Chapter 88

On the afternoon of November 29, 2004, the Blue Dragon Film Awards, one of the most influential film awards in South Korea, or the Blue Dragon Film Festival, was held at the National Theater in Seoul.

At this film festival, Jang Seung-woo's younger sister, Moon Geun-young, was nominated for the Popularity Award for her role in "My Little Bride," which was released in the spring of that year. Prior to this, she had already won the Best New Actress and Popularity Actress awards at another film festival, the Grand Bell Film Festival. In Jang Seung-woo's view, given her current popularity as the "National Little Sister," it was absolutely impossible for her not to win the Popularity Award at the Blue Dragon Film Festival.

This time, Jang Seung-woo received an invitation from Moon Geun-young, who hoped that he could witness her most glorious moment in person and share in her joy. In fact, at the Grand Bell Film Festival held in June of that year, she had wanted to do the same, but unfortunately, Jang Seung-woo was shooting "The First Love of the Crown Prince" overseas and had no time to spare, which left her deeply disappointed. Therefore, this time she repeatedly urged and earnestly requested that Jang Seung-woo accompany her to this grand event.

In reality, Jang Seung-woo did not care about the Blue Dragon Film Awards or any other Korean film awards at this point. He had not even thought about winning awards at any film festival in the future. First, he had not starred in any films yet, so he would only be a spectator. Second, the prize money for winning an award was less than what he earned from a single episode of a TV drama. Third, he had not thought about gaining recognition from the film industry, as he believed that these seemingly upright people had no right to evaluate him. He valued the recognition of the audience more, as ordinary people were the true bread and butter of performers. No matter what, he had no interest in participating in the Blue Dragon Film Festival.

However, how could he refuse Moon Geun-young's enthusiastic invitation? He had to take a day off from the production and returned to Seoul from Namwon City on the morning of November 29. Around noon, he met Moon Geun-young and her grandmother at a restaurant in Seoul and had a warm lunch together.

During the meal, Jang Seung-woo asked about the progress of Moon Geun-young's Latin dance practice for her new film, "Pure Love Dancer." When he heard that she could now perform very standard Latin dance fluently, he felt extremely relieved, thinking that the effort he had put into improving her physical condition with his true qi and teaching her breathing techniques had been worth it.

In the past month, Moon Geun-young had already started filming "Pure Love Dancer." Since she was always extremely serious and hardworking, Jang Seung-woo was afraid she might get hurt, so he advised her, "You're still young, don't push yourself too hard during filming. If you get hurt, your family and friends will worry about you." Although Jang Seung-woo knew his words would have little effect, he couldn't help but say them, looking at her clear, cute, and obedient face.

Moon Geun-young raised an eyebrow and suddenly asked, "Brother, if I get hurt, will you worry about me?"

Moon Geun-young's grandmother also looked at Jang Seung-woo with interest, wanting to see what his attitude towards her granddaughter was. Perhaps she thought that Moon Geun-young, now 18, was old enough to start dating, and Jang Seung-woo, with his good character, appearance, and abilities, and only four years older, would be a suitable future son-in-law. Sometimes, the elderly had a rather open-minded attitude, unlike Moon Geun-young's father, who would never want any man with intentions towards his daughter to come within ten feet of her.

Jang Seung-woo replied calmly, "I'm your brother, of course I'll worry about you."

Moon Geun-young seemed very satisfied with this answer and smiled, "Brother, don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, if I do get hurt, I can always come to you. I believe you definitely have a way to heal me quickly." After experiencing the magic of true qi, Moon Geun-young had blind faith in Jang Seung-woo's abilities.

Jang Seung-woo didn't want to talk about this in front of Moon Geun-young's grandmother, so he quickly changed the topic and chatted with them about interesting things around them.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Moon Geun-young, urged by her agent's phone call, said a somewhat reluctant goodbye to Jang Seung-woo and returned to the company to prepare for her appearance at the film festival that evening. Her grandmother, of course, would stay close to her. Jang Seung-woo also needed to dress up a bit to avoid embarrassing Moon Geun-young when they were together.

Jang Seung-woo visited a nearby large mall and bought a high-end black suit to change into. He felt a bit heartache, as a popular star had to pay great attention to his image. Generally, a formal outfit could only be worn once before being put away, so the suit he bought for over 5 million won would be stored away after tonight. Although 5 million won was not a lot, it was the largest expense he had made in years. Previously, the clothes he wore in public were mostly provided by sponsors. Today, he did not plan to appear in front of the cameras, and even if he did, no reporters would pay attention to him, so he did not feel right asking sponsors to bear the cost without any return.

When Jang Seung-woo arrived at the National Theater in Seoul, the place was already crowded with thousands of fans blocking the nearby streets, and a large number of security personnel were maintaining order.

Since he was not a star invited by the Blue Dragon Film Festival organizers, Jang Seung-woo did not walk the red carpet but entered through a side door with the invitation letter Moon Geun-young had given him. He found a seat near the main aisle in the designated area. Every year, over a thousand stars, guests, and a few fans attended the Blue Dragon Film Festival, and the number of artists and celebrities who received invitations was as numerous as fish crossing a river, so Jang Seung-woo's appearance did not attract much attention.

From his position, Jang Seung-woo could easily see the stars entering the theater. Although he did not turn around to look carefully, his mind was always focused and waiting, determined to wait for Moon Geun-young to appear and let her know he had not broken his promise. This wait brought him an unexpected surprise; he saw Ha Ji-won sitting not far away.

Ha Ji-won had two films released this year, but unfortunately, they did not perform well at the box office and received only lukewarm reviews. Therefore, she did not receive nominations for Best Actress or the Popularity Award at this year's Blue Dragon Film Festival. In Jang Seung-woo's view, his "sister" Ha Ji-won had the capability, but her luck was just a bit off this year. At the moment, Ha Ji-won was wearing ordinary formal attire, looking like a professional woman. Although she still radiated charm, she appeared much more low-key compared to the elaborately dressed female stars walking the red carpet tonight.

Seeing that Ha Ji-won did not seem to want to draw attention to herself tonight, Jang Seung-woo quietly slipped over and sat next to her, whispering, "Sister Hae-rim, it's been a long time." Ha Ji-won's real name is Jeon Hae-rim, and as their relationship grew closer, Jang Seung-woo had been calling her "Sister Hae-rim."

Hearing the familiar voice, Ha Ji-won turned her head and saw Jang Seung-woo, immediately patting his thigh happily and saying, "It's Seung-woo! Aren't you shooting a TV drama? How do you have time to be here, and you usually hate such occasions, don't you?"

Jang Seung-woo smiled, "A very close younger sister invited me, and I couldn't refuse, so I came."

"Oh, a very close younger sister? Who is it?" Ha Ji-won became interested immediately.

"Moon Geun-young, I'm sure you've heard of her," Jang Seung-woo said proudly.

"Is it Moon Geun-young, our 'National Little Sister'? How could I not have heard of her? You really are popular with girls, even managing to win over such a cute little sister!" Ha Ji-won teased Jang Seung-woo.

"How can you say 'win over'? I'm naturally popular with girls. Don't you like me too, Sister?" Jang Seung-woo said with a thick face, reaching out to lightly grab Ha Ji-won's elegant fingers and then letting go immediately.

Seeing Jang Seung-woo's shamelessness, Ha Ji-won could only shake her head and laugh, "You're still the same!" She then continued, "I really like this little sister. Introduce her to me later."

Jang Seung-woo nodded and suddenly said, "No need to wait, she's already here." He had already seen Moon Geun-young.

At that moment, Moon Geun-young was walking towards the area where Jang Seung-woo was, possibly to check if he had arrived. Jang Seung-woo immediately stood up and waved to her. Moon Geun-young quickly recognized him, as his tall and prominent figure made him easy to spot in the crowd. She lowered her head and walked quickly towards Jang Seung-woo, smiling and nodding to people she recognized. Soon, she was in front of Jang Seung-woo.

Up close, Jang Seung-woo noticed that Moon Geun-young's appearance was different from usual. She had her hair up, revealing a smooth forehead, and her face was lightly made up. She wore an elegant necklace around her neck and a shoulder-exposing floral dress that reached just above her knees, showing off her long, smooth legs. She looked much more womanly than usual, and Jang Seung-woo found himself staring in amazement.

Ha Ji-won gently nudged Jang Seung-woo with her shoulder, and he snapped out of it, saying, "Geun-young, this is Sister Ha Ji-won, also my good friend. Get to know her well."

How could Moon Geun-young not recognize the accomplished actress Ha Ji-won? She had just never interacted with her before. She nodded obediently and was about to bow, but Ha Ji-won had already hugged her and said warmly, "No need to be too formal. We'll be friends from now on. Call me Sister Hae-rim, and I'll call you Geun-young."

Jang Seung-woo explained, "Sister Ha Ji-won's real name is Jeon Hae-rim. She and I are like siblings, so treat her like a real sister."

Moon Geun-young, who trusted Jang Seung-woo so much, immediately called out sincerely, "Sister Hae-rim!"

Ha Ji-won pulled Moon Geun-young to sit next to her and spoke to her affectionately. Whether it was due to their trust in Jang Seung-woo's judgment, their prior knowledge of each other's character, or a woman's intuition, the two seemed to become as close as sisters in just a short time.