Chapter 94

"Uh-huh." After hearing what Hyun had to say, Park Ji-hoon didn’t refuse but nodded and said, "I’ve taken on an advertisement, and filming starts tomorrow." After days of preparation, the director, script, and crew were all ready, and the advertisement was set to begin filming the next day.

"Congratulations, OPPA!" Hyun’s face lit up with joy, her eyes sparkling as she sincerely said.

"That, well," seeing her innocent and bright expression, Park Ji-hoon couldn’t help but touch his nose and said, "There will be a kissing scene in the advertisement."

Hyun was suddenly taken aback.

She was the second person Ji-hoon told; the first was naturally Taeyeon.

The relationship between Park Ji-hoon and Taeyeon had been slowly improving, and recently they had even entered a small honeymoon period. So, after learning about the content of the advertisement, he told Taeyeon first.

Taeyeon didn’t say much, just congratulated him. It was a rare opportunity for him to soar, and she didn’t want to be a burden.

"Is it too early for OPPA to take on an advertisement now?" After a moment of shock, Hyun asked with concern. She had just congratulated him, but now she felt a bit anxious and uncertain.

Park Ji-hoon raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking into her eyes until he saw a hint of unease, then smiled and said, "It’s fine; the other party’s offer was very sincere."

"Oh." Hyun pursed her lips, responding somewhat reluctantly.

"Actors are different from idols; there are fewer taboos, so most advertisements have kissing scenes," Park Ji-hoon said softly, as if explaining to her.

"Oh." Hyun responded again. Her mood was a bit strange. She thought, it’s fine, it’s just work, and she should be happy for him, but for some reason, there was an indescribable emotion gnawing at her. She suddenly remembered his unusual reaction when he saw the photos that day.

"It’s very late, go back and rest early." Park Ji-hoon patted her shoulder and said.

"Goodnight, OPPA." Hyun waved goodbye.

After getting in the car and sitting by the window, she watched Park Ji-hoon’s figure gradually disappear from her view. It was the first time in over half a year.

...

The next afternoon, Park Ji-hoon arrived at the filming location as scheduled.

Lee Tae-ho, the advertisement director, the crew, and his co-star, Sung Yuri, were all waiting.

"Minister Lee, hello." Park Ji-hoon greeted Lee Tae-ho, then, introduced by him, greeted the advertisement director, Kim Han-soo, and others.

Kim Han-soo was very polite to him, after all, he also had the identity of a film director.

Then, Park Ji-hoon walked up to Sung Yuri and greeted her very politely. Sung Yuri had entered the entertainment industry later than him but had been an artist longer and was older, so he treated her with the respect of a junior.

"Are you always so late? Don’t you know how to be punctual?" Before Sung Yuri could speak, a man’s voice suddenly rang out.

Park Ji-hoon looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man standing not far behind Sung Yuri, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, a very ordinary outfit. His single-lidded eyes, slightly swollen, stared at him with a look of dissatisfaction and disdain.

His brows furrowed, feeling a bit confused.

"OPPA!" Sung Yuri quickly turned and scolded, then bowed slightly to Park Ji-hoon and said, "Mr. Park Ji-hoon, hello." Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, a purple blouse tucked into white jeans, the back hanging loosely, looking casual and natural. Her humble and polite demeanor contrasted sharply with the man behind her.

She was very beautiful, her features giving a gentle and refined impression, which was one of the reasons Park Ji-hoon chose her.

Park Ji-hoon nodded and said to her, "The agreed time was 2 PM; I didn’t expect Miss Sung Yuri to arrive so early. I’m sorry." He ignored the man.

"It’s fine, I came early," Sung Yuri said with a light laugh, but her smile seemed forced, as if she was enduring something. After speaking, she turned her head and coughed lightly.

The man behind her took two steps forward, came to her side, and then seemed to understand something. He raised his head, frowned, and said to Park Ji-hoon in an unfriendly tone, "Our Yuri is allergic to smoke, didn’t you know?"

Park Ji-hoon narrowed his eyes. Indeed, he felt guilty for causing Sung Yuri discomfort due to his own reasons. However, the man’s attitude angered him. Why should he know that Sung Yuri was allergic to smoke? It seemed this guy had misunderstood something!

"OPPA, it’s fine!" Sung Yuri quickly said to the man.

"I didn’t know Miss Sung Yuri was allergic to smoke, I’m sorry! However, if that’s the case, we don’t need to shoot," Park Ji-hoon said to Sung Yuri and then turned to leave.

Sung Yuri and the middle-aged man were both stunned. How could someone who was previously so polite and humble suddenly say such a proud and arrogant thing? Could he really decide not to shoot the advertisement?

Park Ji-hoon came to Lee Tae-ho.

"Ji-hoon, how is it?" Lee Tae-ho asked with a smile, a bit of teasing in his tone, as men often use such methods to build rapport.

"Minister Lee, who is that man?" Park Ji-hoon didn’t answer but frowned and asked.

"Choi Sung Yuri’s agent, Cho Sung-soo. What’s wrong?" Lee Tae-ho noticed his expression and turned to look, then asked.

"It seems there’s some misunderstanding, and he’s targeting me! Also, Miss Sung Yuri is allergic to smoke, so she might not be able to shoot normally," Park Ji-hoon said, not meaning to target Sung Yuri but genuinely concerned that she might affect the advertisement’s shooting, which would be bad for everyone.

"I see." Lee Tae-ho frowned, patted his shoulder, and said, "Wait a moment." Then he walked straight to Sung Yuri and Cho Sung-soo.

There was indeed some misunderstanding!

After the discussion, he had said to Sung Yuri, "Park Ji-hoon is looking forward to working with you," and Cho Sung-soo was there, possibly misunderstanding that Sung Yuri was the lead in the advertisement!

It’s no wonder, as popularity, though highly valued, is often just a bubble. For someone like Park Ji-hoon, who was just starting to show promise, industry insiders might praise him to follow the trend but didn’t actually take him seriously. Too many artists had become famous and then returned to obscurity!

Sung Yuri was different, having been famous for many years with significant popularity in both the music and film industries, belonging to the truly influential class. No wonder they thought Park Ji-hoon was overreaching.

However, he saw Park Ji-hoon’s explosive potential and future potential! Park Ji-hoon was the lead!

"Minister Lee!" Seeing him approach, Cho Sung-soo hurriedly greeted.

"Minister Lee, hello!" Sung Yuri also greeted.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t know Miss Sung Yuri was allergic to smoke," Lee Tae-ho nodded and said without any change in expression.

"It’s fine, she can endure it!" Cho Sung-soo seemed to have changed, not making any wild demands to replace Park Ji-hoon but nodding in understanding.

However, it was no longer a matter of his understanding or not.

"No need!" Lee Tae-ho shook his head and said, "I’m sorry to waste your time, please go back. The contract matters will be discussed by our lawyers."

Sung Yuri and Cho Sung-soo were both stunned. Then, they glanced at Park Ji-hoon, who was talking to the director in the distance.

How could this be?

"Minister Lee, please wait!" Seeing Lee Tae-ho about to turn and leave, Cho Sung-soo hurriedly stepped forward, somewhat flustered, and said, "I’m sorry! It was all my mistake, I will apologize to Mr. Park Ji-hoon!" He wasn’t stupid and understood the source of the problem! He had mistakenly thought Park Ji-hoon was overreaching Sung Yuri and, due to lack of rest, was in a bad mood, leading to his attitude. Of course, there was also the thought that Park Ji-hoon, without an agency, was easy to bully.

"I’m sorry, Minister Lee!" Sung Yuri also hurriedly apologized. She was the most innocent, having said nothing. But Cho Sung-soo was her agent.

Lee Tae-ho didn’t speak but paused, stepping aside. This was largely for the sake of the performance, as preparing an advertisement wasn’t easy.

Cho Sung-soo immediately understood his meaning and hurriedly ran to Park Ji-hoon, bowed deeply, and said, "I’m sorry, Mr. Park Ji-hoon, I spoke rashly before, please forgive me!"

After speaking, he remained bowed.

Kim Han-soo and the nearby crew members looked at him in surprise, then at Lee Tae-ho, and finally at Park Ji-hoon, showing expressions of surprise and deep thought.

"Oh." Park Ji-hoon responded coolly, looked at him for a moment, and seeing that he wouldn’t stand up unless he spoke, said, "Don’t appear in front of me."

"Yes!" Cho Sung-soo responded happily, stood up, and left.

Causing such a trouble for no reason, Park Ji-hoon shook his head in helplessness, spoke to Kim Han-soo, and walked to Lee Tae-ho and Sung Yuri. This was largely for the sake of the performance; he didn’t think he had the power to casually cancel an advertisement. Moreover, Lee Tae-ho had given him enough face, so he naturally had to return the favor.

"Mr. Park Ji-hoon, I’m sorry, Sung-soo OPPA was just tired and in a bad mood, so he spoke rashly," Sung Yuri saw him and hurriedly apologized.

Park Ji-hoon waved his hand and asked, "Is Miss Sung Yuri okay? I’ve been under a lot of pressure recently, so I often smoke."

"I’m fine," Sung Yuri replied. She was indeed allergic to smoke but could endure it with effort.

Park Ji-hoon nodded and said to Lee Tae-ho, "I’m sorry to trouble you, Minister Lee."

"It’s fine," Lee Tae-ho said with a smile, "Let’s start shooting!"

On one hand, he was certainly impressed by Park Ji-hoon’s potential, and on the other, he was curious about Park Ji-hoon’s identity. The two lawyers he met that day made him realize that Park Ji-hoon’s background was far from simple.

The two 30-second advertisements took an entire afternoon and night to shoot!

Sung Yuri noticed that whenever he had a moment to spare, Park Ji-hoon would chew a piece of gum, which greatly improved her impression of him.

They wrapped up just as the sky was beginning to lighten.

...

In the morning, Moon Hye-ju, as usual, brought the day’s newspaper to Director Shin and made her a cup of coffee.

Shin Hye-young casually picked up the top newspaper.

"Who is Lee Soo-man?" she suddenly asked as Moon Hye-ju finished making the coffee.

---

The advertisement on the page began.

The advertisement on the page ended.