Zane
As Adam looked at me, he started to smile.
"Oh, Zane! You're here! Meet him—this is Riv. He joined our company last month."
So, this beautiful guy's name was Riv, and he was an actor who had just joined last month.
I extended my hand toward him.
"Hello, I'm Zane."
"Hello, Senior," he replied.
"Huh? Why did you call me senior? I haven't even joined the company yet."
"Oh, forgive me. I thought you were older than me, so I called you senior out of habit," Riv explained.
Look at him… he thinks I'm old now. Do I really look that old?
"How old are you?" I asked.
"I'm 18. I'll turn 19 this December," he said.
Oh! That explained why he called me senior—he was much younger than me.
"Oh, I'm not that much older. I'm just 25, so you can call me by my name," I said with a smile.
"Of course, Senior Zane—ah, I mean, Zane. I'll just call you by your name," Riv said with a smile, one so dazzling it caught my attention.
I noticed the way Adam was looking at Riv. His gaze was different—so gentle, as if those eyes could only ever soften for Riv.
I didn't know much about their relationship, but I was certain there was something going on between them.
Adam send Riv from there, and I sat down as he handed me the contract to sign. I read through the entire contract carefully, and everything looked good, so I signed it.
As soon as I signed the contract, Adam and I shook hands.
"Your manager has already arrived. She should be here any moment now," Adam said.
Just then, the door opened. When I glanced back, I saw a girl standing there. She wore jeans and a black hoodie, her hair tied up in a single ponytail. From every angle, she looked beautiful.
"Hello, Mr. Adam," she greeted, stepping up to stand beside me.
"Joel, good to see you again. Meet Zane—he's the one you'll be managing," Adam said.
As soon as I turned my head toward her, she did the same. She smiled warmly at me and extended her hand. I took it and gave a polite shake.
"Hello, I'm Zane."
"Nice to meet you, Zane. I'm Joel," she replied.
After our greetings, she sat down beside me. Adam then began to explain a few things.
He said that the industry worked very differently now because almost 50% of actors and actresses had sponsors behind them.
These sponsors fulfilled their wishes and secured the roles they wanted—but in return, sponsorship meant the actors or actresses were expected to maintain a sexual relationship with them. That was the main reason sponsors were willing to grant their requests.
Of course, we all knew about these things happening behind the scenes, but no one ever said it out loud.
It wasn't that actors or actresses were forced into it, but if a big sponsor approached a specific artist, it was up to the artist and their company to decide whether to accept or reject the offer.
And sometimes, the offer was so good that even Adam encouraged his artists to take it—because, of course, he wasn't playing the game of saints and priests.
He had to think of his own profit too. He explained all this to me so I wouldn't be too shocked later—since, apparently, a sponsor had already shown interest in me.
I did ask him who it was, but Adam refused to answer. That sponsor had told him not to reveal their name yet.
"Mr. Adam, I know this industry has two sides," I said firmly, "but I don't want to step into its dark side. I'll earn my roles with my own effort. I don't need a sponsor—I hope you can understand me."
"I understand, Zane. It's okay if you don't want a sponsor. There are many artists who don't have one, so I can respect your choice. I'm glad you decided to join our company," Adam said.
After that, Joel and I left the office together. As we stepped outside, she kept looking at me quietly. Then, all of a sudden, she placed her hand around my shoulder.
"I heard you have kids. I'd like to meet them sometime—can you show me?" she asked.
"I'll show you later," I replied, gently removing her hand from my shoulder. We exchanged phone numbers, and then she left, saying she had some work to take care of.
I stepped into the elevator, and just then, Riv entered as well.
"Oh, Riv!" I greeted.
"We meet again, Zane. And that girl—she's your manager, right?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Can we exchange numbers?"
Wow… how could I say no to such a good kid? I exchanged numbers with him.
"You know, Adam is really nice. He treats everyone well," Riv said, clearly talking only about Adam.
But then I noticed something strange. Riv was calling Adam informally by his name, even though earlier he had called me "senior"—and I was only twenty-five. Adam, on the other hand, was twenty-eight, older than Riv, yet Riv still addressed him casually, without any formality.
"Riv, why are you calling Mr. Adam by his name? Isn't he older than you?" I asked. I couldn't stop myself from asking.
"He's the one who told me to call him by his name. And… don't tell anyone, but I'm living with Adam too. I really like him," Riv admitted.
My eyes widened at his words. I was stunned—what I had suspected while watching them was true. They really were in a relationship.
And it wasn't my place to judge them.
"That's fine, Riv. But please, what you just told me—don't tell anyone. People might misunderstand and start spreading rumors about you and Mr. Adam."
"I didn't tell anyone. I only told you, and I won't tell anyone else either," he replied.
By then, we had already reached the first floor. With a slight nod, I bid him goodbye and stepped out of the company.
As I approached the car, I saw that both Nilo and Nico were holding chips and other snacks. I thought to myself that I probably should have told Vien not to buy so many.
I sat inside the car. "Vien, you shouldn't have brought this many snacks," I said.
"It's okay. They wanted to eat, that's why I brought them. What's wrong?" he asked.
I told him everything—what Adam had explained to me and about my new manager.
"Oh, congratulations on joining Light Entertainment Company! Why don't you rest first? I'll wake you when we arrive," he said.
I nodded and glanced at both Nilo and Nico, who nodded back at me. I was sitting in the passenger seat, so I closed my eyes, still feeling a bit tired.
When I woke up, I realized we weren't heading to our home—it was an unfamiliar place.
"Vien, where did you bring us?" I asked.
Hearing me, Vien stopped the car and glanced at me. "It's my house," he replied.