It was a staring contest – and Min Ho had no intentions of losing. He was looking into his manager’s eyes as they sat face to face over the dining table. No one breathed a word, no one touched their coffee or food. This was a matter of pride. The first to buckle was the lesser man.

Min Ho put everything he learned about intimidation and acting into it. This ahjussi doesn’t stand a chance. A few moments later, his manager sighed as he slouched and looked away.

‘HA!’ Min Ho clapped his hands once and smirked. He grabbed his mug and smiled after sipping his first caffeine intake for the day.

‘Jashik. You should know how crucial this time is. It’s your biggest role to date. You already got what you wanted from Heirs – everyone’s attention. Now all eyes are on you, just like you planned. Are you really going to risk all that?’

Min Ho eyed his manager and realized he hasn’t seen him this genuinely concerned in a long time. He put down his mug and leaned his elbows on the table. ‘Hyung, how is all that related to my personal life? Of course I know how important this is. I know what this role means. That will never change,’ he told him sincerely. He needed to make him understand.

His manager rubbed his temples in frustration. ‘Will you at least tell me who it is?’

Min Ho shook his head.

‘It’s Park Shin Hye isn’t it?’

‘No. Why does everyone keep asking me that?’ Min Ho didn’t bat an eyelid, his gaze still fixed on the man. He seemed to believe it.

‘Then who is it? One of the other girls?’

Min Ho knew he was talking about his other co-stars. He kept silent and shook his head again. This time, he pulled his rice bowl and started eating. ‘Let’s drop this and just eat.’

‘If you don’t tell me, I’m going to tell the agency.’

Min Ho’s eyes widened. ‘Hyung! You wouldn’t.’

‘I will. I really will. You know I’m not bluffing, Min Ho-yah. They have to know,’ his manager threatened. It dawned on Min Ho that in his relationship with his manager, the man will always have the upper hand over him.

He put his spoon down and stood up, his hands on his waist.

‘Hyung, I’m an honest, tax-paying citizen of the Republic of Korea. You have no idea how much money I’m contributing to the economy. I have rights! Can’t I at least have my privacy? It's bad enough that all my actions have to be limited, do I have to tell everyone my business, too?’ He didn't mean to get into an argument with his manager, but this time he was starting to feel like he needed to speak his mind.

His manager looked at him, his face stoic. ‘Ya, ima. You gave up your right to privacy the moment you decided to become an actor.’

Min Ho bit his lip as he processed his words. He knew, deep down, that his manager was right, but why did he feel so wronged? He wasn’t anyone’s property. He sat down and raked his hand through his hair, aggravated.

‘It’s unfair, but this was your choice. I’m not saying don’t date forever. I’m just saying this isn’t the right time. As a matter of fact, this is the worst time. You should be focusing on your career.’

Min Ho looked up. ‘No. I’ll do what I want because no matter what anybody says, this is still my life,’ he said firmly. ‘Nobody gets to tell me what to do.’ He was angry now. He wasn’t giving up Shin Hye just because people around him think he needs to play it safe. She means too much.

His manager scoffed. ‘How about that girl’s life? Did you ever stop to think about that? If it’s just an unknown person then maybe it could work. But she’s not an ordinary girl, is she?’

Min Ho didn’t say anything and just looked at his manager’s face.

‘If it’s an idol or a lesser celebrity, your fans will rip her apart. Who knows if she’ll ever recover. And even if she does, people will never forget,’ he continued. ‘And if she’s someone famous – let’s say a star just like you, well… I don’t need to tell you what happens next, do I?’ He paused, as if giving Min Ho time to let his words sink in.

‘Don’t risk it for a fleeting feeling. It’s not worth it.’

Min Ho balled his fists under the table and clenched his jaw. He wanted to walk out of that conversation. He didn’t need to hear this from anyone who wasn’t in his position. He hated it when people would talk like they knew what he was going through, when they will never even begin to understand anything from his point of view. He was always tired and restless. He hasn’t felt alive in a long, long time. The brief moments of happiness he felt in the last months were because of this girl his manager is saying isn’t ‘worth it’.

Min Ho looked at him, enraged as hell, but he knew that he only wants what’s best for him. What his manager doesn’t understand is that what’s best for him is to be with her. He couldn’t be without her anymore. It’s too late for that.

He hung his head low and tried to calm down. ‘Hyung. This is different,’ he muttered. ‘She’s different. I can’t—I just can’t.’

He heard his manager sigh. ‘Fine. Then you better be ready to deal with the consequences of your choice.’

Shin Hye looked at her phone and noticed that Min Ho hasn’t messaged her since he called that afternoon. She knew that he had no schedule lined up that day, and even if he did, it was a bit odd that he hasn’t made his presence felt. Even when he had schedules, he was always sending her messages; she even had to tell him to stop and concentrate on work. She wanted to call him first, but she knew better than to bother him if indeed he was doing something important.

She shook her head and scolded herself. It’s not like you to be clingy, Shin Hye. But it’s not that she was being clingy, she was worried that something happened. She sighed. ‘This is strange.’

‘What’s strange?’ Ha Neul asked her, breaking her chain of thought.

‘Huh? Ahh. Ara isn’t here yet. It's... strange,’ she lied. Good save.

‘That’s not strange,’ So Eun interjected. ‘She’s the new it-girl in town. She’s playing the role perfectly. Fashionably late and all,’ she chuckled. Shin Hye smiled, while Ha Neul nodded.

'She's becoming more annoying, too. She's been bugging me for favors all week,' Ha Neul shook his head.

‘How come the other it-girl is on time?’ Bum asked So Eun, pointing at Shin Hye.

‘That’s because Shin Hye’s used to it,’ she shrugged.

Shin Hye looked at her friends and realized that aside from Ha Neul, she hasn’t seen them in a long time. Kim So Eun, Kang Ha Neul, Kim Bum, Go Ara, and herself were very close when they all went to the same college together. They keep in touch from time to time, but since everyone has been busy, they haven’t met up. Thankfully, their schedules aligned this time and they decided to grab dinner together. She was glad she was starting the New Year with them.

‘Oh yeah, I heard you went to Woo Bin’s party last night,’ Ha Neul turned to Shin Hye. ‘How was it? Boring, I hope.’

‘Yeah, I was there. Why didn’t you go? Unfortunately for you, it was fun. Lee Jong Suk spat beer on Woo Bin’s face. It was hilarious,’ she recounted excitedly.

‘Had to spend New Year with the family. You know, because I’m that kind of guy,’ Ha Neul winked.

‘Was Min Ho hyung there?’ Bum asked her.

She was a bit taken aback, but she remembered Bum was one of his closest friends. ‘Ya, he was there.’ Short and sweet – that’s the way to go.

Ha Neul squinted his eyes. ‘And?’

‘And what?’ She replied innocently. She hoped they would stop talking to her about Min Ho. She was worried enough as it is.

Just then, Ara arrived. ‘Hey guys! Sorry I’m late. Did you order already? What are we talking about?’

‘We were asking Shin Hye about Woo Bin’s party. And Min Ho oppa,’ So Eun told her.

Ara’s eyes widened. ‘Are you guys a couple now? Damn it,’ she glowered at a grinning Ha Neul.

Shin Hye was flustered by her reaction. ‘Huh, we’re not—‘

‘Wae? What’s wrong with that?’ So Eun cut in.

Shin Hye noticed Ha Neul signalling for Ara to shut up. She turned to Ara who continued to scowl at him. ‘We made a bet. If they ended up dating, I have to introduce Ha Neul to one of the Girl's Generation membe