TL: KSD

    A celebrity dating becomes a target of criticism.

    To put it nicely, it’s because they are loved by everyone, so jealousy from everyone follows. To put it bluntly, it’s because they are seen as pseudo-romantic partners.

    A large portion of the emotions fans dedicate to celebrities is composed of love. Even if it’s not love but admiration, underlying that feeling is the expectation for the idol to maintain a sense of ‘professionalism’.

    Thus, a celebrity’s dating rumor is a business disaster, and the exposure of a dating rumor (without prior consultation) can be considered an attack on the company.

    For this reason, entertainment agencies manage risks by controlling journalists through appropriate bribes, connections, and alcohol. The larger the company grows, the closer this becomes to a system.

    In the case of Baekhak Entertainment, the department responsible for this task was the PR team.

    And the PR team leader was swearing in the office for the first time in a while.

    “Aren’t they fucking crazy? This?”

    The team members remained silent. It wasn’t because they were scared of the team leader’s cursing, but because they all agreed with it.

    Side EP – Complicated Feelings

    This exposure was an abnormal occurrence.

    It wasn’t just any entertainment agency- it was Baekhak, Baekhak.

    The monster of the industry.

    Baekhak ‘Media’ Group.

    No entertainment media can stand tall before the largest media conglomerate in Korea. Entertainment journalists must obtain Baekhak’s approval to even write about their celebrities.

    Could a small country dare challenge a great nation? This was common knowledge in the industry.

    Thus, the PR team leader’s feelings weren’t much different from how the Emperor of Ming might have felt hearing that the Jurchens suddenly invaded Liaodong.

    “How dare they!”

    But no one raises a rebellion against a strong empire. Only against a crumbling one.

    The hardships Baekhak Entertainment and CEO Baek Seung-won had suffered were known. Especially among journalists working in the same industry, this was even more evident.

    The position Baekhak Entertainment held within the Baekhak Group was no longer what it used to be, and thus, the days when the BMB News Department would jump at even a simple cough from CEO Baek Seung-won were long gone.

    That said, the BMB News Department didn’t see Baekhak Entertainment as part of the same family either. They rather resented CEO Baek Seung-won for stifling press freedom just to protect a few celebrities. If you asked them who they considered “family”, they would choose the entertainment journalists over Baekhak Entertainment.

    And the entertainment journalists didn’t miss this subtle shift in the balance of power.

    This led to the disaster of Kim Byul’s dating scandal being publicly revealed in an article without prior consultation with Baekhak Entertainment.

    Baek Seung-won was furious.

    [- !!! -! -!]

    “Yes, CEO~nim, yes, yes....”@@@@

    [- !!!]

    “Yes, understood, CEO~nim....”

    The head of Management Division 2 put down his phone with a weary expression.

    Baek Seung-won’s anger was far from light. The fact that the incident occurred while he was staying in Cannes with Kim Byul hurt his pride even more.

    The beast was wounded, but its wild instincts were not dead. Baek Seung-won immediately understood that the entertainment journalists saw him as something akin to a dog’s penis.

    He contacted the headquarters in Korea, ordered some retaliatory actions to be taken, and simultaneously gave instructions to neutralize any slander against Kim Byul.

    Of course, one might think that in this day and age, a celebrity’s dating life wouldn’t cause such a blemish. In fact, the public’s reaction wasn’t that bad. People just commented that it was cute to see young kids smiling brightly together.

    But this is a country that, only 30 years ago, considered celebrity dating a sin. If caught dating, they were forced to retire, and if they resisted, they’d receive letters filled with dead mice and razor blades.

    There’s no way it could have no negative impact.

    “Sigh...”

    The head of Management Division 2’s mind became increasingly complicated.

    In cases like this, it’s extremely difficult to even assign blame.

    How can you question someone for releasing a dating scandal the day after the actress won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival? The answer would be all too obvious.

    -So what?

    The article was already out, and spilled water cannot be scooped back up.

    However, according to the principles of yin and yang and the five elements, there is never a one-sided flow in this world.

    If those bastards use a checkmate move, we have a trump card too.

    -That’s not true, though.

    If they say it’s not true, what can you do? Are you going to insist that it is?

    Go ahead and insist all you want. The more you do, the more pathetic you’ll look.

    The head of Management Division 2 barely held onto his mental composure, summoned his energy, and got up from his seat.

    Alright. If you solve things one by one, there’s nothing in this world you can’t handle.

    He immediately called Kim Byul to ask if the scandal was groundless.

    “Hey, Byul. It’s me, your manager. First off, huge congratulations on winning Best Actress....”

    [Yes, yes, thank you, Manager.]

    “I’d love to congratulate you more, but something urgent has come up, so I’ll get to the point. Something weird just broke out, so I’m calling about that.”

    [Ah... you mean that?]

    “You already know about it, huh? Well, anyway... it’s not true, right? There’s no truth to it, right?”

    [.......]

    She couldn’t put this trophy down.

    If she gave up being applauded, being loved by everyone, and climbing higher to become a star, then Kim Byul would no longer be Kim Byul.

    “Ah, I want to quit acting.”

    But she couldn’t.

    She had come too far to quit now.

    So, she couldn’t stop lying. The show had to go on.

    Even if complicated feelings crept in one day, she would quietly hide them and continue her performance.

    That was Kim Byul’s lie.

    It was Kim Byul’s art.

    * * *

    Gu Hak-jun’s daily life had changed. It wasn’t that something unusual happened at the university. As always, Gu Hak-jun continued teaching literature to his students.

    The change had come from his wife, Min Chae-won. Min Chae-won’s business had broken into the overseas market. At some point, so much money began pouring in that it became overwhelming. And with it came an overwhelming amount of work as well. Min Chae-won now spent more time abroad than in Korea.

    Thus, Gu Hak-jun had lost his wife but gained wealth, which led to the rule that the whole family should have dinner together every evening becoming virtually meaningless.

    But Gu Hak-jun, the novelist, was a monstrous man who juggled art, humanity, social life, and family all at once.

    Instead of hiring a housekeeper, Gu Hak-jun learned how to cook.

    And he held onto his two daughters, who often tried to run off, saying things like, “Your old dad is cooking with his own hands.”

    Thanks to that, even without Min Chae-won, the three remaining family members could always have dinner together.

    The one most dissatisfied with this arrangement was, of course, Gu Yubin.

    “I’m already in college, and it’s embarrassing to have to come home just for dinner....”

    Gu Yu-na, who had been influenced by Moon In, teased her.

    “Unnie, are you embarrassed of your family?”

    Gu Yubin responded by flicking Gu Yu-na on the head. After being struck on her head, Gu Yu-na quietly focused on her chopsticks.

    The negotiations between Gu Yubin and Gu Hak-jun continued.

    “Can’t you ease up on the curfew?”

    “When have I ever given you a curfew? I just said we should always have dinner together as a family.”

    “That’s basically a 6 p.m. curfew!”

    “You can go out after dinner.”

    “But then you glare at me like I’ve got a boyfriend.”

    “I haven’t glared at you.”

    There’s no arguing when he’s stubborn. Gu Yubin wracked her brain in frustration.

    “There’s a rumor going around campus, you know? That the famous novelist Gu Hak-jun is keeping his daughter under tight control like a mouse!”

    “Well, you were born in the Year of the Rat, weren’t you?”

    “Dad, seriously, are you going to keep this up?!”

    “Our little Yubin is throwing a tantrum. Do you have a boyfriend or something? Oh my, now that you’ve got a man, Dad is....”

    “Arghhh-!”

    Gu Hak-jun, the novelist, was a monstrous man who juggled art, humanity, social life, and family all at once.

    Even Gu Hak-jun couldn’t escape the common I’m Worried Because My Daughter Is Too Pretty syndrome that fathers sending their daughters to college for the first time all seem to suffer from.

    While Gu Yubin, who was being controlled as if she had a boyfriend even though she didn’t, metaphorically coughed up blood in frustration, Gu Yu-na finished her meal, having picked out and eaten all the tastiest meat dishes for herself.

    Then, she gave a firm evaluation of her dad’s cooking.

    “Today’s a 4.”

    “Thank you....”

    For reference, it’s out of 10 points.

    Gu Hak-jun was just grateful to have improved from a 1 to a 4, and he was genuinely pleased.

    With that, Gu Yu-na trotted over to the sofa and sat down.

    Then, she picked up the remote control.

    She was feeling a bit good these days because our Byul unnie (a title she would absolutely never say out loud) won a big award in France.

    Though she wasn’t someone who watched TV often, given that the broadcasts were full of Kim Byul praise all day long, TV had become somewhat enjoyable for her these days.

    So, the TV turned on.

    Kim Byul and Moon In appeared on the screen together.

    It was a dating scandal.

    “Huh?”

    That May.

    It wasn’t only Kim Byul who was dealing with complicated feelings.

    It was spring.

    *****

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