Chapter 26

In the afternoon of late April, the bright sunlight fell on the windowsill, warm and pleasant, making even one's mood brighten. Hye-jin comfortably picked up her coffee and took a sip, then slowly turned around to look at Sun-ae sitting in the chair behind her...

This was the last scene of "The Curse." Once this scene was completed today, the film would officially be wrapped, so everyone was very excited, including Lee Jung-hui.

"Very good, take it!" Finally, under Ahn Byung-gi's command, only the last shot remained. However, at this moment, Ahn Byung-gi suddenly said to Lee Jung-hui beside him, "Jung-hui, the next shot is up to you!"

What did he mean? Lee Jung-hui was a bit stunned, but he quickly reacted. Before he could refuse, Ahn Byung-gi patted his shoulder and, to everyone's surprise, smiled and said, "You have a natural talent for directing, and I've noticed you're very interested. Besides, thanks to your help these past few days, the film has gone so smoothly. Therefore, I think it would be more meaningful if I start and you finish it!"

Lee Jung-hui looked at Ahn Byung-gi's sincere face and smiled, then shrugged, "This is all your doing. If it goes wrong, you can't blame me!"

Everyone was amused by this, and some even whistled. Over these days, the crew had gotten to know him well and recognized that this Harvard genius was not just a scriptwriter but also knew a lot about film production, which earned him more respect.

The last shot was simple: Ha Ji-won, playing Eun-ju, would run a knife across Choi Jung-yoon's neck, playing Sun-ae, followed by a close-up of Ha Ji-won's face and an empty shot. The lighting, costumes, and props were all ready, and the cameraman knew exactly what to shoot. Essentially, he just needed to call "Action!" and "Cut!"

However, just as everything was set and he shouted "Action!," an issue arose: Ha Ji-won suddenly burst into laughter, then apologized to everyone, "I'm sorry, really sorry..."

She looked at Lee Jung-hui and laughed softly, "I just suddenly found it strange that he's the one calling 'Action'..." This made everyone laugh again, and Lee Jung-hui could only shrug helplessly and smile, "Well, looks like I can't ask you to act in my films in the future!"

After this small mishap, the last shot was successfully completed. Everyone cheered, clapped, and congratulated each other, making it a lively moment.

"I heard you're leaving, and I'll really miss you!" Ahn Byung-gi and Lee Jung-hui leaned against the sunny window, and the former said, "To be honest, I'm looking forward to more surprises from you in post-production!"

"Feeling expected and trusted is a great feeling," Lee Jung-hui smiled, "But this is really the best I can do right now!" After a slight pause, he joked, "I think this is why I need to go back and study!"

Ahn Byung-gi chuckled, "Studying economics won't do!" Then he looked at him seriously and asked, "Will you still be in this industry in the future?"

"Yes!" Lee Jung-hui nodded firmly. This answer was not just for Demon Entertainment but because he had rediscovered his passion for this field. He really loved it.

After saying goodbye to Ahn Byung-gi and greeting the others, Lee Jung-hui took his backpack and walked out the door.

At the distant elevator entrance, Ha Ji-won, dressed in a black jacket and indigo jeans, was pacing. Seeing him come out, she smiled and waved at him.

Lee Jung-hui smiled, realizing she was waiting for him, and walked over, politely saying, "Congratulations on completing this film so well, and thank you..."

Ha Ji-won gave him a playful glare and interrupted him, "I was just going to thank you!"

"Then it's best that neither of us says it!" Lee Jung-hui shrugged and they both smiled at each other.

There was a silence for about ten seconds before Ha Ji-won looked up at him, "So, I heard you're going back to Harvard to finish your studies?"

"Yes," Lee Jung-hui nodded. The elevator arrived, empty, and he gestured for Ha Ji-won to go in first. He followed her in, pressed the button for the ground floor, and said, "But I'll be back soon, in about a month..."

"Okay," Ha Ji-won replied softly. Just a moment ago, she had a lot to say, but now she didn't know where to start.

The elevator arrived quickly, and as the doors opened, Ha Ji-won said to Lee Jung-hui, "Then, when you come back, let's work together if we have the chance!"

"Definitely!" Lee Jung-hui smiled, looking at her still slightly chubby cheeks, which were quite beautiful and even cute, "I'm looking forward to working with you!" Then he joked, "But you can't laugh on set!"

"Ha!" Ha Ji-won relaxed with his joke, pouting cutely, "If you say that, wait until you become a director!"

"Sure, trust me!" Lee Jung-hui smiled, waved goodbye, and said, "See you later!"

Ha Ji-won waved back instinctively, watching his back as he turned and walked away. She was a bit surprised, then shook her head, amused and a bit annoyed.

Can't he talk to me a bit more, or at least invite me for a meal or coffee? At the very least, he should have waited for her to leave first. But he seemed to care about her, giving her a lot of advice and help on acting, and even helped the director delete that kissing scene. Except for his calm gaze when he looked at her...

Thinking about this, Ha Ji-won pouted, then suddenly remembered the scene they had just shot. The director had mentioned that it contained hints of a lesbian relationship.

Could he...! Ha Ji-won laughed softly, then bit her lip and muttered, "What a strange guy," and glanced at his retreating figure before turning away lightly...

Lee Jung-hui was unaware of Ha Ji-won's thoughts. He was busy on the phone with Jang Dong-gook.

"Um, I've given the script to Kwon Kyung-taek. He flipped through it and seemed interested!" Jang Dong-gook said, "But he didn't give any specific indication. He just said he'd look it over and let us know if there's any news..."

"That's fine!" Lee Jung-hui nodded. The script he had Jang Dong-gook give to Kwon Kyung-taek was the original "Friend" written by Kwon Kyung-taek.

However, this time was different from "The Curse." He had bought the script through Demon Entertainment using achievement points, not the scriptwriter position.

There was a difference. If he bought the scriptwriter position directly, it guaranteed him the position and all the script information. But if he only bought the script, he would have to compete for the scriptwriter position, which carried some risk.

However, buying the scriptwriter position cost 10 achievement points, while buying the script cost only 2 achievement points. Moreover, if he bought the script and then secured the scriptwriter position through his own efforts, the system would reward him with 2 achievement points.

In other words, if he bought the script, found someone to shoot it, and secured the scriptwriter position, the script would essentially be free.

Of course, things weren't that simple. Whether it was KBS, CJ Entertainment, or even a small company like TUBE Entertainment, they didn't lack scripts, especially good ones.

The quality of a script was generally only known after it was filmed. Therefore, buying a script carried enormous risk, especially for Lee Jung-hui, who was not yet well-known.

However, after being severely misled by Alice the Demon last time, Lee Jung-hui was determined. "Friend" was like a gold mine, tempting him. Of course, he had his considerations.

After all, the script was originally written by Kwon Kyung-taek, so he might have a special fondness for it. At the very least, if Kwon Kyung-taek didn't direct it, Lee Jung-hui could do it himself in the future.

Ding, while he was thinking, his phone rang again. He looked at the screen and smiled, then answered with a gentle voice, "Why are you calling me suddenly?"

"Oh!" Kim Tae-hee's gentle voice came from the other end, but she didn't answer his question. Instead, she asked, "Where are you? Are you busy?"

"No, 'The Curse' just wrapped up!" Lee Jung-hui replied casually, then asked, "What about you, are you still in class?"

"No, I finished class a while ago!" Kim Tae-hee, hearing his voice, suddenly wanted to see him and said, "Oh, right, I have something to discuss with you. I'm almost home..."

She meant her grandmother's house. Lee Jung-hui nodded, hailed a taxi, and said, "Okay, I'll be right back!"

It was not yet five o'clock, and the roads were not busy. The distance from the filming location to his home was not far, so he arrived quickly. However, as his taxi passed a subway entrance near his home, he saw Kim Tae-hee standing there in the distance.

He quickly asked the taxi to stop, paid, and ran over.

"Ah, you took a taxi back!" Seeing him run over, Kim Tae-hee smiled brightly, but when he got closer, she pouted, "You're so extravagant!"

Lee Jung-hui chuckled, looking at her cute pout and wanting to pinch her cheek but refrained. He said casually, "Didn't you say you had something to discuss? I was afraid you'd wait."

"Ha!" Kim Tae-hee seemed unappreciative, but she felt warm inside, more so than the afternoon sun. She was lost in thought until he asked what she wanted to discuss, and she blushed slightly, then said, "It's nothing much. On my way back, I met a talent scout from an advertising company. They said if I'm interested, I can sign with their agency and they'll arrange for me to shoot an ad..."

"No!" Lee Jung-hui immediately rejected it, which surprised her. She asked, a bit upset, "Why?"

"I said no, that's it," Lee Jung-hui said firmly. Seeing her pout, he rarely acted harshly, smiled inwardly, and continued, "Didn't I tell you that if you want to act, you should sign with Dong-gook's agency? He'll arrange it for you!"

"It's been months, and you haven't arranged anything!" Kim Tae-hee pouted, then added, "Besides, Dong-gook's agency is just another agency. They can't even get me an ad!"

"That's different, Dong-gook is one of us!" Lee Jung-hui scolded her, unable to tell her about the agency issues yet. He realized he had neglected arranging things for her, perhaps waiting for her to bring it up.

"Decide when you want to start!" After thinking for a moment, he said, "Once you decide, you can find me anytime. If I'm in the U.S., find Dong-gook..."

Kim Tae-hee was still a bit upset and pouted, "But I still want to shoot an ad!" Until he gave her a stern look, she stopped, but muttered, "Why so fierce, I'm not even angry yet!"

At this moment, Lee Jung-hui suddenly took her hand and walked forward, saying soothingly, "Come on, I'll buy you an ice cream!"

"Hmph!" Kim Tae-hee gently pulled her hand