A/N: I’m sorry for skipping a couple of weeks! My laptop broke down and I had to get it repaired… RIP :( But everything is resolved now so there won’t be any more issues (and hopefully) no unplanned breaks! ^^” Hope you enjoy the chapter!

~~A Few Days Later…~~

“Well, here we are! Exciting, isn’t it?” Gina asked, marveling at her new workplace as the idol rigidly sat in the backseat.

“...”

Glancing behind her, the road manager sighed. She spent the entire morning convincing Yi-an to come along to take a tour (and sign) with ONE Entertainment. Gina wasn’t about to let all her efforts go to waste! Ducking her upper body inside the vehicle, she took ahold of Yi-an’s wrist, coaxing the reluctant celebrity out of his hiding spot.

With his oversized hoodie covering most of his face, Yi-an warily glanced around his unfamiliar surroundings. There weren’t any reporters lurking around, right? Sucking in a deep breath through his teeth, he timidly pinched Gina’s jacket and scurried after the extroverted manager into the gleaming 30-story building. Yi-an wanted nothing more than to crawl under a rock and live out his life in obscurity, yet a certain, entitled conglomerate heir announced to the world that ASH was “his person”– whatever that meant. Jerk. Just you wait! I’ll humiliate you so badly that you won’t be able to hold your head high! Hmph!

As the pair crossed the sparkling lobby, Yi-an felt the unrelenting stares on his back while whispers spread like wildfire across the entire floor. Swallowing hard, the idol tried to quell the queasy, uncomfortable churning of his stomach that now felt like it would burst like a rogue pipeline. Little beads of sweat quivered against his forehead as his clammy hands gripped onto Gina’s, forcing the road manager to stop in her tracks. 

“Yi-an?! What’s wrong?”

“N-Noona, let’s go home. I… I don’t want to be here–.”

“Yi-an! I’m so glad that you came.”

Flinching in surprise, Yi-an quickly shuffled behind Gina, his heart thumping erratically. That was odd. Why was he so afraid of Director Jung when she never did anything wrong to him…? Placing a hand across his heart, the singer tried his best to stay calm, but it was proving to be futile. The more he tried, his anxiety seemingly skyrocketed even more. Yi-an was about to crouch down to his knees while gasping for air when he suddenly felt Gina’s reassuring hand on his. Slowly, the idol glanced up to see his road manager smiling at him kindly. With a slight nod, she prodded the singer forward– all the while with her arm around his shoulders. Swallowing hard, Yi-an forced a grin as he greeted the now-CEO Jung of ONE Entertainment. 

“H-Hi. It’s been a while.”

“I…” CEO Jung started but paused upon noticing Yi-an’s pale cheeks and the curious gazes of the company employees, “Why don’t we head into my office for now? We’ll have more privacy there.”

~~~

Closing the door behind her, CEO Jung took a deep breath, calming her racing heart before she turned and gave Yi-an a reassuring smile. The nauseating and overwhelming guilt eating up inside her seemed to only intensify the longer she gazed at the jittery idol. If only she had been brave enough to stand up for him sooner, could she have protected this talented and hardworking young man? Was it too late to ask for forgiveness?

Noticing Director Jung’s worried look, Yi-an averted his gaze elsewhere, fully aware of what the new CEO was thinking. He didn’t necessarily blame the executive director for the scandal, but… it was hard for the idol to face his old employer’s ex-wife. After all, she had to have known about CEO Lee’s plans to ruin his career, right? Yet, despite it all, Yi-an knew that Director Jung had no say in the matter like him. Biting his lip, Yi-an carefully approached the CEO, who still had her back turned away.

“... If it’s okay with you, I want to work with you again.”

Surprised by Yi-an’s words, Director Jung whipped her head back and stared at the idol with a dumbfounded expression. “You… You want to work with me? A-Are you sure? But I failed you as a mentor. Why would you–.”

“Because you said you still want to work with me… at least, that’s what it seemed like based on what Jake Yoon told me.”

“Yi-an… I’m sorry I couldn’t stop the scandal from happening and helping you when everything went down. But I promise I won’t let anything like that happen again.” 

“Director Jung, don’t promise me anything. All I need is someone that I can trust and you’re one of the few people that I think I can trust. As long as you don’t betray that trust, I’m willing to work with you again. Though, I do have two conditions before I sign any contracts with you.” 

“I understand; I’ll keep that in mind. As for the two conditions… What are they?” CEO Jung nervously wrung her hands together as she waited with baited breath for Yi-an’s response.

Pulling out his phone, Yi-an placed it in Director Jung’s hand, “First, I want you to disclose the remaining files on my phone in my fan café website and official social media accounts with an explanation that I’ll provide to  you. And…” The idol glanced at Gina, “I want noona to be my manager. I don’t need anyone else– unless she needs an assistant to help her.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Director Jung walked past Yi-an before snatching up the documents on her desk, “If that’s all you need, then I’ve got you all covered. And as for your other request, I’ll get that done by the end of the day.”

“Hehe, I already signed my contract with CEO Jung to work as your manager under ONE Entertainment. Aren’t you proud of me?” Gina beamed, bear-hugging the shell-shocked idol.

“So, Yi-an,” CEO Jung started as she held out her hand, “Would you like to have a new start in your career with me?”

With a slight smile, Yi-an shook hands, his heart thrumming hard against him, “... Yes, I’d be happy to.”