Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: More Beautiful in Person
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“Even the DSLR couldn't capture your real beauty.”
“Pardon...?”
“That was a compliment. You're way prettier in person than on screen.”
Praise was useful in any situation.
Lee Hyunwoo offered a compliment to the extremely tense Yuna.
It wasn't empty flattery—it was genuine.
Meeting her in person, he realized her on-screen looks were nothing by comparison.
Goddess incarnate.
The term had clearly been invented to describe her.
Among all the women Lee Hyunwoo had met, Yuna was the most beautiful.
Darling, Ppangit, Jeong So-rim, Yeoujjing, Park Haneul.
The other Broadcasters were carefully selected, each with their own brand of beauty.
But compared to Yuna, they were fireflies before the sun.
Her fresh, pure looks hit Lee Hyunwoo's strike zone dead center.
“Ah, th-thank you!”
“First time hearing you're pretty? I bet you hear it every day.”
“Ah, well... Yeah, but. Being here with you, Chairman, makes me a little nervous. Ahaha...”
Yuna couldn't easily shake off her tension, even with the praise.
Telling her to relax wouldn't help.
Better to find common ground first.
With broadcasting as their shared connection, topics came easily.
“I get it. Just take it easy. But man, you crushed those missions hard. Honestly, I didn't expect you'd clear twenty in just a few days.”
“Of course I had to! It was homework from you, Chairman! And you reward me generously for my efforts. I always appreciate it. Thank you.”
Yuna bowed her head in thanks.
What was it...?
He'd received plenty of thanks from Female Cam Broadcasters before.
Why did this one hit so different? Feel so touching?
Was it just because he liked her looks so much?
Lee Hyunwoo impulsively reached out.
His hand gently stroked the head of the bowing Yuna.
“Eek!”
“Ah, did that bother you? I just did it without thinking.”
“No, it's fine. I was just startled. It didn't feel bad.”
“Good to hear. We're hitting the expressway soon. Ready to open her up? Ever been on a real drive?”
The car Lee Hyunwoo was driving emerged from the alleys onto the main road.
Now the real drive began.
“No, never. Like I said, I just went back and forth between home, school, and cram school.”
“Cram school? They have those in America too?”
“Yeah. There are ones for Korean kids, prepping for the SAT—America's version of college entrance exams.”
“Gotcha. Truth is, this is my first time driving with a girl too. First drive for both of us, huh.”
Driving itself is a first for me, actually.
Lee Hyunwoo threw in a bit of bravado.
“What? No way! So you've never had a girlfriend before?”
“Uh...? Well... Not seriously, no. Never dated anyone properly.”
“Whoa. Don't tell me you're a player, Chairman?”
How'd the conversation veer there?
He'd risked a little embarrassment to hint he was a solo forever type.
As Lee Hyunwoo seemed confused, Yuna elaborated.
“You're loaded. You know how to treat women right. Never dating seriously sounds like... you just go around with this girl and that without deep feelings, right?”
“Ahaha...”
Not 100% accurate, but it hit close enough.
He had been casually meeting various Female Cam Broadcasters.
“Anyway, shall we do this drive right?”
Lee Hyunwoo changed the subject and pressed the accelerator.
The black sports car's speed climbed steadily.
It tore down the open road.
Landscapes whipped by.
A thrilling speed you couldn't feel in everyday life.
His chest felt wide open.
Yuna's expression—previously dismissive of drives as something for jerks or idle folks—began to change.
“Chairman! Can I open the window?”
“Go for it.”
Tension forgotten, Yuna—beaming with excitement—cranked open the passenger window.
Whooooosh!
At over 100 km/h, fierce wind roared in.
Yuna's perfectly styled hair flew wild.
But even that felt great.
Refreshing.
Invigorating.
Her chest felt wide open.
She couldn't know how stifled and anxious she'd been since her parents' downfall.
Her father was a small-time trader shuttling between America and Korea.
Tiny on a national scale, but a solid earner by personal standards.
A life of material plenty and a harmonious home, if a bit strict.
She thought it'd last through college, job, marriage.
Until her parents got tangled in drugs, tax evasion, and other crimes.
Yuna didn't know the full details.
Just that a dangerous American gang had hit them.
Forcing a hasty flight to Korea.
The gang might kill the family.
Everyone but her jailed dad fled to Korea.
But at the airport...
Her mom had an exit ban.
Yuna and her brother Lee Ji-hoon insisted on staying, but mom forced them to Korea.
Arriving in Korea, despair hit.
How could life twist like this?
But hope glimmered.
The Korean community offered help—things seemed to align.
First trial in six months.
Hold out till then, prove the scam in court, win, and return to normalcy.
Hope sparked action in the siblings.
The first week: paralyzed by despair, doing nothing.
Now, hustle to make up for it.
Back to school first.
But mom's pricey private school? Tuition too high.
They had just 7 million won.
Spending on food and wants that first week, down to 5.5 million.
American spending habits died hard.
This wouldn't do.
Warning lights flashed in her head.
Can't survive six months on 5.5 million.
What if living expenses ran dry?
Starvation.
A hunger she'd never known.
Terrifying to even imagine.
That's when poverty began for the siblings.
Transfer to free public school—no tuition.
Cheapest buys only to save.
Hunted part-time jobs relentlessly.
Looks helped; every interview begged her to start immediately.
Just pick a job.
Then her brother mentioned Koreatv streams.
Done right, millions a month.
Yuna hesitated.
Hated selling her face, but school plus jobs? Too grueling.
Tried one test stream—and met Lee Hyunwoo.
“Chairman! This is so refreshing! Ahahahahaha!”
Yuna stuck her head out the passenger window.
Reckless, dangerous—but an itch she couldn't scratch otherwise.
At her new school or nightly streams, she hid it behind smiles.
But inside, her heart festered.
Too stifled.
Worries about the future.
Now, wind blasting on the highway—it blew the stuffiness away.
Liberation.
Yes, liberation.
She'd scorned drives as for losers.
Didn't expect this rush.
Even agreeing to come, brother's worries had stirred negativity.
No more.
Gratitude swelled for the Chairman's drive suggestion.
“Yuna! Love the enthusiasm, but don't lean out too far. Dangerous.”
“Ehehehe! Okayyy!”
Lee Hyunwoo eased off the throttle a bit.
Didn't expect her to love it this much.
Choosing Yuna as his first drive-date guinea pig? Spot on.
Click. The crisp sound of a beer can opening.
Yuna sipped alone.
Lee Hyunwoo was driving.
“Chairman. Cheers!”
Playing drinking buddy anyway, she clinked her beer against his cola can.
Lee Hyunwoo tapped back.
“This really okay? Plenty of fancier, tastier spots.”
“Totally fine! Chimaek by the Han River at night? Always wanted to try. I prefer this over pricey places.”
“If you're happy, who am I to complain.”
The drive had closed the distance between Lee Hyunwoo and Yuna hugely.
Thanks to her loving it so much.
She lit him up with her fresh, bright vibe, just like on stream.
“Haaah, this hits the spot.”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks to you, Chairman, today's been amazing. Fun drive. Chimaek too.”
The hour when hearts grow sentimental: 2 a.m.
Two beers in, Yuna's eyes misted with emotion.
Each lap of Han River waves stirred feelings.
Worries for her parents.
Fears for the future.
Tiny rebellion and joy.
Gratitude for Lee Hyunwoo.
Did others feel this in daily life?
Happiness from something so small?
“What is happiness?”
A question that might cringe.
But Yuna's beauty, youth, and the 2 a.m. mood made it land softly.
“Happiness...? Dunno. No clue.”
“Even someone rich like you doesn't know. Same here. Never knew what it was. But lately... I feel a bit happy. Thanks to you—finances improved, experiences like today opening my chest wide. Ah, ugh! I mean, I'm so grateful you came into my life. You make me happy. Thank you.”
Yuna conveyed her clumsy but heartfelt emotions to Lee Hyunwoo.
Touch moved through him again.
He reached out and pulled her into a sudden hug.
“Ah, eek? Eek!”
Yuna, no experience being held by a man, tensed rigid.
Impulsively hugging her, Lee Hyunwoo scrambled for next steps.
Done it now.
What next?
She was stiff, but no strong rejection.
How to get her to a hotel?