Aperture

At the HQ

'Mr. Hyun!' the receptionist called me up as I entered the building. 'There is something for you.'

Monday morning and I was surprised by a package. I went over to her to pick up what was sent to them, whatever it was. She handed me a brown envelope, sealed with my name on it. 

HYUN BIN - DISPATCH

I opened it and checked the contents. When I saw what they were, I froze for a moment.

It was my photos, with Yejin. In Sokcho no less. I closed my eyes for a brief moment before I went up to the office to sort things out. I guess this is what you get when you choose to love a big star. I took the elevator and kept the pictures inside my backpack, along with the camera provided by the company where I took pictures of Yejin with her friends eating. She allowed as I asked her permission to do so, candidly.

'Babe, at least you have something to report to your boss, don't you think?' I remember her telling me that. I was just glad her friends allowed it, it won't mean any harm to them too.

'Bin!' My boss called me up and gestured for me to come over, seemingly very important is coming my way. I had a feeling it is connected to what I have in my bag now.

I entered his office and I felt like I was too small in it, compared to the other times where I came in feeling like the regular employee that I was. I also noticed it wasn't just me in the office, so I felt like I was in for an interrogation. Mr. Lee was in the middle, behind his oaken desk that occupied one-thirds of the office space. I was standing in the middle of it, and to my left was a big guy, wearing a black button-down with wide-rimmed clear specs, looking like a very important manager or something like it. To my right was the very man whom I have encountered the past week. Kim Bidam, or as I call him, Mr. Kim.

The man who tried to twist the story and hurt Yejin.

'Mr. Hyun,' my boss called up, not even bothering to ask me to sit like the time when I came in here. Right now, I feel like he is treating me like trash, but I stood still and waited for the events to unfold.

'Mr. Kim has something to tell you,' he said. I shifted my gaze to the man in question, who obviously still has a few, small bandages from what happened between us. He wore his famous smirk, coupled with his thin mustache which made him look like the mafia. Good-looking man, but a bastard deep inside.

'Mr. Hyun, I hope you remember what you did to me,' he began as he pointed at his bandages. 'Not just this, but you asked to release my pictures in Ibizu. How could you dare to do that when I have something against you?'

I looked at him, who was intently looking at me wearing that smirk that I wanted to punch his face off right then and there. He stood up to come near me and he continued what he wanted to say.

'How dare you do that, when I can easily say to everyone why you were there that night? And I can even twist everything you know. Son Ye Jin is scandal-free for so many years, don't you think it will destroy her if I say that yes, you are together? Better think about that,' he said, then went back to his seat.

'What is it that you want?'

'Withdraw everything that this paper published against me, issue an erratum or whatever, and I will keep your secret,' he said, without looking at me.

I looked at Mr. Lee, who by now was massaging his temples. He never thought this would happen. I never did likewise.

'Remember, withdraw it or I'll tell everyone. You know how far my influence goes,' he said, as he stood up with the man who stayed across him. He walked to the door of Mr. Lee's office, leaving me standing in the middle of that big room.