TL: emptycube / ED: Isleidir

  W-what a surprise. I was so surprised that I almost swore.

  What the heck? Why did she answer her phone? Did she need someone to curse?-

  Hello? Hello! What the heck? It’s definitely the hateful guy.

  Did she have my number saved as the ‘hateful guy’? Well, I won in that regar-

  I shook my head as I was about to escape from reality-

  Can’t you hear me? I’m going to hang up if you don’t answer in three seconds. Three, two, one, what is it?

  You said you were going to hang up!

  I quietly clicked my tongue before examining the faces of those in front of me. The team 2 leader and the others were still looking at me. They seemed to think that the phone was still ringing. How would it look if, for whatever reason, Son Chaeyoung, who didn’t pick up when the team 2 leader called, answered my call?

  Hmmm, let’s act like she didn’t pick up.

  I hung up after deciding. Good. It looked natural.

  I was calmly putting away my phone when someone asked,

  “Didn’t you hear a voice before you hung up?”


  Damn it, someone’s ears were needlessly sharp.

  “It seemed like a woman’s voice.”


  Doubtful gazes fixated on my phone. In return, my hand trembled. I thought I suddenly developed hand tremors, but it was my phone vibrating. While only moving my eyes to look downwards, I glanced at the name on my phone screen.

  The team 2 leader approached me with suspicion.

  “Who is it?”


  Who do you think? It’s the crazy bitch in this neighborhood.

  The vibrations didn’t stop, and the team 2 leader seemed like he was about to snatch my phone away from me. It was too late to act dumb.

  “Who is it?”


  “Ms. Son Chaeyoung.”


  “What?”


  Everyone’s eyes widened as though they would pop out of their sockets. They were giving me such weird looks that it felt like I wasn’t holding my phone but grabbing Son Chaeyoung by her hair.

  “Why is she…… Never mind. Answer it first. Quickly! Before she hangs up!”


  When I paused, the team 2 leader quickly gestured with his hands as he urged me to answer the phone. I frowned and made a somber expression. While acting like I was very uneasy in answering this phone call, I answered the phone,

  “Hello?”
-

  What the hell? It is you. I thought I might be the team leader.

  Son Chaeyoung mumbled as though she found this unexpected.

  Because everyone was straining their ears, the room became so quiet you couldn’t even hear a single breath. The team 2 leader mouthing something. What was he saying? When I showed him a face that read I had no idea what he was saying, he hastily wrote a memo on his phone and showed it to me.

  {Speakerphone!}

  Ah. When I pressed the speakerphone button, Son Chaeyoung’s voice filled the room-

  Wait, did the team leader make you call me? Are you with the team leader right now?

  The team 2 leader swiftly shook his head.

  “No.”
-

  Then what? Why did you call me?

  What reason did I have to call Son Chaeyoung? Damn it, there were none.

  The team 2 leader urgently wrote another memo and showed it to me.

  {Ask her where she is right now! Just figure that out!}

  “Where are you right now?”
-

  Why are you asking me that?

  I know, right? The team 2 leader seemed taken aback as he repeated wrote and deleted memos on his phone. The other employees were mouthing words next to him. This wasn’t some silent comedy film. Someone scribbled something on his phone and showed it to me.

  {Because I want to see you?}

  “Because I wa……”


  Was this guy crazy? I almost read that out loud.

  When I gave him a dumbfounded look, the chief made a face that seemed to recognize his mistake. It seemed that he only now realized that Son Chaeyoung and I met on a single log bridge instead of a bridge of birds-

  What? Hello? Hello! Why aren’t you saying anything again? Why are you still carrying around this trashy phone when I told you to change it already? Because what?

  Son Chaeyoung’s speech and tone were no different from normal. From what I heard, it seemed Chief Jo, who had reached his mental limit, shouted at Son Chaeyoung, telling her to get off the van, and Son Chaeyoung really got off in the middle of the road and disappeared.

  Seeing as she wasn’t shouting, was she still outside? I couldn’t any other noises though.

  Since the other people were still mouthing ideas, I decided to make something up.

  “Because I thought I saw you.”
-

  What?

  “I thought I saw someone who looked like you just now on the street.”


  Even I thought it was just baseless nonsense. The team 2 leader’s face flushed. It seemed he was anxious Son Chaeyoung would figure the situation out and hang up. Feeling urgent, my mouth had moved on its own.

  After a moment’s silence, Son Chaeyoung snorted-

  I’m home right now. What similar person? Do you think a face like mine is common?

  Now really, the people around her were a mess while the heart of the storm was at home.

  I looked at the team 2 leader. He looked like he was texting Chief Jo, but his face was clearly one of relief. It seemed like there was no reason to keep talking to her. Just as I was about to hang up after thinking that was it, Son Chaeyoung continued to speak as though she was strangely happy-

  Stop beating around the bush and get to the point.

  The point?-

  I’m telling you to stop wasting time since I already know what it is.

  What?-

  I was wondering how long you would play your game of ‘house’, but have you finally come to face reality? You want to work with me-

  “Ah, my battery.”


  I hung up. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say through the speakerphone since it would undoubtedly be the continuation of the ridiculous proposal last time. I clearly refused that time. I really couldn’t tell what went on inside her head.

  I completely turned my phone off just in case she called again.

  I felt people’s gazes as they were taken aback, especially the team 2 leader.

  “Hey, you, to-“


  “I’m sorry. It felt suffocating.”


  “What?”


  I continued with the most depressed voice I could make,

  “I’m am suffering from a stress disorder ever since the unpleasant clash with Ms. Son Chaeyoung in the past. Just hearing her voice makes my chest feel stuffy and as though I’m suffocating. It feels like my soul is being hit by a dump truck.”


  The team 2 leader showed a bitter expression.

  You should know my relationship with Son Chaeyoung well enough.

  “It’s that bad? Listening to the phone call, it didn’t seem that bad.”


  “It is that bad. It couldn’t be worse.”


  “Still, you were able to talk with her. Hey, why don’t you look after Cha-“


  “It was fortunate that the CEO took my circumstances into consideration when Son Chaeyoung asked him to switch my assignment to her. If I was assigned to her, I might be going to a mental hospital instead of work.”


  I used CEO Baek Hansung’s name. Rather than bringing up Neptune and the team 3 leader’s names, this was probably more effective since it would be difficult for the team 2 leader to blindly force me when even the CEO said he would leave the decision to me.

  “Ah, he did. The CEO……”


  The team 2 leader clicked his tongue as he looked at me as though it was a shame. I was worried that he might look at me in a worse light than before now that I straightforwardly refused his proposal, but it didn’t seem like it.

  Well, it wasn’t anyone else but Son Chaeyoung. Even the Team 2 employees looked like they wanted to avoid this human natural disaster. The fact that Son Chaeyoung built up a worse name for herself recently actually worked in my favor.

  The team 2 leader clicked his tongue and patted my elbow.

  “Then if a situation like this comes up again, could you at least……”


  Without a doubt, when the meeting began, I was the one who had a request, but now, our positions had changed a little. I licked my dry lips. It seemed like the ideal opportunity to say what I had been waiting to say had arrived again.

  “Understood, but team leader. I have something I want to ask.”


  “What is it?”


  “There’s an unknown actor I’m interested in, could I show you his profile?”


  “Actor? Who?”


  I gave the team 2 leader a simple introduction of Nam Joyoon. Like how I had promoted Neptune to broadcast producers, good points about him flowed from my mouth. Though it looked like it was the first time the team 2 leader was hearing Nam Joyoon’s name, he seemed interested in what I was saying.

  “Well, if your discerning eye is even half as good as the rumors, you won’t bring up someone ridiculous.”


  He mumbled before saying,

  “Send me his profile.”


  The next day, I found out Nam Joyoon’s phone number and received his profile.

  While we were talking for a short time on the phone, he didn’t ask about the contract or try to strongly promote himself. All that returned as a polite greeting, saying how he was thankful that I thought favorably of him.

  I sent his profile to the team 2 leader before jumping into my schedule, from settling the empty spot the traitor had left behind to taking over as a chief. I was incredibly busy.

  I thought it would take longer before the team 2 leader responded, but I received a call within a day, saying that he wanted to set up a meeting.

  The next time I met Nam Joyoon was when I came to give him a ride to the meeting.

  In an alley with a few rays of sunlight, Nam Joyoon walked down stairs that were as dry and worn as he was. He clearly looked like he paid more attention to his outfit than when we first met on set.

  His hair was combed, and he wore a grey dress shirt instead of the faded t-shirt. They didn’t seem to be his own clothes as the dress shirt was too big on his chest and the slacks were so short that his ankles were visible.

  “Um……”


  Nam Joyoon, who got in the passenger’s seat, had a difficult time speaking.

  “I wanted to ask last time, but I endured it.”


  “Yes, you can say it.”


  I nodded casually. Internally, I was anxious.

  I was constantly worried that maybe he had come with high expectations. While we were able to arrange a meeting smoothly, it wasn’t certain whether he would be able to sign an exclusive contract or not.

  However, what Nam Joyoon said next wasn’t about the contract.

  “Those scenarios, would it be okay to read them for a bit while we’re driving?”


  “The scenarios?”


  “Yes, they are projects I’m seeing for the first time.”


  His focus was on the stack of scenarios placed in the back.

  “Feel free to. Though I can’t show them to the public since they haven’t started filming yet, it’s fine if you read them here.”


  “Thank you.”


  Nam Joyoon lowered his head and held the scenarios in his hands. As though they were national treasures, he was very careful whenever he flipped a page.

  The change was like rain falling on a dry wasteland. With vivid eyes, they were only fixated on the scenarios. Even when we arrived at the company parking lot, he didn’t mention the contract even once.

  His expression as he got off the minivan without the scenarios looked so sad that, if it wasn’t for the meeting, I would have let him read them the entire day.

  I sent Nam Joyoon to a Team 2 employee before going to my office to finish up my work. My hands were working quickly, but my progress was slow. I couldn’t concentrate at all because of the meeting.

  Unlike Neptune, who I was assigned to as soon as I joined the company, I felt a sense of responsibility for bringing Nam Joyoon here myself.

  Anyways, I straightened my nervousness and waited.

  I hoped the team 2 leader would see something in him like I had.

  “How strange.”


  Someone suddenly said behind me. Fox-like eyes. It was that person. Chief Sung who treated me friendlily during the meeting with Im Joowon.

  “What is?”


  “It’s- wait a second. This isn’t a good place for whistle-blowing.”


  Whistle-blowing?

  Chief Sung glanced at the employee in the office before gesturing outside with his chin. We immediately moved to the emergency stairs, where a shivering chill rubbed against our skin.

  Chief Sung brushed a step and sat down.

  “I also looked at Mr. Nam Joyoon’s profile, but his profile wasn’t one that was good enough to arrange a meeting. That’s why I’m saying it’s strange.”


  “His profile isn’t good enough for a meeting?”


  When I asked with a frown, Chief Sung nodded.

  “That actor, he ended his relationship with his previous company with a lawsuit.”


  “There were circumstances behind that. It was a place with a lot of problems.”


  “The circumstances aren’t very important. What’s important is that it doesn’t look good.”


  Chief Sung explained while using hand gestures.

  “We receive a ton of profiles from suggestions or that were brought over by casting managers. We are looking for actors worth signing an exclusive contract amongst them, but that’s not something that can be decided by one or two people. Unless the actor is outstandingly good, usually, we hold meetings in which we undergo a process of removing those that are less good.”


  “Removing?”


  “’His reputation isn’t so good, take him out.’ ‘I heard he had surgery, remove him.’ Since they are all good actors, they get removed from the list due to trivial things. Ended his relationship with his previous company with a lawsuit? Of course, he’ll be removed. That’s why he wasn’t someone who usually get a meeting in the first place.”


  However, Nam Joyoon was in a meeting right now.

  “It’s one of two things. The team leader discovered something special about Mr. Nam Joyoon or he wants something. But I think it’s the latter.”


  Chief Sung scratched his chin as if indicating this was the key point.

  “He definitely has something he wants from Chief Jung.”


  After the meeting, Nam Joyoon came out of the meeting room. When I looked at the time, only 20 minutes had passed. Nam Joyoon came up to me with the same expression he had when going into the meeting. I couldn’t tell what they talked about from that expression.

  “Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”


  “No need. I did it because I wanted to. I’ll let you know as soon as I know the results.”


  Nam Joyoon smiled faintly at my words.

  Seeing this, I realized that worrying about what to do if he was disappointed after getting his hopes up was useless. He probably didn’t have high hopes in signing with W&U.

  The only one who did was me.

  Nam Joyoon took a few steps then turned around to look at me.

  “I’ll buy you a meal when I get paid from my part-time job. Also, could I continue to read the scenario I was reading before?”


  When I nodded, Nam Joyoon went back with a smile.

  Immediately after, the team 2 leader called me to an empty meeting room as though he had been waiting for me. If what Chief Sung had said was true, then I could only think of one thing that that man wanted.

  While I was waiting while mulling over it, the team 2 leader entered the meeting room, holding two cups of coffee.

  Though I did accept a cup, the coffee today looked like poison today.

  Preparing to reply to the team 2 leader’s words, I wet my mouth with the coffee. Just then, the team 2 leader, who had been giving me a meaningful look, suddenly asked,

  “Hey, what do you think about transferring to Team 2 now?”


  Single Log Bridge is from an idiom: Encountering your enemy on a single log bridge – meaning encountering bad luck at the worst place and time. Bridge of Birds is from a famous story where birds made a bridge connecting two lovers.