Joonah sat on the edge of the chair's seat.To the beholder, he appeared comfortably seated - but in case of a sudden urge to get up and bolt, he knew he would be quick. The scenario of him bolting didn't seem unlikely, as he was feeling increasingly uneasy under the scrutinizing gaze of his agent, mr Choi Garim.
Garim was a man with high standards, mostly due to his plus thirty years in the Korean entertainment industry. But also because of his status as an Alpha elder of the Bada Pack. Even though Joonah came across as a bit gloomy and anti-social, Garim was fairly happy to have him onboard with the agency, as well as the pack. At least he was still reasonably young, had a steady gig on a TV show with nice viewer ratings... not to mention his popularity with the ladies, who considered him "cute". To Garim, Joonah was undoubtably an asset, and one he intended to take good care of.
The only problem he had with Joonah were the depressive tendencies, which was why Garim preferred to call him by his stage name, Goodwin. Goodwin was always cheerful, or at least he tried to be.
"Coffee, Goodwin?"
Joonah flinched, as if he suddenly realized where he was, then smiled a little absent-mindedly.
"Ehm... yes, please."
"Are you stressed?"
"Maybe a little. I have taekwondo practice in an hour."
"I see."
Garim put the Tassimo machine to work, and eventually handed Joonah a cup of steaming Americano.
"Why did you want to see me today, Alpha-nim?" Joonah asked while accepting the cup. "We met just last Thursday."
"Ah, yes. I wanted to introduce your new manager. As you know, Hansung left."
Joonah nodded. During their two short months together, Hansung and him had almost become friends. Hansung was a nice, harelipped guy, somewhat scarred by life, much like Joonah himself.
"So you found a replacement?" Joonah's voice didn't give any feelings away.
"Yes. I did some recruiting a while ago, and connected with a woman named Senghi Jung. Do you know her?"
"I... I might have heard the name."
Joonah squirmed a little in his seat. The very thought of having a female manager made his stomach drop. He really hoped that she wouldn't be beautiful.
"Senghi is a new manager", Garim continued. "She could use a humble, easy-going star like you to get her started. She's very meticulous and quick-witted. I think the two of you will get along great."
"Senghi Jung." Joonah repeated the name slowly, realizing his new manager used a Western name order, with the given name put before the family name. "Is she a foreigner?"
"Something like that. Her father is a foreign-Korean and her mother European."
"I see. So, she's... human?" Joonah lowered his voice
"Affirmative. She's a scriptwriter. Drama productions, mainly."
Joonah suddenly realized where he heard her name, a freckled, round face and big grey eyes briefly passing by his inner vision.
"Jung Senghi! Yeah, I've seen her around. She's on the rise, isn't she?"
"Not at the moment. Let's just say, she didn't take the job for inspirational purposes. The whole industry is cutting down on writers, and do re-makes of old productions insted."
"Hm... okey."
"Should I ask her to come in?"
"Why not? I have to meet her sooner or later, might as well be now."
Garim gave Joonah a slightly displeased look, before calling the receptionist and asking her to send Senghi in.
Nervously sliding even closer to the edge of his seat, Joonah stared at the door. His shoulders were slumping a little, contradicting the attempt of an enthusiastic smile he had plastered on. He was contemplating all the endless hours he had spent, in a car or at events, with an impressive amount of different managers. Only once before had he worked with a female manager. A collaboration that ended abruptly as he had slept with her after going into heat, or to be fair, Goodwin slept with her. Eventually, the whole thing ended with Joonah (As well as Goodwin) switching agencies to avoid a dating scandal. Ironically, the whole ordeal turned out in his favour - Joonah was picked up by Garim, finally being let into a pack, despite being born and raised an outcast.
Senghi Jung tapped the door gently before she stepped into the room. Her gaze darted for a moment between the two men, before she closed the door behind her, smiled and took a small bow.
"Hello, I'm Jung Senghi." She humbly decided to introduce herself the Korean way, before taking a deeper bow, slightly angled in Joonah's direction.
"Nice to meet you, mr... Goodwin?"
Her voice sounded a little breathless, as she felt intimidated by Garim's strong precense and piercing eyes. Looking at Joonah, she felt calmer. His eyes were kind, but his gaze also a bit on the... unpredictible side.
Joonah swiftly got on his feet, and bowed back at Senghi. A spontaneous laughter escaped him as their gazes met. She had changed a bit since he last saw her at the TV station - her hair had grown a little longer and was tinted in a reddish colour that gave her skin a bit of a warm glow. Her round face with perky, curious eyes didn't feel the least bit threatening, and he gradually started to relax a little.
"Hello, Senghi-ssi, it's nice to meet you too. Just call me Goodwin-ssi or Joonah-ssi, whichever you prefer. I don't consider myself your boss, so feel free to address me as a friend.
Senghi frowned slightly. She had never before encountered a male star who seemed so out of place and insecure, while still exuding a strange kind of natural confidence, as Kim Joonah did right in this moment. She had noticed him around, a head shorter than most of his colleagues and not rarely with a flickering gaze, as if looking around for a mysterious item that never seemed to appear.
However, when in character as cocky rascal Goodwin on the variety show Hazy Dayz, he gave off an entirely different vibe. Senghi had to admit, his duality was fascinating.
"Joonah-ssi it is, then. I will do my best and work hard for you, Joonah-ssi." Senghi bowed again, deeply and sincerely, hoping to make a good impression on Joonah as well as her new boss, Garim.
"Glad to have you onboard, Senghi-ssi", Joonah replied in a low voice, immediately wishing that she would've chosen to address him by Goodwin instead. Being called Joonah would undoubtably bring out his inner.. Joonah. "I'll try not to be too high-maintenance for you. But I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me soon... I have taekwondo practice at five."
As if using black magic, Senghi suddenly had a notepad and a pen in hand, scribbling down something while he talked. Joonah blinked in surprise, but decided to let the stunning agility of his new manager pass as just another one of life's oddities.
"Do you always practice taekwondo on Wednesdays?" Senghi asked, while taking notes in the margin of a page that was already packed with text, Korean and Western letters mixed, making out weirdly decorative patterns.
"Yes, it's part of my fixed schedule. I practice with a few friends of mine. It's just for fun, and... well, you know, exercise and all that stuff."
Garim had been silently studying the first meeting between the two, but now he suddenly chuckled a little, his eyes filled with dry amusement.
"You make it sound so relaxing, Goodwin. Shouldn't you tell your new manager the actual reason you've been going to taekwondo? Huynwon?"
Joonah smiled a little sheepishly, rubbing his neck.
"Well... There was a free spot in the group, and Hyunwon asked me to join. They're all ex-pros, and I get... um, frankly, my ass kicked every time. But now that I started going there I can't really stop, that would piss him off."
Senghi managed to hold back laughter, instead she elegantly cleared her throat while hiding behind the notepad.
"Wow. Are we talking about Han Hyunwon, the Olympic medalist? I had no idea that you and him were close."
Joonah just nodded, a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't wish to elaborate on his relationship with Han Hyunwon, a rather unpleasant and demanding Alpha of the Bada Pack that he involuntarily had befriended when they both appeared as guests on the same TV show a while back. Without knowing for certain, he suspected that the whole thing was staged by Garim, for the Alphas to keep the former outcast in check.
"I guess we're both facing a challenging evening", Senghi dryly continued, her eyes scanning the notepad. "I have to meet your stylist to go over your packing for filming HazyDayz." She smiled, a hint of sarcasm in her gaze. "Let's get going, I don't want Hyunwon-ssi to scold you on accounts of being late."
Joonah nodded, now grinning. Senghi's attempt of humour and ability to quickly shift focus wasn't lost on him.
"Thanks for making sure that I'm properly equipped for the shoot. We're going on the road this time, filming over two days. Did Hansung give you all the details?"
"I'd say so, yes. According to schedule, me and the stylist will pick you up at 4 AM tomorrow outside your home."
"Oh, lord." Joonah reached for his phone. "We should probably exchange numbers. I'm not really a morning person."
"Sure."
As he left the building and walked out on the busy street, he felt a stinge of concern. Senghi seemed alright. But starting off as a new manager, going on the road with a variety show on day one, wouldn't be easy.
"I'd better look out for you, Senghi-ssi", he muttered to himself softly, as he crossed the street. Her scent still lingered in his nose, making something deep within him stir.