He was surrounded byВ universal love and attention, but the emotions reflected inВ his eyes made my cold heart turn on the heating system, which first threw me into aВ fever, and then the skin was covered with aВ small shiver. IВ was excited and did not understand what exactly made me experience aВ whole range ofВ emotions, while this young man was absolutely calm and with aВ bored look, first looked at me appraisingly, and then turned his gaze toВ my father.
«I already said that I don’t need an assistant. I have Min Hyuk and Jin Young. Or do you just want to use me as a babysitter for your daughter, Principal Kim?» Sung Joon addressed my father with a grin.
«That’s far from it,» my father chuckled in response and shifted his gaze to me as he sat down at his desk, «Treat Min Hee like an ordinary assistant. She’s an employee here, not my daughter.»
«Well, let’s see how it goes,» the singer got to his feet, then moved towards me, «I’m going to the dance practice room,» he announced, but I did not know if this was done for me or for my father, after which he left the office.
В«Come in, Min Hee,В» my father invited me toВ the seat that his top star had vacated aВ momentВ ago.
«Thought he’d make a fuss,» I chuckled as I sank into the leather chair.
«I’m sure you can get along with him,» my father smiled and handed me a folder, which I hurried to open immediately, «your employment contract and Sung Joon’s schedule for this week. As well as house rules, a non-disclosure agreement and instructions. You are responsible for the life support of our star, controlling food intake, organizing trips to the doctors, organizing cleaning of his house, communicating with the driver and other minor duties.
«In other words, I’m your top star mom,» I didn’t miss the opportunity to omit the scathing comment.
В«Talk toВ him politely and try toВ understand the importance ofВ Sung Joon staying with our agency,В» the father continued inВ the stern tone ofВ aВ mentor.
В«Ok, IВ understand everything!В»
«Well!» my father gave me a radiant smile, «then you can start work from tomorrow. Right after you get acquainted with the documents. Do not under any circumstances reveal the address of Sung Joon’s residence and any other personal information that becomes available to you.»
«It’s not a problem,» I snorted indifferently, rising to my feet, «I’ll sign the contract and bring it to the personnel department myself.»
В«Good luck!В» father continued toВ smile.
«I thought of something…» I addressed him and paused, «can we make a clause in our contract that our employment contract will be terminated immediately after Sung Joon renews the agreement or enters into a new one?»
«I think it will be fair,» the father replied with a smile, «If there are any questions, you can contact Song Joon’s general manager, Lee Min Hyuk. You will receive all instructions and information from him.»
В«IВ understood everything.В» IВ answered and walked towards the exit ofВ the office.
Everything worked out for the best for me. The need toВ collect documents disappeared, and the side job found me byВ itself. And at the same time, if IВ fulfill all the conditions, my life will become much easier, and IВ will be able toВ devote all my strength toВ finding aВ person who left only questions inВ my life.
***
«So, Min Hee, your work day starts at 5 am, unless Sung Joon’s schedule says otherwise. The work day ends with Sung Joon. You have one day off a week. Again, it depends on Sung Joon «Your main task is to take care of Sung Joon. About his mental and physical condition. Everything else is under my control,» Min Hyuk instructed me, sitting in his work chair, behind which was a wall with shelves lined with Song Joon’s awards.
В«Can IВ ask aВ question?В» IВ asked, realizing how difficult this job would make my life.
В«Ask,В» he replied, and prepared toВ listen carefully toВ me.
В«Why does Sung Joon change assistants so often?В» my question caused the general manager toВ chuckle, after which he thought for aВ moment.
«Song Joon doesn’t accept anyone’s help. You could say that he doesn’t accept anyone’s care,» Min Hyuk smiled weakly, adjusting his rectangular glasses, which were hiding tired brown eyes. His short brown hair was styled in mousse and, together with a business-like navy suit and black shirt, gave him a stiff look.
IВ nodded my head toВ show that IВ understoodВ him.
В«IВ can go?В» IВ asked, looking at my wristwatch, and realizing that Sung Joon would soon finish his dance practice, which had already lasted three hours.
«Yes. Just one more thing,» he turned to me after some thought, «you have access to Sung Joon’s social media and his apartment. Be careful. Journalists or fans may find out that you are working with Sung Joon. Your association with the CEO may cause a fuss. No one should doubt that you and Sung Joon only have a working relationship.»
В«IВ get it,В» IВ bowed slightly as IВ rose toВ my feet from one ofВ the two leather two-seat sofas that sat opposite each other, imagining myself toВ be aВ dutiful girl.
«Then here’s your work phone and you can go to Sung Joon.»
IВ took the latest model smartphone that was handed toВ me and experienced aВ slight bewilderment from the fact that inВ my hands, inВ the literal sense, there was the personal life ofВ another person with whom IВ barely knew.
My next stop was Sung Joon’s dance studio located on the fourteenth floor, but before I visited, I went down to the cafeteria on the first floor and bought coffee for myself and cool water for Sung Joon.
В«Greetings toВ all!В» IВ loudly greeted Sung Joon, his dancers and their choreographer, who were sitting exhausted inВ the center ofВ the dance practice hall, and were discussing something enthusiastically.
The answer was aВ general greeting and aВ displeased look from Sung Joon.
В«IВ brought some water,В» IВ handed him the bottle, which he gave him aВ scornful look, after which he dexterously rose toВ his feet, at first glance, without making any effort toВ doВ so.
«You don’t have to. Don’t make these clumsy attempts. If you want to do your job well, then remember,» he leaned forward slightly and looked directly into my eyes, which made me seriously nervous. His charm, charisma and radiant aura were impossible to resist, but I felt his negative attitude towards me, «I am all these people who work with me. Therefore, if you want to perform your duties well, then show care and precious attention to all these people, don’t touch me!» he said with a haughty grin and turned to his team with whom he had been working for the past few hours, «Thanks for the work!» he thanked them and bowed, and then turned and gave me another indifferent look, after which he left the hall.
IВ took aВ slow, deep breath and tried toВ distract myself with thoughts ofВ what IВ should do next. The next item on his schedule was toВ host aВ live broadcast, during which Sung Joon had toВ communicate with his fans, after which he was waiting for work inВ the studio and recording an interview for aВ local TV channel. So right now he needed toВ eat.
«Min Hee, don’t worry. You’re lucky that Sung Joon didn’t throw away that bottle,» the young man said to me.
«Yeah, looks like I’m very lucky,» I laughed nervously and bowed to everyone present before walking away.
On the way to the room where Sung Joon was planning to broadcast from, I took another look at the notes I had made specifically for myself about the preferences and routine of my artist’s day.
After ordering European food from the best restaurant inВ Seoul, IВ went toВ one ofВ the rooms toВ prepare it for the broadcast according toВ the instructions IВ received earlier from the general manager. When the food arrived, IВ left aВ container ofВ vegetable salad and sliced fruit for Sung Joon, as well as aВ bottle ofВ water, and attached aВ sticker that said, В«This is your lunch. Please eat it completely. You have aВ busy day ahead ofВ youВ» on the table.
IВ looked around the office and left just as an employee from the technical department entered. Right behind him was Sung Joon.
В«Take things from my house for the evening shoot. The code is 170328,В» he told me, looking ahead.
В«What exactly should IВ bring?В» after aВ short pause, IВ asked, toВ which he only snorted contemptuously.
«You’ll be given everything you need,» he replied lazily and walked forward, smiling affably at the young man who was setting up the camera for the upcoming broadcast, «well, how are you?» I heard his voice, in which for the first time since our acquaintance with him flashed a polite attitude.
How did the assistants deserve his distrust? IВ would even say hatred. IВ think IВ have toВ find the answer toВ this question if IВ want toВ remain his assistant and reap my own benefits.
On Sung Joon’s minibus, which from today was at my disposal (as well as its driver Jin Young), I went to the elite district of Seoul – Gangnam, to find Song Joon’s apartment in one of the skyscrapers. Once in the right place, I was horrified to find that Sung Joon’s apartment was in the same building as ours. Except our apartment was on the fiftieth floor, and Sung Joon’s was on the thirty-ninth.
The high-rise building with a large and cozy courtyard has been owned by my father for ten years. That’s how much I lived here with my parents. And I could not think that Sung Joon lives very close. I went to school early in the morning and returned home late at night. I knew that celebrities lived in this house and even ran into actors in the elevator several times, but I never met my ward.
When IВ got toВ the right apartment, IВ dialed the code and found myself inВ aВ spacious hallway with light walls, aВ large mirror, aВ three-tiered shoe rack and aВ hanger, on which, apart from aВ huge number ofВ various hats, there was nothing else.
«Oh! I didn’t think you’d get to work so soon!» Suddenly, a male voice burst into my scattered thoughts.
IВ looked up at the person who had appeared inВ front ofВ me aВ second earlier and realization slowly filled my mind.
В«You! The guy who blocked my way!В» IВ sighed inВ shock after IВ could see the young guy who had been chasing me on aВ motorcycle aВ few daysВ ago.
«I’m flattered that you recognized me so quickly. I’m Cho Hee. Let’s get to know each other!» He greeted me solemnly and bowed slightly.
«Who are you? And what are you doing in Sung Joon’s apartment?» suspiciously screwing up my eyes on him, I asked, looking around warily.
«You can think of me as the local Kasin. Here are the things your top star needs,» he handed me some hangers clad in thick fabric cases and a few bags of shoe boxes, «I’d love to chat with you, but I know you need to go because Mr. Sung Joon doesn’t like to wait,» he gestured to the door for me, and without saying a word, I turned around and obediently left the apartment, «Although, you know what…? I need to go too to the agency. Will you give me a lift?» With a charming smile, he asked, calling after me, which made me stop and turn around so that I could look at him, «I’m quick!» The young man promised and disappeared behind the door.
IВ went down toВ the minibus, after which IВ carefully hung things inВ aВ specially equipped place inВ the trunk, and then took the passenger seat.
В«Can we go toВ the agency?В» Jin-young addressed me while looking at me inВ the rearview mirror.
«Let’s wait a couple of minutes,» I called back, contemplating whether or not to trust the guy who called himself Cho Hee, «Perhaps another person will join us,» I said vaguely, looking at the exit from the apartment complex.
В«Hmm?В» Our driver looked at me inВ surprise, but IВ did not have time toВ answer, as the door ofВ the minibus opened, and Cho Hee flopped into one ofВ the empty seats.
В«Hey Jin-young!В» He greeted the driver as if he had known him for many years.
В«Hello, Mr. Cho Hee,В» the driver called and started the engine ofВ the car, after which we drove toВ our agency.
«Do you know each other?» I couldn’t hide my indignation.
«Who doesn’t know Mr. Cho Hee?» Jin Young chuckled.
«Obviously, I…» I breathed out tiredly and shifted my gaze to the window, beyond which the cityscape flickered.
«If you’re that interested, I can promise that I’ll answer all your questions at our next meeting,» Cho Hee addressed me, continuing to have fun.
I didn’t answer anything, and after a short moment of silence, the car was filled with a pleasant voice that belonged to Sung Joon, and I did not immediately understand where exactly the sound was coming from. It took me a few seconds to realize that Cho Hee was watching Sung Joon’s broadcast.
«…I don’t know if I should talk about it, but… before the end of the year I plan to release an album. I’m currently working on a new song that I’m looking forward to sharing with you! Very soon we will delight you with new content. I wish you all a good day! Take care of yourself, take care of your health, both physical and psychological. I hope to see you soon and… love you! «He turned to his fans with genuine sincerity, which made me surprised and at some point admire him the ability to separate and differentiate the tone for communicating with people from different categories. It looks like he was a good actor.
CHAPTERВ 3
Cho Hee went toВ the agency without any problems, and IВ delivered things for Sung Joon toВ the studio where he will be interviewed, after which IВ went toВ the office from which he broadcast, noting that my ward did not touch the food that IВ broughtВ him.
My working day ended at ten inВ the evening (which byВ local standards was not too late) and IВ went down toВ the first floor at the moment when my father calledВ me.
«Congratulations on finishing your first day at work. Waiting for you in the parking lot. We’ll drive home together,» he said into the phone in a tired voice and hung up.
I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that I didn’t have to think about anything other than the fact that I would soon be in my comfortable bed. I felt boundless fatigue, but not from work, but from the fact that I did not know what to do with myself. Sung Joon was invincible. He defiantly did not accept my help, especially in everything related to food.
В«How was your day?В» my father asked right after IВ got into his car next toВ him.
В«Long and not entirely clear,В» IВ breathedВ out.
«You’ll get used to it soon. Have some patience,» he patted my arm encouragingly, «when your schedule isn’t very busy?»
«This Friday. Sung Joon only has a photo session in the morning,» I answered automatically without thinking too much, because due to lack of work, I spent the whole day studying Sung Joon’s schedule.
«Great. Don’t plan anything for Friday night. I’ll cook dinner. It’s been a long time since we spent time together. There’s something to talk about,» my father said as he pulled out of the parking lot below the agency.
«Mom didn’t call?» I asked after a short silence.
«No. She said she’d be writing a book for a couple of days.»
В«Well, nothing new,В» IВ chuckled sadly, feeling ready toВ pass out inВ theВ car.
My next two working days were no different from the first. Sung Joon continued toВ pretend that IВ did not exist, did not accept any ofВ my help and ignored the food that IВ offered him. InВ addition, IВ accompanied him toВ aВ photo shoot that took place on Friday morning, not really understanding why my presence was necessary, because Sung Joon ignoredВ me.
Immediately after the photo shoot ended, IВ went with Sung Joon toВ his apartment toВ check if the cleaning was done, waited for the bottled water toВ be delivered, which IВ unloaded into the refrigerator and made sure that my help was no longer needed, after which IВ climbed onto my floor, feeling relieved and happy that IВ can rest for at least aВ couple ofВ hours.
And toВ relieve tension, IВ decided toВ go down toВ the fitness room located on the first floor ofВ our residential complex and do aВ full workout.
«Are you boxing again?» Alex’s voice came through the earpiece.
В«Uh-huh. IВ was able toВ get into the gym for the first time inВ aВ week,В» IВ answered pantingly, continuing toВ methodically hit the bag, which was almost twice as tall and wider than me, В«Ji Han opened the gym for me and grumbled because IВ skip workouts.В»
В«Judging byВ the tone ofВ your voice, you are not very pleased with your new job. Starry Olympus is not as bright as it seems from afar?В» he asked mockingly, and IВ began toВ think over his question, stopping inВ place. The punching bag pushed me back, and IВ staggered, then laughed because ofВ my sluggishness.
В«What are you doing?В» my best friend asked inВ surprise.
«I… seems to have received an answer from someone I didn’t expect at all,» I answered, still laughing, and patted the pear with exaggerated care.
«So what’s up with your job?» he impatiently reminded me of something he’d asked before.
В«They ignore me, but for some reason, this does not anger, but only causes aВ feeling ofВ pity.В»
«Well, I’m sure there’s something to be sorry for idols. I hope you haven’t changed your mind about going through with this deal?»
«No way!» I replied, continuing to box, «I’ll find a way with him. It would be too boring if he gave up without a fight.»
«Well, good luck to you. I have to go. I’ll call you later,» he said goodbye and hung up the call.
IВ felt aВ surge ofВ energy and, at the same time, aВ pleasant fatigue throughout my body. Having collected my things from the locker, IВ decided that IВ would take aВ shower at home, so IВ went up toВ the apartment and froze on the threshold from the delicious smell ofВ food burning my mucous membrane. Something hissed appetizingly and I, leaving my shoes inВ the hallway, walked into the kitchen.
Dad, inВ home clothes and an apron, skillfully prepared dinner, quickly moving from the surface ofВ the kitchen island toВ the stove and back.
«Min Hee?» he smiled happily as his gaze lingered on me for a moment, «You’re on time. Get dressed and I’ll be waiting for you for dinner. We’ll have guests, but it’s a house party. So there’s no need for formal wear.»
