My Girlfriend's Fortune: 3,141,592,653,589-Chapter 78: Buddy

TL: Aniea

The sudden appearance of Seo Jun-woo caused a commotion on-site. Fortunately, he had the sense to arrive at the very end, so there weren’t any other fans remaining… but still.

“Gasp, it’s Seo Jun-woo!”

“Hello, sunbae-nim!”

“Could you please sign this for me?!”

Even the production staff were in chaos.

No matter what anyone said, Seo Jun-woo was one of the most successful actors in Korea right now.

Having worked consistently for over 20 years since his childhood acting days, his career was a testament to his experience, and the size of his fandom was just as massive.

Back when he debuted, many of his fans were in their twenties. Now, those same fans had married, had children, and raised them to adulthood, while he had remained active as an actor.

Fans who had watched his entire growth process on TV considered him to be almost like their son.

‘And recently, he’s been gaining new fans too.’

For someone with such a lengthy career, Seo Jun-woo was almost unnaturally young, he was barely in his late twenties.

On top of that, he was blessed with exceptional looks, which had earned him a strong following among female fans in their teens and twenties.

Combine those with his fans in their thirties and forties, and his level of recognition was so great that the title of “national actor” didn’t feel out of place.

It was no surprise that he was considered an icon among rookie actors.

Last time, the heavy atmosphere on set had prevented anyone from approaching him, but today, everyone’s energy was high, and no one hesitated to come near him.

“Ah, I’m so sorry. I came here today just to meet a friend. I didn’t mean to cause such a commotion, and I sincerely apologize.”

“A friend?”

“Who? Woo-ju?”

“Gasp, so the rumors were true!”

…Rumors?

The word that slipped out caught my attention, but it didn’t seem like the right moment to bring it up directly.

More than that, the priority now was to get Seo Jun-woo out of here as soon as possible.

Judging by the look in his eyes, he seemed to be thinking the same thing. When our eyes met, he tilted his head toward the door.

“Should we talk outside?”

“Wait. Let me clean up first-”

“We’ll take care of that!”

“Yes, yes! You two can head out without worrying about anything!”

“….”

The production staff, unusually enthusiastic, gently pushed me forward. Sighing internally, I reluctantly got up from my seat.

Afterward, we apologized to the director, Jung Ha-rin, the writer, and the other production team members before leaving the scene first.

Since there might still be fans who hadn’t gone home yet, we got into our car and drove to a quiet café far away.

"...Usually in situations like this, wouldn't we ride in the same car?"

“I didn’t want to put you in the passenger seat.”

“Then I could’ve driven.”

“I don’t like entrusting my body to someone else’s driving.”

“Why don’t you just admit you don’t like me?”

“Not really. I just don’t care.”

“…”

Seo Jun-woo pouted as if he wasn’t satisfied with my response, but I didn’t bother adding anything more.

Shrugging, he raised the iced chocolate latte in front of him and took a sip. I watched him silently for a moment before speaking.

“What’s the reason you came looking for me?”

“Just wanted to see your face.”

“….”

“Alright, alright. Geez, can’t take a joke, can you? But seriously, I did come to see your face. I was curious about what kind of expression you’d be making.”

“Expression?”

“You beat me.”

Shrug-

Seo Jun-woo playfully shrugged his shoulders as he swirled his straw around.

He stayed silent for a long time before slowly lifting his head. With an unusually serious gaze, he locked eyes with me.

“To be honest, I was incredibly pissed off.”

“….”

His unexpected confession left me momentarily speechless. His eyes were far too serious for me to brush it off as a joke.

“Why?”

“Why else? Because I lost to you.”

“It’s not like we fought or anything.”

“Do you really think that?”

“…”

I hesitated to answer his sharp question. After all, like he said, I had also given my all because I didn’t want to “lose” to him.

Even when I was sleep-deprived, I searched for Seo Jun-woo’s videos, studying them to absorb his strengths.

When I overcame the absence of writer Jung Ha-rin and managed to overpower him, I secretly cheered.

Looking back, I could say with certainty.

I had definitely perceived him as a “rival”.

“See? You’re just saying things you don’t mean.”

“…Just get to the point.”

“You and I should do a project together.”

“What?”

For a moment, I doubted my ears.

Thinking it might be a joke, I stared intently at his face, but Seo Jun-woo’s calm expression suggested that he wasn’t just throwing out random words as a joke.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. There’s a project that’s been offered to me recently. I’d like you to join me in it.”

“…Regardless of whether you have the authority to say such things, that’s a pretty sudden proposal. I don’t recall us being close enough to introduce work opportunities to each other.”

“But you’re going to accept it anyway.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because you want to go head-to-head with me properly, too.”

Siiik-

Seo Jun-woo quietly curved his lips into a smirk. It wasn’t the kind of artificial smile he put on for others, it was a genuine expression of exhilaration, as if he was truly enjoying this. frёeωebɳovel.com

At the same time, he pulled out a bundle of papers from the bag slung over his shoulder and slid it toward me.

“Leaking scripts is a crime, you know.”

“Don’t be so rigid with me. If you’re going to consider my proposal, you at least need to know what the project is about, don’t you? That’s only fair.”

“…”

“Ugh, come on. I got permission from the writer and director to bring it to you! Besides, they’re already considering you as their top choice.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You, Kang Woo-ju-ssi.”

Sigh-

Seo Jun-woo let out a sigh and leaned back on the sofa. As if to tell me to hurry up and read it, he waved his hand lazily in the air and added an explanation.

“I got a direct offer from the director I worked with on a previous project. He said he really enjoyed your work in your last role. If you agree to join, he’s ready to cast you as the lead without hesitation.”

“But why are they going through you?”

“…Getting your contact info is like reaching for the stars. You’re not officially signed with any agency, and it’s not like they can call Mirae Department Store to reach you.”

“Hmm.”

It wasn’t something I’d expected, but it wasn’t exactly a problem either.

In any case, I always planned to thoroughly consult with Kim Eun-ha before signing onto a project.

After all, the reason Eun-ha had brought me the role of [Kang Joo-heon] in the first place was to help me build an image befitting her husband.

‘Of course, I do want to take on a variety of roles…’

The massive success of <Peaceful Chaebol Life> had definitely opened the doors to more offers, but…

In the end, if the role didn’t align with the image of “Mirae Group’s son-in-law”, it would likely be shot down.

In that sense, it might be better for me not to read this script right now, but I couldn’t stop my hand from itching to grab it.

- Because you want to go head-to-head with me properly, too.

Seo Jun-woo’s earlier words echoed in my ears. His remark had struck directly at the core of my true feelings.

Stripping away all the complicated conditions, promotions, and such, I wanted to go up against him fair and square, in the same project.

“Nobody’s going to say anything if you decide after reading it. It’s not like you’re the type to run around blabbing about this to others. Just read it and decide at your own pace.”

“…”

His final words hit home. I couldn’t resist any longer and picked up the script.

Perhaps for security reasons, the cover was completely blank, but the contents inside were packed to the brim.

From that moment on, I began flipping through the script like a man possessed.

‘This… is a movie?’

To my surprise, the project Seo Jun-woo was proposing wasn’t a drama, it was a movie.

What I thought was just a script turned out to be a type of synopsis, containing the overall plot of the movie and detailed character settings.

‘Action, noir, and black comedy, huh.’

The genre description section was filled with various tags, but the one that stood out the most was the word “Buddy”.

A genre where two protagonists work together as a pair. It’s often used in crime investigation stories.

Famous examples include Jackie Chan’s Rush Hour series or Will Smith’s Bad Boys series.

There are also quite a few such works in Korea, and the genre is popular enough that they’ve all performed reasonably well.

‘The storyline is…’

It’s a story of a showdown between an elite prosecutor with a 100% win rate and a lawyer as they fiercely clash in court.

In a battle where one side must inevitably lose, they try to uncover the truth about whether or not a serial killer defendant committed the crimes.

During this process, the hidden schemes of an elaborate cartel start to come to light.

To stop these conspiracies, the two reluctantly form a temporary alliance while facing adversaries who will stop at nothing to hinder them.

“What do you think? It sounds fun, right?”

“…”

Seo Jun-woo, as if he’d been waiting, cut in with his question, but I neither agreed nor disagreed.

My mind was too preoccupied with organizing the countless scenes that had come to life in my imagination.

‘…It’s obvious this is an incredibly well-crafted project.’

I could feel how much effort the director must have put into creating this script.

Every character setting was detailed, almost as if they were real people, and the overall plot structure was outstanding.

Most interestingly, even though the prosecutor and the lawyer join forces for a common goal, they still manipulate each other for their own victories.

‘Usually, by the end, the characters tend to develop camaraderie…’

But in this film, they struggle against each other to the very end. No matter the outcome, one of them must surrender the win.

As a result, they each use hidden cards they’ve secretly prepared to back their opponent into a corner in court.

Yet when external threats arise, they somehow manage to coordinate perfectly and fend them off. It was an intriguing dynamic, to say the least.

“You’ve got the look of someone who’s dying to do this.”

Heh-

Seo Jun-woo stifled a laugh as he got up from his seat. He waved his hand in the air as if his work here was done and turned to leave.

“I’m heading out. I’ll leave that with you, so take care not to lose it. My number and the director’s number are written on the last page. If you’re interested, give me a call by the end of this week.”

“…”

I watched Seo Jun-woo’s figure fade into the distance as I fiddled with the synopsis in my hands for a long time.

*

“It’s pretty good.”

“Really?!”

“…Well, with Woo-ju-ssi staring at me so intently with those burning eyes, how could I possibly say it’s not? Besides, it doesn’t stray too far from the image I had in mind for you.”

“Thank you!”

“I swear… Every time it’s something related to acting, you turn into a child.”

Kim Eun-ha shook her head in exasperation. She then set the synopsis down on the table and continued speaking.

“I’ll handle the detailed negotiations for you. And… Well, it’s not exactly a trade-off, but I’ve got something I need you to help me with, Woo-ju-ssi.”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing difficult. Just… go out with me for a nice dinner at a fancy place. A ‘very simple task’.”

“…”

It had been a while since I’d seen Kim Eun-ha’s mischievous smile. Seeing it now, Kang Woo-ju’s body couldn’t help but shiver slightly.

*****

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