#112

“Ah, is that so? What a coincidence. No one in my industry has ever treated me like this either. Seems like you and I have a lot in common, Director. Then you must fully understand how I’m feeling right now, don’t you?”

At my leisurely question, sparks practically flew from Director Lee Gilseon’s eyes. He clenched his shaking hand into a fist and, gritting his teeth, spat out his words.

“You really shouldn’t be doing this to me.”

“Director, how many times do you think I’ve heard that in my life?”

“I’m not joking here. Do you even know how much influence I have in this industry? With one word from me, your little start-up entertainment company that you run as a hobby could be—”

What a predictable repertoire. I let his all-too-familiar threats go in one ear and out the other as I glanced toward Secretary Sung Yoojun. He took that as a cue and quietly stepped out of the set to carry out the instructions I’d given him beforehand.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said you really shouldn’t be doing this!”

“If I were going to listen to that, I wouldn’t have let things come to this in the first place.”

“President!!”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just accept things as they are? It’s obvious to anyone that you’re the one responsible for what’s happened here. Quietly stepping back would be the best option in every regard, wouldn’t you say? I have no desire to escalate this any further either. Like you said, we’re a start-up—it’s best to avoid unnecessary bad press.”

I asked because it would be better for both of us if this ended quietly, but judging by the look in Director Lee Gilseon’s eyes, there was no way that was happening. Not that I expected him to take the offer.

A shame, really. If he had just walked away, it could’ve saved him a lot of grief. Thinking that, I gave a slight nod. Then, as if waiting for that signal, Sung Yoojun came back in, bringing someone with him.

“Well, well, look who it is! Director Lee Gilseon, isn’t it? Been a while~.”

At the cheerful voice coming from behind, Director Lee Gilseon’s face visibly stiffened. He turned around slowly, his movements stiff like rusted hinges. When he saw the middle-aged man entering the set with Secretary Sung Yoojun, his expression twisted in disbelief.

“Do Seungwon?! What are you doing here……?!”

“Hmm? Obviously, I’m here to shoot a music video. What other reason would a cinematographer have to be here?”

Director Do Seungwon’s response came with a playful tone, and at that, Director Lee Gilseon’s face flushed between red and pale. It looked like he’d realized the job he thought was his had now been handed over to Director Do Seungwon.

Ignoring the blazing fury in Director Lee Gilseon’s eyes, I walked straight toward Director Do Seungwon. As I approached, Director Do Seungwon gave me a respectful bow.

“President.”

“I’ve been waiting for you, Director Do.”

I returned his bow, receiving his greeting in kind. Perhaps our rapport looked too good, because Director Lee Gilseon suddenly shouted with a sharp edge in his voice.

“So you’re cutting me and handing the job over to that guy?! You know full well what kind of history I have with him—how could you do this to me, sir?! Do you think it’s okay to humiliate a person like this?!”

The one who humiliated others first is talking like he’s the victim now. I didn’t bother hiding the coldness that overtook my face as I stared at Director Lee Gilseon screaming his lungs out. He flinched and instinctively took a step back. It was obvious to anyone he was scared.

I knew exactly how threatening I could appear when I wore a cold expression. My features already gave off a naturally chilly impression, and once I stripped away any trace of a smile, even people I was close with would flinch for a second. That’s why I usually tried to maintain a gentle expression. But not right now. At this moment, I had no desire to make that kind of effort. Honestly, it felt like a waste.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. And I don’t see how handing the job to Director Do is supposed to be an insult to Director Lee Gilseon.”

Of course, that was a lie. I knew perfectly well. I had called him here with that exact intention.

After listening to Nam Yisol and Manager Ahn Siwon yesterday, I’d thought long and hard about how to return the favor to Director Lee Gilseon. Fundamentally, I was the kind of person who believed in an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and an insult for an insult. I wanted to return the humiliation I’d received from him in kind.

And that’s when the idea of Director Do Seungwon came to mind.

In the industry, Director Do Seungwon and Director Lee Gilseon were well-known rivals and arch-enemies. Lately, Director Do Seungwon had been falling behind, but that actually made it even better. There’s nothing more infuriating than being overtaken and replaced by someone you thought you’d already crushed.

They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So I contacted Director Do Seungwon immediately. It was late, but thankfully, he picked up the phone and very readily agreed to my offer. Turns out, no one can resist a chance to stick it to someone they hate.

“Well then, could you please leave now? We need to get started with our new director.”

“Sir!!”

“Director Do, did you receive the video and concept proposal I sent over last night?”

“Yes. I’ve seen and read everything. I’ve also mapped out exactly how I want to shoot it.”

“You think I’m just going to let this go?!”

Ignoring Director Lee Gilseon’s shrill, desperate voice, I continued my conversation with Director Do Seungwon. But again, that same familiar shout rang in my ears. I really do hear that line a lot. I sighed softly and turned my gaze to Director Lee Gilseon. I opened my mouth to say something, but Director Do Seungwon beat me to it.

“And what if you don’t let it go? Gonna flap those big lips of yours and spread some weird rumors again? Sorry, but that won’t work this time. I’m here now.”

It was a bold statement. And an extremely satisfying one, too. Honestly, the reason I brought Director Do Seungwon into this wasn’t just to return the humiliation I’d received from Director Lee Gilseon. I wanted to borrow something from Director Do Seungwon—something I didn’t have.

“Guess you thought you could take advantage of the president not having connections in the entertainment industry, huh? Same old tricks as always. Don’t you think it’s about time you came up with something new? This is seriously pathetic, man.”

What I wanted to borrow from Director Do Seungwon was his network. I already knew what Director Lee Gilseon would try to do once we had a falling-out. He’d use the one advantage he had over me—his connections in the industry—to try to squeeze us.

And of course, just as expected, he did exactly that.

Not that it would’ve done much damage to me personally. But when I thought of Tartarus, who’d been enduring all this humiliation out of concern for me, and Manager Ahn Siwon, who’d chosen to keep quiet despite knowing he had to report what happened, I wanted to choose the safest path that would put their minds at ease.

With Director Do Seungwon’s network, we might not be able to stop the rumors entirely, but we could certainly neutralize them to some extent. That was my calculation when I reached out to him. And from his side, the opportunity to stick it to Director Lee Gilseon made it worth shaking my hand.

“You, you……!”

“Didn’t I warn you more than once to watch that mouth of yours? Should’ve listened. Tsk tsk. Now what? How are you gonna walk away from this without looking pathetic? You were so full of yourself, bragging that you were the one Chairman Goo Won chose…… I can already imagine what people are going to be whispering behind his back now.”

At Director Do Seungwon’s smug words, Director Lee Gilseon clutched the back of his neck like his blood pressure had just spiked. Seeing that, Director Do Seungwon’s face lit up with satisfaction, as if a decade-long weight had finally been lifted off his chest.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s kick the outsiders out and get to work, just us. Oh, and Gilseon—get out, would you? People have work to do.”

“Hey!! You think you can get away with this?!”

Snapping his fingers a couple of times to draw the attention of the production staff, Director Do Seungwon’s words finally made Director Lee Gilseon explode. He stormed toward Director Do Seungwon—and me—looking like he was ready to throw a punch at any moment.

Hmm…… What should I do? Should I just take the hit? If I let him hit me, the damage to his reputation might be irreparable. As I watched Director Lee Gilseon charge forward, huffing and glaring with narrowed eyes, I toyed with the thought. He was already close, and his fist was raised high.

……Yeah, probably better not to get hit. Whether it’s intentional or not, there are people who would be upset if I got hurt. Making that decision, I started to raise my hand to block his punch, but before I could, someone suddenly stepped in between us.

Thud!! A dull thwack echoed through the studio. I blinked in confusion, unable to immediately process what had just happened right in front of my eyes.