Chapter 183: In the Name of God Press Conference (1) |
"Oh, you're here."
The newly recruited stylists, Lee Mi-Ri and Chae Sang-Woo, were looking utterly exhausted in the waiting room.
They explained they had been running around Apgujeong and Dongdaemun since last night to secure sponsorship for Yoo-Jin and Miso's outfits, and hadn't slept a wink.
"I'm sorry for making you go through so much trouble," I apologized.
Both of them hurriedly shook their heads.
"Ha ha. We can easily handle this much, Mr. Jung!"
"Indeed. This is nothing compared to the times we had to fetch fabrics all the time."
Even without my instructions, they were eager to make Yoo-Jin and Miso shine the brightest at this press conference.
They said this was the only way to repay Chae Eun-Byul's improving condition thanks to the treatment at Asan Hospital.
"We'll leave after making sure everything wraps up well today."
Despite their intention to wait until the press conference ended, I firmly told them to go back, saying that it was a work order.
Lee Mi-Ri agreed but cautiously asked, "But Mr. Jung?"
"Yes?"
"Eun-Byul keeps asking when you will visit. What should I do?"
I scratched my head and answered Lee Mi-Ri's playful question. "Tell her I'll visit soon."
"Ha ha. Okay, I'll tell her that."
"Oh. And Miso will come along too," I added.
Miso nodded vigorously when I pointed to Miso standing beside me because I had already promised to introduce her to a friend of her age.
"Yes! I want to meet Eun-Byul."
Lee Mi-Ri's face lit up with emotion. "Eun-Byul will love it. How wonderful. Thank you, Miso. She's a huge fan of yours."
"Really? Wow! I'm excited!" Miso exclaimed as she jumped up and down, bringing a smile to Lee Mi-Ri's face.
I had saved Lee Mi-Ri's daughter and her husband as well. Thanks to that, the famous Ice Witch Lee Mi-Ri I knew in my past life didn't exist in this world.
"Then shall we take a look at the outfits you've prepared?" I asked.
Lee Mi-Ri nodded. "Yes. Yes, Mr. Jung."
Regaining her composure, Lee Mi-Ri took out a light pink see-through lace dress with a two-piece design from a special case. The midi-length dress with a flared skirt at the bottom was so pretty that it would take anyone's breath away.
But there was one problem.
"The dress is very pretty, but...it seems see-through, doesn’t it?" I asked hesitantly.
As if she had already expected my concern, Lee Mi-Ri took another white dress for inner slip wear out of the case and said, "Here. She can wear this underneath."
'Ah, the two were a set,' I silently remarked.
That reassured me.
"Yoo-Jin, what do you think?" I turned to Yoo-Jin and asked.
But I could tell Yoo-Jin was already lost in awe before I could even hear her answer.
"Huh? What?" Yoo-Jin replied after coming to her senses.
Although Yoo-Jin was always generous when it came to spending money on Miso, she was a very thrifty person who hardly ever bought clothes for herself. However, the dress Lee Mi-Ri picked out today was beautiful enough to capture even Yoo-Jin's heart.
"I-I really like it," said Yoo-Jin as she cautiously touched the dress. The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile as she fiddled with the fabric.
'I guess I'll have to buy this dress as a gift for her,' I thought to myself.
I had been worrying about what to give in return for an expensive suit I received as a gift, and this seemed perfect.
I spoke to Lee Mi-Ri without revealing my thoughts. "This outfit will definitely make today's headlines. You've met my expectations wonderfully."
"Not at all," Lee Mi-Ri replied humbly.
"And please tell the designer I will buy this dress separately," I added.
"Pardon?"
"Oh, I just have a use for it. I'll pay for it myself, so please send me the account number and the amount on KkTalk."
"Ah, okay, Mr. Jung."
As Lee Mi-Ri bowed in acknowledgment, Chae Sang-Woo presented another outfit as if saying it was now his turn.
"This is the outfit for Miso to wear."
The young Cheongmyung in the drama always wore a hanbok[1] according to the script.
Beaming with pride, Chase Sang-Woo took out a hanbok for Miso to wear. It was a light pink jeogori[2] with a light blue hanbok skirt.
Miso's eyes widened in awe when she saw the hanbok embroidered with flowers everywhere.
"Wow!" Miso exclaimed in admiration and looked at me before asking, "Uncle Yoon-Ho, can I really wear this?"
"Yes! It's for you to wear."
Miso's eyes doubled in size with surprise. "Wow, really?"
"Yes. Miso, you should thank Uncle Sang-Woo," I said.
"Okay!" Miso exclaimed as she bowed to Chae Sang-Woo.
"Thank you! This is like a dream!" Miso shouted with glee.
Chae Sang-Woo smiled and replied, "Is that so? It makes me even happier because you like it."
Another thought crossed my mind. 'I should also buy Miso's clothes.'
I told Chae Sang-Woo to send the account number and amount on KkTalk as well.
"Then I'll step out for a bit. Go ahead and change," I said before taking my leave.
I stepped out of the waiting room to allow them to change. The corridor was buzzing with production staff running around preparing for the press conference. I had been busy working hard, but it seemed that everyone was also working hard in their own way.
At that moment, I saw someone I did not expect to see at the end of the corridor by the waiting room.
I wondered, 'Why…why is Lee Ji-Yeon here?'
Lee Ji-Yeon usually never showed her face at places like a press conference. She disliked appearing in front of cameras, and just dealing with the stress of writing was challenging enough.
But there was something even more surprising.
'Ju Yung-In. What on earth are you doing?' I wondered.
***
There were a few trademarks that identified Ju Yung-In.
Among them, her long hair reaching down to her waist was her pride. She was also a regular model for shampoo advertisements and she took great pride in her glossy, flowing hair.
Even after marrying me in my past life, she always took great care of her hair.
She had initially agreed to tie her hair up instead of cutting it when she took on the role of the new female prosecutor 'Bang Shin-Ae' in In the Name of God.
But now, Ju Yung-In had shown up with a new bob cut about 5 cm below her ears. It was a length not even middle school girls would typically have nowadays[3].
'What on earth was she thinking?' I asked myself.
Ju Yung-In recognized me from afar and waved casually, regardless of whether the production staff saw her or not.
Her unexpected behavior made me somewhat perplexed.
"Yes, hello, Miss Ju Yung-In." I greeted her as neutrally as possible and bowed to Lee Ji-Yeon who came with her.
"Mrs. Lee."
"Yoon-Ho, no~ should I say Team Lead Jung now?" Lee Ji-Yeon replied.
I put my hands beside my ears and playfully shook them. "Oh, why be so formal? I want you to keep calling me Yoon-Ho."
This inevitably made Lee Ji-Yeon burst into laughter. "Ha ha ha. Yoon-Ho, has becoming a talent agent only made you wittier?"
"It seems like it. Ha ha." I chuckled.
"Yes. It seems like you haven't changed since I first met you. I really like that about you." Lee Ji-Yeon said with a smile
Lee Ji-Yeon was smiling broadly. She seemed especially happy as I had prevented In the Name of God from being canceled by informing her of the bankruptcy of the production company Red Moon
After I finished catching up with Lee Ji-Yeon, Ju Yung-In approached me as if she had been waiting.
"Yoon-Ho oppa, don't you notice anything different about me?" Ju Yung-In asked.
'Different?' I wondered.
I thought she was picking a fight for a moment. But at the same time, my mind reflexively started searching for the right answer.
'She did cut her hair. But no, that's too obvious of an answer and might be a trap. Perhaps it's the 18K thin chain cross earrings? Or maybe the brooch on the Channy suit she doesn't usually wear?' I started mulling over the various possible answers.
As I puzzled over what the correct answer could be, it suddenly hit me.
'What am I even doing?' I asked myself.
I seemed to lose my pace whenever I got entangled with Ju Yung-In. Looking at her expectant and bright eyes, I decided to say whatever came to mind.
"You got a haircut."
'Bring it on, Ju Yung-In!' I thought.
I prepared myself for a sharp retort, but Ju Yung-In delightfully clapped her hands like a child instead.
"Wow! I knew you would notice!" Ju Yung-In exclaimed excitedly.
I was taken aback by her response. 'What? What even is this reaction? Was it really that simple?'
I nearly burst out laughing from disbelief.
As Ju Yung-In played with her hair on the back of her hand, she declared with a confident expression. "I've put my life into this drama!"
Lee Ji-Yeon nodded and continued Ju Yung-In's words. "Yes, Yoon-Ho~. Yung-in has changed a lot. She came to me wanting to strengthen her character by getting a short haircut. But how can an actress just go for a short haircut? So we settled on a bob cut."
'Did she just say…Yung-in...?' I thought to myself.
Whatever Ju Yung-In did, it made Lee Ji-yeon start to refer to her by her first name. Previously, Lee Ji-Yeon had never addressed her in such a friendly way using her first name.
Ju Yung-In finally received recognition as an actress from Lee Ji-Yeon by swallowing her pride and relentlessly pursuing the role.
But perhaps because I didn’t show much reaction, Ju Yung-In puckered her lips in a sullen expression.
"Hmph! What? You can't even compliment me when I'm this committed to the role? After all the time we've spent together, that’s disappointing," Ju Yung-In whined.
"Ah, yes. Congratulations," I said plainly.
"That’s such a soulless congratulations. Well, it’s typical of you, oppa." Ju Yung-In said with a pout.
As Ju Yung-In giggled, Lee Ji-Yeon jokingly said to stop playing games of love.
'Games of love? We've had a relationship that could fill up to season 14 of Love and War! No, let’s just not think about it,' I remarked inwardly.
After wrapping up the joke, Lee Ji-Yeon looked around for Yoo-Jin. "But how's Yoo-Jin doing? Where is she?"
Just then, Yoo-Jin and Miso emerged from the waiting room as if they had been waiting for the right moment.
"Ms. Lee!"
Yoo-Jin, dressed in a see-through lace dress, had a paint tube bag slung over her shoulder like an art student in college. The bag was covered in stickers Miso had pasted all over it, and a Powertuff Girl doll hung from the handle.
Seeing Yoo-Jin dressed in the style of Cheongmyung which she wore in the drama, Lee Ji-Yeon exclaimed in admiration.
"Yoo-Jin~ you’ve really worked hard on analyzing your character, haven't you? You look just as I imagined Cheongmyung would," Lee Ji-Yeon exclaimed with joy.
"Really?" Yoo-Jin asked with her eyes sparkling.
Lee Ji-Yeon nodded. "Yes, exactly the style I wanted~."
Our stylists had worked hard to achieve the look Lee Ji-Yeon wanted, and it was a fervent wish that she would look as beautiful in the photos today.
Lee Ji-Yeon also showered Miso with praise. "Wow, Miso has become little Cheongmyung just as I imagined as well."
"Wow! Really?" Miso exclaimed, thrilled at the mention that she looked exactly like little Cheongmyung.
As Miso twirled in her hanbok skirt, Lee Ji-Yeon clapped and laughed. "Hey, little one. You're so excited today, aren't you? Ha ha."
Though Lee Ji-Yeon was known for her cool demeanor, she was surprisingly warm toward Yoo-Jin and Miso.
Suddenly left out, Ju Yung-In pouted her lips. But since she couldn’t whine to the writer, her complaint was directed toward Yoo-Jin.
"Jung Yoo-Jin, can’t you see me?"
"Huh? Yung-in sunbae!"
"Sunbae? We agreed to be friends, remember?"
'Right, They did agree to that. A friend who snatches away jobs and boyfriends,' I thought to myself.
But because Miso was there, Yoo-Jin managed her expression and greeted her.
"Yes. We did, didn't we… How have you been?" Yoo-Jin asked politely.
"I've been fine except for you not contacting me," Ju Yung-In replied sarcastically.
After the awkward greeting, Ju Yung-In waved to Miso as well.
"Hi Miso! I'm friends with your mom."
Ju Yung-In's face showed no malice. However, Miso stared at Ju Yung-In and then buried her face in Yoo-Jin's skirt.
"Miso, what is it?" Yoo-Jin asked.
Miso shook her head and kept her mouth tightly shut.
'Why is she acting like this?' I wondered.
Suddenly, Ju Yung-In's extended hand felt awkward. "Ha ha ha. She's quite shy..." she remarked.
'Miso? Shy? The same Miso who is more sociable than the known social butterflies, Do Ran-Hee and Lee Yung-Jin?' I thought to myself.
Children knew best who liked them and who didn't like them, after all.
At that moment, the staff approached and informed us that the press conference was about to start.
"You need to enter in five minutes."
"Okay!"
Hearing the staff's instructions, we headed to the entrance of the grand hall. It was the moment for the much-discussed drama In the Name of God to begin.
I reached out both hands to the excited Yoo-Jin and Miso. Then, I began escorting them to the entrance of the grand hall.
Ju Yung-In glanced at me from the side, but my hands were only enough to escort Yoo-Jin and Miso.
After ensuring that Yoo-Jin and Miso entered the grand hall, I turned around and entered the venue through the staff entrance at the back.
But the moment I stepped into the banquet hall, I saw someone who shouldn't have been there at the press conference.
'What's that guy doing here?' I wondered.
1. Traditional Korean clothing ☜
2. Top of Hanbok ☜
3. Back in the day, South Korea used to have a hair regulation where students had to keep their hair short ☜
Ristretto's Thoughts
Ristretto: Uh oh, do we have a new enemy?
Maggy: Ok this might be an unpopular opinion but a part of me hopes that Ju Yung-In can get a redemptive arc :') lol
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