Chapter 199: Woman of Great Beauty (1)

Yang Han-Sik, played by Hwang Je-Woong, slowly got out of the car once an extra, who was playing the role of his secretary, opened the car door for him. He sighed as he turned his head to match the panning of the camera, and then his expression changed completely to make a forced smile.

The woman who caused him to make such an expression slowly climbed down the stairs to where he was; it was Na Ji-Yang, played by Kang Ra-Eun.

“It’s been a while. I saw the articles on my way here. You seemed to be in quite a mess,” Han-Sik remarked to feel her out.

Although slight wrinkles formed on Ji-Yang’s forehead, she immediately turned on her poker face as if nothing had happened, just like what Han-Sik was doing.

“It only looks that way. The members have already reached a point where they’ve found common ground, so there is no need to worry,” Ji-Yang replied.

“I wonder about that. The more different individuals one works with, the more variables there are bound to be. This is especially true in politics.”

“...”

“Your father also had to take full responsibility and leave the world of politics because he let his guard down and was ruined by media manipulation. I’m sure you remember, don’t you?”

Ji-Yang clenched her fists, which the cameras made sure to film. In this production, Ji-Yang and Han-Sik were mortal enemies. Han-Sik was the man who had orchestrated the mess that destroyed Ji-Yang’s father, Na Hyeong-Woo. Ji-Yang desired to take revenge for her father; although she was slightly different from Ra-Eun, the fact that their targets of revenge were both in the political world did not change.

As Han-Sik was about to pat Ji-Yang on the shoulder and tell her to cheer up...

“I will report you for sexual harassment the moment you touch me,” Ji-Yang warned with eyes that could kill.

Han-Sik had no choice but to step back with a bitter smile. Their battle of nerves continued for a few moments longer.

“Okay! That was great! Let’s take a short break before we move on to the next scene!”

After getting the okay from Director Seo, Ra-Eun and Je-Woong thanked each other and the other staff members for their hard work. Je-Woong shuddered while looking at Ra-Eun.

“You have no idea how terrified I was when you were saying your lines. Haha!”

Ra-Eun’s glare a few moments ago was realistic enough to doubt whether it was an act or not. It had been full of bloodlust that could actually kill someone. Ra-Eun giggled while smiling brightly.

“It’s all an act. How could I possibly harbor such feelings toward you, sunbae?”

She had zero ill feelings toward Je-Woong, but he was just like Kim Han-Gyo whenever the cameras were rolling. It was obvious, considering the character Yang Han-Sik was created with Han-Gyo as the motif. Je-Woong’s acting had been so good that Ra-Eun had momentarily thought that Han-Gyo was standing before her eyes, resulting in her glaring at Je-Woong so fiercely. Ra-Eun’s desire for revenge had been so fierce that it intimidated even a veteran actor.

‘I should be more careful.’

Although she was praised by Je-Woong and the staff members that her performance was amazing, she should not immerse herself too deeply.

***

Ra-Eun quickly got ready to go home after the shoot was over. The fatigue had accumulated from being in front of the camera from morning to evening.

‘I don’t think I can work out today.’

She wondered if she should just go straight home and rest.

Just then, Shin Yu-Bin entered after knocking on the door and asked, “Did you finish getting changed?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve started the car, so let’s say our goodbyes to the staff members before we go. You’re gonna go straight home, right?”

“Yes, I was planning to.”

Ra-Eun might have chosen to go to the fitness center if the shoot had ended an hour or two earlier, but the shoot had gone on for longer than expected so it was a bit iffy to go exercise now. At times like this, it was better to just go home and relax.

‘There’s a shoot planned for tomorrow too.’

She packed her things with Yu-Bin and headed to the car. She told Director Seo that she would be in his care tomorrow as well, and got in the back seat. The high-pitched voice of an announcer on the radio caught her ears.

- Ippon with a shoulder throw! Contestant Jung Hun-Seong is one match away from the gold medal!

- Korean Judo has only a few more steps until it reaches the peak of the world! Ladies and gentlemen, please continue to cheer for Contestant Jung Hun-Seong to the very end!

“Whoa, it looks like Jung Hun-Seong made it to the finals,” Yu-Bin said.

Ra-Eun showed interest in Yu-Bin’s comment.

“You know Jung Hun-Seong?”

“Of course I do. He’s the most popular athlete in the Olympics these days.”

Hun-Seong was dominating the lightweight class of this year’s Olympic judo. The representatives of Japan and other nations were helpless against Hun-Seong’s specialty shoulder throw, allowing him to rise all the way to the finals in his Olympic debut. Although his judo skills were top notch, he was also getting much attention for a different reason.

“He’s tall, well built, and handsome. Of course he would leave a strong impression,” Yu-Bin mentioned.

Ra-Eun answered with just a short giggle.

‘I don’t know about handsome, but he certainly does look manly.’

His looks aside, even Ra-Eun acknowledged Hun-Seong’s skills in judo. Ra-Eun was considerably skilled in judo herself, but she had to admit that she was no match against an Olympic national representative.

“I wonder if Jung Hun-Seong will win the gold medal?”

Hearing that, Ra-Eun answered with forbidden knowledge before she had realized it.

“He will. Guaranteed.”

“Huh? Guaranteed?”

.

Ra-Eun knew everything that was going to happen in the future, so she also knew that Hun-Seong was going to win the gold medal in this year’s Olympics. Yu-Bin tilted her head in confusion from how certain Ra-Eun was.

“How do you know that?”

“It’s just... a hunch.”

Her occasional leaks of forbidden knowledge were becoming a problem.

‘I really need to be more careful.’

Ra-Eun decided to reflect on her mistakes on the car ride home.

***

Ra-Eun realized the craze of the Olympics in Korea only after she went to the Levanche building after a long time. Every single employee was talking about the Olympics.

Ra-Eun asked Park Seol-Hun and Do Hye-Yeong, who were sitting across from her, “Do people watch the Olympics a lot these days?”

Seol-Hun couldn’t understand why Ra-Eun was asking such an obvious question.

“Of course they do. Were you not able to watch Jung Hun-Seong winning the gold medal yesterday?”

“Well, it’s more accurate to say that I didn’t watch it.”

“Why not?!!”

Ra-Eun and Director Do Hye-Yeong blocked their ears and scowled at Seol-Hun who had suddenly raised his voice.

“Sigh, calm down. Don’t yell out of the blue like that,” Hye-Yeong scolded.

“S-Sorry.”

Seol-Hun had ended up becoming a nuisance from getting overexcited. That was how immersed he had been in this year’s Olympics. On the flip side, Ra-Eun had not been. There was nothing more boring than a match which one already knew the result.

Ra-Eun knew who would win the gold medals, who would win or lose which matches, and even the exact rank that Korea would place. Hence, her interest in the Olympics couldn’t help but be low. Seol-Hun couldn’t comprehend Ra-Eun’s lack of interest.

“Director Do aside, aren’t you super interested in sports?” Seol-Hun asked.

Ra-Eun loved to exercise, so Seol-Hun had been certain that she would be keeping tabs on every single Olympic sports category. However, that had not been the case.

‘I have my reasons for not watching them, but it’s not like I can tell him.’

She was put in a bit of a predicament.

“I’ve just been too busy to watch them.”

Ra-Eun decided to just blame it on her schedule, which Seol-Hun accepted without suspicion.

“Anyway, it seems like Jung Hun-Seong will get tons of attention now. He’s handsome, well built, and also seems to have a great personality,” Seol-Hun expressed.

Hun-Seong was born as the eldest son of a single-parent household. He had poured everything he had into the sport with the thought of being the breadwinner, and his efforts had rewarded him with an Olympic gold medal. He couldn’t help but be loved by the public.

No matter what one did, they always needed a good story; if that story was enough of a tearjerker, then Hun-Seong was certain to be engraved in the minds of the public as a sports star for a long time.

“I hear he’s already getting tons of commercial model offers,” Seol-Hun mentioned.

“I’m sure he is.”

It was an obvious result. Seol-Hun also suggested they give it a shot as well.

“Why don’t we also give him an offer?”

“To Jung Hun-Seong?”

“Yeah. We happen to be a sportswear company. Isn’t it a perfect fit for him?”

He was not wrong. Levanche was deeply related to sports, so it was natural for them to have Hun-Seong in their sights. However, there was a problem.

“Would he even accept our offer in the first place?” Hye-Yeong posed.

Seol-Hun fell silent for a moment due to her sharp remark. Hun-Seong was sure to be receiving tons of offers from massive conglomerates. No matter how quick Levanche was on the rise, they were still not powerful enough to compete against conglomerates.

Ra-Eun leaned on the couch and briefly expressed while stroking her hair down, “Just give up on him.”

“Why? Isn’t it a waste?”

“It is, but giving up is better than unnecessarily wasting energy on an unwinnable battle. Try searching for another model instead, or I could find you one.”

Ra-Eun suggested that Seol-Hun find an alternative model, but Seol-Hun continued to show his disappointment from not being able to pursue Hun-Seong.

“Well, it’s not completely off the table,” he uttered.

“What is it? Tell me,” Ra-Eun said.

She was curious about what his idea was. Seol-Hun’s eyes then fixed themselves on her. Her eyebrows lightly flinched.

“What? Is there something on my face?” Ra-Eun asked.

“No, not that,” Seol-Hun said while pointing directly at her. “I was just thinking that Jung Hun-Seong might take our offer if he happens to be a massive fan of yours. Wasn’t that the case for Min Se-Min? You told us that he accepted your film casting offer because he wanted to star in the same production as you.”

In other words, a contract established from one’s love as a fan. However, Ra-Eun reacted lukewarmly.

“It’s not like every single person in the world is into me. Also, Jung Hun-Seong isn’t Min Se-Min sunbae. Instances like that aren’t that common, so dream on.”

“No, it’s probably more common than you think.”

That was how charming of a woman Kang Ra-Eun was, but the biggest problem was that the person herself had no awareness of that charm.