Chapter 28: The Calm before the Storm (3)
TL: emptycube
Editor: Isleidir
I took a deep breath and exhaled. Perhaps it was because of the incident, but the air up here felt different from the lower floors. A heavy atmosphere took hold of this place, making it seem like I shouldn’t breathe heavily.
I saw a few familiar faces in front of the CEO’s office. PR Team Leader Park who was holding the doorknob, about to go in, and the balding management business director next to her.
Sung Dowon’s manager, who I had met last time, had his head down like a sinner.
Then did this mean Sung Dowon had already arrived?
“Hey. You…”
The director let out a big sigh that seemed as if it could collapse the ground.
“Just how are to managing your actor to get into this kind of trouble?”
“I-I am sorry. That day, Dowon hyung told me not to follow and go home first…”
“So you just let him go and you went home by yourself?!”
“He said it was a private party with a few close acquaintances… I-I really didn’t know it was that kind of party…”
As if he couldn’t handle this situation, Sung Dowon’s manager’s lips were trembling. His face was already deadly pale.
“Director. Team Leader Park.”
“Huh?”
As we approached, the director became surprised.
“Why’d you come here? And why is that guy behind you? Are you trying to let everyone know?”
“That’s not it…”
When Kim Hyunjo transmitted what I said to the director, his eyes shined.
“It was a guy from Pure Star Entertainment?”
“Yes. I thought it would be good if I told you so I brought him here.”
“Pure Star…”
The director pondered momentarily before looking at Team Leader Park and asking.
“Seems a bit suspicious, doesn’t it?”
“Very. Director should know as well. That company is a bit…”
“Wait for a bit.”
The director knocked on the office door and went in. I saw a few faces as the door quickly opened and closed.
Two men wearing suits, one was the bearded man from the elevator. CEO Baek Hansung sat with an incomprehensible expression.
And Sung Dowon.
He always had a bright, gentle smile on his face, but it was currently stiff like a rock.
“Haa…”
As soon as the director entered the office, Sung Dowon’s manager fell to the floor, pulling his hair.
Both sides looked like they were about to collapse.
“It looks like the legal team is inside… are they going to file a lawsuit?”
When Kim Hyunjo asked Team Leader Park, she tilted her head.
“I don’t know.”
Now that I thought about it, there were no talks about W&U filing a lawsuit against the anonymous man in the future.
Why?
Even if Song Dowon was a nationally recognized celebrity, taking a picture without permission, invasion of privacy as well as threatening, weren’t these crimes enough to shut him down? There were plenty of times when Hollywood actors would sue the paparazzi. If they just filed a lawsuit against them before the incident exploded…
“If we file a lawsuit, there will probably be quite a few who will rush here trying to dig something up. If this story gets out, we have so much to lose.”
“Then…”
“If we can stop him by giving him money, this will probably be the best.”
Ah, so that was how they sunk deeper into the depths of despair.
A few minutes that felt like hours passed and just then, the office door opened.
Then the director pointed at me.
“Jung Sunwoo.”
“Yes?”
“The CEO wants to hear your story personally… so come in.”
The door of the office was opened wide.
“There’s no need to be nervous. Just tell us what you heard.”
Kim Hyunjo whispered to me while patting my back.
The moment I entered through the frame of the door, 50,000 thoughts went through my head. The benefits I would get after everything was settled well, the recognition from the company, a raise, a bonus, from those to the curses and disadvantages I would receive if it failed to go the way I imagined.
Either way, the door was opened and I entered the office.
Thud.
Team Leader Park who followed in behind me closed the door.
When I lifted my head, everyone inside the room, I really meant everyone, was staring at me. Especially Sung Dowon and the bearded man, they seemed to bore holes in me with their stares.
“I am Jung Sunwoo of Management Team 3.”
I cleared my throat before I talked, acting calm. Of course, my mind wasn’t calm at all.