Chapter 7

Seoul, Korea

NuStarr Talent Management Headquarters

“Spoiled, insufferable, brat!” the man hissed under his breath, storming out of the office, the door slamming shut behind him.

Those in the waiting room watched the irate man head to the elevators and jab his finger repeatedly into the down button in hopes of it calling the elevator sooner.

“Another one bites the dust,” Dae-Ho sang, tossing the man’s application into the trash bin.

Rain rolled her eyes. “Uncle, I don’t want a bodyguard,” she whined for the hundredth time.

Jae hadn’t told them he already signed a security team.

The interviews he’d been having were strictly for information gathering purposes that Lula requested he have since they were already scheduled. Knowing what kind of following and type of personal security that was out there would allow for the three to offer a more thorough service.

South Korea was a foreign territory for the three. Only Kita had been there before in a professional capacity, thus they were coordinating with limited means.

“No production company will move forward with casting you if it does not appear that you are taking this threat seriously,” Jae said for the tenth time. “Not one Producer, Production Company, Insurance Company, or Director will work with you. First the lawsuit and now the fire? In only a few months’ time?! You are a risk in their eyes.”

Stubborn, she shook her head. “Uncle, the lawsuit was frivolous and was thrown out-”

“After how much money was spent on attorneys?” Jae interrupted. “Dagger in the Heart? Force of Gravity? Heart of Stone? Remember reading for those? The production companies were fighting it out for you, but they all pulled out because of the lawsuit regardless of how frivolous it was. We lost clients, I lost clients, and I had to sell investments in order to keep the lights on. You didn’t know that, did you?”

Rain shook her head, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand.

That was news to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Rain demanded.

Dae-Ho was sitting on the couch next to Rain and took her hand in his. “Because it’s Dad’s job to worry about these things, not ours,” he reminded her. “You should only worry about smiling pretty for the cameras and making the world fall in love with your smile, sense of humor, lack of coordination, and innocence. It’s Dad’s job to worry about money and the business, remember?”

She nodded her understanding, not her acceptance; her bottom lip quivering uncontrollably.

Because Myo Mi-Sun was Korea’s sweetheart, and she never told a fan no when they wanted an autograph or picture, it made her a target for lawsuits. Frivolous things like she didn’t stop long enough for all two-hundred people to get a photo with her when she was getting into a van. Or her autograph looked different when three of her fingers were in a splint from an accident on set. Or she grew her bangs out.

The most recent lawsuit was because she wasn’t doing enough interviews, which put into question contractual obligations being fulfilled by Myo Mi-Sun. The editor had taken the hour-long interview and cut it down to fifteen minutes which didn’t fulfill her obligations.

When production houses and irritated casting agents get involved it usually gets expensive with the legal team, regardless of the futility of the lawsuit.

“Cousin, what will it hurt to have a hot bodyguard following you around?” Dae-Ho asked when another sat in the waiting room. “Ooh, maybe we should add that to the interview process?” he beamed, bouncing up and down with excitement. “Make them strip down to their briefs to see if they are adequately equipped to protect you-”

“Us,” Rain corrected. “Protection for us.”

Dae-Ho smiled wide. “Us,” he agreed. “So the getting nearly naked thing we can add to the list of prerequisites for the job?” he beamed.

Rain shook her head. “You are nothing but trouble,” she complained. “And progressively getting creepier the longer you’re single.”

“Handsome and charming trouble, yes,” he agreed, wagging his brows. “Lonely in the bedroom only because of my ridiculously higher opinion of myself and my shallow standards of beauty.”

Rain shook her head in resignation.

Why she bothered? She didn’t know.

Secretary Po pushed the door open with her hip then joined them carrying a serving try with tea service on it. “They scared another one off, Chairman Hu?” she asked with a smile.

Jae nodded, not bothering to look up at the woman; he was still going through personnel files at Lula’s request.

“What was wrong with that one?” Secretary Po asked, setting a cup of tea down on the desk.

“Smelled heavily of Kimchi,” Dae-Ho said with a shiver of disgust.

She gave him a look, handing him a cup of tea. “You love kimchi.”

“But not old guys that smell like it, ew,” Dae-Ho said, gagging. “Could you imagine being stuck in a vehicle with that day in and day out? No thank you. I rather deal with crazy people lighting everything on fire than have to endure that.”

“If thirty-seven is old then I must be ancient in your eyes, Son,” Jae dryly commented.

Rain smacked Dae-Ho upside the back of the head. “Really?”

Secretary Po offered Rain a cup of tea but she declined. “What was wrong with the one prior to the Kimchi smelling applicant?”

“Too fat,” Dae-Ho said, ticking them off on his fingers. “The one before that was too loud. The one before that was too old. The one before that tripped over his own feet; could you imagine two klutzes together?! Then there were the accountant looking guys that wouldn’t stop bowing and praising Myo Mi-Sun and everything she’s ever done and trying to worship every breath that she’s exhaled.”

Rain nodded. “That one was really creepy.”

“Then there was the huge guy that offered to kill Gang Moon for her… You don’t even want to get me started on the waterworks that nearly started over that offer, and it wasn’t tears of happiness. For whatever reason, Cousin still harbors feelings or something for the piece of crap that stood her up in front of the nation and ran off with her frenemy Gok Soo.”

Secretary Po sighed. “A girl’s first love is always the hardest to get over, Dae-Ho,” she scolded.

Rain made a face.

“Cousin can do better,” he retorted. “Though, I have to admit the murder offer did tip the scales slightly in his favor over the others.”

Jae gave his son a warning look.

Speaking of Rain’s ex-fiancé in her presence was against the rules because she always looked as if someone punched her in the gut when they did.

It should have been Seon Rain that was doing the punching, but as usual she just took it and tried to play the peacekeeper.

But soon she would learn that in order to find to peace you have to wage war.