Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: It Feels Like I'm Bragging.
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Dressed in a flowing pink one-piece, a wide-brimmed hat, large dragonfly sunglasses, and even a pair of limited-edition Dove heels, Lee Ha-na slowly approached the gathering.
Lee Ha-na, who had been trying to see what Seong Ye-rim was wearing and how she was styled, looked puzzled.
‘What the. Where is she? Why can't I see her?’
Just like her, Seong Ye-rim was sure to be wearing something eye-catching, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Gazing around in confusion, Lee Ha-na finally spotted Seong Ye-rim smiling brightly among the crowd.
‘What the. Why is she dressed like that?’
Her makeup seemed meticulously done, but contrary to expectations, Seong Ye-rim was standing there in surprisingly casual attire.
Sneakers, cotton pants, and a T-shirt with a rabbit character on it. Judging by her style alone, she looked like a college freshman on a retreat.
Seong Ye-rim, famous for being serious and uncompromising when it came to fashion, was starting the first day in an outfit like that?
‘This is strange. She's definitely not the type to do this...’
And what was with this atmosphere? It felt like she had clearly won, yet everyone's attention was more focused on Seong Ye-rim than on her.
‘Why is the mood like this?’
Sensing something was wrong, Lee Ha-na hurriedly looked for Manager Park.
‘Seriously, he's never around when I need him. Where did he go without a word?’
While Lee Ha-na was looking around for Manager Park, Seong Ye-rim moved closer to where Yu-hyeon was.
"Excuse me."
"Yes? Ah, Ms. Seong Ye-rim."
"Camu...? Is it alright if I call you that?"
"Yes, that's fine."
"I heard we were having dinner. This is near the farm entrance. Are we perhaps going out?"
At the sight of Seong Ye-rim blinking as she asked her question, the men nearby let out impressed grunts.
However, the person she was speaking to simply shook his head with a calm expression.
"No. We have some time while dinner is being prepared, so my father said he would give everyone a tour of the farm."
Unfazed by Yu-hyeon's indifferent response, Ye-rim asked another question. She had already seen that expression on his face countless times in the limousine.
"A farm tour?"
Normally, Seong Ye-rim would have just said, 'Ah, a farm tour,' and left it at that, but today, unlike usual, she widened her eyes and put on a 'slightly surprised expression.'
"I told him not to, but it seems my father is quite eager to show off the farm. You all must be tired, but we have to head to the main house anyway, so please try to enjoy it as best you can."
"Not at all. I slept the whole way on the plane, so I'm not that tired. And the farm is so beautiful, I wanted to look around on my own, but I didn't think I should wander off without permission, so I was holding back."
At Seong Ye-rim's words, Yu-hyeon nodded as if to say that was a relief.
"Would it be alright if I walked with you? I tend to be very curious, and I'd like to ask a few things."
Yu-hyeon nodded again, as if to say, why not?
Yeon Jeong-suk, who had been quietly watching Seong Ye-rim's antics from the side, shot her a look that said, 'What is she up to?' Han Mi-ra let out a soft chuckle, her expression conveying, 'Yu-hyeon is handsome, but there's no reason to act like that in front of everyone. Besides, he's a civilian.'
‘So this is TNT's doing.’
‘It's obvious. Director Choi must have ordered her to.’
‘Right. If she really had feelings for him, she'd never act so openly. Maybe if she were doing it secretly.’
Watching from behind, Lee Ha-na immediately understood what was going on from Seong Ye-rim's outfit, demeanor, and way of speaking.
‘Unbelievable! I never knew Seong Ye-rim was capable of talking so much!’
The woman who was like a broken record, repeating only three phrases—'Yes,' 'No,' 'I'm busy'—even when handsome actors tried to talk to her, was now chatting with a man, even smiling with her eyes?
‘Well, he is handsome. And he has a great body. But is there anything else special about him? He said he was a student helping out with work. At best, he's just a college kid.’
Honestly, deep down, she was a little interested, but her own status was too high to be giving a man like that the time of day.
As Lee Ha-na was lost in these thoughts, staring at Seong Ye-rim with a look of disbelief, Manager Park, who had been away, approached her.
"Ha-na. A moment."
"Where have you been? I was looking for you."
"Sorry, sorry. I got a sudden call from the company."
"What's going on?"
"What's going on? Something big. HS Group wants to talk about a modeling offer."
"HS Group?"
Manager Park rubbed his palms together eagerly as he continued.
"Have you ever heard the name Lee Jae-eun?"
Lee Ha-na shook her head, saying she hadn't.
"She's the youngest daughter of the HS Group. She's in the fashion business."
"So, a clothing model?"
"That's the start. If this goes well, you could be chosen as a commercial model for the entire HS Group. So, let's pay close attention."
"I have no reason to refuse. But what do you mean by 'pay close attention'? Are there some strange conditions...?"
"No. Who does that kind of thing these days? UN isn't some third-rate agency."
"Then what is it?"
"That youngest daughter is coming here in person."
"What?"
This time, even Lee Ha-na looked genuinely surprised.
"Executive Director Lee Jae-eun has a firm grip on the fashion business. It seems she's making a huge investment to launch a new brand. I heard she's even planning a fashion show in Europe."
"Even so, for a member of a chaebol family to handle casting personally... that's quite surprising."
"Well, people have some strange ideas about the chaebol, so I can see why you'd think that. But if you really knew, you'd see that they live more exhausting lives than we do."
"So when is she coming?"
"I don't know the exact time, but I think she'll be here in an hour or two."
"Okay, I get it. Oh, and about Seong Ye-rim over there."
"What about Seong Ye-rim?"
"Her clothes, for one, and she's sticking to Camu, acting all foxy."
"What? Seong Ye-rim?"
Manager Park quickly turned his head, as if he couldn't believe it.
"Huh. It's true. There's no way Director Choi would just let that happen."
"It seems like their side found out something before we did. What do you think, Manager?"
"Hmm..."
"Should I just watch? Or should I join the battle?"
"Join the battle?"
"If you say no, I'll stay out of it."
Manager Park paused, a thoughtful expression on his face, before finally nodding.
"For now, just quietly listen to what they're talking about. Don't butt in unnecessarily."
"I'm not a decoration. You want me to just stand there like an idiot while they're laughing and chatting?"
"Ah. That would be a bit awkward. Just read the situation and act accordingly. Don't do anything that could start rumors."
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Lee Ha-na shot Manager Park a glare before heading toward Seong Ye-rim.
Just then, the manager of Jin Seong-ha, who had a minor supporting role in the drama, approached Manager Park.
"Excuse me..."
"?"
"Did you happen to get a call from HS?"
At the other manager's words, a muscle twitched below Manager Park's eye.
"You too?"
"Yes. They even contacted a small-time agency like ours, so I figured there was no way they'd skip a major player like UN."
"Tsk. So they're casting a wide net."
Manager Park looked disappointed. He had thought it was an exclusive offer for Lee Ha-na, but now it seemed they were knocking on everyone's door.
"With someone of Lee Ha-na's caliber, it's a sure thing. What's there to worry about?"
"Well, that's our business to handle."
He seemed to have come with something specific to say, so he gave him a look that said, 'get to the point.'
"We're all going to be working together for the next month. I thought it would be better to be friendly rather than distant."
Manager Park looked at Jin Seong-ha's manager, his expression asking what he meant.
"Oh, it's nothing complicated. It's just that Director Choi is a bit... intimidating."
At the mention of Choi Pil-yeon, Manager Park's expression softened slightly.
"Director Choi has quite a temper. And if he starts meddling and making demands to look out for Seong Ye-rim, the other actors could suffer for it."
"True, Director Choi can be prickly. He has a tendency to boss people around over trivial things."
"Exactly. Small agencies like ours are just water balloons in front of TNT or UN. One poke, and we pop without a chance to fight back! Pop!"
"So?"
"So, the managers had a little talk."
"And?"
"We've decided to side with UN. After all, you're the only one here who can keep TNT in check, Manager Park."
"Oh...?"
"So, will you lead us?"
When Jin Seong-ha's manager extended his hand, Manager Park shook it, as if to say it was no trouble at all.
"We have to help each other out in times of trouble. Let's do that."
As Manager Park accepted positively, Jin Seong-ha's manager broke into a wide, happy smile.
"Then I'll see you later at dinner."
"Sounds good."
Jin Seong-ha's manager turned and walked back to where Jin Seong-ha was.
"How did it go?"
The manager grinned repeatedly as he answered, as if something great had happened.
"Of course it went well. Manager Park has a massive inferiority complex when it comes to Director Choi Pil-yeon. I barely had to nudge him and he burst."
The manager made a balloon-popping gesture with his fingertips.
"I'll be setting up more opportunities with UN, so make sure you create a good picture."
"Creating a picture is easy."
"We'll release the tabloid rumors around the middle of the drama's run. All you have to do is latch onto Lee Ha-na and ride the wave of popularity. Lee Ha-na will feel like she's been struck by lightning, but what can you do? That's how you get buzz and exposure. Let's get 'Lee Ha-na's Man!' trending as a headline online."
"Just make sure you get good photos. From an angle that makes it look like something's going on."
"Don't worry. I'll take a bunch of shots in burst mode and leak the best ones."
"But instead of Lee Ha-na, what about Seong Ye-rim? I'm more drawn to her."
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don't even think about messing with TNT."
"Is that Choi Pil-yeon guy really that big of a deal?"
"There's a truckload of people in this industry who went down after crossing him. Don't even look in that direction. He clawed his way up from the very bottom, so his connections are no joke. And most importantly, once he bites, he never lets go. There's a reason his nickname is the Bulldog of Nonhyeon-dong."
Jin Seong-ha watched Seong Ye-rim talking with Camu and licked his lips in disappointment.
"But instead of just rumors, why can't we date for real?"
"You think you've got what it takes?"
"You never know what can happen between a man and a woman."
"True, you never know with men and women. If you've got the skills, go for it."
As if looking forward to the future, Jin Seong-ha and his manager snickered like fools.
*
The farm tour, contrary to Yu-hyeon's expectations, was quite popular.
Charmed by Kang Man-dong's storytelling, the group burst into laughter at the end of each explanation, and questions flew back and forth.
Yu-hyeon, who had been wondering why they were even doing this, felt a pang of self-reproach as he watched his father enjoying himself.
"When I first settled here, the farm was just from here to there. That was it. In terms of area, maybe about four acres."
At Kang Man-dong's words, Seong Ye-rim shot her hand up.
"Oh, yes. Our pretty Ms. Ye-rim."
Kang Man-dong had taken a liking to Ye-rim, who asked questions relentlessly after each of his stories, and now he was openly calling her 'our pretty'.
"How big is it now? It looks enormous."
"Hahaha. Now? Well, it feels a bit like I'm bragging, but... we started with about four acres. Now, the vineyard alone is about one hundred and thirty acres. It's even bigger if you include the land for the guesthouses and other facilities."
"Wow! That's amazing."
"Hahaha."
At Seong Ye-rim's exclamation, Kang Man-dong smiled with a bashful expression.
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: This Feeling...
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