Page 8 of Flip the Script


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Chapter 4

“HERE ARE OUR CONDITIONS AS LAID OUT BY MYclient and our company,” says Ms. Ahn, Bryan’s manager. “One, Bryan is still allowed to date other girls as long as he keeps these relationships private and hidden. Two, Bryan and Hana are only obligated to go on a date together once a month. Three, PDA is okay but only to a certain extent and not in a way that infringes on Bryan’s manliness.”

By the time she reaches the word “manliness,” my brain feels like it’s melting out of my ears. It’s times like these that I wish Icouldn’tunderstand Korean.

I give Bryan a pointed look. “Theseare your conditions? Seriously? And ‘manliness’? What the heck do you even mean by that?”

“I have a reputation to uphold,” he explains. “There’s a reason why most K-pop stars aren’t allowed to date. We’re supposed to be in a ‘relationship’ with our fans and be the manly, sexy, and somehow also cute, perfect boyfriendsthey’ve always wanted. If I’m all over another girl, my fans won’t like me anymore. Granted, I’m taking a break from the music industry, but I doubt any of us want my fans to drop their support now.”

“Wait, so then why did you agree to this whole thing?” I ask. Being a girl in the industry is hard, but it doesn’t sound like it’s easy for guys, either. “Aren’t you afraid your fans will turn against you?”

“Hell yeah. But I trust Mr. Kim’s judgment. And our managers’. There’s going to be some backlash for sure, but hopefully it’ll all be worth it.”

We’re back in the studio building, in one of the conference rooms where we first did our table reads for the show. Bryan’s team is sitting on one side of the table while Sophia sits with me on the other. I’d feel totally outnumbered if it weren’t for my absolute trust in Sophia. She spent practically the whole night on the phone with me, going over the terms until everything was exactly the way I wanted it to be.

Sophia shuffles through the documents she prepared for today. Ever the workaholic, she somehow managed to write up a whole contract overnight that runs at least ten pages long.

“And here are our terms,” she says in a firm voice. “One, Bryan-ssi is under no circumstance allowed to pressure Hana to do things she is not comfortable with. At this point in time, this means that there is to be minimal PDA. And everything, even the slightest brush of hands, must be done with consent. If we feel as though Hana is being taken advantage of or isotherwise harmed in any way, we have the full right to take legal action.”

Bryan raises his eyebrows. “Wow, busting out the big guns early, huh?”

Sophia continues in a matter-of-fact way, “Our company will do everything to make sure Hana is safe. Moving on. Two, Bryan-ssi is to treat Hana with utmost respect and not as though she is one of his groupies.”

“Hey,” Bryan says with his hands held high. “I’m not some predatory jerk, okay? Just ask the Brybabies.”

“The fact that they’re called the Brybabies is a crime against humanity,” I quip.

Bryan’s face reddens, and he looks away as he says, “My fans decided on the name themselves. Who am I to tell them what they can or can’t do?”

Well, at least he can see it’s cringey. His reaction surprises me, since I thought he’d be all for the name.Maybe he’s not as bad as I thought.

“Anyway,” Sophia cuts in. “If you make a move on Hana without her express consent, wewillsue. Mind you, Hana is a minor, so the laws against sexual harassment are a lot stricter than they would be if she were an adult. Do we have an understanding?”

Ms. Ahn laughs, which catches me off guard. It’s definitely not a reaction I expected.

“Miss Sophia,” she says in a way that is clearly meant to make fun of Sophia’s non-Korean name. I bite my lip so I don’tderail the entire conversation by calling her out on her double standards. Bryan uses his English name professionally; why can’t Sophia?

“You and your client are so American,” Ms. Ahn goes on. “Nothing has even happened yet and you’re already threatening to sue. And do I really have to remind you that my client is also a minor? Please do not speak as though my client is an adult offender when he hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“My apologies. I’m just trying to keepmyclient safe, but I acknowledge I may have sounded a bit too intense about it,” Sophia replies with a thin smile. She looks polite, but I know her well enough to know that she’s secretly thinking,I’llendyou.“Harvard Law habits die hard.”

It’s the age-old alma mater flex, a passive-aggressive Korean tactic that never goes unnoticed, and certainly not now. Every member of Bryan’s team immediately looks intimidated as Sophia pushes her glasses up her nose and continues, “But let me just remind you that even minors are charged severely for offenses against other minors.”

Ms. Ahn narrows her eyes but doesn’t say anything.

“So, do we have an agreement?” Sophia says, glancing back and forth from Bryan to Ms. Ahn.

“Yes, of course,” Bryan says, his expression now serious. “I wouldn’t even think of harming Hana in the first place. Again, I’m not that kind of guy.”

“Or so he says,” I mutter.

The moment I say it, I realize it’s a mistake.

Ms. Ahn raises her eyebrows. “Is Hana-ssi insinuating that Bryan is a predator? Because that sort of defamation would be grounds forusto take legal action.”

Sophia shoots me a look before holding her hands out to Ms. Ahn.

“No one is insinuating anything,” she says. “We’re simply being careful. And we’re under mutual agreement that nothing that is discussed here will leave this room unless there is a violation of the terms. Right, Hana-ssi?”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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