ii
Just Close Your Eyes for a SecondMyungsoo had been sitting alone in his house for about four hours when he came to the conclusion that he was bored and that he needed to find something to do.
It was just that his definition of ‘something’ was someone.
He called the first woman he could find in his contacts list and called her over. Since he figured that meeting up outside at a hotel was difficult, he texted his address to her (this was done after much hesitation and consideration; he didn’t like giving the wrong idea to the girls he had relations with, but at the current moment, he had no other choice).
She didn’t take too long to arrive. Myungsoo opened the door for her and said, “Were there any reporters around?”
“I wouldn’t be here if there were,” she replied. Upon taking off her heels, she wrapped her arms around his neck and raised an eyebrow. “Is that your hello, Myungsoo?”
He didn’t bother to respond. Instead, he pushed her around from wall to wall with his lips never parting with hers. By the time they had reached his living room couch, her hair was loose, her jacket was off, and his shirt was ed halfway down. The two were so into the heat of the moment that they weren’t able to hear the door open and close, signaling the entrance of two men—Lee Joongyup and Kim Sunggyu.
It was only when the female opened her eyes (in an effort to rid Myungsoo of his pants) that she saw them, causing her to scream out a curse word and push the other away with much force.
“You know I don’t like playing it rough—” Myungsoo began in annoyance, only to let his voice trail away as soon as he noticed the stern, close-to-explosion expressions of his manager and his CEO. “Uh, Yeseul, I think it’s time for you to leave...”
She was already on it. As she put on the last article of her clothing, she huffed, “I know. By the way, it’s Seulgi.”
His mouth formed an O-shape. “Right. I’ll call you another time, alright?”
“No need. I’m not willing to sacrifice my career to sit on your lap, honey.” With that said, she disappeared from the condominium faster than Myungsoo could formulate a retort.
Irritatingly ruffling the back of his head, he stood up from his position on the couch and walked over to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of water. “So. Why’re you guys here?” he asked, taking a gulp of the cold liquid afterwards. “You could’ve called me out instead, you know.”
Sunggyu’s mouth dropped open at the other’s audacity. “Right, because you’d so be able to enter the company building without being seen by the near hundred reporters personally waiting for you.”
“Oh, please, Sunggyu. Drop the sarcasm, it’s annoying. I’m just saying there was no need for our dear president to make his way to my place.” Myungsoo then pulled out two bottles of coffee from the fridge and walked back over to the other two men, setting the drinks in front of them before taking a seat. “But my question wasn’t answered yet. What brings you guys over here?”
Lee Joongyup cleared his throat. “I told you to stay at your place. Considering your current situation, don’t you think I also implied for you to stay alone without causing any more problems?”
The young actor merely shrugged his shoulders. “You don’t have to worry about Yeseul. She isn’t problematic at all. She’s the farthest thing from clingy and a pro at one-night stands.”
“That was Seulgi, ,” sighed Sunggyu, rolling his eyes.
“Right. God, I keep forgetting. Doesn’t she look like a Yeseul, though? Her face just totally screams out—”
“Kim Myungsoo!” Joongyup, his patience having run out long ago, slammed his hands on the table and let out a shout. “Does this all seem like a joke to you? Is your built-up career something you can just blow off easily? I don’t know about you, but damn, I invested a lot of time, money, and effort into raising you into who you are now. So unless I get back what I invested and some profit, you can’t do whatever you want to do!”
Surprised at the sudden outburst, Myungsoo blinked. “Uh... Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to sound like that.”
“We came over here to try to talk you into refraining from such behaviors in the future, but from what I’ve seen, it looks like you have a serious problem—and it can’t be solved by just talking.”
“Wait, what do you mean?”
Ignoring his question, the CEO continued, “Just in case the talking didn’t work out, I prepared a Plan B. You probably won’t like it, but it’s more efficient than Plan A anyway. It won’t be too bad, though. You’ll get used to it sooner or later.”
At this point, Myungsoo was beginning to feel annoyed and very irritated. “Yeah, of course,” he snapped, his tone giving away his mood. “But guess what? You forgot to tell me the most important thing—what this Plan B is in the first place.”
It was Sunggyu who ended up answering the dreadful question. “Therapy,” he told his actor quietly. “Like, you know, counseling sessions and stuff with a doctor.”
Silence weighed down heavily in the condominium’s atmosphere for a full minute. Myungsoo couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “So wait. You’re telling me... I’m going to be treated as if I’m mentally retarded just because I slept around with a few girls here and there. Am I correct?”
“Well, no—I mean, yes, but you’re over exaggerating things.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Therapy isn’t reserved for the mentally ill,” Joongyup piped in, much to the actor’s disbelief. “Don’t think of it as therapy. As Sunggyu said, it’s more of a counseling session. You get to speak to a professional about whatever that’s on your mind: problems, thoughts, reflections, you get the idea. And the doctor will help diagnose just what your problem is and give you a solution. How simple does that sound?”
“Not at all,” Myungsoo retorted. “I’m not going to do this. Listen, Mr. President, I don’t have a problem. ? It’s just a goddamned hobby, an interest. I can stop whenever I feel like I want to stop. I don’t need a doctor or therapy for this!”
The elder’s expression darkened once again. He growled, “No, you listen, kid. You do what I tell you to. If you’re cooperative and things get solved quickly, that’s good for the both of us. But if you aren’t, well, the longer you’ll be treated like a patient sick in the head. Is that understood?”
Kim Myungsoo had known Lee Joongyup for quite a long time. The latter had always been an encouraging supporter and a thankful older brother to Myungsoo from his trainee years to his time in stardom (though he’d never let it show). But this was the first time he’d ever seen Joongyup so serious, so angry—inside, he felt kind of bad. “I get it,” he finally said with a sigh. “I’ll do it.”
His manager, scoffing, murmured, “Not like you had a choice in the first place...”
On the other hand, the CEO nodded approvingly. “Good choice. Since you agreed to it and all, let’s get started as soon as possible. Sunggyu will drive you to the clinic. Meet the doctor and get to know each other a bit before starting the legitimate sessions tomorrow.” He then got up from the couch and began walking out to the door. Before leaving, he added, “Oh, and dress casually. No one would like it if you were spotted in a therapy clinic, right?”
Much to his utter distaste, Myungsoo ended up getting himself ready and climbing onto his van with Sunggyu to meet his new doctor.
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