My Girlfriend's Fortune: 3,141,592,653,589-Chapter 83: Have a Good Time!

TL: Aniea

“There are more talented people than I thought.”

Mmm-

Looking at the choir members lined up in front of her, Kim Kaelin nodded in satisfaction.

The very next morning after talking with Kang Woo-ju, she had immediately visited the orphanage.

The previous night, Kim Kaelin had stayed up late thoroughly reading through the interviews handed over by Director Kang In-ho. The moment she finished, she quickly gathered the children and assigned roles.

“Mi~ Solfa Mi Re Do!”

“Can you push it out just a little more?”

“Mii~ Sol Fa Mi Re Do♩”

“One more time.”

“Miii~! Sol Fa Mi Re Dooo♬”

"Good. Now baritone."

"Yes, all together!"

Though most of the kids didn’t know who Kim Kaelin was due to their age, her commanding presence put them in strict order.

“Tenor.”

“Alto.”

“Soprano.”

The children were divided swiftly with a wave of her hand. Watching this, the other staff members nodded in agreement, saying it was just like Kim Kaelin.

“It seems like this will finish sooner than we thought.”

“At first, I wondered how we’d ever get it all done.”

“She seems to decide everything just by listening to the first syllable.”

“I guess this is what it means to be a professional.”

When they listened, they could only distinguish between “high”, “low” or “good” and “bad”, but Kim Kaelin’s perception appeared to be entirely different.

Kang In-ho and Jung Ha-rin, who were observing the entire process through the camera, also admired her as they talked.

“Just now, that kid seemed to sing really well. Are the ones set aside for solo candidates?”

“No, those kids were excluded from the choir.”

“What!? But they sang so well!”

“She said it’s more important to match the personality to the choir than individual skill. She mentioned that harmony is more crucial than pitch or rhythm.”

“…Then what about the kids who were excluded?”

Jung Ha-rin opened her mouth with a worried expression. After all, this was an event meant for everyone to enjoy together, leaving some kids out would surely feel unfair.

“Those kids, for better or worse, have a strong sense of individuality. Woo-ju ssi decided to take all of them.”

“Oh, I see! Having a strong sense of self isn’t necessarily a disadvantage. It could even be an advantage in theater.”

“Most kids won’t stand out next to Woo-ju ssi or CEO Kim Eun-ha anyway. Maybe that’s what they’re aiming for.”

“Hahaha… Even the boldest kids won’t be able to act out in front of those two. If they don’t fit well with the group, they can always be shifted to props-making or filming support.”

“Exactly.”

Since the orphanage naturally consisted of people of various ages and genders, their personalities and characteristics were also diverse.

Forcing them all together would inevitably create some conflict. However, by categorizing them like this, they could minimize friction.

Particularly for kids with introverted personalities, even the temptation of a smartphone dangled in front of them wasn’t enough to make them join willingly.

By offering them a chance to work as staff, they could participate in the event more comfortably.

“Then what’s the theater team doing now?”

“They’re in the middle of a heated discussion in pairs. They haven’t even fully formed teams yet. It seems they’re struggling with Writer Jung’s draft.”

Surprisingly, Jung Ha-rin had managed to produce a draft script in just one night.

It wasn’t short either.

Nor was it of low quality.

Rather, because she had faithfully incorporated the kids’ opinions, the theater’s overall scope had expanded, which became a problem.

“Ah! Then I’ll also…”

“Don’t. Writer Jung should work with Teacher Kaelin to figure out how to integrate the choir with the theater. When it comes to theater experience, Woo-ju ssi is a few steps ahead of you, so let him handle it.”

“Eh- Wasn’t the original plan just to place the entire choir in the background as a chorus or for background music?”

“That’s still the most practical and straightforward solution for now. I mean, what can you do with raw amateurs in just one month? But…”

“But?”

Director Kang In-ho rubbed his temples as he answered Jung Ha-rin’s follow-up question.

“Teacher Kaelin, Woo-ju ssi, and even CEO-nim, they’re all surprisingly similar to you. Their perspectives are way too different from ordinary people.”

“Hehehe… Why are you suddenly giving me compliments? It’s embarrassing to hear that.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Then what was it?”

“…What I mean is, things they handle effortlessly can be quite overwhelming for normal people. Just keeping up with them leaves you breathless.”

Kang In-ho shook his head, recalling the filming of <Peaceful Chaebol Life> from a while back.

Even now, thinking back on it, it had been a series of utterly unbelievable events. He wasn’t sure he could pull it off again if asked to do so.

And somehow, he had a strong feeling that this event would play out in a similar fashion. Just the thought of it was already giving him a headache.

“It’s the director’s role to manage that, isn’t it?”

Grin-

Jung Ha-rin flashed a playful smile at Kang In-ho. Despite her cheerful expression, her eyes brimmed with trust in the director.

Feeling inexplicably shy, Kang In-ho turned his gaze toward the camera as if to check something and mumbled under his breath.

“…That’s such a heavy responsibility.”

He wasn’t a genius like them. At best, he was slightly better than the average person- a so-called “above-average talent”.

That’s why he couldn’t stand confidently in front of the camera like Kang Woo-ju, nor could he effortlessly craft new worlds like Jung Ha-rin.

All he could do was take the materials they provided and present them to the public in the most convincing way possible.

“I’ve always thought you were amazing, Director-nim.”

“Empty flattery.”

“No, really. I mean it.”

“…!?”

Suddenly, Jung Ha-rin leaned in close to his face. With an unusually serious expression devoid of her usual smile, she locked eyes with him from mere inches away.

“I just pour out whatever comes to mind, but you’re the one who brings it to life. That’s your talent, Director-nim. And I’ve never once been disappointed in you for that.”

“That’s an overestimation. Anyone with the title of director could do what I’m doing…”

“If that were true, I wouldn’t still be by your side, would I? And Kang Woo-ju ssi or CEO Kim Eun-ha aren’t the type to be swayed by mere sentimentality.”

“…”

At her convincing words, Kang In-ho shut his mouth tightly. Jung Ha-rin, now smiling again, continued speaking.

“A person who connects ordinary people with geniuses, someone who breaks the boundary between reality and dreams, that’s the Director Kang In-ho I know. So, you should have a bit more confidence in yourself. Got it?”

“…Fine, fine. Now get your face out of mine!”

“Hahaha.”

Reluctantly, Kang In-ho nodded, and Jung Ha-rin responded with a brighter smile than usual.

“Have you two finished your chat?”

"Eek!?"

A sudden, unfamiliar voice broke into the conversation, making Jung Ha-rin gasp sharply.

As she quickly scanned her surroundings in a flustered state, she realized that dozens of pairs of eyes were fixated on them.

“Hoho. Ah, youth.”

“Are they dating?”

“No, no, this is what they call 'having chemistry'..." (TL Note: "they" in this sentence refers to the Writer and Director themselves)

By now, the group placements had been completed, and not only the children but even the nuns and staff were observing their every move.

Jung Ha-rin, belatedly noticing the attention, turned beet red. Then, like a runaway train letting off steam, she dashed forward.

“I-I’ll go check on the theater team!”

“Hey!”

Kang In-ho called out desperately toward her retreating figure, but it was no use.

Left behind on his own, he awkwardly glanced around before clearing his throat and pretending nothing had happened.

“Ahem- if you’ve finished with the group placements, let’s move on to the next…”

“Director-nim, you haven’t called ‘cut’ yet.”

"Cut! Cut! That's a cut! You brats!"

Hahaha-

Kang In-ho’s flustered reaction triggered laughter from everyone present.

*

At the same time.

Kang Woo-ju and Kim Eun-ha, in charge of the theater team, furrowed their brows in frustration as they stared at the script in front of them.

“As I thought, it’s exactly what I feared…”

“Hmm. She’s definitely not a normal person.”

If they were to describe the script Jung Ha-rin handed them in a single word, it would be “mishmash”. Even with a generous interpretation, it was like a bowl of bibimbap or army stew.

With so many people’s desires lumped together, it was inevitable that it would turn out this way.

“Good grief… A princess wielding a lightsaber in a dress? At this point, the original story is completely unrecognizable.”

Looking closely, it wasn’t just Snow White- there seemed to be elements from other fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty mixed in as well.

“But it’s kind of fun in its own way.”

“That’s the biggest problem. I don’t even know where to start critiquing it. If this were a drama, we could make it work with CGI, but…”

This was theater.

No chroma key backgrounds, no post-production effects. It was all live, happening in real-time.

“We can make the lightsaber work.”

“…Has Mirae Group’s technology advanced that far already?”

“Of course not. But the toy industry has developed far beyond what we imagined as kids. Want to see something?”

“Hmm?”

Kim Eun-ha got up from her seat and moved to sit beside me. As she approached, a sweet fragrance wafted into my nose.

Orange.

No, maybe something berry-like.

Or perhaps a combination of both.

Whatever it was, the sweet yet tangy scent, mixed with her natural aroma, started to take over my mind. I found myself wanting to get even closer for a better whiff.

“Woo-ju ssi?”

"Ah, sorry."

Kim Eun-ha blinked her innocent eyes like a child, as if wondering what was wrong. I quickly came to my senses and averted my gaze.

“Here, take a look.”

Kim Eun-ha held out her phone toward me, leaning in naturally so that our bodies were slightly pressed together.

As her presence stimulated my senses, my instincts as a man stirred against my will. However, I barely managed to suppress them thanks to my years of accumulated acting skills.

“Woo-ju ssi?”

“Yes, I’m looking.”

“Hmm… As you can see, they actually make sparring lightsabers now. In fact, France has officially recognized lightsaber fencing as a sport.”

"Oh, this is really interesting."

In the video Kim Eun-ha showed me, people were actually dueling with lightsabers.

The design of the lightsabers was impressive, and whenever they clashed, they emitted a bright light, making it easy to determine whether a hit had landed.

Particularly, when the blades collided in a flurry of strikes, the visuals were far more dazzling than I had anticipated, making it a treat for the eyes.

“With something like this, we’d have plenty of visual appeal even without CGI. The kids would especially love it.”

“Exactly. I think we can manage to bring other parts to life as well, like using digital panels to create moving backgrounds.”

“…Why does this feel like it’s getting bigger and bigger in scale?”

“If we’re going to do it, we might as well do it properly.”

Kim Eun-ha’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. Of course, she was always like that, but this time her passion seemed particularly intense.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Hmm, not really.”

“You say that, but your face is full of smiles.”

“Hmm. Maybe so. Thinking about taking down Woo-ju ssi with a lightsaber… it makes me feel like an excited little kid.”

“…You’re talking about the scene where the cursed prince battles the princess, right? The part where, after a hard-fought victory, the princess breaks the curse with a deep kiss.”

“There’s no mention of a deep kiss anywhere.”

She distanced herself slightly from me, narrowing her eyes into a glare.

In response, I purposely smirked mischievously and leaned my face closer to hers.

However, contrary to expectations, Kim Eun-ha didn’t pull her face back. Instead, she locked eyes with me, as if refusing to back down.

Thanks to that, we ended up face-to-face at a distance where our noses seemed like they might touch at any moment.

“.......”

“.......”

Thus began an unspoken staring contest. With both our competitive spirits burning brightly, an intense, silent duel unfolded, neither of us willing to yield even an inch.

At that moment,

“Are your discussions going w… Eek!”

Jung Ha-rin, who had hurriedly opened the door, froze in place mid-step. Time seemed to come to a standstill as everyone inside froze as well.

The first to move was Jung Ha-rin. As if sensing the strange atmosphere in the room, her eyes darted around nervously before she began to retreat the way she had come.

“...W-Well, have a good time!”

“It’s not like that!”

“It’s really not like that!”

It took quite a while to catch up to Jung Ha-rin, who immediately turned and fled, and clear up the misunderstanding.

*****

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