NOVEL NEXT Chapter 60
Ever since I became Mr. Uju’s manager, every single day has been a joy.
Of course, it was fun before as well, but it’s a different kind of happiness that fills my days now.
Tap. Tap.
Today, I’ve arrived at the office and, as usual, I’m helping take care of Mr. Uju.
I no longer have to be at Changseong Corporation every day, and since the executives are well aware of how hectic things have been for me, they’re quite lenient about it too.
Unless there’s a board meeting or some other big issue that I must attend, it basically means I can stick around here without any real concern.
That said, I can’t neglect my responsibilities over there, so when I come to the office, I also bring some work from there to handle.
In that sense, I really like the system of this Aiver Entertainment, as it operates on a flexible working model like overseas companies, which means I rarely have to worry about my superiors, and it’s not a problem at all when I leave for Changseong Corporation.
It’s truly the perfect environment for holding dual roles.
“Ms. Seo-ha, I’ll head out first today. Take it easy.”
“Yes, please be careful on your way back, Manager Park.”
I stood up to greet Manager Park, who was leaving the office first, and then sat back down at my monitor to start typing.
About 30 minutes felt like it had passed when…
Knock, knock.
“Yes, come in.”
Without even glancing up at the sudden knock, I replied.
“You seem quite busy, Director.”
The door opened, and in walked Secretary Kim. I had somewhat predicted his arrival, so it didn’t surprise me too much, but the title he attached at the end irked me a bit.
“…I told you not to refer to me that way here, didn’t I? What will others think if they hear you?”
“I apologize. I thought it would be fine since most employees have already gone home.”
“Such little carelessness can cost you dearly. So, what’s today’s business?”
I stopped typing and leaned back slightly in my chair as I looked at Secretary Kim.
If the other employees saw this scene, they’d probably be shocked. After all, publicly, I’m the representative of this company and he’s just a regular staff member.
“Oh, it’s nothing much. I just thought that there’s been a lot of good news regarding Mr. Cosmo lately, so I came to offer my congratulations.”
I was ready to quickly dismiss him if there wasn’t a significant reason, but I felt my mood lighten with his words.
Indeed, there has been a lot of good news about Mr. Uju lately. Offers for advertisements and gigs have been coming in from all over, and both the viewership and YouTube subscriptions are skyrocketing. He’s officially entering the ranks of major corporate streamers.
Just a few days ago, I even saw someone asking Mr. Uju for an autograph while we were out together.
Even though it was unfortunate that the person was a girl, and I had to watch her give Mr. Uju a flirty smile while biting my nails, I decided to think positively because she was a fan of Mr. Uju.
“Hmph, right? It’s finally proof that more people are recognizing Mr. Uju’s talent.”
“Yes, it seems so. You must be proud, Director.”
“Absolutely. But I don’t think it’s due to my efforts. It’s all thanks to Mr. Uju’s natural charm and dedication.”
Truth be told, the only direct help I’ve given Mr. Uju was with that unjust suspension incident. Even arranging for an editor to help wasn’t really a favor; it was more of an apology for causing him to lose a talented editor because of me.
Everything else that led to Mr. Uju’s growing success has been entirely due to his own abilities.
But I know Mr. Uju probably doesn’t see it that way. He always says he’s in my debt.
If he truly believed that, there’s a perfect way to erase all his debts at once, but it’s unfortunate that he doesn’t realize it yet.
Still, I guess I’ll just have to wait. I know that now that I’m aware of the mysterious burdens weighing on Mr. Uju’s heart, I can’t just go barging in.
“Thanks to that, requests for collaborations from female streamers have increased.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. It’s purely business.”
For an instant, his words irritated me, causing my eyebrows to twitch, but I forced myself to brush it off and replied lightly.
Collaboration requests are common in this industry. Moreover, now that Mr. Uju is a major corporate streamer, it’s natural for offers to flow in from everywhere.
Worrying about those things would be endless…
“…Yet I’ve heard that the requests from female streamers for collaborations were all declined by you, Director.”
Hmm.
“That’s only because those requests didn’t offer any appeal whatsoever. Besides, Mr. Uju would find offline meetups difficult, so I was concerned about that too.”
I felt a twinge of guilt, but I shrugged it off with what I thought was a reasonable explanation.
It’s not like I’m rejecting them out of spite; it’s simply that all the proposals from female streamers have been for offline collaborations.
For other usual collaboration requests, I plan to evaluate and propose them to Mr. Uju after some consideration. No doubt about it.
“Indeed… I must not have appreciated your insight, Director.”
“Of course not. I would never hinder Mr. Uju’s activities out of personal feelings!”
As I subtly averted my gaze, Secretary Kim looked at me wide-eyed for a moment before bowing his head apologetically. However, his expression betrayed no sense of guilt.
That glance made me a bit uncomfortable, so I cleared my throat and changed the subject.
“Anyway, is that all you wanted to discuss? If that’s the case, head out quickly. I need to finish this up and leave too.”
“Oh, my apologies. Actually, there was an urgent piece of news I needed to convey, but I almost forgot.”
“…What is it? Speak quickly; I’m busy.”
I wasn’t pleased with Secretary Kim dragging out the conversation when he was usually more direct, but since he mentioned it was urgent, I decided to be patient and listened.
I hope it’s nothing trivial again. I really don’t want to dread coming to the office starting tomorrow.
“The thing is, just a little while ago, I went out to buy coffee and saw Mr. Cosmo sitting cozily with another woman…”
Crash!
Right at that moment, while I was mentally steeling myself, I couldn’t even finish listening to Secretary Kim’s calm words before I slammed my desk and shot up.
What did you just say? Mr. Uju was with another… no, another woman alone?
Could it be Nayoun? That thought crossed my mind for a brief moment, but I quickly dismissed it.
Of course, I remembered that this morning, Nayoun had sent a commemorative photo of her with her boyfriend arriving in Japan together. She said she wouldn’t be back in Korea for three days, so it couldn’t be her.
Then who the heck is it? Did Mr. Uju have a friend of that closeness with a woman?
“…Secretary Kim. You’ll take responsibility for what you just said, right?”
“Of course.”
“What was the location?”
“Um, it was at the café right in front where you had coffee the other day…”
Whoosh.
Before his answer even finished, I yanked my cardigan off the chair and stormed out of the office without looking back.
What kind of sneaky cat is trying to climb the stove out of turn? You’re going to regret this!
—
The café mentioned by Secretary Kim wasn’t too far from the company.
It was like any other café you’d find in a neighborhood, with a serene ambiance and decent décor—one I frequently stopped at on my way to work, so finding it wasn’t difficult.
“Where is it…?”
Fortunately, the café was small and didn’t have tinted windows, so I could easily spot anyone inside from outside.
Deciding to do some reconnaissance first, I hid beside a lamppost and trained my eyes on the café’s window.
Then, I spotted a scene that made my heart skip a beat.
“……!”
Sitting across from each other at a table, two people were happily engaged in conversation over cups of coffee. One of them was indeed Mr. Uju.
The problem was that the woman sitting across from him was extraordinarily beautiful. No, saying she was merely beautiful wouldn’t do her justice. She was the most stunning woman I had ever seen.
Moreover, I could clearly see her long legs beneath the table, so immaculate they could be viewed even from the glass window. Her figure was absolutely stunning.
Where on earth did such a woman come from?
“Ah!”
While I was trying to figure out her identity, I inadvertently gasped as I watched the woman smiling and gently caressing Mr. Uju’s cheek.
Are they that close? When I touch him, he always seems uncomfortable, but with her, it looks like it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
What on earth is going on?
Thud. Thud.
Finally unable to hold back my frustration, I decided to stomp into the café.
With each step, it felt as if tremors rippled through the ground, but I had no time to care.
“Welcome! May I help you with your order?”
“No, I’m looking for someone.”
“…Pardon?”
Ignoring the employee’s welcoming smile, I strode toward the table by the window that I had just seen.
From a distance, I caught sight of Mr. Uju sharing a laugh with the woman, and when he sensed my gaze, he turned toward me, his eyes widening in shock.
Seizing the moment, I charged ahead and approached the table, addressing Mr. Uju.
“Older Sister Seo-ha? What are you doing here…?”
“Oh, I just happened to pass by and thought I’d stop in. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
“Um, it’s not that you’re interrupting, but…”
As he spoke, Mr. Uju exchanged glances with the woman sitting across from him, his expression turning awkward as if he’d been caught in the act of cheating. Still, he managed to suppress his feelings and greeted me.
“Hello. I’m Ryu Seo-ha, Mr. Uju’s manager and neighbor. I’m sorry for suddenly interrupting your conversation.”
As I casually expressed that I was quite close to this person in a formal manner, the woman stood up with gleaming eyes and firmly shook my hand.
Huh?
“It’s so nice to meet you…! I’ve heard so much about you from my brother that I’ve been wanting to meet you, and here we are!”
“…Brother, you say?”
Setting aside the oddly exuberant welcome, I felt a twinge of something was terribly off, and I responded with a stiff face.
Brother?
Come to think of it, I remember Mr. Uju mentioning he had an older sister once…
“I should have introduced myself sooner. I’m Kang Yeon-joo, Mr. Uju’s biological older sister. My brother has been a great support to me.”
“…….”
The radiant face of the person who extended a polite greeting—Mr. Uju’s older sister.
It suddenly hit me that I had made the worst possible first impression with someone who could potentially be my future sister-in-law, leaving me frozen like a statue.