Vol. 2 Chapter 81: Chapter 81
Translated by Chef
Edited by Chef
Epilogue
“Is this the right house?”
“Well, maybe it is, maybe it’s not.”
“I thought you modeled in LA for two years!”
“I made a living here, and I said I was good at English!”
In front of the luxury mansion, the two men started fighting and sweating profusely.
“No, what should I do if the person who is the CEO of the company doesn’t speak English that well? You said you wanted to grow into a global company!”
“It’s okay if the CEO of the company is rich and good-looking, but he also has to be good at English!”
“If a taxi driver drops us off at the wrong place, I’ll obviously have to complain!”
“Then what did you do instead of looking at the map?”
“How can I see the map when my cell phone battery is dead? Plus you even left your phone behind so we’re having a? harder time. I can’t even contact Lee Wooyeon!”
“You should have made sure I didn’t leave my phone behind.”
“… Can I hit you?”
“It will never happen.”
“Oh my, really. Why do I believe in and work for someone like you?”
“Don’t believe me then. Who told you to believe in me?”
Manager Cha pounded his chest. Just as he was thinking about going out to the main street, catching a taxi, and driving to the airport, he heard the sound of a car engine behind him.
The door closed with a thud and a familiar voice called, “CEO?”
Choi Inseop got out of the car. He seemed surprised by the sudden situation, but his big eyes were full of joy.
“Inseopaaaa!”
CEO Kim ran to Inseop with a face that looked like he was about to burst into tears.
“Mr. Inseop. Long time no see.”
Manager Cha put the two suitcases to one side and waved his hand.
“Hello.”
Inseop quickly bowed his head towards the two people. Oranges poured out of the brown bag in his hand.
“Oh, sorry.”
Inseop picked up the orange and apologized as a habit.
“Leave it. I will pick it up.”
Long arms slowly stretched out, and a shadow covered Inseop’s back.
“… Lee Wooyeon.”
CEO Kim inevitably gritted his teeth and called his name. Lee Wooyeon, who was picking up oranges, lowered his sunglasses and smiled, saying, “It’s been a while.” The moderately tanned skin and straight legs visible beneath the white shorts were a sight that would undoubtedly steal people’s attention.
“Give it to me.”
Lee Wooyeon, who had picked up all the oranges, snatched the bag from Inseop’s hand. Inseop looked at CEO Kim and Manager Cha alternately with a puzzled expression as he flipped through the envelope.
“What are you doing here?”
“For some reason, he called me.”
CEO Kim looked irritated and pointed at Lee Wooyeon with his chin.
“You should’ve told me. I would have taken you to the airport to pick you up.”
“Yes. You should have told us.”
Lee Wooyeon countered insincerely. CEO Kim smiled and glared at Lee Wooyeon with his eyes focused.
CEO Kim contacted Lee Wooyeon to tell him what time he would arrive at the airport today. The answer that came back at that time was shocking.
<Today? I can’t do it. Today is the day I go to the supermarket with Inseop. Come on your own. I’ll tell you the address.>
CEO Kim’s fever boiled over as he saw Lee Wooyeon’s shameless face after a long time.
“I did… Quickly open the door.”
Although he had a lot to say, CEO Kim gestured helplessly. His whole body was covered in sweat because he had wandered around for an hour under the blazing sun of the southwestern United States.
“Get on. We have to go further.”
Lee Wooyeon opened the trunk of the car. After loading the suitcase, the two people got into the back seat of the car. Lee Wooyeon got into the car and casually handed over the bag containing the oranges to CEO Kim and got behind the wheel.
“… Shall I hold it?”
Inseop, sitting in the passenger seat, asked cautiously.
“No. It’s fine. Just go quickly. Where on earth is your home? We’ve been searching for it for a while.”
“You’ve come to the right place. It’s here.”
Lee Wooyeon took out a small remote control from his pocket and pressed a button. The tightly shut barrier door opened, revealing the road leading to the mansion.
“… This is home?”
Lee Wooyeon smiled and started the car. The white mansion, located on high ground, boasted a luxurious appearance that seemed like it would be featured on the front page of a high-end real estate magazine.
“I’ll park it and come back.”
The two people who got out of the car looked at the view of the mansion with a panoramic view of the sea and the city with their mouths wide open.
“CEO. How hard do I have to earn money to live in a place like this?”
“Even if you earn for a hundred years without even breathing and without spending and saving every single penny, it won’t work.”
“CEO, can’t you buy it with your money?”
“It’s difficult to run a company these days. No.”
CEO Kim shook his head resolutely. Inseop, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, cautiously intervened.
“Rent here is less expensive than you think.”
“How much is it?”
“It’s five hundred dollars a month, so, um, a little over six hundred thousand won.”
“… … .”
“… … . … … .”
The words “That can’t be” were engraved on the faces of the two people.
Palos Verdes, located near Los Angeles, was one of the wealthiest villages in the United States. If the rent for this luxurious mansion, located on a steep cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, was $500, a passing dog would laugh.
“… Isn’t it five hundred dollars a day?”
Even so, the price was ridiculously cheap.
“This place is owned by a distant relative of Lee Wooyeon, but he left it vacant for a while due to circumstances, so he moved in cheaply. They say they don’t like leaving the house empty.”
“Have you ever seen the face of that relative?”
In response to CEO Kim’s question, Inseop shook his head and said no.
“What are you doing not going in?”
After finishing parking, Lee Wooyeon took off his sunglasses and smiled. They thought there was a high probability that that relative was this guy.
“What about the carrier?”
“The worker moved it inside.”
“It would be nice to pay 600,000 won a month to live in a house like this and have an employee. Hey, I also want to live in a place like this just because I have good relatives.”
Manager Cha said as if he was deliberately telling him to listen.
“Ha ha ha. You two can get married. CEO Kim’s father is rich.”
Lee Wooyeon smiled and opened the front door and entered. Another gasp escaped as they stepped inside.
The interior, which was a combination of high-quality marble and wood, clearly showed how much money was carefully poured into the building.
The pinnacle of the flawlessly beautiful interior was the blue sea seen through the front window. It was such a beautiful scenery that they couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my God,” as soon as I saw it.
Manager Cha poked CEO Kim in the side and urged him to quickly grow into a global company so that they can live in a house like this.
“Is the company doing well?”
Lee Wooyeon asked.
“… Do you have the right to ask that now?”
“Do I have to be qualified to speak?”
“Of course it isn’t work out! That’s what I called.”
“Is it so? That’s a shame.”
Lee Wooyeon responded casually with an expression that did not show the slightest regret. It’s been a while since he last saw him, but he still has an outstanding talent for making people angry.
“You two must have had a hard time coming all the way, so would you like to take a shower first? I will guide you.”
Inseop came back into the living room and politely handed him a towel.
“… Somehow, something like this… .”
CEO Kim muttered to himself and took the towel.
“Is it so? Take a shower first because you stink. You can use the guest bathroom on the first floor.”
Lee Wooyeon smiled sweetly and said something insulting. The two realized early on that it would be a waste of energy to be offended by that guy’s remarks, so they obediently headed to the bathroom.
After getting out of the shower, the two started talking about the bathroom with a clear view of the sea.
“No, no matter how good the view is, isn’t it too much to have a window on one side of the bathroom?”
“Why? No one can see in anyway.”
Lee Wooyeon shrugged his shoulders and responded.
“Still, I was a little embarrassed.”
“Me too.”
Inseop, who was listening to the conversation between the two, smiled and said, “Aren’t you hungry?” he asked. The moment they heard those words, they felt hungry like a ghost.
“Okay. Let’s talk while we eat.”
“I’ll prepare it right away. Please wait a moment.”
When Inseop stood up, Lee Wooyeon followed behind him. Soon enough, food was served on the table.
“Wow. Did you just cook this? Mr. Inseop, your cooking skills have improved while we haven’t seen you. Haven’t you suffered so much because of us?”
“No. There was someone else cooking, and all I did was heat it up and serve.”
Inseop quickly waved his hand.
“… There is someone who cooks in a house like this? How much is it per month? 60?”
CEO Kim sarcastically opened his white eyes at Lee Wooyeon.
When Lee Wooyeon announced that he was quitting all his activities and going to the United States, CEO Kim naturally jumped. He shouted that he had only a few contracts left so how could he quit, but Lee Wooyeon didn’t even pretend to listen.
‘Hey! You crazy bastard! There are some movies that need to be released in winter right now. A third of the filming of that film has already been completed! Do you know how much it will cost you if you break the contract? I could even file a lawsuit against you as a company right now!’
Lee Wooyeon, who heard those words, asked back with a nonchalant expression.
‘How much is it?’
‘What?’
‘So how much is it all? Penalties, damages claims, everything.’
‘… are you crazy?’
Lee Wooyeon straightened one of his legs, sat up straight, and looked directly at CEO Kim.
‘Isn’t it good that a crazy person has a sense of responsibility?’
In the end, Lee Wooyeon paid all the penalties and compensation and disappeared. To CEO Kim, who called him an ungrateful bastard, he handed over a villa in Gangwon-do, a residential-commercial complex in Dogok-dong, and five cars.
It was a natural result that the company was not the same as before with the disappearance of Lee Wooyeon, the leading actor. The only hope for CEO Kim, who pounded the calculator and looked at the ledgers every day, was the difficult life without Lee Wooyeon, who went to the United States.
When asked what he was going to do by going to America without any money, Lee Wooyeon shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I’ll? have to suffer.” Knowing that he had left behind all the money he had earned in Korea, CEO Kim’s dream unfolded in a very specific way. It was comforting just to imagine Lee Wooyeon living in a miserable apartment infested with rats and cockroaches.
But after all that , his life is like this… .
CEO Kim glanced at Lee Wooyeon. When their eyes met, Lee Wooyeon smiled like a picture.
He was angry. Lee Wooyeon looked a thousand times happier than in Korea. Even worse, instead of losing the celebrity look, he exuded a more luxurious charm due to his moderately tanned skin. He even had the illusion that the sun on the California beach was shining towards him.
“The employees here were originally hired by Mr. Wooyeon’s relatives, so we do not pay any additional fees.”
This time, Inseop explained step by step.
“What kind of blind money does that relative have that he is so kind?”
“Well. It seems like he tried to discover a gold mine a long time ago, but failed, and then found an oil field.”
Lee Wooyeon wiped his hands with a wet towel and continued speaking.
“Please eat. Before it cools down.”
There were a lot of things they wanted to argue with, but they could no longer pretend not to notice their hunger, so the two started eating.
“How have you been?”
Manager Cha looked at Inseop and asked.
“I had a good time.”
As if this wasn’t just a saying, Inseop looked incomparably healthier than before. Both of them had tanner skin than before due to the sunlight on the coast, but strangely enough, while Lee Wooyeon had become more manly, Inseop felt much younger. Perhaps because of his big sparkling eyes and freckles, one could almost believe he was a student who had just graduated from high school.
“You two have been doing well, right?”
Inseop asked how the two were doing.
“Thanks to someone, I had a hard time cleaning things up.”
Lee Wooyeon’s eyes slightly narrowed, but CEO Kim continued, saying, “It will be okay.”
“The truth is, it was crazy.”
“… Was the situation very serious?”
As Inseop’s expression suddenly darkened, Lee Wooyeon kicked CEO Kim’s shin under the table. CEO Kim frowned as he swallowed his moans, but regardless, Lee Wooyeon looked at Inseop and spoke in the sweetest voice in the world.
“There won’t be any problem. Because I finished everything neatly.”
Inseop trailed off, saying, “I see.”
After deciding to come to the United States, Inseop made a promise to Lee Wooyeon. Do not search Lee Wooyeon’s name on the Internet. Hee meant to distance himself from Lee Wooyeon as a celebrity.
Inseop’s daily routine was reading Lee Wooyeon’s articles and looking at his fan cafe posts, but ever since he promised, he has never once searched his name. Even though he expected it to be noisy, he couldn’t help but feel heavy in his heart the moment he heard the word “messed up” from CEO Kim.
“Mr. Inseop. Once again, there is nothing worth worrying about. Don’t stress over such issues for no reason.”
“Do not worry. I’m not stressed.”
Inseop quickly shook his head. Lee Wooyeon looked at Inseop like that and quietly smiled.
CEO Kim and Manager Cha simultaneously rubbed their goosebumped arms under the table. No matter how many times they saw it, it was a sight that was difficult to get used to.
“Anyway, I came all the way to see you struggling until you die, Lee Wooyeon, but I am so disappointed.”
CEO Kim spoke seriously, resting his chin.
“Thank you for your hard work, CEO. You know I’m broke.”
Lee Wooyeon cut the steak and accepted it, looking like a typical southern American rich boy.
“Really? Then why don’t you ask that distant relative for some money?”
“I’m sorry but he’s a very distant relative.”
“He’s a very distant relative, but he rented this house for almost free and even paid the wages of his employees.”
“He really hates leaving the house empty for long periods of time.”
“Why does he hate it?”
CEO Kim persisted and persisted. Considering the value of the real estate, the amount that Lee Wooyeon gave him as a condition of not fulfilling his contract was in the billions. When he looked at the calculator, it seemed like he would have to pay ten times more than the loss to the company due to contract termination. Not only did it not make sense, but it was also a shame.
The reason he tolerated it was because Lee Wooyeon was going to start from scratch with his bare hands. He was a fool to believe that was the case.
Let’s wait and see, Lee Wooyeon. Am I going back empty-handed?
CEO Kim opened his eyes and glared at Lee Wooyeon.
“Well. I’ll ask why when I see him later.”
“Did they say that if he leaves the house empty, ghosts will come out?”
Inseop quickly interrupted the conversation by saying, “No, no,” to Manager Cha’s meaningless joke.
“There are no ghosts. That never happens.”
It was an unusually firm voice. It was at the level of brainwashing oneself into thinking that ghosts should not appear. A long smile appeared in Lee Wooyeon’s eyes.
“Well, what you said makes sense, Manager.”
“Does it?”
Inseop was startled and looked back at Lee Wooyeon.
“I was walking down the hallway alone at night the other day and I thought I heard someone.”
“Well, you must have heard wrong.”
“There was no one on the first floor at that time.”
“Couldn’t it have been the sound of the TV?”
Lee Wooyeon closed his mouth tightly and shook his head. Inseop lowered his eyes with a face that almost looked like he was crying.
“Mr. Inseop, make sure to sleep with the door locked today. If someone asks you to open the door, don’t open it.”
“… yes.”
Even without looking, it was obvious who the ghost-like person knocking on that door would be.
“Is Inseop’s room on the second floor?”
“Yes, second floor… . Oh no. I came to have fun for a while.”
Inseop was embarrassed and continued to explain step by step.
“I don’t live here, but I happened to visit today, so don’t misunderstand, no, I mean, misunderstanding…” .”
The more he spoke, the more twisted it became. Finally, Inseop dropped the fork in his hand. His pupils were shaking uneasily, not knowing what to do.
Lee Wooyeon calmly picked up the fallen fork and stood up. CEO Kim flinched and shrugged his shoulders. Lee Wooyeon brought a new fork and handed it to Inseop, then sat down again.
“I asked Inseop to stay with me. As you both know, I was in a very bad state at the time. Out of all the people who know my situation, the only person I can ask for this is Mr. Inseop.”
It was a speech that could easily be overlooked by anyone who heard it. However, it was a story that made no sense to the two people who were locked in a bathroom in Jeju Island and listened to the terrible situation live all night long.
“I deliberately chose a quiet place because I suffer from insomnia. The weather is warm and you can see the sea.”
A smile appeared on Lee Wooyeon’s lips.
“Thanks to Inseop, things have improved a lot in this house.”
The way he looked at Inseop was full of affection. They understood why he chose this place. To be exact, this house was not to Lee Wooyeon’s taste nor was it for him.
Everything in this house was for Inseop.
“… I’m glad it helped.”
Inseop responded in a hushed voice. Lee Wooyeon enjoyed watching Inseop’s neck turn red.
“So, is your insomnia cured?”
CEO Kim asked awkwardly.
“It’s improved a lot, but it’s not completely better, so I think I’ll need Inseop’s help in the future.”
Lee Wooyeon moved his fork while speaking with an appropriate mix of lies and truth.
“Did anything happen there?”
In response to Lee Wooyeon’s question, CEO Kim carefully asked if he heard about Chae Yeonseo.
“What are you talking about?”
Lee Wooyeon asked back. He looked like he really didn’t know, as if he had completely lost interest.
“A few months after that happened with you, PD Lee Cheolhwan’s wife sued Chae Yeonseo and the two filed for divorce. In the meantime, Lee Cheolhwan and Chae Yeonseo announced their marriage, and there was no other opening like that. What’s even worse is that the producer of the morning drama even said that he would focus on creating more realistic dramas in the future.
“I thought you were lucky that you escaped like that.”
“Oh yeah?”
Lee Wooyeon made a bored expression as if he was talking about someone else.
“Well, that aside, a huge hit happened not long ago.”
“About what?”
When Lee Wooyeon responded, CEO Kim excitedly said,
“Not long ago, there was a large-scale crackdown on drugs and people were brought in. I told you so. The atmosphere was unusual.”
“Oh, you know it’s going to kill your life, but I don’t know why they still do it.”
Manager Cha added.
“Did a lot go in?”
Lee Wooyeon asked, moving his knife.
“It’s probably the year in which the largest number of drug offenders were caught in the history of the Korean entertainment industry. There were about 30 people, including nameless ones.”
“We don’t have one at our company, right?”
Inseop asked cautiously.
“Of course. I’m good at managing things like that.”
CEO Kim shrugged and responded. In fact, he periodically gathered his entertainers and provided them with drug-related education. Of course, Lee Wooyeon too even though he kept making excuses to not attend.
“Thank god.”
Inseop exhaled in sincere relief.
“Ha ha ha. There’s one more piece of good news. Among those 30 people, that bastard Kang Youngmo is included.”
“Huh? You are Kang Youngmo?”
Inseop was shocked and asked back.
“Yes. It wasn’t even just simple drug use, he even had an orgy while taking drugs. It’s completely crazy.”
“… What is an orgy?”
When Inseop asked in a low voice, Lee Wooyeon was next to him and whispered, “Group sex.” Inseop pressed his palm to his ear and his face blushed.
“Well, be careful. People have a lot to lose.”
Lee Wooyeon said, taking the sauce container placed at the end of the table.
“So, because of this incident, his wife filed for divorce and he was kicked out of his agency, ruining his life. ha ha ha. Oh, you shouldn’t enjoy other people’s misfortune this much.”
CEO Kim pretended to tap his mouth.
“But what happened? Did they just keep investigating and get caught?”
In response to Manager Cha’s question, CEO Kim nodded his head.
“That’s a bit surprising. I even heard that they are members who are very good at maintaining security among themselves. At first glance, it’s a rumor I heard from a senior at the prosecutor’s office, but I think someone reported it anonymously.”
“Report? So is this an internal complaint?”
“We don’t know that, well. Anyway, someone organized all the relevant data on a USB stick and mailed it to the prosecutors… .”
After speaking up to that point, CEO Kim shut his mouth. His eyes stopped on Lee Wooyeon. The same was true for Manager Cha and Choi Inseop. Even while receiving the attention of three people, Lee Wooyeon leisurely stirred the salad and smiled, saying, “Hmm, this is delicious.”
“… it’s you?”
“What?”
Lee Wooyeon tilted his head.
“You turned over the data.”
“Ha ha ha. What are you talking about?”
Joyful laughter rang out, but no one laughed along.
“People must also live good lives. Yes?”
Lee Wooyeon looked at Inseop and asked, but Inseop couldn’t answer yes and lowered his eyes.
While explaining how he misunderstood Lee Wooyeon, he mentioned Kang Youngmo’s name. Lee Wooyeon was lost in thought for a moment and then nodded his head. He thought that was the end. But the ending was like this.
… For some reason, his heart felt heavy.
“Would you like some wine? I have some good ones.”
“… Give it to me. hurry.”
Lee Wooyeon stood up and took the wine glass and wine and passed them around.
Even though CEO Kim and Manager Cha were drinking delicious wine, they could not fully enjoy the taste.
“So why did you ask me to come here?”
CEO Kim asked with a dull face.
“Why? I called because I wanted to see you after a long time.”
Lee Wooyeon smiled brightly and responded.
“… I see.”
“Ha… .”
“… … .”
No one at the table believed that. Eating resumed again. It was a peaceful evening.
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