Payback

I felt like I heard something I shouldn’t know. I became certain after hearing the boss’s wish. 

‘If it’s Lee Baekwon, I have high expectations that you might be able to bring out the old Jay.’

That’s nonsense. The idea that the madman was able to genuinely smile in the past was already weird, but it didn’t make any sense for me to be able to bring that part of him out. With a frown on my face, I closed the door to the boss’s office and left.

I brushed it off because he was a person who said a lot of strange things, but I didn’t feel refreshed. Then I remembered the business card in my hand. The boss had said the madman would be there. I suddenly didn’t want to go, but I forced myself to turn to the stairs because I had something to do. Then someone called me from behind.

“Lee Baekwon, this way.” 

The manager pointed in the opposite direction to the stairs with a robot-like smile. I looked at my business card with my body half turned.

“I was told to go there.”

“I know, but before that, the boss asked me to change your uniform.”

I looked down at the clothes I was wearing and asked him.

“Does this look like a uniform?”

“Yes.”

“… Let’s go.”

When I followed him into a room at the end of the hallway, there were clothes all over the room, like a clothing store. 

“It’s the clothes we give to the employees who work here.”

The manager who went in first explained and he looked back at me. As if gesturing to me to choose something, I picked up the black suit closest to me without looking at it. Then the manager immediately spoke up.

“Do you want me to pick one for you?”

What are you talking about? Can’t you see what I picked?

“I’ll take this.” 

I held up a suit in my hand, but he didn’t budge and took out another suit as if he had looked for it in advance and brought it in front of me.

“How about this?”

I looked at him and his clothes, and asked.

“Did the boss decide this in advance?” 

The smile that hung like a habit on the tip of the manager’s lips widened in an instant. However, he returned to his original disposition and nodded his head.

“Yes.”

“… Give it to me.”

As I took the clothes he gave me, I suddenly remembered and asked. 

“Why are you helping me?”

“Because I was ordered to.”

You don’t need a tie, I heard him add as I pulled out a colourful tie.

“I think Lee Baekwon is interesting too.” 

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Honesty? When I asked with my eyes, I heard an explanation.

“I can see that you hate the Director. At least, you’re not putting up a pretense in front of the Director.”

That’s not a big deal, I’m about to reply, but he continued saying the third reason.

“Of course, the Director cherishes you enough to bring you here, that’s another reason.” 

———

Unlike women, the way men could dress was simple. They just need to wear a decent suit. The important thing is that it should fit the body well. The president of a loan company I worked for in the past took me and helped me pick out a suit the first day I came in. Your opponent won’t be able to ignore you if you wear a suit that fits you well.

Thanks to him who paid attention to dress unlike a loan shark, I learned to see clothes that fit my body well. Maybe that’s why the suit I wore for the first time in 5 years didn’t feel awkward. And because I was dressed properly, I wasn’t banned from the entrance of a high-end bar this time. The strange thing was that I went inside. I gave the madman’s name and asked to be shown inside, but the server didn’t understand.

“Han Jay? There is no such person…” 

He tilted his head, but I was not disappointed. Because no one would intentionally reveal their name in a bar unless it’s an appointment anyway. Then, did the madman not know that I was coming?

“Didn’t you hear from Alice’s Labyrinth?”

“Ah~ Alice Labyrinth. Did you come from there?”

The politeness he had been treating customers with disappeared, and he smirked. 

“You should have said that right away. Hmm, but…”

He scanned me from my feet to my head and muttered.

“You seem a little more average than the people who usually come from there. Oh, it’s not that you’re ugly, there are so many people from Alice Labyrinth who look like celebrities. I heard that celebrities go there?”

He asked, but I couldn’t answer because I was busy thinking about something else. According to his words, others had come from Alice’s Labyrinth under the madman’s orders too. The president’s words ran through my mind. 

‘Jay is a little naive, he’s also a lightweight. I think there’s a party over here, so go and have a drink instead.’

Was it true that he couldn’t hold his liquor? Still in disbelief, I followed the waiter leading me to the room. It wasn’t quite like Alice’s Labyrinth, but I also had to turn in the hallway here and there and went deep inside. The employee glanced back and chatted.

“Besides, a lot of real celebrities come. In particular, I heard that the actors from Dream even hold meetings there? Is XXX really that handsome? Hmm, I thought he would look like a foreigner in real life.”

I didn’t say anything back, but he didn’t mind and continued talking. Where were we going anyway? As I began to feel strange, he opened a door that looked like that of a warehouse in a remote corner. 

“This is the waiting room. You can wait here until you’re called.”

At this point, I realized that I had to give the necessary explanation, no matter how bothersome it was.

“I’m not here to apply…”

… So please guide me to the room where there is someone like the madman. The explanation that was about to come out was cut off by the voices of women from inside. 

“… Mhm, did you see that too? It was better to watch it on TV. Why did you come here? I heard secretly that there was a high-ranking person from Dream, so I came here. With just one word from him, it seems like a normal person can debut right away and get a lead role in a drama.”

“Really? Is he that great?” An unfamiliar woman’s voice was heard as she asked.

“Yes. Director Yoon, the big shot of Dream.”

Director Yoon? 

“Do you have anything to say?”

I shook my head, turning my eyes to the waiter who was holding the door.

“No. I will wait here.”

——— 

It wasn’t difficult to know where Director Yoon’s room was. All I had to do was say to any of the employees, ‘I was asked to change the glass in the room where Dream Director Yoon is.’ and follow the waiter with a new cup. At the far end of a narrow hallway with rooms on either side. Like a king with his servants hanging on either side, there was a door larger than the others in front. After checking the room, the waitress disappeared and moved on. Standing in front of the door, grabbing the handle, I lowered my hand and raised it again.

Knock, knock.

The small knock ran through my tense hands and into my body. I had no plans of what I was going to do. I just wanted to take a look. No, the purpose was to check the face at the very least. There was no answer from inside, but after counting to five inside, I raised my hand to open the door. But before I could grab the handle, I heard a sharp voice from afar.

“Who are you to enter that room?” 

My hand stopped in mid-air and stayed still. I could tell without turning my head, behind me was Myeongshin.

“Hey, who are you?”

The carpet absorbed the sound, but the approaching footsteps were clearly felt behind my back. That short time felt like a few hours. And when I heard the prompt again, I was frozen like ice.

“Can you not understand human words?” 

The voice that came close seemed to grab my shoulder at any moment. Dozens of thoughts ran through my head as I slowly lowered my hand. Neither one was suitable for the plan because it was not time to meet Myeongshin yet. I hesitated because I couldn’t make a decision, but Myeongshin’s murmuring made a chill run down my spine.

“Hey, are you an aspiring actor? I knew it when you knocked. Fuck, you must have heard some information from somewhere, but that’s not your place to enter. Hurry up and scram.”

Without realizing it, my lips twisted. I turned around to give the answer I wanted, regardless of what I was exposing. However, as my body was halfway turning, I couldn’t turn my head.

Click. 

The door that didn’t answer my knock suddenly opened. In an instant, a tall man faced me from a distance closer than Myeongshin. I looked up but froze again.

Why…?

I couldn’t let out the astonishment that lingered on the tip of my tongue, and made eye contact with the madman who was looking at me. He looked down at me with a blank expression on his face, then lifted his eyes and turned towards the person behind me. There was silence for a moment, and the bewildered Myeongshin’s voice was heard.

“Hello. I’m seeing you here, what a wonderful coincidence…” 

“Why are you here only now?”

I could hear the voice of the madman cutting off Myeongshin’s words. However, I did not understand who he was asking because he was facing Myeongshin while asking. But after he finished speaking, he lowered his eyes to me. The corner of his mouth curled up slowly.

Was it because I was looking at it up close? It was a familiar smile, but I couldn’t help but avert my eyes. The only reason I could barely lift my eyes was because of his voice, which was lowered like a whisper.

“What will you give me as a reward for waiting?” 

What? I opened my eyes wide in surprise, a strong force wrapped around the back of my head. Without realizing what the situation was, someone else’s body temperature touched my lips. The last thing I remember was taking a breath. I only came to my senses from the loud noise in my ear.

Bang!

The door closed behind my back. Suddenly, he grabbed my waist and dragged me into the room.

The feeling of my body, which was hardened like cement, returned as my mind woke up to reality. Firstly, I tightened my hands. I firmly pushed the other’s shoulder who was holding onto me tightly. However, the madman’s body did not fall off as easily as intended. Rather, his arms around my waist pulled me closer. With my lips already blocked, the stuffiness increased, making it difficult for me to breathe. 

In addition, the shock of who I was kissing with and the fact that I couldn’t push the other person with my strength was mixed, and I was quite startled unlike my usual self. Because of that, there was no time in my head to think about the reason why Myeongshin or Director Yoon appeared in Director Yoon’s room, who might still be behind the door. All I could think of was that I had to get out of the shameful kiss right away. Maybe that’s why, when I opened my mouth, I forgot where I was and started swearing.

“Damn it, all of a sudden…”

“The promised time has passed, but shouldn’t we go now, CEO Kim?”

I stopped the hand that was pushing his shoulder at the question that came out of his mouth casually. In an instant, I realized that the question I did not understand was addressed to someone else. Yes, this was the room where Director Yoon was. I swallowed the words I was about to spit out and quickly turned my stiff face away. But there was no need to turn my head to look inside the room that the madman was blocking. The arm that had wrapped around my waist loosened, and he took a step back, and the interior of the room entered my eyes. 

A man in his 50’s and a woman in her early 20’s, sat with their mouths half-opened in surprise. When our eyes met, the two immediately showed opposite reactions. The man threw an unbelievable glance, and the woman showed an undisclosed annoyance. Still, they had something in common. The fact that all of us, including myself, could not open our mouths in embarrassment. However, we were all embarrassed for different reasons. At least, my heart was hardening to the point of being almost in shock.

Why were these people the only ones in the room? After passing the two of them and looking around the room, I stopped looking at the madman standing in front of me. Director Yoon? Why was there no one here who looked like Director Yoon?

My head was so stiff that I couldn’t even think of a guess about the answer. Thanks to him, I had no choice but to look at the madman who opened his mouth without saying anything. The only one that didn’t seem bothered, he completely turned his body to face the two of them. In a cold voice that was contrary to his smiling face, he spoke to the man he had called CEO Kim.

“Or do you have any business left?” 

“Ah, no… I don’t have any more business, but…”

“I think we’ve talked enough about your niece whom you’ve introduced.”

So get out now. Even I, as the third party, could understand the hidden meaning behind his words. However, because of the title of ‘niece’ that the madman referred to, I automatically looked at the woman. A top that exposes the breasts and a short miniskirt that seemed like she would expose her panties if she moved a little. In that state, she sat next to CEO Kim with her thighs crossed. Anyone could tell that it was a pair of a young lover and a wealthy man. If she really was his niece, the only thing I could say was that CEO Kim’s love for his relatives was great.

“Ah, thank you for that. This kid wants to enter Dream a lot, and I think she has a lot of talent, so if Director Yo—” 

“If DIrector Yoon has an eye for talent, he will recognise it immediately.”

The madman specifically emphasized the word “Director Yoon”. So where was Director Yoon? I felt frustrated as if there was something I hadn’t seen, but President Kim’s reaction was a bit strange. ‘What?’ He made a face as if he didn’t understand. His reaction signaled to me that something was wrong. However, the feeling that something was wrong subsided yet again by the madman’s next words.

“She must have an interview at the company to get a proper evaluation from Director Yoon. Do you know what I mean?”

At the words that came out with a smile, President Kim nodded his head, saying ‘Ah~’. 

“Haha, yes, yes. You speak in a roundabout way. I know what you mean. She has to go through a formal interview with the company, right? Then, thank you. I’m sure ‘Director Yoon’ will take good care of her in the interview.”

After emphasizing Director Yoon just like the madman did, he smirked and whispered something to the woman. I couldn’t hear very well, but it was like, ‘It’s almost done’. Perhaps the woman used CEO Kim to enter Dream, to look good to Director Yoon. But now, Director Yoon was not in this room, right?

Along with the question, something strange came to mind again. I felt like I was making a big mistake right now. Director Yoon probably left the room first, and the madman who was apparently close to him was here. There was nothing strange about this guess. However, even after drawing that seemingly easy conclusion, that weird feeling did not go away. At that moment, CEO Kim got up from his seat and took the woman to the front and talked to her.

“I’m treating today, so why not stay and play more? Of course I’m going now as promised, but if my niece stays and chat with you…” 

He turned his squinted eyes to me at this moment.

“By the way, I’m sorry to ask you this, but did you like men?”

“Is that important?”

The madman added with a smile. 

“There’s nothing funnier than asking for preference in this industry.”

‘That’s true but…’ President Kim muttered in bewilderment, then glanced at me from below with narrowed eyes. Judging by his gaze, he seemed to regard me as a male hostess.

“Actually, I was a little surprised. Kissing a man in front of another person…”

“A kiss isn’t a big deal.” 

“Not a big deal? Hmm… I’m curious. If a kiss isn’t a big deal, what’s your relationship with him?”

At the question that contained a subtly sarcastic sneer, the madman curved his lips to form a dimple. Then he grabbed my arm and pulled me to his side, introducing me.

“Kissing isn’t a big deal, so it’s obvious. He’s my nephew.”

The woman’s and CEO Kim’s faces hardened like plaster.