Chapter 38

Perhaps because they were on the phone, without the awkwardness of face-to-face interaction, the conversation between the two felt very relaxed, at least that's how Ha Ji-won felt.

"By the way, I haven't congratulated you on your graduation yet!" Ha Ji-won said with a chuckle, even giving the sofa back a playful punch, "You really are amazing, but, aren't you kind of going down the wrong path now!"

As she spoke, she giggled, and Lee Jung-hui rolled his eyes, then deliberately mocked her, "Going down the wrong path, it seems you clearly don't understand what 'different paths leading to the same destination' means. Of course, I can understand that this might be a bit difficult for you..."

"Hey, you jerk!" Ha Ji-won almost instantly jumped up and pounded the cushion fiercely, "Is a Ph.D. that great? Let me tell you, if I studied seriously, I would definitely be much better than you!"

Lee Jung-hui laughed, deliberately grinning, "Yeah, I remember someone was in high school at eighteen, oh, maybe it was their first year of college..."

This made Ha Ji-won furious, "Hmph, just wait and see!" Thinking that Lee Jung-hui was probably smirking on the other end, she angrily jumped up and stomped on the cushion twice, even kicking the sofa.

Then, her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she remembered something, and she said with a playful huff, "Hey, I heard your 'Blue生死恋' (Blue生死恋) is airing in mid-September, right? Well, the 'Secret' I'm about to shoot is also airing in mid-September. When it airs, I'll make sure you see what I'm made of!"

'Secret' is starring the currently super-popular actor Yoo Shi-won and Kim Ha-na, and is MBC's key autumn program. Of course, it's also aimed at countering 'Blue生死恋'. If 'Secret' wins again, KBS will be completely finished in urban fashion dramas this year.

Although 'Blue生死恋' is currently doing well, even better than the original, he had no idea how the future would turn out or if any other issues might arise, so he couldn't say for sure that they would definitely win.

However, since Ha Ji-won said this, he couldn't show any weakness, so he raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Oh, really? Then you can't cry if you lose!"

"Hey, you're really annoying!" Ha Ji-won stomped on the cushion, pretending it was Lee Jung-hui, and said with dissatisfaction, "Let's make a bet, then. If the loser has to... ."

She hesitated a bit about the terms, then said, "The loser has to treat the winner to a meal, and the winner can choose whatever they want to eat..."

Lee Jung-hui smiled inwardly, but answered straightforwardly, "Sure, no problem!"

"Then you better have the money ready, it might be a few million or even tens of millions, I'm going to order some very expensive wine!" Ha Ji-won still sounded a bit annoyed, trying to scare him. She didn't know how much money Lee Jung-hui had.

Lee Jung-hui, of course, didn't say more, just shrugged. He thought the conversation was over and was about to hang up, but Ha Ji-won, who was clearly still excited, spoke again, "Hey, after you finish 'Blue生死恋', will you continue in this industry?"

Uh, Lee Jung-hui was taken aback, though a bit surprised, he nodded but didn't elaborate, "Oh, yes, I'm currently planning some projects..."

"Ah, really?" Ha Ji-won said excitedly on the other end, "Then do you have any roles suitable for me?" She added with a playful pout, "You did say we have a chance to work together!"

Lee Jung-hui laughed, "That's right, but aren't you a big star now? Do you really need to ask me this?"

"Pfft, stingy!" Ha Ji-won pouted and gave the innocent cushion another stomp, "I'm not a big star, I'm just playing small roles..."

Lee Jung-hui thought about it, and it was indeed true, so he smiled and said with certainty, "Trust me, you'll soon shine brightly and become a super star that everyone admires!"

"Really?" Ha Ji-won pouted, her foot gently rubbing the cushion. She didn't really believe it herself, but it felt good to hear. Then she emphasized again, "Hey, if there's really a good role, you can't forget about me!"

"Definitely!" Lee Jung-hui nodded firmly, and he meant it sincerely. For this talented and beautiful actress, if there was an opportunity, he would be very willing to collaborate.

The call finally ended, though Ha Ji-won hung up first, Lee Jung-hui didn't mind the details. He didn't know that Ha Ji-won was dancing around triumphantly on the other end, muttering, "Pfft, you want to say goodbye first again? Dream on, I won't let you get away with it this time!"

Ding-dong, just as Lee Jung-hui was about to put his phone aside, it rang again. He looked at the screen and saw a familiar number, so he answered with a smile. Just as he was about to speak, the other end started talking, "Jung-hui, I've called you more than ten times, even Director Ko has called several times, but you were always on the line..."

Hearing the excited tone in Ahn Byung-ki's voice, Lee Jung-hui felt his mood brighten, and he remembered Ha Ji-won's call, which already meant something. He smiled, "What's up? I'm shooting in Sokcho, you know that..."

He shrugged, "I'm in the bathroom right now. The last call made me undress and stay in here for half an hour without doing anything. If you don't mind, can you give me ten minutes?"

Ahn Byung-ki laughed heartily on the other end, then said a few words to someone nearby, followed by more laughter.

"Alright, ten minutes it is," Ahn Byung-ki sounded very happy and even joked, "Well, if there's a beautiful woman in your bathroom, I don't mind waiting a bit longer..."

It seemed to be really good news, and Lee Jung-hui was also excited. He quickly washed up and got dressed, only to realize he had used only five minutes.

He thought to himself that he couldn't wait, and smiled. Kim Tae-hee, who had brought lunch, gave him a disapproving look, "Still smiling, a grown man taking so long to shower!"

Dealing with her, Lee Jung-hui was very experienced. He opened the lunch box, found a chicken leg, and used chopsticks to cut a piece of meat and feed it to her. This was enough to make her temporarily satisfied and stop complaining. He then quickly started eating.

He was almost done when he picked a pickled radish from Kim Tae-hee's lunch box and put it in his mouth, and the phone rang again.

"Go ahead, if it's not good news, hang up!" Lee Jung-hui picked up the phone and joked with Ahn Byung-ki.

Ahn Byung-ki laughed heartily on the other end, then slapped the table, "Seriously, Jung-hui, you're a super genius..." He paused for a moment, then laughed again, "You economics majors are really bad, you've led everyone into a trap so easily!"

Lee Jung-hui rolled his eyes, "It's hard to be a good person. You've taken all the benefits, and now you're calling me a bad guy, right?"

Ahn Byung-ki laughed again, then finally said what Lee Jung-hui wanted to hear, "I like you, you bad guy. Let me tell you, in 81 theaters, 129 screens, by noon, the box office has already passed ten thousand..."

81 theaters, 129 screens, and already over ten thousand in box office, this was undoubtedly great news. Once the online hype shifts to real-world media promotion, and more theaters agree to screen 'The Curse', with more screens allocated, the box office will undoubtedly grow explosively.

And now, Ahn Byung-ki was already talking about the good news, "Jung-hui, more than 100 theaters are already asking for copies, and we expect more theaters to cooperate with us..."

However, he paused, then said with a mix of emotion and uncertainty, "Anyway, everything is going great right now, but the final result will depend on the reaction after the premiere..."

That's right, no matter how well it's hyped, if the final product doesn't satisfy people, it will collapse instantly.

Lee Jung-hui nodded, he was also a bit worried about the post-premiere situation, but also a bit excited. PS: Monday, please recommend and support the ranking. If you're following, please also add to your collection, thanks!