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

Chapter 270: Using Projects as a Pretext for Deceptive Practices

Krystal Jung was lying on her back on the sofa in her living room, idly flipping through an outdated fashion magazine.

The iced Americano beside her had lost all its coldness, and the water droplets condensed on the glass meandered down, like her stagnant cleavage at this moment.

Fx is effectively defunct, and team activities have been indefinitely postponed.

After her older sister Jessica Jung left the group and SM Entertainment, her situation within the company became so delicate that it was almost transparent.

resource?

almost none.

journey?

Aside from the occasional photoshoot, she spends most of her time at home "idling around," so much so that she can almost count the lines on the ceiling.

When the doorbell rang, she didn't even bother to get up, only raising her voice:

"Mom, could you please open the door?"

"Crystal, there's a script for you!"

The agent rushed in excitedly, carrying a folder: "They specifically asked for you to play the female lead!"

"Find me?"

Krystal looked up from the magazine, her eyes filled with disbelief and surprise. Which company would extend an offer to her at this point?

"Ah."

The agent handed her the top, neatly bound script:
"Moreover, it's a movie script, and the production company is very powerful."

Which company?

Krystal Jung took the script, which still smelled of fresh ink, and the texture of it made her heart skip a beat.

"Next Scene Film".

"Kang Jae-hoon's company?!"

Krystal Jung recoiled as if burned, and the script fell onto the coffee table with a "thud".

The agent was startled by her overreaction:
"Is there a problem? Although President Jiang's company is newly established, it's gaining momentum, and this project is..."

problem?

Big problem!

Who is Kang Jae-hoon?
He was her ex-boyfriend whom she had genuinely liked and dated, but they broke up for various reasons (including interference from her domineering older sister and misunderstandings from her youthful impetuosity at the time)!

The origin of the company name Next Scene is known to only four people in the world:

She, Kim Ji-won, Kang Jae-hoon, and the master craftsman at the Montblanc boutique in Jongno, Seoul.

He named his company after a mark that held special significance between them.

This...what is this?
Can't forget your old flame?

Deliberate provocation?

Or... is it just a coincidence, or is she just imagining things?
"I won't perform."

Krystal Jung turned her face away, her voice stiff.

"what?"

The agent stared in astonishment at the usually composed, icy princess, who looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"You...you haven't even read the script yet! And I heard that Kim Ji-won has been cast as the other female lead. Aren't you two on good terms?"

Kim Ji-won?!

I'm not performing anymore!!
Seeing this, the agent's voice cautiously peered over:

"Crystal, do you... have some old grudge against Kang Jae-hoon?"

"no!"

"How about we take another look at the character design? July's transformation arc is practically made for you..."

I said I wouldn't answer!

Krystal grabbed the magazine and rushed into the bedroom, kicking off one of her slippers in her haste without even picking it up.

The agent finally realized that this was not a typical tantrum.

Silence for a few seconds.

She gently placed the neglected script on the coffee table and addressed the room:
"I'll leave the script here for now. Think about it carefully. Contact me anytime you've figured it out."

……

Even with a magazine covering my face, the flood of memories couldn't be contained.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from outside the door.

Krystal Jung lifts a corner of the magazine—

Her mother was bending down to pick up the script from the coffee table, her thin, withered fingers slowly turning the pages. The dim light from the wall lamp illuminated the old woman's hair at her temples, and a feeling of sadness welled up in her eyes.

"Soojung..."

Zheng's mother suddenly placed the script on her dressing table:

"Mom doesn't understand things in the entertainment industry." She ran her fingers over a line of dialogue. "But this line is so well-written..."

The words drawn on the page gleamed faintly under the lamplight:

"The sun can shine with confidence because it knows there are shadows. I don't want to live like a bride in a wedding dress who can't smile in a photograph; I want to see the frozen Lake Baikal in postcards. I don't need to see your back, because girls will always stand side by side."

Krystal Jung suddenly pulled the magazine up to cover her face.

After the door closed softly, the room fell silent.

Krystal Jung remained frozen on the bed, her face still covered by the magazine, until her mother's footsteps completely disappeared.

Five minutes passed.

"damn it……"

She suddenly sat up abruptly, ignoring the fact that her toes had hit the edge of the bed, her eyes fixed on the script spread out on the dressing table.

The dim light from the desk lamp made the paper appear translucent, and the line "Girls will always stand side by side" shone faintly in the shadows.

She could even picture Kim Ji-won's slightly upturned lips as she recited her lines—that air of being favored was the most glaring contrast to her at that moment.

My determination to refuse to watch, which I made five minutes ago, has long since dissipated into a state of confusion.

finally--

She bit her lower lip and turned to the first page.

three minutes.

five minutes.

Seven minutes.

Half an hour later.

Krystal Jung slowly raised her head, her eyes shifting from resistance to wavering.

The adapted July is no longer the traditional obedient girl, but a contradictory character with ambition hidden beneath a perfect exterior.

She comes from a wealthy family and is well-mannered, but when she paints, she prefers to break the mold with bold colors.

The first half portrays her as the "perfect child," but when the disguise is torn away in the second half, her yearning for freedom bursts forth...

My thumb hovered over the phone's numeric keypad for a full ten seconds.

Suddenly, as if she had given up on herself, Krystal Jung quickly typed out the string of numbers she already knew by heart.

"beep--"

"beep--"

Each waiting tone felt like a hammer blow to her chest.

at the same time.

In the president's office in Next Scene, Kang Jae-hoon was circling the paragraph that Kim Ji-won had just marked with a red pen:

"An Sheng's emotions before running away from home were not only resolute, but also included confusion about the future and reluctance to part with July..."

buzz-

The phone on the table vibrated, interrupting the conversation; the caller ID showed an "unknown number."

He tilted his head and stared at the flickering screen for three seconds before answering:

"Kang Jae-hoon."

His tone on the phone was as calm as if he were confirming a credit card payment.

This damn business-like feel made Krystal Jung choke instantly.

Kang Jae-hoon subtly adjusted his posture:
"Have you finished reading the script?"

The breathing on the other end of the line suddenly became rapid, and three seconds later, a clenched, questioning voice burst forth:

"What do you mean?!"

Kim Ji-won looked up abruptly, only to see Kang Jae-hoon calmly switching his phone to his left ear, and even having the leisure to refill her cup of black tea with his right hand.

"Sorry, I don't quite understand your question."

Are you here to humiliate me?

Krystal Jung gritted her teeth, saying, "Let me be with my ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend."

Kang Jae-hoon interrupted her:

"It's to pair you with a Chungmuro ​​reserve actress."

Upon hearing this, Kim Ji-won pointed to herself in surprise, but Kang Jae-hoon pulled her into his arms.
"Or are you afraid of acting opposite Ji-won?"

"I'm afraid of her!?"

As expected, Jung Soo-jung exploded: "I just..." Kang Jae-hoon interrupted her spellcasting again, patiently listing the transformation opportunities the project could bring her, analyzing the inherent advantages of working with Kim Ji-won, every word precisely hitting the Achilles' heel of a professional actress—

"The decision to accept or refuse is yours."

Krystal Jung was so angry she was grinding her teeth, but she suddenly calmed down in the next second:
Does she know you're asking me to act in a movie?

This "she" refers to many people, such as Lim Yoon-a, Lee Sung-kyung, Bae Suzy, etc.

But Kang Jae-hoon knew that she was asking about Kim Ji-won.

Do you want her to know, or do you not want her to know?

"Of course... I'll give you an answer tomorrow!"

Krystal Jung finally said through gritted teeth.

……

Before the dial tone had even faded, Kim Ji-won's slender fingers had already poked Kang Jae-hoon's chest:

"Oppa~ Why are you talking to Krystal so formally?"

Kang Jae-hoon looked completely bewildered: "...?"

What does this girl mean? Does she want him to flirt with Krystal Jung in front of her and rekindle their old flame?

"Am I supposed to coax her into acting?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't it be?"

Kim Ji-won blinked her innocent-looking big eyes, her fingertips drawing suggestive circles on his shirt:

"Shouldn't Oppa warm up a bit before filming to get into character?"

"..."

Kang Jae-hoon flicked her smooth forehead in an annoyed tone:

"Don't try to label me like that."

"Ugh...it's only a matter of time, isn't it?" Kim Ji-won muttered, clutching her forehead in pain.

Jiang Jae-hoon: “???”

He grabbed Kim Ji-won's cheek and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"It means exactly what it says~"

Kim Ji-won picked up the script on the coffee table and shook it: "Character suitability, professional evaluation and stuff... that's just for fooling outsiders."

Is the role of July really a good fit for Krystal Jung?
The answer is obvious.

If we're just talking about suitability for the role, whether it's Kim Tae-ri, who has already proven her talent with art films, Kim Go-eun, who has connections, or even Choi Jin-ri, who is more suitable than Jung Soo-jung, who has never been on the big screen.
Kang Jae-hoon insisted on keeping Jung Soo-jung. His true intentions were as clear as day.

He stared at the person in his arms for three seconds, then suddenly pulled them onto his lap:
"I really don't have that idea."

The sunset outside the window burned brightest at that moment, casting the intertwined shadows of the two people onto the script of "Soulmate".

This is true.

Bae Suzy's possessiveness, Lee Sung-kyung's explosive temper, Im Yoon-a's gentle trap, plus the quirky Kim Ji-won in his arms—these four beauties have brought Kang Jae-hoon's "time management" to the brink of collapse.

Just carrying water is exhausting enough, let alone the physical labor at night.
They're still young now, but in a couple of years when they're at their most virile, Kang Jae-hoon felt a dull ache in his kidneys just thinking about it.

"Tch~ Just because you don't have any ideas now doesn't mean you won't have any in the future."

Kim Ji-won chuckled softly, burying her face in his neck: "Once we're on set, we'll be together every day."

"OK OK."

Kang Jae-hoon kissed her chattering little mouth directly, lingering and grinding until her breathing became erratic before letting go.

Kim Ji-won glared at him with teary eyes—

How could she not know what kind of person this scoundrel was? He pretends to be righteous on the surface, but in reality…
……

The orange and purple hues blended together in the sky.

As the neon lights of Seoul begin to illuminate the city, the colorful lights stream in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, dividing the office into squares of light and shadow.

"continue."

Kang Jae-hoon was the first to grab the script that had been neglected for a moment: "Where were we?"

Kim Ji-won smoothed her slightly disheveled hair, and as her eyes darted around, the allure that had arisen from the kiss quietly receded as reason returned.

"It should be Jiaming and Ansheng reuniting in Seoul. Ansheng has become more... worldly."

Kang Jae-hoon nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly stood up and opened his desk drawer:
"By the way, your character needs to smoke."

A handmade cigar was pushed to the center of the coffee table.

Kim Ji-won stared wide-eyed at the cigar, which was thicker than her finger—who uses cigars to train actresses' smoking skills!

"I don't have any women's cigarettes."

Kang Jae-hoon smiled as he cut open the eggplant cap:

"Just practice the feeling of puffing out smoke."

As the lighter's flame shot up, Kim Ji-won wrinkled her nose and tried to inhale—

"Cough! Cough-cough-cough!"

She choked on the cigar, her eyes welling up with tears, and she nearly dropped it.

Jiang Zai Xun's suppressed laughter only fueled her anger and embarrassment, and she mercilessly punched his shoulder with her small fist:

"What the heck is this?!"

"Don't worry."

He suddenly grasped her hand holding the cigar and brought it to his lips as a demonstration:

"Press the tip of your tongue against the smoke, let the smoke swirl around in your mouth, savor the taste, and then slowly exhale, making sure it doesn't go into your lungs."

Smoke curled and swirled between the two men.

Kim Ji-won studied diligently, unaware that the way she lightly bit her lower lip was more vivid than any acting lesson.

Do you have any money left?

"what?"

Caught off guard by the question, Kim Ji-won blinked, momentarily unable to react.

Kang Jae-hoon didn't wait for her to fully understand before continuing:
“I will give you a 10% investment share in ‘Soulmate’.”

这部电影的总估值被Next Scene定在80亿韩元左右，公司自身制作+投资10亿韩元占据50%的主控份额，剩下的50%则被拆分成40亿韩元的外部投资额度。

Kang Jae-hoon had his reasons for giving up this piece of the pie—

The South Korean entertainment industry has been booming in recent years, with traditional giants and emerging players fiercely competing, and the film market is no exception.

International giants such as Warner Bros., Disney, and Netflix are spending heavily to seize market share.

In this era that can be described as the "Warring States Period" of film and television, only by clearly dividing the pie of interests and getting more people on the same boat can projects go far and companies survive when the situation stabilizes.

of course.

If an actress becomes one of the investors in a project, she will promote it more diligently and portray the character more wholeheartedly than anyone else, because she is not just an employee who receives a salary, but also one of the shareholders who will benefit from the project's profits and losses.

For Kim Ji-won.

In this dog-eat-dog world, being able to invest in a movie you star in is like winning the lottery.

more importantly--

What Kang Jae-hoon gave her was not just small favors, but a substantial guarantee that went beyond a romantic relationship.

"But……"

Kim Ji-won's joy lasted only a moment before practical problems surfaced in her mind.

A 10% share means an investment of 8 million won.

But she had recently bought her parents a large apartment in Gyeonggi Province.

Nominally she's a "filial daughter," but in reality, it's to create space for her and someone else to have an affair.

The result is now
The secret stash was empty.

Her movements as she fiddled with the cigar wrapper showed obvious hesitation.

Seeing her like this, Kang Jae-hoon couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"I'll deduct 2 million from your salary. You can take whatever you can get. If it's not enough, I'll cover the rest for you."

Kim Ji-won: !!!
Before she could finish saying the coquettish "Oppa is the best...", the man continued:

"The security at that apartment in Shuiyudong isn't good enough. I'll have Hanna go with you to buy a new one tomorrow."

With a series of impressive "gifts" falling on her, Kim Ji-won felt her heart filled with warmth and a surge of emotions.

She gazed at Kang Jae-hoon's profile, which appeared somewhat hazy yet exceptionally reliable behind the smoke, and her body involuntarily slid against him like a water snake, her arms encircling his neck, her eyes moist, her intentions obvious—

She wanted to "repay" him in the most direct way.

"Stop!"

Jiang Zai Xun jumped up and grabbed her like a cat, pulling her away.

What a joke!
The memory of being completely drained by Yoona the night before is still fresh in his mind; his kidneys can't withstand another round of "repayment."

"Investment is investment, and feelings are feelings."

He solemnly shoved the cigar back into her mouth, like a stern acting teacher:

"Let's practice the smoking scene first. An Sheng won't let us down at the crucial moment."

Outside the window, neon lights cast long shadows on the Han River, much like the profit chain in the eyes of investors.

In this game called "sharing interests," the first thing to fall is often not the wallet, but...

(End of this chapter)