Chapter 7

"So, this kid got lucky and was spotted by the scriptwriter and director, and managed to get a role?" As soon as they sat down at the barbecue restaurant, before they even started to order, Yoon Ji-hye couldn't help but ask.

"It's just that I left my contact information," Yoon Hyun said modestly.

Joo Bo-ra looked at Yoon Hyun, whose mouth was almost reaching his ears, and said, "It's just contact information. If Yoon Hyun-xi were to act, the scriptwriter would probably have to revise the script. It's such a big deal, I think it's hard to say."

Yoon Hyun, hearing this, said somewhat unhappily, "That's not necessarily true..."

Before he could finish, Joo Bo-ra's phone rang. She gave Yoon Hyun a dirty look and answered the call, leaving Yoon Hyun, who wanted to argue, feeling stifled.

"One of my younger sisters wants to come and have dinner with me," Joo Bo-ra said casually after hanging up.

"Come on! The more, the merrier," Yoon Ji-hye chimed in.

"Right, I've already told her to come over, she should be here soon," Joo Bo-ra said with a smile, nodding at Yoon Ji-hye, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Ji-hye-ssi."

"Oh, don't be so formal, Bo-ra, your sister is my sister too!" Yoon Ji-hye waved her hand generously.

"… Did you forget something?" Yoon Hyun, watching the two of them, felt it was a bit absurd.

"No!" Yoon Ji-hye glanced around, "Aren't all the people here?"

Yoon Hyun really felt his blood pressure rising...

"Alright, don't tease Yoon Hyun-xi anymore. Yoon Hyun-xi, didn't you say you wanted to write a song? Why don't you use this time to have Ji-hye-ssi help you with the composition?" Lee Ji-hyeon, who was either trying to help or dig a hole, said.

"Write a song??" Yoon Ji-hye was instantly confused. "Brother, were you struck by lightning today? How did you suddenly become so talented?"

"Um, I was just saying that to tease Yoon Hyun." Yoon Hyun had already thought about it; the core of 'Gangnam Style' is electronic music, and he couldn't possibly produce it... unless he learned and wrote it himself, which would be a monumental task...

"Call me NUNA!" Yoon Ji-hye tapped Yoon Hyun's head lightly.

"Hey, Nuna, that hurts!" Yoon Hyun rubbed the spot where Yoon Ji-hye had hit him, "And calling me Ji-hyeon sounds more intimate, right, Ji-hyeon?"

"Yoon Hyun-xi, we're not that close, are we?" Lee Ji-hyeon added with a sharp remark.

Yoon Hyun clutched his chest and slumped into his seat.

Not long after they ordered, the violent little girl Yoon Hyun had met in the alley appeared.

"Bo-ra-ssi! Ji-hyeon-ssi! Hello!" Park Ji-yeon greeted the two people she knew, then turned to Yoon Ji-hye and bowed deeply, "Hello, Nuna!"

Then, when she faced Yoon Hyun, she paused, pointed at Yoon Hyun, then at Joo Bo-ra, and a wicked smile appeared on her face as she bowed deeply, "Hello, Uncle!"

Joo Bo-ra instantly understood what Park Ji-yeon meant and, like a cat with its fur on end, jumped up and slapped Park Ji-yeon's head, saying fiercely, "You little dinosaur, what are you thinking!"

"Dinosaur?" Yoon Hyun was puzzled. Park Ji-yeon wasn't a beauty of the highest caliber, but her looks were definitely above average. How could she be related to a dinosaur... Then he remembered her claim of being able to take on four people at once and instantly understood what the dinosaur referred to.

"Ji-yeon, let me introduce you." Although she was the same age as Joo Bo-ra, Lee Ji-hyeon, who looked like a mature woman, had a personality that matched her appearance, "This is Yoon Ji-hye, a senior at our company, and she's a fantastic dancer! This is her brother."

"Ji-hyeon-xi, I have a name too, you know?" Yoon Hyun felt wronged.

"Tch, you're so tall but not at all reliable," Park Ji-yeon was clearly still unhappy with Yoon Hyun's performance from the last time.

Yoon Ji-hye, surprised that Yoon Hyun knew Park Ji-yeon, looked at Joo Bo-ra with a puzzled expression.

"Ji-hye-ssi, it's like this. When I met Yoon Hyun-xi, this little dinosaur dragged him over as a shield," Joo Bo-ra said with a smile.

Yoon Ji-hye instantly understood. She knew her brother's personality well and looked at Yoon Hyun with a knowing smile. She had always been suspicious about why her brother, who usually let others take the lead, would suddenly stand up for a girl. Could he have a crush on Bo-ra...

Yoon Hyun's face turned red, and he used the excuse of going to the bathroom to sneak away.

At the sink near the bathroom entrance, Yoon Hyun leaned against it, feeling depressed. These four women were too scary; he didn't dare to go back and could only sulk here.

Soon, a man about his height but twice his size appeared at the bathroom door. Seeing Yoon Hyun leaning there with a worried look, he couldn't help but laugh.

Yoon Hyun could tell the man was much older than him. Out of respect for his senior, even though he was being laughed at, he could only endure it. Moreover, the man's smile was straightforward, so he just gave a nervous laugh in response.

"Kid, what are you doing? Hiding from the drinks?" The big man saw Yoon Hyun's nervous smile and chatted happily.

"No, hiding from the women," Yoon Hyun, for some reason, felt the man's smile was trustworthy and spoke the truth directly.

"Women? Kid, you're so young, you shouldn't have to hide from them," the big man's hearty laugh made Yoon Hyun even more embarrassed.

"Senior, it's not like that. Women are scary, especially when they get together," Yoon Hyun tried to explain. "It's like hell! Hell!"

Yoon Hyun's exaggerated expression made the big man laugh even harder. "Kid, are you an entertainer?"

"Me? No, I'm just a student. What about you, senior?" Yoon Hyun, influenced by the man's smile, felt better.

"You don't recognize me?" The big man was a bit surprised.

"Um... I'm sorry! Are you a famous star, senior?" Yoon Hyun, seeing the man's surprised face, realized he had said something wrong.

"Ah, it's been a long time since I've met someone who doesn't recognize me. This feeling is actually quite fresh!" The big man smiled, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Kang Ho-dong, nice to meet you."

"Oh! So you're Kang Ho-dong, senior!" Yoon Hyun was enlightened. Although he didn't recognize the man's face, the name was familiar. Kang Ho-dong was a legendary figure in Korean variety shows!

"Looks like you've heard of me!" Kang Ho-dong was pleased with Yoon Hyun's reaction.

"Of course I've heard of you! Although I haven't watched your shows, your name is well-known!" Yoon Hyun bowed repeatedly to show his respect.

"… I'm not sure if you're complimenting me or insulting me," Kang Ho-dong felt a bit tragic.

"…" Yoon Hyun bowed again, feeling embarrassed.

"Are you really not an entertainer? I think you have the talent for it!" Kang Ho-dong said with a smile.

"I'm still a student, and I want to focus on my studies for now." Yoon Hyun smiled, thinking that even if he wanted to enter the entertainment industry, he wouldn't start as a comedian... Although variety shows were gaining more prominence in the Korean entertainment industry in the coming years...

"Is that so? That's a bit of a shame. But studying and entertainment don't necessarily conflict," Kang Ho-dong was just making conversation. "By the way, you're in college, right? Which school?"

"Um, just college. Which school, it doesn't really matter," Yoon Hyun thought for a moment and decided to play it down. The recent connection between the entertainment industry and Seoul University was through Tae-hee-ssi, and if the topic came up, it might never end...

"Right, studying is about learning. As long as you learn, it doesn't matter where," Kang Ho-dong thought Yoon Hyun might be shy about not being in a prestigious university.

They chatted like this for about ten minutes, and Yoon Hyun finally couldn't help but ask, "Kang Ho-dong senior, are you really so free to chat with me for so long?"

"Oh… hehe… well…" Kang Ho-dong's eyes started to dart around.

"Are you hiding from the drinks, Kang Ho-dong senior?" Yoon Hyun couldn't help but laugh.

"How can you say that? As a man, I never hide from drinks! I always drink as much as I can!" Kang Ho-dong jumped up like a cat… no, a bear, yes, a bear, "I'm not hiding from drinks."

"Are you hiding from the women like me?" Yoon Hyun's smile was almost uncontrollable.

"Um… yes! Women! Women are really scary!" Kang Ho-dong's expression froze for a moment, then he nodded emphatically with a seemingly sincere look.

"Um… but senior, I'm a bit hungry. Can I go back to eat now?"

"Um… go ahead." Kang Ho-dong, seeing Yoon Hyun's almost bursting smile, gritted his teeth.

"Senior, although I'd love to get your autograph, I don't have any paper or pen." Yoon Hyun, who had already started to leave, thought for a moment and came back, "I hope we can meet again to hide from women."

Kang Ho-dong, speechless, patted his forehead and waved Yoon Hyun away.

When Yoon Hyun returned to his seat, the barbecue ingredients had already been served, and half of them were already gone.

"Hey, did you fall into the toilet? Why did you take so long?" The fierce Yoon Ji-hye saw Yoon Hyun return and scolded him loudly.

"Just met a senior and chatted a bit," Yoon Hyun mumbled.

Yoon Ji-hye didn't have the patience to argue with him. Her attention was entirely on the meat on the grill, so she just waved her hand and ignored Yoon Hyun.

For Yoon Hyun, this meal was like a war!

First, Yoon Ji-hye, who claimed to be pregnant but showed no symptoms, ate enough for three people. Joo Bo-ra and Lee Ji-hyeon, probably still angry about Yoon Hyun's teasing, also ate unusually large amounts. As for the little dinosaur who came to freeload, she ate happily, showing no signs of being a freeloader...

Their enthusiastic eating almost drew the attention of everyone in the hall.

Finally, after an hour, the girls were all satisfied and patted their bellies, signaling they were full. Yoon Hyun was on the verge of collapse.

How much would this meal cost...

Yoon Hyun called the waiter to pay, but the waiter handed him a piece of paper.

"This isn't the bill, right?" Yoon Hyun grumbled.

After opening the paper, Yoon Hyun understood what it was.

- Hey, kid, I don't know your name, but your personality really suits me. I hope we can meet again!

- Oh, by the way, I was going to waive your bill, but after seeing the total, I decided to give you a 20% discount. I now understand why you were hiding from those women.

At the bottom was a flashy signature: Kang Ho-dong.

Although he had only met the big man once, Kang Ho-dong's straightforward personality left a very good impression on Yoon Hyun. The 20% discount, rather than a free meal, did make him a bit disappointed...

Wait, a free meal? Could this restaurant be his?

"Could you please settle the bill?" Yoon Hyun, seeing the waiter standing politely, handed over his credit card with a smile. The waiter politely asked Yoon Hyun to wait and went to the counter to get the card reader.

"What's that paper? Why are there so many words on it?" Joo Bo-ra, who had sharp eyes, noticed something.

"Words? That's a male waiter?" Park Ji-yeon, who had been eating non-stop, finally spoke, making everyone's hearts tremble...

"Are you…?" Yoon Ji-hye looked at Yoon Hyun with disbelief.

"… I'm so tired," Yoon Hyun said, speechless.

"Uncle, you can do it, I wish you and your true love all the best," Park Ji-yeon said sincerely.

At this point, the waiter finally returned with the bill and card reader. Even with the 20% discount, the bill still made Yoon Hyun wince.

After lunch, Yoon Ji-hye had to go back to work. The new dancer in the company's recent project was not very skilled, which made Yoon Ji-hye's job difficult…

"Bo-ra-ssi, I have nothing to do this afternoon. Can I go with you to the audition?" Park Ji-yeon was a bit bored.

"Do you not have to go to the dojo this afternoon?" Joo Bo-ra asked.

"Oh, the teacher is visiting family this week, and the others at the dojo are so boring, I have nothing to do," Park Ji-yeon said, a bit委屈.

"Dojo? What kind of dojo?" Yoon Hyun was curious. He immediately imagined Park Ji-yeon in a taekwondo uniform… surprisingly cute…

"Taekwondo," Lee Ji-hyeon said, "Ji-yeon, although she's young, has a great talent for taekwondo. If it weren't for her age, she would have a black belt."

"… That impressive?" Yoon Hyun felt his mouth go dry. The cute image in his mind immediately turned dark…

"Someone like you, Ji-yeon could take on three without a problem," Joo Bo-ra patted Park Ji-yeon's shoulder in a show of support.

Yoon Hyun managed a difficult smile. In fact, Yoon Hyun wasn't as weak as he appeared. He had served two years in the military on Yeonpyeong Island and had trained hard in various combat techniques. Although he didn't move much now, he still exercised every morning without fail. He just liked to wear loose, comfortable clothes, so no one could see his eight-pack abs.