MTA 07

Chapter : 07

It seemed that AJ Media, the parent company, had caught on that someone was trying to start a new agency by taking a few actors from AJ Entertainment.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for the phone, which had been quiet for a while, to ring so incessantly.

“Sir, what would happen if the CEO really gets replaced?”

“That can’t happen. There’s no one in the owner’s circle to take charge of AJ Entertainment right now.”

“But what about Director Seo Do-jun?”

“That kid? He’s going to bury his bones at AJ Media. He’s busy scouting new talent in the U.S. and handling OTT productions recently, all centered around him. Do you think he’d want to come here? This place is safe for the time being.”

No more than five minutes later, the door to the CEO’s office burst open, and a flustered secretary rushed in.

The doors of the AJ Entertainment building swung open, and men in perfectly fitted black suits strode in with long, confident steps.

“Ah, hello. If you’re a visitor, you’ll need to fill out a visitor’s pass here.”

The receptionist, momentarily startled, quickly regained her composure and extended a visitor pass toward Do-jun, who was at the front of the group.

Director Kang, following closely behind, quietly pushed the pass back toward the receptionist.

“But, sir, all visitors need to fill out a visitor’s pass…”

Do-jun turned to face her, his presence imposing. The receptionist, well-trained as she was, couldn’t help but look slightly intimidated.

“I am Seo Do-jun, newly appointed CEO by the board of directors.”

“Excuse me?”

“The details will be announced at tomorrow’s staff meeting. By the way, where is the CEO’s office?”

Perhaps it was his height—he seemed nearly 190 centimeters—and the sheer intimidation, or maybe the way he casually scanned the building, that left her speechless. She gestured toward the inner office, and Do-jun walked straight toward it without hesitation.

In her rush, she didn’t notice the woman approaching him.

Thud!

“Ah! Sorry!”

“…Yoon Hae-in?”

Do-jun stared silently at the woman he had bumped into. She looked very different from the Yoon Hae-in he had seen in Paris two days ago.

Her long hair was neatly tied into a ponytail, and an ID badge hung around her neck.

Do-jun’s gaze fixed on her. Her pale, almost wax-like skin contrasted strikingly with her red eyes, making it hard to look away.

“Uber…? Why are you here…”

Had she been crying?

Hae-in, flustered at first, quickly composed herself and spoke. Her voice, tinged with tears just as it had been in Paris, sounded irritatingly persistent. Do-jun’s gaze was unrelentingly on her. Unaware of it, Hae-in shook her head.

“I need to go now. We can talk later if there’s a chance.”

She hurried toward the CEO’s office, and Do-jun followed slowly. Soon, the office door swung open.

Clang!

At the same moment, the shattering sound of glass hitting the wall pierced the air.

“Hey! Yoon Hae-in! You think you’re still a top ten-million actress? I let you in because you said you wanted to stick around in the industry with nowhere else to go, and now you’re insulting Baek Ah-yeon? You?”

The slender back of the woman, so fragile it seemed it could collapse at any moment, trembled.

Yet she didn’t step back and continued:

“I never insulted her. I just said I would quit managing Ah-yeon because it seemed like she was uncomfortable with me.”

“So you’re saying Ah-yeon lied? What’s going on? And wasn’t Jin-won seduced by you too? Just leave. I don’t even want to see you!”

Her shoulders shook. You could almost tell how AJ Entertainment operated without even seeing it.

Do-jun slowly entered the office and grabbed her wrist.

“…!”

Hae-in looked at him in astonishment. How could an outsider just walk boldly into the CEO’s office?

The sharp gaze of the former CEO, Mr. Ong, now turned toward Do-jun.

“And you are?”

“Not you, sir, but you, the CEO.”

“What?”

“I’m Seo Do-jun, newly appointed CEO of AJ Entertainment. We tried to contact you several times over the past few days, but you ignored all of them.”

Do-jun, expressionless, looked at Mr. Ong. His face showed no particular emotion as he continued:

“Your initial contract as CEO had two years remaining, but it was revealed that you were secretly signing contracts with the company’s actors. Therefore, your term has been terminated early. As of today, you have been dismissed.”

Do-jun sat on the sofa, crossing his legs casually, and then turned to Hae-in.

She stood, surprised and uncomprehending, her expression reminiscent of when she had tried to pull him onto the bed.

“Ms. Yoon Hae-in, your work performance is excellent, so there’s no need for you to resign. Mr. Ong, please leave.”

What on earth is going on, Seo Do-jun.

Avoiding Director Kang’s awkward gaze, Do-jun scratched his forehead.

“Director Kang, get the documents.”

Kang, who had been glaring at him, retrieved a thick stack of papers from his brown briefcase.

Mr. Ong’s eyes landed on the first page. The headline “Dismissal of AJ Entertainment CEO” made him frown.

The former shouting at Hae-in had vanished; now he watched Do-jun nervously.

“No matter that I am the owner, this is outrageous. Since my appointment, AJ Entertainment has continued to grow! How can I be dismissed without due process?”

“The board of AJ Media followed proper procedures. And the documents were delivered to you accordingly. Oh, here it is,” Do-jun said, pointing to the first page.

“Twenty-two phone calls, two emails, and three document deliveries to your address. In total, twenty-seven notifications were ignored by you. And you claim AJ Entertainment continued to grow?”

Seeing Mr. Ong’s open-mouthed complaints, Hae-in couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Do-jun’s expression remained cold.

“With your eyes, you can see how much the market cap has evaporated over the past five years. We also reviewed all unexplained withdrawals from corporate accounts over the same period.”

As Director Kang flipped through the documents, neatly organized Excel sheets came into view. Mr. Ong’s face hardened as he realized they had checked everything.

“3.6 billion won. You embezzled steadily over time. About 1 billion went into Baek Ah-yeon’s account. I wonder why, given her income far exceeds that amount.”

In his mid-thirties, Do-jun’s gaze, full of knowledge and awareness, met Mr. Ong’s silently.

“I will not raise issues regarding the embezzled funds. But don’t even think about contesting your dismissal. Step down quietly. This is the maximum consideration I can give.”

His calm, low voice left no room for negotiation.

Biting his lower lip until it bled, Mr. Ong’s defeated expression hinted at the inevitable outcome.

“Wow. The CEO really has changed.”

Hae-in, exhausted, watched Gayoung, who had been running alongside her, talk about the company situation for the past thirty minutes.

It took just a day to replace all the furniture in the CEO’s office and give it a fresh new look, but her tangled thoughts were far from settled.