Chapter 17

Just after resting for half a day, Park Ji-hoon threw himself back into work.

Having acted in films for a few years, he had never encountered such a rushed production before. It was as urgent as those TV dramas that were filmed during the day and aired in the evening.

What truly troubled him was that this was an action film. From the very beginning, he had already faced numerous hardships, and he didn't dare to imagine what the later stages would bring!

Moreover, he had to balance his livelihood.

The will and resilience forged by a life of poverty played a crucial role. With Park Min-ya's encouragement and care, he even learned to find joy in the midst of hardship.

At home, there were more laughter and joy, and one could often hear Park Min-ya's playful laughter.

However, in reality, his life was far from satisfactory.

On set, he was the lead actor and assistant director; at home, Park Min-ya was extremely considerate towards him. Yet, outside these two places, he was merely a somewhat famous "supporting actor"!

Previously, when he participated in "Family Outing," he was well taken care of by Liu Jae-shil and his old friends. However, in other programs, he received less favorable treatment.

This was partly due to his own situation.

Only by appearing on shows would he gain attention, and only with attention would he gain popularity. With popularity, he would receive various commercial invitations and earn income. Although he was intelligent, life experience was something that intelligence alone couldn't fully compensate for. To increase his income, he had to repay his mortgage every month, and his network of contacts lacked those who could make decisive decisions. Therefore, he had to participate in as many shows as possible, regardless of their quality, popularity, or whether they were radio programs or supermarket opening ceremonies... He accepted them all.

In less than a month, he earned the nickname "King of Variety Shows"—not as a compliment, but as a mockery! In Korea, actors held the highest status among entertainers, even if he was just a supporting actor, he was still a "golden supporting actor." His frenzied participation in variety shows made his fellow actors look down on him, and singers and comedians also disdained him—after all, resources were limited in the industry. Someone had given him this nickname, and it spread quickly.

Effort? In the entertainment industry, it was just a necessary factor, and no one truly cared about your efforts.

If it were in the past, this would have been unimaginable! Although he was laid-back, his self-respect was strong. The reason he had no achievements for so many years and drifted along was that he couldn't stand the various under-the-table deals in the early years of his career. However, after so many years, his ability to always avoid these deals proved his intelligence.

But now, for the sake of his life, to live up to the title "Park Min-ya's brother," and to reignite his ideals, he buried his self-respect deep in his heart!

Every day, every day, he worked tirelessly without rest.

The New Year's festivities had nothing to do with him and passed by as usual.

January 5th.

Park Ji-hoon finished shooting around 8 PM, then, while munching on a bun, he headed to MBC to appear on a radio program.

At 10 PM, he ended the show, thanked the staff as usual, and quietly left.

"The rumors in the entertainment industry are really..." A female writer, looking at his back, couldn't help but shake her head and mutter. Although his reputation among his peers had worsened, his reputation among the TV station staff remained as solid as ever.

"There must be some difficulties," a PD in his forties said calmly. He had seen it all; the glamour of celebrities was often just a facade, and the hardships behind the scenes were rarely seen by others. Although he wasn't starving, living a better life was not that easy.

"Uh-huh." The female writer nodded. She felt a bit regretful—she had a slight fondness for Park Ji-hoon. His clear features, serious and humble attitude, easily won people over.

Park Ji-hoon didn't hear the staff's comments about him and prepared to take a taxi home. Being good at networking didn't mean he had to connect with everyone. Just a brief encounter, with no real understanding of each other, especially with his current poor reputation, actively seeking connections wasn't a good idea.

Moreover, he hadn't fully adapted to the lifestyle of burying his self-respect.

Just as he stood by the roadside, he suddenly heard a clear voice behind him: "Hey, mister!" followed by hurried footsteps, seemingly filled with anger.

How could he not know the owner of this voice? Finally, they met!

Park Ji-hoon smiled bitterly and turned around.

A figure approached angrily, completely ignoring the shocked look of her friend.

Pink and white sneakers, blue jeans, yellow sweater, black coat, long hair, fair skin, very beautiful. However, her demeanor was somewhat cold.

After walking up to Park Ji-hoon, she met his gaze, seemed to realize something, and immediately slapped his chest.

"Senior, hello!" The person following her was startled again and hurriedly greeted, trying to ease the tension.

"Hmm." Park Ji-hoon responded calmly, then looked at the culprit, his lips twitching slightly in a bitter smile, and said softly, "Crystal, hello." His voice lacked confidence, as if he had done something wrong.

Crystal, a member of f(x), Krystal, raised her eyebrows, clearly dissatisfied, and said, "So, mister, you still remember me!"

She was very angry!

The person beside her, the leader of f(x), Song Hye-kwon from China, quickly pulled her arm. Although she didn't know their relationship, this attitude towards a senior was too much!

"It's fine." Park Ji-hoon turned to Song Hye-kwon, nodded, and said. However, it seemed he didn't want to look at her, and after speaking, he quickly turned back to Krystal and said, "I'm sorry, Crystal."

Song Hye-kwon was taken aback by his apology after being hit and had a sudden thought: "Could they be dating?"

"Big sister! You go back first, I'll go home by myself." Krystal ignored Park Ji-hoon and turned to Song Hye-kwon. She had finally caught him!

"Ah?" Song Hye-kwon hesitated. It was late, and she was worried about a young girl being alone outside.

"I'll take her home." Park Ji-hoon said.

"Okay." Song Hye-kwon responded and bowed to leave.

"Where's your manager?" Park Ji-hoon asked Krystal after she left.

"Behind us! Song Hye-kwon and I came out first." Krystal said, "Let's leave quickly, or the manager will nag at me again!" It was strange; although she was angry, she was also very close and casual with him.

"Where to?" Park Ji-hoon asked, but didn't move.

"There's a coffee shop over there!" Krystal looked around and quickly decided. There were many coffee shops in Korea!

Seeing her rush over, and with f(x)'s manager not yet in sight, Park Ji-hoon had no choice but to follow.

Inside the coffee shop, Krystal found a corner away from the window.

At this time, there weren't many people drinking coffee, only one table, and the two people there weren't particularly famous, so they didn't attract much attention.

After sitting down and ordering two cups of coffee, Park Ji-hoon calmly looked at Krystal.

"OPPA, what's that look?" Krystal frowned. This look, as if he was looking at a stranger, made her very uncomfortable! She had called him "mister" because she was angry.

"Nothing." Park Ji-hoon said softly, "I'm sorry." He apologized again, and his eyes showed a flicker of emotion. Hearing her voice, something inside him was stirred, and he could no longer pretend to be calm.

"Instead of apologizing, why didn't you reply to my text messages?" Krystal looked into his eyes and asked. She was straightforward by nature and very, very familiar with him! Otherwise, she wouldn't dare to hit him, a senior.

She had sent text messages to Park Ji-hoon on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. However, Park Ji-hoon didn't reply to any of them! She thought he had changed his phone number—she had called him two days ago, and a woman answered.

Initially, she was angry because he changed his phone number without telling her, but seeing his eyes and expression, she realized he had seen her messages! Otherwise, he wouldn't have looked so guilty.

So, she slapped him.

Park Ji-hoon smiled bitterly, then composed himself, pressed his lips, and explained, "I thought that over time, our relationship would naturally fade."

"What?" Krystal's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. What was he saying? Did he mean to cut ties with her? For no reason? Was he crazy?

Seeing her expression, Park Ji-hoon's eyes showed a flicker of guilt, and he said softly, "I'm sorry."

Krystal snapped back to reality, regained her composure, and frowned, looking at him and asking, "Why?"

Park Ji-hoon pondered for a moment. He had known her longer than Taeyeon, and since she wasn't in Girls' Generation, he hadn't deleted her phone number. His desire to gradually cut ties with her was not just due to external reasons but also the buried self-respect in his heart, after all, she had once said...

"I want an Americano!" At that moment, a clear and familiar voice rang out.

"I want..." Another familiar voice followed.

Krystal stood up as soon as she heard the first voice, turned, and waved, calling, "Big sister!" The other table of guests had left at some point.

Park Ji-hoon wanted to stop her, but it was too late, so he remained silent.

"Crystal?!" Several surprised voices rang out, then fell silent as if their mouths were blocked.

They saw Park Ji-hoon sitting across from Krystal!

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