Top Management

TM Chapter 130

TL: emptycube / ED: Isleidir

“W-wait! Wait!”

Director Park got up after me.

“Chief Jung, how can you get up like that?! I’ll talk to the distributors again so don’t get so worked up and sit back down. Let’s talk it over while drinking some iced coffee. Okay?”

Just what kind of ploy was this?

When I frowned, Director Park said,

“What? Did you think I’d cling to your pants? What to do? I don’t have any plans on doing that. Mr. Jung Sunwoo, you aren’t that great of a person.”

Ah, I must have scratched his pride.

He was a great director who was filming a 10-billion-won movie.

“Also, Nam Joyoon, he’s not that great of an actor. Even though his role has been reduced, I planned on giving him a few lines. Don’t you know that this is an amazing opportunity for an unknown actor’s filmography?”

I felt worse than being sworn at.

It felt like someone was stomping my precious thing in the dirt.

I suddenly recalled the audition. I clearly remembered his smiling face as he hoped we would work together, happy with Nam Joyoon. I had thought we had met a good director that day. To think he was someone who revealed his true character when faced with money.

God damn it.

“There are tons of actors who will want to replace him immediately once I make a couple calls. And there’d be a truck full of managers asking me to cast their actors! Are you not going to do this movie? How great. You’re so full of yourself.”

I recalled the saying that I had become sick of hearing since working in this industry.

Endure even if it’s unpleasant. If possible.

Cooling my head, I thought, ‘Did I have to endure this?’

Soon, I made my decision.

“Sorry, director. It’s a 10-billion-won film so, of course, we need to put up with it if it’s for the project. No matter how small the role, we’ll be grateful and work hard.”

“Even if you say that now, it’s too la-“

“It seems you were hoping for this kind of reaction.”

“What?”

Director Park gave me a stupid look before his face distorted.

“I don’t plan on acting like that. It works out since both of us don’t plan to. As a softie, I might have been in a difficult situation if you clung to me.”

“What? You bastard?”

“Bastard?”

“You’re just a manager, chief at best, yet you dare lash out at a director? Because broadcasts are inflating your ego by calling you a ‘Star Manager’, do directors look like pushovers to you? Do you not know how fast rumors spread in our industry? Are you not going to do any films in the future?”

Director Park snorted.

“You work in a big company like W&U and Lee Songha becomes bigger day by day so it seems like you’re not afraid of anything, but what about Nam Joyoon?”

The curses that rose up to my throat stopped in their tracks.

Nam Joyoon.

I thought about Nam Joyoon, who loved acting and wanted to act so much that he said this damn movie set, where he was disregarded by the staff and sympathized by others, was fun and not to worry.

“Whether he’s good at acting or not, which director is going to cast an unknown actor with a history like him? Acting like this, you are crushing his acting career! Do you know that? If you’re confident to take responsibility-!”

Just then, the trailer door burst open.

Nam Joyoon entered and locked the door behind him.

“Chief, come over here.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you might get hurt.”

Get hurt?

Before I could even finish my thought, Nam Joyoon pulled my arm. Even though he had a slim figure, his strength was incredible. Instantly, I was pulled to the entrance, and Nam Joyoon turned his back on me.

His back looked fierce, unlike his usual self. I unconsciously gulped dryly.

Thud. Just as I thought Nam Joyoon calmly grabbed the patio chair, the chair instantly crashed on Director Park’s table and rolled away. Crashing sounds pierced my ears. The patio table and glass cups shattered in pieces.

Stepping on the shattered glass, Nam Joyoon grabbed the corner of the table.

With an incredible sound, the table was slammed into the corner of the trailer. The stacks of paper fluttered in the air and slapped a blank Director Park’s cheeks as they fell.

“Ar-are you crazy?! You bastard, just what are you doing?!”

Then Director Park shouted at me,

“Chief Jung! Mr. Jung Sunwoo! Why aren’t you stopping him?!”

“Ah, I have some things to think about… Continue what you were doing.”

What did the W&U legal team employee say?

That if my celebrity caused an incident, the first thing to check was whether there were any cameras. As long as there wasn’t any physical evidence, they would be able to take care of it.

Let’s see… It doesn’t seem like there were any cameras in the trailer?

Relieved, I leaned my back against the trailer door.

“What?! Where do crazy bastards like you come from?! Nam Joyoon! If rumors about this spread-!”

“Spread the,.”

Nam Joyoon said, standing in front of Director Park.

“What? What did you say?”

“Spread rumors that the bastard named Nam Joyoon burst into your trailer and threw your table and stuff. Rumors about me are already so bad that something like that won’t even leave a mark. So do what you want.”

His voice was calm, but his words were threatening.

Although I could only see his back, it seemed like he had a fierce expression as well, seeing the mad Director Park flinch back in fear.

“However, if I hear that you spread rumors about the chief…”

Nam Joyoon took something out from his pocket.

It was the folding knife I had seen before.

The one that he had brought to the audition.

He unfolded and folded the knife. Just like when Director Park shouted that he passed in excitement. The folding knife moved skillfully in his hand.

To Director Park, whose eyes were trembling, Nam Joyoon said in a hoarse voice,

“I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“Yo-you crazy bastard! You’re not a gangster, yet it’s not enough that you wrecked havoc in my trailer, you dare threaten me?! Don’t even think about acting in this industry! Do you think I’ll sit still while you act like this? By any means, I wil-!”

“Don’t sit still.”

I said instead of Nam Joyoon.

“I don’t plan on sitting still either.”

*

“Sorry for showing you such a poor appearance. You were shocked, right?”

Nam Joyoon, who was sitting in the passenger seat, said.

“Of course, I was shocked. Even though I look like this, I lived my life protected like an orchid.”

I said jokingly. Because Director Park’s nonsense still rang in my ears, I might unconsciously step on the gas if I didn’t actively try to calm down like this.

After tapping the steering wheel, I looked beside me.

Flames were surging inside me, yet the person in question, Nam Joyoon, lowered his head and was fussing with his pants.

“What are you doing?”

“There are tiny pieces of glass on my pants. Ms. Soojeong got these for me.”

“Glass?”

The stylist stuck her head out from the rear seat with the same fierce expression she had when arguing with the assistant director. At least in this van, I wasn’t the only one who was angry.

“What happened in the trailer for glass to get stuck on your clothes? Did you really mean it when you said poor appearance? Oh my god. Did the director throw a glass cup at you?”

The one who threw it was this person though.

I feigned ignorance, but the stylist erupted in anger.

“Don’t tell me you just took it? Chief Jung, say something! Do you know how much Mr. Nam Joyoon was pushed around while you were gone? How is someone as meek as him survive in the entertainment industry?”

“Ms. Soojeong.”

Nam Joyoon called her name, but she snorted and continued to speak,

“Even though people aren’t treated like people if you’re not famous in this industry, there’s a limit to that! They treated you horribly, yet you endured it again and again to be in the movie! It was so frustrating seeing you like that! Ah, so frustrating!”

The stylist beat her chest.

I almost stepped on the gas again.

“Whenever I try to say something, you always say, ‘Ms. Soojeong, it’s okay,’ ‘I’ll deal with it,’ deal with what?! When I told you to tell Chief Jung, you kept telling me not to-!”

“Ms. Soojeong, please stop.”

Nam Joyoon’s voice lowered.

The stylist opened and closed her mouth, but Nam Joyoon shook his head.

After dropping the frustrated stylist in Yeouido, I drove towards Han River. The grassy field was packed with people. I parked my minivan in a moderately quiet place.

Then I opened a drink that I had bought at a convenience store as I said,

“You said you became human with age.”

“Pardon?”

Nam Joyoon looked confused.

“Last time, when I asked you if you were okay with the ‘crazy bastard’ role in this movie. You said that you would do well and to not worry. That you became human with age. To be honest, I didn’t believe you.”

“Ah.”

“I’m quite familiar with things getting thrown around, but it was my first time seeing a chair and table be thrown.”

I took a sip of the cool drink then asked,

“When you could act like that, how did you endure it for so long?”

I went straight to the point.

Nam Joyoon looked at me with an odd expression.

“You should have told me. Did you not trust me? Because the director and large distributor were pushing you around and going on about a 10-billion-won movie, did you think there was no point in telling me?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t know things like that were going on and thought everything was going well. I’m the one who persuaded you, saying that I was good at my job and to work together with me. I’m also the one who introduced you to this damn movie.”

I was extremely embarrassed but also angry.

I was frustrated at Nam Joyoon who didn’t say a word about it and just endured their treatment of him. I pitied him because he endured all that because he so dearly wanted to act despite his unfortunate circumstances.

He endured it for so long, yet he ended up slamming a table in front of the director.

Because he was worried Director Park would spread bad rumors about me.

I crushed the empty can in my hand.

“You’re going to hurt yourself like that.”

Just as he said this, the soda tab ripped off and its sharp aluminum edge scratched my palm. Red blood began to flow. It flowed down my wrist and dripped onto the steering wheel.

Nam Joyoon took the empty can and tossed it in the rear seat then examined my hand.

He took out a band-aid from his worn wallet and handed it to me.

“Why do you carry that around?”

“It’s a habit.”

I awkwardly put the band-aid on with my left hand when Nam Joyoon quietly said,

“It’s not that I didn’t trust you. I couldn’t tell you.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

Nam Joyoon’s voice became even quieter.

“I’m not sure myself, yet you said that you liked my acting. You helped me even by asking favors from other people. You even got me an opportunity to be in a movie.”

“That’s only natural.”

“I really wanted to do well this time.”

Nam Joyoon revealed a bitter smile.

“I’m someone whose life’s already messed up as it is, and it’s not my first time failing. But that’s not the same for you.”

Nam Joyoon, who had been looking directly at me, lowered his gaze slightly.

“I didn’t want to be the first failure in your management career.”

“What? Failure?”

“You’ve never failed since you’ve started working in this industry, If you didn’t involve yourself with the unlucky me, today’s incident wouldn’t have happened… So you can stop.”

Nam Joyoon said bitterly.

“As you saw, my luck is terrible.”

“Don’t worry, my luck is terribly good.”

Nam Joyoon’s eyes bulged at my words.

“Did you not hear it? The rumor that everything I touch is a success.”

“That’s…”

“So don’t worry. My luck is terribly good so if we calculate the negatives and positives, we’ll still end up in the green.”

Nam Joyoon’s expression became complicated.

Just then, a ringtone rang out.

It was my phone. When I checked the screen, it was the female employee of the PR Team.

As soon as I answered, the female employee rattled on.

-Mr. Sunwoo! Mr. Sunwoo, where are you right now? Where are you?

“At Han River. I have some personal matters.”

-Check the internet right now! Articles about you are being published like crazy!

As if he heard her voice, Nam Joyoon took out his phone.

“Just what is…”

Nam Joyoon’s expression became rigid. I quickly scanned content on his screen. Articles that have been published for less than a minute were popping up like crazy. Their headlines were similar.

[{The Midas’s Hand that brought Lee Songha to stardom, Jung Sunwoo’s next movie?]}[{Jung Sunwoo, who created an international star, returned temporarily because of a new movie? What kind of movie is it?]}[{Will Jung Sunwoo’s new movie be a hit? The film industry is turning its focus on it]}

-I don’t know where the rumors started, but the distributor known as Ace is charging forward in a frenzy! They are using your and Ms. Songha’s names to promote their movie! Just what is going on? No, first, tell me if this is fake so that we can-!

“Ah, I already told Team Leader Park, but it seems you didn’t hear about it yet.”

She paused when she heard my words.

“Just let it be. I’m the one who started it.”

-Pardon? What did you say?

Nam Joyoon’s eyes bulged as he looked at me.

I smiled and said,

“I set this up on purpose.”