Chapter 227: Mortal Enemy’s Invitation (3)
Kang Ra-Eun arrived at Kim Han-Gyo’s home. It was far too ambiguous to say that she missed the place; she used to be here more often than her own home in her past life. All sorts of thoughts and emotions stormed inside her head and heart.
“Ra-Eun!”
Han Ga-Ae casually linked arms with Ra-Eun as she was blankly standing still.
“Why are you so late?” Ga-Ae asked.
“I had stuff to take care of. That aside, there’s a lot of people here.”
Not only were there many celebrities, there were also many GNF employees, Chief Jung included. Kim Han-Gyo’s garden was so spacious that it could fit all of these people with no problem. The sound of sizzling meat could be heard from one side, while on the other side, people were loudly conversing while using alcohol to connect with each other. People naturally became more open because they were in the freeing outdoors instead of being stuffed indoors. The same could be said for Rita, who had been anxiously waiting for Ra-Eun.
“Now that you’re here, you should have a drink! Here!”
Rita handed Ra-Eun a wine glass and poured her a drink from a wine bottle.
Ra-Eun politely refused, “I can’t drink.”
She had no idea what she would do if she drank alcohol. Not only that, she was smack in the middle of enemy territory; she did not want to cause a fuss in a drunken stupor.
However, Rita remarked as if not to worry, “This is non-alcoholic wine, so you can drink in peace.”
“Really?”
Ra-Eun could indeed drink it if it was non-alcoholic. She cautiously put her lips on the wine glass and had a tiny sip. The beverage went down smoothly.
“It really is non-alcoholic.”
“Oh, look at you. Did you think I was lying or something?” Rita asked.
“You’re more than capable of it, aren’t you, sunbae?”
Rita was abashed by Ra-Eun’s unreserved remark. She wanted to deny it, but hated herself a little for not being able to. However, Ra-Eun had succeeded in finding a beverage that she could drink aside from alcohol thanks to Rita.
.
As they were talking, more and more people gathered around Ra-Eun. She had unwittingly become the protagonist of the party because she garnered much attention in the entertainment industry to the point that she was considered a celebrity among celebrities. Although she was used to being the protagonist in a production, she was still not accustomed to being this kind of protagonist.
The man hosting the party had finally shown himself after some time had passed.
“You’re all very early.”
Everyone in the venue turned toward Congressman Kim Han-Gyo. Several other political figures were also with him.
The entertainment industry and the political world did not seem related from a glance, but it was more intertwined than one would think. Political figures desired the attention of the public, and the ones who received the most of that attention were celebrities. It was unexpectedly easy to find celebrities who supported a certain politician or a political party; that was how intertwined the two circles were.
Han-Gyo also possessed desire for public attention, but that was not part of his objective today. He fixed his gaze on Ra-Eun. He had set this stage to find out if she was the ‘masked woman’. Ra-Eun did not avert from his gaze and gave him a smile.
‘Alright, let’s dance.’
Ra-Eun never backed down from a fight; that was her policy as well as an ironclad rule that she had set for herself.
***
Han-Gyo first expressed his gratitude to everyone gathered here today before starting a conversation with Ra-Eun. He went around to every single person to shake their hand and converse with them. As a politician, he could not neglect the management of personal connections. Meanwhile, Ra-Eun clicked her tongue several times in her head as she watched Han-Gyo from afar.
‘Goddamn snake.’
No one likely knew how much Han-Gyo was sharpening his knife under that smile of his. Only Ra-Eun knew Han-Gyo’s true nature. She spent her time speaking with Ga-Ae and Rita until Han-Gyo came her way.
Rita whispered while pointing in Han-Gyo’s direction, “He’s so shameless, isn’t he? How could he even think to invite us here after the huge mess that his son had made in the entertainment industry?”
“I agree. But why did you come here despite knowing that, sunbae?” Ra-Eun asked.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Rita expressed while fixing her gaze on Ra-Eun. “To see my cute junior.”
Ra-Eun sighed as she looked at Rita, who was the only one here with a completely different objective. Like Rita had mentioned, Han-Gyo was not well-liked in the entertainment industry. Him as a person aside, his son Kim Chi-Yeol had caused a massive incident in the industry. However, the reason why so many members of GNF had gathered here was rather simple.
‘Private and public matters should be kept separate.’
No matter how much one personally disliked Han-Gyo, it was an irrefutable fact that he would be a great help in terms of business. But of course, Ra-Eun had a completely different objective from everyone else that had gathered here for that reason.
‘Oh, aside from Rita sunbae.’
Rita was far too faithful to her instinct.
Chief Jung, who had been speaking with Han-Gyo, approached Ra-Eun with him.
“Ra-Eun. I brought the congressman with me because he wanted to meet you.”
Han-Gyo had induced a meeting with Ra-Eun as naturally as possible. There was no way that Ra-Eun wouldn’t know that he had done this all to avoid suspicion from others. Han-Gyo smiled meaningfully.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Ra-Eun. I’ve always wanted to meet you, and it seems I’ve finally gotten the chance to.”
“We’ve already met once before, haven’t we?”
They had met once before, albeit extremely briefly, during the Armed Forces Day event. It had been such a short encounter that Han-Gyo had forgotten for a brief moment. Having been reminded of it, he chuckled.
“Haha, yes, that’s true. I’m sorry. My memory isn’t as clear as back when I was still young.”
Han-Gyo could not have cared less about who Ra-Eun was before, but the situation had completely changed. She, who had been nothing but an extra that had passed by in his life, had now become a terrifying entity that could end his political career. However, nothing was certain yet; that was why he had called Ra-Eun here to confirm it with his own eyes.
“In any case, thank you very much for accepting my invitation, Ra-Eun,” Han-Gyo said.
“It’s my pleasure.”
The two of them shook hands. Ra-Eun had only been standing behind Han-Gyo in her past life, but she could now proudly stand across from him.
***
Ra-Eun spoke first, “What happened to your son is... truly unfortunate.”
She brought up a subject that would infuriate Han-Gyo from the get-go. It obviously had been on purpose. Despite that, Han-Gyo maintained a poker face without a flinch of an eyebrow.
“It’s my fault for not educating him well enough, haha.”
As expected of Kim Han-Gyo; he was truly a seasoned veteran. He had not set up this party to talk about his son; it was his turn to go on the offensive this time.
“Are you well acquainted with Chairman Ji of Do-Dam Group?” he asked.
“Yes. I’ve met him several times through Ji Han-Seok sunbae.”
“I believe you had introduced him to Congresswoman Hong Oh-Yeon. Is that right?”
Ra-Eun felt as if she was being interrogated. Han-Gyo was a tough opponent, but so was Ra-Eun. She did not lose her smile to the very end like a true celebrity that stood in front of cameras for a living.
“Yes. We’d appeared on the same program once before. Congresswoman Hong had said that she wanted to meet Chairman Ji, so I introduced her to him.”
“I see.”
Ra-Eun emphasized with a beautiful smile that she had only fulfilled the congresswoman’s request, and that there had been absolutely no political agenda involved in the decision.
“I’d thought that you were the one who had led things to happen that way,” Han-Gyo commented.
“Me? Of course not. I don’t know a thing about politics. My dream is to become a Hollywood actress, not to become a politician. Isn’t that right, Chief Jung?”
This was the first time Chief Jung had heard that Ra-Eun’s dream was to become a Hollywood actress. He almost asked Ra-Eun if she was drunk, but the words stayed down his throat after a glare from her.
“Y-Yes. Ra-Eun has dreamed of becoming an excellent actress ever since her debut. That was why she had done her absolute best in every opportunity that was given to her.”
This was 100% a lie; in truth, Ra-Eun had frequently refused offers because she didn’t want to, or because it was a hassle. She had no real attachments nor interest in the entertainment industry. However, she couldn’t let that be known to Han-Gyo. The doubt in Han-Gyo’s eyes subsided somewhat thanks to Chief Jung’s testimony.
“I see. It seems to have been a mere coincidence, then. I apologize for doubting you, Ra-Eun.”
“It’s okay. Please feel free to invite me like today anytime.”
“I will.”
With that, Han-Gyo left. Ra-Eun stuck her tongue out at him while he was walking away with his back toward her.
***
After the party, Han-Gyo fell into deep thought alone in his study after sending everyone home. Ra-Eun had been the one that seemed most likely to be the masked woman.
“Maybe I was wrong.”
Han-Gyo wondered if his hunch, which rarely failed him, had been incorrect. He took out a cigarette that he had sworn to himself that he would quit this year for sure, and put it in his mouth.
Flicker.
He lit the cigarette and let out a long stream of smoke. He was so stressed that he couldn’t help it.
“If it’s not Kang Ra-Eun, then who could it possibly be?”
After some time of thinking, one woman popped up in his head.
“Yes, that’s it.”
He extinguished the cigarette that he had just lit on the ashtray, and laughed unsettlingly.
“It can only be her.”
It felt as if the puzzle inside his head had finally been solved.
***
A week had passed since Ra-Eun’s meeting with Han-Gyo. Meanwhile, Ra-Eun finished getting ready to stand in front of the camera alongside Hwang-Je-Woong, who had safely been discharged from the hospital.
“We’re about to start shooting, so please get ready, Ra-Eun.”
“Okay.”
The script reading was done, so she just needed to immerse herself into her performance. But then, Team Leader So Ha-Jin urgently approached her.
“Chairwoman. There’s a big problem.”
Having detected the seriousness in Ha-Jin’s voice, Ra-Eun asked in a whisper, “What kind of problem?”
Ha-Jin quickly repeated what she had been notified of, “Reporter Ahn Su-Jin is in danger.”
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