Chapter 70

"Uh!" All the reporters on the scene were taken aback. "Living together" and "cohabiting" are different, right? However, what do reporters do? Almost all of them could be considered "sharp-witted." After a moment's thought, they guessed something.

"May I ask, is Miss Park Min-ya Mr. Park Ji-hoon's...?" a reporter asked.

"Sister," Park Ji-hoon replied.

Indeed!

Although the scandal was a big deal, it only took one sentence to clear it up. Some reporters even suspected that the entire process was staged by Park Ji-hoon to promote his new movie.

"Park Ji-hoon and Park Min-ya, a genius from over a decade ago and a current genius, are actually siblings!" The news quickly spread across the internet.

Suddenly, public opinion on the internet took a 180-degree turn! It was as if a backlash, and the momentum was no less than when the scandal first broke.

"Since they are siblings, why didn't you clarify it earlier? I couldn't sleep well for half a month, I demand compensation!"

"What to clarify? They were just cohabiting! They never said they were dating."

"My goddess can actually cook! But I won't be jealous of Park Ji-hoon because a brother can't marry his sister, hahaha..."

"Stop dreaming, you have even less hope! As a brother, at least he can eat the meals cooked by our Min-ya every day, go out together, and have fun together... I'm so envious!"

When men get excited, they can be even more sentimental than women, and similar comments kept appearing.

However, it wasn't without negative effects.

Some people questioned the appearance of Park Ji-hoon and Park Min-ya, but it was quickly answered. Tracing the roots, it was easy to find out. Park Min-ya's information was scarce, but Park Ji-hoon's family background could be investigated.

It turned out they were not blood-related siblings, which explained everything.

As expected, some people thought this was a staged drama by Park Ji-hoon to promote his movie, and they criticized him for using the sibling relationship to hype it up. A small number of people even said they would never watch his movie!

This was inevitable.

In the entertainment industry, which popular artist doesn't have a scandal? Artists who use hype to rise to fame are everywhere. Reality is such that silence is no longer praised. To become famous, you have to pay a price. Even Park Min-ya understood that the effect of such hype was much better than directly revealing their relationship, even if there were some negative effects. Some praise, some criticism, but at least there would be attention. The worst thing is to be ignored.

Moreover, what does it have to do with others that the siblings went to the supermarket to buy things? They didn't even know someone was taking photos.

Park Ji-hoon was well-prepared for this. After ten years of ups and downs, he understood that if you don't fight for it, you will never have it.

As for Park Min-ya, there was no need to worry. She enjoyed reading the online comments every day. At this moment, Krystal realized that her friend had such a bad habit!

...

"What? You are going to star in a movie directed by Park Ji-hoon?" When Krystal's agent heard this news, he wasn't happy or angry, but rather, he had a headache!

Generally, agencies don't restrict their artists from contacting jobs on their own. On the contrary, being able to contact jobs proves your ability! Unless the artist has a bad relationship with the company and is restricted. For someone like Krystal, who grew up in S.M., there was no such concern.

As a singer who had only debuted for less than a year, being able to contact a role in a movie should have been strongly supported by the agent. After all, the agent's income is directly related to the artist's popularity. However, it was precisely a movie directed by Park Ji-hoon!

To say that S.M. hated Park Ji-hoon would be an exaggeration, as they were not on the same level. However, they definitely didn't like him.

The recent "cohabiting" scandal was a big deal, and the company even considered making Krystal leave "We Got Married." Later, they learned from Krystal that Park Ji-hoon and Park Min-ya were actually siblings, so they dropped the idea. After all, they had to consider MBC's face. If they left the show just because of a false scandal, it would definitely upset the TV station.

The agent suddenly thought, was this Park Ji-hoon's way of showing goodwill to the company?

"OPPA, such an opportunity is rare!" Krystal said softly. In Korea, the status of artists is ranked from highest to lowest as movie actors, TV actors, singers, and comedians. Being able to star in a movie is a dream opportunity for every singer. More importantly, with so many artists in the company, like Gaya Ra, Lee Yeon-hee, and Yoon Ah, the opportunities for her were rare! However, the agent's income and status were directly linked to her.

The agent's headache was also due to this.

"I will discuss it with the company and try my best to help you!" As an agent, he was very meticulous. Park Ji-hoon, who had almost no status, could get investment from the CJ Group, which only meant that his abilities were up to par.

As for the acting fee, he didn't care at all. For a new artist who had only debuted for less than a year and was still a singer, how much could the acting fee be? Just like popular variety shows, being able to star in them was already a blessing.

Two days later.

Krystal brought freshly bought beef to Park Ji-hoon's house. There were no evening schedules, so she could enjoy a big meal. Usually, even eating had to be timed.

"Big Sister Min-ya—" She excitedly hugged Park Min-ya, who opened the door. With her excellent cooking skills, good personality, talent, and ability to guide her in studies, how could she not like such a friend?

Moreover, the two had some similarities. For example, in summer, they both liked to wear tank tops, shorts, and sandals.

"You don't have to buy meat every time," Park Min-ya said, taking the bag from her.

"I want to eat the beef you cook, Big Sister Min-ya!" Krystal said with a bit of a pout.

Park Min-ya smiled indulgently. She also liked this little girl, who was straightforward, had no ulterior motives, and still loved learning even as an artist. Most importantly, she had a very good relationship with Park Ji-hoon and occasionally took care of him. Having such a sister was nice.

"Where is OPPA?" Krystal asked.

"Arguing!" Park Min-ya said, "He will be back soon."

"Arguing?" Krystal asked in surprise, her eyebrows raising. However, she suddenly saw someone else in the living room and immediately quieted down.

A typical child's personality, very clingy to close people but shy with strangers.

"Last time at the water park, this is my friend Park Ji-hyun, who is temporarily staying here," Park Min-ya introduced, fearing awkwardness. "Ji-hyun, this is Krystal."

"Big Sister Ji-hyun, hello," Krystal greeted politely.

"Krystal, hello," Park Ji-hyun said with a smile. She was naturally outgoing and didn't feel awkward because of Krystal's status as an artist.

Park Min-ya put the beef away and explained the "arguing" to Krystal: "It's about the script! Every meeting is like an argument." To better commercialize, the production team often modifies the script, which is why many movie scripts are not written by the original authors. Although a new director, Park Ji-hoon was not timid and insisted on his points, leading to arguments at every meeting.

"I see," Krystal said, nodding slightly, imagining Park Ji-hoon arguing with others. In her impression, Park Ji-hoon was always a "go-with-the-flow" type of person, rarely arguing with anyone.

"Let's prepare dinner!" Park Min-ya said, "Anyway, he won't be much help when he comes back."

"Is it because you spoil him?" Park Ji-hyun said enviously.

"Exactly!" Krystal nodded sourly. She had often thought, if her sister could have a personality like Park Min-ya, it would be great!

Park Min-ya smiled, not paying attention to the two jealous people.

No matter how detailed others knew, how could they understand their feelings without experiencing it themselves? She vividly remembered the first time they met. Park Ji-hoon was only in fifth grade, with delicate features like a girl, but he was wild and fierce. He only spoke three sentences all day: two greetings to her and her mother at her father's request, and one "thank you, Mom" at the end of the day.

Her mother washed his sheets, pillowcases, and piles of dirty clothes, tidied his room, scolded her father for being too strict, and gave him a neat and handsome haircut... That night, because they slept in the same room, she saw him crying secretly.

Thinking about it as an adult, she couldn't help but feel heartache and pity. She always remembered her mother's last words, to take care of her brother!

She efficiently assigned tasks to Krystal and Park Ji-hyun to help prepare dinner.

Park Ji-hoon returned just as dinner was about to be ready, as if he had calculated the time.

"How did it go?" He asked Krystal directly upon seeing her.

"The company disagrees!" Krystal pouted slightly.

Park Ji-hoon narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "I will have the staff send you the script under the name of CJ Group."

After saying this, he didn't get a response and looked up to see Krystal staring at him strangely, as if... trying to hold back a laugh?