Chapter 62

As Yoon Seok-ho shouted, in the shot, Son Ye-jin, playing the role of Yoon Eun-hee, was facing Lee Jung-hui, who was playing Han Tae-sik swimming in the pool, and she said loudly and emotionally, "Why did you ask me to be your personal maid? Why did you do that...!"

Finally, when she ended her long line with "Will you take responsibility?", Lee Jung-hui jumped out from the edge of the pool, splashing water onto her.

Originally, after Son Ye-jin made a move to dodge the splashes, it was supposed to be Lee Jung-hui's turn to speak. However, she felt that Lee Jung-hui had intentionally caused such a big splash, getting her all wet, so she ignored the ongoing filming and bent down to hit Lee Jung-hui, complaining, "Hey, why did you make such a big splash...!"

"Cut!" Yoon Seok-ho naturally called out to stop, and Lee Jung-hui, who was in the pool, rolled his eyes, "I didn't do it on purpose. Besides, if the splash was too small, it wouldn't have the mischievous effect the script requires!"

"Mischief, you just wanted to play a prank!" Son Ye-jin was completely unreasonable, pouting and huffing, "You...!"

Before she could finish her sentence, the real prank came. Standing by the pool, Lee Jung-hui was within reach. Seeing her pout, he grabbed her hand and pulled her with a gentle force.

"Ah!" Son Ye-jin screamed, her body swaying as she tried to steady herself, but she inevitably fell into the pool. At that moment, the annoying Lee Jung-hui mockingly said, "Oh, what are you doing? Do you want to come down and swim too?"

With a splash, Son Ye-jin finally fell into the pool. Unlike most women who would panic, she swam every day at the Lee family's mansion, so she quickly surfaced, wiped the water from her face, and lunged at Lee Jung-hui, shouting angrily, "Bastard, I'll get you!"

It wasn't that she was really angry; rather, she was more playful. After lunging at him, she only hit him a couple of times. When Lee Jung-hui gently grabbed her and dragged her underwater, she wrapped her arms around his neck and bit him.

If there were only the two of them, it wouldn't have mattered, and even if other crew members saw, it wouldn't have been a big deal, as they were used to these two playing around. However, Kim Tae-hee had returned and was standing by the side.

Seeing this scene, she couldn't stand it. She wanted to say that the man belonged to her and that the little vixen dared to act out in front of her. She was also angry at Lee Jung-hui for his mischief and regretted letting this brat become an actor. She even thought about making her aunt discipline him and possibly preventing him from working in the industry.

But that was for later. First, she had to stop the scene that was making her furious. Of course, she couldn't shout, "That man is mine!" So, she rushed over and yelled at the two who were still playing around, "What are you two doing? We're still filming!"

Actually, she had no authority to say that. She wasn't the director or an assistant director; she was just a small-time actress.

However, no one on set felt that way. Lee Jung-hui immediately sobered up, his head buzzing. He had caused a lot of trouble today, but then he did something that surprised everyone. He jumped up, grabbed Kim Tae-hee's hand, and pulled her into the water despite her screams and struggles.

Since he was already in trouble, he might as well surprise everyone. Kim Tae-hee was annoyed that he and Son Ye-jin were playing around in the pool, but she was also frustrated that she could only watch. So, he decided to let her join in.

Also, by pulling her in, even if she was angry, it would show her that he was just playing around and had no other intentions.

"Ah!" Kim Tae-hee screamed. While she was used to being wild and playful with Lee Jung-hui, she was usually a quiet and introverted girl who didn't swim much.

Therefore, she was much more panicked when she fell into the water and instinctively grabbed Lee Jung-hui's hand, hugging him tightly.

Son Ye-jin, seeing this, pouted. She was annoyed that the girl was doing this to her again. Her eyes darted around, and seeing that Lee Jung-hui was busy with Kim Tae-hee, she sank her body, grabbed his leg, and dragged him underwater.

Lee Jung-hui, caught off guard, immediately sank, and Kim Tae-hee, who was holding his hand, couldn't avoid it either. Thus, Son Ye-jin's goal was achieved.

In the end, the commotion ended with Lee Jung-hui splashing water at Yoon Seok-ho and the others who were watching, and then Kim Tae-hee and Son Ye-jin also joined in the chaos. By noon, the scene was successfully filmed.

On the way back, Kim Tae-hee was clearly less angry, though she still wasn't talking to him. Knowing her, Lee Jung-hui felt relieved and prepared to meet the guests from Seoul.

The guests were Jang Dong-gook and a board member of Tube Entertainment, Ko Jae-dong. The latter, upon seeing him, patted his arm affectionately and said with a chuckle, "Jung-hui, you really are a genius. I heard you're acting again. Your life is so colorful!"

He then looked at him in surprise, "You look... fatter, no, stronger," and pinched his arm, smacking his lips, "Indeed, actors do need to pay attention to their image!"

Lee Jung-hui shrugged, seemingly helpless, and smiled, "Come on, I don't want to be an actor at all. The actor for this drama got injured, and time was tight. If I didn't do it, I'd mess things up and get no money at all..."

His words had deeper meaning. Ko Jae-dong's visit had a hidden agenda, or rather, Tube Entertainment had some unscrupulous plans.

The issue started with the high box office of "The Curse." In the fifth week, it had another 80,000 viewers, bringing the total to over 1.88 million. According to the contract, Lee Jung-hui was due about 2.5 billion won in dividends.

Traditionally, after a month of the film's release, theaters would give Tube Entertainment the profit after their cut, and Tube Entertainment should then pay Lee Jung-hui.

However, Tube Entertainment told Lee Jung-hui that they planned to invest in his new script, "My Sassy Girl," with him.

Anyone who wasn't a fool would understand that this was a two-pronged strategy. Tube Entertainment didn't want to pay the large dividend and wanted to use his money to invest in his script, then split the profits.

This was utterly shameless, but because he had a good relationship with Ko Jae-dong, Lee Jung-hui didn't show his displeasure.

Of course, that was enough. Ko Jae-dong wasn't a fool and awkwardly laughed, thinking for a moment before saying to Lee Jung-hui, "Let's go inside and talk while we eat!"

Lee Jung-hui didn't refuse, exchanging a knowing glance with Jang Dong-gook before following.

"Alright, I'll be honest with you. The shareholders behind the company do plan to be a bit dishonest," Ko Jae-dong said after they sat down, seeing that everyone was reasonable. He thought for a moment and continued, "But I think this might be different from what you expect. Your money will definitely be given to you, but Representative Kim wants to invest in your script..."

He paused, smiling, "I only found out a few days ago that 'My Sassy Girl' was written by you. It's really popular online, and my daughter is a fan..."

His words were not just praise but also an indication that Tube Entertainment valued "My Sassy Girl" because of its online popularity. Both Ko Jae-dong and others at Tube Entertainment knew that the success of "The Curse" was largely due to the power of the internet.

"Simple, I want to see my 2.5 billion won dividend first!" Lee Jung-hui didn't know if Ko Jae-dong's honesty was genuine. Since it was business, he put emotions aside and said calmly, "Once I see the money, we can talk about the rest. Maybe I can ensure your participation, but if I don't see the money, it's off the table. I will also file a lawsuit in Seoul and seek legal assistance from the U.S. Embassy as an American citizen..."

Ko Jae-dong was taken aback, then frowned at Lee Jung-hui, "Jung-hui, do you know that you and Empire Entertainment are in a difficult position? Yplan and Wellmade in Seoul are very unhappy with you..."

"Is that all?" Lee Jung-hui sneered, "That's the reason your company is taking advantage of us. I haven't even used the power of the internet yet. You should know my influence online!"

Seeing Ko Jae-dong's bitter smile, he continued, "Also, apart from the 100 million won I got from my father for a small project, I haven't used my family's connections, which are not comparable to the snakes and rats in Seoul..."

Ko Jae-dong laughed helplessly. He had seen the house of Lee Jung-hui's grandmother, which proved he wasn't from an ordinary family. He also knew that although Lee Jung-hui's father was abroad, someone with their own architectural firm abroad couldn't be without means.

Given the current situation, he and Tube Entertainment couldn't agree with Lee Jung-hui's demands. He understood that Lee Jung-hui, though gentle, was also very strong-willed.

So, he only said, "Alright, I'll convey your thoughts to the company..."

He came and went quickly, but Jang Dong-gook didn't leave with Ko Jae-dong. After Ko Jae-dong left, he turned to Lee Jung-hui, "What do you plan to do?"

"Simple!" Lee Jung-hui raised his glass and drank it in one gulp, then grinned, his white teeth flashing with a slightly cold light, "If Tube Entertainment dares not to pay, I'll destroy it..."

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*Note: The last part of the original text, which includes a request for recommendations and a note about ads, has been omitted for clarity and relevance.*