Chapter 78

Next, it was time for the guests to guess who the X-MAN of this episode was. It's unknown whether it was due to Shin Jung-hwan revealing too many flaws in the game, but he ultimately received seven votes. The final results showed that he was indeed the X-MAN. After the results were announced, the recording of this episode came to an end.

After the recording ended, the artists said their goodbyes to each other, and those who got along well exchanged contact information. Jang Seung-woon also exchanged private phone numbers with the three MCs, Kim Chang-hoon, Kim Jong-kook, and Jeon Hye-bin.

At this moment, he unexpectedly saw the young girl, Lee Ji-hyun, accompanied by her agent, solemnly apologizing to the three senior artists, Kang Ho-dong, Shin Jung-hwan, and Yoon Young-jun, whom she had verbally attacked during the show. Although she had already apologized respectfully at the end of the "Of Course" segment.

Kang Ho-dong and Shin Jung-hwan, who had long been accustomed to being mocked on various shows, were not at all bothered and said things like, "It's fine, I didn't take it to heart!" and "You were just following the show's requirements." Yoon Young-jun, on the other hand, was experiencing such a situation for the first time. Although he felt a bit uncomfortable, he had no airs and, seeing Lee Ji-hyun's sincere attitude, forgave her completely.

Jang Seung-woon, seeing this outcome, felt happy for her and a faint smile appeared on his face. At this moment, Lee Ji-hyun suddenly noticed Jang Seung-woon. Thinking of something, her face turned red, and she quickly but lightly walked over, bowing to Jang Seung-woon and said, "Mr. Jang Seung-woon, my actions during the recording were a bit rash. Please don't take it to heart."

Jang Seung-woon replied, "It's a small matter, you don't need to worry about it. But shouldn't you call me oppa? I'm a few years older than you."

Upon hearing this, the three people standing next to him—Lee Jin, Yoon Eun-hye, and Jeon Hye-bin—immediately couldn't help but laugh, looking at Jang Seung-woon speechlessly, making him feel very confused, thinking, "Did I say something wrong?"

Lee Jin gave his arm a hard pat and laughed, "Are you crazy about being called oppa? You want everyone who looks younger to call you oppa. Miss Lee Ji-hyun is not younger than you; she is the same age as you, just a few months younger. Moreover, she debuted a year earlier than you, so she can be considered your senior."

Jang Seung-woon then laughed awkwardly, "I didn't know that, Sister Jin. You know I'm not very familiar with these things." He then hurriedly apologized to Lee Ji-hyun. Lee Jin said, "If you don't know, you should ask before speaking. Miss Lee Ji-hyun, don't take it to heart; he's just a bit clueless in this area."

Lee Ji-hyun repeatedly said it was not necessary and said a few polite words before taking her leave. After she left, Lee Jin scolded Jang Seung-woon, telling him not to be so rash next time. After all, the entertainment industry places great emphasis on seniority. If it had been someone with a narrow mind today, Jang Seung-woon would have been harshly reprimanded, and no one would have said anything.

After that, Jeon Hye-bin also took her leave. Although she wanted to spend more time with Jang Seung-woon, she had other commitments and had to leave with some regret. Jang Seung-woon then invited Lee Jin and Yoon Eun-hye to have a meal with him. In his view, it was rare for the three of them to be together, and it would be a pity to part ways so easily.

Fortunately, Lee Jin and Yoon Eun-hye had no other plans for the day, so they happily agreed. Neither Jang Seung-woon's nor Lee Jin's agents opposed their gathering; they just reminded them to be careful and not to be seen by reporters, which could lead to rumors. Yoon Eun-hye, who currently had no agent, managed all her other commitments herself, except for her obligations as a singer with DR Entertainment. Therefore, no one would stop her from having a meal with Jang Seung-woon and Lee Jin.

Half an hour later, Jang Seung-woon drove Lee Jin and Yoon Eun-hye to a high-end Western restaurant in Cheongdam-dong, which was luxuriously decorated. It seemed that Jang Seung-woon was determined to spend a lot of money. He might have done this to comfort Yoon Eun-hye, whose financial situation had become increasingly tight recently.

Due to the contracts of BabyV.O.X members with their agency expiring at the end of this year and next year, most of the members were determined not to renew their contracts with the original agency and wanted to pursue their own careers. Yoon Eun-hye also had the idea of entering the film and television industry, and the possibility of renewing her contract with the original agency was almost zero. Therefore, the agency increasingly ignored Yoon Eun-hye, and combined with the habitual harsh exploitation by Korean agencies and the need to share profits with the members, Yoon Eun-hye could no longer afford her daily living expenses. After all, as a high-popularity female star, no matter how frugal she was, she still needed a considerable amount of money for her daily life.

Seeing this, Jang Seung-woon was naturally very heartbroken. Therefore, he asked for a sum of money from the wealthiest of the four sisters, Lee Hyo-ri, and added it to the money he had saved to lend to Yoon Eun-hye for her expenses. This act of kindness was deeply appreciated by Yoon Eun-hye, who trusted Jang Seung-woon even more and almost regarded him as a real brother. Therefore, she had no psychological burden about spending his money, only thinking about paying him back when her situation improved. This was exactly what Jang Seung-woon hoped for.

Upon arriving at the luxurious and expensive French restaurant, Yoon Eun-hye said somewhat uneasily, "Brother Seung-woon, you don't need to take me to such a place for a meal. It's a waste of money and not comfortable to eat. Let's go somewhere else." Except for certain business gatherings, Yoon Eun-hye rarely ate at such places in private, as she was accustomed to being frugal.

Jang Seung-woon replied, "It's fine. I don't usually come to such places. Today, let's treat it as a life experience. Maybe this experience will be useful in future TV drama shoots." As he spoke, he kept glancing around the restaurant, memorizing the scenes he saw. This was his habit; whenever he went to a new place, he would observe the surroundings and the actions of the people around him to improve his life knowledge and acting skills.

Lee Jin also advised, "There's no need to change the place. This guy is usually so stingy. He earns a lot of money but doesn't like to spend it, just keeping it in the bank. Letting him splurge once in a while is also a contribution to the Korean economy. Besides, he just received a few million won a few days ago, so one meal won't break him." Three days ago, Park Byung-ryul had just transferred the income from Jang Seung-woon's TV drama "The First Love of the Crown Prince" to his bank account; otherwise, he wouldn't have the money to be extravagant.

With that said, Yoon Eun-hye didn't argue further, but when ordering the dishes, she chose a few cheaper ones.

Although Jang Seung-woon liked her understanding, he didn't like her being polite to him, so he added a few more dishes for her. He knew that Yoon Eun-hye's appetite was not like that of an ordinary girl.

Lee Jin was not at all polite. Given her relationship with Jang Seung-woon, she didn't need to be, so she didn't look at the prices and ordered whatever she wanted, a total of seven or eight dishes. She wasn't worried about wasting food because Jang Seung-woon was a big eater.

Jang Seung-woon, on the other hand, casually ordered a few pasta dishes. He had no interest in French cuisine, or more precisely, he didn't care about any cuisine except Chinese food and the dishes made by the four sisters. As long as it could fill his stomach and wasn't too bad, it was fine.

Moreover, his eating style was similar to a bull chewing on a peony. He usually ate in large bites, never carefully tasting the food, often being scolded by Lee Hyo-ri and others for being uncultured and lacking taste. However, he never changed! Only when eating out did he consider his image as an artist and pretend to be polite and refined. In reality, many male artists were the same, being refined in public but sloppy in private.

This French meal took more than an hour to finish. The three of them chatted while eating, and their conversation was very engaging, making their relationships seem even closer, especially between Lee Jin and Yoon Eun-hye, who were almost talking about everything. Jang Seung-woon was extremely pleased to see this!