Cheon Yoonsung during his teenage years was an ordinary male student. With his unstyled straight hair and stiff school uniform, there were parts of him that resembled his current self, while also giving off a completely different impression.

However, his dark, hollow eyes were exactly the same, as if he had been born with them.

"Cheon Yoonsung."

A voice that was impossible to imagine being used to call one’s own child—devoid of even coldness, feeling like nothing at all—struck the floor.

"You were supposed to be an heir without a single blemish, yet the day has come when you almost left a stain on the company"

The desk in the study was covered with secretly taken photos of Cheon Yoonsung and various documents. At the feet of Cheon Kanghyuk, who stood behind the desk, Cheon Yoonsung’s silhouette crouched, blurry and out of focus.

The printed messages were slowly brought into close-up.

Young Master

[There is something on my mind.]

[Could you look into it for me, Manager?]

"It’s not entirely your fault, I suppose. With an adult nearby whose mind isn’t screwed on straight, you might have had a stray thought once."

Cheon Kanghyuk adjusted his grip on something off-camera.

"But do not forget. From the moment you invited suspicion, you can no longer be a ‘perfect successor’..."

A complex mix of emotions flickered through Cheon Yoonsung’s eyes as he looked up at his father.

"...And that record will follow you until the day you die."

A golf club sliced through the air. Bloodstains splattered beneath Cheon Kanghyuk’s feet.

Cheon Kanghyuk’s shoes stepped toward Cheon Yoonsung’s trembling arm. The sleeve of his white school shirt was pathetically crumpled.

"Still, it seems our Yoonsung really is a child blessed by heaven. Seeing as there are two reasons for you to be forgiven."

"Ugh..."

Cheon Kanghyuk spoke as he looked down at his son, who was groaning in pain but couldn’t even let out a loud cry.

"Remember. The reason you didn’t die today isn’t because you have some great value."

"..."

"It’s because there is no other pure Cheonju Group bloodline besides you, and because you are still young enough to be reformed. These two things are what saved you."

Even after seeing Cheon Yoonsung’s eyes filled with hostility, Cheon Kanghyuk did not show anger or mockery. He was merely faithful to finishing the task at hand.

"Ah."

Cheon Kanghyuk paused as he set the blood-stained golf club down on the desk.

"There’s something I forgot to say"

The camera looked down at Cheon Yoonsung from Cheon Kanghyuk’s perspective. The gaze struck down at his back, which was stained dark red.

"The adult will be held to a much greater responsibility."

Cheon Yoonsung jerked his head up. His breathing hitched.

His pupils shook with terror.

"Father, Father..."

Cheon Yoonsung reached out to grab the hem of Cheon Kanghyuk’s trousers, but then clenched his fist.

A successor must never grovel before others for personal reasons.

Because that would mean a lack of qualification...

"A new secretary will take you to your room."

...And it will only invite a greater punishment.

Time passed, and the now perfect-looking successor Cheon Yoonsung brought a wine glass to his lips while looking out at the night view.

The reflection of Cheon Yoonsung’s face, his eyes closed gently, was cast on the dark window.

He set the empty glass down on the side table. As he finished his day, his fingertips undid his tie and the buttons of his shirt.

The manager from back then was gone.

The only proof that someone had been by the young master’s side remained as a large scar across Cheon Yoonsung’s back. Like a shadow cast over his life.

Jeong Seongbin pressed the pause button several times to finish the clip, which was just over ten minutes long. Once he took a deep breath, and another time he squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again.

Every time he did, Kim Iwol told him they could stop watching. Jeong Seongbin replied that he was okay.

"Did you know about this, hyung?"

"I didn’t. It’s a coincidence."

Jeong Seongbin sat up on the bed. His unsettled mind refused to calm down.

He couldn’t forget Cheon Yoonsung’s gaze revealed beneath his disheveled hair.

Those eyes that seemed etched with hatred and resentment, the eyelashes trembling with fury, and those two eyes that struck the helplessness of having to give up even on begging. The traces of deep despair that made even the viewer feel suffocated.

...The gaze Kim Iwol had when looking at his family, which Jeong Seongbin had witnessed not long ago.

"Was it hard for you to act that out?"

"Not at all."

Kim Iwol said as he rolled onto his back to face the ceiling. Their eyes met.

"It wasn’t hard in the slightest."

"..."

"Yeah, strangely so."

Kim Iwol laughed weakly.

"But I’m okay now."

It didn’t sound like empty words. The layers of misery that had been piled up were no longer visible on Kim Iwol.

"I don’t know for sure, but maybe there’s such a thing as acting therapy? It felt as refreshing as venting my frustrations. Or maybe my heart just cleared up because I said everything I wanted to say when my mom and dad showed up."

Seeing Jeong Seongbin’s expression, the smiling Kim Iwol sat up.

"This... it’s not self-deprecating humor, I’m being serious."

Kim Iwol explained haltingly.

"I... hardly ever raised my voice at home."

"..."

"And it was the first time I ever did something like that because of my own situation. Saying it felt good wasn’t just me trying to make it sound nice."

It didn’t seem like he was lying. While the suffering from the gastric ulcer was unavoidable, Kim Iwol hadn’t clutched his head even once when family talk came up since pouring it all out at the press conference. If anything, the bitterness in him seemed slightly lighter than before.

"I’ve decided to stop thinking about it now."

Kim Iwol said with a smile.

"If it comes to mind occasionally, I’ll resent them, and since I don’t want to forgive them, I won’t."

"That doesn’t mean you’re withdrawing the lawsuit, right?"

"Of course not. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Even while making such a grim resolution, Kim Iwol quickly returned to a relaxed face.

"From now on, I think I’ll just live like that."

It was exactly what Jeong Seongbin had hoped for more than anything.

His heart surged. Jeong Seongbin knew it was because he was happy.

"Can I ask you one thing?"

"What is it?"

Kim Iwol, who had been doing so well, suddenly started acting cautious. Jeong Seongbin watched to see what on earth he was going to ask...

"By any chance... did I rack up any ‘Patience’ stamps this time?"

...An entirely useless question came out. Jeong Seongbin laughed out loud.

"Not even one."

"Really?"

Kim Iwol reacted as if it were unexpected. But Jeong Seongbin was sincere.

"You didn’t do anything wrong, hyung."

Even with Jeong Seongbin’s affirmation, Kim Iwol couldn’t easily let go of his doubt. It was only after seeing the notebook with his own eyes that Kim Iwol breathed a sigh of relief.

≫ The chilling correlation between Cheon Yoonsung and Kim Iwol

≫ The fateful reason Kim Iwol took on the role of Cheon Yoonsung

≫ The actor who took a role with the exact same past

"Similar posts keep coming up since Episode 5 aired."

The ripple effect of the Exclusive Report didn’t cool down. If anything, it caught fire more and more. The fact that the drama’s plot had gained momentum also had an influence.

≫ How long has it been since Cheon Yoonsung warned Ham Yiseo that she’d get entwined with Chairman Cheon? I was flustered because the Chairman died... but then President Cheon immediately became Chairman and it’s revealed he was the one holding Yoonsung’s leash. I literally watched while holding my breath.

└ Yoonsung knew President Cheon was the real mastermind, and he warned her because he thought President Cheon would eventually push out the grandfather and take the Chairman seat... Someone, save Mr. Yoonsung.

≫ I mean, I just thought the Young Master and the Chief Manager had great buddy chemistry... I never imagined it would be this kind of relationship!!!!! T_T

└ How can something like this even happen T_T...

└ Did something happen in Exclusive Report today?

└ You have to watch this without spoilers...

≫ To my friends who are following Exclusive Report, I’m truly disappointed (Spoilers included)

I told you to call me when the Manager’s episode came out

Do I have to find out 13 hours late that the Young Master actually had a first secretary, but he was murdered because of the Young Master’s righteous actions trying to dig up the family’s corruption???

Do I have to find out now that Cheon Kanghyuk assigned Chief Ko—the friend of the dead secretary—as the Young Master’s second secretary just to make him feel guilty?????

Do I have to be the only one belatedly agonizing over the fact that Chief Ko was serving the Young Master with total loyalty just to get revenge on the killer who murdered his friend—the Young Master who caused his friend’s death!!!!!!!!!!

└ Our voices are already hoarse.

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Yesterday all day was nothing but Yoonsung and Sugyeol talkㅋㅋㅋ Where have you been? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ [OP] I can’t function in daily life right now. I feel like I’m losing my mind. Just thinking about the Manager makes me cry.

I felt that the buzz for In My Office was by no means small, but the influence of a work labeled a mega-hit was on a different level. UA kept rejecting appearance offers because I needed rest, but apparently variety shows and interview requests were coming in every single day.

≫ Starting with Exclusive Report, Kim Iwol’s acting skills are definitely guaranteed.

I knew he acted well during the Chairman’s funeral, but there’s no way for evaluations to be divided on this episode.

└ My mom is a drama maniac and is sharp with acting evaluations, but she hasn’t said once to Kim Iwol, "He can’t act, why is he on screen?"ㅋㅋㅋ

└ Mothers’ evaluations are quite accurate ㅋㅋㅋ

└ High school Cheon Yoonsung looked so young that I was like, "Wait, how did he pull off a student role so well??" But if you look at his actual age, he’s closer to a student ㅋㅋㅋㅋ T_T For drama fans who saw him as Do Younghwan and then Cheon Yoonsung, Kim Iwol is practically etched in their minds as someone in their 30s...

≫ It’s a fact that his acting is good.

I saw some comments saying it’s just because it’s his own experience, but reenacting an experience and conveying it are different fields.

He barely had any dialogue besides calling for his father, yet he conveyed the character’s heart entirely.

Depth might change, but expression doesn’t just get better because you had a similar experience.

His ability to make the audience immerse in the character is definitely top-tier.

└ Showing "Cheon Yoonsung is a villain who overlooks evil acts and thinks the sacrifice of a few is inevitable" from Ham Yiseo’s perspective, and then splitting opinions with one hit of his past story was legendary.

└└ He didn’t even properly attempt anything, he just looked into it, but his secretary died because of him + his secret investigation was totally busted + etc. In that situation, making people think "Cheon Yoonsung made the best choice!" is amazing.

└ Viewers’ moral standards have risen a lot lately, so convincing them? It’s partly because there’s a premise that Ham Yiseo wouldn’t justify Yoonsung’s actions, but it’s largely thanks to him expressing that suffocating, maddening atmosphere so well.

≫ It’s incredible that he bared the back scar just like that.

It wasn’t even caused by a normal accident, so it couldn’t have been an easy decision, but seeing as he decided on it to bring the character to life, he must be sincere in whatever work he takes.

└ I was shocked because it was actually larger than I expected...

└ He said he doesn’t think much of the scar and hopes fans won’t take it too heavily, so I was like "Okay, I will...!" but my heart still crumbled T_T

└ He hid it well all this time;; I saw him bare his back before and wondered why I didn’t know, but looking back, he covered it all with stickers.

≫ He’ll do a next project, right...?

It’s the first time in my life I’ve wanted an idol to act this much.

└ I thought he was only good at playing a jaded office worker, but turns out he’s an all-rounder ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Even before, there was nothing lacking—physique, looks, voice, diction—but now his acting is proven too ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Synopses will be pouring in

└ He’s a single waterfall in a desert of young male actors

≫ How does a person even act with the glint in their eyes?

There was light in his eyes even when he was glaring at President Cheon, but the moment he realized his dad killed the secretary, the glint vanished. Gave me chills

└ I went back to watch the video after seeing this comment;;;; It’s true.

└ I would have missed it if it weren’t for the comment ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Level of a Maestro of Natural Light

Where there is light, there is shadow. While many Sparklers were happy about Kim Iwol’s success in his next project, there were also voices of concern.

≫ Iwol’s acting... I’m so happy and proud that he’s being praised everywhere, but I’m a bit worried if he’ll want to continue building an acting career for a long time...

Of course, I’ll support whatever Iwol wants to do! But once {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} they decide to act, there are many cases where they move to an actor-focused agency when the contract ends...

I couldn’t say it directly, but there was no need to worry.

I had no such ambitions. Being an idol alone was already exhausting. Unless the system started pushing me toward another acting job, I planned to quietly sing and dance.

Manager Lim Chanyoung

[The digital single concept art is out! If there’s anyone who hasn’t received the Dotion notification, let me know!]

Speak of the devil, new work had arrived. It was time to go back to being an idol.