CH 5

Lee Wooyeon didn’t like having conversations with anyone, especially in the morning. A talkative manager was also number one in the kill list. In many ways, the new manager was someone he could be on good terms with.

When they arrived at the hair salon, Choi Inseop dropped off Lee Wooyeon first. He left to park the car and said he would come later, and he disappeared.

Upon entering the store, the manager recognized Lee Wooyeon and ran to him with a friendly face.

“Are you filming today?”

“Yes. All of a sudden, my schedule was pushed back. Take good care of me.”

His polite way of speaking brightened the facial expressions of not only the hair dressers but also the staff. Among the many celebrities who came and went here, Lee Wooyeon’s manners were by far the best. It was common for people to become arrogant and have a stiff attitude when they became more popular than when they were rookies, but Lee Wooyeon was not like that.

Lee Wooyeon was constantly praised for his gentle and polite attitude. Despite the rumors that his relationship with women were a bit complicated, the image about him was good enough to say that that part made him more human.

“It looks like the manager is new.”

The manager, who was touching his head, asked. When Lee Wooyeon answered yes with his eyes, the manager continued to talk.

“Oddly enough, Mr. Wooyeon’s managers change often. To be honest, if it’s like that, doesn’t that mean Woo-woon has a bad personality?”

Lee Wooyeon smiled looking at the mirror, and said yes. He heard the door open and Choi Inseop entered.

“New manager?”

“Yes.”

“He looks good.”

“I think he’s a good person.”

Choi Inseop quietly sat on the sofa in the corner of the store and started reading the book he brought. Seeing Choi Inseop bowing his head to the staff who brought the car, the hair dresser continued.

“What kind of person do you like, Mr. Wooyeon?”

“Yes?”

“What kind of person do you like to work with?”

Lee Wooyeon pretended to be thinking. Because he couldn’t say he didn’t like any.

“A manager like Helen Keller.”

“What? Helen Keller?”

When the director asked, surprised, Lee Wooyeon laughed and said, “It’s a joke.” When the hair and makeup was finished, Choi Inseop jumped up from his seat first.

“I will prepare tea.”

A few staff members burst into laughter as they watched his disappearing back before he could answer.

“Did he train in the military?”

“Even a second-class is not like that. The new manager oppa is cute.”

Lee Wooyeon, who had never associated the word cute with a man, stood up thinking, “Is that so?”

When he went down the stairs, Inseop parked his car in front of the building and waited. While moving to the filming set, he did not open his mouth until Lee Wooyeon spoke to him.

Looking at the manager moving quietly as if he was not there, Lee Wooyeon thought that this was the reason why CEO Kim was so proud. In terms of the person himself, Choi Inseop was a manager with a score of 100.

However, the problem was Lee Wooyeon himself. No matter who the other person is, one day he will lose his temper. If they met at a reasonable distance, he could fake it forever, but it was difficult as they had to see each other everyday.

The first to notice about Lee Wooyeon’s personality was his family. So, it was only natural that he’s isolated from his family and hasn’t been in contact with them.

“I’m here.”

Choi Inseop, who had been silent for thirty minutes, finally opened his mouth and spoke. Fans who found out about Lee Wooyeon’s filming were lined up around the parking lot. Lee Wooyeon was amazed. He found out this morning that the filming date had been changed, but what the hell is it about those women who are encamping over there and waiting? He doesn’t know how the information leaked, but sometimes he got goosebumps.

Choi Inseop, who got off the driver’s seat, stood in front and secured a space for Lee Wooyeon to walk. As he got out of the car, screams that seemed to tear came from among the waiting women.

Lee Wooyeon started walking with a kind face without losing his composure among the women who rushed to him as if they were in heat.

“Oppa! Wooyeon oppa!”

“Aaaaah! Oppa!”

“Oppa, look here! I am Sumi. Sumi came.”

As soon as the name of Sumi reached his ears, Lee Wooyeon’s eyes flashed with irritation. That was because the owner of that memorable voice and name was a crazy woman who left behind an unpleasant feeling every time.

“Oppa! Do you remember me? I am Sumi! Do you remember Sumi?”

Lee Wooyeon deliberately moved away from her without turning his head. Choi Inseop was in cold sweats as he stood in front of the influx of women. No matter how well he did his job, he was a beginner. When he was thrown naked among the extreme fans, he was stunned, not knowing what to do.

“Please stay away for a bit. Sorry. Thank you.”

Whenever Lee Wooyeon moved, Choi Inseop asked for forgiveness. He had a soft voice, so even if he said that, his words were buried in the screams of the women and couldn’t be heard, but he asked for forgiveness every time.

Watching the rare sight of the manager gradually being buried among the women, Lee Wooyeon reached out and grabbed Choi Inseop’s shoulder. Because the manager clearly had a job to do on the set, he couldn’t wait for this person forever.

The moment he pulled the manager out, a woman who was screaming with a shrill voice ran towards Lee Wooyeon.

“Oppa! Remember me! I’m Jin Sumi! Sumi!”

Having said that, she swung the paper cup she was holding towards Lee Wooyeon. A hot brown liquid was scattered in the air, which Choi Inseop blocked. He reflexively raised his hand to block it, but it was not enough to stop all the spilled coffee.

“Oh!”

“Hey, what!”

“She must be crazy. Absolutely crazy, isn’t it?”

Criticism poured out from among the women around him as well. Choi Inseop, who was suddenly baptized with coffee, just stood there blankly.

A woman named Sumi, who threw the coffee, cried out to Lee Wooyeon to remember her. 

There are such people. People who behave rudely or act strangely and want to remain in the memory of their favorite celebrities.

There were some people who did crazy things, after the joke that if you want to fall in love at first sight with a chaebol or celebrity, you should slap them on the face. Lee Wooyeon grabbed the wrist of several women who were about to swing their palm to slap him on the cheek. 

It felt really bad. He wanted to break her wrist, but he tried to suppress his anger and insisted that he would never want to do something like this again.

But coffee. Trying to pour coffee into a person’s face. Fuck, there’s a degree to how crazy one can be.

A crooked smile appeared on the corner of Lee Wooyeon’s lips. The moment he reached out to grab the shoulder of the woman named Su-mi, Choi Inseop opened his mouth.

“Don’t do that.”

The person he spoke to was a woman holding a coffee cup.

“It’s not good to be remembered that way. It may be a temporary relief, but in the end it will only be painful.”

Lee Wooyeon looked at the manager who was calming the crazy woman. He thought he was a person who couldn’t speak properly, but he was quite good at dealing with women. Sumi, who was holding the cup, cried and blushed. Choi Inseop blinked at Lee Wooyeon to go in first.   

Lee Wooyeon turned his back with an expressionless face and walked into the filming set. Upon hearing the news, the cinematographer and staff flocked to him and asked if he was okay. Lee Wooyeon said that she was worried about the manager and returned a friendly reply that he was okay. Of course, it was not true that he was concerned about the manager. If the coffee baptism had not been stopped, Choi Inseop would have set the shortest record of two days until dismissal.

Since it was a simple photo shoot, he was able to finish all the shoots in less than an hour. Choi Inseop did not appear until Lee Wooyeon finished filming and left the room to greet the director and staff.

A few fans who had not yet left the filming set came up to Lee Wooyeon and handed him a paper to sign, but he didn’t feel like it. In terms of temperament, he wanted to take that crazy bitch from a while ago and quietly take her in front of the lawyer, but no action was taken because of the manager. In fact, he knew that this episode was good for his own image, but he was upset because of her character.

Lee Wooyeon, who was thinking horrible thoughts behind his gentle face, saw the manager trembling in front of the car.

“…!”

When their eyes met, Choi Inseop’s face became even more pale. In response to the incomprehensible reaction, Lee Wooyeon wondered if it was true that he was a fan. 

“Are you okay?”

He wanted to ask a question, but that was all he had to say. Wooyeon stood in front of the manager with a worried expression on his face.

“Sorry. Because of me.”

“Oh, no.”

Choi In-seop just did what was natural with his crawling voice, he added. Even after getting coffee for Lee Wooyeon, he looked as if he had sinned.

“Why are you standing here instead of waiting in the car?”

“… not dry yet, sorry.”

Choi Inseop’s clothes were soaked in water, probably because he took off his top clothes and washed them. As soon as he saw the clothes still stained with coffee, he thought of the crazy woman who poured the coffee, and a faint anger flashed across Lee Wooyeon’s face.

“Sorry. I tried to remove it, but it didn’t go well… sorry.”

“Yes?”

“I know Lee Wooyeon doesn’t like dirty clothes, but I’m sorry. If you wish, I will call a taxi for you right away. Otherwise, I will ask the chief of staff Cha to come here now.”

Choi Inseop had coffee stains on his clothes. Lee Wooyeon wondered if CEO Kim had brought a believer from somewhere, not a manager.

“Mr. Choi Inseop.”

“Yes?”

It was a cold winter. A cold wind blew that made teeth tremble just by wearing wet clothes.

That winter, the man with the warmest face spoke with a voice sweet sweet enough that it could melt a cochlear implant.

“Never use ‘nim’ when calling me. You can call me Mr. Lee Wooyeon. I’m older, so you can call me hyung.”

“…Ah… I…”

“And don’t say you’re sorry for that. I’m more sorry. It was all my fault that Inseop became like this.”

Choi Inseop barely answered with a bewildered face.

“No. I… of course I have to do it.”

“A manager is someone who helps, not a servant.”

“…”

When Lee Wooyeon’s manager resigned for the ninth time, CEO Kim called Lee Wooyeon with his face red, shouted and asked what kind of manager he wanted. Lee Wooyeon responded with a bright smile like a flower at that time.

Blind, deaf and dumb slave, of course, although he must be able to hear and speak and show. At that time, CEO Kim’s expression was interesting, so Lee Wooyeon giggled for a while, then said, “It’s a joke,” and passed it on.  

“Let’s go. It’s cold.”

“Yes. All right.”

At Lee Wooyeon’s words, Choi Inseop took a deep breath. Lee Wooyeon looked at the back of the new manager, who moved according to his words, as if it were interesting.