A strange man...
...drunkenly fell asleep on my lap. I never thought I'd see a sight like this.
It's extremely surreal.
But it also made me realize that Manager Eun, who always seemed so stoic and collected... was human too.
...Yeah.
He's not just pretending to be drunk, is he? His hand is... Grip
...
I thought he would wake up. He's not waking up...
Just gonna take his hand off! There! Toss
Drop
I am alright.
He passed out after a few sips of beer... He can't handle his liquor at all. Why did he say he wanted to drink?
...Manager Eun... wake up. (SHAKE)
I tried to shake him gently, but he just sank deeper into sleep.
I stared down at the man resting on my lap. He looked so vulnerable with his face flushed and his mouth slightly parted.
Is this what Manager Eun is...
He was so stoic and collected all the time. Seeing him like this, utterly knocked out, was... surreal. (HEH...)
What do I do? About the drama...
(AWKWARD)
...Manager Eun?
I gently touched his cheek. (TAP) (TAP)
I even gave a little pinch. (PINCH)
...Yuhan?
I missed... What? Oh, is he up?
...I missed you...
I froze. He wasn't awake; he was still deep in his slumber, muttering something.
WHAT? WHO?
He was calling out someone's name... and it wasn't mine.
...And this person, too?
The Morning After
Why did he say he wanted to drink? I wondered, shaking him slightly.
"...Manager Eun... wake up." (SHAKE)
He wouldn't budge. He passed out after a few sips of beer... He can't handle his liquor at all.
I just stared at him. Is this what Manager Eun is...
He was always so reserved and formal. Seeing him like this, flushed and vulnerable, felt like a secret I shouldn't know. (HEH...)
Then, his lips moved slightly. "...I missed..."
What? Oh, is he up? I leaned closer, my heart giving a little flutter of panic. "...I missed you..."
WHAT? WHO? My thoughts raced. He was still asleep, murmuring to someone I didn't know. He called out a name I didn't recognize when I gently pinched his cheek. "...Yuhan?"
And this person, too? I sighed, the sudden revelation leaving me speechless.
What do I do? About the drama... I had a whole script to go over, a career to manage, and here he was, an utterly awkward, drunken mystery on my lap. (AWKWARD)
The silence stretched, broken only by his gentle snores. I stayed there, trapped under the weight of Manager Eun's head and the sudden weight of his vulnerability.
When Manager Eun woke up in the morning...
The Apology and the Aftermath
When Manager Eun woke up in the morning...
He was overwhelmed with sudden realization and absolute mortification.
I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY...!
His face was red from embarrassment. He was so apologetic, he didn't know what to do.
Manager Eun is usually so calm and collected. Is this really him? I saw another side of him, yet again.
"Oh..." He mumbled, burying his face in his hands. "Well..." (DROP)
"Sigh... I'm so sorry..." He looked utterly miserable and kept hiding his eyes.
I took a moment to compose myself, holding my mug of what I hoped would become coffee soon. I was learning a lot about him both yesterday and today...
"Why did you drink if you can't handle your liquor?" I asked with a soft smile, trying to lighten the mood.
He looked up, still flushed, as I explained myself. "...Well, I guess I wasn't lonely, thanks to you. Though I was pretty taken aback (JOKING)."
He stared at me, his eyes wide.
"...!" I suddenly remembered something he had said the night before. "You looked so... lonely..." I repeated his slurred words, and his eyes widened even more. He knew he'd said something revealing.
The weight of the night's events hung in the air for a moment. I decided to pivot back to practical matters.
"First, you should take a shower."
"...?" He looked confused, still in the dark hoodie I must have given him.
"Then we can get some food to help with your hang-over." I reassured him, offering him a warm smile and a chance to escape his embarrassment.
The Unforgettable Tattoo
The sound of the shower was loud and steady. (SWAA)
I sat on the couch, drinking my coffee and waiting. I knew he was washing off not just the sweat and the smell of beer, but also the memory of his extreme embarrassment.
I looked out at the clear blue sky. It was a beautiful day, a stark contrast to the awkward tension inside.
Manager Eun finally emerged, dressed impeccably again in his black turtleneck and suit jacket, but looking thoroughly scrubbed. His white hair was damp and his cheeks still had a residual blush. I noticed he had a tattoo on the back of his neck, the character for "Bright" or "Clear" (\text{明}).
We sat down at the table for a much-needed, sobering meal.
He looked up at me, his eyes wide with anxiety. (GASP) "Did I make some sort of mistake?" he asked, grabbing his neck nervously.
I looked at him with an intentionally DEADPAN expression. "You don't remember?"
"Last night..."
"...N-no... not at all..." His voice was strained, clearly horrified at the thought of what he might have done or said while drunk.
He was so flustered, leaning forward over his bowl, completely rigid.
His reaction is pretty funny...
I want to keep teasing him, but I'll stop...
I decided to put him out of his misery, but not before delivering a final, gentle punchline.
"What are we going to do, Manager Eun?" I asked, still maintaining my serious face.
"What...?!" He nearly choked, ready to apologize for any imagined offense, including his drunken confession of missing "Yuhan."
I finally allowed myself a small, sincere smile. "We're going to eat. I made some hangover soup for you. Now let's try to forget last night ever happened, shall we?"
The scene ends right as the conversation is about to turn more serious, or at least, right as I decide to stop teasing him.
I noticed the tattoo on the back of his neck: \text{明} (Míng, which can mean bright or clear). This might be a significant clue to his identity or past!
A Strange Night and a Morning After
A strange man... drunkenly fell asleep on my lap. I never thought I'd see a sight like this. It's extremely surreal.
But it also made me realize that Manager Eun, who always seemed so stoic and collected... was human too.
So... yeah.
He's not just pretending to be drunk, is he? His hand is... (GRIP). I thought he would wake up. He's not waking up...
Just gonna take his hand off! THERE! (TOSS)
(DROP)
...I'm alright.
The Uncomfortable Truth
The next morning, the tables were turned. We sat at the dining table, with an awkward silence between us.
He was dressed again, looking sharp, but his demeanor was that of a terrified boy. He barely touched his food.
He finally broke the silence, his voice tight. (GASP) "Did I make some sort of mistake?"
I kept my expression neutral. "You don't remember? Last night..."
"...N-no... not at all..."
I gave him a sympathetic look. "It wasn't anything you did."
He looked relieved, breaking into a nervous, flushed smile. But I couldn't resist a final jab. My reaction to his panic was actually pretty funny... I want to keep teasing him, but I'll stop...
(SMIRK)
"I guess you didn't get to watch the first episode properly last night."
His eyes widened in sudden alarm. "...!"
I handed him my phone. "Take a look at this."
The screen displayed an article: "The first episode of 'Working Girl' features absolutely terrible 'robot acting' from Lily... Another drama suffers from a case of idols trying to act. Lily stars as the ma..."
"What are we going to do, Manager Eun?" I asked, bringing the conversation back to the work crisis, even though he was clearly still reeling from the events of the night.
"What...?!" He stared at the article, confusion slowly replacing fear. He was starting to realize the true focus of his manager's concern, the drama, not his drunken behavior.
The Real Crisis
I stared at Manager Eun, who was still blushing and trying to process the shocking article I had just shown him on my phone. His panic about his drunken behavior was slowly giving way to professional dread.
"I guess you didn't get to watch the first episode properly last night," I repeated, a small smirk playing on my lips.
He looked up at me, confused. "...!"
I gave him the phone again. "Take a look at this."
His eyes scanned the screen. "The first episode of 'Working Girl' features absolutely terrible 'robot acting' from Lily... Another drama suffers from a case of idols trying to act. Lily stars as the main..."
His face was now pale, the red flush from the hangover and embarrassment replaced by cold fear. "Wh... what should I do?" he stammered.
"Calm down, Manager Eun." I took a sip of my coffee, deliberately contrasting his panic with my calm demeanor. "It's not that big of a deal."
It's a big deal.
I was not worried about the negative press. I was worried about him.
He was already pulling out his own phone, hands shaking, ready to call the agency, the director, anyone. "No, Myeong... I mean, I! It's because of me. I should have checked the article first..."
I placed my hand gently on his arm. "Look at me."
He finally met my eyes, his own full of frantic worry.
"It's about the drama. That can be fixed. This morning... it wasn't anything you did."
I gave him a reassuring smile. He was such a mess over a little sleep-talking and a couple of drinks. It was endearing, in a strange, manager-on-my-lap kind of way.
"First, finish your soup," I instructed. "Then, we'll talk strategy. We have a drama to salvage."
I've now incorporated all the image content into a complete narrative arc. The hint about the tattoo (\text{明}) and the character "Yuhan" remains, but the immediate crisis is about the actress Lily and the drama.
"What are we going to do, Manager Eun?" I asked, looking him right in the eye.
He stared back, still slightly panicked but slowly regaining his composure. "I'll have to call the agency... explain the situation..." He was already running a damage control plan in his head.
I interrupted him with a firm, simple directive: "Stop that."
"I need you to calm down."
He finally did, settling back in his chair with a heavy sigh, running a hand through his damp white hair. "Sigh... I'll call them right away..."
I shook my head. "Don't worry about the article." He was trying to take all the blame, but this was my problem.
I paused, and a small, determined smile crossed my face. I had a different strategy. "Look."
I pushed the soup bowl away and leaned forward, resting my chin on my intertwined fingers. "It's okay. You see, I have an idea."
"And what is that?" he asked, his voice laced with exhaustion and apprehension.
My eyes narrowed just slightly as I explained. "I'm going to take a break from the entertainment business."
He gasped, shooting up from his seat. "W-what are you talking about, I? Are you serious?!"
I stayed calm, not moving. "For about a month. It's the perfect solution."
He was stunned, totally speechless. The article, the hangover, his faux pas the night before—everything was secondary to this sudden announcement.
I knew this was shocking, but it was the only way to reset the narrative and show them I wasn't just another 'idol trying to act.' I needed to show them I was serious.
"This will force them to take a closer look at my acting, not my celebrity status," I finished, picking up my spoon and finally taking a sip of the cooling soup.
Lily pov
Last night, I couldn't do anything but stand by as my shortcomings were broadcast to the entire nation. The harsh light of the media had exposed every single one of my flaws, leaving me feeling utterly stripped bare.
IT FELT LIKE THE WHOLE WORLD WAS DIGGING INTO MY FLAWS... pointing their fingers at me.
Even now, tucked away in what should be the safety of my own space, I can still hear the echoes of their judgment. I'm sure they still are. The public's scrutiny never truly ends.
A deep, bone-weary sigh escaped my lips. I KNOW I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH. The criticism has become an unshakeable truth, a heavy anchor in my chest.
Suddenly, a voice, sharp and immediate, cut through the noise in my head: "LET'S GO!"
It was time. I looked up, fighting the urge to crumble.
"RIGHT NOW, I DON'T HAVE ANY COURAGE, STRENGTH, OR LOVE LEFT IN ME..." My throat felt tight, and a burning stream of tears carved a path down my cheek. I quickly tried to wipe it away—WIPE—muttering, "...COMING!"
"I HAVE NOTHING LEFT..." I whispered to myself, the raw truth tasting metallic on my tongue.
...BUT STILL, I HAVE TO GET UP ON THAT STAGE... ...TO DANCE AND SMILE BRIGHTLY.
I must transform back into the persona everyone expects, the one who can face those judging eyes and give them exactly what they want. It's the only thing left to do.