contract goes through, the next quarter’s revenue could exceed the last.’
Recruiting new actors was still progressing slowly, so forming a contract with Gogyeol as soon as possible was ideal. In that sense, his visit filled her with hope.
Knock, knock, knock.
A moment later, the door opened.
“Come in.”
Gogyeol walked in slowly, wearing a black knit sweater under a leather jacket. He sat naturally on the sofa, but Yujeong immediately sensed something different in his expression.
“You said you were coming, so I printed out the contract in advance. Feel free to look through it and tell me if you’d like to add or revise anything.”
Handing him the envelope containing the contract, she took a seat on the sofa near him. Just because a person’s expression changed slightly wasn’t a reason for her to back down—she was a businesswoman. Persuading people and turning the tide was part of her job.
“If you’re satisfied, you can sign right away.”
It was said lightly, half in jest—half serious. But he didn’t smile at all. He simply looked at her quietly, then handed the papers back.
“CEO.”
His voice was overly calm. His expression was so unreadable that if she didn’t already know he was an actor, she might have mistaken him for a businessman.
“Yes, Mr. Gogyeol. Speak freely.”
“I’m here to talk about something else today.”
No matter how well he hid everything else, there was always one thing she could sense—instinct. The moment their eyes met, she knew something was wrong.
“Something else?”
He kept his lips pressed together for a long moment, hesitating, and finally spoke.
“I’m here to withdraw the offer I made last time.”
Neither his voice nor expression gave anything away—but now that she really looked, his eyes did. Regret. His gaze seemed to say so. Yujeong looked down at the contract she’d reviewed all night, then looked back at him.
“May I know the reason?”
Once again, he didn’t avoid her gaze. His eyes flickered with unspoken words, but his expression remained calm.
“You’ll find out soon.”
“I’d like to hear the reason from you directly.”
Yujeong, who always maintained a bright smile, didn’t bother hiding her seriousness this time. Yet he simply stood up—as if he had nothing more to say.
“Wait.”
Being desperate meant being at a disadvantage, but Yujeong grabbed his arm anyway.
“You made the offer yourself. Shouldn’t you at least explain why you’re retracting it?”
He gave her a faint, ambiguous smile. But behind that smile was the usual firmness. Just like at the company dinner, Yujeong had no choice but to let go of his arm.
“It seems I wasted your time with a pointless offer. I’m sincerely sorry about that.”
His tone wasn’t insincere. If anything, he looked at her more warmly than before, still polite and gentle. Yujeong could only close her lips. This was classic Gogyeol.
‘Elegant and soft on the surface, but once he decides something, he never overturns it.’
The Gogyeol she knew was someone who smiled even while rejecting someone. No amount of pleading would change his mind now. Reluctantly, she forced a smile and nodded.
“…All right.”
As she picked up the envelope, he watched her quietly, then hesitated.
“CEO.”
When she looked at him, he averted his eyes slightly and gave an awkward smile.
“I hope this doesn’t make things awkward between us.”
It sounded almost like “let’s meet again.”
‘What relationship would we even have beyond this contract?’
Entertainment CEOs didn’t usually meet actors from other companies socially. So it was easy to dismiss his words as a mere formality. Still, it felt like he underestimated her a little. Yujeong was the type of woman who, once she spotted her prey, never let go.
“I’m not someone who holds grudges. If anything, please treat me comfortably when we meet next time.”
Hearing her spirited voice, he let out a small laugh.
“I know. I just worried I might become burdensome to you.”
After he left, Yujeong stared blankly at the contract, then grabbed her head with both hands.
“Did he get cold feet after hearing about Seora and CEO Baek Jung-oh getting married?”
