“Damn it,” he muttered, frustrated with himself and the whole situation.
Colin continued to disappoint his grandmother by refusing to work for Hansol Corporation, but his love and loyalty lay with his family. They already knew that, but he wanted to do what was right. To protect them and redress the wrong done to them. And, of course, the partnership opportunity would be a giant leap forward for CS Productions. That had to be why he felt so impatient to hear from Jihae Park. His impatience had nothing to do with his desire to hear her voice again. None whatsoever.
His cell phone rang as soon as he finished his thought, and he picked it up on the first ring, barely registering the caller ID. “This is Colin.”
“Mr. Song, this is Jihae Park.” She sounded slightly winded and his gut tightened with worry. Was she okay? Was she nervous about telling him bad news? But that didn’t make sense. Why would she call him to deliver bad news? That was what emails were for. He took a deep breath through his nose and waited. “Rotelle Entertainment has decided to offer a partnership to CS Productions for Best Placed Bets.”
“That’s amazing news. CS Productions accepts the offer. We’re thrilled to work with Rotelle Entertainment.” His heart was beating hard enough to bruise his ribs, and he couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. “With the partnership sealed, we can lock in Charity Banning as the screenwriter. We’re going to make one hell of a film.”
“We certainly are,” she said. Her voice held a hint of a smile. “I’ll have my assistant email over the contract once we’re off the phone. Let’s make it official.”
“Thank you, Jihae,” Colin said in an unintentionally low voice. “Would it be all right to call you by your first name now that we’re partners?”
“I believe that’s perfectly appropriate, Colin.”
He didn’t know where his blood was rushing to—south or north—but he was light-headed with pleasure at hearing her say his name. He’d pierced one layer of her armor, and was one step closer to her.
Four
Jihae had followed her gut instinct and partnered with CS Productions. Colin had sounded so relieved and happy to hear the news that she wasn’t able to hold back her smile. And calling Colin by his first name had felt as intimate as a lover’s touch.
“Bloody hell,” she muttered as she pushed away from the desk.
Jihae had endlessly second-guessed her instinct to agree to the partnership, questioning the consequences of such a decision. A partnership with CS Productions was exactly what Rotelle Entertainment needed, so it was a smart business decision. But their “business meeting” the night before had confirmed that their attraction to each other wasn’t a fluke. It flared to life whenever they were close, and was almost tangible in its intensity. To make matters worse, it wasn’t one-sided, which would’ve made it far easier for her to quell. Knowing he felt the same pull as she did made her helplessly drawn to him.
Helpless. She didn’t like the sound of that. Losing control was an unknown to her and she had no interest in going down that road. Considering the potential of the partnership, she’d decided to ignore whatever chemical reaction was brewing in her body to work together with CS Productions. But her phone call with Colin had set her heart racing, and her confidence in her self-control turned a bit wobbly.
Regardless, the decision was made and there was no going back. She ended any chance of exploring their attraction for the privilege of producing Best Placed Bets. It was the best decision for Rotelle Entertainment, so it was the right decision for her.
“June,” she said into her phone. “When you send over the partnership agreement, could you also schedule for the CS Productions team to meet with our team? They’re going to be working closely together. Let’s get them introduced sooner rather than later.”
“Sure thing. Will you be attending the meeting?”
“No, I don’t think I will, and neither should Colin. The two teams should get a chance to know each other in a comfortable environment without their bosses breathing down their necks. It’s meant to be a casual meeting where they discuss their visions for the movie, and get excited about producing it.”
“Should I make it a lunch meeting? I’ll book one of our conference rooms, and have it catered.”
“That’s a great idea. Thanks, June.”
“Anytime. That’s what I’m here for.”
Jihae replaced the receiver with a smile on her face. Excitement for the partnership bubbled up inside her. Best Placed Bets was the first romantic comedy that she would be working on, and she loved the humor, love and heartache the story held. She couldn’t wait to see it come together as a feature film—a larger-than-life realization of Jeannie Choi’s love story between two Asian-American characters.
Having the honor to work on Best Placed Bets came with the heavy responsibility of making a film worthy of bringing the spotlight on the importance of representation. It had to capture the hearts of the viewers and convince Hollywood that they wanted—no, needed—more diversity in the industry. She would work with Colin to make Best Placed Bets a long stride in the right direction for his cause, and create momentum for more Asian-American films to come.
Jihae was up for the challenge. So, yes. She’d made the right decision for Rotelle Entertainment and herself. All she could do was hope for their attraction to fizzle out. And soon. Keeping herself in check was only going to get harder the more time she spent with Colin.
* * *
Jihae wore a white jumpsuit with elegant silver embroidery across the bodice and on the hem of her pants. Colin stood at her side in a sharp, blue suit with a slim white tie as they smiled and posed for the cameras. They were at an awards ceremony to support Charity Banning’s nomination for best adapted screenplay for Never Again Maybe, as well as utilize the ceremony to publicize Rotelle Entertainment and CS Productions’s partnership.
It was Jihae’s first time attending this casual, laid-back awards ceremony held on a beautiful stretch of Santa Monica beach. This was one of the things she liked about working in the United States. It wasn’t all about glamour and glitz, but sometimes about down-to-earth fun where the celebrities connected with their fans in a closer, more intimate setting.
After smiling until their cheeks cramped, Jihae and Colin retreated to the huge tent where the ceremonies were being held. She was acquainted with many of the beautiful people, but there were plenty she hadn’t been introduced to. It would be unbecoming of Princess Jihae to fangirl over her favorite actors and actresses, but that didn’t mean Jihae wasn’t sorely tempted to.
“This isn’t the kind of awards ceremony that you’re used to, right?” Colin asked, leaning close so he could be heard in the crowded venue.