Chapter 64 - What Did You Talk About?

“Are you trying to pick a fight with us right now?”

Seong Soo-ho glared at Choi Tae-hyung with a fearsome gaze.

If a picture of Baek Hyeon-woo and Seong Hae-won together were to be passed to the media, it would become quite a headache.

It's fine for a manager to be with an idol from their own agency, but Baek Hyeon-woo and Seong Hae-won are not from the same company.

On top of that, the location is a hotel lounge. Just as Choi Tae-hyung said earlier, they could be suspected of being right about to enter a hotel room together.

Even if they were to explain that it was a meeting to recruit Baek Hyeon-woo to DP Entertainment, it would be received as a lame excuse.

“Your side was the one that threw the first punch, Director Seong.”

It was Seong Soo-ho who was creating an atmosphere of fear, but Choi Tae-hyung answered with a resolute demeanor.

“Assistant Manager Baek here is a precious talent of our Haram Entertainment. To try and secretly snatch him away, no matter how much the entertainment industry is a ruthless jungle, isn't this going too far?”

Saying that, Choi Tae-hyung glanced at Seong Hae-won.

“And even trying to use a honey trap.”

“I didn't use the likes of a honey trap!”

Seong Soo-ho reacted fiercely, and Seong Hae-won also nodded.

“That's right. I was seducing him with pure intentions, you know?”

“You shut up!”

“Yessir.”

Seong Hae-won, scolded by her uncle, shut her mouth and stepped back.

“So Director Choi, what are you trying to do?”

“Let's just pretend this never happened.”

Choi Tae-hyung said, clapping his hands together.

“I don't want to have a conflict with DP Entertainment over something like this. How about we just move on as if nothing happened?”

“Move on?”

“Then we will also forget all about this incident. And there will be no sending strange pictures to the media.”

“……”

Seong Soo-ho bit his lip and glanced at Seong Hae-won.

Choux-pop hasn't even reached 3 years since their debut yet.

If a dating scandal breaks out for the leader, Seong Hae-won, the entire group will be greatly shaken.

On top of that, a dating scandal with the dedicated manager of a rival group, it would become a huge commotion.

“Assistant Manager Baek.”

Seong Soo-ho, who had been contemplating for a good while, turned his gaze to Baek Hyeon-woo.

“Do you really have no intention of coming to DP?”

“I'm sorry, Director Seong.”

Baek Hyeon-woo apologized seriously.

“I am grateful that you think so highly of me. However, I have work I must do at Haram Entertainment.”

“Phew…”

Seong Soo-ho clenched and unclenched his fist.

He worried for a moment if he was going to throw a punch, but that wasn't it.

“You'll regret it.”

Tossing out those words, Seong Soo-ho left the spot just like that.

He had decided to accept Choi Tae-hyung's opinion and treat everything as if it never happened.

“See you next time, Hyeon-woo-ssi.”

Meanwhile, Seong Hae-won left with a smile, showing no signs of remorse.

Suddenly, Baek Hyeon-woo had the thought that Seong Hae-won might be an even scarier person than Seong Soo-ho.

“Director Choi, thank you.”

After Seong Soo-ho and Seong Hae-won left, Baek Hyeon-woo expressed his thanks to Choi Tae-hyung.

“Judging by the atmosphere, it doesn't seem like they'll hold a grudge like UBX.”

“Yeah, that's a relief.”

It would be difficult if we earned the resentment of DP Entertainment on top of UBX.

They have their own guilty conscience, so they probably won't try to retaliate over this incident.

“But did you really take a picture?”

“The angle was off, so I couldn't.”

To think he threatened Seong Soo-ho like that when he didn't even have a picture.

Choi Tae-hyung was also no ordinary person.

“That's a relief.”

“What's a relief?”

“That kind of picture, how disappointed would the Newstarz members be if they saw it.”

Not just Seo Na-eun, but the other kids wouldn't have taken it well either.

Because Seong Hae-won had been creating such a suggestive atmosphere.

“Tsk, it was a chance to get some leverage on you, Assistant Manager Baek, but I missed it.”

“Aim for the next chance.”

Exchanging such a conversation, Baek Hyeon-woo and Choi Tae-hyung left the lounge together.

“Assistant Manager Baek.”

“Yes, Director.”

While walking toward the elevator, Choi Tae-hyung spoke.

“A new business card will be out soon.”

“What kind of business card?”

As Baek Hyeon-woo asked, Choi Tae-hyung answered in a surly tone.

“Team Leader Baek Hyeon-woo's business card.”

“……”

Hearing that, Baek Hyeon-woo smiled.

“And here I haven't even used up all my Assistant Manager business cards yet.”

Muttering that, Baek Hyeon-woo threw the DP Entertainment business card he had received earlier into the hotel trash can.

……

Unlike a company with a proper system in place like DP Entertainment, Haram Entertainment's organizational structure is not clear.

Still, since promoting Baek Hyeon-woo to team leader would make his relationship with Team Leader Park Yeong-ho strange, CEO Baek Yeon-ah stepped in and sorted things out.

“Assistant Manager Baek, no, thanks to Team Leader Baek, I'm already becoming a director. Well, I'll be.”

Park Yeong-ho gave a sheepish smile and scratched his head.

Now, Park Yeong-ho, just like Choi Tae-hyung, had become a director.

To be precise, Choi Tae-hyung is the Director of Planning Division 1, and Park Yeong-ho is the Director of Planning Division 2.

However, in the first place, calling them Planning Division 1 and Planning Division 2 was just giving them plausible-sounding names; in reality, they are nothing more than high-ranking managers.

Even after becoming a director, the work Park Yeong-ho is in charge of probably won't change much.

However, the work Baek Hyeon-woo does is scheduled to change a bit.

Because if he's promoted to team leader, he has to manage the other road managers.

Just like how Park Yeong-ho had managed Baek Hyeon-woo until now.

“To think I'll be managing other managers when I haven't even been with the company for a few months, it's a bit burdensome.”

“Still, if it's you, Team Leader Baek, you'll do well. Ask me anytime about things you don't know.”

He had new 'Team Leader Baek Hyeon-woo' business cards printed, but for a while, he will be in charge of Newstarz by himself like now.

Because they haven't hired a new road manager yet.

“Since you have a short industry career, Team Leader Baek, we'll have to hire a road manager who can cover that part.”

“If it's someone with a lot of experience, I think they might hate working under me.”

“We have to hire someone while taking that into consideration.”

Will we really be able to hire a good person?

Even when he worked at the orthopedic clinic, he had often seen Director Park Bong-hyeon worrying himself sick because of the employees.

Even a hospital director who has worked for over ten years has a hard time dealing with people, so can I do it well?

Baek Hyeon-woo fell into such worries.

‘Will I not awaken a manager management ability?’

If Baek Hyeon-woo's prediction is correct, it's highly likely that a new ability linked to his promotion to team leader will appear soon.

It's the third ability, following the Status Window ability and the Silhouette ability.

What kind of ability will it be?

“By the way, Team Leader Baek, did you tell the Newstarz kids that you became a team leader?”

“No. I haven't said it yet.”

“Tell them quickly. It's good to deliver good news quickly.”

Come to think of it, he had heard something similar from Choi Tae-hyung too.

Baek Hyeon-woo asked for Park Yeong-ho's understanding and decided to go visit the Newstarz dorm.

As it was, he had to visit the dorm because of replacing supplies anyway.

Because visiting a house where only girls live unannounced is an act without manners, he called Seo Na-eun in advance.

“Is it okay around that time?”

“Yes, I understand. Please come safely.”

After notifying her of his planned visit time, Baek Hyeon-woo gathered the supplies and headed to the dorm.

“Welcome, Manager-nim.”

“Yeah, is everyone here?”

When he arrived at the dorm, Seo Na-eun greeted him.

He had seen her often until now, but just because she was inside the dorm, Seo Na-eun was not dressed sloppily.

She was dressed in a fresh-colored T-shirt and shorts, and it was a look so stylish that it could have been used for a shopping mall model's photo.

“The other kids went out.”

“They went out?”

“Yes, they all went out together to buy something... by any chance, did you have other business besides replacing the supplies?”

Then again, it's the day to replace supplies, so there's no reason why all the members had to be waiting.

It was Baek Hyeon-woo's mistake to have hastily assumed that everyone would be at the dorm.

“By any chance, did you deliberately stay behind, Na-eun?”

“Yes, since you were coming, Manager-nim, I thought at least one person should be here.”

“From next time, you don't have to. It's okay.”

“No. I can't do that...”

“Are you doing this because you're worried I'll carelessly rummage through things when no one is here?”

At Baek Hyeon-woo's question, Seo Na-eun hurriedly shook her head.

“Th-That's not it!”

“Really?”

The inside of the dorm was well-organized.

They had cleaned so immaculately that there wasn't a single speck of dust, but still, there were places he had to check.

“You said the light here went out?”

“Yes, we were scared to touch it...”

“The bathroom is a bit like that.”

The bathroom light wasn't coming on, so he had to replace it with the CFL lamp he had brought.

As Baek Hyeon-woo opened the cover and immediately replaced the light, Seo Na-eun, who was watching from the side, covered her mouth and expressed her admiration.

“Your hand reaches without a chair.”

“Actually, it's more comfortable for me to stand on a chair too. But the bathroom floor is wet and sloped, so it's a bit dangerous.”

Imagine if one of the members was replacing the bathroom light and the chair slipped and she fell.

A light bruise would be one thing, but it's a headache if you get a sprain or a fracture.

“Next time something like this happens, just contact me. Don't try to do it yourselves.”

“Yes, we'll be counting on you.”

After that, Baek Hyeon-woo checked various spots in the dorm.

Fortunately, there were no other particular problems.

“Let's see, then now...”

“Manager-nim, have some coffee.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Before he knew it, Seo Na-eun had brewed coffee and set it on the dining table.

As Baek Hyeon-woo sat down and took the coffee cup in his hand, Seo Na-eun also sat in the seat opposite him.

‘I was planning on talking about the team leader promotion when all five of them were here... but should I just tell Na-eun first?’

As he took a sip of the coffee, a rich taste and aroma spread throughout his mouth.

“The coffee is delicious. Is this what they call having 'body'?”

“Ah, yes. I'm the one who chose it.”

As he praised the taste of the coffee, Seo Na-eun made a pleased expression.

“If you like it, shall I bring you a cup every time we go to a site later?”

“No, you don't have to go that far. It's too much of a hassle.”

“Yes…”

The shoulders of the pleased Seo Na-eun drooped.

Her Mental Condition on the status window also dropped slightly, but it couldn't be helped.

He shouldn't make an idol waste her precious time over something like this.

“Um, Manager-nim.”

As Baek Hyeon-woo continued to sip his coffee, Seo Na-eun opened her mouth cautiously, holding her coffee cup.

“What happened when you went with the Choux-pop people after the last 'The Idol' recording?”

“Ah, about that.”

Come to think of it, he hadn't talked about that yet.

“Those people were lying. It wasn't that they wanted to talk about the broadcast, they did it because they wanted to scout me.”

“What?”

“They asked me to come to DP Entertainment.”

Clatter.

Seo Na-eun hurriedly put down her coffee cup, and the coffee spilled.

“Then are you moving to DP Entertainment...”

“No, it's not like that.”

Baek Hyeon-woo immediately shook his head.

“I refused properly.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah, I clearly said I have no intention of moving, so their side won't say that kind of thing to me anymore.”

Saying that, Baek Hyeon-woo smiled.

“Where would I go leaving you guys behind. You don't have to worry about that.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Seo Na-eun's expression became at ease.

Until just a moment ago, she had been shaken to the point where her hands were trembling, but now she was in a state of being okay.

“But it seems that DP Entertainment has also figured out that you're a capable manager, Manager-nim. Seeing as how even the director there stepped forward to try and scout you.”

“I heard the team leader there is scheduled to move to another team. It's probably because of that.”

As he said that, recalling the face of Team Leader Jeong Do-woon, Seo Na-eun took a sip of coffee and opened her mouth again.

“Then it seems the reason Seong Hae-won showed interest in you, Manager-nim, was because of that.”

“What?”

“Because it seemed Seong Hae-won was continuously showing an excessive interest in you, Manager-nim... I was suspecting that maybe she had a crush on you, Manager-nim.”

Hearing that, Baek Hyeon-woo recalled the provocative sides Seong Hae-won had shown at the hotel lounge.

However, it didn't seem like she was doing it particularly because she liked Baek Hyeon-woo.

Shall I say, it was a feeling of her treating him like a fun toy and teasing him.

If Baek Hyeon-woo had been Seong Hae-won's dedicated manager, he could have made it an issue of workplace power abuse or sexual harassment.

“Honestly, I was a bit worried. About what I would do if Seong Hae-won revealed her feelings for you, Manager-nim, and asked to meet you...”

“No, that's not something like a crush, but...”

“Huh?”

Oops.

It was Baek Hyeon-woo who immediately shut his mouth, but Seo Na-eun's gaze changed.

“Manager-nim, what did Seong Hae-won say to you?”

“……”

It was a short remark, no different from a mumble to himself, but it seemed Seo Na-eun had sensed something.

Baek Hyeon-woo felt as if the coffee cup he was holding in his hand was growing cold.

“Just a moment.”

Clatter.

Seo Na-eun put her coffee cup down on the table.

And she reached out and picked up her phone.

“I'm calling all the members.”

The situation escalated.