Chapter 48: Unexpected Alliances and Hidden Motives

An entertainment manager performs a multitude of tasks, and preventing an artist from seeing malicious articles or hateful comments is one of their primary duties. To Seo Yeon-ho, that banner was on par with malicious comments. Therefore, he judged that blocking Han Tae-young’s view of it was the correct course of action for a road manager.

Of course, Seo Yeon-ho was merely a temporary road manager, not a real one. However, he believed in working for the money he received and had no intention of neglecting his duties. Above all, he disliked the idea of giving Baek Hwi-kyung any excuse to play the victim against Han Tae-young.

“Why the sudden burst of attention-seeking? Are you filming a video to upload somewhere?”

Yet, as Seo Yeon-ho walked diagonally, Han Tae-young shot him a glare, accusing him of doing something strange. He had no idea that Seo Yeon-ho was diligently performing his job.

“Mind your own business. I’m just avoiding the sun.”

Seo Yeon-ho continued to walk at an angle. Although he was annoyed by the misunderstanding that he was seeking attention, there was nothing he could do. Explaining his actions would negate the entire point of blocking Han Tae-young’s view.

However, there was something Seo Yeon-ho didn’t realize. He thought he had perfectly obscured the banner with his body, but in reality, he hadn’t.

Han Tae-young’s line of sight was higher than Seo Yeon-ho had calculated.

“You’re surprisingly clumsy, aren’t you?”

Han Tae-young chuckled, looking at the coffee truck and banner clearly visible over Seo Yeon-ho’s head. If he had been similar in height or shorter than Seo Yeon-ho, the banner would have been blocked as intended. It seemed like a mistake born from not often encountering people taller than himself.

“Was that remark just now directed at me?”

“No.”

Han Tae-young feigned ignorance. It was sly of Seo Yeon-ho to be so dull, yet still miraculously pick up on insults directed at him.

Like doting on a mischievous nephew, Han Tae-young placed a hand on Seo Yeon-ho’s head. Perhaps because his head was small, it didn’t feel like touching an adult man’s head.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Seo Yeon-ho looked up at Han Tae-young, his eyes wide like a startled rabbit. He expected to get angry and ask why he was touching his head, but for some reason, he didn’t.

“Hey, Han Tae-young. I asked what you’re doing. Take your hand off.”

He spoke sharply as usual, but the look in Seo Yeon-ho’s eyes and his expression as he looked up at Han Tae-young were anything but. He was like a stray cat, startled by a sudden caress.

Indeed, with his height, he probably never had his head patted. Most people would find it difficult to pat his head unless he bent down.

Since he wasn’t an affectionate person, he wouldn’t have offered his head for others to pat first. How would he have been with a girlfriend, though?

As Han Tae-young was lost in thought, looking down at Seo Yeon-ho’s perfectly round cowlick, an unpleasant, raspy voice broke through.

“Han Tae-young, are you just now coming to work? You’re slow as molasses.”

A thuggish character, who pretended to be born with a silver spoon but still carried the habits of his bar-owning past, walked towards them from across the hallway.

‘There’s no filming today, so why is he crawling out onto the set? Is it because of the coffee truck?’

Han Tae-young, feeling his mood sour, removed his hand from Seo Yeon-ho’s head. It was the first day in a long time he’d slept well and eaten deliciously before work, but Baek Hwi-kyung had just dumped cold water on that good feeling.

“I arrived right on call time.”

When Han Tae-young pointed out that he wasn’t late, but punctual, Baek Hwi-kyung changed the subject.

“Just keeping call time isn’t everything. As the lead, if you arrive later than your seniors, it looks rude. Being arrogant in this industry won’t get you far, you know?”

“Who’s the senior who arrived before me?”

“Me.”

Baek Hwi-kyung lifted his chin.

“I told you before, I haven’t been consistently active, but I debuted before you.”

Han Tae-young stared blankly at Baek Hwi-kyung, who wore a proud expression as if he had landed a blow, like he was an imbecile.

“Being rude is better than not showing up on set. Nothing ruins your reputation like ditching a shoot.”

Baek Hwi-kyung’s face contorted. It was pathetic that his mental state was shaken by such a small counterattack. Han Tae-young was feeling a sense of futility, wondering why he had to deal with such an idiot.

“That’s why I sent the coffee truck!”

Baek Hwi-kyung yelled, his face twisted in indignant frustration.

“I already compensated, so why are you bringing up yesterday’s business, umph.”

His manager hastily clapped a hand over Baek Hwi-kyung’s mouth.

“Anyone listening would misunderstand. The coffee truck was sent by fans to show their support, not by you.”

Whether Baek Hwi-kyung was oblivious or simply chose to ignore common sense, he forcibly pulled away the hand covering his mouth.

“I sent it, so why can’t I say so? You told me Han Tae-young treated the staff to a dinner yesterday, making me look like a jerk, so I had to take care of the staff!”

“Hwi-kyung, let’s go take a commemorative photo, okay?”

The manager led Baek Hwi-kyung outside.

Just when he thought it would finally be quiet, Seo Yeon-ho muttered to himself with a face that showed complete incomprehension.

“The coffee truck was to appease the staff?”

“Is it strange that it was to appease the staff?”

Seo Yeon-ho retorted as if he had been waiting for the question.

“If the purpose was to cheer up the staff, wouldn’t it usually be sent under one’s own name?”

“That’s usually right.”

“But why did Baek Hwi-kyung…”

“If he held an event under his own name, he wouldn’t be able to screw me over with a banner. He must not have been able to give that up.”

“Ah.”

Seo Yeon-ho nodded slightly in understanding, then hastily looked up at Han Tae-young.

“You saw the coffee truck banner?”

“Yeah.”

A question bloomed on Seo Yeon-ho’s small face. He seemed curious as to why Han Tae-young hadn’t gotten angry after seeing the banner’s message.

“It certainly made me feel awful.”

“But?”

Seo Yeon-ho’s body subtly leaned towards Han Tae-young, as if urging him to continue.

“If I had thrown a fit and fallen for that, it would have been exactly what that jerk intended. I hate moving according to someone else’s intentions.”

Han Tae-young also leaned his head towards Seo Yeon-ho, as if whispering.

“And I also held back because your effort to keep me from seeing the banner was quite commendable.”

“…If you noticed what I was doing, why did you say I was seeking attention? You made me look like a fool.”

Seo Yeon-ho recoiled, his face uncomfortable. He was reminded of a cat displeased by having its personal space invaded.

“Why would you be a fool? I told you, I held back because of you.”

Han Tae-young put an arm around Seo Yeon-ho’s shoulder, closing the distance again. Seo Yeon-ho grimaced and pushed Han Tae-young away.

“Do you think I’d believe that? You probably just found my antics amusing and let me be.”

“It’s true. I really thought to myself, ‘I picked a good manager, he’s so reliable because he works well,’ I swear!”

Perhaps the flattery worked, as the force pushing Han Tae-young away weakened. Han Tae-young, feeling like he was finally getting the hang of handling Seo Yeon-ho, headed towards the dressing room.

Han Tae-young was in the midst of getting his makeup done when a middle-aged actor with the sturdy build of a sailor entered the dressing room. It was Choo Gi-hoon, who played Cha Woong-jae, the main villain in *Cold Reading*.

“Hello, Actor-nim.”

“Actor Choo Gi-hoon, please sit over here.”

The makeup team staff greeted Choo Gi-hoon and guided him to a seat. Seo Yeon-ho also bowed his head along with everyone else.

‘His aura in the drama was no joke, but he’s even more intense in person.’

Seo Yeon-ho found himself inadvertently tensing up at Choo Gi-hoon’s demeanor. The actor’s charisma was so immense that the character Cha Woong-jae, who committed all sorts of evil deeds in the drama, seemed relatively mild in comparison.

“I heard you drank a lot yesterday.”

“It was a company dinner.”

Han Tae-young replied with his eyes closed, still receiving makeup. His attitude seemed presumptuous, so Seo Yeon-ho unconsciously glanced at Choo Gi-hoon.

“Even if it was a company dinner, to drink heavily the day before filming? Isn’t that a lack of responsibility as a lead actor?”

Just as expected, Choo Gi-hoon’s face hardened, and he adopted an intimidating demeanor towards Han Tae-young. Han Tae-young, who was getting his makeup done, slowly opened one eye. His expression reflected in the mirror was chilling.

‘Is he about to lose his temper?’

Seo Yeon-ho’s heart pounded, fearing Han Tae-young would impulsively lash out at Choo Gi-hoon.

“Were you that upset about not being invited to the drinking party yesterday?”

“Hey, Han Tae-young. We’re talking about the lead actor’s attitude; why are you bringing up being upset?”

“You wouldn’t have been able to come even if you were invited, since you’re busy with your youngest. Why are you so grumpy?”

Despite the warning not to sidetrack, Han Tae-young continued to subtly provoke Choo Gi-hoon.

‘Why is he acting like this? Has he lost his mind?’

Seo Yeon-ho fidgeted, trying to find a way to silence Han Tae-young. Should he call him? Or just drag him out?

The makeup team staff, accustomed to the actors’ power struggles, continued to pat their puffs diligently, their expressions unchanged.

“You punk, you should have invited me anyway! Is there a difference between at least asking me to come and not asking at all?”

Choo Gi-hoon erupted in anger, using diaphragmatic breathing. However, upon closer inspection, his reason for anger seemed a bit odd.

“This is a matter of sincerity. Do you understand?”

“Actor-nim, please look this way.”

A staff member gently held Choo Gi-hoon’s chin, turning his face forward.

“Oh, right, sorry. Anyway, don’t upset people. When you get old, even trivial things can really get under your skin.”

“Please also consider the position of a much younger junior. If your wife knew I invited you, do you think she’d leave me alone?”

“You just have to contact me well, without getting caught.”

Choo Gi-hoon grumbled, crossing his arms.

‘It was nothing serious after all. He was genuinely upset about not being invited to the dinner.’

No wonder the staff weren’t tense at all.

Seo Yeon-ho wore a dejected expression. He was embarrassed that he had been the only one fretting, unaware of Han Tae-young’s close relationship with Choo Gi-hoon.

“Who told you about the dinner yesterday?”

“I can’t name just one person. The story about you holding a dinner to screw over Baek Hwi-kyung seems to have spread far and wide. You know Jeon Soo from News Spotlight, right? Even that guy texted me asking if it was true.”

“I didn’t organize the dinner to screw over Baek Hwi-kyung. Why are you adding your own embellishments to the story?”

Han Tae-young frowned, glaring at Choo Gi-hoon. It was the first time Han Tae-young, who had maintained a relaxed demeanor throughout the conversation, revealed any discomfort.

“I’m not embellishing the story; that’s what everyone else is saying, you punk. And you *did* try to ruin Baek Hwi-kyung’s image, so why are you pretending to be innocent? Do you think people will believe that someone who never took care of the staff suddenly developed compassion? You all agree, don’t you?”

Choo Gi-hoon hit Han Tae-young with facts, then sought agreement from the staff.

“No comment.”

“Me too.”

The staff declared neutrality but revealed their true feelings by suppressing laughter.

Choo Gi-hoon poked Han Tae-young, looking smug, as if to say, ‘See?’

“There are only two reasons a self-centered guy like you would pull out his wallet: when he’s uncontrollably happy, or when there’s an attractive person he wants to impress present.”