My Girlfriend's Fortune: 3,141,592,653,589-Chapter 77: I’m a Fan

TL: Aniea

The final episode viewing event with the actors proceeded without any major issues.

First, the actors took turns introducing themselves on stage, followed by a brief explanation of the project’s inception by Writer Jung Ha-rin and Director Kang In-ho.

Fans who had received tablets as gifts from Kang Woo-ju upon entry were so overjoyed that their hearts felt overflowing.

As if to prove this, no matter who grabbed the microphone, the crowd roared with cheers that could rival a concert hall.

“The audience response is so amazing that I’ve been talking non-stop, and time has flown by already. With this, we’ll conclude the production crew introductions and enjoy the final episode of <Peaceful Chaebol Life> together!”

“Waaaaaa-!!”

Following Writer Jung Ha-rin's closing remarks, the actors took their seats in the pre-arranged spots.

For safety reasons, they sat in the very front row, with a few rows of space separating them from the fans. However, no one raised any complaints about this arrangement.

“Yesterday, the final scene was definitely [Kang Joo-heon] fighting with [Choi Ji-hwan], right? Then Park Soo-bin intervened in the middle.”

“Yeah. In the preview, Kang Joo-heon got hit with a stun gun, collapsed, and was tied to a chair. Honestly, it seems almost certain that he’s going to die…”

“No way! I can’t lose my favorite character like this!”

People began chattering among themselves, each speculating about the ending. As if responding to their impatience, the lights in the screening room began to dim.

Soon, the massive screen in front displayed the number ‘10’.

The video had been upscaled for IMAX, and though it could start at any time, security reasons required the countdown to synchronize exactly with the airing time of the main broadcast.

“10!”

“9!”

“8!”

Someone boldly raised their voice to count down, and it quickly spread like wildfire throughout the audience.

Before long, the crowd united in a collective chant, and the numbers on the screen began to decrease rapidly.

“Three-!”

“Two-!!”

“One-!!!”

Swish-

With a sound akin to pages turning, the video began. The chaotic excitement from moments ago disappeared as if it had been a lie, and the theater fell silent.

In its place, a voice flowed from the massive speakers, matching the grandeur of the visuals on screen.

- Kang Joo-heon, are you coming to your senses now?

On the screen, Choi Ji-hwan grabbed Kang Joo-heon’s hair and forcibly lifted his head.

Gone was the weakness from before. His eyes, now blazing with fury, glistened under the lights.

As the series progressed, Choi Ji-hwan had gradually grown stronger. Now, he no longer trembled in front of Kang Joo-heon. Rather, like a cornered rat, he appeared ready to lash out in desperation and sink his teeth into his opponent.

Smirk-

Kang Joo-heon stifled a laugh at the sight. Though his battered state was far from presentable, the cold glint in his eyes remained unchanged.

- You're laughing?

- Why don't you look in a mirror when you get the chance? It's so amusing to see the expressions of you people who kept crying about justice and law, it's almost a shame I'm the only one seeing it.

- …

Having resorted to illegal actions to capture Kang Joo-heon, Choi Ji-hwan and Park Soo-bin were fully aware of their own transgressions, leaving them with no rebuttal.

Even as blood trickled down his forehead, and his disheveled hair hung in tufts from being grabbed, Kang Joo-heon did not lose control of the situation.

- This was… the only way…

- Yes, the only way. If you hadn’t resorted to these methods, by now, our positions would’ve been reversed.

- …

- But can you really call the results of the violence you yourselves deemed ‘evil’… ‘justice’ with confidence?

- The second-best… no, the lesser of two evils.

The response came from Park Soo-bin. Having endured as much as Choi Ji-hwan, her gaze showed no hesitation, even at Kang Joo-heon’s words.

- Even so, it doesn’t matter. I believe I’m doing the right thing. If dirtying my hands with blood means I can save more people, then that’s enough for me.

- Kugh, HAHAHAHAHA!!

Kang Joo-heon burst into maniacal laughter at Park Soo-bin’s statement. His sheer madness was so intense that Choi Ji-hwan, startled, instinctively let go of Joo-heon’s hair and stepped back.

- This is a masterpiece. Yes, that look in your eyes! Yes, that's exactly the look! That firm belief that you're not wrong, that arrogance, that obsession! Park Soo-bin, this is exactly what I wanted from you! I noticed it from the moment I first saw you!?

- …Stop talking bullshit.

Thud

Like switching masks, Kang Joo-heon’s expression turned ice-cold in an instant. Everyone watching couldn’t help but swallow dryly.

In that fleeting moment, which felt like an eternity, all eyes naturally focused on his slowly moving lips.

- Park Soo-bin, you know better than anyone else, don’t you? That we’re the same kind.

- No. Not even for a second have I thought that.

- Then let me pose a question. How many people do you think I support and sustain in a year?

- Stop with the useless talk…

- Answer me.

Kang Joo-heon’s eyes gleamed sharply.

Despite his current battered appearance, the oppressive aura emanating from him hadn’t diminished in the slightest. No, if anything, it had grown even more menacing.

Even though he was tied to a chair and could do nothing, the silent pressure he exerted was suffocating, making it impossible to resist.

- Judging by the clueless look in your eyes, I suppose I’ll explain it kindly. At the very least, it’s a hundred thousand people.

- Bullshit.

- You think I’m lying?

- …

Choi Ji-hwan, who had reflexively cursed, couldn’t immediately respond to the question that followed. Instinctively, he realized that Kang Joo-heon was being truthful.

- Just the employees working under the subsidiaries under me number thirty thousand. Add their families, and a hundred thousand is an easy figure to surpass… But even excluding that, how many global projects do you think I support?

- So what? Do you think those people will starve to death without you? Kang Joo-heon, that’s your own delusional arrogance.

- A single genius can change the world. Even amidst the global economic crisis, our company hasn’t stopped growing. How much do you think my contribution accounts for in that?

- …Like I’d know or care.

- You should care. Have you considered how much my company’s stock will plummet when news of my death spreads? For your information, over 87% of people who invest in stocks in Korea hold shares in my company. Among them, there are many who’ve put all their savings into it without taking risks into account. When I’m gone, will you take responsibility for their ruined retirements?

- …

Neither Park Soo-bin nor Choi Ji-hwan could reply.

The man before them was the one who revolutionized semiconductor technology. Known as Korea’s Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, he was a top-tier entrepreneur.

This wasn’t about whether Kang Joo-heon’s character was good or bad, it was an undeniable fact backed by graphs and numbers.

- Do you think that’s all? How much money do you think my foundation operates with every year? Even the number of lives directly saved by it amounts to hundreds annually.

- So, what’s your point? Are you begging to be spared?

Unable to hold back, Choi Ji-hwan sneered, but Kang Joo-heon continued speaking calmly.

- No, I’m merely explaining the weight of the life you’re holding in your hands, objectively. Can you still confidently say, “By staining my hands with blood, I’m saving more lives”?

- …

- Yes, I’ve killed people. I won’t deny that fact. But the number of people I’ve killed is so small it could be counted on one hand. Meanwhile, compared to the number of people I’ve sustained and will continue to save, it’s laughably insignificant.

- Shut up! That doesn’t justify your actions!

- Who knows? Who’s really the one justifying their actions here? Aren’t you simply forcing reasons to justify why you need to kill me?

Sneer-

Kang Joo-heon sneered as he watched the two remain silent. With a deranged smile on his lips, he continued speaking.

- If you want to kill me, then kill me. If you truly believe my words are nothing more than arrogance, then use that flimsy sense of justice to strangle the breath out of the tens or even hundreds of thousands of lives depending on me.

His unwavering gaze betrayed not even a hint of hesitation. Even in such dire circumstances, the resoluteness he exuded caused Choi Ji-hwan and Park Soo-bin to swallow dryly.

*

“…”

When the screening ended, a heavy silence settled over the theater.

The audience stared blankly at the now-dark screen, blinking only after some time had passed.

Clap, clap, clap clap clap-!

Then, as one person began to clap, the others snapped back to their senses and joined in, their applause spreading like a ripple.

The tempo of the clapping gradually sped up, and the strength of the claps grew more forceful. Before long, the theater was filled with thunderous applause.

"Waaah-!!!"

“<Peaceful Chaebol Life> is the best-!!!”

"Please start Season 2 right away!"

Everyone rose from their seats to applaud the heat filling the space, and the production team in the front row also stood up.

They took in the audience's cheers one by one with expressions on the verge of tears.

"Huh-huuk-!"

"Hey... stop crying already."

Among them, quite a few had tears streaming down their faces, the first of whom was none other than Choi Ji-hwan.

Having endured numerous struggles, both personally and as a lead actor at the center of controversies about his acting, he had likely borne the most emotional burden.

“Choi Ji-hwan, you’re the best!”

“Your final performance was amazing!”

“Don’t cry! Don’t cry! Don’t cry!”

Kuhuhb-!

Although he tried to stifle his tears by covering his mouth in response to the fans’ encouragement, once the floodgates had opened, he couldn’t stop the emotions pouring out, no matter his willpower.

His loud sobbing inadvertently brought smiles to the faces of others, even those whose eyes had reddened with tears.

One by one, people gathered around him, patting his shoulder. Of course, there were also a few mischievous ones among them.

“Alright, then! Let’s start with the impressions from our lead actor!”

Director Kang In-ho, wearing a playful grin, swiftly handed a microphone to Choi Ji-hwan.

Perhaps too overwhelmed to refuse, Choi Ji-hwan simply took the microphone and sniffled as he began to speak.

“Sniff-First of all… I’m so grateful to the director, the writer, my fellow actors, and the fans. Sniff-most of all, I want to dedicate this honor to Kang Woo-ju sunbae-nim, who helped me grow so much!”

Hahaha!

Despite his tear-soaked voice, Choi Ji-hwan managed to deliver a rather eloquent remark, as if he had prepared it in advance. His words brought laughter from both the fans and the production team.

“Oh wow, anyone would think you just won Best Actor.”

“To me… sniff! This was an even greater honor!”

With that declaration, Choi Ji-hwan began walking somewhere. Using tissues provided by the staff, he diligently wiped away his tears and snot as he moved forward.

His destination was none other than Kang Woo-ju. Handing over the microphone he held, Choi Ji-hwan spoke.

“...Sunbae-nim. Thank you.”

“You did well. Good work.”

"Sniff-!"

When Kang Woo-ju, who was expected to say little, simply nodded, the tears Choi Ji-hwan had barely managed to suppress surged forth once again.

“Hey, someone get him some water! He’s going to dehydrate at this rate!”

“Get him off the stage!”

"Yes!"

Heh heh heh-

The exaggerated reactions of the production team caused the fans to burst into laughter. Kang Woo-ju, who silently observed the scene, slowly lifted the microphone.

And as if on cue, the entire room fell silent. All eyes were fixed on his lips, eagerly awaiting what he would say.

What could possibly come out of his mouth? The curiosity building with every passing second reached its peak.

“Thank you for watching.”

“???”

Kang Woo-ju’s words, so plain they were almost bland, left everyone dumbfounded.

As if wondering if that was truly the end, question marks seemed to pop up over everyone’s heads, but Kang Woo-ju’s calm statement firmly dispelled any doubts.

“Let’s proceed with the next event.”

“…It’s Kang Joo-heon.”

“…He’s really Kang Joo-heon.”

“…Truly so typical of Woo-ju ssi.”

Pfft-

Everyone in the theater let out a baffled chuckle at Kang Woo-ju’s remarks, but they nodded in agreement, acknowledging that this was exactly what they expected of him.

.

.

.

The official fan meeting began, and people lined up in an orderly fashion under the guidance of the event staff to receive autographs.

Of course, the most popular person was Kang Woo-ju. Fans who seemed perfectly composed in front of others would act bizarrely as soon as they stood before him.

“Kyaaah-! Oppa, I’m a fan!”

"I see."

“Me too, me too! Woo-ju nim! Do you remember me by any chance? Back then at the book cafe, I confessed to you with a friend at the same time, and we both got rejected! Could you show me that exact look in your eyes again!?”

“No, I can’t.”

“So chic!”

“…”

Kang Woo-ju wore an expression that clearly said he couldn’t understand why people enjoyed this kind of thing, but the fans seemed to relish his reactions even more.

“Please shake my hand!”

“Next.”

Kang Woo-ju shifted his gaze to the next person and casually extended his hand forward. The fan in question, her eyes sparkling, enthusiastically shook his hand up and down.

Although Kang Woo-ju didn’t spare her a second glance, even this had become part of his “persona”.

One by one, the fans received their autographs and left. Eventually, it was time for the final person’s turn.

“I’m a fan!”

“What’s your name?”

“Seo Jun-woo.”

“Seo Jun-woo… hmm?”

Kang Woo-ju, who had been mechanically jotting down names, suddenly paused. His hand stopped mid-motion, and he furrowed his brows as he looked up.

Standing before him was a man dressed so suspiciously, wearing a hoodie pulled low over his forehead, a mask, and sunglasses, that one would wonder how he had even managed to get this far.

As their eyes met, the man’s lips curled into a smile. As if he had been waiting for this moment, he dramatically removed his sunglasses and mask.

The man revealed himself to be Seo Jun-woo.

Everyone nearby gasped in shock and stared at him, but Seo Jun-woo kept his eyes solely fixed on Kang Woo-ju, the corners of his lips still raised.

“How about a handshake for us, too?”

With a mischievous grin playing on his lips, Seo Jun-woo extended his hand. In response, Kang Woo-ju, who had been silently observing him, muttered softly.

“Next.”

“…I’m the last one, though!?”

With the same indifferent reaction he gave to any other fan, Kang Woo-ju turned his head away. Seo Jun-woo shook his head, as if giving up, while laughing in disbelief.

*****

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