“You two,” Lee Sooman paused, like he was enjoying the moment of revealing his next move, “are going to be a couple.”

“WHAT?” we bursted out in unison.

In shock, Heechul and I looked at each other. Neither of us had guessed such a thing would even cross the mind of the CEO of SM Entertainment. I was preparing myself to protest, but Heechul was faster.

“Seonsaengnim, please explain.” His voice remained calm and formal, but his expression was still a mess of confusion and shock.

I turned to look at the CEO sitting in front of us. For the first time, I saw an actual smile on his face.

“This, my children, is how we will get the love of our audience. An idol,” he looked at Heechul, “gets hurt while rescuing his loved one,” he looked at me, “even though they cannot really be together. But then the truth comes out…”

I was staring at Lee Sooman, not believing my ears. What happened to the dating rules? I wanted to yell. Why, why, why???

“Of course, this is a little overly dramatic,” he let out a small laughter. “But you get the idea. The company has no other choice than revealing the love story after such a scandal. A scandal after a scandal. A perfect attention grabber right before the release of Super Junior’s new album.”

This is what entertainment industry is all about, I understood. Making the most money out of everything. Stories after stories…

“Meaning… We are together when the company says so. We break up when the company says so.” Heechul almost sounded rude when saying this.

He received a sharp look.

“Yes. Indeed.”

I had not said anything, but I also received the look that made me understand what it meant to be under the influence of a company like SM. There was no such thing as disagreeing.

“Now, to seal off this little play,” Lee Sooman said, “Kim Hana-ssi, I will need you to sign something.”

He stood up to get something from his table; a piece - no, a small stack - of paper. It turned out to be a contract.

“It is an official contract with SM Entertainment. It positions you under Kim Junghoon, as his assistant. It also states your salary, working hours, rules, and so on. You may look over it for everything else,” he explained. “I already have Kim Junghoon’s signature in place.”

Lee Sooman stood up. “I will leave you to look over the contract now. Let me know, when you are ready to make your decision.”

He left the room, leaving us alone.

The contract stated everything Lee Sooman said it would and even more. ‘Working hours: Undefined.’ With a little print on the side, it stated; ‘24 hour daily commitment to work is expected.’

‘Salary: ***** won/hour. Bonuses will be determined by supervisor and the salary will be paid weekly.’

‘Rules: …’

Heechul was peering over my shoulder. He was also curious of what I was about to commit myself to.

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