Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Set Standoff
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“…….”
Chu Dong-hyun was cursing with his eyes instead of his mouth.
Any ordinary person would’ve been shaking in their boots from the raw killing intent in that glare.
But Jin Soo-young, now showing her true colors, wasn’t fazed.
‘Ha! Would you look at that?’
She stared right back with a bold grin.
This wasn’t the ring—there was nothing to fear here.
The set was her home turf.
The one who should be tucking tail was Chu Dong-hyun, not her.
“……!!!”
“……!!!”
As the wordless standoff dragged on, the crew started feeling the real discomfort.
‘Damn, what’s their deal?’
‘Was Jin Soo-young always like this?’
‘How are we supposed to shoot in this vibe?’
‘This is hopeless… let’s wrap it up.’
But it wasn’t just about the tension.
These two were the leads, playing a newlywed couple.
If they were already at each other’s throats from the first meeting, how could the shoot go smoothly?
Even Kim Seung-hyuk was on pins and needles.
‘This is gonna blow up, isn’t it?’
He had to keep Jin Soo-young’s true self under wraps.
“Soo-young.”
But.
“Shut it.”
“…Got it.”
What could a lowly manager do?
Kim Seung-hyuk clamped his mouth shut at her words and stared at the floor.
Finally, the director, Lee Seung-chan, couldn’t take it anymore and stepped in.
“Come on, let’s keep it friendly. You’re all the best in your fields—why act like this? Relax those eyes, flash a smile, and let’s go. Yeah?”
The director tried to mediate, but Chu Dong-hyun and Jin Soo-young’s responses were ice-cold.
“Third wheel, butt out.”
“Yeah. Stay quiet.”
Stung by their back-to-back jabs, the director fell silent.
Chu Dong-hyun and Jin Soo-young had two things in common.
First, as Director Lee had said, they were the tops in their fields.
They had that aura that could make anyone flinch with just a look.
Second, when pissed, they unleashed a torrent of sharp-tongued barbs.
‘What now?’
Lee Seung-chan’s eyes darted around.
If this grudge deepened, things could get messy.
The crew might start gossiping.
Better to let them cool off naturally than force it.
“…Alright. We’ll start shooting once you two are done. ”
Lee Seung-chan signaled the crew to back off, and they scattered, reading the room.
In the end, just the two of them remained.
The verbal battle kicked off for real.
“You’re the one who should apologize first—you’re the one who showed up twenty minutes late.”
Chu Dong-hyun fired the opening shot.
Jin Soo-young immediately countered.
“But isn’t your manners the real issue? Talking behind backs is way ruder than being late.”
“…….”
Chu Dong-hyun bit his lip at her attack.
Lashing out now would only tarnish his own image.
Same went for Jin Soo-young.
She was provoking him with the softest tone she could muster.
Reading her game, Chu Dong-hyun smirked inwardly.
‘This woman’s a total fox.’
She’d been in psychological warfare and fistfights inside and outside the ring.
He could see exactly how she planned to strike.
‘At this rate, I’m the one getting pushed.’
Years later, Chu Dong-hyun would dive into showbiz with variety show skills rivaling any celeb.
But right now? Just your average(?) fighter.
An outsider here.
If things escalated, would the crew and staff side with the outsider?
Or with Jin Soo-young, who they’d keep running into in the industry?
The answer was obvious.
‘Losing here—no, holding back—is winning.’
His temper screamed to curse her out and storm off.
But his dream was to build a fight league.
To be its head and face, he needed to craft his image.
Even minor hiccups like this required caution.
Hoo—
Chu Dong-hyun let out a sigh and spoke.
“Sorry… about that.”
“Good. I accept your apology. Nobody’s perfect—mistakes happen.”
Jin Soo-young scoffed at his apology.
‘Grr….’
Hot rage boiled inside, but Chu Dong-hyun barely held it back.
Eyeing them, Lee Seung-chan sidled up.
“Alright, then. Let’s get to shooting.”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
Jin Soo-young nodded with a bright smile.
Meanwhile.
“…Let’s do it.”
Chu Dong-hyun’s voice was flat and drained.
It felt like a KO loss.
‘Fine. Just work. Work.’
His real arena was the ring, not a camera.
No need to cling to pride here.
Right on cue.
Clap clap clap—!!!
Director Lee Seung-chan clapped, summoning the crew back.
“They’re good now—let’s do this right from here on out!!”
As if on his signal, the scattered staff filed back in, and shooting began.
‘Just nail the takes from now on.’
So hoped Lee Seung-chan.
How often would these two superstars share an ad?
Nail it, and it could be an all-timer in ad history.
But exactly two hours later.
Lee Seung-chan’s hopes shattered.
.
.
.
“Cut, cut, cut. Oh man. This is bad.”
“…Sorry.”
Chu Dong-hyun bowed to Lee Seung-chan and the crew—his twenty-fifth NG in two hours.
Lee Seung-chan shook his head at the apology.
“No worries. We expected this. You’re not a pro actor—bound to mess up.”
He spoke gently.
Inside, though, he was rotting with frustration.
It was just a newlywed couple waking up in bed.
But Chu Dong-hyun was the problem.
‘It’s not that he doesn’t get it… but why that face?’
Unlike Jin Soo-young, Chu Dong-hyun kept glaring with a twisted scowl.
Twenty-five times.
Anyone would think he was waking up in prison, not a honeymoon bed.
Probably fallout from their earlier clash.
‘What to do….’
Lee Seung-chan pondered.
Couldn’t exactly give acting lessons now.
Had to lighten the mood as much as possible.
‘But how?’
Then, providence smiled on Lee Seung-chan and the crew.
“Hello. I’m Joo Hyo-min, from PR.”
“And Lee Dae-hyuk from PR. Have a drink while you work.”
Joo Hyo-min and Lee Dae-hyuk entered, handing out beverages and greetings.
.
.
.
Surveying the set, Lee Dae-hyuk felt a strange mix of emotions.
Once this shoot wrapped, he’d meet Nam Seong-il tomorrow, explain the situation, and quit Daehan Construction.
Today was his last day of normal life.
Yet.
‘Even living normally is tough.’
In a model house corner.
Having heard about Jin Soo-young and Chu Dong-hyun from Lee Seung-chan, Lee Dae-hyuk frowned.
“Figured as much… but this is a headache.”
Joo Hyo-min tilted her head at his reaction.
“You expected this?”
Lee Seung-chan didn’t question it outright but shot him a baffled look.
“They’re both so full of themselves, a little friction seemed likely.”
“But from what you said, it’s no little friction.”
Lee Dae-hyuk rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand.
“Jin Soo-young can power through displeasure with her acting chops. But Chu Dong-hyun…”
Chu Dong-hyun was the type who led with fists when crossed.
No matter how many ads he’d shot.
Unlike Jin Soo-young, this acting amateur couldn’t hide his feelings or stick to the storyboard.
‘What now?’
Lee Dae-hyuk trailed off in dismay.
Joo Hyo-min, with no fix in mind, stayed quiet.
“Uh, any way to fix this? At this rate, we might have to scrap the shoot.”
At Lee Seung-chan’s lament, the pondering Lee Dae-hyuk spoke up.
He was clueless about ads or this world.
Which let him see a simple solution.
“There are two ways. Simplest: just shoot Jin Soo-young’s face.”
“Ah!”
Lee Seung-chan’s jaw dropped.
It’d work.
Film Chu Dong-hyun’s back or whatever, focus on Jin Soo-young’s face—no issues.
Still, it left a pang.
“It’s easy, sure… but it’d be rude to Chu Dong-hyun…”
Of course, as a pro, the shoot mattered more than guilt over Chu.
But Lee Seung-chan had wanted both faces front and center.
“There a second option?”
At his question, Lee Dae-hyuk smiled meaningfully.
He’d thought the second was better from the start.
“There’s a tough one. But it’ll get Chu Dong-hyun to finish the shoot. Flawlessly.”
Lee Seung-chan and Joo Hyo-min’s eyes widened in unison at his bold claim.
Grinning meaningfully at them, Lee Dae-hyuk continued.
“Stimulate Chu Dong-hyun’s competitive spirit.”
“Huh? Stir his fight drive, and he’ll act better?”
“Normally, no. But Chu Dong-hyun isn’t normal.”
Answering Lee Seung-chan’s doubt firmly, Lee Dae-hyuk added.
“I’ll go talk to him.”
***
Inside Chu Dong-hyun’s sports car.
In the driver’s seat, Chu Dong-hyun glowered ahead sullenly.
Felt like a two-fight losing streak.
‘KO, then a tap out next… wouldn’t feel this shitty.’
Win and loss were two sides of a coin.
As a fighter earning his keep, it was fate.
But today hit different.
‘I nailed shoots before… this is all that Jin Soo-young bitch’s fault. That #%!$#!$….’
Chu Dong-hyun reignited his hatred for Jin Soo-young.
At that moment.
Lee Dae-hyuk, who’d been staring from the passenger seat, spoke.
“You think it’s Jin Soo-young’s fault?”
“…You read minds?”
Chu Dong-hyun flinched—Lee Dae-hyuk had nailed it dead-on.
Perfect timing.
But Lee Dae-hyuk stayed cool.
‘No psychometry needed for this.’
The fire in his eyes was plain.
For Chu Dong-hyun, this first real-life loss outside the ring must’ve rattled him.
Truth was, social battles were tougher than fists.
Lee Dae-hyuk planned to advise him like an elder and stoke his competitive fire.
“Don’t stress too much. Simple fix.”
“Simple?”
“If you keep flubbing, your face won’t make the camera.”
“My face won’t…”
“Just Jin Soo-young’s. Clean resolution for everyone.”
“…That’s not a resolution.”
Chu Dong-hyun’s voice shook.
Self-loathing and fury at himself.
“Gym Master.”
“…Yeah.”
“Straight talk.”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s not just Jin Soo-young causing issues on set.”
“Then who is?”
“…….”
Lee Dae-hyuk fixed him with a steady gaze.
‘Losing your cool over this? That’s your problem too.’
The words nearly escaped.
But now was time to encourage.
“Easy to blame others. But does that change anything?”
“…Spare me the lecture. But… it sinks in.”
Chu Dong-hyun nodded, a hint of resistance showing.
Watching him, Lee Dae-hyuk pressed on.
“Keep messing up, and Jin Soo-young wins. You end up an extra.”
Extra.
The word hit like a gut punch?
After a silent beat, Chu Dong-hyun let out a creepy chuckle.
“…Heh heh heh. An extra? Me, an extra… heh heh heh.”