#111

“Anyway, these days the problem is people who don’t know the first thing about music keep jumping in saying they want to do it too. Every job requires expertise, you know? Your president has spent his whole life doing business—he doesn’t know a single grain’s worth about this field, does he? And yet, he dares to……”

Down below, Director Lee Gilseon was still flapping his lips, tirelessly talking behind my back. I watched his busily moving mouth with great interest. Then, Secretary Sung Yoojun gave a slight tug on our interlocked hands and said,

“……Wouldn’t now be enough?”

“That’s true. This should be plenty.”

I replied lightly and slowly rose from my chair. Then I let go of Secretary Sung Yoojun’s hand and picked up a chocolate cookie from the table, dropping it down below.

Crunch. The cookie shattered into pieces as it hit the empty floor, and everyone on set turned their eyes toward the spot where it had fallen. Of course, Director Lee Gilseon was no exception.

“What was that?”

“A cookie.”

“Why did a cookie fall down over there?”

Murmurs began to spread among the staff in confusion. A few quick-witted ones started glancing up at the ceiling.

Leaning over the railing, I waved lightly and said.

“Sorry. My hand lost strength, and I ended up dropping the cookie I was eating. I hope it didn’t startle anyone too much?”

Despite the distance between the ceiling and the floor, some people recognized me. As my name came out of their mouths, the filming set quickly grew noisy.

“Gasp…!”

“Isn’t that Chairman Goo Won?”

“What? Seriously?”

I leisurely scanned the bustling set. I spotted the stunned faces of Tartarus looking up at the ceiling, and Manager Ahn Siwon shaking his head like he’d been expecting this all along.

With a bright smile, I waved at them. Yoo Euiseo, with a dazed look on his face, raised his hand to wave back. That reflexive return of a greeting, even while looking totally lost, was adorably endearing.

Filling my heart with joy from those precious people’s adorable reactions, I then turned my gaze to Director Lee Gilseon. He had now jumped up from his seat and was looking up at me with a face drained of all color.

“That expression feels awfully familiar. Isn’t that what they call ‘I’m screwed’?”

“Yes. That would be the correct term.”

I whispered just quietly enough that those below wouldn’t hear, and Sung Yoojun answered calmly. While we leisurely labeled Director Lee Gilseon’s expression, he fumbled for a long moment in panic before finally speaking.

“Wh-What are you doing here……?”

“Oh, you see, I’m someone who doesn’t know even a single grain’s worth about this industry. So I thought maybe I’d come learn a thing or two from our very knowledgeable Director Lee Gilseon.”

As I rested my arms on the railing and spoke, a chill fell over the filming set. The staff exchanged glances with one another, and Director Lee Gilseon’s already pale face turned even whiter.

Seeing that face, it was clear he wasn’t the kind of person who had the guts to talk boldly behind someone’s back to their face. I stared at Director Lee Gilseon with a look of deep disappointment, then turned and descended from the ceiling.

The path from the ceiling to the filming set wasn’t complicated, so Secretary Sung Yoojun and I were able to enter the set quickly. As we stepped in, all eyes in the filming studio shot toward us like needles.

But I neatly ignored those stares and focused solely on Director Lee Gilseon, walking directly toward him.

“This is the first time we’re meeting in person. Let me introduce myself. Hello, I’m Goo Won.”

“Ah……”

“Some people also call me the fresh-faced young conglomerate chairman or the rich young man with bizarre hobbies, so feel free to call me whatever suits you best.”

I stopped at a reasonable distance and laced my words with sarcasm, which made Director Lee Gilseon’s lips tremble. His eyes, darting aimlessly, locked on me. Just from the look on his face, you could tell he was scrambling to figure out how to handle the situation. Not that it would matter what he tried—there was no way I was letting this slide.

“The music video shoot was getting delayed, so I got curious about what kind of masterpiece was taking so long to produce…… and ended up hearing some very interesting things. I couldn’t possibly leave without seeing the director in person, which is why I’ve interrupted the shoot like this. You understand, don’t you?”

With that, I gently lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile. Seeing it, Director Lee Gilseon’s shoulders gave a noticeable twitch. He hurriedly opened his mouth, clearly scrambling to come up with an excuse.

“President, that’s not what I—”

“What isn’t?”

“Pardon?”

“What is it exactly that’s ‘not what you meant’? You denouncing Tartarus for lacking talent? Or the evaluations you made about me? Which one is it?”

I asked as if I was genuinely curious, and Director Lee Gilseon opened and closed his mouth like a fish, unable to respond. I was quite curious about what kind of excuse he’d make, but the words that finally came out were as predictable as ever.

“I only said those things because I truly wanted everyone to succeed……”

“Ah. So you insulted and denounced Tartarus and me because you sincerely wanted us to succeed?”

“I-I just got a little carried away in the heat of the moment. It was a mistake. I genuinely care about Tartarus and you, sir.”

“Oh dear. If you cared just twice more than this, you’d probably ruin someone.”

As I cheekily twisted his words, a stifled laugh escaped from behind me. Director Lee Gilseon snapped his head around and glared sharply at the group behind, like a hawk searching for prey. His eyes swept swiftly across the faces of the staff. But finding someone whose expression had already returned to neutral was no easy task.

In the end, Director Lee Gilseon had no choice but to turn his head back, unable to identify the source of the laughter.

“……Perhaps it would be better for both of us to continue this conversation in a calmer state of mind.”

Maybe he’d collected himself while he was turned away for that brief moment—his tone was noticeably more composed.

“Well, I’m not so sure. I think you’re the only one who needs to regain their composure.”

“President, I know I upset you. Yes, I misspoke. But I didn’t know you were here when I said those things. If I had known you were around, I wouldn’t have said any of that.”

“So, are you saying it’s fine to insult someone as long as they’re not present? I never imagined your sense of morality would be that shallow, Director.”

“Please stop with the sarcasm! What did I do that was so wrong? People make mistakes sometimes in life!”

I widened my eyes at Director Lee Gilseon’s sudden outburst. The flicker of relief that crossed his face told me he thought he’d caught me off guard. Clearly, he believed that by raising his voice and throwing me off balance, he could somehow turn the situation in his favor.

How little must he think of me to pull a stunt like this…… I swallowed the scoff that almost slipped out and hardened my expression. Then, in a voice low and calm, I replied.

“If I were you, the first thing I would’ve done is apologize to me and to Tartarus. Not shout defensively or make some ridiculous excuse.”

“Sir, I just—!”

“How little must you think of me to believe you could break my composure with nothing more than a raised voice? I must look terribly young in your eyes. Or maybe you just firmly believe in that old saying—‘The louder voice wins the fight.’ But the truth is, it’s not that the loud person wins because their argument is better—it’s because the other side gets so fed up they stop thinking it’s worth continuing the conversation. I suppose if that counts as winning, then yes, you win.”

Director Lee Gilseon flushed bright red. It was the unmistakable reaction of someone who’d been struck where it hurt. I gazed at his ready-to-explode face with detached indifference and continued.

“From what you just said, I now have a very clear picture of how you see me. This has been a very enlightening conversation. And since I’m grateful for this…… educational moment, I’d like to give you a gift. Will you accept it?”

Anyone could tell that whatever ‘gift’ I was about to give wouldn’t be something pleasant. Everyone on set, including Director Lee Gilseon, held their breath, waiting to see what I would offer.

“Leave. Your commission has been canceled. And from now on, you won’t have any more face-to-face interactions with me in this industry.”

“Wait, President! Isn’t this a bit one-sided? How could you treat me like this? No one else in this industry has ever treated me this way!”