# Chapter 36
“What? Don’t cross the line? Well said. Then when that crazy CEO or whatever he is tries to lay hands on someone’s face, should I just stand there with my arms crossed watching? A celebrity’s face is their livelihood. Doesn’t someone who wants to be a celebrity know that? Confirming a celebrity’s safety is also one of a manager’s duties. Did you make such an absurd demand of me without even knowing this?”
What an unfunny bastard, did he think I’d shut my mouth if he put on a serious face? At his irritated “don’t cross the line,” I poured out words as if I’d been waiting for it.
“…”
Seo Hanryul said nothing. Of course he would. Even I thought there wasn’t a single thing wrong with what I said, so naturally he had nothing to say.
“I shouldn’t be angry at you though… Sorry. Let’s go straight home today.”
Knowing he was also in the wrong, he immediately apologized. Ugh, that bastard who looks like he’s been burned. If he’d done even half of what he does to me, that crazy CEO wouldn’t have gone as far as he did. I had a lot I wanted to say, but since he apologized, I had nothing more to add.
We arrived in front of Seo Hanryul’s house.
“We’re here. Get out.”
“Tomorrow, come out to the agency.”
“Yeah.”
“Cha Jaehyun.”
Seo Hanryul called my name as if something had occurred to him while getting out of the car.
“What?”
“Have you been seriously injured anywhere recently? For example, your head or something…”
He suddenly asks if I’ve been injured anywhere. That kind of question was probably thrown because I don’t seem like the Cha Jaehyun he knew. But I couldn’t not help Seo Hanryul who was in crisis.
“Stop talking nonsense about ghosts eating unhulled rice and go home.”
I lightly ignored his question and was about to just send him off when I remembered the scene of him stupidly enduring earlier, and I got angry again.
“Hey, and try standing up to the CEO with the same temper you show me. Were you planning to just stand there getting hit like an idiot if I hadn’t been there today?”
“Mind your own business. It’s none of your concern.”
When I added my words, he threw a tantrum, slammed the car door shut, and went into the house.
‘That, that temper… Still, it’s fortunate he didn’t get hurt.’
There’s a public audition soon anyway. If he just passes the audition, goodbye to this trashy agency. Seo Hanryul will definitely pass confidently. I thought I should keep a close eye on that crazy CEO’s behavior for the next 4 weeks.
‘So eventful~ So eventful.’
[Young Master, are you living peacefully? I contacted you because it’s been a long time since I heard from you.]
I sighed and started the engine when suddenly a text came from Han Woojin. I’d been forgetting about Han Woojin since things got hectic after Cha Taesan came to the house. He probably sent a message to check on me right after getting hit by Cha Taesan and leaving immediately.
My condition wasn’t good and there was no particular need to call Han Woojin, so I casually ignored the text.
* * *
“What?”
“Young Master, you left hurriedly last night with an injured face, so I was worried and came to see you.”
I dragged my tired body to the front door only to find an unwelcome guest standing there. How long had Han Woojin been waiting in front of my house?
‘I never said I was coming home.’
I’d never told him about my schedule, yet seeing Han Woojin calmly waiting in front of my house as if he knew I’d come home gave me goosebumps for a moment.
‘Did he follow me?’
I was already dying from stress because of Seo Hanryul, and Han Woojin’s unexpected behavior raised my stress level even more.
“Secretary Han, as you can see, my face is perfectly fine. Now that you’ve confirmed I’m okay, you can go back. And from now on, don’t stand here in front of my house like this until I call you first. It’s hard on you too, Secretary Han.”
I indirectly told him not to worry about me in the future. Knowing full well that Cha Taehan was his backer, there was absolutely nothing good about continuing to run into Han Woojin.
“…I’m sorry, Young Master.”
“Right, you should go now.”
“Young Master, as you said, the swelling on your face seems to have gone down, but the wounds are still there. I think you need to apply more medicine.”
Even when I told him to go, he kept harping on about my face. It’s not even his face, so why is he so interested?
What did he receive from Cha Taehan in exchange for monitoring me to be this devoted? The thought of Han Woojin hiding his claws and fulfilling his duty toward someone he hated was frightening.
“Haa… I appreciate the concern, but I’ll take care of my own face.”
I need to get rid of this bastard somehow. Right now, Seo Hanryul alone is more than enough. Suddenly, a good idea occurred to me.
“Right. Secretary Han. You really worked hard helping me alone in America, so take this opportunity to go on a vacation somewhere far away. I’m fine, so go on vacation and don’t contact me, just rest to your heart’s content. While you’re at it, you could rest for a month or two, or even three months.”
If Han Woojin rested for about three months, it would be a huge windfall for me. I wouldn’t be entangled with him for a while. Of course, if he rested for three months, Cha Taehan wouldn’t stay still, but that would be a problem between Han Woojin and Cha Taehan anyway, so it wasn’t my concern.
‘I don’t even hope for two or three months, so just rest for a month.’
I took out my black card and pressed it into Han Woojin’s hand.
“Don’t feel burdened and use it. If you need separate cash, just tell me.”
Cha Taehan probably gave him enormous material compensation anyway. Then I’d use the same strategy.
“Young Master, I don’t need this kind of thing-“
“Secretary Han, then have a good vacation. See you next time.”
I cut off Han Woojin’s words and hurriedly entered the house. Han Woojin, let’s not see each other for a while.
* * *
“Secretary Han, then have a good vacation. See you next time.”
Jaehyun cut off Woojin’s words and quickly went into the house. Woojin was left alone, holding the black card Jaehyun had given him.
Last night, after Jaehyun left the house, Woojin was deeply worried about his face. If he worked while injured, his body wouldn’t recover quickly. The swollen pale cheek and dark red nosebleed. Jaehyun’s face kept vividly coming to mind as if he could grasp it.
But even after a day passed, there was no particular contact from Jaehyun. So he waited for him all day in front of his house. As expected, when evening came, he returned to his home.
Looking at his face, fortunately the swelling had gone down considerably. However, the wounds hadn’t healed properly yet and seemed to need additional treatment. Before, even seeing Jaehyun’s hair made him feel like diving into sewage. Seeing his much-improved face, he felt secretly happy.
“Take this opportunity to go on a vacation somewhere far away.”
But Jaehyun ultimately didn’t let him into the house. Rather, he made the absurd suggestion of taking a long vacation and pressed a black card into his hand. It seemed like a kind gesture, but in reality it was clearly an action with the intention of telling him to take the money and get lost.
When Jaehyun’s card came into his hand, Woojin’s heart began to fill with churning displeasure.
He thought something would change when they came to Korea. But Jaehyun was pushing him away just the same. At least when they were in America, they lived in the same house. If Jaehyun continued with this attitude, it was obvious it would be hard to see his face even once in the future.
Thud-.
Woojin clenched his fist and struck the wall next to the front door hard.
‘Something’s going wrong.’
When he earned 1 billion won after enduring all kinds of humiliation beside Jaehyun for 2 years, he could have left without regret. Nevertheless, the reason he didn’t quit was partly because of money, but mostly because he wanted to see that bastard’s miserable end beside him.
He wanted to watch with his own eyes as the bastard who called him a son of a bitch and despised him became stripped of everything and was eliminated from Daejin, and laugh at him to his heart’s content.
But now he didn’t want such a result. No, rather, he wanted to prevent such an ending. But not wanting this meant breaking the contract with Taehan. If that happened, he could no longer stay by Jaehyun’s side.
Woojin, who had been running nonstop like an unstoppable racehorse until now, faced an unexpected dead end.
‘Let me think.’
Woojin decided to be honest with his emotions now. He wanted to go back to America with Jaehyun again like before.
He remembered Jaehyun’s expression the day before departure. An expression saying he’d rather die than go to Korea. Yet he shamelessly lied with an obvious tell that he wanted to go to Korea. Recalling his dejected face, Woojin unconsciously let out a snicker.
‘Six months. That pathetic contract definitely specified six months. And in the last line, it said there would be no additional demands after that period passed.’
Jaehyun had become a completely different person. Judging from his current appearance, Woojin thought Jaehyun could spend six months without major problems. After that, that Seo Hanryul bastard would have nothing to say and would naturally have to disappear.
‘If he says something different later… I can intervene then.’
After just six months, Jaehyun would want to go back to America again. Then he could follow him back to America again under the pretext of being his secretary.
‘Right. I need to prepare everything during these six months.’
A way to stay by Jaehyun’s side continuously without going against Taehan’s wishes. Woojin thought he should quietly wait for the day to go to America while thinking of that method during the six months.
