My Girlfriend’s Fortune: 3,141,592,653,589

TL: Aniea

"Alright, cameras rolling. Ready! Action!"

As usual, filming continued today without interruption. Especially for Kang Woo-ju, who had been absent two days ago due to the VVIP event, it was a day packed with shooting his scenes.

“Do you even know who I am to be treating me like this? How exactly do they train their staff here? Get the manager out here right now!”

A middle-aged actress, playing a minor role as a difficult customer in a luxury store, was giving a passionate performance.

Each time her booming voice echoed across the set, people silently expressed their admiration.

‘Feels like my eardrums are tearing.’

‘It can’t be this bad in real life, right?’

‘Ugh, this is giving me PTSD from my part-time job days.’

Her acting skills were impressive enough to stir up such reactions, which also meant that her counterpart, who had to overpower her character in the script, would feel a lot of pressure.

However, there was not a single person on set worried about it. After all, her counterpart was Kang Woo-ju.

“What seems to be the problem?”

He portrayed [Kang Joo-heon] with his usual expressionless face and a voice devoid of any highs or lows.

Calling it 'expressionless' was putting it nicely. Every character who faced him ended up saying the same thing.

‘He really seems like a psychopath.’

‘He doesn’t look at people like they’re human.’

‘It feels like he’s choking me just by looking at me.’

This actress playing the minor role was no exception.

The confidence she had just moments ago vanished without a trace as soon as she met Kang Woo-ju’s gaze, making her flinch visibly.

Given the tight schedule, the atmosphere would plummet if a supporting actor caused an NG, so she tried her best to speak.

“Uh… I… uh…”

But her voice wouldn’t come out properly.

Originally, she was supposed to demand if he was the manager, only to belatedly realize Kang Woo-ju’s true identity, creating a cliché scene of sudden bewilderment.

‘But I haven’t even done anything yet!’

The moment she locked eyes with Kang Woo-ju, she had the overwhelming urge to clasp her hands together and shout, 'I’m sorry, I was wrong!'

“Cut!”

Unable to watch any longer, Director Kang In-ho signaled a cut. Only when Kang Woo-ju looked away did the supporting actress finally release the breath she had been holding.

“I-I’m sorry!”

She quickly bowed her head to the director, the staff, and Kang Woo-ju, anticipating a barrage of criticism.

“It’s alright.”

“It’s understandable, since it’s your first time.”

“Everyone has the same reaction when they meet Woo-ju for the first time.”

Instead, words of comfort came her way. Most of them were spoken with voices filled with sympathy and pity.

“I still haven’t gotten used to it.”

“Today, he seems even sharper than usual.”

“Right? Even from behind the camera, I got chills. It was like he was looking at his parents’ murderer.”

“Mhm, mhm.”

Particularly, the actors who had previously faced Kang Woo-ju firsthand shared a deep sense of empathy, whispering among themselves. Every one of them had, at some point, faced him head-on.

With this atmosphere, Director Kang In-ho didn’t scold her either. He merely said...

“You’re doing great already. Fighting!"

“······.”

It was a sincere message of encouragement. It was almost puzzling how the charisma he displayed during the previous shoots had completely vanished.

“I-I’ll do my best!”

“Okay, let’s go again. Ready! Action!”

The actress, forcing herself to push aside her confusion, focused on the shoot. As she delivered her line, Kang Woo-ju’s piercing gaze shot towards her once more.

Those eyes seemed to gleam with a madness that screamed he could strangle her and erase her existence from this world at any moment.

It was hard to believe that someone like him was a rookie actor, making her wonder if they had brought in an actual psychopath killer.

“Are you the manager here!?”

Thanks to having gone through it once before, she managed to endure it for a moment. Somehow, it even seemed like Kang Woo-ju's gaze was slightly softer than before.

Her voice was trembling a bit, but since the director hadn’t called for a cut, she continued to deliver her lines as best as she could.

"Why aren’t you answering!?"

"Something like that. I’m the one in charge of training the staff.”

“If you’re the manager, then say you’re the manager! What’s with this ‘something like that' nonsense!? This isn’t a joke. Your attitude toward a VVIP customer is absolutely unacceptable.”

"Park Hye-jeong-ssi."

Shaa—

The moment Kang Woo-ju said the name 'Park Hye-jeong', the entire filming set froze.

Apparently, he had requested the director and writer to change the name just before the shoot began. Did that name hold some special significance for him?

No one knew the exact reason, but one thing was certain- Kang Woo-ju was showing something that went beyond mere acting.

"Do you perhaps not know who I am?"

“......”

“If you did this knowing who I am, then you have incredible guts. If, on the other hand, you claimed to be a VVIP here without even knowing who I am, then I’ll take this opportunity to enlighten you. Which is it, Park Hye-jeong-ssi?”

“Th-that…”

Her following words weren't acting. Kang Woo-ju's performance was so terrifying that she involuntarily answered without thinking.

Her mind went blank, and she completely forgot her original lines. At this point, it wouldn’t have been strange if an NG had been called, but the director still hadn’t signaled a cut.

“Answer me.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

“Did I ask for an apology, or did I ask for an answer?”

“Aah…”

They had already strayed far from the original script. This was no longer ad-libbing; it had completely gone off the rails.

Despite that, the camera kept rolling, and as time went on, Kang Woo-ju’s pressure intensified, making her feel more and more suffocated.

"Park Hye-jeong-ssi."

"Eek-!"

When Kang Woo-ju said her name for the third time, she became completely entranced, as if he were the Grim Reaper himself.

Her legs, which had been shaking since earlier, finally gave out under the pressure, and she collapsed to the floor.

“Cut!”

Though she had played minor roles for quite a while, this was the first time she felt like the director’s voice calling 'cut' was a voice of salvation.

“Are you alright?”

"Eek-!"

“······.”

“I-I can get up by myself!”

Avoiding Kang Woo-ju’s gaze, she pushed herself off the floor, placing her hands on the ground for support. She couldn’t believe how much she despised her legs for shaking uncontrollably.

‘…That wasn’t acting!’

She had heard stories about Kang Woo-ju before coming to the set, but she had assumed they were exaggerated.

But after experiencing it firsthand, she realized he had been completely underestimated. No, this wasn’t even acting- how could you even evaluate something that wasn’t acting?

‘I can’t do this; I’ll die from a heart attack at this rate!’

The thought of quitting now was laughable, though. Though she might never work in this industry again, at least that's better than dying.

“Um, Director-nim…”

“Wow, that was some amazing acting just now. Not only Woo-ju, but you brought the character of Park Hye-jeong, a mere minor role, to life with such flair.”

“…Huh?”

“It strayed a bit from the script, but I’m sure Writer Jung Ha-rin will understand. It doesn’t affect the main storyline. Let’s just go straight to the ‘double action’ for this shot.”

“······!?”

Double action.

This means reshooting the same scene from different angles. During this, the actors must repeat their movements and lines exactly as before.

Otherwise, it would look awkward when editing between cuts, so directors often repeat filming until they’re satisfied.

“D-Director…”

“You can do it.”

"What?"

“And if you faint while acting, that’s fine too. We’ve hired someone with an EMT certification for situations like this. We’ll take full responsibility for your health, so don’t worry and just focus on acting.”

“Wh-what do you mean by that…?”

“Alright, let’s get started before you lose the feel for it. Besides, you can’t quit now, right? Finishing this quickly is best for everyone. And I’ll personally guarantee the final results!”

“Eh…?”

Pushed by the director to return to her initial position, she walked back. Along the way, the staff and actors who happened to meet her eyes quickly looked away.

It was as if everyone but her had come to some kind of unspoken agreement.

By the time she snapped out of her daze, a new camera was already rolling.

“Are you ready?”

"W-wait..."

“Action!”

Without even a 'ready' cue, the scene started abruptly, and Kang Woo-ju approached her as if he had been waiting for this moment. The blood drained from the face of the actress playing Park Hye-jeong.

***

“Cut! Okay!”

“Good work, everyone!”

"Waaah-! Great job, everyone!”

The long filming that started at 6 AM finally ended, and it was already afternoon.

Despite the filming stretching over 12 hours, everyone’s faces were filled more with excitement than fatigue.

Today was the day the first episode of Peaceful Chaebol Life would air.

'...Fi-finally it's over.'

Of course, there was at least one person who didn’t care about the first episode airing and just wanted to run away from the set as fast as possible. That person was, undoubtedly, the actress who had played Park Hye-jeong.

'They made me reshoot that 27 times!?'

Because it was a double action scene, even the slightest difference in dialogue or acting immediately led to an NG.

The 'OK' cut had already deviated from the script, so she had to memorize both the script and her actions all over again while looking at the camera on set.

The most shocking part, though, was that every NG was her fault alone.

Kang Woo-ju had repeated the same actions from start to finish like a robot, not making a single mistake.

“That guy’s crazy. Absolutely crazy."

“Who are you talking about?”

“Eek—!?”

Speak of the devil, and he appears.

As she was quietly sneaking off the set, Kang Woo-ju suddenly appeared in front of her.

Even his signature, emotionless gaze, which she’d been forced to endure for hours, had somehow become familiar. But her body reacted before her mind could.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Do… do you need something from me?”

“I came to apologize.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“I put personal feelings into my performance today. It seems I ended up taking it out on you unintentionally. I’m here to apologize.”

“······!?”

Bowing his head abruptly, Kang Woo-ju’s gesture took her by surprise, causing her to flinch.

“Ah, no, it’s fine! Thanks to that, we got a more realistic scene, so it actually worked out well. I even got almost three times more screen time than I originally expected. Ahaha…”

Wanting to escape quickly, she muttered something to smooth over the situation. But just as she was about to leave, Kang Woo-ju stopped her again.

“Will you be joining the dinner?”

“No, I don’t think so… I’m just a supporting role, so…”

It felt a bit awkward for her to attend an after-party, considering her position. She swallowed the rest of her words, and then Kang Woo-ju pulled out a thick paper envelope from inside his jacket.

“Here, take this.”

“…What is this?”

“An invitation.”

"What?"

Since when did people hand out invitations to after-parties? And it wasn’t just a piece of paper- the envelope itself was unusually thick.

“Of course, you’re not obligated to join. It’s just that, if you feel like coming, you shouldn’t feel pressured about anyone else’s opinion. You’re welcome to bring family or friends with you as well.”

“…?”

“Oh, and for your information, we’ve also prepared a separate viewing room for children, so you don’t need to worry. We’ve even hired certified childcare professionals.”

“???”

The more Kang Woo-ju spoke, the more baffling the situation became.

While she tilted her head in confusion, Kang Woo-ju gave her a brief nod and then disappeared somewhere.

Left alone, her gaze naturally drifted down to the envelope Kang Woo-ju had handed her.

'This isn’t some kind of bomb, is it?'

Gulp.

She swallowed nervously, pushing down her unease, and carefully opened the envelope. As she looked at the contents, her eyes grew wider and wider.

“Th-this is…!?”

Inside was cash that seemed to be at least twice her day's acting fee, along with an elegant invitation.

The money alone was surprising, but as she continued to examine the invitation, she couldn’t help but let out a small laugh in disbelief.

────

In celebration of the monumental launch of <Peaceful Chaebol Life>, we have prepared a private gathering. We would be honored if you could attend and grace the event with your presence.

Venue: Yongsan IPark Mall

Guests: Up to 4 people (no limit for family members)

─────────────

Below that, details on the private bus schedule and other event timings were meticulously listed. The more she read, the more absurd it seemed.

“What kind of drama wrap party rents out an entire movie theater!?”

Anyone would think it was some kind of press screening.

Unable to believe this bizarre reality, she stood there, staring blankly at the spot where Kang Woo-ju had just been.