I Spent a Night with a Top Star Actress Chapter 40 - Good morning.

CEO Baek Ji-won swirled her wine glass with an elegant motion.

“As you know too, Division Head Park, this isn’t the first or second time Ha-eun’s dug her heels in, is it?”

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon answered while cutting a slice of premium American cheese.

“Not the first or second time is right. It’s practically daily.”

“I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Ego matters for an actress.”

CEO Baek Ji-won smiled softly.

“But that stubbornness sometimes points her toward the wrong direction, the wrong choice.”

“… You mean this Hollywood offer.”

“Yeah. That’s the one.”

Red wine wetted CEO Baek Ji-won’s red lips.

“When I failed to talk her out of it, it hit me. Ha-eun’s grown up so much, hasn’t she. Grown past the point where I can just reach out and touch her anymore.”

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon trailed off.

“So this investment is…”

“That’s right. Once, I could let it slide as her being cute about it, but…”

The corner of CEO Baek Ji-won’s mouth rose.

“Letting it slide twice, that’s a different matter, isn’t it? So I want to get a leash on her ahead of time.”

“…”

“She turned down a fifteen-billion-won offer, so a fifteen-billion-won leash seems about right. Does that make sense, Division Head Park?”

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon’s lips moved.

“I’ll move forward with the investment, CEO.”

“Thank you. Oh, and…”

CEO Baek Ji-won smiled softly.

“Keep an eye on Ha-eun and take good care of her for a while, would you?”

“You mean actress Lee Ha-eun?”

“Yeah. On the surface she comes off tough, but she’s got a surprisingly soft side underneath.”

The corners of CEO Baek Ji-won’s eyes curved into half-moons.

“She’s going to feel a lot of pressure over this, and I’m worried it might make the mental health issue she’s been dealing with worse.”

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon’s eyes shook.

Seated across the table, CEO Baek Ji-won drank her wine with an expression faintly lit up.

Watching her quietly, Division Head Park Yu-hyeon answered slowly.

“… Understood, CEO.”

“Good. But, Division Head Park.”

“Yes?”

“Why the face?”

CEO Baek Ji-won pouted like a child.

“That hurts a little… it’s a bit sad if even you, Division Head Park, look at me like that.”

---

I took Ga-eul straight to a nearby hospital.

Luckily, it wasn’t a cold, just exhaustion.

The grueling schedule she’d been keeping up with lately, plus the lack of sleep.

On top of that, she hadn’t been eating properly either, so it would’ve been strange if her body hadn’t given out.

“It’s not a cold, but just to be safe, continuing the shoot won’t be possible.”

At the doctor’s warning, the mini fan meeting was cut down to a simple greeting.

“It’s disappointing, but if it’s exhaustion, there’s nothing to be done.”

“I’m sorry, PD Jo. Please pass this along to PD Park too.”

“Ugh, don’t worry about it. Just tell Ga-eul-ssi to forget about the shoot and focus on getting better.”

I accepted PD Jo’s kindness without turning it down.

I explained the situation to the fans who’d shown up at the fan meeting, greeted them briefly, and then headed straight for a large hospital nearby.

With an IV needle in her wrist, Ga-eul lay on the bed and stared at me quietly.

Guilt, gratitude, worry, regret.

I could feel a mix of emotions I couldn’t put into words in that intense look.

“…Chief.”

“Yes, Ga-eul-ssi.”

“I’m sorry.”

Her throat seemed to tighten, and the end of Ga-eul’s words trembled slightly.

She was a delicate kid compared to the rest of Twenty, who tended to be more rough-and-tumble.

Looking at her expression, it seemed like she was taking on worry she didn’t need to.

When your body’s sick, the best thing is to rest without worrying about anything.

How could I take that worry off her shoulders?

But thinking about it, this wasn’t a worry I could take away.

Taking care of your body is a professional’s job too.

Sure, she was a rookie not even a year into her debut, but thinking ahead, this would end up being a good lesson for Ga-eul.

So instead of hollow comfort or a lecture, I tossed out a joke, casual as usual.

“They say not even a fool catches a summer cold…”

“?”

“And here our team’s got two of them.”

Ga-eul blinked, then burst out laughing.

“I don’t have a cold, Chief.”

“Exhaustion, cold, same thing…”

“I probably caught it from Ye-ji-unnie.”

“Weren’t you just saying it’s exhaustion, not a cold?”

“Did I say that?”

“Saying the same nonsense both ways means you’re not thinking straight. Go to sleep already.”

Ga-eul tugged at the end of my sleeve.

“Are you leaving?”

“No. I’ll stay until the IV’s done.”

Ga-eul muttered in a self-deprecating voice.

“I’m sorry, Chief.”

“What for, sorry again? The shoot wrapped fine.”

“No, that’s not it…”

Trailing off, Ga-eul slowly closed her eyes.

“I want to do well, but it’s not working out.”

“What isn’t?”

“You’re always the one helping me, Chief… so, that’s why.”

Ga-eul’s low voice tickled at my ear.

“I want to be some help to you too, Chief. Why is that so hard?”

Hearing her breathing settle into a soft, even rhythm, it seemed like she’d finally fallen asleep.

Once I confirmed Ga-eul was asleep, the tension I’d been holding taut finally snapped loose.

A wave of fatigue hit me all at once, and I found myself rubbing at my eyes.

I thought about lighting a cigarette, but realized I was in a hospital room right now and held off.

But the exhaustion that had washed over me wasn’t easing up.

My eyes kept drooping shut like a sick chicken.

Feeling like I might actually fall asleep at this rate, I turned on my phone.

In that short span, thirty missed calls and fifty messages had already piled up.

Feeling my sluggish mind sharpen up a little, I swiped through my phone.

Got any material on actress Lee Ha-eun…

How’s it looking on Seo Tae-jun’s end for The Priest in Black.

When’s the script reading, give me something…

Everyone was reaching out from every direction, trying to fish out scraps from the frenzy over The Priest in Black.

I found myself smirking.

“Wow, people who never bother reaching out otherwise, they only show up at times like this.”

Not that I was the type to feed my self-worth off something like this…

Maybe it was because I was facing this raw, naked hunger I didn’t usually get to see.

A faint sense of exhilaration rose from deep in my chest.

I’d somehow ended up in a position where I could control people’s hunger.

Compared to my first year as a road manager, I could feel just how much had changed.

But the past five years hadn’t only changed my position.

They’d changed my relationship with one particular person too.

“Why hasn’t she reached out.”

Top star actress Lee Ha-eun had gone quiet.

Thinking about the expression I’d seen that day…

It wouldn’t have been strange at all if she’d caused some kind of trouble, but this unpredictable woman hadn’t said a word since that day.

“What’s she thinking?”

Even I, the only one of Lee Ha-eun’s former managers to survive a full year, a certified Lee Ha-eun expert, couldn’t guess.

‘That expression I saw at the meal that day.’

Her breath, the way she touched me, the emotion in it.

That day, Lee Ha-eun had been holding herself back from crossing a line.

So why would a woman like that go this quiet?

Mulling it over, I muttered, out of nowhere.

“Don’t tell me she’s playing hard to get?”

… A chill ran through me at the thought that had come out of nowhere.

Lee Ha-eun, playing hard to get?

No way, absolutely not!

Feeling the fatigue suddenly drain right out of me, I muttered.

“Or maybe she’s gone into the project and is deep in script study.”

The world only sees Lee Ha-eun’s image and calls her a genius.

But watching her up close, I knew better.

That acting was a matter of talent, sure, but it was just as much a matter of hard work.

‘Once she’s in a project, Lee Ha-eun’s whole world becomes the script.’

She ate for the script, slept for the script, built her entire routine around the script.

With that kind of effort added on top of talent, of course the acting quality would be good.

Thinking that far, I let out a short laugh.

“Well, guess all I can do is trust her and wait.”

Whatever else was true, once Lee Ha-eun was in a project, I could trust her.

Out of every actor I’d ever seen, she was the most thoroughly professional of them all.

Right as I settled my thoughts like that, my phone rang.

My eyes went slightly wide.

“Director Park Jun-seo?”

I got up and answered the call.

“Yes, Director.”

-Chief Kwon? Got a minute to talk?

I glanced over at sleeping Ga-eul, then stepped out of the hospital room.

“Yes, yes, I’m free.”

-Ah, it’s nothing much, I was just wondering when you might swing by the office, so I gave you a call.

“Ah… things have piled up on my end this week, so I haven’t been able to reach out. I’m sorry about that.”

-No, no, it’s fine! My own phone’s about ready to catch fire too, so of course you’d be busy, Chief Kwon. Still, I felt like I really had to tell you this, so I called…

Director Park’s voice suddenly heated up.

-After talking with Baekhak’s PR team, we’ve decided to pick up the pace!

My feet came to a dead stop.

“You mean…”

-Yes, it’s decided!

My heart started pounding.

Amid that pleasant rush of excitement, Director Park announced!

-The Priest in Black’s script reading is set for the end of this month, Chief Kwon!

A fresh wave washed refreshingly through my whole body.

---

The next day.

Coming in to Baekhak’s head office, I put a cigarette to my lips and turned on my phone.

-[HOT] Top star actress Lee Ha-eun confirmed for the Seo Rin-bi role in her next project, “The Priest in Black”…!

A top star actress joining a project has a strange power all its own to pull other actors along with it.

That’s because the title “top star” alone is practically a guarantee of box office success.

And right now, Lee Ha-eun was one of the very best actresses working.

-[S Pick] “The Priest in Black,” fronted by Lee Ha-eun and Seo Tae-jun’s star power, stirs up buzz!

-Will the buzz extend to film too? “The Priest in Black” officially announces veteran actor Park Tae-sik joining Lee Ha-eun and Seo Tae-jun…!

-[One-Line Talk-Talk!] The occult boom is coming! With A-list and supporting stars joining Lee Ha-eun’s headline project “The Priest in Black,” the industry’s buzzing!

Ever since Lee Ha-eun joined, the pace of casting for The Priest in Black had turned unusual.

Veteran actor Park Tae-sik had joined for the key supporting role of Cardinal Seo Jun-hyeong.

An actor with two separate ten-million-admission films to his name had signed on to The Priest in Black.

For all the other smaller supporting and minor roles too, actors far more accomplished than I’d expected were quickly signaling interest in joining.

‘I figured the reading date might get moved up earlier than planned because of that, but…’

I never dreamed it would happen this fast.

Thinking it over for a moment, I could guess the reason without much trouble.

“Guess Baekhak wanted it this way.”

There’s one rule that holds in the unpredictable world of PR.

‘They say when the tide’s coming in, you don’t just row, you strap on a motor.’

Meaning while the public’s attention is gathered, you keep throwing them fresh material to keep the buzz reproducing itself.

And right now, The Priest in Black was getting massive attention thanks to Lee Ha-eun joining.

There was no way Baekhak, having decided to invest in The Priest in Black, would let this chance slip.

They were probably planning to squeeze out as much buzz as possible before going into filming.

The corner of my mouth rose.

“… So that means filming starts next month?”

Wasn’t it two months ago that I first learned about the script for The Priest in Black?

And now, that payoff had arrived faster than I’d expected.

“Wow, so this day really does come.”

But as it turned out, the flower that had actually bloomed was somewhere else entirely.

-[Bias Idol!] Rookie girl group “Twenty,” breaking past the storm to seize the throne? Just three steps away from the number one spot on the music charts…!

-The craze sweeping the MZ generation, following along with “Twenty’s” Attention dance challenge!

-[Breaking!] Pulling back the curtain on a rookie girl group? Star Watch! reveals rookie girl group “Twenty’s” debut…!

The public’s response to Twenty had turned unusual.

After locking down a spot in the upper charts, they’d steadily started showing up in NutTube shorts and on social media.

In the middle of all that, Star Watch! had joined hands with Baekhak’s PR team and gone all in on the promotion.

If the Star Watch! footage came out anywhere near as good as I expected…

It looked like Twenty might actually hit number one on the charts before The Priest in Black’s reading date.

Right then, an exclamation burst out of my mouth on its own.

“CEO Baek’s gift… I’m finally about to get it.”

Feeling that thrilling shiver run down my spine, I looked up.

The sunlight was still warm, but it already felt like fall had arrived.

And fall is the season of harvest.

Meaning it was about time to start harvesting all the bait I’d scattered around.

At that thought, my mood, already good, shot through the roof.

Tension, excitement, joy.

My nervous system, which had been resting for a while, was starting to buzz with dopamine again.

That’s when a strange whisper drifted into my ear.

“That Chief Kwon guy, he’s just riding on Lee Ha-eun’s coattails, isn’t he?”

“?”

“Hey! Let’s be honest here. Did Queen of Joseon succeed because of that Chief Kwon guy?”

My eyes went wide.

“Chief Kwon, that guy’s pure luck, isn’t he? Am I wrong?”

A sudden burst of dog-barking, drifting over from the rooftop smoking area.

I decided to hold my breath for now.

---

I stubbed out my cigarette and hid in a corner of the smoking area.

Meanwhile, new visitors had shown up at the smoking area and started chatting away.

“Hear that? Lee Ha-eun’s next project got decided, apparently.”

“Huh? She’s already going into her next project?”

“Doesn’t Lee Ha-eun usually take a year off after wrapping a project?”

“That’s not even the point, apparently this next project’s occult.”

“What? Occult?”

“What’s Lee Ha-eun lacking that she’d shoot something in a minor genre like occult?”

They were road managers from Management Team 3.

“Heard Chief Kwon Chan from Team 5 recommended the script.”

“Chief Kwon? Isn’t he the one who got the Mercedes from the company recently?”

“Yeah, probably. The one who got a Mercedes as a reward for Queen of Joseon hitting big.”

My eyes fixed on a man in his early thirties with a half-bald head.

‘Team 3’s Chief Lee Jae-min.’

A chief with four years under his belt, plenty of experience behind him.

With Chief Lee Jae-min leading the way, the trash talk about me kicked off in earnest.

“That Chief Kwon, isn’t he just riding on Lee Ha-eun’s coattails?”

There’s a thing that happens sometimes.

Words that sting worse than an insult said to your face.

What I was hearing right now was exactly that, words worse than an insult.

“Honestly, let’s be straight about it, Queen of Joseon didn’t succeed because of Chief Kwon, right?”

“Ugh, that’s true, Chief Lee.”

“Honestly, that’s all Lee Ha-eun’s doing.”

“And wasn’t Twenty a group Baekhak was pushing hard on purpose anyway?”

“That’s all going to fade fast, and he’s already walking around with his shoulders up like he owns the place.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know his place, that’s why he recommended occult to Lee Ha-eun. Heh heh…”

Doesn’t know his place? That stings.

I’d thought I knew my place pretty well.

Meanwhile, the Team 3 road managers kept spewing out all kinds of rumors about me without a break.

That I’d forced Seo Tae-jun to shave his head half off…

That I was just some guy who got lucky thanks to Lee Ha-eun…

That my shoulders had gotten arrogant lately just because I’d had a little success…

Honestly, I could let the rest slide, but why was Seo Tae-jun’s haircut my fault?

‘He’s the one who pushed for that himself.’

I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head.

Hearing this, Seok-du hyung’s warning was starting to hit home.

He’d said the chiefs eyeing the Team Leader spot would keep tabs on me, and this was exactly the kind of thing he meant.

‘Alright, what now?’

The smartest move was just to keep hiding and pretend I hadn’t heard.

If I just plugged my ears and acted like I hadn’t heard anything, this whole situation would probably blow over smoothly.

But like I always say, I’ve got a bit of a prickly streak.

I’m the kind of low-down bastard who can’t repay a favor but always pays back a grudge tenfold.

Just like they’d said, with my shoulders squared, I stepped out from the corner where I’d been hiding.

The Team 3 road managers, who’d been happily gossiping about me, startled and stammered.

“C, Chief Kwon?”

Seok-du hyung told me once.

Kwon Chan, you’re a crazy bastard who threatens people with a smile on your face.

I decided to put that into practice, right now.

Wearing the brightest smile I could manage, I greeted the Team 3 road managers.

“Good morning, isn’t it?”

At my morning greeting, the Team 3 road managers broke out in cold sweat.