My Girlfriend's Fortune: 3,141,592,653,589-Chapter 76: A Small Gift

TL: Aniea

“<Peaceful Chaebol Life> Final Episode Viewing Event attendees, please gather over here! You can enter more quickly if you have your tickets ready!"”

Murmur murmur-

Following the instructions from the event staff, people began lining up.

Although the number of participants was quite large, the event team had already set up thorough guidelines, so no particular commotion occurred.

Thanks to this, the fans who won the event tickets waited in line comfortably, chatting with their companions. The atmosphere on-site was warmer than ever.

“Am I finally going to see Kang Woo-ju in person?”

“You’re going to be shocked. I saw him just once back when the ‘Confession Challenge’ was popular at the book café. The camera doesn’t capture even half of his aura.”

“Geez, you’re being dramatic. If you raise expectations like that, no matter who shows up, you’ll just... Huh?”

“What’s wrong all of a sudden… Huh!”

The bustling square suddenly grew quiet. Everyone covered their mouths at once, their gazes fixed in one direction.

A large bus with the <Peaceful Chaebol Life> logo prominently displayed had stopped a little distance away from where they were standing in line.

Of course, just the bus alone wouldn’t have silenced everyone. What stunned them was the face of the person who stepped off the bus first, a face so familiar that it left them speechless.

“...It’s Kang Woo-ju.”

“...Wow, what is this vibe?”

“...Is that the kind of visual you expect to step off a bus?”

Normally, cheers would have erupted immediately, but the aloof gaze of Kang Woo-ju, reminiscent of [Kang Joo-heon], left everyone utterly frozen.

Swoosh-

Then, Kang Woo-ju’s head slowly turned. Calmly accepting the gazes directed at him, he quietly scanned the crowd.

Gasp-!

Every time his eyes met someone’s, they gasped for air and flinched, overwhelmed by his presence.

The overwhelming intensity, far more palpable than it had been through a screen, made every fan clutch their chest when their eyes met his.

“Sc-scary...”

“Yeah, but it’s kind of thrilling.”

“Now I understand why that weird challenge became a thing.”

Each fan nodded as if coming to some realization. After finishing this round of fan service(?), Kang Woo-ju entered the theater with a cool demeanor.

The other actors, who followed him off the bus, waved or bowed their heads in greeting to the fans.

“The Chairman has arrived!”

“Soo-bin unnie, you’re so beautiful!”

“Ji-hwan! Look over here just once!”

Waaaaaah-!!!

Only then did the fans snap out of it, belatedly erupting into cheers. The rookie actors, who were experiencing this for the first time, seemed a bit overwhelmed but also smiled brightly, clearly enjoying the moment.

Although they couldn’t have long conversations with the fans right there due to safety concerns, they provided as much fan service as they could within the permitted limits.

This made the fans who had prepared since early morning to attend the event feel indescribably happy, and smiles bloomed across everyone’s faces.

“Ah, I wanted to take a picture with Woo-ju-nim too.”

“Seriously. It’s a bit disappointing that he went inside so quickly.”

“I guess the rumors about him having the same personality as Kang Joo-heon in real life were true. Not that I dislike it, but it’s kind of intimidating.”

Naturally, conversations about Kang Woo-ju, who had gone inside without much interaction, began to spread.

Of course, the fans had often encountered stories about him before the drama began and thought his persona itself was part of his charm.

Still, compared to the other actors, it was undeniably harder to approach him, whether physically or psychologically.

“Well… there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Yeah. The official event hasn’t even started yet, right? There’s supposed to be a fan signing after the screening, so we’ll at least get to talk to him then.”

"You think so?"

“Yeah, definitely.”

Just as everyone was swallowing their disappointment, the entrance suddenly grew noisy again.

The people in the back craned their necks like meerkats, wondering what was happening. When they saw the reason, their eyes widened in surprise.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“Kang Woo-ju came out again.”

“Oh, really!? Is he going to take pictures with us or something?”

“No, I don’t think it’s that… He’s just standing still in the middle of the square.”

“Huh?”

Those who were too short to see the situation themselves tilted their heads in confusion. Their expressions seemed to say, What does that even mean?

But even those who could see Kang Woo-ju directly were equally puzzled. No one could figure out why he was just standing idly in the center.

“Wait, something else is coming over there.”

“Is that… a truck?”

Vroooom-

At that moment, a massive truck with a deep, rumbling engine sound entered the venue from one side.

It wasn’t just any ordinary delivery truck, it was a huge 8-ton truck. While everyone was still baffled by its sudden appearance, the event staff guided the truck to park right behind where Kang Woo-ju was standing.

“May I have your attention, please?”

“...???”

The question marks were still written all over people’s faces. But as soon as Kang Woo-ju began speaking, everyone fell silent, as if they had agreed to do so in unison.

“First of all, I would like to thank all of you for coming here today. I am standing here on behalf of CEO Kim Eun-ha of Mirae Department Store, who organized this event.”

“Oooh…”

Kang Woo-ju’s diction was flawless, clear and resonant even through the speakers, capturing everyone’s attention. The crowd couldn’t help but swallow nervously as they stared at him.

“Before entering the venue, I’ve prepared a small gift for all of you.”

“A gift?”

"Did he say gift!?"

“Is it something inside that truck?”

“Shh, quiet!”

Shhhhh-

The murmurs began to grow louder, but Kang Woo-ju instantly commanded their attention once again. With just one sweeping glance at the crowd, a hushed stillness fell over the area.

“We have prepared enough gifts for everyone here today, including your companions. So please maintain order as you receive them. Do you understand?”

"Yes-!!"

The diverse crowd, composed of people of all ages, responded in unison with bright, eager faces.

At this, Kang Woo-ju’s expression softened ever so slightly. He gave a small nod before taking a moment to collect himself and continued speaking into the microphone.

“While it might be fun to open your gifts individually, there are more people here than expected, and I anticipate it would take quite a while for the person at the very back to receive theirs. Therefore, I’ll reveal the contents of the gift in advance.”

"Waaaaaah-!!!"

Thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd.

Kang Woo-ju didn’t bother stopping them. As he had done so far, he simply turned his head nonchalantly and signaled to one of the staff members.

Whiiir-!

A moment later, with a mechanical sound, the massive trailer at the back of the truck began to open.

As the cover smoothly lifted, what emerged was a towering pile of enormous boxes stacked inside the truck.

When the truck was fully opened, one of the event staff stepped forward as if on cue. They entered the trailer, picked up one of the boxes, and carried it out in their arms.

“What is that?”

“Maybe it’s some kind of merchandise?”

“The box is bigger than I expected, though.”

“They usually include snacks or something like that inside, right?”

Speculations began to spread through the crowd. Fans who had attended similar events at concert venues offered plausible guesses.

It was common practice at such events to include snacks along with small goods like towels, keyrings, or photocards as a token of appreciation.

“But still, if it’s Kang Woo-ju…”

“Hey, stop mixing reality and drama. Be realistic. This alone is already on the level of a personal concert. You’re being greedy.”

“But still, if it’s Kang Woo-ju?”

“Ugh, rookies…”

Don’t get your hopes up too high.

But you never know.

The crowd’s opinions were split.

Kang Woo-ju, who had been observing calmly from the platform, seemed to think the mood was ripe. He gave a subtle glance toward one of the staff members.

The staff member nodded in response and began removing the wrapping paper surrounding the box, then opened it.

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Eh?”

At that moment, startled reactions erupted here and there. Everyone in the crowd blinked, doubting their own eyes.

“Wait… is that…?”

“Am I seeing that right?”

“It’s not just me, right?”

As if to dispel any doubts, the staff member lifted the contents of the box high into the air for everyone to see. The identity of the object that filled the box was clear.

“Today’s gift I’ve prepared for all of you is the latest tablet PC recently released by Mirae Electronics.”

“...What the hell?”

“...Seriously?”

“You’re giving away tablet PCs?”

The scale of this unexpected giveaway left everyone stunned, their minds blank. They stared dumbfounded at the tablet in the staff member’s hands for a long moment before finally snapping out of it.

“W-wowwwwww—!!”

“Kang Woo-ju! Kang Woo-ju! Kang Woo-ju!”

"So the chaebol wasn't just a concept!?"

The crowd erupted into cheers so loud they seemed to shake the entire square. They chanted Kang Woo-ju’s name in unison, pouring out all their overwhelming emotions.

“For reference, the back of the tablet is engraved with the title of the drama, <Peaceful Chaebol Life>. While you’re free to give it to someone else if you don’t need it, I kindly ask that you refrain from selling it secondhand.”

“I’ll never sell it!”

“I’ll treasure it forever!”

The fans responded energetically in unison.

After providing a few more brief explanations, Kang Woo-ju turned without hesitation and headed into the building.

But the fans didn’t seem to mind at all and continued shouting his name long after he had disappeared.

*

“Sunbae-nim, by any chance… do I also get one?”

“The production team has their own set aside.”

"I'll serve faithfully by your side for life, Sunbae-nim!"

Choi Ji-hwan practically threw himself forward as if ready to bow in complete devotion. He had been like this ever since he got thoroughly smacked around in an ad-lib scene during filming.

I even sent him to the hospital, wondering if he had been hurt somewhere, but they said he was perfectly healthy.

Ever since then, I’ve just let it slide. Now, he clings to me, proclaiming himself my loyal subordinate.

Well, I guess it’s not a bad thing.

Although my first impression of him wasn’t great, his attitude toward me and those around him drastically changed after several incidents.

More importantly, he’s shown consistent growth and self-reflection since then. By now, I have no lingering resentment toward Choi Ji-hwan.

In fact, having never really experienced a proper junior-senior dynamic in my school days, I feel like I finally have a real junior. It’s not an unpleasant feeling.

“Sunbae, I’m included in that too, right?”

“Who knows.”

“Ugh, there you go teasing again.”

“Do you want to find out what real teasing looks like?”

"I'm sorry for being cheeky!"

Park Soo-bin was similar in that regard.

Frankly, despite my “difficult to approach” image, the smooth progress of the filming was largely thanks to her efforts.

Her bright personality played a significant role as a mediator, helping me communicate well with the rest of the production team. For that, I’m sincerely grateful to her.

“Sunbae-nim, do you need one as well?”

“Ahem… I don’t know much about these things, but my kids would probably love it. They’ve been begging me to get a new computer recently.”

“I’ve set aside two for you, Sunbae-nim.”

"Oh my, that's too much. One is enough. Just one."

“If you give only one, it might cause unnecessary drama. I learned so much from you during the filming, and we have plenty of tablets to go around. Please, don’t hesitate and accept them.”

“Well… if you insist.”

Kim Young-ho, who was standing in front of me with a somewhat awkward smile, was no exception. After all, I had received immense help from him, both on and off the set.

He was the only actor who fully embraced my wild, unrestrained acting style before rookie actors like Choi Ji-hwan found their footing.

On top of that, he generously shared his decades-worth of experience and tips during the process, allowing me to quickly adapt to my first-ever drama shoot.

‘Kim Young-ho sunbae’s connections must have been a big help too.’

To be honest, if he wanted to, he could easily buy a tablet or two with his own money. If it weren’t for the atmosphere today, he probably wouldn’t have accepted it at all.

If giving him a couple of tablet PCs could earn his favor, it was an incredibly profitable deal.

‘Though, of course, it’s not like this is coming out of my own pocket.’

These tablets were promotional products directly provided to me by Mirae Electronics.

There were many reasons they had reached out to me first, but the biggest one was undoubtedly to score points with Kim Eun-ha.

- I’ll have to decline.

- No, just accept it.

- Hmm. Are you sure that’s okay?

- They’re offering it, so there’s no reason to refuse, right? Besides, with Secretary Baek’s involvement, the electronics division already placed ads on your end. They must have seen decent results. And most importantly...

- Most importantly?

- The fact that they contacted you directly instead of me has significant symbolic meaning. It means your influence has grown much faster than they initially anticipated.

- That’s not entirely good news.

Hooh-

Kim Eun-ha let out a curious hum at my comment, as though she found it intriguing. She gazed at me for a moment before quietly suppressing a smile.

- Heh. Impressive, aren’t you? To grow this much in just a few weeks. Now I’d believe it if someone told me you were a real chaebol heir. Oh, by the way, I heard you’ve started investing in stocks recently?

- Well, I figured that to properly act like a chaebol, I’d need to understand the flow of money first. I’m studying it in my own way.

- Studying, you say? From what I hear, you’ve put nearly your entire fortune into it.

- That's how I stay wide awake even when sleeping.

Pffft-!

Kim Eun-ha burst into genuine laughter, as if she hadn’t even considered such a reason.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I scratched my temple, and she, still holding her stomach from laughing, wiped her eyes and continued.

- Well, if there’s anything you’re unsure about or curious about, feel free to ask anytime. If you’d like, I can even provide you with some inside tips.

- Your jokes are rather mischievous.

- Oh my, still so pure, aren’t you?

…Anyway.

Thanks to this, a gift was prepared that not only fans but even the production team members would drool over. And I was able to bask in all the credit using someone else’s money.

“All right, everyone. Let’s leave the tablet talk for later. It’s time to get ready to go inside.”

“At first, we’ll just do a light greeting. After the screening, there’ll be a fan signing event with some brief handshakes. The rest will be guided by the event staff, so don’t worry too much, even if this is your first time.”

Kang In-ho and Jung Ha-rin, who had approached at some point, gave a brief explanation of the schedule ahead.

Hearing this, the rookie actors, including Choi Ji-hwan and Park Soo-bin, had expressions mixed with excitement and nervousness. Kim Young-ho also nodded heavily, as if feeling the weight of the moment.

‘...Even I’m starting to feel nervous.’

It was the first official event to meet the fans.

The significance of that realization brought a deep resonance to everyone. Gradually, the actors’ steps toward the screening room began to quicken.

*****

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