Chapter 271: Cost and Benefit (3)
After Kang Ra-Eun agreed that she would star in the film that Vice President Park Hee-Woo had decided to invest in, Hee-Woo expressed great satisfaction. However, Ra-Eun had no intention of accepting her offer just like that.
“However, I have a condition.”
“A condition?”
“Yes. A very important one.”
Ra-Eun’s next production was very important for her. No, it would be more accurate to call it a trial.
“My lips are on the line, so I’d like for things to be as thorough as possible.”
As soon as Spokesperson had broken ten million in total attendance, the public had made their predictions on who she would be kissing. It had died down after Ra-Eun had said that she would be taking a break for the time being, but the storm of opinions would surely return once it was announced that she would be starring in a film.
The three restrictions that Ra-Eun had always set as a condition whenever she starred in a drama or film were skin exposure, skinship, and kiss scenes. She would be lifting one of those restrictions, so she wanted a guarantee from Hee-Woo, considering how much she was sacrificing.
“I’d like to set a condition that I will only star in this film if your father accepts your request... No, I guess I should be calling it your wish ticket.”
If Park Chan-Gil accepted Hee-Woo’s request, Ra-Eun was more than willing to do a kiss scene or whatever else. There really wasn’t much further to go until Kim Han-Gyo fell to ruin. Ra-Eun was planning on destroying his societal position, influence, physical and mental health, and everything else.
To do that, it was necessary to sever his last remaining political tie, and Hee-Woo just happened to bring her the perfect offer to do that. However, Ra-Eun was a very distrustful woman; even if it was a good offer...
“I’d like to prepare for the unexpected, just in case,” she stated.
Ra-Eun wanted to make absolutely sure. Hee-Woo lightly shrugged.
“Okay. Let’s do as you’ve suggested. If my father doesn’t do what I ask, we’ll consider this conversation never happened. That’s what you want, right, Ra-Eun?”
“Yes.”
“You sure are thorough.”
“I’ve learned that the more important something is, the more cautious you have to go about it.”
Hee-Woo’s eyebrows flinched a little.
“What a coincidence. My father used to say that to me and Geon-Woo all the time.”
The more Hee-Woo learned about Ra-Eun, the more that she didn’t feel like a stranger.
***
Everything was best done quickly. The day that she had met Ra-Eun, Hee-Woo went to see her father and came across an unexpected guest who had arrived at her father’s office before her. It was Park Geon-Woo, Hee-Woo's little brother, as well as Ra-Eun’s past self.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“I just had something to report to Father. What about you?”
“Me? Well... Something similar.”
Although it wasn’t work-related, it was true that she had come to tell Chan-Gil something.
Chan-Gil’s chief secretary softly laughed and joked, “You’re brimming with popularity today, Chairman.”
Chan-Gil did not even crack a smile at the chief secretary’s joke. Someone might think he was in a bad mood, but he just rarely laughed. Hence, both Geon-Woo and Hee-Woo considered their father to be in his usual mood.
Chan-Gil looked at Hee-Woo and asked, “Go ahead.”
“Are you sure?”
Hee-Woo had thought that she would have to wait since he and Geon-Woo were in the middle of something, so she had not expected to be given permission to speak so quickly.
Chan-Gil nodded and replied, “We were pretty much done anyway.”
“Then I guess I came at the perfect time.”
Hee-Woo told her father the reason why she had come to see him while hoping that this luck would go on for the end of their conversation.
“I’d like you to take measures so that Chairman Jang Yun-Jik severs ties with Congressman Kim Han-Gyo.”
Chan-Gil’s expressionless face turned even stiffer.
].
***
Chairman Jang Yun-Jik was someone that not even Chan-Gil could cross so nonchalantly. Hee-Woo surely knew this, so if she had made such a request, then she likely had some sort of scheme in mind.
“Why are you asking me to do something like that?” Chan-Gil asked.
He had the right to know as the one who would be deciding whether to accept the request or not.
“Let’s just say that it has something to do with the film that I’m investing in.”
Geon-Woo’s ears perked up. He more or less knew about the film that his sister would be investing in since she had told him about it herself. She had also told him that she had Ra-Eun in mind as the female lead, hence he had surmised that this had something to do with her.
However, unlike Geon-Woo, Chan-Gil had no idea about this fact.
“You can’t expect me to help you without knowing the exact reason, do you?”
“I don't, which is why I brought this.”
It was Hee-Woo’s trump card, the wish ticket. Chan-Gil feigned laughter from the absurdity as soon as he saw it.
“I can’t believe you’d held on to that all this time.”
Like Hee-Woo had expected, Chan-Gil remembered exactly what it was. The corners of Hee-Woo’s lips curled up as if she had already won. However...
“I made you that wish ticket to play along with your whims back when you were still a child. I didn’t give you that to use for things like this.”
“...”
Hee-Woo had not expected Chan-Gil to come out like this. She had not thought of a Plan B because she thought there was no way that it would fail. Just then, help came her way.
“That’s not like you, Father,” Geon-Woo remarked.
Chan-Gil turned toward Geon-Woo and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you the one who always says that we have an obligation to fulfill a promise that we make since it would be a breach of trust if we didn’t?”
“...”
“That’s how we’ve been taught by none other than you, but since you’re not following your own principles, I just thought that it’s not like you.”
Geon-Woo from the past wouldn’t dare to talk back to his father this way, but the current Geon-Woo was different; he had made up his mind to confront his father without running away thanks to Ra-Eun’s support. The dormant competitive spirit and tenacity that Ra-Eun had awoken in Geon-Woo had finally paid off.
The chief secretary also stepped in as Chan-Gil was lost for words, “I think you’ve lost this one, Chairman.”
Chan-Gil did not want to admit it, but it was true.
***
Chan-Gil had ultimately raised the white flag.
After leaving his office, Hee-Woo said to Geon-Woo, “Thanks for the help. You really saved me.”
“I simply helped you because I had a debt to repay.”
“A debt?”
“What you’re trying to do is related to Ra-Eun, isn’t it?”
Hee-Woo clicked her tongue.
“So, you knew. But don’t—”
“I won’t tell anyone, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Thanks.”
Geon-Woo was only in his current position thanks to Ra-Eun. He had always wanted to repay his debt to her, so he was glad that he was able to repay even a portion of it today. However, Geon-Woo had no idea that the act that he thought to be a tiny repayment meant everything to Ra-Eun.
***
Ra-Eun had received the news from Hee-Woo that Chan-Gil had decided to accept her request, and about how it had only happened thanks to Geon-Woo’s help. Ra-Eun ended the call and fell into deep thought while burying herself into her chair. Her past self had saved her current self.
‘As expected of me.’
Ra-Eun smiled bitterly. Hee-Woo had always bowed down to her father’s oppressive nature, but not Geon-Woo. He had the personality to say no right then and there when he thought that something was unfair.
‘I don’t want to admit it, but I got that from Father.’
There had been a slight complication midway, but result-wise, Ra-Eun had managed to complete her plan for revenge. All that was left was for Ra-Eun to do her part.
‘I’ll have to do my best in the film that Noona invested in.’
Since Hee-Woo had been a huge help, Ra-Eun would also reply in kind with her acting. She had heard the details about the film from Hee-Woo. The director was Yoon Tae-Yoon, the one who had produced One of a Kind of Girl.
‘I didn’t know Noona was a fan of his. Come to think of it, a lot of his films appeal to her tastes.’
Although it was Hee-Woo’s job to invest in productions, she was also a film fanatic. She always invested unsparingly in directors that she had taken a liking to. Director Yoon’s next production was a love comedy film centered around a love triangle.
‘Love triangle, huh? Is it with two women and one man, or with two men and one woman?’
Ra-Eun would only get the details after she received the script. As she was deep in thought, her smartphone display flashed. She had received a call from Chief Jung.
“Hello?”
- Ra-Eun! You got a casting offer just now! Don’t be too shocked, okay? It’s from...
“Director Yoon Tae-Yoon, right? And the main investor is TP Entertainment.”
- Huh? Y-You knew?
“Yes.”
Tae-Yoon had become a star director in an extremely short period of time as he continued to push out hit films after the massive hit One of a Kind of Girl. Adding TP Entertainment’s investment into that equation, all eyes of the film industry were on this production.
Come to think of it, there had been several prediction articles despite a production press conference not having been opened yet. And now that Ra-Eun had received a casting offer, Chief Jung couldn’t help but be hyped up.
- This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, Ra-Eun. I know that you’ve decided to take a break from productions for the time being, but this is too big to just pass by. Don’t you think so too? So...
Chief Jung was trying his best to persuade Ra-Eun.
She answered without hesitation, “Okay. I’ll do it.”
- Eh? What did you just say? You’ll do it? Really?
“Yes. I’ve actually been interested in the film too.”
Ra-Eun honestly would rather die, but she had no choice this time. She could completely sever Han-Gyo’s last remaining lifeline with just one kiss.
‘I have to do it.’
The benefit far outweighed the cost.
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