by Jayci Lee
His father was the proverbial trust-fund baby who’d never done an honest day’s work. He was too busy burning money on expensive cars and women, and jetting all over the globe. His grandmother, and his uncle and aunt—before she’d passed away from cancer—had raised Colin. He had grown up with his cousins, Garrett and Adelaide, who were more like an older brother and a little sister to him.
He now owned several popular nightclubs in Koreatown and West Los Angeles, and business was flourishing. He didn’t exactly have a party-animal reputation, but it was his business to ensure that the real party animals had a good time. That didn’t make Grandmother very happy with him, especially since he was running his clubs rather than working at Hansol. But his clubs had allowed him to save up enough money to open CS Productions.
His grandmother, the family matriarch, hadn’t given up on Colin’s joining Hansol one day. So far, she had him on a long leash, but he didn’t know how long she would let him go on like this. No matter how hard he tried to distance himself from Hansol and the Song family name, she found ways to hold on to him. In a way, he appreciated that. He avoided all association with Hansol Corporation in public and kept his identity a tightly held secret, but he loved his family and needed to be a part of it.
He revved his engine and drove out of the café’s parking lot with a cheek-cramping grin on his face. Jeannie Choi had optioned Best Placed Bets to CS Productions. He could hardly believe what had just happened. They only had three employees so far, including him, but they were a tightly knit group. They had a critically acclaimed TV series under their belt, but this would be their first full-length film. He couldn’t wait to tell his team members about the news.
Colin had set up the company in a small office in West LA, and he got there in about forty minutes from the suburbs where Jeannie lived. When he opened the office door and entered like a superhero, Kimberly and Ethan jumped up from their desks and ran to him.
“You won’t freaking believe this,” Ethan said before Colin could open his mouth.
“Rotelle Entertainment is looking to partner with a US production company for their first Hollywood venture,” Kimberly blurted as soon as the words left Ethan’s mouth.
“This could put CS Productions on the map.” Ethan was practically bouncing on his feet.
“Totally!” Kim shouted. Then she clenched her hands into fists, and her expression hardened in steely determination. “We have to lock this in.”
Colin still hadn’t gotten a word in. He had very mixed feelings about working with Rotelle Entertainment. Even so, he didn’t want to dampen morale, so he added his good news to the excitement. “I have something that could help with that.”
Both his employees turned to him with blank eyes, as if they’d forgotten he was even there.
“What was that?” Kim said with a confused frown.
Colin chuckled, shaking his head. “Do you remember where I was this morning?”
“Where you were? You never tell us where you’re going—” Ethan gasped. “Jeannie Choi.”
“Spill it, Colin. You can’t keep us in suspense any longer.” Kim looked at him like a puppy hungry for a treat.
“I was keeping you in suspense? You guys wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise.”
“Come on, boss,” Ethan said. “Stop teasing us.”
He sighed in resignation. Hyped up, Ethan and Kim were an unstoppable duo. “She agreed to sign an option with us for Best Placed Bets.”
Much screaming and a group hug ensued. Colin extracted himself and got down to business. “All right. Give me the coherent version of Rotelle Entertainment’s search for a partner. Are they looking in their capacity as a studio, or are they planning to coproduce the film, as well?”
He ran his fingers through his hair and listened to Kimberly’s recap of Rotelle Entertainment’s search for a production company with whom to coproduce a film, which they would then distribute in theaters nationwide. It was a golden opportunity for CS Productions, but goddammit, why Rotelle?
The Song and Park families had a troubled history. The chairman of Rotelle Corporation and his grandmother had arranged for his daughter, Jihae Park, to marry Colin’s cousin, but the engagement was broken when Garrett married the woman he loved instead. In retribution, Rotelle had orchestrated a corporate espionage scheme against Hansol, nearly causing Garrett to lose his CEO position and his wife, Natalie. Colin wholeheartedly despised Rotelle Corporation for that.
But he couldn’t put his personal grudge ahead of his duty to his company. CS Productions deserved this chance. Ethan and Kimberly deserved it. Unfortunately, from what he’d heard, Jihae Park was the creative head of Rotelle Entertainment. Perhaps he’d luck out and find that she’d stayed in Korea and sent her second-in-command to the United States.
“What’s the catch?” Colin said.
Maybe the Rotelle name made him paranoid, but the deal sounded too good to be true. With a great story like Jeannie’s Best Placed Bets, and the clout of a well-funded production company and studio, it meant they really had a chance at coproducing the best romantic comedy out there.
“There isn’t one. Their VP, Jihae Park, has great ambitions for Rotelle’s Hollywood debut, and she wants a production company that knows the lay of the land,” Kimberly said with a shrug.
So much for his wishful thinking. If they got the partnership, he would have to work closely with Jihae Park. And often. Hell. That was going to complicate things. But that was his problem to deal with.
“We should move quickly on this,” he said, heading toward his office. “I want our proposal in front of Ms. Park before the end of the week.”
“Consider it done,” Ethan replied, high-fiving Kimberly. “We got this.”
Colin closed his office door and leaned his head on it. No one knew that he was Grace Song’s grandson. He had no social-media presence other than for his businesses, and he only attended private family affairs. He shouldn’t have to make an exception for Jihae Park and reveal his relationship to the Song family. His family had nothing to do with CS Productions, and he wanted to be judged for who he was, not whom he was related to.
However, if Jihae Park found out who he was, it could jeopardize their project. She would probably misunderstand, and believe that he had deliberately kept his identity a secret from her. People like her believed the world revolved around them, didn’t they?
Wait. If he was already taking a risk—why not take another? The partnership could give him an opportunity to find new evidence about Rotelle’s role in the espionage. Garrett had had their PI investigate Rotelle when they first got wind of foul play, but there were only suggestions of their involvement. It wasn’t enough to prosecute them, especially since their pawn had disappeared to God knew where.
Colin sat heavily on his chair and ran his hand down his face. His meeting with Jeannie Choi felt like ages ago, and the elation of that win had faded into a faint sense of accomplishment. One thing was clear—he wanted CS Productions to partner with Rotelle Entertainment for its success and growth, and for the opportunity to repay his family for all they’d done for him. But he dreaded the partnership for himself. He had no wish to spend long working hours with a spoiled, conniving heiress, and the idea of spying on someone made his skin crawl.
He had a feeling this partnership—if they got it—was going to be a dream come true and a complete nightmare.
Two
“So how many interviews do I have left this week?” Jihae asked in Korean to June, her right-hand woman and a trusted friend.
They were sitting side by side on Jihae’s office sofa and having a much-needed cup of coffee.
“You’ll be interviewing Colin Song from CS Productions today, and Green Grass Productions on Friday,” June said.
Jihae’s heart immediately switched into high gear at the mention of Colin Song’s name. It turned out the handsome pr
oducer and his production company were a good fit for Rotelle Entertainment. Even so, she was hesitant about approaching him because of her obvious attraction to him. But before she could decide what to do, CS Productions had applied for the partnership of their own accord.
She still couldn’t help but feel conflicted about the whole thing. CS Productions was a strong candidate. But...why did the man have to be so unreasonably attractive? Just don’t be biased one way or another. Looks had no bearing on a business decision.
“Just two more to go?” Jihae yawned behind her hand to hide her sudden flush. “Thank goodness.”
“You’re pushing yourself too hard,” June said, eyeing her with concern. “Even for you.”
“I know. I know.” She rolled her eyes then affectionately bumped shoulders with her friend. “It’s just that I’ve been dreaming of this for so long, and we’re finally here in the States, living it. It’s hard not to be excited.”
“Sure. Fine. Be excited. Just slow down a little. You could still be excited working eight to nine hours a day instead of eleven to twelve.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Jihae noticed for the first time that June had dark circles under her eyes that even her flawless makeup couldn’t hide. “Oh, my goodness. You’ve been working those hours with me all this time. How thoughtless of me. I’m so sorry, friend.”
“Don’t worry about it. You weren’t asking me to do anything you weren’t doing yourself. I say that’s fair.”
“Let’s cut back to a sane eight hours a day once the interviews are finished.”
“Promise?” June stuck out her pinkie, and Jihae shook it with hers.
With their coffee break over, they went back to work like proper workaholics. Her team had sifted through stacks of proposals and narrowed it down to ten production companies to interview. A few were lackluster and some were promising, and now Jihae was down to her last two interviews.
Her earlier glimpse of him on TV had given her mixed feelings about Colin Song, but she wasn’t about to judge him based on a snippet of entertainment news. She would do her utmost to be completely fair. Maybe he wouldn’t be as handsome in person. Yes. He was probably just very photogenic and looked like any other man in real life.
Her phone rang and brought her wayward thoughts to a halt.
“Yup.”
“Mr. Colin Song is here to see you,” June said.
“Thanks. Please send him in.”
“He’s level-ten yummy,” her friend whispered almost inaudibly.
“Stop that,” she said, fighting a laugh.
Jihae hurriedly replaced the receiver in its cradle and wiped the goofy grin off her face. She walked around her desk with her professional half smile on, ready to greet her guest when he came in.
Her office door opened and all the oxygen was sucked out of the room. Colin Song in the flesh. The video clip hadn’t done him justice. He took long strides into the office and stood in front of her before she could get a proper breath in. He wore a sharp suit in a perfect shade of gray with a white dress shirt that showed off his athletic physique. His shoulders were so broad, she wondered if he had all his suits custom-made. She should’ve said hello about three seconds ago, but he was so beautiful she forgot how to speak.
Oddly, he, too, stood transfixed in front of her, his mouth slightly agape. Oh, bloody hell. She must seem completely bonkers staring at him like a goldfish of little brain. She shook herself out of whatever spell held her hostage and extended her hand.
“Mr. Song, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
His big, warm hand enveloped hers, making her mind go stark white. Then her knees turned to gelatin when he said in a smooth, deep voice, “The pleasure’s all mine.”
“I’m Jihae Park. I work here,” she offered helpfully. God. When he uttered the word pleasure, it sounded like it was dipped in copious amounts of butter. So decadent.
“Yes,” he said with laughter twinkling in his eyes. “I’m well aware of that.”
“Well...yes.” Jihae gave herself a mental forehead slap, and forced herself to focus on business. It was her comfort zone. She had to stop acting so weird. “Please have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
He folded his long form onto a sofa, and watched her with quiet eyes as Jihae picked a seat across from him. The coffee table between them created a much-needed barrier for her brain to function somewhat normally.
“I was impressed by CS Productions’s proposal. It was articulate, and it got straight to the point without flowery, superfluous posturing. I appreciated that. And I quite enjoyed reading Best Placed Bets. It was endearingly funny, romantic and heartfelt,” she said, relieved that she sounded sufficiently professional. “But I want to hear more about your vision for the story.”
“Everything aside, I want this film to be a funny, uplifting rom-com that makes the audience giddy—the kind of movie where everyone walking out of the theater has a spring in their step,” he began with a smile that exponentially increased his attractiveness. “I’m also excited about the Korean-American main characters, and the cultural elements they bring to the story. I believe the Asian-American audience will be able to relate to the quirks and humor in those scenes.”
Before Jihae could respond, her cell phone trilled from her desk. She shot up from her perch and hurried to turn off her phone. When she reclaimed her seat, her cheeks were burning. “I’m so sorry for the interruption. I must’ve forgotten to put my cell on silent.”
“It’s not a problem. We’ve all done that.”
“Thank you.” She paused to gather her thoughts. “To continue with our discussion, there have been Korean films, including Rotelle Entertainment’s, that have been released in the US. So seeing Asian actors as leading characters isn’t as rare as it used to be.”
“Those films are stunning works featuring Korean culture, but what we want is to represent Korean-Americans as Americans, not as foreigners who live in this country. Films set in Korea obviously don’t accomplish that goal.”
“I see your point,” she said, nodding slowly.
The passion in his words created a spark of excitement inside her. She would need to research and think further on the issue, but she would love to be part of the movement Colin envisioned.
“This film could add the Asian-American voice to the majority’s dialogue. Our journey, the same but different, is part of American life, too. It’s like this—the French mirepoix and the Creole holy trinity are only one ingredient apart. Both of them have onions and carrots, but the mirepoix has celeries and the holy trinity has red bell peppers. They are more similar than different, and the difference isn’t a bad thing. They’re equally good,” Colin said, his hands punctuating his words. She liked his analogy, which she readily understood thanks to her many cooking certificates. “I don’t know where that analogy came from, but I’m going with it.”
She laughed. “No, it makes complete sense.”
“Best Placed Bets could be a film that takes America one step closer to acceptance without being heavy-handed and didactic. Nobody wants to be lectured, but I believe everyone wants to understand. This film has the potential to be a dynamic, pivotal work in the industry. And with Rotelle Entertainment’s influence and resources, the change could be far-reaching.”
Colin Song’s energy and intelligence made her pulse pick up speed. His dark eyes glowed with intensity, and he sat forward in his seat, bringing his gorgeous face closer to hers. He had lovely, faint laugh lines in the corners of his eyes. He was someone who laughed often, and suddenly she wanted to hear what his laugh sounded like.
She wished she knew some funny jokes. Wait. Full stop. She was acting like a tween with a hard crush—thoroughly awkward and dorky. Even her palms were sweaty. This was blooming ridiculous. She surreptitiously wiped her hands on her pants as she leaned forward to show that she was listening with gr
eat interest.
When he shifted in his seat, a waft of his cologne drifted her way, and her eyes nearly fluttered shut. Fresh and woodsy, like he’d hiked through the woods to come to the meeting. It took Herculean effort to keep her eyes from drifting to the muscular thighs that filled his slacks.
Oh, Lord. Her mind did not just go there. Her body was already warm and hypersensitive from his proximity. She had to rein in her attraction. Jihae’s reputation was built on her unshakeable professionalism and acute business sense. Lusting after the head of a partner company could tarnish that reputation. Without the respect she garnered, performing her job as well as she had been would become impossible.
Moreover, if this attraction led to...something, her father could take the one thing that helped her survive his scorn and her lonely existence—Rotelle Entertainment. Her work was everything to her. She couldn’t forget that. Ever. As long as there was a chance of them working together, Colin Song was off-limits.
“Thank you, Mr. Song,” she said in a cool, level voice despite her unsteady breathing, and rose to her feet.
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Park.” He extended his hand and she put hers inside it, trying and failing to feel indifferent to his touch.
She released a soft wavering sigh, and his eyes shot to her lips and lingered. Bloody hell. This attraction might go both ways. A secret part of her rejoiced at the realization, but the sane part of her shivered with apprehension. It doubled her temptation to test out their attraction, but she wasn’t a mindless body. She was the vice president of Rotelle Entertainment.
“I’ll be in touch in the next couple days,” she said, gently withdrawing her hand.
“That sounds perfect. I look forward to hearing from you.” He released her hand and blinked rapidly as though he was trying to get his bearings. Could he tell how attracted she was to him?
With a curt nod, he walked out of her office. As soon as the door closed, Jihae plopped back down on the chair she’d been occupying and pulled her shirttail out of her slacks and flapped it rapidly. What in the world just happened to her? She had never been so attracted to someone at first sight. It was a crazy, instant chemical reaction, and she could swear he’d felt it, too.