i
Just Close Your Eyes for a SecondThe date marked the first of a new month—November. It was just another day in autumn, with the weather being rather hostile and windy. The sunlight, despite it being midday, wasn’t too strong; it was dimmed by the clouds filling up the sky. However, it was bright enough to seep in through the curtains of a certain condominium, lightening up the exquisite facial features of Kim Myungsoo.
He scrunched his face, using his arms to shelter his eyes from the brightness to no avail. Tossing around on the couch and changing his position was no help, either, so he soon stirred awake. He trudged towards the kitchen for a cup of water while rubbing his eyes. Once the cold liquid had extinguished the remnants of sleep from him, he realized that he was a mess. The smell of alcohol reeked from his mouth; his hair was disheveled and all over the place; plus, dark red lip stick was smeared in multiple spots around the collar of his white dress shirt. Trying to recall the events that took place the night before, Myungsoo groaned. The girl he had hooked up with was a rookie actress that he had met that night at a Halloween party. She was slightly clingy, but looked decent enough for him to take her over to the nearest hotel and relieve himself from stress.
Myungsoo ed his shirt, tossing it somewhere on his living room. He was about to remove the remainder of his clothing for a shower when suddenly, his phone began to ring as if it was on fire. The moment he picked it up, his manager’s loud voice pierced through his ears. “Kim Myungsoo! I’ll pick you up in five. The CEO wants to see you right now!”
“What the hell? Calm down a little, will you? And why are you in such a hurry? I need to shower, and five minutes isn’t—”
He could’ve sworn the manager of his swore a little. “Just shut up, will you? You are in such deep , I can’t even begin to tell you. So throw something on and get your down to the parking lot! I’m already here!”
“Kim Sunggyu, don’t talk to me like that—” Before he could finish his sentence, the call was cut off by a series of beeps. “What in the name of...” Despite the grumbling, Myungsoo threw a hoodie on (along with a pair of sunglasses and a mask) and stepped out of his residence, meeting his manager and wordlessly getting into his van.
<:>
“Do you know,” the CEO began as soon as Myungsoo took a seat in his office, “how many times I stopped photos like this from being reported?!” He slammed an envelope on the table, spilling its contents—about a dozen or so photos of Myungsoo and a woman entering and exiting a hotel. “This is the third time this month! I spoke to editors and reporters so this one won’t be revealed online, but I have no idea if I can keep this up! Who is this, and when was this?!”
Frowning, he picked a photo up and examined it. “Oh, this was err...Dahee? Dahae? This was from last week, when I disappeared from the after party from the movie shooting. That one was Jungah. I remember her clearly because she was simply fantastic in bed. Oh, and that one is... ” After a bit of rambling, he shrugged nonchalantly. “What’s the big deal, sajang-nim? It’s not like we’re dating. I can swear to you that I have never gotten myself into relationships and stuff like that. It’s just .”
Even though there were only males in the room—the CEO, Myungsoo, and Sunggyu—his statements were enough to make the atmosphere awkward.
“Oh, come on,” he said, bursting into laughter. “As I said, it’s just ! How do you expect me to keep in my hormones in all the time? I’m a fully functioning male in his twenties, and I’m pretty sure that’s a valid enough reason to explain these photos you got here.”
The eldest man cleared his throat. “But still. You’re a public figure, Kim Myungsoo. You have an image to keep up with and fans to satisfy. Being so careless when you’re around other women isn’t going to help you. I understand you have your...needs, but you have to think about your career. You’re a top star actor now, and it’ll remain that way only if you know how to harness the public.”
Scoffing, the actor raised his eyebrows in skepticism and retorted, “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard. We all know what my real image is with the public! Everyone that has heard my name knows of me as trash. The only reason they’re keeping it ‘low-key’ is because unlike most actors my age, I can actually act.”
“That’s not the point! You need to watch out—”
Interrupting the conversation was a sudden bursting open of the office door. Ms. Park, the secretary, stormed in with a phone in one hand and her face aghast. “Sir, there’s an emergency! A scandal of Myungsoo was just put online on Naver by Reporter Sung!”
“What?! I thought I spoke to the reporters yesterday—”
She shook her head furiously. “It’s a new set of photos that are said to have been taken last night! It’s with the rookie actress, Kim Minjung!”
The CEO shot Myungsoo a glare. “What is this? Give me an explanation right now!”
A nervous smile crept on his face as he scratched the back of his ear. “I...might have met up with her at the Hilton after a Halloween party last night...”
Running his hand through his hair, CEO Lee Joongyup tried his best to contain his anger. He turned his attention towards his secretary and said, “New or not, why wasn’t this article stopped in the process?”
“I heard Reporter Sung and the actress were in a relationship in the past,” she replied. “He refused to obey his editor and uploaded it.”
“And the reactions?”
“It’s spreading like wildfire, sir. Fortunately, there isn’t much arousal on the most part. Most seem to think that they hadn’t expected any better. Needless to say, however, his portrayed image is slightly tarnished.”
“Alright, I’ll settle the rest of this. Get our promotions team ready for a company response.” He stood up and made his way over to the phone, but before he picked it up, he scowled and told Myungsoo, “Get back to your condo right now. We’ll have another conversation about this matter soon, but you better prepare for your consequences. Is that clear?”
Deciding that it would be for the better to back off, the actor promptly nodded and responded, “Yessir. Whatever you say.”
He had no idea then of what he was actually getting himself into.
wheeee i'm actually pretty hyped about this story ahahahaha but i mean looking at my past record i'll probably get to chapter 5 then go on a looong hiatus only to return with another freaking story. speaking of stories wow i need to start on daddy longlegs, i feel so bad towards jieunified bc of so many extensions and stuff she's been giving in the contest
pls forgive me love i dun even know maybe i'll finish this week since vacation and all but don't believe me too much i am full of surprises (and broken promises xD)
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