Episode 1
"Whoa. How is it possible for somebody to be so beautiful."
"Tall, good physique, can carry a tune, and good at acting. What deficiencies? Can a human even be like that?"
People couldn't help but utter words of admiration as they stared at the photo covering the entire building wall. The front of the building was bustling with people.
"Even still I was not able to catch the 38th generational descendant of the Gimhae Kim family, Kim Boo-kyum."
"Crazy bastard, talking gibberish again."
I unknowingly burst into laughter at the conversation being shared by the passerby outside. Fortunately, since I was inside a black van, the other person didn't realize I was laughing.
Puuuuuh~ Cold winter. The kind of weather where hands and feet freeze solid. People were waiting for someone, while trying to thaw the cold using cigarettes.
"Oh! Coming out!"
Today's protagonist appeared. The people who had been scattered in small groups quickly gathered, forming a large crowd in an instant.
"Everyone, please stop blocking the road and get out of the way!" The security began to control the swarming crowd. So many people had gathered that they broke out in a cold sweat. Even so, their cries were short-lived.
Click-clack click-clack~
Wearing red high heels, today's protagonist exited the entry, and the rambunctious crowd suddenly fell silent.
"Wha…."
When humans encounter an ideal being that transcends common sense, they develop a sense of wonder. At that moment, it was exactly like that. The ground was cold, covered with half-melted snow. Even so, the places where she stepped seemed like a red carpet.
"Pretty!!"
"Love you!! IV!!"
There are many celebrities with the title of 'top star'—actors, singers, entertainers, athletes, and more. At some point, the title of 'top star' became overused. But now, at least in the Republic of Korea, the title belongs to only one person: IV. Acting, singing, looks, and more—she is the perfect woman, lacking in none of these qualities.
Becoming the top entertainer in the Republic of Korea under the alias IV, she receives love from countless fans. However,
"look this way just once!"
"Sis~! Please at least wave your hand!"
At the fans' display of discontent, she gave a brief smile. There was no further response.
"Ah, what?"
"Just got in the car again."
"Original concept was like that"
With regret, people stared in vain at the black van she had gotten into.
"Since she has everything, her personality must be dirty, right?"
"Maintaining a concept like that shouldn't be easy."
"Even so, people like her. At that level, the concept of mystique is a success."
"Hey, that's not a concept. It's just her personality that is bad and uncultured."
Probably, people think this way: She's an awfully cold person with an impudent personality. Since she holds the title of top star, she must hold her nose in the air. However, I know that none of their words are true.
"M, Mr. manager," she said, climbing into the car, her breath labored. Brr, brr—her hands and feet were shivering.
I quickly handed over the medicine and water that had been prepared in advance. "Here you go."
"Tha-thank…" She tried to take the medicine with her shivering hands but dropped a few pills on the floor. "Ah! so-sorry about that."
"No, it's alright so take your time."
People probably imagined IV in the black van, once again sitting with her legs crossed, barking orders at the manager in an arrogant tone. But, in a place where her fans can't see her, her image is...
'Phew~'
A patient, holding onto her trembling heart as she endures. To keep it from showing to others, she exerts strenuous effort. These days, I had thought things had greatly improved, but it seems that was not the case. To prevent her from having a sudden attack, I quickly started the van and moved it out of the way of the crowding fans.
"....."
A long silence hung in the van. It was something I was used to. Still, just in case of any unforeseen emergency, I always kept an eye on her through the rearview mirror. The sight of her looking out the window with sentimental eyes was so beautiful that the word 'picturesque' seemed insufficient. Her appearance in the media is the epitome of perfection, one that evokes no envy when compared to anyone else. However, outside of the media, she seemed filled with loneliness.
"I'll bring you directly to your home."
"....." She did not say anything. It wasn't a question to elicit an answer. Because In two years that I have worked as her manager, we rarely spoke of personal matters. Most likely IV doesn't even know my name nor my age. Because I knew it wasn't due to her bad personality, I didn't particularly care. Maybe that was why. I've heard that out of all of her managers, I was the only one that has lasted longer than a year. "Excuse me…"
"Yes?"
"..." In the media she held her head high proudly, but now she was hesitating and lowering her head.
"You can speak comfortably."
"... I don't want to go straight home."
For a moment, my brain stopped working. Did I mishear? She, an extreme homebody, doesn't want to go home? Unless it was scheduled, she was famous for never stepping foot outside her house, to the point where very few celebrities had personal ties to her. For her to say something like that must have taken a lot of courage
"Then where should I bring you?"
"Just… anywhere."
After a moment of deliberation I turned the wheel. "There is a place that I know of, would it be ok? It happens to be close to here."
"..."
Seeing the anxiety in her eyes, I quickly continued. "It's a place with low traffic, so you probably won't run into anyone."
Only then did she nod. "That'd be nice."
I took her to Yeosu, where the night sea is said to be beautiful. It didn't take long, since today's schedule ended near Yeosu. In particular, this is a place I sometimes visit when I want to see the ocean alone or drink by myself, so there were very few people here.
"It's nice, this place…."
A small smile appeared on her gloomy face. There's a saying that you get tired of a pretty face after looking at it for three months. In reality, I've worked as a manager for several celebrities. At first, you think, 'Wow, how pretty!' and keep stealing glances, but after a few weeks, it quickly becomes indifferent. When you live the life of a manager, completely in a subordinate position, being pushed around, there are times when you don't want to see the other person's face.
However, IV was still as beautiful as the first time I saw her, even after almost two years. Her beauty was so striking that it felt as though God had truly designed and created a masterpiece.
"The wind is cold; please wear this." I took the down jacket out of the car and put it on her. "I'll go buy a cup of hot cocoa. Please wait here for a moment."
"Ah, no."
"Yes?"
"If you don't go... wouldn't it be okay?" It seemed she was very afraid of being left alone.
"Ah, yes." I stood blankly next to her, looking at the rippling sea. Honestly, it felt strange standing next to her like this, especially with her having asked a favor for the first time.
"Mr. Manager…. Don't you want to quit?"
"Do you want to fire me?"
She quickly waved her hands in embarrassment. "Ah, no." I shouldn't think this way, but it was quite cute seeing her panic.
"It's just that other people usually can't even last a few months and leave…."
It was probably like that. Becoming her manager required signing a contract with the agency. The conditions were that I couldn't initiate personal conversations with her and had to keep interactions to a minimum. Also, no matter how trivial, I wasn't allowed to speak about her outside of work.
'Abusive behavior is harmful, but indifference is also frightening.' There's nothing more frustrating and suffocating than not being able to exchange a single word with someone. Even more so, her former managers didn't know she suffered from panic disorder. She wanted to keep it a secret, and her agency also kept it hidden from her managers for fear that the word would get out. I found out later that she had an illness.
"I'm fine. I need to eat and live, so I'm not going to quit. Please don't fire me." When I said this playfully, she burst into laughter. Normally, it would have been right to stop here. Even though I had been her manager for nearly two years, there was a contractual clause that said I couldn't have personal conversations with her. Typically, I would have remained indifferent, but today, I felt a little excited. I closed my eyes tightly and began speaking. "I guess filming was a bit difficult today."
She didn't answer. As expected, had I said something unnecessary? But soon, she slowly opened her mouth. "Yes, a little bit." Today was a day of drama filming, though I didn't know the content. "It felt strange because the main character that appeared seemed to be based on me."
"Was it?"
"Yes, it's the discrepancy between how I appear to others and how I am." The media portrays IV as the perfect woman, but in reality, Jeong Yoon-Ah is mentally broken and shattered. Perhaps the content of the drama was similar. "I thought I endured well, but now I'm just too tired... these negative thoughts keep intruding."
I felt that I shouldn't just send her home like this. It seemed pointless to just say, 'It's okay, everything will be okay.' I needed something that could change the mood. But what could I do, and how? It's not like I could just bring out some soju and blow off steam. Just then, a small pebble rolled under my feet. It was a bit childish, but… "Do you know why I like it here?"
"huh?"
"While it's also quiet and there are no people, this is also a place where wishes come true."
".....?"
"They say if you make a wish on this small stone and throw it into the sea, your wish will come true."
She stared at me with untrusting eyes. "For real?"
Of course, this is nonsense I just made up. "Of course, do you want to try it once?" It was a thoughtless move but fortunately, she readily accepted it.
"Alright." Then she squatted down on the ground and picked out a stone that looked pretty. She even appeared a little excited.
"Mr. Manager, aren't you going to choose?"
"What? Oh, yes. I need to choose also."
Without thinking, I squatted before her and started to pick out a stone. I pondered what am I even doing but when she said "This seems to be the prettiest" and handed me the stone all such thoughts disappeared.
I couldn't help but to wonder if she was originally a cheerful person, that's how different her expression was from the usual.
"Mmmh, I'll throw first."
Splash~
It looked as if she had thrown with all her might, but the stone splashed in front of her. "Hiing" That sight of her was so adorable that I couldn't help but laugh.
"It's alright, it just needed to get in the water." I also threw the stone lightly so that it would land near her stone. Splash~
Watching the splashing of water drops she asked, "Manager-nim, what did you wish for?"
"I made a wish that any ordinary office worker dreams of, winning the first place lottery, or something like that." Today I lied to her twice. In truth, my wish was something else. "What about Ms. Yoon-Ah?"
She answered with a bitter smile. "I asked for the real older brother to appear"
Real brother?
I know that in Jung Yoon-Ah's family, there is one older brother.
"Someone that I can truly rely on, that kind of real family."
So that's what she meant. Much of her family history is not known to other people. Her biological brother is truly a son of a bitch, to such a degree that you'd feel sorry for the word 'bitch.' Her biological relatives were monsters who only ate money. I don't know the finer details, but I know that she didn't have any luck when it came to family. Her parents, the only ones who would protect her interests, had already passed away.
Although Jeong Yoon-Ah works without a single day of rest, she clears her schedule on the anniversary of her parent's death. That's why I remembered.
"It's a wish that would leave someone at a loss for words, isn't it?"
I just did something useless. I also know the loneliness of not having a family. To have nowhere I can lean on, the loneliness of being left alone is something you cannot understand unless you have experienced it. My heart felt heavy because I somehow made her even more depressed.
"Let's go back now."
"Ah, yes."
Inside the black van, a silence that was even heavier than before permeated. When she got out of the car in front of her house she said, "Thank you for today. Thanks to you, I feel a bit better."
If that was the case, it would be fortunate. "Yes, please go in carefully."
"Yes, Manager Kim Eun-Seong." I blankly stared at her back as she disappeared with a faint smile. What the, so she did know my name. Even if I didn't drink tonight, I felt I could sleep peacefully.
"My goodness." strangely enough I automatically laughed. Suddenly I remembered the wish I had made while throwing the stone, the wish that I was too embarrassed to tell her honestly. 'Please grant Yoon-Ah's wish.' That was the wish I had prayed for.