episode_0203
by adminGo Tae-min slowly replayed the words he had just heard.
“Soo-ah likes dolls? The CEO is a puppet?”
…A CEO who willingly acts as a puppet doll, and Soo-ah, who likes dolls; it was quite chilling. It was as if she was collecting the people around her as puppet dolls.
“Haha…”
Go Tae-min laughed awkwardly and opened his mouth.
“The incident itself is so shocking that my brain doesn’t seem to be processing things quickly. It’s hard to understand. Wasn’t this whole thing CEO Kim Yi-seo’s doing?”
That was Go Tae-min’s question.
Wasn’t this something that Kim Yi-seo had pushed through alone?
However, Kim Yi-seo shook her head.
“If you really want to get down to it, I was just an actor.”
“Ah?”
“Because Soo-ah ultimately created the stage.”
Kim Yi-seo continued, speaking to the shocked Go Tae-min.
“The decision to prioritize the project and wait instead of addressing the sexual harassment allegations, and the fact that Kang Hak-man was having an affair with Lee Joo-hyun… it was all Soo-ah’s idea.”
Kim Yi-seo emphasized Soo-ah several times.
This was because Kim Yi-seo’s goal was to create a situation where Go Tae-min, who was treated like a master in Korea, would be indebted to Soo-ah. He was the kind of person who would repay the favor twofold.
Since he was a master, the scale of his repayment would be immense.
‘Of course, that’s not the only reason.’
Honestly, this was less of a favor and more of a matter of conscience.
…After all, Soo-ah had created the whole thing. If it wasn’t for Soo-ah, Kim Yi-seo wouldn’t have been able to act. She wasn’t such a poor CEO that she would steal Soo-ah’s credit.
Therefore.
“This project would have flopped without Soo-ah. I guarantee it.”
A calm conclusion.
“Uh…”
Director Go Tae-min couldn’t speak for a while.
It was only after a long time that he managed to open his mouth, but…
─♩♪♬
He couldn’t talk this time either. Director Go Tae-min’s phone rang a beat too early.
Come to think of it, it was only natural.
Such an unprecedented incident had occurred, so the people around them wouldn’t stay quiet, and it wasn’t just the director’s problem either. Soo-ah and Kim Yi-seo also had a flood of messages coming in, even though their phones were on silent.
Go Tae-min switched his phone to silent and said,
“…I’m dying to hear more, but the situation won’t allow it. Can we settle the project first and then hear all the details? About Soo-ah’s performance.”
“Of course, I’ll have to tell you. I also had a lot to organize, so that works out well.”
“Great. Let’s focus on doing our jobs in our respective positions for now.”
But the conversation wasn’t over.
It was because Director Go Tae-min belatedly remembered something.
“Ah, that’s right. CEO-nim.”
“Yes?”
“I’m asking just in case, but since you responded to my request, Soo-ah won’t be leaving the project, right?”
“Ah, I see.”
Kim Yi-seo understood what Director Go Tae-min meant.
With two major actors having dropped out, if Soo-ah left as well, it would take a long time for “Crescendo From Tomorrow” to be produced again.
That must be what he was worried about.
“Of course. However, I’d like you to carefully select the two new cast members and give them a boost. I want them to be good.”
“Carefully select and give them a boost. Yes. Of course, we have to.”
Go Tae-min rubbed his chin for a moment, then said,
“Surprisingly, Kang Hak-man’s spot might be filled quickly. David Park immediately comes to mind…”
Kim Yi-seo’s eyes widened.
Few people in the industry didn’t know David Park. He was an actor who had firmly established himself in Korea before pursuing his bigger dreams and knocking on the doors of Hollywood.
“Isn’t David Park in the United States?”
“He recently returned to Korea. He seemed very interested in the script, so it shouldn’t be difficult to entice him. Leaving Kang Hak-man’s spot aside, the problem is…”
“…Lee Joo-hyun’s spot, I suppose.”
“That’s right.”
Director Go Tae-min nodded.
“Finding a female actress is going to be difficult. It’s going to take time. There’s no other way. We’ll just have to consider the possibility that the production of “Crescendo From Tomorrow” will be delayed a bit.”
“That’s nothing compared to the entire project collapsing. Let’s focus on finding the right actress. Soo-ah can handle other schedules for a while.”
“Understood. Or perhaps…”
Go Tae-min paused.
“If Mystic recommends any actors, I will actively consider them. I am now one of the people who completely trusts Mystic’s judgment.”
The short but impactful conversation finally came to an end.
“…”
However, still.
Director Go Tae-min couldn’t leave his seat easily. Why? Soo-ah was at the center of this incident. The person in question, Soo-ah, had been silent without saying a word.
He carefully approached Soo-ah.
“Um, Soo-ah-ssi, let’s deal with the urgent matters first and then have another meeting. I have a lot to say and a lot to hear.”
Soo-ah nodded quietly.
“…”
At the same time, Soo-ah felt a thrill.
This was because Soo-ah’s own urgent matters had just been taken care of. She had finally made a firm decision. Let’s eat fried chicken. And let’s buy Sumi a gift on the way back.
Her mind was full of such thoughts. In other words, Soo-ah Soo-ah!
◈◈◈◈◈
A little while later. The parking lot.
Kim Yi-seo saw Soo-ah off.
“Soo-ah, sleep well tonight without any worries. By tomorrow morning, the whole nation will be on your side.”
Kim Yi-seo was going to put Soo-ah in the van to send her home, and then take a taxi to Mystic headquarters herself.
It was a consideration to get Soo-ah home even a little earlier. It would be convenient to travel together in one van, but it would take a long time if they had to go through Mystic headquarters.
In other words, Yi-seo consideration?
She easily caught a taxi. The way she waved her hand wildly with her small frame looked like a flying squirrel.
“Please go to the Mystic building.”
“Understood.”
She sat in the back seat of the taxi and checked her phone.
[ Missed calls: 72 ]
“I expected it, but this is insane…”
As soon as she saw that, she was convinced that she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. Sure enough, there was a mountain of work to be done. It was because Soo-ah had been caught up in a sexual harassment scandal.
Ah, even as she was thinking this, another phone call came. This time, it was a familiar person, Seo Yeon-joo.
Kim Yi-seo answered the phone.
“Yeah, Yeon-joo.”
“CEO? Soo-ah’s not answering her phone, so I saw the article!”
“Why are you calling Soo-ah? She’s already upset. Don’t bother her and leave her alone.”
“…I realized it too late and didn’t call her a second time, so I called you instead? No, so is this article true? That trash Kang Hak-man touched our Soo-ah?!”
“Yes, it’s true.”
Kim Yi-seo sighed deeply, and Yeon-joo became agitated.
“He’s married and has a daughter and he does that? Isn’t he crazy? He really needs to be sentenced to death!”
“Still, don’t worry. It’s going well.”
“That’s obvious. Who is our Soo-ah? Kang Hak-man really messed with the wrong person. I won’t let him get away with this.”
Kim Yi-seo calmed down the raging Seo Yeon-joo and hung up the phone. Still, one part of her heart warmed.
‘To think I would feel the bond of family at an entertainment agency.’
It was different from other entertainment companies where business relationships were everything. It was nice to see them genuinely caring for each other.
As she was thinking that, another phone call came in.
This time, it was also familiar. It was Kim Sun-il.
“Hello, Sun-il?”
“CEO. How is this situation unfolding now? What’s going to happen going forward?”
Compared to Seo Yeon-joo, Kim Sun-il was calm.
Seo Yeon-joo and Kim Sun-il both cared about Soo-ah just as much, but their approaches were completely different. Unlike the emotional Yeon-joo, Kim Sun-il was discussing future actions.
“There’s nothing to worry about. In the first place, this whole thing is a stage that Soo-ah set up. So it’s okay.”
“…A stage that Soo-ah set up?”
“Yes. Soo-ah isn’t exactly experiencing sexual harassment trauma. Rather, she was diligently thinking of ways to save the project while also punishing the other party. In other words—”
Kim Yi-seo then gave a detailed explanation.
“Hmm.”
Kim Sun-il quickly understood the context without asking any questions.
After the story was over, Kim Sun-il said,
“Insane.”
A short but intense impression.
“…Is this the result of combining alexithymia and high intelligence? She’s not like a human. It’s like an artificial intelligence that only finds and acts on the best options.”
“I know, right? I was…incredibly shocked too.”
What would have happened if Soo-ah had experienced alexithymia with low intelligence? The worst-case scenario would have occurred. She wouldn’t even have known that it was sexual harassment and would have readily given herself up. But Soo-ah wasn’t like that.
She perfectly resolved the situation with high intelligence, and didn’t experience trauma through alexithymia.
Wasn’t her handling of the situation something that could only be described as perfect?
‘Like…a killing machine without emotions?’
Kim Yi-seo suddenly had that thought. She was reminded of a killing machine without emotions that only appeared in science fiction.
Of course, this was something that Soo-ah, who was at home patting her stomach, would be startled to hear…but what could she do? Soo-ah had only shown a mythical figure in front of Mystic. This kind of perception was just her karma.
Kim Yi-seo’s thoughts continued.
‘Soo-ah isn’t just highly intelligent. She also has a sense close to precognition. If things continue like this, maybe…’
Soo-ah was someone who was navigating every situation like an invincible being, while also possessing a sense close to future prediction. If that were the case, wouldn’t it be good to expect a great future?
Like a figure who would be strutting across a large overseas stage.
Kim Yi-seo briefly imagined a red carpet overseas, and then
“CEO.”
Kim Sun-il’s voice broke her reverie.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I was just thinking about something else.”
“No, I was rude. You must be busy with work, but I couldn’t resist my curiosity and called you. I’ll hang up now.”
“Thanks for the consideration. Sun-il is always so thoughtful.”
Kim Yi-seo smiled contentedly and hung up the phone.
Before she hung up, she heard the sounds of Sun-il’s sister calling out, “Girlfriend, girlfriend,” which aroused her curiosity a little, but it wasn’t something she needed to worry about now. It was urgent.
“…”
And as soon as she ended the call with Sun-il, the next phone call came. Kim Yi-seo frowned without realizing it.
This time, it was an unsaved number.
“Hello.”
“Hello? Is this CEO Kim Yi-seo?”
“Yes. Who is this?”
“Ah, hello.”
The other person’s voice was trembling quite a bit.
“I’m a staff member of ‘Crescendo From Tomorrow,’ and I urgently got your number. It’s not that, but…”
Every second was precious, but the other person was talking so incoherently.
Kim Yi-seo almost told them to get to the point, but she restrained herself. The more urgent the situation, the more important it was to go the long way around. She might get some unexpected information.
Therefore.
“Speak calmly. I’ll listen carefully.”
“Ah, thank you so much.”
Fortunately, it worked. The other person had calmed down quite a bit.
But the next moment.
“…!”
This time, Kim Yi-seo was startled.
“Um, so, I have a video of the script reading. A video of Soo-ah’s sexual harassment…”
It was an eye-popping piece of information.
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