Side Story Chapter 6
“What... do you mean by that?”
Baek Ina didn’t look shocked so much as confused, as though he hadn’t fully understood what I was saying.
“I mean exactly what I said.”
“I’ll take care of the agency problem, so you should do Director Song Jaehyun’s film.”
“But how....”
Baek Ina still looked bewildered.
I gave him a small smile.
“I can’t tell you the specifics of how I plan to handle it.”
“But I may not look like much, yet I am Vice President of Hanshin Media.”
“I’ll take responsibility.”
The truth was, I didn’t have some perfect solution ready right now.
I was simply worried that if Baek Ina continued defying JNC Entertainment like this, they might eventually harm him just as they had before my regression.
So first, I wanted to buy time.
If Baek Ina agreed to Song Jaehyun’s film, perhaps the friction between him and JNC Entertainment would ease for a while.
Baek Ina remained silent for a long time, clearly lost in thought.
Light from the rest stop spilled in through the windows.
Even at this late hour, people continued moving through the parking lot, making the place feel strangely busy despite the quiet.
Eventually, Baek Ina spoke carefully.
“But... why are you trying this hard to cast me?”
His question made me hesitate.
If I could, I wanted to tell him that I was a regressor and that he was in far more danger than he realized.
But I obviously couldn’t say that.
So I gave him an answer that wouldn’t raise suspicion.
“Do you know why I managed to become Vice President of Hanshin Media at my age?”
“It’s because I know how to recognize a good project.”
“And I know how to recognize a good actor who can bring that project to life.”
“You’re asking why I’m trying this hard to cast you?”
“It’s because I believe you’re the actor who can make Director Song Jaehyun’s next film shine.”
“Is that enough of an explanation?”
“So trust me.”
“Do this project with us.”
Baek Ina quietly stared at me.
It felt as though he were weighing my words.
I didn’t avoid his gaze.
After a moment, he slowly nodded.
“...All right.”
“I’ll trust you for now.”
“Good.”
“You made the right choice.”
“But....”
Baek Ina looked directly at me.
“Don’t forget what you said.”
“That you’d take responsibility.”
“Of course.”
Then I continued.
“And... seeing you today made me think you really should leave JNC Entertainment for your own sake.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Baek Ina tilted his head.
“I might be wrong, but...”
“It feels like your agency is monitoring you.”
His eyes widened.
The way he looked at me made it obvious I had hit the mark.
“So I was right.”
Baek Ina seemed too unsettled to speak.
I continued.
“You don’t have to be that surprised.”
“I just guessed that the reason you planned a meeting that feels like something out of a spy movie might be because your agency is watching you.”
The fact that I had guessed correctly seemed to shock him even more.
Then his expression turned bitter.
“You’re right.”
“Recently, they’ve even been checking my car’s black box because they’re afraid I might contact another agency.”
“They’re checking your car’s black box?”
That was worse than I had expected.
For a moment, I was speechless.
I quickly took out my wallet, pulled out a business card, and handed it to him.
“This has my contact information.”
“If anything happens, call me anytime.”
“And I think we should make sure your agency never finds out about tonight.”
“That’s why I asked to meet here.”
“They’ll probably think my manager hyung and I just stopped at the rest area for dinner.”
I nodded.
“And tomorrow, tell your agency immediately that you’ve decided to do this project.”
“At least while you’re meeting with Director Song, it might give you a little more freedom.”
“Th-Thank you.”
Baek Ina’s eyes suddenly turned red.
At that moment, I remembered the Baek Ina from before my regression.
The one who had left behind nothing but a note saying,
[I’m sorry to everyone.]
My chest tightened.
Right.
This time, I will never look away.
Without realizing it, my hand clenched into a fist.
The next morning, I had just arrived at the office when CEO Kang Jintae of JNC Entertainment called.
The fact that he had contacted me right at the start of the workday told me he was in quite a hurry.
I deliberately let the phone ring for a while before answering.
“Hello?”
“Vice President Min, this is Kang Jintae from JNC Entertainment.”
“I’m calling because we’ve finished clearing Baek Ina’s schedule.”
“We’ve emptied everything out so he can meet you even today if necessary. Hahaha.”
It seemed Baek Ina had followed my advice and told his agency he would do the project.
And Kang Jintae apparently interpreted that decision as Baek Ina having changed his mind about leaving JNC.
“Really?”
“That’s good news.”
I pretended not to know anything.
I told him I would arrange a meeting with Song Jaehyun as quickly as possible and ended the call.
Good.
For now, JNC should loosen its surveillance on Baek Ina, at least a little.
Hearing from Kang Jintae made me feel even more impatient.
I texted Ha Sangdo.
[Hyung, did you find anything about Haeseong Investment?]
A reply came shortly afterward.
[I was actually about to call you. Are you free tonight?]
[Yes.]
[Then let’s meet tonight. I’ll pick the place and contact you.]
I put down my phone and began handling my morning schedule.
But even while working, part of my mind kept returning to the same issue.
Haeseong Investment.
