Chapter 31

MBC's acting awards are similar to the entertainment awards, except that the recipients are the actors and actresses who starred in all the dramas broadcast on MBC that year.

Compared to the confident atmosphere of "Infinite Challenge" yesterday, tonight's "Cafe Prince" has less confidence for Yoon Hyun. This is because not long after "Cafe Prince" ended, MBC aired a well-produced historical drama.

The male lead of this drama, "Taewang Four Gods," is Bae Yong-joon.

Well, just with that name, Yoon Hyun doesn't have much hope for tonight's awards.

However, for his co-star, his first kiss... well... Yoon Eun-hye, tonight is more worth looking forward to. Because in "Cafe Prince," Yoon Eun-hye's performance was indeed excellent.

After more than two hours of preparation, Yoon Hyun was finally ready to walk the red carpet for the first time as an actor.

This is different from the red carpets for variety shows and music awards. In Korea's entertainment industry, actors have a much higher status and receive more attention.

"Yoon Hyun, it's been a long time!" In the waiting limousine, Yoon Hyun met Yoon Eun-hye, whom he hadn't seen for several months.

"Yoon Eun-hye, it's been a long time!" Seeing Yoon Eun-hye, Yoon Hyun suddenly remembered the last scene, his face turned a bit red, and he unconsciously used formal language.

The bed scene was broadcast on TV, and Yoon Hyun didn't dare to watch it, but he knew that the ratings almost reached 50% at that moment... If it weren't for that moment, he and Yoon Eun-hye wouldn't have anything to look forward to against "Taewang Four Gods" with Bae Yong-joon and Moon So-ri...

"Hey, why are you being so formal with me!" Sensing the strange atmosphere, Yoon Eun-hye took the initiative to start the conversation.

"What have you been up to recently?" Yoon Hyun returned to a normal friend-chatting attitude.

"What else, shooting ads, looking for scripts. I'm not as lucky as you, who got a movie script right after finishing a drama." Yoon Eun-hye said, showing envy.

"Taking a break and settling down is actually better. I'm just being exploited by my agent. Sigh, I envy you." Yoon Hyun glanced at Kim Soo-yeon, who was chatting with Yoon Eun-hye's agent.

"I wonder when I'll have the chance to play the lead in a movie..." Yoon Eun-hye's mood was a bit low.

"Playing a lead is just a matter of time. I think you should become a director and make your own movies!" Yoon Hyun encouraged Yoon Eun-hye.

"Director? I've never thought about it. Unlike you, who always follows the clapperboard during drama shoots, looking like you have ambitions to be a director." Yoon Eun-hye laughed.

"If I become a director in the future, I'll ask you to play the lead!" Yoon Hyun didn't mind playing a child in front of Yoon Eun-hye, which might help to ease the awkwardness.

The two chatted and laughed for a while, and then the PD in charge of the event notified them that it was almost time to enter. The limousine they were in drove to the end of the red carpet.

When Yoon Eun-hye, dressed in a wine-red evening gown, and Yoon Hyun, dressed in a sharp suit, stepped onto the red carpet together, the entire venue erupted in loud cheers.

Many girls were shouting "Go Eun-chan" loudly.

"See? You're more popular than me." Yoon Hyun whispered in Yoon Eun-hye's ear with a smile.

Yoon Eun-hye was also very happy to hear this and laughed.

This moment of intimacy was naturally captured by the photographers on the side.

This action naturally sparked cheers from the fans of "Cafe Prince."

After entering, the two found their seats at the table for the production team and greeted Lee Sun-kyun and Choi Jung-an, who had arrived earlier. Since the production team disbanded, they hadn't seen each other, so they chatted about recent developments.

Soon, Ham Eun-jeong and Kim Dong-wook also arrived.

"Ham Eun-jeong, it's been a long time." Yoon Hyun greeted Ham Eun-jeong. Since his debut, he had less contact with the girls he knew from CCM.

"Yoon Hyun oppa, it's been a long time." Indeed, it had been a long time without contact, and Ham Eun-jeong was dressed up for the event, so she was a bit formal and didn't act as freely as before, just smiling and greeting Yoon Hyun.

Then, a thunderous cheer came from outside the hall.

"Bae Yong-joon xi is here!" Even Yoon Eun-hye's eyes started to sparkle.

Yoon Hyun suddenly felt a bit depressed.

After Bae Yong-joon and Moon So-ri entered, the acting awards ceremony officially began.

As the main contenders for the grand prize tonight, "Cafe Prince," "Taewang Four Gods," and another drama "Lee Sun" all showed a level of dominance higher than the other dramas.

Yoon Hyun also knew "Lee Sun" because "Infinite Challenge" had previously filmed a special episode at the "Lee Sun" set...

The awards were announced one by one. Overall, "Cafe Prince" and "Taewang Four Gods" were neck and neck, while "Lee Sun" was slightly behind.

Soon, it was time for the first major award of the night, the Newcomer Award.

In "Cafe Prince," Yoon Hyun was nominated for Best New Male Actor, and Ham Eun-jeong was fortunate to be nominated for Best New Female Actor.

The Best New Female Actor award went to Lee Ji-ya from "Taewang Four Gods" and another newcomer named Lee Ha-na. Ham Eun-jeong politely clapped to congratulate them, but her eyes revealed a deep sense of regret.

Seeing Ham Eun-jeong's expression, Yoon Hyun gently hugged her, patted her shoulder, and whispered a few words of comfort in her ear.

Most of the people in the production team knew that Ham Eun-jeong was brought into the team by Yoon Hyun, so they didn't find it inappropriate to see him comforting her.

Next, the Best New Male Actor award was announced, and "Cafe Prince" finally reclaimed some ground. Yoon Hyun and another actor won the award.

In his acceptance speech, Yoon Hyun said, "Thank you, MBC, for this award and recognition. The person I most want to share this award with is Ham Eun-jeong, who entered the production team with me. As newcomers, we worked hard together, and your contribution is part of my recognition!"

Ham Eun-jeong, who was stunned, was deeply moved by Yoon Hyun's words.

Then, the awards became more significant. After the Golden Acting Awards, which were more consolatory, the Popular Actor Award was won by the couple from "Taewang Four Gods," Bae Yong-joon and Lee Ji-ya. This made the director of "Cafe Prince," Lee Yoon-jeong, a bit unhappy. In terms of ratings, "Cafe Prince," with Yoon Hyun's boost, didn't lag behind "Taewang Four Gods"...

Then came the last Popular Award, and the final warm-up before the real acting awards, the Best Couple Award.

The biggest contenders were naturally the two couples from "Taewang Four Gods" and "Cafe Prince."

Although Yoon Eun-hye was still nervously holding Yoon Hyun's hand, she knew that the Popular Male and Female Actor awards had already gone to their rivals, so she and Yoon Hyun had little hope. However, this was the second award she had a chance to win tonight, and subconsciously, since the last scene of "Cafe Prince," Yoon Hyun had become a trustworthy and reliable figure in her mind.

The presenter smiled and opened the envelope, then covered his mouth in surprise.

"Although it's a bit unexpected, it's well-deserved. Congratulations, Yoon Eun-hye and Yoon Hyun! 'Cafe Prince'!"

Yoon Hyun and Yoon Eun-hye were stunned, but the other actors around them were excited and stood up to applaud.

"Did we win?" Yoon Eun-hye was still a bit incredulous.

"Let's go, to receive the award!" Yoon Hyun smiled and pulled Yoon Eun-hye onto the stage.

There was no solemnity in their acceptance, and Yoon Eun-hye, wearing high heels, looked a bit awkward. But the joyful atmosphere made everyone in the audience smile. This was Go Eun-chan and Choi Han-jae, after all.

"Thank you everyone! I really didn't expect to have a chance to win this award. Bae Yong-joon and Lee Ji-ya's performances were also excellent... I'm really surprised, thank you!" Yoon Eun-hye, due to her excitement, was a bit incoherent.

"I'm even more surprised." Seeing Yoon Eun-hye's excitement, Yoon Hyun took over, "It proves that finding a good woman is really important. Eun-chan, thank goodness you're not a man!"

Amidst the applause, the two went back to their seats.

Next came the real highlight of the night.

The acting awards were originally a way to distribute recognition, so many categories were designed. Similar to the entertainment awards, the male and female actor awards were divided into Excellent and Best, with the Grand Prize above them.

Yoon Hyun was nominated for Excellent Male Actor, and Yoon Eun-hye for Best Female Actor.

This meant that the Grand Prize was not related to them. Seeing that Bae Yong-joon was not nominated for the male actor categories, it was clear who the Grand Prize would go to...

Compared to Yoon Hyun, Yoon Eun-hye was more nervous.

Based on Yoon Hyun's performance in "Cafe Prince," although winning Best Male Actor was unlikely, winning Excellent Male Actor should not be a problem.

However, for Yoon Eun-hye, who won Best New Female Actor last year for "Gong," winning Best Female Actor was much more significant.

So when Yoon Hyun won the Excellent Male Actor award and stood on stage, he wasn't too excited: "Thank you, MBC, for giving this newcomer so much recognition. I'm very grateful. For this award, I want to say: Eun-chan, no, Eun-hye! Without you, I wouldn't have won this award. Keep it up! You're the best!"

After encouraging Yoon Eun-hye, Yoon Hyun went back to his seat.

"Thank you!" Yoon Eun-hye, who was already very nervous, gave Yoon Hyun a tight hug.

Next was the Best Female Actor award.

"Yoon Eun-hye, 'Cafe Prince,' and Kong Hyo-jin, 'Thanks'" As the presenter announced the winners, Yoon Eun-hye, who had been nervously holding Yoon Hyun's hand, seemed to lose all her strength.

Then, in her acceptance speech, Yoon Eun-hye cried uncontrollably.

Yoon Hyun kept clapping gently. As someone who had a smooth career since his debut, it was hard for him to understand the struggles Yoon Eun-hye had faced since her debut with Babyvox, the controversy she endured, and how she slowly gained recognition through her role in the variety show "X-Man" as a "girl hero" who didn't care about her image. Even after winning Best New Female Actor for "Gong," she was still seen as an unsuccessful singer.

Until this moment, she finally completed her transformation from an unsuccessful singer to a successful actress.

It had been a full 8 years.

Amidst the applause, Yoon Eun-hye slowly stopped crying and began to thank the people she wanted to thank.

"Finally, I want to thank Yoon Hyun xi. Although I mostly took care of you throughout the filming, in the last scene, thank you for helping me find the feeling of being a little girl again. Thank you, I will always be your Go Eun-chan."

Yoon Eun-hye's gratitude naturally brought the camera to Yoon Hyun.

Yoon Hyun, anticipating this, suppressed his awkwardness and rapid heartbeat, put on a sincere smile, and shouted, "I will always be your Choi Han-jae!"

With this, "Cafe Prince" truly came to an end. For Yoon Hyun, the fact that Bae Yong-joon won the Grand Prize later didn't matter to him.

Because he had been taking care of Yoon Eun-hye, who, although calmed down, was still crying.

As a result, the next day, "Yoon Hyun and Yoon Eun-hye" became the top search on Naver. Then, the other protagonist of the "touching embrace," Kim Jong-kook, was also mentioned. Unfortunately, although his father used the relevant policies to reduce his service period to 18 months, he was still serving and wouldn't return until March of the following year...

In the minds of bored netizens, Yoon Hyun became the villain who took advantage of the male protagonist's absence to steal his girlfriend... Various fan fictions and a sequel to "Cafe Prince" where the male protagonist returns were born from the creative minds of these netizens.

Although Yoon Hyun and Yoon Eun-hye later talked on the phone and apologized to each other, it seemed that something was still left unresolved.

Time moved into 2008.

The aftermath of this incident hadn't subsided when Yoon Hyun was questioned by Yoo Jae-suk on "Infinite Challenge."

"Yoon Hyun! I heard you and Eun-hye are together?" Yoo Jae-suk looked at Yoon Hyun with a questioning expression.

"Yoon Hyun, although you're like a younger brother to me, Kim Jong-kook is my brother. I won't stand on your side!" Haha, who was a regular on "X-Man" and was set to serve in the military in March, was very familiar with Kim Jong-kook.

"Besides, Jong-kook will be discharged in March. How about we do a special episode called: Brain vs. Muscle! Who deserves Yoon Eun-hye? What do you think?" Park Myung-soo, whose personal life seemed to be on track, was in a better mood.

Yoon Hyun immediately reacted, covering Park Myung-soo's mouth, "Hey, Myung-soo, be careful what you say!"

This was a tradition on "Infinite Challenge." Because of their tendency to speak without thinking, they had experienced overseas travel, dancing, and other special episodes... If originally, as comedians, they spoke without restraint, now they all had the habit of thinking before speaking.

"I think this special episode would be interesting. PD Kim Tae-ho, you can consider it. I'll inform Jong-kook, and for Eun-hye, he'll definitely come!" Yoo Jae-suk confidently told the PD.

Yoon Hyun felt very frustrated.

As a result, when this episode aired in late January, it sparked a voting craze online, with people choosing who they thought deserved Yoon Eun-hye...

In late January, a previous commitment began to take shape: the promotion of the movie "The Chaser."

It's unknown how much the director was inspired during the editing process, but he gained so much confidence that he passed it on to the investors. As a movie that didn't invest much in production, the promotion was surprisingly generous.

However, due to the overly dark and bloody plot, the movie was rated 19+.

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