She was like this for a while like an animal that had fought and beat a challenger in her territory. She proudly puffed her chest while occasionally glancing at me with glittering eyes. Was a spoil of war?

And who won? No matter who saw it, it was a draw.

Right, now that I thought about it, I had something I wanted to ask her if I got the chance.

“Songha, I have something I’m curious about.”

“Yes, oppa. What is it? Ask me anything.”

“During the shoot, what did Son Chaeyoung whisper in your ear?”

What did she say for a fight to break out right after?

Lee Songha fiddled with her glass of water and avoided my gaze again.

“That’s a secret.”

“You said I could ask you anything.”

“Only that’s a secret. There are reasons why I can’t say it.”

Hmm, so it’s a secret?

I recalled the first day the quadruplets lied to me.

I leaned towards her.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I can’t.”

“Just tell me a little. I’ll forget it as soon as I hear it.”

“Ah, I can’t. Especially to you, I can’t tell you.”

That makes me more curious.

Curling the corners of lips into a smile, I asked again,

“You can’t say it, especially to me? That makes me sad. Why? Will I be angry if you told me?”

“Ah, no. That’s not it. It’s actually-!”

“Snake!”

Just as Lee Songha was about to open her coral lips, Im Seoyoung suddenly waved a napkin in front of my face,

Like a matador but calling out to a snake instead of a bull.

“Snake! Snake! There’s a snake here!”

“How could there be a snake here? People are going to be in a frenzy if they hear you.”

“You’re the snake! Oh my god! What in the world! Snakes like you got Eve to eat the apple! By slowly tempting her!”

“What kind of nonsense is that? But were you Christian?”

“Nope!”

While Im Seoyoung placed and pushed the napkin on my face, LJ clicked her tongue and said to Lee Songha,

“Hey, you’re the one who said it was a secret, yet you were getting sweet-talked in ten seconds.”

“I wasn’t even aware of it. My mind turned blank for a second.”

“It’s because you’re out of energy. Eat this.”

Lee Taehee gave her sweet ginseng jelly. Never one to refuse food, Lee Songha opened one up and tossed it into her mouth while still avoiding my gaze.

Should I wait for another chance when the other girls were away?

Just as I thought this, LJ gave me a sneaky look.

“Before, you were a harmless snake, but after shedding your skin a couple times…”

A couple times?

“It seems like you’re becoming an Asian tiger snake^{1}”

“Glossing over the snake part, why, from all the species of snakes, am I an Asian tiger snake?”

“Why not? Do you know how fatal their venom is? Hiding your schemes with a smiling face makes it seem like you’re becoming more like CEO Baek Hansung as well.”

Everyone else stared at me when they heard her words.

Sliding her slender finger along the blade of a knife, LJ added,

“Don’t become too much like him.”

I was about to open my mouth to reply.

“Chief Jung Sunwoo.”

Then I turned around, I saw an unexpected person.

Seo Eunkyo glance at the Neptune members before saying,

“Let’s talk. In private.”

Since she said ‘in private’, I thought it would only be the two of us, but her two managers followed behind her. Maybe it was because they were conscious of other people’s gazes, but their expressions didn’t seem dangerous, only it was clear they didn’t have a good impression of me.

What was this now?

It was my first time in a situation like this since graduating high school.

“Well, there’s no need to go far. Let’s just talk here.”

I said, stopping in a place where I could still see the restaurant entrance.

Seo Eunkyo calculated the distance between the people in the restaurant and us. Having concluded that they most likely wouldn’t be able to hear them, she then opened her mouth.

“You said that I said some things in front of Son Chaeyoung sunbae when I was drunk, right?”

Did she remember?

Since what I said wasn’t wrong, I comfortably replied,

“Yes, you did.”

“How ridiculous. Hey, look here. How dare you just watch it happen?”

What?

“If I’m making mistakes while drunk, isn’t it good manners to try to stop me, call my managers, or settle the situation somehow?!”

Good manners?

Even amongst all the nonsense I’ve heard, this took the cake. Who was she to talk about manners?

“I did try to stop you, I did, but you wouldn’t listen to me. I also didn’t know the chief in charge of you either.”

“It’s team leader. Not chief.”

The weasel standing to the right of Seo Eunkyo cut in.

Was he a team leader? I guess I was mistaken since this trip to China was my first time meeting him.

“Like I heard, your manners are a bit lacking.”

“That’s what I said. He’s completely different from his image on TV. They must have edited and broadcasted him acting all innocent.”

Oh, boy.

I was already at a loss for words from what he said, but Seo Eunkyo took it a step further.

“Maybe you didn’t try to stop me but just watched in delight?”

“Me?”

“You probably don’t have a good impression of me as well! Since I said some mean things to Lee Songha as her sunbae! So I’m asking if you just watched to screw me over! All happy inside! Right?!”

“Nope.”

Well, if Seo Eunkyo really did say those things to Son Chaeyoung instead of me, then I obviously would have watched in delight. But since that didn’t happen.

“What do you mean no?! I’m right, aren’t I?!”

“I really-“

“Then you should have stopped me! How can I meet Chaeyoung sunbae now?!”

The answer seemed to be already decided, and they just wanted me to admit it.

She said she wanted to talk, yet why were they picking a fight as a group?

Her relationship with Son Chaeyoung was screwed, her first shoot was a mess, and Lee Songha, who she disliked, was applauded by the director and the staff.

Was that why she was venting to me? Since Lee Songha barely reacted when she bullied her, was she trying to bully me, her manager, and soothe her temper?

I frowned before relaxing.

From afar, Lee Songha and the other girls were staring at us with lit eyes. They looked like they would come over holding knives and forks if I had a bad expression.

I couldn’t let them do that.

Seo Eunkyo was weak to the strong and strong to the weak. Maybe if it was Son Chaeyoung or Seo Jijoon, who were considered bigger stars than her, but if they came over and joined the fight, there would be no way Seo Eunkyo would back down.

Instead, she might even yammer away more excitedly. There was no need for more people to be involved in this mess.

I forced a calm expression and said,

“Maybe you can read minds, but there’s nothing more I can say if you keep saying that I did when I told you I didn’t. What is it that you want from me?”

“Since it’s partly your fault, you take responsibility! What are you going to do about this situation?”

The hell it is.

Looking at them, they were the type of people who would make you bow lower if you bowed down even once.

Since human words didn’t work, I guess I needed to bark too.

“Responsibility? Me? Why would I?”

“What did you say?”

“It looks like you’re venting the fact that you screwed up your dear relationship with Ms. Son Chaeyoung, but if you’re angry, don’t vent on someone else, and instead, just drink some more. Ah, is alcohol too much?”

“Now really! Absurd! Who do you think you are?!”

“The one who finds this absurd is me. It’s best if you lower your voice. Nothing good will come out of others hearing you. Anyways, if it’s something regarding Ms. Son Chaeyoung, I had no confidence or methods in taking responsibility. Go to her personally and settle this yourself.”

“Look here!”

“I am looking.”

“You f-!”

“Stop, Eunkyo. People are watching.”

The weasel, who called himself a team leader, stopped Seo Eunkyo, who was pointed at me in agitation.

Then he took a step forward and scanned me with his eyes.

“Mr. Jung Sunwoo, it hasn’t been a year since you’ve started, right?”

What the heck? Was it his turn now?

“It seems you’re still naïve to the ways of the world, but you can’t continue as a manager for long if you keep acting this way. If you plan on quitting after a bit, then keep acting that way.”

Seeing as he didn’t plan on stopping his nonsense-spouting celebrity, I could tell they were all the same. At a loss for words, I could help but laugh at seeing Seo Eunkyo’s triumphant expression behind her team leader and chief.

“I’ll take care of my own business.”

“I don’t think you can. Mr. Jung Sunwoo, there are quite a few unpleasant rumors about you. There are also people who don’t have a good impression of you either. People around you smile since you’re on a roll and everything you do is a success, but what are you going to do once you slip up? I understand that you’re young, hot-blooded, and stubborn, but I’m worried about your future as a sunbae in the same industry.”

“That’s why I’ll take care of my own business. My sunbae will worry about my future so you don’t have to.”

“You really are frustrating.”

“I told you that he is.”

And how much have you seen me?

I was more dumbfounded by the chief who supported the weasel team leader.

The world was vast and there were many crazies. How many were there for three of them to group up like this?

“What do they teach you in your company? Is there no sunbae that teaches you things like this?”

“What about a sunbae?”

A voice, dripping with irritation, suddenly sounded out behind me.

When I turned around, Kim Hyunjo and Lee Kwanwoo were making their way here.

Kim Hyunjo’s thick dark circles reached his chin from how busy he was in China, making his face look incomparably spooky. Behind him Lee Kwanwoo was anxiously moving his eyes, a shame considering his large build.

“I was going to watch a little longer, but it seems you were talking about me.”

“Ah, you’re Chief Kim Hyunjo, right? There was a problem with how he was working-“

“So nosy. I don’t know why you’re so concerned about what a company is teaching its employees.”

“It’s not like I wanted to concern myself if your company’s affairs.”

“I taught him, so what? What’s wrong with him? If I were to compare him with those trash-like managers I’ve seen until now, he’s pretty much a masterpiece.”

Kim Hyunjo said while tapping my shoulder.

Seo Eunkyo snorted as she joined in,

“What masterpiece? Does your company not teach their people about having an upright character?”

To hear the words ‘upright character’ from her mouth, I felt like it was just dirtying the word.

“Look here. You should teach your employees prope-!”

Seo Eunkyo, who was raising her voice, suddenly flinched. Then she looked behind me with round eyes. Her petty team leader and chief were also looking in the same place with flustered expressions.

I could tell without looking.

People’s murmurs grew louder. I heard girls’ suppressed screams, and above all, when I talked to him on the phone before, Kim Hyunjo told me he was coming down with other people.

When I turned around, it was as I expected.

Seo Jijoon and Chief Lee Bongjoon. And Im Jowon and Chief Sung.

I saw familiar faces.

“What, why are they suddenly…!”

Stuttering, the flustered Seo Eunkyo glared at me.

Since it looked like she was asking if I purposely told them to talk here because I knew others would be coming down, I gave her a big smile.

Of course, I did it on purpose.

^{1} Asian tiger Snake – *cough* happens to also mean gold digger.