Top Management

TM Chapter 184

TL: emptycube / ED: Isleidir

My brother raised his glass.

“Wait, let me have a drink.”

“It’s empty.”

Even though I told him, my brother seemed to only realize it was empty when he tried to take a sip because he fumbled as he placed it back on the tray. His honest face was filled with confusion. I felt sorry.

Well, it wasn’t like it was unexpected. He had expected that his brother, who had thrown his private life away for work for the past few years, had finally found himself a woman, but after hearing the situation, it was difficult to tell whether this was more of a therapist session than asking for relationship advice.

I laughed bitterly and said,

“Sorry for giving you a headache. You were the only one I could talk to about this. I did think about receiving counselling, but it’s a bit difficult when your face is known to the public.”

“There’s no need to be sorry. This is what family is for.”

My brother waved his hand.

“First, let’s assume that you and Ms. Songha are dating.”

His voice, which became quiet when he said her name, grew in volume again.

“Let’s assume you are dating with no issues involving the public eye, your careers, the company, or anything else. There’s no chance you’ll break up nor is there a chance your great relationship will worsen. If you want, you can even get married and have a great life.”

“What a great assumption.”

“That’s just on the personal level. Instead, Ms. Songha doesn’t work with you any longer and works with someone else. Whether she changes her manager or she goes to a different company. What do you think?”

What did I think?

If someone besides me helped expand Lee Songha’s filmography, strove for the same goal, and got her on the red carpet?

“I don’t think I can allow that.”

My voice was cold.

I wished it would stop here, but my brother continued,

“What if Ms. Songha wants to do that?”

***

A black scarf fluttered. A woman slowly walked down a hallway.

The floor was covered in marble tiles, and the white walls had faint specks here and there. There was also a window where the leisurely sun beamed in. Within the normal, if not boring, hallway, only the woman seemed different.

“Who is she? Did a woman like her live on our floor?”

“I’ve never seen her since I’ve moved here? Wow, she seems like a celebrity.”

A young couple acted like they had accidentally messed up their passcode to their door lock as they glanced at her.

She wore a t-shirt, jeans, and black boots. While her clothes seemed normal, she herself was far from normal.

She covered her eyes with large sunglasses and wore a baseball cap on her head. She covered her nose to her neck with the out-of-season scarf. Her hair shook under her scarf every step she took. She was a very suspicious yet interesting woman.

When the couple failed their passcode for the third time, the woman stopped a few doors away from them. Her smooth hand stopped in front of the door lock before ringing the doorbell. Soon, the woman entered the apartment. The couple’s gaze was fixed on the shut door.

“That unit, it’s the one with a lot of daughters, right? Is she one of them?”

“I don’t know. I did hear a bit from the lady since she liked to boast about her daughters a lot. The first one graduated from Hyemun Women’s University and was preparing for a job. I think she said her second daughter was in the arts. Her fourth was in the varsity judo team. Something about becoming a national athlete or something.”

“Then what about the third?”

At her husband’s question, she tilted her head.

“I don’t know about the third. I think she said she was in the states?”

Lee Songha let out a stuffy breath. She took off her hat and sunglasses and undid her cumbersome scarf. She looked around the living room. There was a vase with sunflowers. The fabric sofa with cute little cushions was so old that its edges were frayed.

Frames were hung on the wall. Lee Songha stared at the photos.

At the top was a photo of the four sisters in a group hug when the youngest was only 100 days old. Below that were three daughters in school uniforms. Next to that was the first daughter’s graduation photo, the second daughter receiving an award at a drawing contest, as well as a photo of the fourth daughter holding a medal from a regional tournament.

Beside them hung a large photo of the family of five.

The photo looked peaceful and natural. Lee Songha seemed different even here.

“Is it hot outside?”

A middle-aged woman with a tidy short perm and gentle eye wrinkles asked. She was the stereotypical ‘mother’ image in a public service campaign. She was Lee Songha’s mother. She had neatly sliced Korean melons in a tray. Lee Songha received the fork her mother handed her and asked,

“When did you take a family photo?”

“Oh, that was to commemorate your older sister’s graduation. I was going to tell you about it, but you’re so busy. Also, if we have a photo of you in the living room, our guests are always going to make a fuss about it whenever they come over. It’s not good for celebrities if their families show off like that.”

“Really?”

“Then they start a business selling their child’s name, use the money they earn and cause problems. Those people show up on the news every once in a while. I won’t do something so uncultured and uneducated.”

Her mother patted Lee Songha’s shoulder gently.

“I’m acting like this all for you so…”

“I get it. It looks good, the photo.”

Lee Songha trailed off and turned her gaze. Her oldest sister opened her door and walked out while brushing her bed hair. Her face very much resembled her mother. She tapped her neck a couple of times with her fist before discovering Lee Songha and walking over.

“I was wondering if you arrived. What’s the occasion? Is today some special day?”

“… Just. I got a break.”

“You have time to take a break? You need to work hard while you’re getting work. I saw an article that you earned 10 billion won? Celebrities really are nice. How many houses can you buy with that? I probably can’t earn that even if I work my whole life in a big corporation.”

Her oldest sister exclaimed while patting Lee Songha’s shoulder.

Her mother joined in,

“But celebrities have their peak. Songha, you’re properly managing your money, right?”

“My company introduced me to an asset manager.”

“Don’t spend your money like water and save it. Celebrities are only celebrities when they have work. When they don’t, they’re jobless. You should listen to your sister and earn a lot while you can. I still think you should just focus on acting. I should talk with your CEO on… Let’s talk about this later.”

Her mother stopped speaking after glancing at her oldest daughter.

At some point, her oldest sister sat down on the sofa and said,

“I saw Neptune’s residential life on Making Film. You really are great at acting.”

“Did it look like I was acting?”

“Didn’t the staff give you lines? You talked twice as much as you do at home. You should talk more at home. Ah, also, you ate a ton over there too. You used to write your name on food at home too.”

Hearing that, her mother chimed in,

“Yeah, pig’s feet, fried chicken, I was embarrassed when they continuously showed you eating that stuff. Your sisters don’t do that, so why do you have such a big appetite? People will think that your parents starved you.”

“We’re the ones who starved. She received a lot to eat. Because she’s pretty.”

“You weren’t like that when you were young. Maybe your eating habits worsened when you went to America alone? Anyways, eating only looks good if you do it moderation. It doesn’t look good if you have too much of an appetite. It makes you look greedy.”

The conversation came to a standstill when Lee Songha visibly frowned. Lee Songha placed her fork down on the plate. She hadn’t eaten a single piece of melon. Just then, the front door opened with the sound of the door unlocking.

‘Hey, hey, hey, wait! Stay out here for a bit. We have a guest!”

Her youngest sister, who was in university, pushed her friends back out. Her friends, who also wore judo uniforms, were pushed out the door. She quickly closed the door and looked at Lee Songha with wide eyes.

“You surprised me! You should have said you were coming!”

“Am I a guest?”

Lee Songha asked. An awkward silence momentarily hung in the home. Lee Songha didn’t wait for their answer and walked to the front door. She then put her boots on. Her youngest sister, whose eyes grew even wider, hastily grabbed Lee Songha’s arm.

“Wait! Are you going out like that? My friends don’t know you’re my sister!”

“Just continue telling them that I’m your guest, not your sister.”

Lee Songha spoke in an even tone then grabbed the door handle.

“Songha!”

Her mother shouted as she approached her.

“Your sister might become a national athlete. Do you think reporters will leave her alone when they find out she’s your sister? How sorry do you think she’ll be to her colleagues if articles show up saying that she’s your sister and she receives the public’s attention? It won’t be good for you too. As I said, we are acting like this for yo-“

“I get it, so stop.”

Lee Songha cut her off. She then put on her sunglasses and hat and covered herself with the scarf. Her mother let out a sigh of relief. Having covered her face, Lee Songha opened the door. When the gazes of the waiting students fell on her, she raised her scarf up higher.

She got on the elevator and pressed the button to the ground floor. The tips of her heavy boots tapped the floor. The people who got on from the lower floors were first surprised when they saw her and surprised again at her dark, gloomy mood.

Lee Songha walked out as soon as the elevator doors opened. She slowed her steps once she was out of the apartment building like someone who didn’t know where to go. She suddenly fumbled in her pocket and took out her phone. There were a few unread messages from Neptune’s group chat.

As expected, the first message was Im Seoyoung. She had gone back home, saying that she needed to spend her break with her family, and had uploaded a selfie. Behind Im Seoyoung, whose eyes were red, perhaps from crying, were her family members eating. They were having a feast.

Below that were short replies from LJ and Lee Taehee. Lee Taehee had gone to a sushi place with her father and was day drinking, while LJ catching up with her old friends at a bar.

Lee Songha put her fingers on the reply section before hesitating when her phone rang.

Her slow steps completely stopped. She looked around before raising her sunglasses a little. She then checked the caller once more. Her dark eyes soon shined with a bright halo.

“Yes, oppa.”

She placed her phone to her ear, and she walked cheerfully like she was tapdancing.

***

“Were you waiting like that?”

“There were a lot of people. I can’t get discovered.”

Quickly getting in the passenger’s seat, Lee Songha took off her disguise.

Her face looked bright. My heart dropped, worried something might have happened. I came to pick her up after hearing she went to visit her family by herself, and she was waiting on a park bench while hugging her knees. Like some puppy waiting for her owner.

I thought until inwardly clicking my tongue. Owner? Puppy?

Damn it. To make that sort of comparison. I really was crazy.

I looked to my side, and Lee Songha seemed to be in a good mood as she was humming a song. The way she opened the glove compartment and looked around was very natural. She opened a bag with large cookies. She offered one to me as she took a bite into another.

“Are you hungry? Did you not eat at home?”

“… We suddenly had a guest.”

“Then let’s go eat. I haven’t eaten yet.”

To be honest, I had two bowls of rice at my brother’s, but I could probably fit another bowl. I mean I skipped so many meals until now. I started to drive while thinking about a restaurant where we could eat in peace when Lee Songha packed her partly eaten cookie back in the bag.

She then cautiously asked,

“Oppa, does it look greedy when I eat a lot?”

“No, who the heck said that nonsense? You look good when you eat.”

So something did happen at home. I recalled Lee Songha’s family, who I had seen from a distance. Her relationship with her family wasn’t so bad that it would be article-worthy, but it wasn’t affectionate either.

Lee Songha looked down at the cookie as she spoke,

“I have a lot of sisters, both older and younger than me. I didn’t have much to myself since I was young. Someone would always take it or it would disappear. That’s why I like eating. It’s mine once I swallow it. It’s not like they can slice open my belly and take it out.”

Lee Songha looked at me.

“I thought this whenever I saw you. I hoped no one took you away, but because you’re a human, I can’t eat you. It made me nervous, so I think I became weird… You’re not an object.”

She closed then opened her eyes and said with resolve,

“I’m going to work hard until I’m normal. Even if we’re not working together every day, I think it’ll be great if you came to pick me up and had a meal together occasionally. Also, once I become normal, like my plans…”

Her resolute voice trailed off, hiding the rest of her sentence.

Until you become normal, you say?

I fixed my gaze on the windshield and looked inwardly. The snake, which had been excitedly shedding its skin, stopped halfway. It looked at me as if asking why I was hesitating. To shed my skin completely.

It wasn’t just Lee Songha who needed to work hard to become normal.

Also…

“Songha, about your ten-year plan.”

“Pardon?”

“No, did you say it was a five-year plan? The plan you mentioned.”

As if she was taken aback by my question, Lee Songha stuttered as she replied,

“It-it’s a five-year plan. Since two years have passed, three years now?”

Three years, huh?

“Three years. Let’s wait until then.”