🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 13
“Noona, shouldn’t we leave now?”
“Be quiet for a second.”
“Aah, noona…!”
For someone who had barged into a massive seven-story building with over 3,000 pyeong of indoor space using nothing but a lie, Arin looked absurdly confident.
* * *
It had only been a little while ago.
When Arin boldly lied to the security guard, saying she had an appointment with CEO Joo Taeuk, Jinsu had secretly laughed at her.
If a company this huge could really be fooled with such an obvious lie, then what was even the point of having security guards?
He had even worried that by tomorrow morning there might be a headline article reading:
“Actress Kim Arin Turned Away at JT Entertainment.”
But why was this so easy…?
The security guard, who seemed to make a quick call somewhere, opened the door with an awkward expression.
And Arin even smiled brightly at him as if to thank him.
Watching the doors open so naturally, Jinsu briefly wondered if he had somehow ended up in a hidden-camera prank show.
Completely unaware of his suspicions, Arin strode into the building without hesitation, and Jinsu hurried after her once he snapped out of it.
Somehow he ended up following her all the way into the elevator.
“W-Where are we going right now, noona?”
“Usually the CEO’s office is on the top floor, right? Our agency’s CEO office is at the top too.”
“Huh? I-I mean… usually, yeah.”
“Right. Then let’s start from the top floor.”
“…What?”
“If not, we can just work our way down.”
Arin answered as if it were no big deal, while Jinsu felt the back of his neck stiffen painfully.
The doctor had once told him he had high blood pressure, and he’d thought that was ridiculous at his age.
But apparently the cause was standing right in front of him.
Jinsu glared at the back of Arin’s head.
If their CEO found out about this situation, the first person getting fired definitely wouldn’t be her.
It would be him.
A vision of the gaming console he had bought last month on a six-month installment plan flashed through his mind.
“Noona, seriously, I really don’t think this is a good idea. Okay?”
Despite his desperate pleading, Arin simply watched the advertisement video playing inside the elevator.
Her eyes sparkled as she watched clips of JT Entertainment actors performing.
JT Entertainment.
The company headed by Joo Taeuk.
The place where Han Gyeoul—the actress constantly making headlines—belonged.
The video ended with the phrase:
“We’ll walk your path together.”
And for some reason, Jinsu had the horrifying feeling that path might lead straight to hell.
He urgently grabbed the hem of Arin’s clothes.
“Noona, are you even listening to me? I’m telling you this is a terrible idea!”
“What is?”
“Showing up here without an appointment and acting like this! If our CEO finds out, we’re dead for sure!”
“I don’t think the CEO will really say anything to me.”
“Of course not! I’m the one who’ll suffer! They’ll say I failed to manage you properly!”
Even at his outburst, Arin’s face remained calm.
After rolling her eyes thoughtfully for a moment, she shrugged.
“But you know too.”
“Know what?”
“That there’s no way to meet CEO Joo Taeuk unless we do something like this.”
“……”
“So it’s fine. The CEO told us not to do anything embarrassing that would disgrace the agency, right?”
“What does that have to do with this—?!”
“I went to the salon at dawn today.”
“…What?”
“With this, we’ve already done our best not to embarrass the company. Since Kim Arin, the face of the agency, went to the salon before sunrise. Right?”
“Noona! That doesn’t even make sen—!”
“The elevator’s stopping. Either keep following me quietly, or if you’re scared, go wait in the car.”
After tossing those words behind her, Arin stepped out of the elevator without hesitation.
At this point, Jinsu had almost reached the stage of whatever happens, happens.
As he stood stubbornly inside the elevator, he watched the doors slowly begin to close.
Staring anxiously at the narrowing gap, Jinsu suddenly slammed the “Open” button repeatedly.
“You’re absolutely going to hell when you die, noona!”
* * *
“…You’re absolutely going to hell when you die, noona.”
Repeating his earlier curse under his breath, Jinsu stood around the corner keeping watch.
Fortunately, the hallway was deserted.
Glancing toward Arin, he saw her pressed tightly against the CEO office door, listening carefully.
“Noona, shouldn’t we leave now?”
“Be quiet.”
“Aah, noona…!”
What in the world was she even doing this for?
As Jinsu stared at her incomprehensible behavior, he suddenly thought her face looked darker than before.
“Noo—”
♬♩♪—
Just as he was about to call out to her, worried by the rare shadow over her expression—
A loud ringtone suddenly echoed through the hallway.
Startled, Jinsu hurriedly fumbled through his pocket.
Panicking at the deafening ringtone bouncing through the quiet corridor, he quickly hit the decline button.
Arin’s long, sharp eyes widened in surprise as much as his own.
And then Jinsu hurriedly hid his phone behind his back after spotting the man standing behind her.
“What exactly are you doing here?”
Joo Taeuk.
The CEO of JT Entertainment himself.
* * *
“…Did you say Han Yeoreum?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
To Won, Taeuk looked genuinely flustered.
Won gave an awkward smile and continued speaking.
“If you call it love, then it’s love. If you call it lingering attachment, then maybe that too.”
“……”
“I’m doing this while clinging to feelings that can neither reach her nor connect to her.”
“……”
“I apologize for making such an unreasonable request because of my own selfishness.”
As Won bowed deeply in apology, Taeuk rubbed his chin with a troubled look.
The man’s words did not sound like lies.
Then why had he been holding Gyeoul that day?
The unresolved memory replayed vividly in Taeuk’s mind.
“CEO…?”
♬♩♪—
At that moment, a loud ringtone echoed from the hallway where no one should have been.
Won shot to his feet, while Taeuk’s expression hardened as he slowly stood up.
“I’ll check it myself.”
Striding toward the door, Taeuk threw it open without hesitation.
Through the opened doorway appeared a familiar face.
“What exactly are you doing here?”
At Taeuk’s cold tone, Won’s gaze also shifted toward the door.
Behind Taeuk stood a woman he recognized.
“Ah… w-well…”
“Miss Kim Arin?”
Shock spread through Arin’s eyes as she looked at him.
After biting her lip briefly, Arin slowly bowed politely.
“It’s been a while, Prosecutor Kim.”
The cyberbullying lawsuit that had concluded not long ago.
Kim Arin had been both the victim and plaintiff in that case.
* * *
“No. There was no prior appointment with the CEO. Yes… yes.”
Sangwoo had stepped aside to take a phone call, but the conversation was lasting quite a while.
I quietly sipped my coffee while listening to his voice echo faintly through the silent house.
It had been so long since I’d had caffeine that it felt like even my hair was standing on end.
The sensation was oddly satisfying, and the corners of my lips naturally lifted.
“I doubt she had an appointment with Han Gyeoul either. No, I’m not entirely sure about the details…”
Han Gyeoul?
My brows twitched at the unexpected name drifting from his mouth.
If I hadn’t misheard, he had definitely just said my sister’s name.
Surprised, I quietly rose from my seat.
Carefully creeping toward the hallway where he stood talking, I strained my ears.
Fortunately, Sangwoo seemed too absorbed in the conversation to notice me approaching.
“First, I’ll return to the company and verify things personally. Team Leader Kang, please make sure Kim Arin doesn’t get caught up in anything else for now. Yes, I’ll head over immediately.”
This time, Arin’s name slipped from his lips as well.
From what I gathered, the Arin I’d been searching for had somehow ended up at Taeuk’s agency.
At that moment, Arin’s face from last night resurfaced in my memory.
‘Who are you?’
‘You’re not Han Gyeoul.’
“Are you trying to say something changed? Or are you asking if nothing changed at all?”
The memory of Arin doubting my identity tangled my thoughts.
After a moment of consideration, I finally made up my mind.
Watching Sangwoo stare grimly at his phone, I knocked lightly against the nearby wall.
Startled, he spun around.
“What are you doing standing there?”
“Sorry. I overheard my name, so I ended up listening unintentionally.”
His brow furrowed with displeasure at my explanation.
Seeing his irritation, I shrugged as though it weren’t my fault.
“The house has great acoustics. You probably couldn’t have hidden it even if you tried.”
At my words, he let out a shallow sigh, seemingly admitting fault for taking the call in the open hallway.
Watching him, I spoke again.
“By the way, that call sounded related to me and Kim Arin…”
“……”
“Am I right?”
After hesitating briefly at my question, Sangwoo sighed.
“…Yes.”
“……”
“It was a call from JT Entertainment’s head of security. Apparently Kim Arin and her manager claimed they had an appointment with CEO Joo and entered the building.”
Wow.
I swallowed the exclamation internally.
Arin was even more reckless than I had expected, and strangely enough, that made her feel familiar.
Sangwoo studied my expression before speaking more quietly.
“Just in case, I’ll ask you first, Han Gyeoul. Did you arrange to meet Kim Arin beforehand?”
He probably already knew the answer.
If I had arranged a meeting with Arin, I wouldn’t have asked him for her contact information in the first place.
After considering it for a moment, I smiled playfully and shook my head.
“No. I didn’t.”
At my short reply, he nodded as though he expected that answer and lifted his phone again.
As he appeared ready to contact the security team, I added casually:
“But I suppose it all depends on how you frame it.”
“…What?”
“If I go with you right now and meet Kim Arin myself, then technically there wouldn’t be any problem, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ll ask for her number personally. If you’re heading back to the company, then I can come along too, can’t I?”
At my relaxed suggestion, Sangwoo’s face twisted with surprise.
The situation was resolving itself much faster than expected, and I couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips.
