Managing the Korean entertainment industry: I have superpowers, but I won't say.

The day before leaving for the United States, Su Yu had planned to stay home with Cai Xiubin all day.

But plans often change. At eight o'clock in the morning, Kim Dong-wook called, saying that A24 had suddenly sent a supplementary agreement with several clauses different from what had been agreed upon. "Rachel said it was added by the headquarters' legal department, not her intention, but she wants you to take a look before you leave." Su Yu listened, then paused for two seconds. "I'm going to the company right away."

Cai Xiubin was frying eggs in the kitchen. Hearing the tone of his voice on the phone, she knew her plans for the day were ruined. She plated the eggs, placed them on the table, and without asking any questions, simply said, "Have breakfast before you leave." Su Yu sat down, finished his meal in a couple of bites, and stood up to get his coat. Cai Xiubin followed him to the entryway and straightened his collar.

"What time will you be back?"

"Not necessarily. Don't wait for me to eat."

"Then go ahead." She tiptoed and kissed him on the corner of the mouth. "Don't be angry. That's how business is."

Su Yu glanced at her, wanting to say "I'm not angry," but then realized he was indeed a bit annoyed, so he didn't say anything. He squeezed her hand, turned around, and left.

When Su Yu arrived at the company, Kim Dong-wook had already printed out the supplementary agreement. Su Yu flipped through it, his expression growing increasingly grim. There were three changes: First, the distribution rights would no longer be split according to the investment ratio, but A24 would take 70%; second, the sequel development rights would belong solely to A24; third, if the project incurred losses, Yinguo Entertainment would bear 60% of the losses, instead of 50%.

"Who added these three clauses?" Su Yu threw the agreement on the table.

"Rachel said it was legal counsel. But she was very soft-spoken, saying we could talk." Kim Dong-wook cautiously observed his expression. "What do you think?"

"There's no way to negotiate." Su Yu leaned back in his chair. "Seventy-three distribution rights? I might as well film it myself."

"So you mean... you're not going to do it anymore?"

Su Yu didn't answer. He picked up his phone, found Rachel's number, and dialed it directly. Kim Dong-wook tactfully left the office. The phone rang three times before being answered; Rachel's voice was hoarse from jet lag.

"Representative Su, I was just about to call you to explain that agreement—"

"No need to explain," Su Yu interrupted her. "The distribution rights will be split 50/50, the sequel rights will be jointly owned, and losses will be borne equally by each party. These three clauses remain unchanged. The clauses added by the legal department will be deleted."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone. "Representative Su, this is the opinion of the headquarters' legal department; I can't make that decision on my own."

"Then let someone in charge talk to me. I'll be in Los Angeles tomorrow."

Silence again. Rachel sighed. "I understand. I'll do my best to coordinate."

After hanging up the phone, Su Yu tossed it onto the table and closed his eyes. His temples throbbed slightly, not from the backlash of his superpowers, but from pure frustration. The Han River outside the window was a hazy gray; there was no sunshine today.

There was a light knock on the door. Shirley pushed the door open and came in.

"Kim Dong-wook said you're in a bad mood." She placed a cup of coffee on the table. "Want some?"

Su Yu opened his eyes and looked at her. "Why are you here?"

"Aren't you leaving tomorrow? I have something for you." Shirley sat down on the sofa and took an envelope from her bag—it was a bit thicker than the last one. Su Yu took it and opened it. Inside was a stack of photos, not just one. He flipped through them; they were all photos of Shirley during her tour in Japan—Shibuya, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo, five cities, five stages. The date and city name were written on the back of each photo, and on the back of the last page, the Sapporo photo, there was a line that read: "Five cities, you didn't come to any of them. But I know you watched the videos. So these photos are for you. Not for the company's archives."

Su Yu stared at the line of text and fell silent.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's nothing." Shirley picked up her coffee cup, took a sip, and said, "It's just to show you. Your company has invested so much money in me, you should know what I look like on stage."

Su Yu put the photo back in the envelope and placed it on the table. "I watched the video."

"The video and the photos are different." Shirley put down her cup. "The video is for others to see. The photos are... never mind." She stood up. "You can keep them. I'm leaving."

"Shirley."

She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Thank you."

Shirley's shoulder twitched, as if she were smiling, or perhaps sighing. She didn't turn around, pushed open the door, and left. The sound of high heels echoed down the hallway, fading into the distance.

Su Yu picked up the stack of photos and looked at them again. He wasn't looking at Shirley, but at the stage—the lights, the audience, the atmosphere. He was judging whether her performance was good enough, and whether the Japanese market's reaction was enthusiastic enough. Finally, he turned to the photo of Sapporo, paused on the back, then put all the photos back in the drawer.

In the afternoon, Su Yu went home early.

Cai Xiubin was packing her luggage in the living room—not his, but her own. A large suitcase lay open on the floor, stuffed with clothes and scripts. Su Yu changed her shoes and came over to take a look.

Where are you going?

"Post-production. The director asked me to go to Busan to record a few more lines of narration." Chae Soo-bin squatted on the ground, zipping up her jacket, without even looking up. "I'll be back in two days. I'll definitely be in Seoul before you come back from America."

Su Yu looked at her. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning. Three hours later than you."

The two looked at each other and smiled. One was going to America, the other to Busan, each heading in their own direction, but they set off at the same time.

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" Su Yu asked.

Cai Xiubin stood up and brushed the dust off her knees. "I've already decided. I'll go to the supermarket to buy groceries first, then come back and cook, then watch a movie after dinner, and after the movie..." She paused, a faint blush rising to her cheeks, "I won't tell you."

Su Yu's lips curved into a slight smile. "Okay."

The two went to a nearby supermarket. Cai Xiubin pushed the shopping cart in front, with Su Yu following behind. She picked up a box of Korean beef, checked the price, and put it in the cart; then she picked up a box of strawberries, looked at it, and put it in the cart as well. When they reached the snack section, she took two packs of gummies, one plain and one strawberry flavored.

"Why did you buy so many sweets?" Su Yu asked.

"Take this to America to eat. American food is too sweet, you don't like it. This isn't sweet."

Su Yu looked at the two packets of gummies without saying a word. Cai Xiubin took another packet and threw it into the car.

After arriving home, Cai Xiubin was busy in the kitchen, while Su Yu was dealing with emails in the living room. Jin Dongxu sent a message saying that Rachel had softened her stance and agreed to delete the three articles, but hoped to change the distribution rights to a 60/40 split. Su Yu typed: "50/50. No room for negotiation." Jin Dongxu replied with an "OK."

The sound of chopping vegetables came from the kitchen, rhythmic, thump-thump-thump. Su Yu put down her phone, went in, and stood in the doorway. Cai Xiubin, wearing an apron, was chopping onions, tears streaming down her face.

"You cried," Su Yu said.

"The onions are spicy." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and they burned even more, tears streaming down her face.

Su Yu walked over, took the knife from her hand, and pushed her aside. "I'll do it. Go wash your face."

Cai Xiubin went to the bathroom to wash her face, and when she came back, her eyes were still red. Su Yu had already chopped the onions and was now cutting the beef. His knife skills weren't great, and the beef pieces he cut were all different sizes, but looking at those irregular chunks of meat warmed Cai Xiubin's heart.

"You cut it so badly."

"As long as it's edible, it's fine."

Cai Xiubin laughed and snatched the knife from his hand. "I'll do it. You go sit down. Don't make things worse."

Su Yu didn't move. He leaned against the sink, watching her chop vegetables, prepare sauces, and stir-fry meat. The range hood hummed, and the beef in the pan sizzled, its aroma filling the entire kitchen. He remembered a year ago, when they were still in a semi-basement, cooking ramen in a small electric pot. Back then, Cai Xiubin couldn't even fry an egg properly; now she could cook a whole table of dishes.

"Su Yu".

"Um."

"Clear the table. Set the table."

Su Yu set the table. By the time the two sat down, it was already dark. The lights of the Han River outside the window came on, reflecting off the water in fragments of gold. Cai Xiubin poured half a glass of red wine, and Su Yu poured half a glass as well.

"What are you toasting?" Cai Xiubin raised her glass.

"To you."

"What are you going to offer me in respect?"

"Homage to you for returning from Busan."

Cai Xiubin smiled and clinked glasses with him. "Cheers."

She took a sip of her drink, put down her glass, and looked at him. "Su Yu, won't you encounter any danger when you go to America?"

What's dangerous about making movies?

"It's not about making a movie. It's about doing business. Are you worried the Americans might try to rip you off?"

Su Yu thought for a moment. "Yes. But I'm not so easy to fool."

Cai Xiubin stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed. "Right. You're the kind of person who can get away with anything." She picked up a piece of beef and put it in his bowl. "Eat more. American food isn't very good."

The two ate slowly, chatting about this and that. Chae Soo-bin recounted amusing anecdotes from filming in Busan—once, the director forgot to yell "CUT," and the actors kept acting for five minutes before realizing their mistake. She also mentioned how her assistant once drank a prop coffee, and the director was so angry he made her make a new one. Finally, she talked about the stray cat on the beach that came to the set every day begging for food, and how she named it "Busan."

"You named it Busan?" Su Yu frowned.

"That's what I met in Busan."

"So, if you meet someone in the future, will you also call them Busan?"

Cai Xiubin paused for a moment, then laughed. "You're jealous? Jealous of a cat?"

Su Yu didn't reply.

Cai Xiubin laughed even harder. "Su Yu, you look so cute when you're jealous."

Su Yu glanced at her. "Let's eat."

After dinner, the two snuggled on the sofa to watch a movie. Cai Xiubin chose a romance film about a couple who missed each other at one airport but later reunited at another. Su Yu got sleepy as he watched, and Cai Xiubin leaned on his shoulder, tracing circles on his chest with her finger.

"Su Yu".

"Um."

Do you think we might miss each other at the airport, like in the movies?

"Won't."

Why?

"Because you won't let me miss out."

Cai Xiubin looked up at his profile. His eyes were fixed on the television, but he was clearly not watching. She leaned in and kissed him on the corner of his mouth.

"Su Yu".

"Um."

I won't see you off when you leave tomorrow.

Su Yu looked down at her. "Why?"

"Because I'm afraid I'll cry. If you see me cry, you'll worry. I don't want you to worry."

Su Yu paused for a moment. "Okay."

"Then just give me a hug at home before you go to the airport."

"it is good."

Cai Xiubin buried her face in his chest and stopped talking. The movie on TV was still playing; the male and female leads were kissing in the airport waiting area, with gentle background music. Su Yu turned off the TV, and the living room became quiet, with only the sound of the wind outside the window and the occasional sound of cars in the distance.

"Su Yu".

"Um."

"Once you're in America, you must message me every day."

"it is good."

"The photos need to be sent too."

"it is good."

"I need the video too."

"it is good."

Cai Xiubin smiled. "Why are you agreeing to everything today?"

Su Yu looked down at her. "Because I'm leaving tomorrow."

Cai Xiubin's eyes reddened. She didn't let the tears fall, burying her face even deeper. Su Yu hugged her tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head. The two of them held each other like that, in the quiet Seoul night, for a very long time.