Chapter 117: Expansion (2)

Kim Han-Gyo had attended the Armed Forces Day event and was discussing recent news with important political figures that he had met at the venue.

“Mr. Secretary. Did you get home safely after the last dinner party? I would have liked to stay with you to the end, but I guess I’ve become too old for it.”

“You didn’t have to push yourself to stay. I’m sorry for pressuring you like that, Congressman.”

“It’s no trouble, haha. I stayed for long simply because I enjoyed the atmosphere of everyone enjoying their drinks while laughing and chattering, so you don’t have to be sorry.”

“Why don’t we have a drink together again when we’re both free?”

“I’d love to.”

It was important to attend official events even if one didn’t want to, because socializing like this would naturally lead to scheduling a subsequent meet-up. Han-Gyo was very famous for having a wide circle of acquaintances because of his unique sense of affability. If he found someone to be useful to him, he approached them first without reservation despite having no relation to them.

That was how Han-Gyo had been gradually spreading his influence. He made clear designations between friend and foe; he didn’t even say a word to people who he had designated as a foe, and one of them was...

“Ahem!” Chairman Ji Seong-Geum of Do-Dam Group turned his gaze elsewhere while coughing.

He naturally caught Ra-Eun’s attention.

‘Oho, would you look at that?’

She didn’t know why, but the relationship between Chairman Ji and Han-Gyo had broken far earlier than she had expected. Her advice seemed to have influenced the chairman more than she had thought it would.

Ra-Eun approached Chairman Ji to greet him first.

“Hello, Chairman. It’s been a while.”

Chairman Ji brightened as he saw Ra-Eun.

“I heard you were going to be participating in the Armed Forces Day event, Ra-Eun. You look great even in a military uniform.”

‘Look great, my ass.’

She wanted nothing more than to tear this damn uniform off of her right this instant, but she decided to suppress the urge since she didn’t want to be reprimanded for indecency in an official event. In exchange, she smiled brightly and accepted the chairman’s compliment.

“Thank you very much, Chairman. Is sunbae not with you?”

She was talking about Ji Han-Seok.

“He still wants to keep the fact that I’m his grandfather a secret, so he didn’t come on purpose,” the chairman remarked.

Very few knew about Han-Seok's relationship with Do-Dam Group. They were only aware that Han-Seok was a third-generation chaebol.

Ra-Eun changed the subject. “It looks like... something bad happened with Congressman Kim Han-Gyo.”

“You could say that.”

He did not go into detail. Ra-Eun didn’t really care about the details either, since the process of their break in friendship was of no importance to her.

“Oh my, is that you, Ra-Eun?”

As Ra-Eun and Chairman Ji were chatting, Congresswoman Hong Oh-Yeon greeted Ra-Eun. It had also been a long time since Ra-Eun had met the congresswoman, the chairman included.

The congresswoman shot compliments in rapid-fire at Ra-Eun regarding her military uniform.

“My, how does a military uniform look so good on you? I’d think you were a real female soldier if I didn’t know any better.”

It didn’t really feel like a compliment to Ra-Eun; it was quite mysterious.

Chairman Ji added to the congresswoman’s compliment while laughing, “She’s far too beautiful to be a female soldier, don’t you think?”

“You couldn’t be more right,” the congresswoman replied.

They naturally started conversing with each other. From what Ra-Eun remembered, Congresswoman Hong and Chairman Ji had no relation with each other. She decided to take this opportunity to acquaint them with each other.

“Congresswoman, this is Chairman Ji Seong-Geum of Do-Dam Group.”

“Oh my, hello! I’ve heard so much about you. I believe this is our first time meeting.”

Chairman Ji glanced at Ra-Eun. His eyes reflected his desire for Ra-Eun to introduce her to him as well. Not even Chairman Ji knew the faces of every single member of the National Assembly. There were over two hundred active members, and adding in former members and influential figures of the financial world, there were too many people to keep track of. Not just that, Congresswoman Hong was not yet a highly-reputable member of her party.

“My name is Hong Oh-Yeon, Chairman.”

She introduced herself before Ra-Eun had a chance to. Chairman Ji slightly nodded while looking at the congresswoman.

“I’ve heard many things about you from here and there. I’ve heard you’re especially popular among the young congressmen.”

“I’d also been quite surprised because of my popularity with young people. It might be because we share the same energy. I think I’d get along pretty well with you as well, Chairman.”

Chairman Ji continued to laugh. He seemed to have gotten in a good mood from what Congresswoman Hong had said. Ra-Eun’s scattered connections were uniting as one. She was planning on using this chance to increase her influence.

‘And the day will come when I’ll devour Kim Han-Gyo.’

One could say that was Ra-Eun’s ultimate goal.

***

Ra-Eun greeted the young congressmen who were following Congresswoman Hong around. A few figures who would be able to be of great help to Ra-Eun’s revenge were among them.

‘Congresswoman Hong has a lot more connections than I’d thought.’

She was a great speaker, was sociable, and most importantly...

‘She has no enemies.’

Han-Gyo clearly distinguished people between those who were on his side, and those who were not. On the other hand, Hong Oh-Yeon was the type of person to make as few enemies as possible. That was terrifying in and of itself, but it made things just as difficult to manage her connections. However, it did not matter.

‘Because I can fill what she’s lacking.’

Ra-Eun decided to make her moves with Congresswoman Hong as her main focus.

Other than that, she hadn’t experienced anything else of great significance during the Armed Forces Day event. She had met with Han-Gyo face to face and talked with him. He expressed his appeal to Ra-Eun by telling her that he had been her fan for a while.

‘He must want me as one of his allies too,’ she interpreted. ‘Well, I’ll have to wait and see.’

They had no time to have a long conversation at the time. They didn’t even have a minute, so all they could do was to greet each other. Ra-Eun put all her strength into managing her expression during her conversation with Han-Gyo. She wanted nothing more than to stab him in the stomach, but she managed to suppress the urge.

‘Good job holding it in,’ she complimented herself.

After getting through the Armed Forces Day event with great difficulty, Ra-Eun took off her top as soon as she got back in Shin Yu-Bin’s car.

Yu-Bin exclaimed in shock from the driver’s seat, “R-Ra-Eun! What are you doing?!”

“I’m changing my clothes.”

“What if people see?!”

“The windows are tinted. I also closed the curtains, so it’s fine.”

“Sigh... For God’s sake.”

Ra-Eun was a girl, so her manager wanted her to change while being attentive to people's gazes. Ra-Eun did not usually change in a hurry in the car like this; she usually took her time to change in the changing room or at home unless it needed to be done quickly. However, it was different in the case of military uniforms. She felt like she was coming back to life as soon as she took off the uniform.

‘Much better!’

Ra-Eun yeeted the beret. She never knew a T-shirt and jeans could feel so comfortable.

She asked Yu-Bin after changing, “I don’t have anything else on my schedule today, right?”

“Yup. Do you want to go home?”

“Yes, please.”

Ra-Eun wanted nothing more than to rest after going through the Armed Forces Day event in a military uniform.

***

Ra-Eun sat comfortably at home while reading through the script of One of a Kind of Girl. They would be shooting the scene tomorrow where the character Min Ju-Tae experienced an identity crisis after becoming a woman. She had the mind of a man, but the body of a woman; there was a description written in the script of the character being torn about what she should do, now that she was taking more and more interest in men.

This was also the only part that Ra-Eun couldn’t sympathize with in the entire One of a Kind of Girl plot.

‘It’s not like she has to marry and have kids with a man just because she became a woman. Why is she so torn about this?’

Couldn’t she just be alone while doing the things that she wanted? At least, that was what Ra-Eun thought. This difference could be originating from the difference in personality and beliefs of Ju-Tae and Ra-Eun.

‘Well, there are tons of different kinds of people in the world.’

Ra-Eun decided to empathize with her character as best she could.

‘Do I have to go on a date with a man, like Ju-Tae?’

Even if she did, it seemed best to do it with someone she knew. However, there was a problem.

‘They’re all in the middle of their military service right now.’

Seo Yi-Jun and Choi Sang-Woon were in the army. Je-Woon was on his world tour, so it seemed a bit inconsiderate to contact him. She didn’t want to call her older brother either. The only person left who could bring out the feeling of having a date was...

‘Han-Seok sunbae, I guess.’

Not only that, Han-Seok could give her a lot of feedback since he was a fellow actor.

‘Alright, I’ve chosen.’

She picked up her smartphone and contacted Han-Seok.

***

There wasn’t anything particularly special about the date. They just had a meal together, watched a movie, and had some coffee.

“So? Do you think you’ve empathized with your character a little?” Han-Seok asked.

Ra-Eun answered instantly, “No.”

Han-Seok laughed. “You don’t need to think about it so hard. Rather than forcing yourself to accept your character’s emotions, try to interpret them in your own way. That will prove to be much better in making your performance more natural.”

Interpreting it in her own way. The quality of feedback from a fellow actor was certainly not bad at all.

“Feel free to ask me anything you want whenever,” Han-Seok stated.

“Okay, sunbae.”

Ra-Eun could get feedback from Han-Seok, and Han-Seok could enjoy dates with Ra-Eun. It was good for both of them.

***

Ra-Eun had two more dates with Han-Seok. She still did not understand, but she was getting a feel for how Ju-Tae was feeling.

“I think saying the line like this will bring the emotion to life...”

She was alone in her room, writing things on the script with a pen. But then, she suddenly got a call from Yu-Bin.

- K-Kang Ra-Eun! What the hell have you done?!

Ra-Eun was bewildered by Yu-Bin’s pressing.

“What did I do?”

- Search up your name on the internet right now!

She decided to do as Yu-Bin said. At that moment, she doubted her eyes.

[Has Kang Ra-Eun and Ji Han-Seok’s relationship developed into lovers?]

[Exclusive news! Pictures of their dates captured!]

“What the f...!”

A scandal article of Ra-Eun and Han-Seok was being shared all over the internet.