Peninsula: From a supporting actor to the best actor in Chungmuro

Chapter 215 Tofu Candlelight and Rose Trap

Upon hearing this, Kang Jae-hoon's fawning smile froze for half a second, but his rich "survival experience" made him react immediately.

"Oops~"

He tightened his grip, half-embracing and half-coaxing Lim Yoona towards the white pearl sports car, and then opened the passenger door:
"Get in the car and we'll talk! It's chilly outside!"

Without a word, he shoved Yoona into the soft leather seat, then walked around to the driver's side and got in himself, hurriedly explaining:
"Heaven and earth bear witness! I really have been preparing for the film festival hosting program! Hosting a film festival, it's my first time ever! I'm so afraid of embarrassing you, aren't I? I don't even know how many times I've memorized the script, I've been dreaming about those lines... How could I have the energy to think about anything else?"

Yoona let out a soft hum from her nose.

It's not that I believed Kang Jae-hoon.

Instead, she saw his eagerness to show loyalty as a disguised form of submission and appeasement.

The objective has been achieved; let's stop here.

She reached into the car's storage compartment and pulled out a square, disposable, transparent lunchbox. Inside lay a perfectly square piece of soft tofu.

"have eaten."

Kang Jae-hoon was taken aback.

React instantly.

In South Korean society, there is a common tradition that people are given tofu when they are being welcomed back from prison.

It has profound implications.

The pure white color of tofu symbolizes welcoming a "clean new life".

Tofu, made by pressing and coagulating soybeans, cannot be transformed back into soybeans, thus carrying a warning—"Do not repeat the same mistake."

Although Kang Jae-hoon didn't go to jail this time, he was put in the Ministry of Culture's "dark room" and underwent nearly eight hours of stressful interrogation. In the eyes of Lim Yoon-ah, who values ​​rituals, it was almost the same in nature.

Without a word, Kang Jae-hoon grabbed the piece of tofu from Im Yoon-ah's hand and swallowed almost half of it in one gulp. His cheeks bulged as he chewed, mumbling his loyalty indistinctly:
"Mmm...delicious! The tofu that Yoona bought is especially sweet!"

Even though tofu itself has almost no flavor.

Watching him eat with such gusto, Lim Yoona couldn't help but smile. This guy always has this reckless, endearing charm when he tries to please people.

"Eat slowly!"

She scolded him playfully, but her tone had softened and become gentle.

Jiang Zaixun gave a vague reply, but his speed didn't slow down at all, and he finished off the piece of tender tofu in no time.

"Now I'm completely reborn!"

Kang Jae-hoon pretended to be serious as he flattered him.

Yoona rolled her eyes at him and started the car.

"How's filming going in Greece?"

While waiting at a traffic light, she asked casually.

Kang Jae-hoon was about to casually reply, "It's fine, everything's going smoothly," but in a flash, a painful memory flashed through his mind of a time when he had stepped on a landmine while answering a similar question to Bae Suzy—

When he said "It's fine," the other person raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're doing fine even when I'm not here?" He almost choked on his words.

He swallowed back the polite words that were on the tip of his tongue, and instead made an extremely smooth turn:
"It's alright... but every night when I get back to my room, I can only fall asleep by looking at your picture..."

"Then why didn't you call me? What's the point of just looking at photos?"

Kang Jae-hoon felt a sense of relief, secretly rejoicing that this situation was under control.

"Hearing your breathing makes me miss you even more, and I can't sleep at all. Isn't that just self-torture?"

(Although the truth is he was busy dating Kim Ji-won and responding to Lee Sung-kyung's check-up video chats)
"The most crucial thing is the time difference. You're busy all day long, while it's late at night here."

"Oh, right... there's a time difference."

Looking into her beautiful doe eyes that sparkled with "I see," Kang Jae-hoon secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, I found it a little funny.

Women in love do indeed experience a drop in IQ (sometimes a fall into the abyss of cuteness).

Even Ms. Lin, the "goddess of capital" who can usually leave Jin Dayuan completely bewildered, can be fooled by the simplest sweet words at times.

IQ?

Even hormones can sometimes cause malfunctions.

……

The next morning.

Kang Jae-hoon, whose biological clock is ingrained in his bones, was the first to wake up.

He glanced at Yoona, who was still fast asleep beside him, and gently pulled his arm, which had gone numb from being covered by the pillow.

Get out of bed quietly.

Wash up.

Then I began to fulfill my important duty as a "poop scooper," and finally offered my sturdy back to successfully lure it to jump up and leave a few small paw prints that symbolized my dominance.

Only after doing all this did he change into clean clothes.

When Yoona woke up rubbing her sleepy eyes, he had already put the seaweed rice rolls on the table.

"morning."

"morning."

After a hearty breakfast, Kang Jae-hoon picked up his car keys.

"Let's go, I'll see you off."

Upon arriving at the filming location, Yoona leaned down and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Watching her figure disappear into the crowd of staff, the ease on Kang Jae-hoon's face vanished instantly. He turned the steering wheel and drove towards the hotel where he would be staying during the Busan International Film Festival to retrieve his suitcase.

According to the original plan.

He should rush back to the Greek film set today to continue filming "Descendants of the Sun".

But as the saying goes: "One must cultivate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world." If one's home is not at peace, how can one travel far?

Bae Suzy is still fuming and hasn't been appeased yet. If I just pack up and leave... it's not just a matter of the increased difficulty in repairing the relationship in the future.

This is practically a gamble on whether he'll survive to return to South Korea and film his next movie, "A Violent Prosecutor"!
However, this girl was in a bad mood.

All phone calls were cut off, and messages on Kakao were read but not replied to, clearly indicating a refusal to communicate.

no way.

Kang Jae-hoon could only resort to the most rudimentary and direct method—

They went to Bae Suzy's apartment to "ambush" her.

He pulled his suitcase and entered the password with practiced ease (luckily it hadn't been changed yet). Sure enough, the room was empty and deserted.

Waiting is always agonizing.

Especially since we don't know when she will come back.

Time passed slowly in the quiet air.

Just as Kang Jae-hoon was beginning to consider whether he should go to her usual beauty salon or JYP to wait for her—

Ding dong.

The phone screen lights up, indicating that a new email has been received.

Kang Jae-hoon opened the email.

[Sender]: Korean Actors Guild.

[Subject]: Invitation to Participate in a Joint Signature Campaign—Upholding the Artistic Independence of the Busan International Film Festival
Recently, the pressure exerted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and related parties on the selection and operation of the Busan International Film Festival has reached an intolerable level.

To safeguard the artistic independence and creative freedom upon which the film festival depends, the nine film associations have reached a consensus and unanimously decided:
If outgoing Chairman Lee Yong-kwan and his demands to maintain the independence of the Busan International Film Festival are not fairly respected, and if the Ministry of Culture insists on interfering with the core operations of the Busan International Film Festival, the nine associations will officially launch a comprehensive joint boycott of the Busan International Film Festival!
This plan includes, but is not limited to:

1. All productions and directorial works by association members will be withdrawn from the screening and competition sections of the next Busan International Film Festival.

2. The association's core creative personnel, including directors, actors, cinematographers, art directors, screenwriters, and editors, refuse to attend the opening ceremony, red carpet, and official closing ceremony of the next Busan International Film Festival, as well as any official events.

3. All members declined to serve as film festival judges.

4. We urge audiences and overseas partners to pay attention to the situation and support artistic independence.

We know that true strength comes from unity.

More than 100 filmmakers (all of whom) who spoke out for the truth about the Sewol ferry disaster and participated in a joint petition on cultural reform last year have taken the lead in confirming their signatures in support.

To date, we have received positive responses and signed petitions from over 1,300 directors, actors, screenwriters, technical staff, and other film and television industry professionals!
This time, our resolve is even stronger, and our actions will be even more thorough.

We believe that your name, added to this weighty list of signatories, will lend a powerful voice to this battle to defend the boundaries of art.

Please read the attached draft joint statement and details of the specific boycott plan.

If you decide to join, please reply to this email within 72 hours to confirm your "agreement to co-sign," and please include your frequently used contact information. We will communicate with you promptly regarding subsequent steps and official announcements.

Art is immortal, independence is eternal!
Korean film workers' joint support committee.

yours truly.

……

simply put.

This was a massive, sweeping protest across the entire South Korean film industry, characterized by a clear stance—a "collective strike." Its scale and determination far surpassed any previous industry-wide rights protection action.

Kang Jae-hoon naturally felt a sense of "honor" at being invited.

This proves that within the pro-democracy camp, he has indeed accumulated considerable prestige and recognition thanks to his "feat" at the film festival opening ceremony and his status as a "son-in-law of Gwangju."

But the problem is...

Just yesterday, in the Ministry of Culture's interrogation room, he "deeply realized his mistakes" and "will definitely be cautious in his words and deeds," practically swearing an oath to the heavens.

The result was that they turned around and participated in this joint boycott action, which was a clear slap in the face to the government and of an extremely serious nature.
Although this joint effort is unprecedented in scale, with nine major associations participating and thousands of practitioners responding, the probability of success seems quite high.

After all, the film industry is one of South Korea's national symbols and soft power. If the film industry were to collectively "strike," it might actually force the government to make concessions.

But Kang Jae-hoon only hesitated briefly before his mind quickly tipped towards "not participating".

It wasn't entirely out of concern for their own safety.

He doesn't care about acting with the reputation of being a "playboy" and "female star harvester." With a thick skin and a stable mindset, those minor moral flaws are indeed not a fatal blow in the face of Chungmuro's power.

But what about others?

Especially Yoona.

That top idol in the public eye who has remained consistent for over a decade, with zero negative publicity and a flawless image.

If it were revealed that she was competing with other popular female celebrities for the same man, it would be an absolutely devastating scandal and a laughing stock!
Although she has been trying to transition into acting and has appeared in some productions, the transition has been bumpy, and she has yet to have a truly iconic work that has solidified her position in the industry.

Her identity as an idol is her solid foundation, but it is also her fragile armor—the core of the fan economy is "fantasy" and "perfect image".

Could he really place her in the middle of this scalding oil for the sake of so-called "justice"?
He absolutely could not, and would never dare to.

Because that was a price he couldn't afford.

"Heh..." Jiang Zaixun leaned back heavily into the sofa, closed his eyes, and raised his hand to pinch his brow.

He decided.

dont see.

No reply.

The fact that email apps don't have read receipt notifications is the greatest mercy right now.

If asked in the future, a simple "I've been too busy filming in Greece and haven't checked my phone or email in a long time" will suffice. It'll also give me the image of a workaholic.

Take a deep breath.

Kang Jae-hoon refocused his energy on the pressing problem of "how to win back Bae Soo-ji".

Should one weep and wail, or stubbornly cling to their clown?

Or... how about pinning her against the wall and giving her a deep kiss that will temporarily shut her down? (That's too risky; Pei the Rabbit might actually bite now!)
"Om - hum -"

The phone rang unexpectedly in his chest.

Kang Jae-hoon's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that the union didn't receive a reply to the email and started calling to pressure us?
This efficiency is just too high!
He stiffly grabbed his phone and nervously stared at the screen—

Caller ID: Jin Dayuan.

call……

He let out a long sigh of relief, swiped his thumb across the answer button, and held the phone to his ear:

"Hello? Bro?"

“Jaehoon!”

Jin Dayuan's voice came from the other end:
"I need to let you know something. Do you remember the apple juice from the agricultural cooperative that you endorsed before?"

Kang Jae-hoon's mind flashed back to his fresh and healthy advertising image from back then, one of his few serious endorsements in his early career.

"I remember, what? The brand is coming back?"

"That's right! Their marketing department has changed personnel, and the new person has a particularly strong impression of you, especially after seeing you at the airport. They feel that you have a more mature charm than before, and they want to invite you back to rekindle our relationship."

This would normally be good news.

Unfortunately, he couldn't sign.

One of the core terms that allowed Kaisheng Beer to offer such a high endorsement fee was an extremely stringent non-compete agreement.

Besides basic beverages such as purified water and milk, endorsements of any other alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks are prohibited, with fruit juices being explicitly banned.

Reminded by Kang Jae-hoon, Kim Dae-won also remembered.

"I was so focused on how much the endorsement fee for apple juice has doubled since then that I forgot about this! My bad, my bad! Okay, okay, I'll go and turn it down right now, what a pity..."

He pretended to hang up the phone to become the "bad guy".

"Hey, wait a minute, bro!"

A sudden idea flashed through Jiang Zaixun's mind, and he quickly called out to him.

"Hmm? Is there anything else you need, President-nim?"

Jin Dayuan asked, half-jokingly.

Kang Jae-hoon's fingers tapped on the sofa armrest, clearly indicating that the idea had just taken shape:

"Ask the brand if I cooperate with them for two offline promotional events and a print ad shoot after my beer endorsement expires—could you use that as a bargaining chip to get them to give this apple juice endorsement opportunity to Kim Ji-won?"

"Kim Ji-won?"

South Korea's land area and market size determine that advertising endorsement resources are scarce. Rather than turning down this opportunity that came knocking on their door again, they might as well find a way to "keep the good stuff in the family."

Yoona and Suzy certainly don't lack endorsements for everyday consumer products.

Lee Sung-kyung has a stronger model image and sense of fashion, making her a better fit for beauty and clothing endorsements.

After careful consideration...

Kim Ji-won, who urgently needs high-quality endorsements to consolidate her popularity and commercial value, seems to be the most suitable recipient of this resource.

She gained recognition for her role as Yoo Rachel in "The Heirs".

However, for two whole years in 14 and 15, there were almost no new works of significant importance, and his popularity inevitably declined, with his popularity waning considerably.

Most of the advertising endorsements they had previously accumulated were terminated because they were no longer worth renewing.

By Jin Dayuan's standards, she is now definitely a "nobody" – her image is okay, but her popularity and buzz are lacking, and she lacks the hard indicators that would catch the eye of brands.

"elder brother……"

"Just go and ask."

"Whether it works or not, we have to give it a try."

Limited by his complex identity and emotional entanglements, there is very little that Kang Jae-hoon can do for Kim Ji-won at this stage.

This endorsement opportunity can be seen as a small form of support for her within our means, or it can be interpreted as a necessary consideration for a playboy to maintain relationships in the world of romance.

At least……

We can't let this girl simply think that he, Kang Jae-hoon, is just a heart-stealing bastard, right?
We also need to show her that, in terms of material resources and career opportunities, she still has some reliable value.

Jin Dayuan was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, seemingly weighing the pros and cons and the feasibility.

"Alright! Since you've put it that way... I'll go and sound out the farmers' association."

This operation is a bit convoluted, but if handled properly, it might not be impossible. The "free service" that Kang Jae-hoon offered is quite substantial, and the agricultural cooperative might agree.

"Yeah, thanks for your hard work, bro."

hang up the phone.

The apartment returned to silence.

Kang Jae-hoon tossed his phone onto the coffee table, leaned back into the soft cushion, and let out a long breath.

Before he could even get his plans to appease Bae Suzy, he was already worrying about Kim Ji-won's future.

He raised his hand and pressed his temples.

This time management...

It really is a technical job.

------

The night is getting darker.

Exhausted, Bae Suzy entered the password and opened the apartment door.

She had assumed that Kang Jae-hoon was already at 30,000 feet, en route to Greece.

In her worldview and value system, career is the foundation, the foundation that supports everything. Only with a stable career can one have the luxury of leisure to cultivate and enjoy relationships.

Otherwise, it is absolutely impossible and unrealistic to indulge in romance and poetry without making a living.

Subconsciously, she naturally assumed that Kang Jae-hoon, who was also in the fiercely competitive entertainment industry and had recently experienced a surge in popularity, should have the same priorities as her.

Work should always come first.

At this point, how could he possibly abandon the production schedule and his own reputation for such a "trivial" matter as appeasing his girlfriend?
however.

Bae Suzy habitually bent down to change her shoes, but her movements froze the moment her gaze swept across the living room.

Several long-handled candles burned quietly on the candlesticks, their wax dripping slowly, the leaping flames illuminating the crystal-clear goblets and the plates covered with insulated lids.

There was even a bottle of decanted red wine on the table.

What made her heart race even faster was that the bathroom door next door was wide open.

The bathtub was filled with fresh rose petals, warm white steam rose from the water, and a soothing aroma of essential oils filled the air.

A figure that should never be here was standing with his back to her, leaning slightly forward, as if testing the water temperature.

He...didn't leave?!

The visual and atmospheric impact of this moment is so strong that it can break through any mental defenses.

All the preconceived anger and resentment seemed so vulnerable in the face of this unexpected, highly ritualistic, and meticulously planned "waiting."

A popular actor, willing to put aside his demanding work and so-called male pride, went to such lengths for you in such an old-fashioned yet thoughtful way...

Bae Suzy felt a lot of pent-up anger that had been building up in her chest all day, and it all dissipated on the spot.

But you still have to be able to throw a tantrum and act a little temperamental!
That's a matter of principle!

We absolutely cannot let this go!

Bae Suzy forced a stern expression and let out a heavy snort through her nose:
"Ha, you're not filming anymore? What are you pretending to be, playing the fairy godmother?"

Kang Jae-hoon turned around upon hearing the sound.

"You're back? The water temperature is just right. Shall we take a bath to relax? Or should we eat something first? Or... eat me first?"

Bae Suzy completely ignored his words, crossed her arms, raised her chin high, and turned the back of her head towards him, fully expressing the attitude that "I am still angry, and very angry."

Kang Jae-hoon wasn't annoyed.

He walked over and, with remarkable ease, gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her slender neck and shoulder, his voice possessing a captivating magnetism:
"Are you still angry? It's all my fault... I made Suzy suffer."

Bae Suzy didn't push him away.

Kang Jae-hoon's hands began to wander, massaging her shoulders and neck, which were a little sore from standing for so long.

Bae Soo-ji instinctively tried to hold back, but the comfortable touch made her involuntarily let out a very soft hum with a hint of enjoyment.

"Um……"

As soon as the sound came out, she immediately realized something was wrong and quickly bit her lip, trying to swallow the groan back, but her body honestly relaxed and even unconsciously leaned back slightly into his arms.

A smile flashed in Kang Jae-hoon's eyes, and he worked even harder, extending his movements from his shoulders and neck to his arms and then to his back.

Bae Suzy's initial forced snort had, without her realizing it, completely transformed into an undisguised, nasal, and comfortable hum.

Although she was still trying to maintain an "I'm angry" expression on her face, her body had already betrayed her, and she leaned limply towards the source of heat.

The flickering candlelight streamed across her profile.

Kang Jae-hoon looked down at the body in front of him, which was slowly losing its will to resist and becoming soft and fragrant in his hands.

Candlelight dinners and petal baths are the first step.

The true weapon to breach a city...

Ultimately, it comes down to real skill.

-

[PS: Readers who participated in the fan title contest, please accept the invitation from the book club administrators.]

(End of this chapter)