Chapter 6: Outside Looking In

“I know it when he is serious or just playing around. He can be a wild kid but he knows his limits. He’s becoming a man and the transformation I see everyday never fails to amaze me.”

CHAPTER 6

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

Manager Lee has seen Keun Suk grow through the years. He was a witness to the kid’s perseverance and sheer determination to succeed in an industry full of uncertainties. Keun Suk is a happy person, always friendly, always armed with a smile and always full of energy and charisma. He is a person who can strike a conversation with just about anyone. And he never runs out of confidence in himself, of what he can do and what he can offer. Such confidence, Manager Lee knows, has somehow been misunderstood by critics and detractors as a massive ego waiting to explode. Add that to Keun Suk’s outright disregard to separate his private and public lives, which make him more vulnerable to every prying eyes, Manager Lee is aware that his ward has somehow earned the reputation as being a wild child who loves clubbing and partying and more importantly, loves inviting everyone’s attention to himself.

But all those misconceptions about Keun Suk are always eclipsed by the fact that he is oozing with raw talent and passion, not to mention the good looks and a great voice to match. He is the total package every producer or director wants. He has been touted as one of the next big things that will happen to Hallyu and Manager Lee is really proud of what Keun Suk has achieved so far. The kid deserves it. He has earned it, having been in the industry half his life. He always puts his heart in every project that comes his way, always thankful for the opportunity to work and hone his craft. At such a young age, he has already earned the respect of his peers in the industry for his dedication to his work. Such a show-off, his detractors say of him. They must have mistaken Keun Suk’s openness as bragging, his talkativeness as offensive, his penchant for perfection as too much and his willingness to share his life and his passions as too disconcerting. But that is just Keun Suk. Take it or leave it.

But he does lead a very active social life, this boy. He loves being around people, going to clubs and attending parties that sometimes Manager Lee has to remind him that he does not have to grace every party he has been invited to, all in the same night! Yet Manager Lee knows where this craving to be around people all the time stems from – growing up as an only child. Having no siblings of his own, he connects with people easily and gets attached quickly. Young or old, he really does not discriminate. He befriends everyone on the set, in school, in the agency, in the gym, and every place he might be. He builds no walls for himself. He does not alienate himself from the world. Even to his fans, he is known to be friendly, always reaching out to them, always ready with his trademark smile. In return, he receives love from everyone else, too. Especially from the girls.

Manager Lee is not one who likes to meddle in his ward’s private affairs. Leave that to his parents, he likes to say. Not that Keun Suk would allow him to meddle anyway. He has a mind of his own and he has made it clear early on that he will never do anything to jeopardize his career and Manager Lee has put his trust on him with those words.

He has been a witness to every girl that came and went in Keun Suk’s life for the past several years. There have been girls and women. But as far as he knows, there had only been two women who left indelible marks on Keun Suk. Only two. Until now.

Keun Suk can really be easy to read like an open book if you know him better, just like Manager Lee does. If he is interested in something, or someone, he has the habit of talking about her every chance he gets, researching information about her everywhere and talking about that person in conversations, consciously or unconsciously.

And lately these past few weeks, only one name has been in Keun Suk’s lips several times a day – Shin Hye. I’ve talked with Shin Hye about this…Shin Hye said…Did you know that Shin Hye was…Always Shin Hye this, Shin Hye that. And even now as Keun Suk sits on the sand in a tropical beach, with a cold beer in hand, their conversation always come around to that clueless girl in Korea, a thousand miles away.

Manager Lee can no longer stifle his laugh. “Three times,” he says, holding up three fingers to Keun Suk.

Keun Suk looks at him, confused. “What?”

“For the past hour, you have mentioned Shin Hye’s name three times. And we have been talking about baseball championships,” he tells him squarely. Taking a swig at his own beer, Manager Lee continues, “By the way, did you know that Shin Hye can do a killer pitch?”

Keun Suk nods. “Yeah. She did a left-handed pitch at the ---

Manager Lee burst out laughing. “See? That’s what I’m saying. You even know your facts. You’re obviously doing your homework, man.”

Furrowing his brows, clearly wanting to pretend he doesn’t know what his manager is talking about, Keun Suk asks stoically, “What do you mean?”

His manager shakes his head, staring far way into the ocean before them. “It has been awhile since you dated a girl, Keun Suk. Or even got really interested in one. It has always been all work for you and no play,” he says, matter-of-factly. “I guess it’s about time if you want to.”

Keun Suk takes a long swig from his bottle before making a reply. “I don’t want to play. Not this time. Not with her.”

Manager Lee smiles. So his hunches were right. “She is a good girl. You can see right through her that she has a big heart. And it doesn’t hurt either that she is beautiful.”

“Maybe too good for me, don’t you think? And she is young. Sometimes I feel I will only break her if I do one false move.” He can hear the reverence in Keun Suk’s voice.

“She is young but she doesn’t act or think her age. You must have noticed that by now. I think she’s made up of something solid. Not the type who would easily break.”

Keun Suk bows down his head and nods. “I know. That’s the first thing that caught my attention.”

“Does she know about how you feel?”

He shakes his head. “Aniyo. I want to take things slow," he says. Then like an afterthought, he turns to ask him in a concerned voice, "Do you think I stand a chance?”

Manager Lee looks at him, suddenly amused, then laughs as Keun Suk’s predicament dawns on him. Whatever happened to confident Keun Suk? “You’re having it real bad, are you? There is only one thing to do. Ask her yourself.”