Black jeans that clung to his legs somewhat, paired with a black shirt.
Over them, he wore a camel suede jacket that fit his frame perfectly.
It was an outfit well suited to the wide temperature swings and his position as a manager.
It was not too conspicuous, yet stylish enough that one would not mind being seen with him.
"Hmm....... Is that so?"
Jo So-hee subtly raised the right corner of her mouth.
It was something she did when she agreed but did not want to admit it.
And whenever she did that, she tried to find fault with something, anything.
"What's with that watch?"
"Pardon?"
"That watch is awful?"
"It's my watch. More precisely, it's the watch Wooju Entertainment issues to all its rookie managers."
Just before leaving home in the clothes Han Do-hoon had given him.
Park Geon-ho had picked up the watch and hesitated for a moment.
The electronic watch looked like something a college entrance examinee or a new army recruit would wear, and it did not suit the outfit.
"I should wear it anyway. I'm a rookie."
A first-year full-time employee at Wooju Entertainment, or a third-year manager counting time on the road, was expected to get chewed out as part of the job.
It was the period when every issue that had been casually overlooked during one's road manager years was pointed out, criticized, and corrected.
Why else would they call it the third year on the road?
But Jo So-hee, who received special treatment even within Wooju Entertainment, was hardly going to understand such circumstances.
"I don't like it."
"It's the only watch I own."
"Should I buy you one?"
"Thank you, but I'm fine. It's best for a rookie manager not to stand out."
"But you're my manager now, not a rookie manager?"
Jo So-hee's audacity made him smile wryly for a moment.
He had prepared himself to some degree when he was saddled with Jo So-hee, but still.
He already felt suffocated.
"The official appointment hasn't been made yet. I still need a proper handover."
"I'll call Mister, no, Division Director Kang Young-jin."
"I'm saying we should take our time and get to know each other gradually."
"Hmm? I'm not planning to date you, Mr. Park Geon-ho?"
Every manager who had taken charge of Jo So-hee only to leave her eventually complained about the same difficulty.
Her willful way of communicating.
No celebrity was entirely free of self-centeredness, but Jo So-hee was particularly bad.
This was no different.
He had remarked that she was being overly possessive when they had only just met(?), and she responded that she had no intention of dating him.
He understood that she wanted to win the verbal exchange, but this made a sincere conversation impossible.
Yet after dealing with Jo So-hee for 13 years, Park Geon-ho knew better than anyone how to talk to her.
Answer what deserved an answer.
Ignore what deserved to be ignored.
And take the lead whenever possible.
Those were tips Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju, who had grown up alongside Jo So-hee, had taught him.
"I'd also like to keep work and personal matters clearly separated."
"Do you dislike me? Why? Because of the rumors?"
"I've been assigned to you temporarily, Ms. So-hee. I intend to do my best during that time."
"Who said it was temporary? Did Mister, no, Division Director Kang Young-jin say that?"
"Division Director Kang Young-jin clearly said it would be for the time being."
"Then there isn't a set end date."
The faint furrow in Jo So-hee's brow smoothed out.
Then she noisily sucked a mouthful of Americano through her straw.
"By the way, where did Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju go?"
"Hye-ju unnie? Who knows. Did she go take a call?"
"She's taking too long......."
Park raised his left arm to check the time.
12:55
Only five minutes remained of the lunch break, yet Jo So-hee's current guardian was nowhere to be seen.
Ordinarily, Park should have returned to the office first.
But he could not leave Jo So-hee alone in the café, so he sent Team Leader Han Sang-woo a KkaeTalk message.
> I think I'll be a little late.
< What? The lunch break is almost over?
> Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju stepped away.
< All right. Just take good care of Actress Jo So-hee. And don't cause another incident like yesterday.
> ???
< I'm telling you not to charge another 10-million-won receipt.
Park began typing, You said the corporate expense card only had a 5-million-won limit, but thought better of it.
Team Leader Han Sang-woo had to have a lot on his mind too.
Jo So-hee alone was burdensome enough. Now that a disobedient rookie manager had been added to the mix, Han probably could not stomach his lunch from the anxiety.
"Who is it?"
"Team Leader Han Sang-woo. I reported that I might be late."
"Good."
"More importantly, have you eaten lunch?"
"No."
"What about breakfast?"
"Just a health juice?"
"Then you need to eat something."
People kept stealing glances at them from all directions, so they could not sit there indefinitely. Park left the café with Jo So-hee.
"Are you very hungry?"
"Hmm. A little?"
"Then let's go to that salad place. The second floor is divided by partitions, so we can eat comfortably."
He did not bother to turn around and check Jo So-hee's reaction.
The fact that she followed without complaint meant she did not dislike the idea.
"Welco......! Gasp! You're Jo So-hee, aren't you?"
The employee greeted them with great excitement the moment they entered the restaurant.
Every diner in the first-floor hall immediately turned to look.
But Park Geon-ho did not panic.
Things like this always happened when one went anywhere with Jo So-hee.
"We can eat on the second floor, right?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes."
"And Ms. Jo So-hee isn't feeling well. I'm sorry, but please understand that she can't give autographs or take photos."
"Yes. Understood. I'll show you upstairs."
Park turned his back to the dining room and guided Jo So-hee toward the stairs.
Jo So-hee met his gaze once, then climbed to the second floor with even her footsteps sounding graceful.
Park waited until she was upstairs, then gave the diners a slight bow.
"I'm sorry for disturbing your meal. Please enjoy your food."
Perhaps there was no need to go this far yet.
But habits ingrained in his body did not disappear easily.
When Park followed her upstairs, the server pointed to a table by the window with a good view.
"You can sit over there."
"Thank you for taking care of us."
"Um, excuse me......."
"......?"
"Could we really not take a photo?"
"Are you a fan of Ms. So-hee?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes! I'm a huge fan!"
"Then it's time for a pop quiz."
"......?"
The employee who had shown them to their table looked bewildered.
Park ignored that and rattled off questions he had once asked so often that they had become second nature.
"What was the name of Ms. Jo So-hee's first film?"
"Uh, it was some kind of shadow?"
"Hint. Three words. A time of day."
"A time of day? Ah! Shadow at Dawn!"
"Correct. Next question. In White Blood......."
"Ha Do-yeon!"
"What famous line was Ha Do-yeon always saying?"
"The weight is wrong!"
"Correct. Now for the final question."
Had Park given a quiz like this to an employee who merely wanted a photo with a celebrity, her expression would have soured immediately.
But this employee really was a devoted fan of Jo So-hee.
She had even changed jobs to work at a salad restaurant near the company in hopes of seeing Jo So-hee after SH Entertainment was founded.
"In Our Year......."
"Choi I-seo!"
"Choi I-seo's younger brother......."
"Choi In-ha!"
"What illness did he suffer from?"
"Heart disease!"
"Wow. Perfect. You're officially a true fan!"
"Phew......."
"I'll take a photo for you when we order in a little while."
"Really? Thank you!"
"But in return...... You know, right?"
"Ah, yes! I won't cause any trouble for So-hee unnie."
The first-floor dining room was packed, but the second floor was only half full.
The partitions had also been installed close enough together that it was difficult to see the faces of the other diners.
When Park reached the secluded table the employee had pointed out, Jo So-hee was showing off her sharp jawline as she gazed out the window.
As though she had heard none of it.
She was acting the part of an emotional young woman lost in contemplation, but really.
What was she going to do about the upward curl of her lips reflected in the window?
Park quietly sat across from her, picked up the menu, and held it out.
Jo So-hee turned her head and looked him straight in the eye.
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"Didn't you say you became a full-time employee this year?"
"Yes. That's right."
"Then what was that?"
"Let's order first."
When Park Geon-ho changed the subject, Jo So-hee gave a small laugh.
She had dealt with quite a few managers, but Park Geon-ho was the first one like this.
"What's good here?"
"I'm not sure. It's my first time here too."
"And you still brought me here?"
"I understand it's a good restaurant."
"Hmph. It had better not be bad."
After studying the menu for a moment, Jo So-hee ordered the avocado signature salad with smoked salmon added.
Then she looked at Park Geon-ho and asked.
"What are you going to eat?"
"What should I eat?"
"......?"
"Tell me which other dish you were considering, Ms. So-hee."
"What? Have you dated a lot?"
"Forget dating. I barely have enough time to sleep."
"Hmm....... Then try the spicy Mexican salad. Ask them to make it a little hotter."
"All right. I will."
When Park pressed the service bell, the female employee who had taken the speed quiz earlier came upstairs.
She now had a name tag pinned to the right side of her chest that had not been there earlier.
'Ah, right. Ms. Seong-a.'
Only then did he remember the name of the employee who had always called him Manager.
"Are you ready to order?"
"The avocado signature salad with smoked salmon added, please, and one spicy Mexican salad. Make that level three."
"Order confirmed. Is there anything else you need?"
"No. That's all."
Park Seong-a kept signaling Park with her eyes as she took their order, but he pretended not to notice.
He had made her prove she was a true fan because many anti-fans pretended to be Jo So-hee's fans.
And true fans should know how to protect the dignity of the artist they liked.
"Um...... I'm sorry, but could I ask for one photo? I'm a fan of Ms. Jo So-hee."
"Yes. Of course."
When Park Seong-a cautiously made her request, Jo So-hee readily nodded.
"Give me your phone. I'll take it for you."
"Ah, yes. Here."
"No. I meant Ms. So-hee's phone."
"......?"
"Company policy requires us to review the photo before sending it."
Jo So-hee's eyes widened slightly as she handed over the phone she had been holding.
She seemed to be asking whether such a policy had really been introduced without her knowledge.
But Wooju Entertainment's management practices lagged behind those of other major agencies, if anything. They certainly did not lead the way.
Naturally, reviewing photos before sending them was a policy from the days of SH Entertainment.
"All right, I'm taking it. Move just a little closer together. Ms. So-hee. You look beautiful. Now, one, two, three!"
Using the phone's burst mode, Park took nearly ten photos.
Then he immediately deleted all but the one in which Jo So-hee looked best.
"This is how it turned out. What do you think?"
"Wow....... Do I look awful next to her?"
"You came out about as well as anyone could hope."
"Really?"
"Of course. I'll send it through PicShot now."
PicShot was a function for sending files or photos directly between phones.
Park opened the gallery, selected the photo they had just taken, and pressed Share. Park Seong-a's phone gave a soft chime.
"Ah! I got it!"
"You may post the photo on social media, but please make sure it isn't redistributed without permission. Be particularly careful with group chats."
"Ah, yes. Understood."
After sending Park Seong-a away, Park returned the phone to Jo So-hee.
Jo So-hee asked with an astonished look.
"Are you really a rookie?"
"Yes. I was a road manager until last year and became a full-time employee early this year."
"You never worked in this industry before that?"
"Before my military service, I briefly worked as a manager at a place called KX Media. I was essentially a road manager there too."
"Is that where you learned it?"
"What are you referring to?"
"The photo and everything else you just did."
"Ah, those were covered during Wooju Entertainment's training for new employees."
Park offered a plausible excuse to keep the relentlessly inquisitive Jo So-hee from sinking her teeth into the matter.
He could hardly tell her that these were techniques he had picked up while suffering at her side for 13 years.
Fortunately, Jo So-hee did not question him further.
She had already dealt with ten managers supposedly considered top-tier in the industry, but not one of them had suited her as perfectly as Park Geon-ho.
"By the way, this....... I should have returned it earlier. I'm sorry it took so long."