My Girlfriend’s Fortune: 3,141,592,653,589
Chapter 85: Is This Really Okay?

TL: Aniea

The day after Kang Woo-ju and Seo Jun-woo finished their phone call, the three of them, including Kim Eun-ha, gathered face-to-face in the orphanage lounge.

"Looking at you both like this feels new again."

Seo Jun-woo alternated his gaze between the two people sitting in front of him, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

The two naturally accepted his gaze. Kang Woo-ju had his usual calm expression, while Kim Eun-ha responded with a professional smile.

“Let’s skip the formalities and get straight to negotiations.”

“Negotiations?”

"I think it would be better to determine in advance what you should receive in exchange for taking on the role in this play, Seo Jun-woo-ssi."

“Oh, if that’s what you mean, it’s fine. I’ll do it for free.”

At the clear and direct response, a brief question mark appeared on Kim Eun-ha’s face. Seeing this, Seo Jun-woo shrugged and added an explanation.

“If I was going to refuse, I wouldn’t have come all the way here in the first place. Besides, I’m the one who’s ‘indebted’ to you in the first place.”

“...By debt, do you mean the movie appearance?”

“Yes. Honestly, Woo-ju is as passionate about acting as I am, so I expected him to accept easily once he saw the script. But the CEO’s decision was a bit unexpected.”

“It was an offer that didn’t have any reason to be refused.”

“Then I’ll have to give the same kind of response.”

Seo Jun-woo lifted the script that was lying on the table. As everyone’s attention gathered on him, he spoke again.

“It’s a script that gives me no reason to refuse either. Originally, I suggested the movie role because I wanted to act with Woo-ju. And I think the reason he suggested this to me is similar…”

“No, it’s not.”

“Oh, come on. Why act shy now?”

“Shy? Not at all. I just thought you were the most suitable among the people around me. Especially since you’re free enough to visit someone else’s fan signing event.”

“...For your information, I’m incredibly busy, okay?”

Kang Woo-ju’s response was filled with sincerity. Seo Jun-woo shook his head in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Kim Eun-ha, who had been silently watching the banter between the two men, let out a soft chuckle and joined the conversation.

“But are you really okay with this? As you mentioned, your schedule must be quite busy.”

“During the last drama shoot, I pushed myself a bit too hard, so I already coordinated with my agency to keep most of my schedule clear until the next movie shoot.”

“Did your agency allow that?”

“Well, for one, the CEO is my uncle. Plus, I’ve significantly contributed to the growth of the company. I have enough autonomy for something like this.”

Hmm-

Kim Eun-ha nodded at his smooth response. She looked into Seo Jun-woo’s eyes briefly, as if verifying his sincerity, and then spoke slowly.

“Alright. I’m sorry for asking you all these questions like we’re interrogating you after inviting you here first, but we just want to avoid any disruptions in the middle of the plan, if possible.”

“I understand. If the CEO wants, I can even draft a formal contract through the company for my appearance.”

“Then let’s go back to the basics. If you have any specific conditions you’d like, such as the appearance fee, please let us know. We’ll accommodate you as much as possible.”

“...You really don’t know how to let things slide, do you?”

Seo Jun-woo shook his head as if he couldn’t win. He kept insisting that he didn’t need to receive anything, but Kim Eun-ha wasn’t having it.

This was her way of drawing a line, ensuring that Seo Jun-woo’s participation would remain strictly within the framework of a contract.

“...Hmm. What to do with this?”

Tap, tap-

Seo Jun-woo lightly tapped the table, as if in thought. Then, as if a rather good idea had occurred to him, he mischievously raised the corners of his lips and threw out a proposal.

“Then how about extending my current contract as the face of Mirae Department Store?”

“That would be difficult.”

“…An immediate answer?”

“Department stores are sensitive to trends. Especially when it comes to the face of the brand, as it greatly impacts the department store's overall image. It’s not something that can be decided carelessly here.”

“That somehow sounds like you’re saying I’m no longer in trend.”

“Well, that depends on how you interpret it.”

Smile-

Kim Eun-ha lightly raised the corners of her lips. Facing her, Seo Jun-woo also didn’t erase the smile from his face as he stared back at her.

A slight silence followed.

It was Seo Jun-woo who spoke first.

“…Hahaha! My goodness. As expected, I can’t win against the CEO. Clearly, the current hot topic isn’t me, but Kang Woo-ju, over there.”

“……?”

The unexpected remark caused Kang Woo-ju, who had been quietly sitting in his seat, to twitch his eyebrows.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. Not just on social media but across various media outlets, the actor currently drawing the most attention is you.”

Hmm-

It was a statement that was hard to deny, yet just as hard to fully acknowledge, so Kang Woo-ju kept silent.

Since he occasionally ego-searched himself, he wasn’t oblivious to people’s reactions.

Although such trends in the entertainment world would quickly fade, at least for now, it was undeniable that he was the hottest star.

‘Not that it means much, I still have a long way to go.’

Kang Woo-ju had no intention of being satisfied with just this.

Public attention was fleeting. If left as it was, he knew he would be forgotten in less than a month.

Having understood the intent behind Seo Jun-woo’s words, the corners of Kang Woo-ju’s mouth slowly began to rise. In sync, Seo Jun-woo’s lips also began to curl upward.

“…Oh, come on. This isn’t a playground for kids.”

Watching the two from the middle, Kim Eun-ha shook her head as if she couldn’t handle them. However, a small smile also appeared on her lips.

“Fine. Both of you are perfectly suitable as the face of Mirae Department Store. So, I’ll give the position to whoever performs their role ‘more perfectly’ in this play.”

“More perfectly in the role?”

“Acting isn’t something you can measure numerically, and it’s not like the two of you are playing the same character, right? And we can’t exactly hold a popularity contest. So, I’ll contract with the one who, in my subjective judgment, best embodies their role.”

“Subjective judgment, huh…”

Seo Jun-woo scratched his cheek awkwardly, glancing alternately at the man and woman in front of him. Kang Woo-ju, however, shook his head as if to reassure him.

“Eun-ha-ssi isn’t the type to be swayed by trivial emotions. If anything, she’ll evaluate me more strictly to avoid any rumors.”

“If that’s the case, I’m in.”

Knowing a bit about Kim Eun-ha’s character, Seo Jun-woo coolly accepted the proposal. However, he set one condition.

“…If possible, I’d like my role to be changed from a witch to something like an ‘evil wizard’. No matter how talented I am, it’s hard to act as a different gender.”

“Are you already making excuses?”

“I think this is a fair request!?”

Seo Jun-woo’s indignant retort led to an enthusiastic round of negotiations, which ultimately resulted in his condition being accepted.

Upon hearing the news of Seo Jun-woo’s involvement, writer Jung Ha-rin’s eyes sparkled like a child’s, and she immediately began revising the script. The play’s script underwent another massive transformation.

*

"...At this point, we might as well call it an original work."

“…Hmm.”

Everyone clicked their tongues as they looked at the completed script. Their expressions made it seem like they were staring at an abomination, the likes of which the world had never seen.

The original story had already been reduced to a skeleton, and even that had been so mixed with other elements that it was unrecognizable.

On top of that, the whimsical wishes of children (such as lightsabers and fairies) and even musical elements had been added.

The fact that Jung Ha-rin managed to weave all of this into a coherent story felt almost grotesque in its brilliance.

‘The rough plot is…’

A long time ago, in a distant kingdom, a beautiful princess was born, and the king held a grand party to celebrate her birth.

As neighboring countries and even fairies from the forest came to offer their congratulations, an evil wizard appeared, his hood pulled up over his head.

Kneeling before the king and queen, he spoke in a raspy voice, as if phlegm were caught in his throat.

- Give me your daughter.

- W-what? What madness is this!? Guards! What are you doing? Why haven’t you thrown this lunatic out of the kingdom yet?!

At the king’s command, the soldiers stationed throughout the banquet hall rushed forward, but with a mere gesture of the evil wizard’s hand, they were all flung away.

Kyahhh-!

Screams erupted, and chaos unfolded. Even the fairies who had been watching from a distance joined in, but they couldn’t so much as touch the wizard’s robe.

Effortlessly fending off everyone’s attacks, the wizard fixed his gaze on the princess in the queen’s arms and continued.

- I will return on the day the princess comes of age. If you treat me this cruelly again, I will not extend the same courtesy.

With those words, the evil wizard vanished.

From that day forward, the kingdom fell into great shock. The king did everything in his power to defeat the evil wizard but was disheartened by the wizard’s abilities, which far surpassed human limits.

- My dear, what should we do about this?

- We must hide the princess in the Labyrinth Forest.

- What!? That’s cursed land where no one who enters ever returns! How can we send our child, who hasn’t even learned to walk yet, there…?

- There is no other way. We never know when the evil wizard might change his mind and reappear. We must act immediately.

After a lengthy persuasion, the king finally convinced the queen. Entrusting the princess to the knight he trusted most, they prepared to send them into the Labyrinth Forest.

- This is the sacred sword passed down through our royal family. I do not even know how to wield it myself, but I trust that you will one day uncover its power. Please, protect our princess with it.

- I will carry out your command…

- Foolish king, you have chosen your own poison.

- What are you…? Gahhh!

Boom!

The evil wizard, who had caught wind of the plan, appeared and created a sword of light, cutting down the king. Then, with a menacing glare, he turned toward the knight.

- Hand over the princess.

- I cannot do that.

- Then die.

As the wizard swung his sword, the queen leapt in to block him.

- Your Majesty!

- R-run… quickly…

The knight, now resolute after seeing the queen collapse powerlessly, held the princess in his arms and fled.

The wizard attempted to chase after him immediately, but soldiers who had heard the commotion arrived to block his way.

As countless soldiers and fairies sacrificed themselves to obstruct the wizard, the knight rode a pure white horse to the entrance of the Labyrinth Forest.

- Princess, we’re almost there. Just a little more…

- Is your struggle over now?

Despite everyone’s sacrifices, the wizard appeared ahead of the knight, blocking the entrance to the Labyrinth Forest.

- Arghhh! Ugh!

Grinding his teeth, the knight charged at the wizard, but he was struck by the wizard’s lightsaber and thrown from his horse.

The wizard looked coldly down at the knight, who lay on the ground, then roughly tore open the bundle in his arms.

- What is this!?

But inside was nothing more than a rock. As the wizard turned his head in shock, he saw the white horse galloping into the forest.

More precisely, he saw a small bag dangling from the saddle, and within it, a pair of sparkling, galaxy-like eyes.

- No!!

Neighhhh--!

The wizard’s magic shot out to grab the horse’s legs, but the recoil caused the bag to be flung into the forest.

At that moment, the entire forest seemed to ripple, and the princess disappeared without a trace.

…Time passed.

With the help of the dwarves in the Labyrinth Forest, the princess grew into a fine adult. Together with a prince who was born and raised within the forest, she joined forces to defeat the evil wizard.

“Director, are you sure this is okay?”

“…”

No one could respond to the question that was cautiously asked by someone. Their darting eyes, lost and unsure, were the only things that revealed their inner thoughts.

*****

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