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

The signing was scheduled for 10:00 AM in the A24 headquarters conference room.

When Su Yu arrived, Rachel was already waiting downstairs. She was wearing a black dress, her hair down, and makeup, looking much more formal than before. "Mark is here. He said he wants to talk to you for a bit before signing," Su Yu nodded and followed her upstairs.

In the conference room, Mark stood by the window, a cup of coffee in his hand. Seeing Su Yu enter, he turned around and extended his hand. "Representative Su, I let you win yesterday, but I can't let you win again today." Su Yu shook his hand. "Yesterday wasn't about winning, it was about reasoning," Mark smiled. "Your way of reasoning is different from others."

The two sat down. Mark pushed the contract in front of Su Yu; it had been revised—the distribution rights would be split 50/50, the sequel rights would be jointly owned, and losses would be borne equally by each party. Su Yu flipped through it, pausing on the third page. One clause read, "Neither Party A nor Party B shall cooperate with any third party on similar projects during the cooperation period." He pointed to that clause.

"Delete this one."

Mark glanced at it. "These are the standard terms."

"I'm not a standard company," Su Yu said. "Yinguo Entertainment won't stop cooperating with others just because we're working with you. And you won't stop cooperating with others just because you're working with me. There's no point in writing this."

Mark stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed. "You really don't leave any room for compromise." Su Yu didn't speak. Mark thought for a moment, then crossed out a line on the clause. "Okay. Delete it."

Su Yu flipped through the contract again, confirming there were no other issues, then picked up a pen and signed the last page. Mark signed as well. The two exchanged contracts and shook hands. Rachel took a picture and said, "Send it to the company group chat." Su Yu said, "Don't send it." Rachel glanced at him, but sent it anyway.

The group chat for Yinuo Entertainment exploded. Kim Dong-wook sent a long string of exclamation marks, Kim Eun-sook sent a clapping emoji, and Choi Min-soo said, "Representative Su is awesome." Chae Soo-bin didn't speak in the group, but she sent Su Yu a private message: "Signed?" Su Yu replied: "Yeah." Chae Soo-bin said: "When are you coming back?" Su Yu said: "Saturday." Chae Soo-bin sent a smiley face, and then said: "I made you kimchi soup, it's in the fridge. You can drink it when you get back." Su Yu looked at that line of text, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Shirley didn't speak in the group chat either. She sent Su Yu a private message: "Congratulations. How's the weather in America?" Su Yu replied: "Sunny." Shirley said: "Then get some sun. It's raining in Seoul." Su Yu didn't reply. A few minutes later, she sent another message: "The new song is finished recording. I'll wait for you to come back and listen." Su Yu typed two words: "Okay."

The post-signing dinner was held at an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills. Rachel had booked a private room for six people—Mark, Rachel, Su Yu, and the three department heads from A24. The restaurant was dimly lit, with candles on the tables and glasses of red wine. Mark raised his glass first, saying, "To Representative Su, to our cooperation." Su Yu clinked glasses with him and took a sip.

Mark sat across from Su Yu, eating his appetizer, and casually asked, "Representative Su, how big do you plan to make the company in the future?"

Su Yu put down his knife and fork. "The largest in Asia."

Mark paused for a moment, then laughed. "I like your ambition."

Rachel added from the side, "It's not ambition, it's planning. Every step is calculated."

Su Yu glanced at Rachel but didn't say anything.

Mark then asked, "So what are your plans for the United States? Are you only going to cooperate with A24, or are there other strategies?"

"We'll see what happens."

Mark nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Halfway through the meal, Su Yu's phone vibrated. It was a message from Cai Xiubin: "Finished eating?" Su Yu typed with one hand: "Not yet." Cai Xiubin said: "Have you been drinking?" Su Yu said: "A little." Cai Xiubin said: "Don't drive after drinking." Su Yu said: "No. Someone gave me a ride." Cai Xiubin said: "That's good." After a few seconds, she sent another message: "I miss you."

Su Yu stared at those four words and placed his phone face down on the table. Rachel noticed and asked, "Girlfriend?" Su Yu nodded. Rachel smiled. "Your girlfriend is very lucky." Su Yu didn't reply.

It was almost ten o'clock when the dinner ended. Rachel drove Su Yu back to the hotel, and the two didn't talk much on the way. When they arrived at the hotel, Su Yu got out of the car, and Rachel rolled down the window. "Representative Su, tomorrow's the weekend, where are you planning to go?"

"No plans."

"Los Angeles has a lot of fun places to visit. Beaches, museums, Universal Studios. You should check them out."

Su Yu thought for a moment. "Next time. I'll bring my girlfriend along."

Rachel laughed. "You don't seem like someone with a girlfriend when you're working, but you're a different story after work." Su Yu didn't reply, waved his hand, and turned to walk into the hotel.

Back in her room, Su Yu took a shower and called Cai Xiubin while lying in bed. The call was answered after two rings.

"You're back at the hotel?" Cai Xiubin's voice sounded sleepy, but she hadn't fallen asleep yet.

"Um."

"How much did you drink?"

Two cups.

"Are you blushing?"

"A little."

"I want to see." Su Yu turned on the video. Cai Xiubin saw his face and smiled. "You're really red. Your face gets flushed from drinking." Su Yu didn't say anything, leaned his phone against the bedside table, and rested his head on the pillow.

"Are you happy that the contract was signed today?" Cai Xiubin asked.

"Um."

"I can't tell."

Su Yu thought for a moment. "Being happy doesn't necessarily mean laughing."

Cai Xiubin stared at the screen for a few seconds. "That's a nice thing to say." She shifted her position, pressing her face against the pillow. "Su Yu, I went to the barbecue restaurant today. The older lady asked me again why you weren't here."

"What did you say?"

"I told her you went to America. She said you young people's dating is like a spy movie."

Su Yu's lips curved into a slight smile. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

"Add the last narration. Once that's done, everything will be fine. I'm heading back to Seoul Sunday morning."

"You've arrived in Seoul, but I haven't come back yet."

"I know. I'll wait for you."

There was a moment of silence between them. Su Yu heard very soft breathing coming from Cai Xiubin's end, as if he had the phone pressed against his face.

"Su Yu".

"Um."

"Sulli posted a picture of herself in the recording studio on her WeChat Moments today. She said the new song is written for someone. Can you guess who it is?"

Su Yu was silent for two seconds. "I don't know."

"You know."

"Then tell me who it is."

Cai Xiubin didn't answer. She turned over, her voice muffled. "Never mind. I won't say anything more. You should go to sleep early; you have a flight tomorrow."

"it is good."

"Good night."

"Good night."

After hanging up the phone, Su Yu placed it on the bedside table and turned off the light. In the darkness, he lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The Los Angeles night was quiet, so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat.

He remembered Cai Xiubin's question—"Guess who it's for?" He knew the answer. But he couldn't say, nor could he pretend not to know. He turned over, pulled the blanket up, and closed his eyes. A plane flew by outside the window, its sound low, quickly disappearing into the night sky.