Taking a deep breath in front of Go Hyuna’s house, Lee Seungjae called her.

“I have a schedule in a bit, where on earth are you?”

But Go Hyuna didn’t answer the phone. Helpless, Lee Seungjae decided to go to her place and wait for her.

He knew she had a schedule, so he thought she’d show up if he waited.

Waiting for several hours like that.

While casually eating lunch in the car, Lee Seungjae absentmindedly watched the cars entering the parking lot.

But when Go Hyuna got out of the luxury sedan, Lee Seungjae’s eyes widened.

“Why is Hyeona…?”

Putting down the food he was eating, Lee Seungjae got out of the car.

Go Hyuna bowed and said to the person inside the car, “Please convey my gratitude to the chairman.”

Chairman?

In an instant, Lee Seungjae approached her.

Go Hyuna closed the car door, turned around, and was startled when she saw Lee Seungjae blocking her way.
“Oh my!”

Lee Seungjae stared down at Go Hyuna with a stern expression and grabbed her hand, leading her.

“Tell me what happened.”

“Oh, let go of this!”

“Get in the car first. It’s not something to discuss outside.”

Upon hearing that, Go Hyuna shut her mouth and got into the car. Lee Seungjae, who carried her in the passenger seat, went to the driver’s seat and sat down.

He forcefully maintained a determined expression, suppressing the anxious feelings inside.

“Explain.”

“What.”

Go Hyuna turned her head irritably.

“Who did you meet?”

“……. ”

At first, he thought it might be about dating. Considering Go Hyuna’s age, it could have been possible.

However, the moment he heard the word ‘chairman’ from that car, anxiety struck him.

It reminded him of the time when Go Hyuna silently examined the business card handed over by a middle-aged actress.

No way…

“Did you contact Choi Mijin?”

Upon hearing this, Go Hyuna sharply looked at Lee Seungjae with a piercing gaze.

“What does it matter to you? Whether I contact her or not!”

“Why doesn’t it matter? I’m your manager. Am I just a manager? I’ve been watching you since you were nineteen. I’ve seen you from the day you first entered the company!”

“So what if you’ve been watching? Are you planning to be a parent or something?!”

“Go Hyuna!”

For a moment, the voice raised. The mention of being a parent struck an emotional chord.

While spending time with Go Hyuna, he usually didn’t respond or laughed off her harsh words due to her emotional instability.

But this time, he genuinely felt hurt by her words.

Was he in a position where he couldn’t say such things to Go Hyuna?

Lee Seungjae closed his eyes. His heart was throbbing, but he took a deep breath and began to organize his thoughts.

Judging by Go Hyuna’s reaction, it seemed like she had contacted Choi Mijin, the one who arranged meetings with conglomerate chairmen.

Questions arose.

Why? What’s lacking for you?

“Why go to this extent? You’re a top star. Why would you meet such people?”

“…I need power.”

“What kind of power?”

“The power to bring someone down.”

“What?”

Lee Seungjae doubted his ears.

The power to bring someone down?

“Being successful for me is easy. I’m already successful. But to shove someone else into ruin, I can’t do it alone. So, that’s why I made the contact.”

“…”

“I need people with power.”

The moment he heard those words, Lee Seungjae felt a sudden awakening.

“Hyuna…”

Go Hyuna looked at Lee Seungjae. Her red lips drew a beautiful curve, as if something good had happened.

“Oppa, I’ll become more famous. And Seol Jio, Yeowoon, those two, I’ll trample them.”

“…”

“The price for ignoring me. I’ll make them pay for it.”

Lee Seungjae looked at Go Hyuna, at a loss for words. For a moment, a sense of emptiness enveloped his entire body.

There was no more motivation to persuade her.

The woman in front of him was no longer the Go Hyuna he knew.
At the age of nineteen, the delicate girl who nurtured her dreams of becoming an actress, with peach-like cheeks, was no longer there.

Having dedicated his entire twenties to raising Go Hyuna to this extent…

No matter how temperamental and stubborn she was, he used to attribute it to the emotional stress from the challenging entertainment industry and embraced her.

Lee Seungjae shook his head.

This wasn’t right.

Go Hyuna, blinded by the desire to bring others down, had chosen the path of selling her soul to the devil.

He could no longer take care of her.

Seol Jio finished his schedule and arrived at his home. After running out to greet Lucky, he stroked the dog’s fur a few times and entered the house.

Before entering the bedroom, Seol Jio stood in the living room for a moment, looking around the house.

“Lucky, shall we move?”

“Woof-woof.”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“Woof-woof.”

Hugging Lucky, who was howling beside him, Seol Jio sat down and cuddled the dog. Lucky snuggled into his arms, showing off his belly, and when Seol Jio scratched it, Lucky vigorously wagged his tail.

“I liked this house. It’s a bit regrettable.”

Although he had put a lot of effort into building a terrace on the second floor.

However, it was unreasonable to continue living here once the stalker discovered his residence.

He recalled the recent conversation with Choi Hyun.

[There was no one on the CCTV in the elevator during the early morning hours, and no visitors at all. Really, are we living in the same building, as you say?]

It was a fact he had deduced, but hearing it from someone else gave him the shivers.

Since the stalker could appear unexpectedly at any time.

[Did you see the CCTV in front of your door? Now, starting tomorrow, we can catch them. We really have to make those people unable to move around with their faces exposed!]

Although he had the same idea as Choi Hyun, it felt uncomfortable.

The fact that he lived in a villa that was difficult for ordinary people to enter meant he was not an average person.

If, by any chance, the person was someone he knew or a famous person, it would be troublesome.

But the fact that someone came all the way to his doorstep was quite dangerous, so he couldn’t just sit still.

Seol Jio first asked Choi Hyun to put his house on the real estate market and ended the call.

Hugging Lucky tightly, he spoke.

“Lucky, we’re going to Yangpyeong. Let’s stay there for a while.”

After all, the filming would be over the day after tomorrow.

After finishing the movie schedule, he planned to tidy up the house and head to Yangpyeong.

To the villa he prepared to spend time with Yeowoon.

“That place has a huge yard, so it’ll be nice for you to run around. It’s going to be good, right, Lucky?”

“Woof-woof.”

Looking up at him with his tongue sticking out, it seemed as if Lucky was smiling.

From there, Seol Jio wanted to rest for a few months with Lucky. Oh, of course, with Yeowoon too.
Just thinking about it made Seol Jio happy, and a smile appeared on his lips.

At that moment, his phone rang. The caller was President Ju Seokyeong.

“Oh, hyung.”

[Good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?]

“Hmm, it’s scary when you call at night to ask. What happened?”

[Hurry up and choose.]

“Then start with the good news.”

[We caught Go Hyuna meeting with MH Group Chairman Lee Junyoung. With that, we might be able to settle the score for spreading malicious rumors about Yeowoon.]

“Okay, and what’s the bad news?”

[A courier came to the president’s office, and when we opened it, there’s a picture of you and Yeowoon holding hands.]

“……!”

[In the next picture, you two are kissing.]

“……What?”

[Explain, Seol Jio.]