032 Bae Suzy!

Meanwhile, back in Seoul, a heartwarming scene of family reunion was unfolding in the living room of a villa in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam District.

However... it seemed that only the elderly couple was doing all the talking.

"Mr. Bae Wan-young, Ms. Jung Hyun-sook," Bae Suzy, who was curled up in an armchair reading a script, finally interrupted her parents' conversation. "Could you two please change the subject? I have no interest in knowing which unknown neighbor or relative back home has had a son or daughter get married or give birth."

Suzy finished the long, complicated sentence in one breath, successfully stunning her parents into silence.

Ms. Jung, who had managed a beauty salon in her youth and remained passionate about skincare and cosmetics in her later years, said sheepishly to her husband, "Don't disturb Suzy while she’s reading her script."

"It's fine, I'm done reading anyway. There aren't any good scripts lately, and I plan to take a break after the fan meeting concludes," Suzy said, closing the script and tossing it casually onto the coffee table.

Last year, she had finally, finally, finally left JYP Entertainment, ending a nine-year contract. Her feelings toward JYP were a mix of love and hate. She had to be grateful to the company for its bold gamble in the film and television industry, which had allowed her to transition into acting so smoothly. But during those nine years, she had been physically and mentally exhausted.

What she found particularly absurd was discovering that JYP Entertainment actually marketed the "humanity" of the company and its boss. *Please, isn't our boss a gorilla? Do gorillas even have humanity?*

*Do you want to guess why our company has so many "saviors"? Is it because we artists want to face crises every single day? And then, think about what we artists have to do to save the company from going under?*

*Tours. Endless tours.*

Those with talent had left long ago; who would want to stay in that dump? What’s that? You say the junior groups are kept on a tight leash and lack the ability to go solo? Then I can only wish you the best of luck.

Consequently, Suzy made an extreme choice: she joined Management Soop.

Management Soop is famous for actors like Gong Yoo and Jeon Do-yeon. In the industry, it is known as a "retirement home" agency, where artists are free to pursue "art." This presents a problem: long-term stagnation has caused everyone in the company, from the boss to the cleaning staff, to lose their drive and competitive spirit.

When Kakao Entertainment acquired Soop in 2018, the company was legally required to disclose its 2017 performance. Total assets were 4.9 billion won with 1.9 billion in liabilities; in 2017, sales were 18.4 billion won, but net profit was a mere 300 million. The commission splits were ridiculously high. Was the company running a charity? They were essentially just coasting on the retirement of famous artists like Gong Yoo.

But for Suzy, who had just escaped JYP Entertainment, it was perfect. She could film when she wanted, rest when she wanted, and act in whatever she pleased. She had bought a villa in Gangnam; her sister was already married, her brother didn't need her support, and her parents were busy with charity work after retirement. How perfect. Now she could hide away in her villa all by herself.

Although Suzy felt a slight pang of concern when she first learned her parents were involved in some strange, obscure charity organization, she checked into it and, upon confirming it was a legitimate charity, set her mind at ease.

"Mom, who did you give that ticket to when you asked me for one last time?" Suzy had just finished filming *Wonderland*, a sci-fi movie directed by Tang Wei’s husband, Kim Tae-yong, which wouldn't be released for a long time. She had considered picking up a drama, but nothing caught her eye, so she decided to hold a fan meeting to mark her tenth anniversary since debut.

"It’s for a fan of yours. I met a professor at Sookmyung Women's University earlier this year, and her nephew is a big fan," Ms. Jung explained quite honestly to her daughter.

Suzy had no intention of digging into where her mother met a professor from Sookmyung Women's University; it didn't take a genius to guess it was through that charity dance troupe. Her mother had met many retired middle-aged women through that group, and a professor being among them was perfectly normal. Even if her mother told her she had met the First Lady, she would believe her.

Wait... could her mother actually know the First Lady? A slightly comical thought flashed through Suzy's mind. She had attended a public event at the end of last year and had seen the President and his wife.

"Oh, alright. I’ll sign an autograph and take a photo for that person." Suzy was very supportive of her mother’s post-retirement life. The whole family was, and her father had even joined the group alongside her mother, which put her mind at ease.

"You might have met him before. He’s from the Yonsei University Student Council. Didn't you attend the Yonsei University festival a couple of years ago?" Ms. Jung prodded intentionally.

Suzy thought back. She did have a vivid memory of that festival; she hadn't released many songs at the time, so she had performed several of Yonsei’s school cheers. These university cheers often took the melodies of classic old songs and added new lyrics.

"Saranghae~ Yon~sei~ Saranghae~ Yon~sei~"

In a sea of Yonsei blue, the entire crowd singing in unison had left a deep impression on her—she still remembered it to this day.

"A student council officer?" Suzy recalled, a vague image of a handsome man appearing in her mind. Because he was handsome, she had taken a few extra looks, and he did seem to be a fan of hers.

"Yes, he’s the student body president now. He’s a senior this year."

"So it was him." Suzy remembered. She had recently seen news about the "Face of Yonsei, the most handsome student body president in history." Matching that headline with the vague image in her mind, yes, it was definitely him. He was quite handsome.

Don't doubt Suzy's professional ability; she was familiar with many of her fans. If they met often enough, she had to remember them. Those were the people spending hard-earned money on her.

And then? Nothing.

Suzy pulled another script from the coffee table, glanced at it casually, and lost interest. Management Soop was only fit for retirement; as for one's career, it was entirely dependent on the artist's own initiative. Though Soop had begun training new talent since the Kakao acquisition, their movements were sluggish—clearly, they weren't used to it.

But that had nothing to do with her. Suzy had her own reliable connections; Shim Jae-myung, the producer of *Architecture 101*, was her guide to Chungmuro and had even helped her open a door to the upper echelons of the industry.

However... she didn't care about anyone else now. She liked her secluded life; she had effectively lost the ability to empathize. Living alone. That was all. Because of that incident that dragged on from 2018 to 2019, she had become cold.

Seeing their daughter continue to flip through the script, the elderly couple exchanged a look and, with silent understanding, said nothing more. Although they were worried, their daughter had long since developed her own opinions and decided her own life path.

"Get some rest early. Your father and I are heading to our room."

"Mm, good night, Mom and Dad."