Choi Seon-hwa also realized that she had made a mistake and revealed her true feelings.
But she admitted it in her own style.
“Actually, I have feelings for Hyun-woo too.”
“Oh, you too?”
“As I thought, you too.”
Is this what they call empathy between those in the same situation? Or should I say it feels refreshing? The two who revealed their hearts quickly raised their glasses.
“Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
After downing their drinks smoothly, Kim Yoon-sun started to speak again.
“Oh, I should tell you what you asked about. Actually, on the show earlier, the kids kept trying to introduce Wang Ji-hyun to Hyun-woo.”
“Wang Ji-hyun? The Hong Kong actor?”
“Yeah, but since she’s from Taiwan, it’s hard to label her just as a Hong Kong actor. And since Hong Kong got incorporated into China this year, a lot of Hong Kong stars are worried about whether they should base their activities in Taiwan in the future.”
“Oh, really?”
“Anyway, so I don’t know if Wang Ji-hyun is in Taiwan, but she showed up at today’s recording. She’s close with Clones and might also be promoting a movie.”
“So Clones introduced her to Hyun-woo then?”
“Yeah, right. And I got a bit excited after the recording. I didn’t know why at the time, but now I think I get it.”
“Because you had feelings for Hyun-woo?”
“Yeah, it made me a bit upset. Even though he already has a girlfriend.”
“Exactly. Shouldn’t Ah-young be the one to keep an eye on this?”
“Yeah…”
“We can’t let this slide. When Ah-young comes, we should tell her.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah, let’s tell her. As a friend… well, it sounds a bit petty. But honestly, it’s unfair that only we feel left out, so we should make Ah-young feel the same.”
Kim Yoon-sun smiled faintly.
I thought she was joking until this point.
“Is she here by now?”
She stepped out of the room and brought Kim Ah-young in.
And then she started explaining like she was tattling.
To be precise, she told her that Clones seemed to be planning to introduce Wang Ji-hyun to Lee Hyun-woo, so she should be aware and prevent it from happening.
“Oh? Really?”
Disappointingly, there was no sign of worry or concern on Kim Ah-young’s face.
She even smiled and said,
“But if it’s for the promotion of Jungle, wouldn’t it be good to know stars from the Chinese-speaking world like Wang Ji-hyun? Oh, by the way, I went to check out some lands for hotel use today in Taiwan.”
After replying with unwavering eyes and voice, Kim Ah-young turned around and went back to her room. Choi Seon-hwa, laughing, whispered to Kim Yoon-sun.
“Did you see her clench her fist?”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah, she’ll probably go straight to Hyun-woo and handle it.”
Kim Yoon-sun seemed to understand the meaning behind the joyful voice.
Having a man like Hyun-woo must come with a lot of emotional struggles.
So, deal with it.
‘Sigh, but still, I’m jealous.’
In reality, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t bothered. While heading to Lee Hyun-woo’s room, Kim Ah-young thought about what Kim Yoon-sun had said.
- Wang Ji-hyun is also a fan of Hyun-woo. The Clones kids seemed to get their hopes up when they heard he doesn’t have a girlfriend. It might just be for the show, but you never know, so I’m telling you.
Lee Hyun-woo was always the top choice for the man people wanted to date and the top groom candidate during holidays.
His charm wouldn’t be any less overseas.
Kim Ah-young, her eyes covered with rose-colored glasses, pressed the bell of Lee Hyun-woo’s room.
The door opened after some movement inside.
“Ah-young, come in.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
Kim Ah-young carefully looked around the hallway and quickly entered Lee Hyun-woo’s room.
Since it was a hotel, her heart was pounding for no reason.
Without knowing this, Lee Hyun-woo asked her,
“Did you have dinner?”
“Yeah, I ate. How about you?”
“Me too. I went to the Taiwan branch and treated the local employees to some good food. Hahaha.”
“Really.”
“But coming all the way here just to work feels a bit off. I should be going on dates with you and all.”
“Yeah, but there are so many reporters around.”
“It’s getting harder to just walk around freely, even overseas. Still, if you’re okay with it, I’d like to go around and see the sights.”
“Really? Then let’s set a day to have fun after the concert. Like you said, just working here feels a bit off. I even brought sunglasses and a mask.”
“Ah, sunglasses I get, but a mask in this heat? It should be enough to just wear the sunglasses. And if we rent a car, we can avoid the media as much as possible.”
Originally, Kim Ah-young came to see if Lee Hyun-woo would meet Wang Ji-hyun, but she ended up scheduling a date instead.
She felt good, forgetting all about Wang Ji-hyun.
Seeing this, Lee Hyun-woo laughed.
“You are really… transparent. All your emotions show on your face.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, even now, you look like you’re so happy you could die.”
“That’s because I am happy. What about you?”
“I’m happy too. But I can’t show it as openly as you do.”
Lee Hyun-woo thought to himself.
This is due to the difference in experience over the years they have lived through.
So, they may be the same age, but they are not equals.
Even though he feels happy, he inadvertently controls his emotional expression.
Instead, he tries to muster up the courage to say this.
“I can’t even properly tell the girl I like that I like her.”
“…What?”
“Why?”
“This isn’t exactly what I wanted, but it’s the first time you’ve told me you like me.”
“Haha… Sorry, I should be more straightforward as a man…”
Since it has come to this, Kim Ah-young decides to be more direct.
“There’s no need to distinguish between men and women. The world is changing. I might as well be honest.”
“Haha…”
“In that sense, I have something to ask. Did you meet Clones today by any chance?”
“What?”
How does honesty relate to Clones in any way?
Lee Hyun-woo tilted his head with an awkward smile.
“Whether today or later, if you meet Clones, they might try to introduce you to Wang Ji-hyun. What would you say if that happens?”
“This is… quite a sudden question. What answer do you want?”
“Me? Oh, come on, do I have any preferences? Of course, I’d prefer if you don’t meet Wang Ji-hyun, but meeting a Chinese-speaking star for promotion isn’t a bad idea either.”
“Then I won’t meet her.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, I can’t possibly meet her after seeing your face.”
Lee Hyun-woo pointed at Kim Ah-young’s face with his finger.
The moment he said he wouldn’t meet her, her eyes were filled with joy.
Especially since she tried not to smile, her expression was awkward.
Without realizing this, Kim Ah-young asked Lee Hyun-woo,
“What kind of face am I making?”
“It’s hard to describe, but your eyes are saying it all. Don’t meet other girls. So, I won’t.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled and stared at Kim Ah-young.
Feeling shy, Kim Ah-young avoided his gaze and said,
“Uh, okay. Well, good night. Don’t forget to set a day for us to hang out later. I need to wash up and rest.”
“Alright, good night.”
Watching Kim Ah-young leave the room, Lee Hyun-woo thought back to the conversation he had with Clones before she came.
Wang Ji-hyun is a fan of yours too. Want to meet her?
I’d like to, but I don’t have time.
Oh, really?
Yeah, I want to tour around Taiwan for a day too. But if I go around with a star, people will recognize us, and there might be scandals.
True, especially if you and Wang Ji-hyun meet, the news will blow up. We might have gone too far. Since you said you were a fan of her last time, we thought we’d connect you two.
Oh, it’s not going too far. I’m actually a fan too and would like to meet her. If it weren’t for the reporters, I’d want to meet her as a fan. Ah, it feels so complicated with all these considerations.
You kind of get our feelings too. We have to be careful even when meeting a simple female friend.
In times like this, it’s more comfortable to meet a guy.
Oh, that’s tough in Taiwan too. We are popular with guys here as well. You can guess what kind of guys, right?
Lee Hyun-woo nodded with a laugh.
Then he said,
- But later, I’d like to get close with Brother Yeom-bal.
He really wanted to see the casual Brother Yeom-bal.
He became a fan at once after seeing him bite a matchstick.
The next morning, Lee Hyun-woo visited the branch again.
Especially, since it was the day Yaho Taiwan was launching, the local employees were gathered around their computers, highly attentive.
“What time does it start?”
“It’s almost time.”
“I’m curious.”
“Me too.”
Though they said this, they actually hoped it wouldn’t go well.
And perhaps reflecting that hope, when Yaho Taiwan’s homepage finally appeared, everyone had something to say.
“There’s nothing special.”
“Yeah, nothing special.”
“Right, nothing special.”
It was a strange thing.
Everyone’s expressions mirrored Lee Hyun-woo’s.
It meant they were filled with confidence, implying that Yaho Taiwan fell short of expectations.
“Did we overthink this? The content is so lacking.”
“On the contrary. They were too conscious of us, so they launched the site with such lacking content.”
“The important thing is, it seems they haven’t localized it properly?”
“Yes, I’ve been randomly typing search terms, and I’m not getting what I want.”
“It looks like they just translated the American version of Yaho and launched it in Taiwan. They can’t beat us like this.”
“Seems like we were worried for nothing. This is going to be an easy fight.”
“Wait! Did you see the announcements?”
“No, why?”
“Take a look at this. There’s something ridiculous mentioned.”
When someone raised their voice, everyone turned to their computers to check the announcements.
And then.
“What? They’re planning to offer cafe services?”
“They’re also going to provide blog services.”
“They didn’t do that in the U.S., right?”
“They realized our content works. Wow, this is a bit unethical. Even if web patents are vague, to blatantly copy like this.”
“If that’s the case, then they might soon launch music services too.”
“Yes, eventually they might just use our content as is.”
“This must be why Jamie Yang told the CEO yesterday that he was challenging Jungle as a latecomer.”
“If they’re going to challenge us, they should come up with something new, right? Using our stuff as is, isn’t that right, CEO?”
Kang Dong-ho finally asked for Lee Hyun-woo’s opinion.
His voice carried a bit of excitement, but in contrast, Lee Hyun-woo smiled with a calm face.
“If they’re doing this in Taiwan, it means they’ll introduce it in the U.S. too, right?”
“Probably?”
“We need to contact Joe Murphy. Tell him to prepare for a lawsuit immediately.”
“A lawsuit? Can we win with the current state of information and communication laws?”
“Who knows? But the media will definitely know. That we are the ‘original’ and Yaho is using our content without fair compensation or permission.”
Public image is crucial.
If the words originality and innovation are attached to a company’s name, all the followers will be labeled as copycats.
So, while the legal battle’s outcome is uncertain, the court of public opinion will certainly favor them.
This was something he planned while talking with Jamie Yang the previous day.
Once again, he realized his opponent’s lack of experience and insight.
‘People are so naive.’
Or maybe Lee Hyun-woo’s past life experiences always come to play at critical moments.
Indeed, reincarnation is a cheat key.
Thus, it seemed Lee Hyun-woo would always be the market leader.
