Chapter 49. The Gentleman and the High School Girl

Since Son Jin-wook is usually very interested in cars, he owns three vehicles, and his knowledge of P Company, known for its complex options, is as rich as that of an average dealer.

Swoosh—

The automatic doors of the P Company showroom opened, and Son Jin-wook and Ryu Yeon-woo entered.

The branch manager, Lee Myung-han, who had been waiting for them, greeted them.

"Oh, Mr. Son!"

The valet staff had informed the branch manager of Son Jin-wook's arrival by phone, and the manager hurriedly came down to the first floor to welcome the VIP customer he personally handled.

"Haha, it's been a while, Branch Manager. Today, I'm here to look at a car for this friend."

Jin-wook patted Yeon-woo's shoulder.

"Hello."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Myung-han, the branch manager."

The branch manager shook Yeon-woo's hand politely.

Although the young man looked like a celebrity, Lee Myung-han didn't know who he was. However, seeing the commotion among the female staff at the back desk, he thought Yeon-woo must be a popular young actor or idol.

Jin-wook spoke to the branch manager.

"Branch Manager, I'd like to take delivery today if possible. Do you have any cars reserved?"

"There are a few, but which model are you looking for...?"

"Let's start with the flagship model..."

"Minimum financial or cash..."

While discussing various conditions, the three of them entered the showroom.

They started discussing the complex details that even Yeon-woo couldn't fully understand, and before long, they began selecting a car.

***

The next day, Yeon-woo went to Son Jin-wook's house parking lot to pick up the car.

"Wow, it's beautiful."

Jin-wook, standing next to Yeon-woo, pointed to the red sports car being unloaded from the car carrier.

'This keeps reminding me of my past life.'

Unlike his past life, where he had picked up a used 1996 compact car, he was now picking up a clearly expensive sports car with a cash payment, and he was even younger than when he had bought a car in his past life.

After picking up the car and receiving Jin-wook's farewell, Yeon-woo got into the car.

"I did get my driver's license, but it feels strange."

After driving for over 20 years, he had suddenly become a high school student and hadn't driven for two years.

"Where are you going?"

Swoosh—

Yeon-woo's smartphone rang while he was thinking.

"Yes, Manager Min-soo."

It was a call from his manager.

- Mr. Ryu, where are you right now?

"I'm at Mr. Jin-wook's house and about to leave."

- Oh, have you had lunch? The CEO wants to meet you.

"CEO? Our company's CEO?"

Yeon-woo was surprised because he had only met Kim Joo-sung, the CEO of LN Entertainment, once during the contract signing and hadn't seen him since.

"Is it okay? Where should I go?"

- I'll come pick you up.

"It's okay, Manager Min-soo. I bought a car yesterday."

- Oh, really? Congratulations. Haha. I'll send you the address.

After ending the call, Yeon-woo's smartphone received the address of the restaurant.

The restaurant wasn't far away.

Yeon-woo arrived at the restaurant and handed his car to the valet.

The exterior of the restaurant gave off a high-end vibe from the entrance.

A uniformed staff member greeted Yeon-woo.

"Welcome. This way, please."

The staff member immediately guided Yeon-woo upon seeing his face.

Yeon-woo nodded and followed the staff member.

Knock knock—

"The guest has arrived."

"Please come in."

The staff member politely opened the sliding door at the sound of the voice from inside.

Yeon-woo entered the room.

Inside, Kim Joo-sung, the CEO of LN Entertainment, with his neatly styled pompadour, was sitting alone.

"CEO, it's been a while."

"Yeon-woo, it's good to see you."

The CEO stood up and extended his hand.

Yeon-woo shook his hand.

"Haha, please sit down."

After inviting Yeon-woo to sit, the CEO also took his seat.

"I don't have any specific agenda, but I just wanted to have a meal with one of our company's actors."

"I see."

Kim Joo-sung smiled at Yeon-woo.

"I really love acting."

Yeon-woo listened quietly to Joo-sung's sudden and unexpected statement.

"At least, I don't consider our company's actors as just money. I really dislike that kind of attitude."

"Yes, I know LN Entertainment is well-regarded among actors and managers. I'm also very satisfied."

Yeon-woo's words were genuine. The company had a good reputation, and he was indeed satisfied.

Joo-sung smiled slightly at Yeon-woo's words.

"Haha, I didn't say that to receive praise... but the entertainment industry is a harsh and dirty world, and I'm worried that a newly adult actor like you might face difficulties or bad influences."

Recently, there have been many drug-related issues in the entertainment industry.

Joo-sung's words, filled with genuine concern for Ryu Yeon-woo, whom he had liked since the "Summer's Closet" audition, were sincere.

"Yes, I will keep that in mind, CEO."

Unlike Kim Joo-sung's worries, Yeon-woo had lived a life that felt like walking through hell in his past life.

However, he simply nodded in response to the genuine concern.

"If you ever encounter any dirty tricks in the entertainment industry, don't hesitate to contact me. I won't tolerate such things, and our company has the power to handle them."

Joo-sung's face looked a bit melancholic, as if he had a story to tell.

Knock knock—

"Excuse me."

A staff member entered with the food just as Joo-sung finished speaking.

"Ah, I ordered it in advance, but if you can't eat raw fish, we can change the menu."

"No, I can eat anything."

Yeon-woo smiled at Joo-sung.

"Haha, that's good. Let's eat."

As Joo-sung picked up his chopsticks, Yeon-woo followed suit.

During the meal, Kim Joo-sung asked Yeon-woo about the current film set, any inconveniences, and what roles he wanted to play in the future.

Yeon-woo found Joo-sung to be a better person than he had expected, and they had a comfortable meal while discussing various topics.

After the meal, Joo-sung, who had come by car, left first, reminding Yeon-woo to drive carefully.

Soon, Yeon-woo also got into his car, which the valet had brought, and picked up his smartphone.

- Oh, my son.

"Mom, I've taken a few days off and thought I'd come home."

Yeon-woo's mother was delighted to hear this.

- Really? What should I prepare? Is there anything you want to eat?

"Let's grill some beef. I'll buy it on the way."

- You. I'll buy it. Don't get out of the car carelessly. You'll be surrounded by people.

Then, his mother continued.

- Oh, by the way, your father twisted his ankle while hiking. Can you pick up So-hyun on your way? You know her school, right?

His mother seemed to assume that Manager Kim Min-soo would bring him.

"Yes, Mom. It's Seon-a High School, right?"

Yeon-woo, gripping the steering wheel that felt both awkward and familiar, headed to Daejeon.

Ryu So-hyun, due to the high school allocation system, had been assigned to the farthest school among her choices, and she had few friends from the same middle school.

As a result, her father, who used to drive her to school every day, had become a full-time driver for three more years.

Although she had no friends at first, she quickly became close to her classmates due to her friendly nature.

Unlike middle school, rumors about her brother were less widespread.

She didn't want to seem arrogant just because her brother was famous, so she didn't tell her friends.

Still, as a celebrity, he was a major topic of interest among high school students, and many of her classmates knew about him.

So-hyun was on her way to the parking lot in front of the school gate, where her father usually waited.

Meanwhile, at the school gate parking lot.

"Hey, what's that car? It looks expensive."

"That's P Company. You're so ignorant. Pfft."

"Why is it parked here? Is someone sponsoring our school?"

A group of high school girls, squatting in a corner of the school gate, were giggling while fixing their makeup.

Yeon-woo, watching them from inside the heavily tinted car, thought they were typical delinquents.

"How can these kids be so similar to how we were back then?"

Recalling his past life, when he graduated from high school in the late 1990s, Yeon-woo shook his head.

He saw his sister So-hyun walking down the street, laughing with her friends.

At that moment, the squatting girls pointed at someone and started talking.

"Isn't that the first-year girl?"

"Oh, the one who has a crush on Hyun-joon?"

"She doesn't have a crush on him. Haha, she got rejected right at the school gate."

It seemed they were pointing at his sister.

Click—

Yeon-woo got out of the car.

The girls, who had been squatting next to the car, were startled when the door opened.

"Oh, you scared me."

"What? What's going on...?"

The girls, startled, stood up and saw Yeon-woo getting out of the car.

"Kyaa! It's Ryu Yeon-woo!"

"Wow, are you serious... Is this real?"

Hearing the familiar name and screams from the corner of the parking lot, Ryu So-hyun turned her head.

"Oh, it's you, brother!"

"Let's go, So-hyun. Mom said she bought some beef."

The high school girls were stunned by the conversation between "Ryu Yeon-woo" and the "first-year girl with a crush."

"How did you get here, brother?"

"I'm on leave today. I heard Dad hurt his ankle?"

"Oh, it's just a slight sprain."

So-hyun laughed and answered, then approached with her friends.

"I'm a huge fan. Oh, I can't believe it."

"Hello, Yeon-woo. I'm So-hyun's friend, Kim Min-ji."

One was fiery, and the other was calm, just like Sung-sik and Jun-su.

Yeon-woo smiled at his friends.

"Thanks for being friends with So-hyun."

"Wow."

Both the fiery and calm friends were speechless, seeing Yeon-woo's smile up close.

"Brother, let's go before a crowd gathers. Where's the car?"

Remembering how he had been surrounded at a rest stop last time, So-hyun urged him to leave quickly.

Yeon-woo, smiling, opened the passenger door of the car right next to them.