Love and Limelight

Chapter 10: Two Years Later

"Come on, Lee. Answer!" Raya hissed into her phone with growing frustration. She had a mere five minutes to spare before being officially late, yet she still wandered the Makati streets, desperately searching for the elusive building where her meeting with Lee, her senior producer, and the clients was supposed to happen.

"Where are you?" Lee's voice finally came through.

"Lee!" Raya exclaimed, her annoyance and relief mixing into her tone. "You never told me the name of the building, just the street address!"

"What? It's the Elton Building, the massive emerald one."

"Okay, I see it!" Raya replied, breaking into a sprint toward the imposing structure.

"Be ready with your ID; the receptionist will ask for it," Lee hastily added before hanging up, leaving Raya cursing under her breath. She couldn't help but wonder if Lee's omission of details was intentional. This wasn't the first time it had happened, and it was hard to believe it was a simple mistake, given Lee's seniority.

Arriving at the conference room just in the nick of time, Raya was followed closely by the clients, which is the marketing team of the Binge clothing line.

"What took you so long?" Lee inquired as Raya sat down beside her.

"What are you talking about? I've been wandering the streets for an hour, texting and calling you for the address, but you wouldn't respond!" Raya snapped.

Lee didn't have a chance to respond as the head of the marketing team entered the room. A pleasant-looking woman in her early thirties, she introduced herself as Dianne Cortez, the Head of Binge's marketing team, and proceeded to introduce everyone in the room, including various groups from an events company, a PR agency, and an advertising agency.

"As you know, we have a new endorser, and we've been preparing for his launch over the past couple of months," Dianne continued. "I know it's last minute, but we had to contact a new production house. Lee and Raya, welcome to the team."

Lee and Raya exchanged pleasantries with everyone. Dianne explained that the project had been passed on to their production house but she did not disclose the reason the previous one backed out.

Suddenly, there was a flurry of activity outside the conference room.

"They're here," Dianne announced, causing excitement to ripple through the room. As the door swung open, a group of four entered, led by a woman followed by three men, one of whom was Song Rae Won.

Even in a simple Binge ensemble, he exuded a natural charm and magnetism that made it seem as though he had just stepped out of a billboard. The white Binge shirt clung to his broad shoulders, emphasizing his tall physique, and the dark jeans effortlessly showcased his long, lean legs.

Raya nearly toppled from her chair in surprise, struggling to focus on what happened next. She stood up with the rest of the room, clapping along with the others, her emotions swirling in a blur. It was difficult to catch her breath, and she feared she might faint and create a scene.

She couldn't help but feel self-conscious. Her wavy hair tied in a ponytail, framed her face in its natural disarray. The humidity of Manila had caused a slight dampness on her blouse, and she was aware that her makeup have not survived the morning.

Dianne introduced Song Rae Won to the team as Binge's new endorser, and he returned the favor by acknowledging the team. Raya's heart caught in her throat when Rae Won audibly exclaimed, "Oh!" upon seeing her, his surprise and delight evident.

Dianne picked up on the moment and asked, "Do you know her?"

"Yeah," Rae Won beamed, glancing at Ha-Neul as if asking, "Can you believe it?" Turning to Raya, he said, "Ms. Raya was an intern on our show, Starlight Escape. What a pleasant surprise this is."

Raya could only manage a smile, unable to trust her voice. Curious gazes filled the room, including Lee's. The resentment she'd tried to bury for the past two years resurfaced as she contemplated what everyone might be thinking.

Dianne interrupted the moment, moving on with the meeting and leaving Mela, the accounts director, to brief them further about the project. Raya couldn't help but dread the rush project ahead, knowing it would only induce anxiety.

Mela's voice broke into Raya's musings when she mentioned her name. "Raya will be the producer of your behind-the-scenes (BTS videos) for our social media, Rae Won." She said. "What a great coincidence that you've worked together before because she's probably the person you'll be working with the most from this team."

"Sounds great!" Said Rae Won smiling widely.

Raya noticed Ha-Neul looking uneasy, mirroring her own sense of being wronged.

"Why am I producing the BTS videos when you're in charge of digital videos?" Raya questioned Lee once they stepped out into the hallway.

"Don't you want to? I thought you two were friends," Lee exclaimed with palpable excitement. "You're so lucky; he looked genuinely happy to see you, OMG!"

"It's not that," Raya replied, "I have multiple projects on my plate right now, and the BTS videos seem demanding based on the brief. Besides, it's digital – isn't that under your turf?"

Lee pointed out, "I'm handling the TV and digital ads, not digital posts per se. I'm managing more significant and demanding projects, Raya. Surely you can handle this."

Rolling her eyes at Lee's condescension, Raya allowed the subject to drop and proceeded down the hallway. Just then, a voice called her name.

"Raya ssi," it was Ha-Neul, prompting both Raya and Lee to turn toward him.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked, and Raya felt her face harden with resolve.

"I have another meeting to attend," Lee interjected, giving Raya a meaningful nudge. "See you at the office."

Raya followed Ha-Neul to a smaller conference room, determined not to let her guard down. Her heart brimmed with animosity as she considered her situation.

"I didn't know you'd be working with Binge for this campaign," Ha-Neul began.

"Was I supposed to tell everyone I'd be working with on this campaign beforehand?" Raya retorted.

"No, that's not—"

"I don't think I'd be violating any agreement by doing my job within the company I work for," Raya interrupted.

"Yeah, no," Ha-Neul conceded.

"Then, is there anything else we need to discuss?"

"I suppose not. I just wanted to—"

"I have to go then," Raya cut him off. "I have a lot of things to do."

Stepping out of the room, she noticed Song Rae Won leaving the adjacent conference room, but she didn't make eye contact. As she hurried away, a tumult of emotions surged within her – anger, shock, and resentment. She had never imagined that she would cross paths with him again.