Chapter 94: Attitude in Dealing with a Dating Rumor

Yeonwoo said he would check and call back, then hung up the phone.

When he went to a portal site and clicked on the entertainment news, the top article was there.

'3 minutes ago?'

It really was a just-posted article.

- [Exclusive] Ryu Yeonwoo and Seo Ji-eun Spotted on a Midnight Date?

With a provocative headline, he clicked on the article to see a photo of the two coming out of a convenience store, wearing hats and masks.

While his own appearance was somewhat unclear, Seo Ji-eun's face was illuminated by the convenience store lights, making it possible to identify her to some extent.

Cris, who cleverly followed behind, did not appear in the photo.

After Yeonwoo ended the call and looked at his smartphone, Cris, who was sitting next to him, glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh? Wasn't that just a moment ago when we went out?"

"Yeah, it seems the paparazzi took the photo."

"Wow, Jay and Nari. Were they superstars?"

Actually, when the offer came, Cris thought the compensation was good and the director and actor were quite famous in Korea, so she was looking forward to it. However, upon arrival, she was surprised by the smaller scale of the production than expected.

Yeonwoo and Director Park had set the pay for the external work at industry standards, but the actual filming was in the form of an independent film, so as a foreigner with little prior information about the two, she was somewhat puzzled.

However, for Cris, the fact that the paparazzi stuck around and immediately posted an article while they were out for a short time indicated that their popularity was on par with any Hollywood movie star.

At that moment, Seo Ji-eun entered with a somewhat serious face, having heard something from her agency.

"Yeonwoo."

"Yeah, I heard it too."

Scratching his head and pondering for a moment, Yeonwoo spoke again.

"But, isn't this not as big a deal as we thought?"

Yeonwoo's smartphone was ringing non-stop.

Yeonwoo rejected the unknown numbers calling in and immediately called Kim Joo-sung, the representative.

- Yeonwoo, I just heard.

"Yes, sir. I knew the paparazzi were following us this morning, but it seems they took photos when we went out for a snack while practicing for 'Sketch.'"

- I see.

Yeonwoo continued as if it wasn't a big deal.

"So, I think it would be best if I handle this directly right now..."

After listening to Yeonwoo's explanation, Kim Joo-sung seemed to think for a moment before his voice came through.

- Hmm... Indeed, it might be cleaner to handle it this way rather than just a simple official response from the company. However, we should seek prior understanding from Seo Ji-eun's agency.

"Since the practice isn't finished yet, I'll handle it."

With the understanding that he would call back if things went in an unexpected direction, Yeonwoo ended the call.

"Sister, did you hear the call? What do you think?"

"Um... I'm fine with anything."

"Then can you connect me to your agency representative? I'll explain."

Seo Ji-eun called her agency representative, and once the call was connected, she handed it over to Yeonwoo.

"Hello, this is Ryu Yeonwoo."

- Oh? Mr. Ryu Yeonwoo? Ah, yes. Hello, I'm Yoo Byung-soo, the representative of Newness Planning.

Yoo Byung-soo was a bit taken aback when the call suddenly went to Ryu Yeonwoo.

Yeonwoo briefly explained the situation to Yoo Byung-soo, who pondered for a moment before giving a positive response.

- From what I hear, it seems like a good idea. As you know, Seo Ji-eun is quite clumsy, so please take good care to avoid any slip-ups.

"Understood."

After ending the call, Yeonwoo looked at Seo Ji-eun.

"Shall we start?"

"Sure!"

Yeonwoo immediately posted a message on the fan cafe that he would start a live broadcast and turned on Bestar Live.

This was the second time since he turned it on during a camping trip with Masukdo while filming "Master Plan."

Actually, the first time he appeared on a live stream was when he was a guest on Masukdo's live stream, so this was practically his first time turning it on himself.

Sitting in a corner of the recording studio and turning on the live stream, viewers quickly started to flood in.

- What? Suddenly a live stream?!

- Live stream melts my heart.

- Wow. What happened, bro? Did you see the internet news?

- Are you really dating Seo Ji-eun?

- Is the man in the photo you?

- Huh? There's such an article?

Numerous questions poured in.

The viewers included those who had seen the article, those who had seen the notice on the fan cafe, and those who had stumbled upon it by chance.

Yeonwoo, who had been smiling while watching the rapidly scrolling chat, spoke once a decent number of viewers had gathered.

At that moment, Lee Chul-ju, who earns views on Nertube by spreading rumors about celebrities, was preparing to upload a video after collecting materials for the big scoop that broke that evening.

Lee Chul-ju, known as 'Tow Truck Man,' had entered Ryu Yeonwoo's fan cafe and was watching the live stream after seeing the notice.

- Hello, I'm actor Ryu Yeonwoo. It's nice to greet you through Bestar Live after a long time.

As soon as Yeonwoo spoke, the chat was filled with hearts and messages so quickly that it was impossible to read.

- I was also surprised to see the dating rumor in the article just now. The man in the photo is indeed me.

"Huh? He's admitting it's him? Is he going for an open relationship?"

Lee Chul-ju, tilting his head in confusion.

The live stream showed Yeonwoo smiling and speaking, with the chat already scrolling too fast to read, but it only got faster.

Then, Yeonwoo spoke in a way that was different from what was expected.

- However, unfortunately, contrary to your expectations, the connection from 'Beyond the River' did not materialize in reality. Ms. Seo Ji-eun?

Yeonwoo spoke to Seo Ji-eun, who was outside the camera frame, and she playfully jumped into the frame.

- Hello! I'm Seo Ji-eun.

Seo Ji-eun naturally joined, and Yeonwoo continued with a smile.

- We are currently practicing for a new movie. This movie has music added, so are you looking forward to it?

"Ah, that makes sense."

Lee Chul-ju, who had thought it was a big scoop, was disappointed that the quick response and live stream didn't provide the kind of sensational content that would draw views on Nertube.

Still, even though it wasn't a dating rumor, the situation itself was interesting, so he focused on the screen, thinking about how to edit it for Nertube.

Yeonwoo skillfully redirected the attention from himself and Seo Ji-eun to the movie.

Moreover, his ability to manage the chat was exceptional.

Then, Yeonwoo spoke to someone outside the camera in English.

Soon, a middle-aged Caucasian woman with yellow hair appeared on the smartphone.

- This is Chrissy Monroe, the music director for the new movie.

- Hello, everyone.

- The photo that heated up the internet for a while seems to have been taken when Director Chrissy wanted to try Korean triangle rice rolls and cup noodles, so we stopped by a convenience store.

Yeonwoo then turned the camera to show the table where they had just been eating triangle rice rolls and cup noodles.

- I showed the combination of bibimbap-flavored triangle rice rolls and spicy noodles. What Korean food should we introduce next?

Yeonwoo's question naturally shifted the chat from the dating rumor to the new movie and Korean food.

When he asked what Korean food to introduce to foreigners, the chat was quickly filled with various food suggestions.

- Samgyeopsal is good. Ah, the bulgogi stew that zee32 just mentioned is also good.

Yeonwoo started interacting with the viewers by reading appropriate comments.

"Wow, his chat management skills are top-notch."

Although the live stream started with an explanation of the dating rumor, it quickly turned into a fun event.

- Since we have this unexpected opportunity to turn on the live stream, let's have a time to interact with the viewers who loved 'Beyond the River.'

Yeonwoo smoothly shifted the topic to 'Beyond the River,' which had a special episode last weekend, while introducing the movie staff to increase credibility.

***

Oh Joo-gwan felt like he was on cloud nine today, having landed a big scoop.

"TNews bastards. They were loitering around all afternoon. Hehe. A scoop is a gift from the sky. I already had Ryu Yeonwoo in my sights."

Oh Joo-gwan, a reporter for Star News, had been waiting for days, following Ryu Yeonwoo's movements, and today he had quickly transmitted the photos of Ryu Yeonwoo and Seo Ji-eun that he had captured alone, and the article was already out.

Feeling elated by his achievement, which quickly rose to the top of the entertainment news on the portal site, he walked into the headquarters with a proud stride.

The elevator opened, and he entered the office, where several employees were already gathered around the monitors despite the late hour.

'Huh, what are they all gathered around for? They must be envious since the article hit number one within five minutes of being posted.'

Smiling, Oh Joo-gwan approached.

"Hey, why aren't you all going home and what are you gathered for?"

His colleague, with whom he had a subtle competitive relationship, looked back and smirked.

"With so many stories breaking, how can we go home?"

"Haha. What stories? Usually, the first to report on a dating rumor gets all the attention."

"Huh? The dating rumor was already gone, buddy."

Looking at his colleague, who had been bothering him recently, Oh Joo-gwan frowned.

'Even though I finally landed a big scoop, saying it was already gone is too much, even if it's out of jealousy.'

Frowning, Oh Joo-gwan approached the other colleagues who were gathered, and at that moment, the reporters who were looking at the monitor started taking notes.

"Oh, so Son Jin-wook appeared as a cameo because he happened to visit in a coffee truck that day? That's a big scoop."

Curious, Oh Joo-gwan peeked at the monitor and his eyes widened when he saw Ryu Yeonwoo and Seo Ji-eun live streaming.

"What, did they admit it while I was driving back?"

"Yeah? Team Leader Oh. That issue was already buried 30 minutes ago. They said they were practicing for a movie."

The colleagues ignored Oh Joo-gwan and were busy writing behind-the-scenes stories from Ryu Yeonwoo's live stream into articles.

Quickly taking out his smartphone, Oh Joo-gwan clicked on the entertainment news on the portal site, but the urgent scoop he had published was already long gone from the top rankings, replaced by other articles.

***

The dating rumor was quickly resolved, and after turning on the live stream, Yeonwoo interacted with fans for about an hour before ending the broadcast.

"So, what did you find the most interesting?"

"Hmm. Maybe 'Your Name'?"

While Seo Ji-eun was chatting with Cris about Korean movies and dramas, Yeonwoo's eyes lit up upon hearing Cris's words.

"'Your Name' is a work by Jin-wook."

"Oh? That's right. I didn't know."

Seo Ji-eun chimed in and told Cris.

"Cris, did you know that Jay is very close to the lead actor of 'Your Name'? They're like brothers."

"Really? Oh my gosh."

Seo Ji-eun held her smartphone and started showing Cris photos, starting from the legendary three-shot of Yeonwoo, Son Jin-wook, and Jin Yohan from 'Beyond the River' to photos from his debut work, 'Summer Wardrobe.'

"Jay, you look different. Of course, you were handsome from the first time I saw you, but now there's a glow behind it..."

"Haha. Jin-wook's influence is strong."

Yeonwoo, scratching his head, smiled.

"Cris, do you know what 'bingsu' is? It's a Korean dish, like tteokbokki or odeng."

"Tteokbokki?"

Cris, tilting her head in confusion at the sudden question.