Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 662

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Genius Archer’s Streaming Season 3 Episode 132
44. Swept Over (2)
Sanghyeon headed straight to the makeup room.
“Hello~”
“Wow. Almond. You look even more handsome in person~”
Two makeup artists were waiting.
“I’ll get started right away!”
They immediately began their work, as time was tight.
Soft, fluffy brushes swept across my face back and forth, and before I knew it, all my hair was tied up.
Every time I came for a shoot, I felt the same thing—everything passed by in a chaotic blur from the subject’s perspective.
There was only one person to be filmed, yet multiple people waited and prepared for that one person, which was how this frenzy came about.
“Unnie. I’ll start on the hair now.”
“Yeah, okay. Go ahead.”
Now one of the two makeup artists began working on my hair.
“Almond~”
But that wasn’t all.
In the midst of this, another person approached and held out a tablet.
“Almond. Hello. I’m the writer in charge. You’ve probably already checked the storyboard, but there were some changes made on set. Would you be okay with hearing an explanation?”
They seemed to be one of the staff from the planning department.
Storyboard changes on set happened almost every time, so there was nothing unusual about it.
Sanghyeon nodded and asked them to show me.
“Ah! No, no, you can’t bow your head!”
The makeup artist immediately grabbed my face and straightened my nodding head, while the staff member beside me began explaining in a cheerful voice right by my ear.
I had to endure the explanation like torture, my cheeks held firm, my mouth puckered like a fish.
“This part moves over here….”
In truth, even if I listened now, the director would point out corrections during the actual shoot and I’d have to revise it anyway. I just pretended to listen.
“…that covers all the changes.”
The staff member left with only a word of thanks, then swiftly disappeared back to the filming studio.
Looking in the mirror, the makeup and hair seemed to be coordinated to some degree.
‘It’s starting to look natural now.’
I suddenly remembered how awkward I looked when I first got makeup done.
Compared to that, today was quite natural.
It probably wasn’t due to a difference in the makeup artist’s skill.
It was because I had become quite accustomed to this sort of thing by now.
“Is there anywhere else you’d like us to touch up? Your hair or eyebrows, for instance. Feel free to say.”
It was a question they always asked.
I had always just answered that it was fine to that question.
For some reason, my finger rose to somewhere.
“Ah… this part a bit….”
I pointed to my hair parting line and asked how it would look if I swept my bangs over.
“Ah. Let me take a look for you.”
It wasn’t that I was truly unhappy with my hair. I hadn’t developed any celebrity syndrome either.
It was an entirely different reason.
Sanghyeon glanced at the wall clock.
It was purely a matter of time.
‘Let me drag this out just a bit longer.’
There were still roughly twenty minutes left until the time Juhyeok had requested.
While the makeup artist stepped away to fetch tools, I quickly sent a message.
[Sanghyeon: It finished way faster than expected. I’ll stretch it out for about ten more minutes.]

* * *
Outside the studio, in a hallway near the elevator of an ordinary office building.
Buzz.
Juhyeok’s phone vibrated in his pocket.
But he didn’t look at it.
Instead, he was watching the people standing before him—two men attempting to enter the studio.
Both wore casual suits and carried only small bags that could fit a thin laptop.
The employee badges hanging around their necks read ‘Choi Kang Planning’.
The one with ‘Kyung-ho Lee’ written on his badge asks.
“Yes, I am Kyung-ho Lee, but… what is this about?”
He was asking Juhyeok.
After all, Juhyeok had singled him out and called him from the entrance.
“We’re from the Legal Department. Come with us for a moment.”
At the mention of the Legal Department, Kyung-ho Lee gave Juhyeok a quick once-over.
Tall frame, broad shoulders, neat hair, a dark and dreary suit like one worn at a funeral, and a document bag.
An oddly cold gleam in his eyes.
Something felt ominous.
“I need to go inside right now. Come back another time.”
“The makeup artist is still working inside. It will take more time. Come with us.”
He knew the situation inside?
Kyung-ho Lee instinctively sensed this was no ordinary situation.
“Due to the nature of my work, it’s difficult to spare time at a shooting location. Please come back another time.”
He spoke with a slightly firmer tone, using work as an excuse, and moved forward. He tried to walk past Juhyeok, but.
Thud.
His arm was blocked by Juhyeok’s.
“I apologize for appearing so suddenly due to the nature of our work. But it’s unavoidable. Let’s go.”
Gulp.
He swallowed hard.
Kyung-ho Lee wasn’t the only one sensing the strange atmosphere. His colleague felt it too, scanning between the two men like a startled mouse.
As if gauging which side to take.
“Well… then, Kyungho. Just go check on things. It’s fine at the beginning anyway, right? Haha….”
He practically fled into the studio, slipping inside without hesitation.
“Ah, no. Wait…!”
Kyung-ho Lee’s desperate cry was already blocked by the studio door.
Thud.
Kyung-ho Lee turned back to Juhyeok and spoke almost pleadingly.
“Sir, I need to go in too. This is part of our company’s work, isn’t it?”
“I already know there’s nothing the two of you need to do together.”
“Pardon?”
“One person is enough, isn’t it?”
Planning work is essentially completed at the desk.
The work done on-site is filming. So it’s the filming crew’s job.
The planning team comes only to oversee that on-site modifications don’t deviate too far from the initial proposal.
Two people come not because there’s a shortage of hands, but simply because it’s harder to convince multiple people with just one person.
Juhyeok already knew this fact from the previous shoot.
“On-site, you only review and confirm things, don’t you? There’s already been talk in ‘our team’ about how company funds are bleeding out with this system.”
What? Complaints about funds bleeding out?
This isn’t something the legal team would say—this sounds like the audit team’s concern.
Kyung-ho Lee felt goosebumps suddenly prickle down his spine.
“Seeing how your colleague went right in, it seems what I heard was correct. How many office workers would eagerly volunteer to do alone what two people should do? He went in because it’s manageable for one person.”
Kyung-ho Lee had nothing to say against Juhyeok’s cynical analysis.
He was already struggling just to keep his legs from giving out beneath him.
‘I’ve been caught.’
Juhyeok chuckled inwardly and placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Let’s go together for now.”
With a swift motion, he practically forced his body around and pushed him out into the studio hallway.
“W-wait, but what’s this about… No, sir. I-I should go. I…!”

* * *
Juhyeok settled into a quiet café within the building. For now, he observed Kyung-ho Lee in silence.
In the meantime, he habitually reached to adjust his glasses, but his hand swept through empty air.
‘Right. Contact lenses.’
He’d put in contacts today.
I need to be careful about these habits.
If my opponent has keen observational skills, they’ll notice I normally wear glasses.
‘Fortunately, he didn’t recognize me. Though I couldn’t tell him apart by face alone either, so what can I expect from him?’
I’d wondered if he might remember my face from that one time we crossed paths on a film set before.
But with hundreds of film sets this man frequents, he naturally wouldn’t remember.
Besides, back then on that set, Juhyeok had been just an ordinary manager in a cap and comfortable hoodie.
Now, dressed in a black suit with my hair styled up and without glasses, he’d have a hard time recognizing me.
‘If I’ve come this far, it doesn’t matter if he finds out.’
I had a plan for when my identity was exposed. Having brought him this far, I actually thought it might be more advantageous for me.
Tap.
“Your coffee, sir.”
The store clerk brought over the coffee.
It was quite attentive service for a café. This was because Juhyeok had made a special request.
“Huh?”
Kyung-ho Lee let out a hollow laugh at the sight, as if he found it absurd.
“What, are you worried I’ll bolt and run away?”
Being cautious even during the time it takes to get coffee—honestly, even Juhyeok thought it was excessive. But there was no helping it.
I only get one chance.
“Yes. I’ve actually had that happen before. And well, it’s nice when they bring it. Convenient.”
Kyung-ho Lee’s eyes twitched slightly.
‘This bastard isn’t even trying to hide that he’s from the audit team anymore?’
“Don’t be so tense.”
He was now convinced his opponent was from the audit team.
“Don’t be so tense.”
Juhyeok observed his emotions churning with amusement while sipping his coffee.
Sip.
His opponent was clearly very flustered right now.
When flustered, one’s field of vision narrows, and awareness of the external world diminishes.
So for now, I’m safe.
But once he calms down somewhat, things will change.
‘He’ll start to suspect soon.’
If he thought it through carefully, there were plenty of elements that would tip him off that Juhyeok wasn’t from the audit team.
First, the audit team usually travels in pairs or more. In fact, whenever the company sends anyone anywhere, it’s usually two or more.
The audit team especially. Even auditors watch each other.
Kyung-ho Lee had plenty of corporate experience, so he’d pick up on this inconsistency quickly.
‘Right now, my mind is probably just scrambling for excuses.’
For now, all of his mental capacity was focused on solving a different problem.
Once that was resolved, he would start noticing his surroundings.
I needed to throw more problems at him before that happened.
“Kyung-ho Lee. It seems you have an idea why I’m here?”
“….”
Kyung-ho Lee hadn’t expected him to open with something like this, so he remained silent without answering.
“I’d like to skip the explanation, but since this is procedure, I’ll inform you anyway.”
Juhyeok placed a document on the table.
A business registration certificate.
“A business operator. Popular culture and arts planning? That’s an interesting side job. And you’ve even developed it into a corporation?”
Whoosh.
Documents regarding the corporation appeared.
“Why? Did you think becoming a corporation would make it seem separate? But there’s clear evidence that this corporation developed from your personal business. You’re even the representative. So explain yourself.”
Kyung-ho Lee probably expected this much.
Let’s see what he says.
“I created it back when I was trying to start a business. It never generated any revenue, so I shut it down, and now I’m even in debt. Is that a side job? You need some income for it to count as a job.”
“Ah, I see. Then let’s say it’s not a side job.”
“?”
Kyung-ho Lee’s expression became blank.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“You joined our company as a career hire from another company. Is that correct?”
“…Yes.”
“That transition period was shorter than expected.”
“It felt like a long time to me… With my level of experience, it usually doesn’t take that long.”
“Five minutes can feel like a long time to someone. But that’s not what I’m getting at, is it? Kyung-ho Lee.”
“….”
“During your job transition, you attempted to start a business, then decided it was a failure. That’s a pretty big decision to make in just three months.”
This matter actually had nothing to do with Jia.
This suspicion stemmed purely from the hypothetical: what would the strongest planner have thought?
If a real auditor had come, what would they have suspected?
What would cause the most damage to the company?
That’s where I developed my suspicions from.
“My judgment might have been a bit quick. Is that a problem?”
“Manager Lee. You were a manager at your previous company too, weren’t you?”
“Yes….”
“A manager is quite a high position—classified as management by the union. How long did it take you to become a manager?”
“Why is that important? I don’t even remember.”
“Ah. Fortunately, I remember.”
Juhyeok smiled slyly as he spoke, deliberately provoking him. It was actually quite effective. Kyung-ho Lee’s expression from this point on was truly worth watching.
“Five years since joining the company. Manager at five years in? That’s quite the fast-track promotion.”
“It’s not a large company like this one—just the title on the business card changed quickly.”
“At that company, you’d normally need eight years of service to make manager. But I heard your salary didn’t just change in title—it actually increased sharply.”
Since I’d heard this directly from Jia, who worked right next to him at that company, the details were unusually precise.
Kyung-ho Lee had no choice but to never suspect that Juhyeok had come from the audit department.
“Wait! But what does any of this have to do with──”
─Thud.
Juhyeok slammed the documents down on the table to cut him off.
“Why did you leave that company?”
“…!”
Kyung-ho Lee stopped, visibly startled.
“A company that recognized you like that, kept raising your salary generously… Why did you leave? You even negotiated your final severance package on your way out.”
Gulp.
Kyung-ho Lee swallowed hard.
Something felt off about this line of questioning.
“After leaving there, you established a corporation. Then suddenly you joined Choigang Planning. Do you know what pattern this is?”
“…W-what pattern are you talking about?”
I know Kyung-ho Lee didn’t create that business venture with any malicious intent.
Which is why this suspicion would seem absurd from his perspective. He’d never even considered it.
‘But from a company’s standpoint, it’s a reasonable concern.’
The kind of story any company would think to suspect.
Kyung-ho Lee had no proper defense prepared for this. He’d never thought about it this way before.
His head must be pounding.
“Industrial espionage.”
Kyung-ho Lee practically leaped from his chair as if struck by lightning.
“What!?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————