Actress Kim Hye-ji
Kim Hye-ji had been recognized for her acting skills since her child-star days.
She had acted until middle school, then taken a three-year break during high school.
That had been a strategic decision.
She believed that clinging to the image of a child actress would prevent her from having a long career.
So during high school she focused on her studies and entered the acting department of a prestigious university, then resumed her acting activities.
Once her acting talent and her looks combined, success came naturally.
Moreover, the three-year hiatus had been more than enough to mature her appearance.
The public had been genuinely surprised when the cute child actress from those three years had become a mature woman.
And they had been able to accept Kim Hye-ji’s new image.
She had shone with excellent acting in supporting roles in dramas, seized the spotlight, and then taken on leading roles in numerous dramas and movies.
She had also starred in several commercials.
But that early success had become poison to her.
Everyone praised her, so naturally she had grown arrogant and lost all caution in her actions.
Then one day she had been drinking and playing with a male idol she considered her equal, and photos had been taken of the two of them.
Kim Namhu, watching Kim Hye-ji, could only admire the talent in her face.
Even the best actresses couldn’t become top stars without looks to back up their talent.
Kim Hye-ji possessed both a pure face and a sexy one.
She could express every angle, every light, every expression.
Kim Hye-ji ordered delivery food on her phone.
And then she spoke with Han Ki-ju once more.
About thirty minutes later the delivery arrived.
Kim Hye-ji quickly set up glasses of soju and bowls of pig feet.
“Eat comfortably.”
“Yes.”
Kim Namhu tried a piece of the pig feet.
The spicy seasoning was fine.
“How is it?”
“It’s delicious.”
After a short question Kim Hye-ji immediately turned her attention back to Kim Namhu.
‘Is he not handing over the initiative?’
She had said she didn’t like men who flattered her, yet she wouldn’t give up her own initiative.
She was a difficult woman.
She would never consider her for romance or marriage.
She was even unpleasant as a female friend.
No matter how beautiful or well-built a woman was, the kind of stupid personality she had was stressful just to be around.
But Kim Namhu was a host.
He wanted to satisfy any woman who came.
Even if he had to make up lies later and throw her out, right now he wanted to satisfy her and fulfill the pride of being a host.
‘I am the best.’
Kim Namhu started the conversation.
“I heard you like soju?”
“I just drink it.”
“But when you drink all kinds of alcohol and end up with soju, that’s what you drink, right?”
The corner of Kim Hye-ji’s mouth lifted slightly.
“But you’ll keep using respectful language?”
“I’m a host. I’m a guest.”
“I just called you because I was curious. I’m speaking informally like friends, right?”
“Then let’s do that.”
If the guest wanted it, he could speak casually at any time.
“Do you like soju, Namhu? Don’t hosts only drink expensive alcohol?”
“That’s how the shop gets sales. I like soju and grilled pork belly more than expensive alcohol.”
Kim Hye-ji’s posture changed with Kim Namhu’s answer.
Her upper body leaned toward him.
That was the most direct way a woman showed interest in a man.
“I’m the same. I’ve been to all kinds of expensive places as a successful actress, but there’s something expensive food can’t fill.”
“It’s soul food, isn’t it.”
The kimchi jjigae her mother used to make when she was little.
The first grilled pork belly and soju she had eaten with friends after entering university.
Any Korean would never forget the taste of such food and alcohol.
Kim Hye-ji laughed loudly and said while looking at Han Ki-ju.
“It’s really fun. You really are not the usual type.”
When they were arguing she looked like the most unsociable actress on screen, but when she laughed with her friend she appeared like a freshman college girl, her face changing so fast.
“I like it.”
Kim Hye-ji took cool beer glasses from the freezer.
“This isn’t for just anyone.”
“You have my eternal gratitude.”
She poured a full glass of soju into each glass.
She made three glasses and handed one to each of them.
“Then let’s drink comfortably.”
The three were young, their livers healthy, and they weren’t the type to fall behind anyone when it came to drinking.
Everyone chugged the soju in their full glasses.
Their stomachs let out satisfied sounds.
Without anyone saying who would start, they each took a bite of the side dishes.
The drinking session had become relaxed.
The three of them drank like old friends their age, chatting comfortably.
And Kim Namhu felt that with this level of enjoyment he would only make one night’s sales.
‘That’s not enough for friends.’
He kept checking the house while playing the role of Kim Hye-ji’s drinking partner.
He pretended to go to the bathroom for a moment and looked around the house.
‘Even with her face or acting skills it would be hard to completely win over this woman’s heart.’
With her face, even Jo Su-hwan—the most handsome host—wouldn’t be able to seduce her.
He had watched and met all the best-looking men in Korea while she was in dramas and movies.
He had also seen how many men threw themselves at her trying to sleep with her.
To win her heart, something special was needed.
‘Is that it?’
Kim Namhu looked at the pile of scripts in the living room.
They were many.
Even though she had caused an incident, her beauty and acting talent were still intact.
That was why there were still attempts to cast her.
Kim Namhu casually checked the scripts.
In his previous life he had been the one who checked what was trending for dialogue material.
When he had no time to watch movies or dramas, he had kept up with YouTube summary videos.
Naturally, memories of the works that had become hits in the future still existed in his head.
He returned to the table and said lightly as if they were just chatting.
“Are you picking out your next project?”
“Were you watching?”
“While I was in the bathroom.”
Kim Hye-ji didn’t seem to mind that he had seen it.
Instead she pouted and said, “It’s troublesome. I already ruined my image with the incident, so good works aren’t coming in. If I don’t do something now, I’ll just slowly fade.”
The entertainment industry was exhausting.
To rise you had to suffer greatly, but to fall was instant.
To maintain a top-tier status as an entertainer, she needed to appear in a hit work at least once every three years.
And that was never easy.
It wasn’t just up to her; the director and co-star had to be good too.
And the famous directors and PDs had no intention of using Kim Hye-ji, whose image had already been damaged.
The only people who had offered her a hand were those with somewhat lower status.
“So have you decided on the next project?”
“I’m thinking of trying a leading role in a romantic comedy drama on cable, something ordinary.”
Kim Hye-ji knew what genre sold the most in Korea.
In the end, the romance drama was what made a female actress stand out the most.
She had once received the nickname of the nation’s first love from her university freshman role a year ago and enjoyed huge popularity.
“It sounds ordinary.”
Kim Hye-ji was a good actress.
She could even tell what emotion someone was feeling from just a few words and a facial expression.
What Kim Namhu had just said was definitely not a compliment.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s ordinary.”
“If you have something you want to say, say it. Don’t cut it short.”
“You’re not saying what you want to say, you’re asking if I want to listen to what you’re saying, right?”
Kim Hye-ji couldn’t deny it.
Today was the first time the initiative in the conversation had passed to Kim Namhu.
The future knowledge Kim Namhu possessed gave him confidence, and that was what was drawing out her curiosity.
“It’s interesting. Do hosts have eyes for watching works?”
“I’m pretty good at guessing hits.”
“You’re so confident. Then do you know which of the three Korean movies coming out this week on staggered releases will be the biggest hit? In summer they usually put out those tentpole movies that are supposed to be the biggest draws. People naturally go to the air-conditioned theaters in the hot summer, so blockbuster movies come out one after another. The Korean movies waiting to be released now are varied. An SF film by the director who made a ten-million-winner. A retro action film by a director famous for making great action movies. A dystopian film by a rookie director with outstanding talent. Each has different strengths and weaknesses, so no one knows who will be the final winner. A good film might flop, or just an average one might become a hit. That’s how the Korean film industry works. Because the quality of the film and its box-office success don’t always match, finding a hit is even harder. If even half the hit films could be guessed right, every film production company would be fighting to take them. And this is far too easy for Kim Namhu.
He glanced at his phone to check the upcoming releases.
“Hae-nyeo. Do you think this film will be the biggest hit?”
The era when people rarely went to the cinema.
Kim Namhu remembered that only two of the films released this year had broken even at the box office.
One of them was Hae-nyeo.