JGA CH54

Chapter 54: Psycho

This seemed to be the second time.

It seems that wherever Kim Min-kyung is, so is Eun Chul-woo, Qi Huai thought. It wasn’t that he was being overly suspicious or sensitive, but he really couldn’t say he liked these two people. So, encountering them one after another on the same day inevitably left a deep impression on him.

For example, last time at the RC meeting, and now.

Eun Chul-woo wasn’t pushing a shopping cart, just holding a bottle of red wine. It seemed he had come to buy wine for a dinner appointment, which was a sufficient reason for a chance encounter with Qi Huai here.

He was wearing a suit that was inexplicably similar to Yoon Nam-hyuk’s, tall and handsome, polite and courteous, completely different from the scowling President Yoon.

However, Yoon Nam-hyuk preferred light colors, while Eun Chul-woo preferred dark. The two were like the sun itself and the shadow that chased it. Although they wore similar clothes, they had nothing in common.

“If I said this chance encounter was a coincidence, would you believe me, Actor Qi?” Eun Chul-woo sighed helplessly, holding up the bottle of wine in his hand. “The supermarket ran out of shopping carts. Do you mind if I put this in yours?”

Qi Huai smiled faintly. “Please, feel free.”

Clearly, he didn’t believe him.

“Alright, I was indeed being deliberate,” Eun Chul-woo shrugged. “Min-kyung said he brazenly asked you to cook dinner, and you agreed. I guessed you might come to the nearest supermarket to buy ingredients. To spend some time alone with you, I waited in the car for a long time. Were you moved by my sincerity?”

[Is he sick? It’s been less than two hours since you agreed to cook! What does he mean, he waited a long time?] The System bared its teeth.

So bored he’s got nothing better to do!¹

“Mmm, I’m very moved.”

Qi Huai’s lips curved slightly, and he suddenly laughed out loud. Eun Chul-woo was stunned, seemingly not expecting him to say that.

Qi Huai then continued with a smile, “But Chairman Eun and Best Actor Kim aren’t playing some kind of game, are you? Something like who can win over the new actor from Woosan first, a battle of the benefactors?”

Eun Chul-woo was stunned. “What?”

Qi Huai feigned confusion. “Doesn’t Chairman Eun know? Best Actor Kim just confessed to me. He said we could have a lot of fun, and he wants to give it a try with me romantically.”

As he spoke, Qi Huai observed Eun Chul-woo’s expression. The moment he heard these words, Eun Chul-woo’s expression froze for a moment. The next instant, he put on his usual warm smile.

“Ya… that guy Min-kyung, really. Don’t listen to that playboy’s nonsense.” Eun Chul-woo touched his forehead in embarrassment. “He must have done that because he found out I like you. He’s just teasing you to annoy me. Did he cause you trouble? I’ll warn him today. Don’t be angry.”

Qi Huai raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? I thought it was some kind of benefactor-hunting game. Sorry, I misunderstood you… Your way of interacting is really interesting. You must be very good friends.”

Eun Chul-woo sighed lightly. “We have a good relationship. He’s very talented in acting. I had just arrived in Korea and wanted to start a career in the entertainment industry. Min-kyung was the first talented artist I signed. Back then, the fact that he abandoned Woosan to sign with RC caused quite a stir. President Yoon must have complained to you about it, right?”

Qi Huai feigned ignorance. “This is the first time I’m hearing about it.”

Eun Chul-woo smiled. “Is that so… I heard Woosan is going to terminate your contract. Is it true?”

The topic had come full circle. Qi Huai nodded. “Mmm, Assistant Yoo told me. After I finish filming Director Baek’s movie, we’ll officially sign the termination contract. It’s a peaceful breakup. Don’t worry, Chairman Eun, it won’t affect the filming.”

“Uh, that’s not what I meant.” Eun Chul-woo was slightly embarrassed, cautiously glancing at Qi Huai’s face. “I meant to say, RC’s doors are always open for you. I admire your acting and your character. It’s okay if you don’t want to respond to my advances. We can just be business partners.”

The tall, handsome man showed a cautious, vulnerable side, looking at him with pitiful puppy-dog eyes. This sense of a powerful person wagging his tail and begging made the System sigh in admiration.

[Daebak… what kind of super-simp, backup-lover speech is this?]

Who knows, Qi Huai thought. What good would it do them to have me?

If it was just a simple business competition, why would both of them use this method? If it wasn’t a business competition, then what was it for? Just to snatch a man from Yoon Nam-hyuk?

All speculations were like looking at flowers in a fog. No one knew the answer except the parties involved. No matter who the mastermind was, Qi Huai had his own plan.

“I won’t sign with another company,” Qi Huai said. “I plan to go back to America.”

“What?” Eun Chul-woo was completely taken aback. He was stunned for a long moment before he said in disbelief, “Why? Are you saying this to make me give up, Actor Qi? Because Yoon Nam-hyuk terminated your contract, you’re going to give up acting?”

This was completely out of his expectations.

“Don’t overthink it,” Qi Huai smiled. “Didn’t I tell you last time, Chairman Eun? I have no intention of developing a long-term career in the entertainment industry. Acting is just a personal hobby. I’ve had my fill of acting now, and I even had the honor of being in Director Baek’s film. That’s enough. After my contract is terminated, I’ll go back to America and won’t come back to Korea.”

This was the script he and Yoon Nam-hyuk had agreed on. After the contract termination, he would directly give up his identity as an actor and then secretly return as a partner of GATE. This was definitely a move that the mastermind would not have anticipated.

“Ha?”

Qi Huai’s reason seemed to drive Eun Chul-woo crazy. He pursed his lips and was silent for a long time before he said, “Qi Huai, what do I lack compared to Yoon Nam-hyuk? I’m very patient. We can start as friends and get to know each other slowly. You’d rather leave Korea than try to get to know me? Is it because you don’t like my appearance? My skin is wheat-colored, which doesn’t fit the general East Asian aesthetic, right? Or is it that you don’t like my personality? I’m too proactive, so you find me boring?”

“Qi Huai, the Yoon Group is indeed a huge enterprise, but most of its wealth is in the hands of Chairman Yoon. Yoon Nam-hyuk’s personal assets are definitely not as much as mine. In terms of wealth and status, I’m not inferior to him. Besides, I don’t have a rigid father and a foolish brother. No one can decide who my lover is but me.”

The series of questions made Eun Chul-woo angrier the more he asked. He gradually revealed his true feelings without realizing it, because he really wanted to know what he lacked compared to Yoon Nam-hyuk. Why was even an outsider like Qi Huai biased?

He stared at Qi Huai, stubbornly wanting an answer. “Does it have to be him? Why? Is the difference between me and him so great in your heart? Is he that unique?”

Why is that guy always so lucky, in every aspect.

“Some things can’t be compared logically, Chairman Eun,” Qi Huai said faintly. “Just as I also want to ask you, what is the reason for your persistent pursuit of me?”

“Because I like—”

“If you understood what true liking is, you wouldn’t be asking me these questions.”

Qi Huai pushed the shopping cart as he walked. “If I immediately ran to you after my contract with Yoon Nam-hyuk was terminated, that would be disrespectful to you, to him, and to myself. If it’s just a matter of spite, there’s no benefit or meaning in doing so. Adults don’t play that game.”

Eun Chul-woo followed him silently. “As the weaker party, being kicked away like a ball—he hurt you, abandoned you. Don’t you want revenge?”

“Revenge?” Qi Huai chuckled. “I am indeed a person who holds grudges.”

“I can’t tell,” Eun Chul-woo said.

Qi Huai sighed. “So you see, you don’t know me. We interact with each other wearing masks, showing each other carefully crafted illusions. Even if we talk about feelings, it’s all fake. What’s the point?”

Is that so?

How interesting, Eun Chul-woo thought. Are you so sure that Yoon Nam-hyuk is real in front of you, and that your feelings are real? If everything is real, why would he abandon you?

Just like some parents, who either abandon their children for money or don’t even know they’ve lost them. To lose something so precious so easily—does such a person deserve to talk about feelings?

Indulging in illusion, escaping from reality.

That’s human nature, Qi Huai.

Just like his adoptive father. He clearly knew he was a boy, but whenever he went out in men’s clothes, he would always see his adoptive father frown.

Just like Kim Min-kyung. He clearly knew they were just using each other for their own benefit, and he himself was playing bed games with groups of three or five, yet he would still get jealous and go crazy from time to time.

So, Qi Huai, do you like the real Yoon Nam-hyuk, or do you like the illusion he presents? If Yoon Nam-hyuk becomes nothing, and that proud spine of his is bent by reality, will you still like him?

---

Perhaps because they had talked too much at the supermarket, they were unusually silent on the way back.

As soon as Qi Huai entered, Kim Min-kyung came over with a smile. “Actor Qi, I’m so hungry. What are we having for dinner…”

He paused for a moment, then continued, “Wow, our Chairman Eun is here too. Didn’t you say you’d arrive at eight? Why so early?”

A forty-kilometer drive, you really rushed here. And you even went to the supermarket together? What an eye-opener.

Eun Chul-woo also smiled and stuffed the red wine into Kim Min-kyung’s arms. “A chance encounter. Thank you for decanting the wine, Min-kyung.”

There seemed to be silent sparks in the air. Qi Huai walked around the two of them and into the kitchen. “Pasta, ham salad, curry shrimp, and a fruit platter. That should be enough, right?”

“Enough. I have a very small appetite~ Actor Qi.”

Kim Min-kyung snorted, then stared at Eun Chul-woo and said in a low voice, “I never eat what’s in my bowl while looking at what’s in the pot. Right, my~ dear~?”

Eun Chul-woo’s face darkened. He lowered his voice. “Behave!”

Kim Min-kyung was like a time bomb, powerful, a very good weapon. But when using him, one had to be extra careful not to be dragged down to hell with this lunatic.

“Haha, you’re cute when you’re angry too, Chul-woo.” Kim Min-kyung leaned close to his ear and blew a breath. Before Eun Chul-woo could push him away, he smiled and walked away to find a corkscrew in the wine cabinet.

It wouldn’t be right for Qi Huai to cook dinner for three people by himself, so while he was cooking the pasta and preparing the shrimp, Eun Chul-woo helped by chopping cherry tomatoes.

There was a large bowl of cherry tomatoes to be chopped. Some were for the pasta sauce, and the rest were for the salad.

Eun Chul-woo’s knife skills were very good. The round cherry tomatoes were cut neatly down the middle, without any deviation. It was a beautiful cut, which surprised Qi Huai.

Eun Chul-woo was amused by his expression. “What, you didn’t expect me to be able to cook?”

“I just didn’t expect you to be able to cut so well.”

Qi Huai smiled, tossed the shrimp into the pot and stir-fried them. The deveined shrimp quickly curled up and turned red, like petals falling into the pot. He added water to the curry block, and it dissolved, bubbling in the cast iron pot, releasing a rich aroma.

“You’re also very good,” Eun Chul-woo said, gazing at Qi Huai through the steam. “You’re more mature than I imagined. But I still hope you’ll reconsider…”

“Wow, it smells so good~”

Kim Min-kyung came in, swirling his red wine glass. He took a big gulp and smacked his lips. “Mmm, is this the quality of supermarket red wine? Chul-woo, you didn’t just grab a random bottle to fob me off, did you?”

Eun Chul-woo swallowed the words he was about to say and continued to chop cherry tomatoes. “Is it not good? Then I’ll have the assistant buy a few more bottles for you to choose from.”

“It’s not undrinkable.” Kim Min-kyung squeezed in between Qi Huai and Eun Chul-woo with a smile and pressed the rim of the glass he had just sipped from to Eun Chul-woo’s face. “Want a taste?”

Eun Chul-woo smiled and pushed his glass away. “Min-kyung, you were drinking before we got back, weren’t you? I think you’re drunk. Why don’t you go to sleep for a while? I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

“You can even tell?” Kim Min-kyung looked surprised. “But don’t worry, Chul-woo. With my tolerance, even if I drink double, I won’t get drunk. Right, Actor Qi?”

Qi Huai smiled and nodded. “Mmm, Min-kyung hyung has a high tolerance.”

[Why are they so weird?]

The System flew around, staring at the two of them.

Qi Huai didn’t speak, just tried his best to minimize his presence. He wanted to see why Kim Min-kyung was suddenly acting so abnormal, and what kind of trouble he would cause next.

“Actor Qi is right. Chul-woo’s cherry tomatoes are cut so well.”

Kim Min-kyung did not disappoint. He put down his wine glass, picked out a cherry tomato, studied it for a long time, then suddenly reached for the knife in Eun Chul-woo’s hand. “Let me try~”

The two of them held the same knife, looking at each other. Eun Chul-woo had no choice but to let go. “Cut slowly.”

Kim Min-kyung’s grip on the knife was wrong, and the way he held the cherry tomato was even more dangerous. He carefully aimed for a long time but still cut it crookedly. He used too much force, and the seeds were squeezed out.

Kim Min-kyung sighed. “It’s really not easy.”

He cut one after another, each one worse than the last. Just as Qi Huai thought he would give up, he suddenly cried out and lifted his finger.

The color of fresh blood was much redder than tomato juice. The cut was not small. Eun Chul-woo turned around. “Where’s your first-aid kit?”

Kim Min-kyung held his wrist tightly, his face relaxed. “I think it’s in the bedroom. I don’t remember.”

The assistants had packed those things. To be more precise, Kim Min-kyung had watched Qi Huai pack them with his own eyes. Qi Huai pursed his lips and smiled. “I’ll go. You two wait.”

[He can’t cut but he still wants to? Drunks are so hard to understand…]

Host Oppa likes to kiss forcefully when he’s drunk. Kim Min-kyung likes to chop tomatoes when he’s drunk. Not a single one of them is easy.

Qi Huai thought, He did it on purpose.

[Huh?] The System’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

After Qi Huai left, only Kim Min-kyung and Eun Chul-woo were left in the kitchen. Kim Min-kyung put his finger in his mouth and sucked on it, tilting his head to smile at Eun Chul-woo.

Eun Chul-woo instantly understood and frowned deeply. “You did it on purpose?”

Kim Min-kyung smiled mischievously and didn’t answer. He took out a transparent sealed bag from his pocket. Inside were several brightly colored capsules.

Eun Chul-woo’s pupils contracted.

He knew the effects of these capsules all too well. Heaven was full of them. Eun Chul-woo grabbed Kim Min-kyung’s hand as he tried to twist open a capsule and said in a low, shocked voice, “What are you doing!”

Kim Min-kyung’s eyes sparkled. “Chul-woo, don’t you want to sleep with him? Today is the perfect opportunity. Add the drug to the curry shrimp. The effects will kick in right after dinner.”

Eun Chul-woo was in disbelief. “You’re crazy…”

Kim Min-kyung was completely bewildered. “How am I crazy? Don’t we play like this all the time? You used to like it too. Why is it not okay now that it’s him?”

Eun Chul-woo gritted his teeth. “This is the film set!”

Kim Min-kyung suddenly shook off Eun Chul-woo’s hand and said with a smile, his words vicious, “So what if it’s the film set? This is an RC film set! Everyone here, from top to bottom, is our person! Yoon Nam-hyuk is already about to terminate his contract with Qi Huai due to family pressure. No one is protecting him. Just sleep with him while he still has feelings for Yoon Nam-hyuk, take a video, and annoy him. Isn’t that good? As long as I’m here, it’s useless for him to call the police. If he files a lawsuit without evidence, he’ll be sued by me for false accusation. At that time, he’ll not only have to withdraw the lawsuit but also issue a public apology. His life will be over! If Yoon Nam-hyuk really likes him, won’t your goal be achieved? If Yoon Nam-hyuk doesn’t have feelings for him, it’s a pity, but it’s no big deal. He’s just a small-time artist. As long as we have fun, that’s all that matters, right?”

With that, he went to take out a capsule. Eun Chul-woo, his face dark, snatched it away and threw it into the trash. “Is this why you confessed to him today?”

“Ah~ he told you.” Kim Min-kyung snorted. “I just think that since your reasons for wanting him aren’t pure anyway, as long as you can achieve your goal, that’s all that matters, right? We’re on the same side, Chul-woo. If you can’t get him, I’ll do it. Isn’t that normal?”

Eun Chul-woo stared at him coldly. “Min-kyung, stay out of my business.”

“Ha, your business?” Kim Min-kyung couldn’t stop laughing. He leaned close to Eun Chul-woo and said, word by word, “Ya, Chul-woo, you were the one who approached me and dragged me into this mess. I’ve done so much for you all these years, always at your beck and call. I’ve never pried into your secrets. Now, you’re going to get angry at me for a small-time artist that Yoon Nam-hyuk doesn’t even want? Hmm? Haha!”

“Let me tell you, Eun Chul-woo,” Kim Min-kyung’s voice was icy. “As long as I want, RC will be mine, Qi Huai will be mine, and even your secrets—mmph!”

Eun Chul-woo suddenly grabbed his neck, his eyes showing a ferocity that he had never shown in front of him before.

Kim Min-kyung’s face turned red as he struggled desperately. He knocked over the porcelain bowl of tomatoes, and it shattered on the floor!

Eun Chul-woo was suddenly jolted back to his senses. He quickly let go and stepped back. Kim Min-kyung clutched his neck, coughing incessantly. After a long moment, he finally gasped for breath and looked at Eun Chul-woo, his eyes sparkling. “Chul-woo, you never fail to surprise me.”

Qi Huai, standing at the door: …

The System, next to Qi Huai: …

The System trembled. [Host Oppa, the character profile didn’t say Attack Dog Number Four was a psycho…]

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¹ So bored he’s got nothing better to do! (泡菜吃多了咸（闲）的!/pàocài chī duōle xián de): This is a pun in Chinese. 咸 (xián, salty) and 闲 (xián, idle/free) are homophones. The literal translation is “ate too much kimchi and got salty,” but the implied meaning is “ate too much kimchi and got too much free time,” a way of saying someone is meddling or has nothing better to do.