Chapter 21

The "encounter" during lunch went viral on Weibo. It wasn't just a detailed post; it included a ten-second video. Although it didn't clearly capture their faces, the height, the silhouettes, and the few blurry side profiles that flashed by matched Simon Dominic and Yoon Hee-woo perfectly. Combined with the fact that they were indeed in Thailand during that period, it was nearly certain that the people in the video were them.

In the video, Simon Dominic, wearing a floral shirt, stood beside Yoon Hee-woo. His hands were carefully holding her hair while the girl held a bowl of what looked like shaved ice, happily slurping away, occasionally turning her head to talk to him. In the final second before the video cut off, one could see Yoon Hee-woo using a spoon to feed the man.

Simon Dominic is quite popular in China. After all, a handsome and talented Korean man is a rare find. His previous appearances on "Show Me The Money 5" and "I Live Alone" gained him many Chinese fans. "Transit Love 2" was also very popular in China due to the fated redemption of Hyun-kyu and Hae-eun, so when the show was airing, quite a few Chinese fans were "shipping" the Simon-Hee-woo pairing, as he was a studio panelist.

[When I was watching "Transit Love," I thought Simon and Hee-woo were a great match. I didn't expect it to be real.]
[Thinking of the younger sister's age, face, and figure, Simon is really living the good life, boo-hoo.]
[Simon has that "ruffian-handsome" vibe, but he doesn't make people dislike him. Aside from being the same height as Yoon, they are actually quite a good match.]
[Do rappers... seem to like actresses a lot?]
[I think Yoon Hee-woo is exactly the type rappers like—both sweet and spicy.]
[I know Simon, but who is the girl? I don't really have an impression of her.]
[Our girl is Yoon Hee-woo, born in 1995. She grew up in the US and debuted as Seo Dan, the second female lead in the super popular "Crash Landing on You" starring Son Yejin and Hyun Bin earlier this year. She also starred in the school drama "Extraordinary You," which had great ratings and good reviews in Korea. She just joined the cast of "Chaebol’s Daughter" with Kim Soo-hyun, a drama written by Kim Eun-sook! The one who wrote "The Heirs" and "Goblin," so we can really look forward to it. Plus, Hee-woo is an ENFP happy puppy, a sweet face with a model figure and great acting skills! It’s a guaranteed win if you stan her!]
[She’s the lead from "Extraordinary You"! I quite like that show. But I remember... Simon isn't that young, right? I think I saw news a few years ago that he was in a very long relationship with his ex!]
[It’s only a ten-year gap... *feeling guilty.jpg*]
[Eh, I'm not very optimistic. The girl seems like a little girl who grew up in a simple, happy family, and she doesn't seem to have much experience in relationships. As for the man, even setting aside the stereotype that Korean men are players, he dated for so many years and didn't get married, so I feel like there's something...]
[Simon and Lady Jane broke up peacefully. It doesn't mean it was his fault just because they didn't get married. After they broke up, both of them answered questions about each other very gently in interviews, so I don't think we should blame Simon for that.]
[Even though he looks like a ruffian and writes 19+ explicit songs, our Simon is really not a bad guy!]

Just like the discussions among Chinese fans, Korean netizens were also bringing up Simon’s six-year relationship, and Simon saw it himself. When he was with Lady Jane, his conditions and circumstances were poor, yet she still silently stood by his side, and he was always grateful for that. But that’s how relationships go—there was no dramatic cheating, no misunderstandings, or arguments; it just faded.

Precisely because they had truly loved each other, he felt the growing indifference of the later years all the more deeply.

Simon’s mood was complex. The breakup happened in 2013, and after all these years, to have it dug up and picked apart—perhaps this was one of the negative impacts of fame. As far as he knew, Jeon Ji-hye had married last year, and he hoped this turmoil wouldn't affect her.

Of course, more importantly, had Hee-woo seen the news? Would she take the netizens' words to heart? Simon felt restless. Suddenly, the fluffy head of Jelly, the cat he was petting, didn't feel as good to touch anymore. He wished he could fly to the set right now to explain everything to her.

The picky kitten, sensing his increasingly perfunctory massage, gave an unsatisfied "meow," stood up, shook its fur, and jumped off the sofa with disdain.

Simon absentmindedly picked at the cat hair on his black pants, hesitating for a long while before calling his manager to come pick him up.

***

On the set of "Chaebol’s Daughter."

The scene currently being filmed was the moment Yoon Hee-woo’s character, Eun Se-ri, had her fake heiress identity exposed. After being framed by her aunt, who was fighting for power behind her back, she was kicked out of the Eun family and lost her position as Vice Representative of Daewoo Group. The heiress, who had never known hardship, stood pitifully outside a convenience store staring at the food inside, only to be "picked up" by Choi Jung-woo, who was out for a night run. At this point, Choi Jung-woo’s identity as a young master had not yet been revealed.

Eun Se-ri, who had always worn luxury designer brands, had never worn such cheap, tacky dark pink sweatpants. She pushed the clothes aside, her chin tilted slightly, looking as proud as a little peacock: "I’m not wearing these."

Choi Jung-woo couldn't grasp the young lady’s mindset and said earnestly, "This is the only set of clothes my sister left at home. If you don't wear them..."

A thoughtful expression appeared on his handsome face: "Then you'll have to wear mine."

The girl’s eyes widened, thinking for a moment that something was wrong with her hearing.

"What!?"

"Okay, cut!"

The director’s cheerful voice rang out, and Yoon Hee-woo and Kim Soo-hyun politely thanked the surrounding staff.

"Good work."
"Thank you, everyone."
"See you tomorrow~"

After saying goodbye, Yoon Hee-woo waved at Kim Soo-hyun and quickly grabbed her bag and scurried away, looking like someone was chasing her. Kim Soo-hyun paused for a moment and couldn't help but laugh. Yoon Hee-woo was definitely the most "energetic" actress he had ever worked with, but honestly, being around someone like that was quite pleasant.

Yoon Hee-woo ran out of the set and saw the man waiting by the van from a distance. Her eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace. When she was only two or three meters away, she couldn't help but cry out with a happy voice: "Oppa!"

Simon looked up. Her brilliant smile was highly infectious, and he couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, skillfully catching the person who threw herself into his arms.

"Are you that happy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yoon Hee-woo didn't hide it at all. She nodded vigorously, her little mouth chattering away: "I missed you so much today! Oppa~ didn't you miss me?"

The girl in his arms blinked at him, puffing out her cheeks as if she would throw a tantrum if Simon gave a negative answer.

Simon pinched her cheeks and said, speechless: "I did! I missed you to death!"

The second half of his sentence was comically delivered with a Busan accent, and Yoon Hee-woo burst into laughter, her eyes curving into crescents, looking so cute it made one’s toes curl.

Of course, the only person whose toes were curling was Simon.

The two talked in low voices as they got into the car. The manager sat in the driver's seat, being very kind and professional, flashing a friendly smile when he saw Yoon Hee-woo.

She froze for a few seconds, her mind not yet agile enough to realize that the mushy, clingy behavior with her boyfriend outside the car had been seen by the manager, but she subconsciously returned a big smile: "Good evening, Oppa."

The manager suddenly felt that the girlfriend Simon was dating this time seemed unexpectedly innocent.

Simon and Yoon Hee-woo went to the supermarket together to buy groceries. They had discussed cooking at home on the way. He wasn't very skilled in the kitchen, but since returning from Thailand, they had naturally entered a state of semi-cohabitation. Hee-woo’s cooking was decent, so cooking together had become a pretty nice pastime.

After returning home, Yoon Hee-woo went to wash her hands to pet the kitten, and Simon consciously took the groceries to the kitchen.

After finishing her interaction with Jelly, Yoon Hee-woo came to the kitchen and took down a matching couple’s apron from the wall, the same style as Simon’s, and put it over her head: "Oppa!"

She just called out happily, and Simon, who was boiling soup, reached out and tied the apron strings behind her waist with tacit understanding. In fact, from the moment Yoon Hee-woo walked into the kitchen, Simon had been paying close attention to her.

Their dinner was a simple home-cooked meal: scallion pancakes, kimchi soup, and the only Chinese dish contributed by Yoon Hee-woo—braised pork ribs, which she said she learned from a Chinese friend studying in the US.

The cooking process didn't have any major issues, except for a few burnt spots on the scallion pancakes, the kimchi soup was a bit salty, and the braised pork ribs were a bit of a workout for the teeth.

Fortunately, both of them were very forgiving of the food they cooked, and the meal went smoothly.

Simon had something on his mind, so he inevitably focused more on Yoon Hee-woo. After glancing a few times at the girl who was earnestly gnawing on a rib, he spoke up thoughtfully: "Hee-woo."

"Hmm!?" Yoon Hee-woo looked up at him.

"When I went to see my mom yesterday, she said... she really liked the scarf you bought her last time."

"Hehe, I'm glad she likes it!" Yoon Hee-woo was delighted, completely failing to notice the unusual hesitation in Simon compared to his usual self.

"So, she asked me yesterday when I would bring you over to meet her." Simon was a bit nervous, afraid of seeing a look of hesitation or withdrawal in Hee-woo’s eyes. His mother had mentioned it jokingly after learning they were dating. At the time, Simon felt it was too soon, but now, it didn't feel fast at all! He had to seize the moment while Hee-woo liked him so much to settle this, at least to prove to her that he was serious.

Before this, Simon always felt the word "marriage" was far away from him, especially after his six-year relationship with Lady Jane ended. Later, as his career climbed, his financial status improved, and his fame reached unprecedented levels, Simon fell into a brief, contradictory state. When a person has nothing, they are the most fearless, but the more one possesses, the more one fears losing it.

Simon was actually far less strong than he appeared on the outside, so he spent a period of time living in a haze of alcohol and indulgence. But in the end, he still felt lonely. The beginning of last year was his lowest point. The witty things he said on "I Live Alone" were his true life; because he couldn't write music he was satisfied with, he had completely lost the desire to live.

Fortunately, he met Hee-woo in this unlucky year of 2018. After being with her, Simon felt the joy of living for the first time in a long while. Even a heart-shaped leaf he saw on the road became interesting. These trivial things always received very positive feedback whenever he shared them with Hee-woo. She was like a healing medicine for him.

Yoon Hee-woo was indeed stunned for a moment. She was a bit careless at times, yes, but she clearly understood what it meant to hear such talk from her boyfriend about meeting the parents.

"Meet... meet your mom?" She showed a rare timid side, her expression uncertain: "Isn't it too fast?"

Yoon Hee-woo silently asked Little U in her heart: "Check Simon’s affection level."

The system was speechless: "You finally remembered to check the affection level? I thought you were so happy you’d forgotten your home!"

Yoon Hee-woo blinked innocently. If she were to say she was "so happy she forgot her home," it wouldn't be wrong. She really didn't know how much that rookie who botched the mission was struggling. The small worlds in the Korean branch were so peaceful and happy it made her want to cry, especially compared to the worlds she had experienced before.

"Simon’s affection level: 100."

It was about what she expected. Love was something you could feel clearly when you were together.

"And... happiness level?"

"Happiness level: 90%."

Yoon Hee-woo pondered. Perhaps meeting the parents was the key to bringing the happiness level to its maximum value?

Faced with her timidity, Simon’s tone became even gentler, seemingly afraid of putting pressure on her.

"You don't need to feel nervous, it's just to meet my mom, it doesn't mean we have to get married right now..." He bit his tongue, swallowing the rest of his words, his expression awkward.

"Anyway, you just need to know that I will respect your wishes in everything."

Simon watched her nervously. After a long while, Yoon Hee-woo finally nodded: "Then... okay."

"But I have to wait until I finish filming!" she emphasized cutely.

By the time she finished filming this drama, it would be around the Baeksang Arts Awards. The Baeksang Arts Awards were the most authoritative awards ceremony for television in Korea. Yoon Hee-woo felt that the original owner's deep-seated dream of being an "actress" was likely the key to this mission.

Simon’s expression immediately relaxed, and he nodded immediately: "Of course!"

"Your work is the most important."

The matter that had troubled him all day was finally perfectly resolved. Now, even if Hee-woo saw some rumors online, she shouldn't doubt his sincerity anymore, right?