Chapter 635. Arriving (5)
'Although that felt great...'
Han Eun-Sol's expression as he drove the van was definitely not bright at all. He was in the heat of the moment during the event itself and didn't try to stop Choi Yeon-Ha, but... Now that it was over, vague hollowness and uneasiness washed over him.
He sneakily raised his head and looked into the rearview mirror, hoping to check out Choi Yeon-Ha's expression.
'Gee whiz. She and her iron-lady mentality...'
As if to laugh in the face of Han Eun-Sol's anxiety, Choi Yeon-Ha looked utterly refreshed while her eyes were glued to her phone's screen. It was as if all the dissatisfaction and irritation accumulating on her expression until now had been blown wide away.
“Noona?”
“Ng?” Choi Yeon-Ha looked away from her phone.
“Aren't you... worried?”
“Worried? About what?”
“...”
People should learn from her example. If humanity could imitate Choi Yeon-Ha's mindset and live their lives like her, the word 'stress' would cease to exist altogether!
Imagine how much of an incredible blessing it would be to never worry about the consequences of one's actions! After all, at least a hundred million people going to bed tonight all over the world must be praying for their tomorrow to never arrive!
“Noona, I also think that Liu Wei bastard got what he deserved, but you should still be worried about creating tension with the director.”
Choi Yeon-Ha disinterestedly muttered, “Sure.”
“That director is not a pushover, you know?”
“Sure.”
“...Noona, are you even listening to me?”
“Sure... Ng?”
Han Eun-Sol gripped the steering wheel tightly.
'Be calm, okay? Be calm! I'm driving right now...!'
Besides, there wasn't much he could do to Choi Yeon-Ha even if he wasn't calm, anyway! Still, self-hypnotizing himself like this did wonders for his sanity, so he diligently kept at it.
“Noona, don't you get that this situation might balloon into something much more serious?”
Choi Yeon-Ha replied with a dismissive shrug. “So what if it does?”
“Huh?”
She remained utterly unperturbed while answering Han Eun-Sol. Unlike her manager's worried fretting, Choi Yeon-Ha was relaxation personified. “It's already happened, so nothing will change even if you nervously chew on your nails now.”
“S-sure, that's true, but...”
“Besides, what can they do, anyway? Kill me?”
“Noona, you know they can kick you out of the production, right? And what if they really sue you for damages?”
“Let them.”
Han Eun-Sol cried out in dismay. “Noona?!”
“Keep it down, will you? Why are you shouting?” Choi Yeon-Ha tutted loudly. “Where are your balls as a man, Eun-Sol?”
“Noona, don't you get that you'll have to fork out an enormous compensation if that happens?”
“I don't care. I'm rich, anyway.”
“You wanna spend your money on something like this?!”
“When will I ever get to throw money around if it's not on something like this?”
“Heol...?”
Choi Yeon-Ha pulled the wraps off a bar of chocolate resting on the backseat next to her, then popped a piece inside her mouth. While chewing, she continued talking to Han Eun-Sol. “It's not like I came here to make money, you know? Losing some random change doesn't scare me, and I ain't gonna grovel before anyone because of it, okay? Money? They want it, they can have it. Even if I lose all my wealth, I can always earn it back, right?”
“...Noona, I don't think that's how girl power is supposed to work.”
“I never thought about this situation that way. Besides, those idiots can't sue me, anyway.”
Han Eun-Sol tilted his head. “Huh? Why not?”
“If they take me to court, they need to tell everyone why I acted that way, right?”
“Oh...!” Han Eun-Sol slowly nodded away.
Indeed, suing Choi Yeon-Ha meant they would have to go to court, and the reason for her abandoning filming would have to be presented to the judge. Other actresses might be too embarrassed to provide their testimonies, but not Choi Yeon-Ha. She'd brazenly declare publicly that a slimeball named Liu Wei used filming as an excuse to grope her butt.
'I guess this situation isn't something that paying for damages can resolve...'
Considering Liu Wei's popularity, the potential revenue from this show alone should be beyond Han Eun-Sol's wildest imaginations. However, if that man's public image was damaged by this event... It'd obviously negatively affect the earnings. By a lot, too!
So, even if the director insisted on dragging Choi Yeon-Ha to court, Liu Wei would most likely try to stop him by any means possible.
“Wow. Did you think that far ahead while causing that scene? That's really impressive,” said Han Eun-Sol.
“Nope. I got too pissed to think straight, you know.”
“...That's more impressive, I guess.”
Crunch, crunch...
Choi Yeon-Ha noisily chomped on the chocolate. Now that she got to blow some steam, it seemed she had regained her appetite, too.
“Still, noona... Will they really do nothing? I mean, aren't Chinese men infamous for the lengths they'd go to try and save face? Surely, they won't let this public humiliation go, especially considering when so many people were there to witness it...”
“So what? Let them do whatever.”
“Noona...!”
“Look, I get what you're trying to say. However, I've been patient enough, okay? So, if any of them try anything funny with me again, Imma pack my bags and go straight home!”
Han Eun-Sol sighed deeply. It seemed neither he nor Choi Yeon-Ha had an answer for this situation.
'Bloody hell... I hope they react like normal people...'
If a similar event happened in Korea, things wouldn't escalate to the point of people suing each other. No, hang on—something like this wouldn't have happened in the first place!
If the other side lodged an official complaint through proper channels, Han Eun-Sol was pretty sure Choi Yeon-Ha would gladly answer the charges. Unfortunately, there was no guarantee of that happening here. Not only that, but this wasn't South Korea. The public security here wasn't the best in the world, so Han Eun-Sol couldn't help but feel nervous in various ways.
“Noona, I think it'll be better for you to stay in your hotel for the next few days.”
"Sure. But have you ever seen me go somewhere else?"
“I'm just covering all bases, noona.”
“You're over-worrying things, okay? Look, Eun-Sol. I'm not a total klutz with zero brain cells left. I know how to stay out of trouble. If I need to go somewhere, I'll go with you. Otherwise, I'll not step one foot outside of my hotel room. So, stop worrying.”
“Okay, noona,” said Han Eun-Sol. However, he was still glancing anxiously at his phone. 'Still no reply from Korea, huh...'
Although he hadn't foreseen an event of this nature happening, Han Eun-Sol had already lodged a request with the agency to beef up Choi Yeon-Ha's protection detail. Finding local bodyguards would've been much simpler, but he still wanted Koreans for the job if possible, even if that sounded a bit unreasonable and greedy.
“In any case, I'm still worried about this situation. So, please be more careful, noona.”
“I told you, I got it.”
Despite Choi Yeon-Ha's assurance, Han Eun-Sol still didn't feel convinced or at ease.
'This is why being in Korea is so much better...'
That old proverb about how going overseas turned a man into a patriot? Han Eun-Sol realized how true that statement was.
***
“That... That insane b*tch!”
Liu Wei angrily kicked a desk. Items on top of this desk tumbled to the ground and shattered. However, no one in the room tried physically to restrain Liu Wei.
“Brother Liu, please calm down.”
“How can I calm the f*ck down?! F*ck!”
He lost his face back there. The humiliation back then was so bad that he couldn't show his face in public now! How could someone as lofty as himself suffer such indignity?!
“Uwaaaaah!”
Liu Wei grabbed a phone from the desk and threw it angrily against a wall. The device shattered with a loud, sharp crack, and fragments spat out in all directions.
After panting breathlessly for a while, Liu Wei finally managed to chew his words out. “Just how many people were there?!”
Liu Wei might have endured such humiliation and turned a blind eye if it had happened in the presence of important people. However, far too many eyes had been watching him back then!
The next scene they were scheduled to film was a large-scale ritual, so all the extras playing the part of concubines had been on standby near the set. To make matters worse, that scene was an important part of the show, so every crew member had been called in to take part to ensure the filming would go smoothly. At least over a hundred people must've been present during the filming today. So, to think that b*tch dared to kick him in the shin like that!
Just thinking about it caused all the blood to rush to Liu Wei's head.
“That stinking bangzi b*tch! Just because I've been so nice to you, you dare forget your damn place?!”
Since Choi Yeon-Ha was such a looker, Liu Wei had been willing to put up with her screwed-up personality until now, so how dare she cause such a massive scene in front of everyone?!
“I'm going to teach you a lesson...!”
Since things had come this far, Liu Wei no longer cared about keeping up appearances. He would've wanted to bed that woman in a more... suave manner if possible, but she had stupidly kicked the golden opportunity away with her own foot!
“Hey, you. What did the director say?” Liu Wei glanced at his manager.
“He seemed really angry, Brother Liu.”
“Hah. Makes sense. His humiliation should be worse than mine, after all.”
Hollywood had been tripping over themselves to hire that director as their next big thing. A man like that got grandly humiliated by a mere actress during a local TV production, so his anger should be severe enough for him to lose sleep for the next few days!
'This is for the better, actually...!'
Even if it was Liu Wei, he couldn't afford to get into that director's bad books. Their levels of influence were drastically different, after all. Considering Liu Wei's current popularity, getting on the wrong side of that director might result in him losing lots of friends in this industry. Even then, he still might be able to salvage his career.
However, thanks to Choi Yeon-Ha briefly losing her sanity, Liu Wei no longer had to worry about earning the director's ire!
'It's time to make that call.'
Liu Wei saw no reason to drag things out with the situation as it was. In fact, it might be a better idea to finish everything off before the night was over.
'Right. Before my anger cools down...!'
There was something devilishly bewitching about Choi Yeon-Ha's stunning looks.
Liu Wei was not a good person. He himself knew that.
How many times did his pride get wounded by Choi Yeon-Ha's look of contempt and biting commentary whenever he tried to seduce her? Out of sheer anger, he'd charge straight back to the set with the plan to utterly crush that woman... Only for his anger to melt like snow as soon as he laid eyes on her face.
And then, he'd repeat the same mistake again. And again.
He genuinely believed that Choi Yeon-Ha would soon see the light if he kept seducing her. Every woman he went after could only resist for two, maybe three, times before throwing herself into his arms, after all!
However, today's event showed him the truth. He'd never acquire Choi Yeon-Ha through normal means! In that case, he should resort to abnormal means next.
“Hey. Give me a phone.”
“Yes, Brother Liu!” The manager urgently yanked out his phone from his jacket pocket, then politely presented it to Liu Wei.
“All of you, leave the room for a bit.”
“Yes, brother!”
Liu Wei waited until everyone left his room, then dialed the familiar number. After a lengthy wait, the call finally connected to the person he wanted to speak to.
-Oh? Isn't this a rare occasion, you calling us first like this and all? It seems our dear Big Brother Liu is in heat, then?
“Make it happen tonight.”
-Tonight? We're a bit busy today, actually.
“What the f*ck?! What can you possibly be busy with, you punk! I'll compensate you properly for this job, so get it done, okay!”
-Oh, well. Since our dear Big Brother Liu is this desperate, what choice do I have but to change my schedule? But, here's the thing, Brother Liu.
“What?!”
-Since I'm being ordered to, I'll keep providing you with our services, okay? However, you treating me like your personal slave sometimes gets on my nerves, know what I mean? You'd do well to remember who you are talking to. Who knows what we will do if things don't work out between us? Eh? You get my drift?
“...!” Cold sweat immediately broke out on Liu Wei's forehead. He sobered up and remembered who he was dealing with here. "I, I'm sorry for being so careless with my words. It's just that I got so angry and all...!"
-Nah, no need to apologize like that. Besides, apologies aren't supposed to be verbal, anyway. I'll be more grateful if you can add a bit on top for running errands for you. While not telling the higher-ups, obviously.
“Got it.”
Beep!
The line went dead abruptly. Liu Wei's hand trembled faintly as he shoved the phone in his pocket.
'Those inhuman bastards...!'
If he could help it, Liu Wei didn't want to associate himself with those people. If those creepy bastards hadn't been dispatched by the Dark Association, Liu Wei would've never called them for help like this.
However, that was why he trusted them so much. These creepy bastards had no qualms. So, they should perfectly carry out whatever Liu Wei asked of them.
“Hah... I'm looking forward to seeing the faces you'd make underneath me, Choi Yeon-Ha. I'm sure it'll still be beautiful...!”
Liu Wei leisurely walked outside his room while feeling a bit better than before.
***
Shuangliu International Airport, Chengdu, China...
An innocuous plane was landing uneventfully on one of the airport's runways as the burning sun lazily set beyond the western mountains. After smoothly landing on the long strip of asphalt, the plane didn't join the rest of the passenger jets and headed deeper into the airport instead, where the cargo section was.
Although such a scene was rather common in every large airport, things weren't as simple this time.
The cargo plane took its time slowing down to a stop, then a boarding bridge was brought next to it. Once the attachment was finished, the plane's door slid open, and a man the Chinese martial society was paying the most attention to leisurely stepped outside.
“It's been a while since I last came here...” Kang Jin-Ho muttered while raising his head to stare at the distant sunset. “...And for some reason, I don't feel so good about it.”
This moment heralded the beginning of someone's deadly misfortune.
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