Jihoon pulled out the chair in front of him with a calm, almost unhurried posture.
Then he said, "What bring here on a good day? Aren't you suppose be back at Seoul by now? If I remember correctly, Taeyeon and the rest of the girl already went back months ago…"
His tone was calm and soft, like he was just having a casual chitchat over afternoon tea. But the words themselves carried distance—coldness wrapped in politeness. Anyone with ears would feel the gap he was intentionally keeping.
Lee Sooman, who had noticed Jihoon entering the room from the very beginning, continued casually sipping the coffee offered by the staff when he first came in. From Jihoon's tone alone, he knew very clearly he wasn't welcome here.
And honestly? He also knew the reason.
But to him, his actions back then were simply for the best interest of himself and his company. So even knowing he had offended Jihoon and used him in his own way, he didn't feel even a flicker of remorse.
Because in his mind, nothing mattered more than his personal interest—and he didn't think he was wrong about it at all.
So, he replied with a friendly tone, pretending they were still close like they never had a fallout. "Jihoon-ah… it's been awhile. Cause it was a good day for me to be here… hahaha!"
He gave a laugh—a forced one—and the awkwardness hung in the room like stale cigarette smoke because Jihoon didn't reply.
Not even a hum.
So Lee Sooman cleared his throat and added a few dry laughs before continuing, "Taeyeon and the rest of the SM artist went back to Seoul first. I'm still at LA to discuss with Universal Music Group on partnership for SM expansion in the state, so I have to stay longer than them…"
That was his explanation, the answer to Jihoon's question.
Jihoon listened quietly and nodded. It wasn't that he was nosy about Lee Sooman's working schedules.
Far from it.
Jihoon just needed to know whether Lee Sooman had come here out of urgency—or not.
Because there was a difference.
If Lee Sooman had made a specialized trip to LA after returning to Seoul last month with the girls, that meant the matter today was urgent—very urgent.
But if he had simply finished his scheduled trip and swung by to find him afterward, then the urgency level dropped.
Same man, same visit, completely different message.
And because Lee Sooman was, in Jihoon's eyes, nothing more than a lackey of CJ ENM—a messenger of interests that weren't aligned with Jihoon—he needed to know exactly which one it was.
Which motive.
Which intention.
Which level of threat.
Now that he had picked up the level of urgency from Lee Sooman's explanation, Jihoon didn't hesitate to be a straight-shooter.
He felt it was unnecessary to continue this awkward, pretend socialization.
Not only did it disgust him, it was also a complete waste of his time.
So he leaned back slightly and said, "Alright, we are done with the pleasantry. Now you can say what in your mind… it can save us up some time rather having our brain wreck in manipulation."
Lee Sooman's eyebrow twitched the moment he heard those words.
Jihoon wasn't harsh, but he wasn't showing the same respect he used to show either.
And coming from a Korean tradition, Lee Sooman was the sunbae, and Jihoon—as a junior in the entertainment industry—was supposed to remain polite regardless of his accolades.
To Lee Sooman, this felt like deja vu.
The last time someone treated him like this was decades ago, when he was still a nobody standing in front of those chaebol heirs—young masters who saw him as nothing more than a servant, a tool.
And now here he was, in the exact same position again… except this time the one giving him that treatment was Jihoon.
He swallowed his irritation and replied, "You must be in LA for too long and forget our traditional manners…"
"Jihoon-ah, as a sunbae, I need to let you know, Korea is a place of hierarchy. You need to be in place, if not you will be isolated by the society… don't forget where you come from. You should at least greet me 'uncle' like you used to."
Jihoon heard him, shook his head, and adjusted his tone. Not into a polite one—the air-conditioned room somehow felt colder after he spoke.
"Alright, Lee PD-nim, what bring you here today?"
It wasn't that Jihoon was holding a grudge or being tiny-hearted. He simply didn't feel that Lee Sooman deserved that level of respect anymore.
Yes, he used to call him "uncle."
Yes, whether Jihoon liked it or not, Lee Sooman was his first guide when he produced his debut film.
He did help Jihoon grow in the early days, when Jihoon was still building his business.
But business relationships fall apart the moment self-interest clashes with collective interest.
And the day Lee Sooman chose to betray their friendship, all the respect and gratitude faded—just as fast as the money Jihoon had earned for him and SM.
Calling him "PD-nim" instead of "uncle" was already generous.
It was still a formal greeting. Today's meeting was business, not a social visit. From a manners standpoint, Jihoon had already given him more than enough.
Besides, Jihoon was no longer the same Jihoon from 2007.
Cause as of now in the year of 2008, the entire SM Entertainment was valued at around 127 million dollars.
Meanwhile Jihoon's JH Corp—including LA's JH Picture—was valued at half a billion before even appraising the HCU IP.
And in a modern society where money dictates whose voice echoes louder, Jihoon genuinely didn't see any reason why someone like Lee Sooman belonged in the category of people he needed to respect.
Not anymore.
Lee Sooman forced down the irritation rising in his chest and decided to get straight to the point.
He cleared his throat and said, "Y-You… alright."
"I'm here today for MBC's We Got Married program. I'm here on behalf of MBC and SM inviting you to join the program and be the couple with Taeyeon. I bet when she was here last month she already spoke about it to you, right?"
"So today is a formal invitation."
He pulled his leather briefcase onto his lap, unzipped it with practiced calm, and took out a neatly prepared program folder along with an official invitation card.
Without hesitation, he slid them across the desk toward Jihoon. His posture, his tone—everything about Lee Sooman radiated confidence, as if he already knew Jihoon would say yes.
As if this was all just a formality, a signature waiting to be written.
Jihoon stared at that confidence and couldn't decide what kind of delusion Sooman was operating on.
What made him so sure Jihoon would accept something like this?
True, Jihoon still had feelings for Taeyeon—he didn't know if it was love or not—but someone as self-centered as him would never allow emotions to dictate his decisions.
Whether it was affection or something else, Jihoon would always put himself first. He wasn't about to be threatened or manipulated by that.
True, he had considered joining the program with Taeyeon, but that was a thought born from his own willingness—not because someone forced him into it like this.
Jihoon's brows tightened. Logically speaking, something like this—an invitation, documents, a simple proposal—could easily be sent via email or mailed to his office. There was absolutely no reason for a board member of SM to personally fly down and hand-deliver it.
Unless… this wasn't about the invitation at all.
He knew exactly what this was. Another attempt to put a chain back onto him. But the more he thought about it, the more ridiculous the whole strategy felt.
Pathetic, even. Like something only a small–pea brain operator would think such low-ball move could actually restrain him back to where he was.
But Jihoon had no plan to waste his breath mocking or questioning the logic behind it. Instead, he simply asked, calmly but firmly: "What if I said no?"
This time, it was Lee Sooman whose expression shifted. His confidence didn't disappear, but it hardened. He reached for his cup of coffee again, took a slow sip, savoring it as if this moment belonged to him.
Then he spoke.
"Jihoon-ah," he began, as though lecturing a student. "If I remember correctly, you are a third-year student at SNU, right? You're about to complete your studies next year at the age of twenty."
He paused just long enough for his words to sink in.
"Which means you are in the legal age to be fulfilling the eighteen months of compulsory military service in Korea."
He set the cup down, leaned slightly forward, and added, "Now do you know why you have to say yes? Or do you need me to elaborate more on our country's military service policy and regulations?"
Then came the smirk.
A smug, victorious curve of the lips—because he believed he had already checkmated Jihoon, cornered him with a move that Jihoon couldn't counter as long as he still held Korean citizenship.
Jihoon's heartbeat almost stopped when he heard it.
Blood rushed in his ears, and his fists slowly curled on top of the desk, knuckles whitening as if at any moment he might launch one straight into that smug face.
It was obvious, painfully obvious, how furious he was.
Because ever since he reincarnated into this new life… this was the first time—the very first time—Jihoon felt anger this deep.