“Sir, someone wishes to speak with you.”
J-Slick lifted his gaze from the reports and spreadsheets cluttering his desk, feeling frustrated. With a sudden, furious motion, he hurled his mug against the wall, the shattering glass echoing in the silent office. His assistant flinched at the sound, hurriedly gathering the shards.
“What did I tell you? I’m busy! I only entertain meetings from individuals who schedule them in advance,” he snapped, exhaustion seeping into his voice. He was fed up with disruptive conversations, especially with those he deemed nonsensical and unimportant.
All day long, he had stared at the alarming decline of their stocks, a downward spiral that had persisted for months. Continuous Dominance was, in fact, not dominating at all. After the downfall of their biggest bet, Rex, and their rising actor Minseok, it was harder and harder to gather work for their artists.
And it all traced back to one person.
If J-Slick had known this is how it would end up, he never would have made the reckless decision to recruit Zeno Han in the first place.
With a sigh, he opened his Sigmoid account, hoping that scrolling through the images of the girls he followed might lift his spirits. At least their sexy full-body photos could provide a brief escape from his reality.
However, as he refreshed his feed, his heart sank. A photo of Zeno, taken during the behind-the-scenes shoot of ‘The Forsaken Prince,’ immediately filled his screen. It was posted by Hailey, his favorite cam girl, accompanied by a caption that sent his blood boiling.
‘My recent obsession! I can’t believe I’m falling for an actor. My bunnies, make sure to tune into his drama every Thursday and Friday. It’s already a hit, but I want it to explode in popularity!’
That was the final straw for J-Slick. Hailey had been his beacon of light during these dark days in his career. How could she so brazenly betray him like this?
Among her millions of followers, he was the one who had showered her with the most generous gifts!
He was on the verge of tears, about to type curses under her post, when somebody suddenly spoke.
“What’s got you looking so pathetic?”
J-Slick pursed his lips. “I don’t want to talk to anyone today.”
The man chuckled softly. “Not even me? Are you sure about that?”
J-Slick tilted his head, prepared to badmouth the intruder. But as he finally met the other man’s gaze, surprise washed over him. His eyes widened, and he instinctively rose from his seat.
Meanwhile, his assistant was still diligently cleaning up the remnants of J-Slick’s earlier tantrum.”Prepare some coffee,” J-Slick instructed, and he complied, his mind racing with the question of just how long he could endure this suffering.
“Yes, sir,” he replied through gritted teeth.
“Mr. Oska Baek,” he finally said. “What brings you to our humble office today?”
Oska surveyed the space, clicking his tongue. “Your office is anything but humble. For a mid-sized company, your facilities are impressive.”
J-Slick chuckled lightly. “Well, of course. We strive to provide the best for our artists.”
Oska smirked. “I suppose every entertainment company has a familiar script about caring for their artists.”
“Anyway,” he continued. “You must be curious about why someone like me is here.”
J-Slick nodded eagerly. Did Oska want to sign with them? Could he become his hope amidst their current darkness?
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Oska interjected, crossing his arms. “I’m not here to sign with you.”
J-Slick’s expression fell slightly.
“But,” Oska added quickly, “I have something you might find even more interesting.”
With a casual gesture, he slid a photo across the table—a photo of Zeno Han. J-Slick felt his spirits sink again. It seemed he could not escape the shadow of this man.
“What about him?” J-Slick asked, his voice devoid of warmth.
“I’m guessing you’re not particularly fond of him,” Oska began, his tone amused. “After all, he’s the reason many of your artists aren’t faring well these days.”
J-Slick frowned. “How—”
Oska raised a hand to halt him. “You know as well as I do that in this industry, nothing stays hidden forever.”
J-Slick nodded slowly, processing Oska’s words. “What does Zeno Han have to do with this?”
“I propose a collaboration,” Oska began, sounding more serious.
J-Slick fell silent, his attention fully on what Oska was about to reveal. “We share more in common than you might think. Specifically, regarding Zeno Han—I’m not particularly fond of him either.”
“You attempted to sabotage him with a scandal, but it backfired on you, landing you in this predicament.”
J-Slick pursed his lips and nodded, the memory of his failed scheme still fresh in his mind.
“What if I told you I have another way to control Zeno Han?”
J-Slick paused, while Oska smirked at his response. Yet, J-Slick shook his head. “Did Daebak put you up to this?” he asked. “I can see right through your motives. You want us to tarnish Zeno’s reputation, but with that, you’d also be dragging us into trouble.”
Oska’s eyes narrowed slightly. “My company has nothing to do with this proposition. I’m doing this of my own accord.”
“But why?” J-Slick pressed. Oska laughed softly, surprised by the other man’s defiance. He had anticipated a more dumb response.
“Your drama is performing well. If you ruin Zeno’s reputation, you’ll also be jeopardizing your own project. You wouldn’t wish for that, would you? You need that drama to succeed if you aspire to join the ranks of the Imperial Class.”
“Who says I want to bring Zeno’s reputation down?” Oska asked. “In fact, I’m offering you a considerable favor.”
“I don’t believe Zeno Han is a bad man. My encounters with him have led me to that conclusion. However, he is a formidable competitor. You know how this industry operates—situations like this are common. Detractors like him need to be kept in check,” he explained.
“The reason your prior sabotage attempt failed was that you simply didn’t understand him. He was an enigma.” Oska continued, sliding another photo toward J-Slick, deepening the latter’s frown.
“But you know a lot about his company, don’t you, J-Slick?”
J-Slick scrutinized the photo depicting two men standing proudly in front of a new office—Bobby and Moby.
“You want me to attack Zeno’s company instead?” J-Slick muttered, realization dawning on him.
Oska didn’t answer directly, but his implication was clear as day. “We can’t damage Zeno’s reputation—there simply isn’t sufficient evidence. However, we can take aim at the weakest aspects of his career, which, coincidentally, is currently the company he represents.”
“Debt-ridden, poorly managed, full of himbos—a history you know all too well, Mr. Slick,” Oska smirked.
“If the kingdom collapses, the king follows. Once that happens, he must be contained.”
“Don’t you think you’re the one who should contain him, Mr. Slick?” Oska asked, leaning back into his seat.