Chapter 129: Fantastic Chemistry

TL: Aniea

Gangster prosecutor Kang Ba-ram.

He is one of the leads in the movie <Crows> they are filming this time, a character who spares no means or methods to catch criminals.

On the outside, he looks unmistakably like a gangster, but the setting is that he unhesitatingly uses people he calls "bodyguards" to obtain illegal information.

‘...He even hired someone separately for that?’

‘...Just how much money does he have?’

‘...He’s definitely out of his mind.’

Everyone in the room recalled the suited men who had stormed into the meeting room earlier alongside Kang Woo-ju.

They had heard the rumors that he was ridiculously rich and knew that he was openly involved with Kim Eun-ha, the owner of Mirae Department Store.

But even so, it was rare to see someone so blatantly slapping people with money like this.

‘This is some outrageous eccentricity.’

These people, who carried themselves with some pride in this industry, found it difficult to tolerate such showy arrogance.

Especially those whose previous works did well and whose noses were now in the air, or the greenhorns from fairly successful families.

It was an unspoken rule in this field to firmly step on them so they could understand their place.

‘...The problem is, there’s really nothing to criticize.’

Unless Kang Woo-ju had been even a second late. It was close, but he still arrived on time.

And the reason? To serve snacks that even celebrities rarely had the chance to eat.

On top of that, he had offered a clean and sincere apology first, so most of the staff and actors were naturally swayed in his favor.

‘A perfect image reversal.’

Just moments ago, everyone had been glaring at the empty seat and cursing Kang Woo-ju with murderous eyes.

But now, shaken by Kang Woo-ju’s gift bomb, their previously piled-up complaints simultaneously turned into guilt.

In other words, with just a single act of eccentricity, Kang Woo-ju had not only earned the favor of the entire production team but also engraved the image of his role.

‘If he calculated all of this...’

Gulp-!

Not only experienced actors like Kim Min-jae or director Park Hee-seok but also some sharp-witted staff like Kim Ji-an guessed Kang Woo-ju’s intention and swallowed dryly.

If he had accomplished all of this through calculated planning, there was no other word to describe him but monster.

‘And one more person...’

There was one who had noticed Kang Woo-ju’s intention a step earlier than the others and naturally went along with it.

-What a flashy entrance, Prosecutor Kang Ba-ram.

It was none other than Seo Jun-woo.

Unlike his usually well-known gentle and sociable personality, Seo Jun-woo had been reading the script silently today without saying much.

Those who had worked with Seo Jun-woo even once before were concerned, wondering if something had happened to him, as his atmosphere felt unfamiliar.

-Attorney Seo Jung-min is still as diligent as ever.

Seeing Kang Woo-ju naturally respond as he took a seat across from Seo Jun-woo, people finally realized the truth.

‘...Was Seo Jun-woo already immersed in his acting!?’

The character [Attorney Seo Jung-min] in the movie is one of the leads who stands toe-to-toe with the gangster prosecutor Kang Ba-ram.

Since becoming a lawyer, he had never lost a single case in court, a flawless contractor of justice.

His fees were so astronomical that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of hiring him, yet he never ran out of work.

The movie <Crows> is about the clash in court between a prosecutor and a lawyer, both of whom have undefeated records.

‘...Has it already started?’

‘...Could they have planned this together?’

‘...But Kang Woo-ju seemed a bit caught off guard too?’

Kang Woo-ju and Seo Jun-woo’s gazes collided midair. The people watching were left with complicated thoughts.

The truth was, the purpose of today's gathering was to explain the upcoming schedule and direction, and for everyone to casually get acquainted.

Of course, since everyone had gathered, script reading was naturally on the agenda, but to proceed without formal introductions was unheard of.

While everyone was stuck in this awkward situation, unsure of what to do, Seo Jun-woo shook the snack bag in front of him and spoke.

“Isn’t the proud prosecutor of South Korea violating the law a bit too openly? At a glance, this exceeds one million won easily.”

“Transportation, lodging, food, and other standard provisions offered to participants during events related to official duties are exempt from the prohibition on receiving money or valuables.”

“That only applies to the organizer, doesn’t it?”

“I’m also a co-investor in this film along with CEO Kim Eun-ha, so there’s no problem. And from a headcount perspective, the amount per person doesn’t even exceed one million won.”

“.......”

People couldn’t quite come to their senses amid the conversation that blurred the line between reality and the script. They couldn’t tell what was part of the concept and what wasn’t.

But one thing was certain, just the act of Seo Jun-woo and Kang Woo-ju exchanging words created an incredible pull in the atmosphere around them.

‘...This is insane!’

‘...Guess the rumors weren’t exaggerated.’

‘...These two have unbelievable synergy.’

While it was understandable for Seo Jun-woo, who had built a steady career since childhood, the rumors about Kang Woo-ju had always been hard to take at face value.

Frankly, many had doubts about whether Kang Woo-ju even had the ability to secure a leading role over the many big names gathered here.

But witnessing it firsthand, they had no choice but to believe it, unless their eyes were completely useless.

“Ahem. Everyone, if I may have your attention for a moment.”

At that moment, Director Park Hee-seok stood up and brought order to the chaotic mood.

After all, as the person in charge of the meeting, he needed to proceed according to the original plan.

However, he couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips. He had just confirmed in real-time the chemistry between the two people he himself wasn’t quite sure about.

“It’s a relief to see that the actors are even more passionate than I expected. I’ll do my best not to fall short on my end as well. I’m Park Hee-seok, the general director. I look forward to working with you!”

“Thank you!”

Clap clap clap-!!

Everyone applauded the director’s skillful handling, and naturally, a round of self-introductions began.

When it came time for Seo Jun-woo and Kang Woo-ju to introduce themselves, everyone unconsciously tensed up, but fortunately(?) things proceeded smoothly with standard greetings.

“Alright then, let’s officially begin the meeting. First, we’ll briefly go over the schedule....”

Director Park Hee-seok led the meeting smoothly. And with that, the production of the movie <Crows> officially began.

***

“Did the first meeting go well?”

“So-so.”

“Hm?”

At my reply, Kim Eun-ha tilted her head, dressed in pajamas. Her attire had now become something I was completely used to.

What started as a temporary cohabitation arrangement for her to attend theater practice after work had simply settled into a permanent arrangement, as there was no particular reason to return to how things were before.

Even the luxury store inspections she used to do early every morning were now being split between Secretary Yoon and the team leaders under her.

‘...Honestly, this is how it should be.’

Until now, Kim Eun-ha had been clearly overworking herself in a way anyone could see. How could someone function on less than three hours of sleep a day?

She had endured with sheer willpower, but it was a level where it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had collapsed at any moment. Watching her like that had been nerve-wracking.

Of course, she still worked over 100 hours a week, but compared to before, she now had clearly designated rest time.

This conversation we were having now was part of that, sharing bits of our daily lives after work.

Though Kim Eun-ha didn’t talk much about herself, so it was more like I was giving a report.

“Did something happen?”

“Hmm. It looked like Seo Jun-woo was totally set on something. I had a feeling something was off lately, but I didn’t think it was this serious....”

I recalled the impression I got from Seo Jun-woo during the meeting this morning and swallowed dryly.

Not wanting to get into unnecessary power struggles with the veterans of the entertainment industry, I had gone all in and planned everything in detail on my end.

But for him to seamlessly flow with the situation and respond with lines, as if he had predicted exactly how I’d act, it was uncanny.

“Huhu. It makes sense though.”

“Do you have any idea why?”

“Hmm? I don’t think it’s that hard to guess. You took the department store’s flagship model position from him just recently, didn’t you?”

“Come on, he’s in tons of commercials....”

“The number doesn’t matter.”

Kim Eun-ha spoke in a rather serious tone. When I looked at her in silence, she shrugged once and continued explaining.

“People tend to care more about what they lose than what they gain. And from what I’ve seen, Seo Jun-woo is a very ambitious person.”

“You’re saying Seo Jun-woo is greedy?”

“Yes.”

Hmm-

Was that really the image Seo Jun-woo had? From what I’d seen, he seemed more like the type who yielded a lot.

When I didn’t quite understand and lightly pursed my lips, Kim Eun-ha stifled a small laugh and said,

“Huhu. What I meant was his ambition for acting. In that sense, Seo Jun-woo is practically a mirror image of you.”

“...A mirror image.”

I had heard something similar from Seo Jun-woo before. Didn’t he show up on set out of nowhere and tell me we were the same kind?

A frustrating feeling, like I was about to grasp something but couldn’t. Maybe I hadn’t noticed it until now because Seo Jun-woo had always been someone I admired.

“If I were to reverse my decision right now and make Seo Jun-woo the department store’s flagship model again, how do you think you’d feel?”

“There would probably be some other reason behind it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Because it’s a decision made by none other than you, Eun-ha.”

“...Oh.”

Mmm-

Kim Eun-ha momentarily lost her words, perhaps because the answer was unexpected. That expression of hers was really cute, but I didn’t show it outwardly.

Instead, I looked at her as if wondering if something was wrong, and Kim Eun-ha subtly averted her gaze.

“...I guess I gave a poor example. Then what if people placed the two of you side by side and praised Seo Jun-woo’s acting as being far superior to yours?”

“Well, I wouldn’t feel great, obviously.”

“Would it really stop at just that?”

Huhu-

At some point, Kim Eun-ha had returned to her usual composed expression. She lifted the wine glass sitting on the table and continued speaking.

“If it were before, maybe not. But now that you’ve risen to be on equal footing with Seo Jun-woo to some degree... the Woo-ju I know would probably lose sleep for days out of frustration.”

“...No way.”

Srrrk-

Kim Eun-ha shrugged once again and wet her lips with the dark red wine.

That alone was already eye-catching, but when paired with a captivating smile, as a man, it was impossible not to look.

In that moment, I recalled the soft sensation I had felt while acting with her, and a strange feeling washed over me.

Whether she knew or not, Kim Eun-ha uncrossed her legs and slowly parted her lips.

“Then shall we make a bet?”

Siiik-

Kim Eun-ha deliberately curled her lips into a sly smile. Faced with that devilishly tempting proposal, I had no choice but to nod blankly.

*****

For more chapters check out my patreon:

If you enjoy this novel, please review and rate it at Novelupdates. Thanks! 😊