Chapter 18

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Today, Hee-yoo Yin was shooting a commercial for a well-known local Korean cosmetics brand. Her face bore a subtle, exquisite makeup look. She wore her own casual outfit: a lotus pink off-shoulder top, fitted light-wash jeans, and flat ankle boots.

Ji-shi Jung nodded politely to Hui-jin Lim, exchanging greetings. After the other party drove away, he couldn't help but wrap his hand around her fair, beautiful shoulder, his thick brows furrowed as he muttered, "Why are you dressed so lightly? It's already winter..."

Hee-yoo nestled closer into his embrace, not catching the teasing tone in his words. She straightforwardly lifted the coat hanging over her arm, saying, "I brought a jacket, and I'm not cold..."

No sooner had she spoken than he naturally took the coat from her and wrapped her up snugly.

Hee-yoo was speechless.

She twisted from side to side, puffing her cheeks with a displeased expression. "I'm really not cold."

Ji-shi buttoned her coat carefully, then reached out to gently pinch her pouty lips, his tone a little jealous. "You're dressed so beautifully, I regret bringing you here."

Hee-yoo blinked, taking a moment to realize what he meant. Laughing, she wrapped her arm around his, her voice teasing, "Wow... Oppa, are you jealous?"

"Just because of that? Hahaha."

She jabbered on, barely able to stop laughing. Seeing Ji-shi's face darken, her survival instinct kicked in, and she quickly softened her tone. "I'm dressed nicely so I won't embarrass you, Oppa~"

"Oppa~"

She swung his arm gently, her voice dripping with sweetness. Ji-shi initially tried to endure it and enjoy the moment longer, but his grin betrayed him. He struggled to suppress the upturned corners of his mouth, twisting his face into a calm expression. "Ahem... You're already pretty enough without dressing up."

Before he could see her reaction, his gaze met Loco’s as he stepped out from the private room. The shock on Loco’s face made Ji-shi a little embarrassed.

Hee-yoo noticed too. Since she had met Loco before, she waved cheerfully without hesitation. "Loco, annyeong~ (hello)."

Hyuk-woo Kwon gave her a complicated smile, his voice a little weak. "Hello, Hee-yoo."

He never expected that Ji-shi not only managed to win over his goddess but judging by their private interactions, it was Hee-yoo who had Ji-shi completely wrapped around her finger. Kwon felt slightly uneasy.

The three entered the private room in a line. Hee-yoo greeted Jaebeom Park, whom she knew, then turned her gaze to the man sitting opposite Jaebeom. He had single eyelids, fair skin, and a fresh, handsome appearance that made him look quite young. But she knew this gentleman was already in his thirties.

Hee-yoo’s eyes curved with a bright smile. "Hello, Gray."

Seong-ho Lee looked surprised. "You know me?"

Ji-shi glanced at her, a little concerned, especially recalling when Jaebeom teased him about not bringing Hee-yoo to gatherings because Gray was too handsome. Although he didn’t think he was lacking, still...

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Gray really was handsome! Ji-shi felt a twinge of jealousy.

Hee-yoo didn’t realize her casual remark had sparked so many thoughts in Ji-shi’s sensitive mind. She naturally linked her arm through his, pursing her lips with a smile. "Because we're good friends with Ji-shi Oppa, I looked him up online before coming."

Despite being much younger than the others, she showed no sign of nervousness or awkwardness, nor did she flatter excessively. Her attitude was as natural as if she were dealing with close older brothers. One had to admit, this temperament suited Seong-ho well.

Only then did he truly acknowledge Loco’s words: Hee-yoo was indeed a likeable girl.

Although this was a gathering, the conversation didn’t revolve solely around Hee-yoo. They intermittently discussed company matters, such as Ji-shi’s upcoming new album plans. He hadn’t yet found songs he was truly satisfied with. Producer Pao was on another level in music production, far beyond ordinary idols. The shared topics and musical philosophies among the men gave plenty to talk about.

Hee-yoo was not bored at all. She eagerly enjoyed the dinner. To maintain her condition for today’s shoot, she had eaten lightly in the morning and afternoon and was quite hungry now. With cheeks puffed, she ate heartily, occasionally picking out tasty dishes to offer Ji-shi. When their eyes met, she would brighten and smile warmly.

Ji-shi watched her smiling with curved eyes and a sweet expression, feeling as if Cupid’s arrow had struck his heart. He couldn’t help but smile back.

The three men opposite them exchanged glances, sharing a helpless expression. They’d really hit the jackpot having to witness this couple’s lovey-dovey moments—especially since it seemed like they had “forced” this opportunity themselves. Thinking of that made the three older single men wince in pain.

In early December, the buzz from “One Day” had barely died down when news suddenly topped the trending searches: Hee-yoo Yin would be starring alongside recently discharged Kim Soo-han in a new drama.

Xportnews: [Actor Kim Soo-han’s First Work After Military Discharge, Co-Starring with Hee-yoo Yin in Kim Eun-sook’s New Drama]

Multiple media outlets reported that actors Kim Soo-han and Hee-yoo Yin would star in the upcoming Kim Eun-sook scripted drama “Children of the Chaebol.” It tells the comedic love story of Eun Se-ri, originally a Cinderella who unexpectedly becomes a chaebol heiress, and Choi Jung-woo, a chaebol heir fallen to commoner status. Hee-yoo will play the proud and somewhat clumsy princess-like Eun Se-ri, while Kim Soo-han will portray the absolutely upright, socially awkward commoner lawyer Choi Jung-woo.

[Wow… What a stellar cast! Kim Soo-han’s choice of projects is absolutely reliable. Hee-yoo’s recent drama was also quite good. Looking forward to this.]

[My favorite actor and actress! So excited~]

[Just seeing the leads’ names plus Kim’s involvement, this can’t be bad!]

[Hee-yoo’s script choices are quite sharp, and with Soo-han involved, we’re in for a good show, haha.]

[Off-topic, but Hee-yoo’s career is really skyrocketing. She debuted this year, played a supporting female role in a big production, and now she’s a lead, plus teaming up with Kim Soo-han.]

[Come on, Hee-yoo’s performance in “Crash Landing on You” was highly praised, okay? “One Day” was a lead role, but when it first came out, no one expected it to be a hit. It succeeded because of a good script and her solid acting. Plus, her agency is excellent, so it’s not surprising she’s getting good opportunities.]

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[Compared to the talentless pretty faces and the ugly kids with acting skills, I’d rather watch Hee-yoo. At least she’s pretty and talented. Simple.jpg]

[Kim Eun-sook’s storylines are amazing! Just reading the synopsis makes me want to watch it TT]

[Kim’s great at writing romance—you all remember the 2016 winter hit “Goblin,” right?]

[Hee-yoo, may your path be filled with flowers.]

The script reading for “Children of the Chaebol” was scheduled for the end of December, and before that, Christmas was approaching.

Since starting to date Hee-yoo, Ji-shi rarely went to clubs anymore. He used to go because he was bored and had nowhere else to go. Now that he had a girlfriend, those places held no appeal. Because of this, he didn’t know how many underground friends teased and mocked him via messages.

Ji-shi felt no shame. On the contrary, he was proud and even pitied those friends who could only waste their time in such places. How sad that they had no one to accompany them.

Unlike him—he had a girlfriend.

As soon as the Christmas atmosphere began to permeate the streets of Seoul, Hee-yoo and Ji-shi started discussing how to spend it. They went through countless plans, all rejected for various reasons. Finally, Ji-shi made a decisive suggestion: “Let’s go to Thailand.”

Hee-yoo, lying on his lap, was surprised. “Thailand?”

Jelly the cat silently crawled over her head, leaving a few strands of fur behind. Ji-shi quickly brushed them away, nodding. “Yes, Thailand.”

This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment idea. When Hee-yoo finished her previous drama, they had already considered traveling abroad. But at that time, both had some leftover work, so they couldn’t leave immediately. Now, with the year winding down and their work paused, and the script reading scheduled for the 31st, they had more than two weeks to enjoy a few days in Thailand, celebrate Christmas there, and return in time.

Ji-shi smiled, gently touching her forehead. “Don’t you love Thai food? The weather in Thailand is nice right now—warm. We can have a few days of fun and celebrate Christmas there. Then we’ll be back before your script reading starts.”

He made a logical case, and Hee-yoo’s eyes lit up. Mainly, December in Korea was truly cold. Thinking back to how fearless she’d been at last month’s dinner made her cringe. She had no idea the temperature difference just a month apart could be so drastic.

And most importantly, she had never been to Thailand before.

“Great!”

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. “Then let’s go to Thailand!”