The Third-Gen Chaebol Becomes a Genius Actor

Chapter 121 < The Phoenix (3). >

(This time, it’s the beach… Princess Lee Seo-eun, Cheon-o Group’s Seong Hyun-woo’s midnight date)

(The princess couple, who have been quietly dating for three months, will they be reborn as the couple of the century?)

Lee Seo-eun and Seong Hyun-woo’s contract date continued. 

The places they went became dating spots and attracted crowds. 

There were even favorable analysis articles saying that the princess couple was boosting the domestic market.

“What the hell…!”

In the palace, some maids passing by were startled by the sound of someone making a fuss. They soon realized that it was the prince’s palace and pretended not to notice.

“How is this possible? Just by dating one guy, her approval rating goes up?”

“It’s not impossible. They both had good images to begin with.”

“Royal Secretary.”

“I’m just stating the objective facts. You should have behaved better in the first place.”

Despite his somewhat rude words, Lee Kang didn’t say anything to him. The royal secretary was the son of a nanny maid and was like a brother to Lee Kang.

“But why do you hate the princess?”

“She’s annoying! She doesn’t know her place and acts up.”

The truth was, he felt inferior when he saw that Lee Seo-eun could do anything easily while he couldn’t.

“Anyway, the next emperor will be yours. Do you need to have a solid base?”

With a snake-like face, he spoke softly and reassured Lee Kang.

“It’s fun to see them delude themselves and suffer from false hope, isn’t it?”

“…That’s true.”

He had to admit that it made sense. Seeing Lee Kang’s mood soften, the royal secretary looked at him with a strange gaze.

“Your Highness, how about this?”

He whispered in Lee Kang’s ear with a cunning expression.

And Lee Seo-eun, who fell into Lee Kang and the royal secretary’s scheme, was trying to avoid the reporters’ interviews and enter the palace.

“Is it true that you assaulted someone this morning?”

“The victim’s side says they will sue you, how do you feel about that?”

“There is a speculation that the victim is the ex-lover of Cheon-o Group’s Seong Hyun-woo, was it a love triangle fight?”

As a cliché, the couple who were doing well faced hardship and adversity. The royal secretary, who had bribed a woman who secretly had a crush on Seong Hyun-woo, set up a clever trap.

The bribed woman provoked Lee Seo-eun by mentioning Seong Hyun-woo, and Lee Seo-eun, who had been patient, was just trying to help her when she was about to fall, but the CCTV showed that Lee Seo-eun was assaulting and pushing her at a perfect angle.

The person who claimed to be the victim was interviewing with all kinds of media and said they would sue Lee Seo-eun.

“Are you okay?”

Lee Seo-eun, who barely entered her room, sighed as she looked at Choi, the maid who asked her carefully.

“It’s not me.”

“Of course, I know it’s not. Don’t worry. We’re still investigating on our side.”

But people don’t believe that. Lee Seo-eun walked shakily and lay down on the bed. The media was constantly debating the abolition of the royal family, and in the process, Lee Seo-eun’s incidents and accidents that she didn’t even do were brought up. She was exhausted from trying to keep up appearances.

“It’s really not me…”

“It’ll be cleared up soon, don’t worry too much. Let’s watch TV, shall we?”

Choi, who was trying to cheer up Lee Seo-eun, deliberately pressed the remote control with an exaggerated tone.

(The assault incident of Princess Lee Seo-eun that happened this morning in Cheongdam-dong…)

“Change the channel.”

“Huh? Just a moment.”

Choi turned up the TV volume instead.

(What do you think of the assault incident of your lover, Princess Lee Seo-eun?)

(It’s not worth answering.)

Lee Seo-eun, who had pulled the blanket over her head, suddenly sat up and fixed her eyes on the TV. He was wearing a neat suit and had his hair half-tied back, but the only difference was that his expression, which was always smiling, was grim.

(Were you acquainted with the victim, as we heard? Was it a love triangle fight?)

(Was the princess violent by nature?)

He ignored them and kept walking, but suddenly he stopped and turned around. The reporters pushed their microphones forward.

(She’s not that kind of person.)

(But the victim’s side already…)

(Then you only believe their side and bother me like this? I said it’s not Seo-eun. Do you need more explanation?)

(But the evidence…)

(Did you analyze the evidence properly? Many experts found problems in the video, but what do you believe? Did you get paid or something?)

Some of them actually received money from Lee Kang. But they shut their mouths at his blunt question.

(I believe Seo-eun. She’s not that kind of person.)

His eyes, staring straight at the camera, were filled with faith and trust. Soon his expression turned cold.

(Clear them out.)

He ordered the bodyguards who were waiting nearby to get rid of the trash. He walked away again.

It was not surprising to see someone who was always misbehaving act like that. But when someone who was always upright and proper shot back like that, the reporters and the spectators stared at him blankly.

(Gasp…!)

(If it’s not enough, bill it to Cheono Group.)

He even snatched the camera from the annoying reporter and threw it on the ground. He took out all the money from his wallet and threw it at the reporter. It was a very insulting act.

“Wow…”

Choi Sang-gung exclaimed softly, and Lee Seo-eun frowned. Seong Hyun-woo would suffer the consequences of doing that to a reporter. Especially since he was in the position of a prince…

At that moment, Lee Seo-eun’s phone rang. It was a text message from Seong Hyun-woo, asking her to meet him at the usual place.

Lee Seo-eun, who was heading to the meeting place, quickened her pace when she saw Seong Hyun-woo in the distance.

“Didn’t I tell you not to do anything stupid?”

Thud, a dull sound was heard, and Lee Seo-eun hid behind the wall. Seong Hyun-woo’s father, Chairman Seong, stormed out and yelled at him to behave properly before getting into the car.

Lee Seo-eun pretended not to notice and went up to the rooftop of the building, the meeting place.

“Why did you do that?”

On the rooftop, there was a small garden, a platform in the center, and string lights wrapped around the trees and railings. It was the core location of ‘Guk-sae’, Seong Hyun-woo’s frequent hideout.

“…I don’t know.”

Lee Seo-eun sat next to Seong Hyun-woo, who was looking at the night sky.

“We can’t change public opinion right away, so why don’t we just go along with it?”

“Are you kidding me…?”

“I kept my promise.”

She remembered what he said one day, ‘Even if the world doesn’t believe you, I will.’ Lee Seo-eun was speechless for a moment.

“…”

Her eyes were on the sky, but her attention was on him. She felt suffocated and said in a low voice.

“Why are you doing this?”

He got up from his seat and knelt down in front of Lee Seo-eun.

“Because I like you, Your Highness?”

He looked up at her. His eyes sparkled, perhaps because of the light. Lee Seo-eun turned her head away from his gaze.

“Stop joking.”

“I’m serious.”

He lowered his head for a moment and then looked at her face again. His expression was earnest. He wanted to hold her hand, but he clenched his fist and held back, afraid that she would be startled by his touch. He poured out his feelings.

“I like you.”

“…”

“Maybe you don’t remember, but since a long time ago.”

Lee Seo-eun didn’t have parents since the day she remembered her childhood. She had to endure her grandfather’s subtle pressure and Lee Kang’s restraint. But she thought she could make it on her own.

The first time she received affection without any strings attached, it was sweeter than she expected. But she felt like she would fall apart if she gave in to her feelings.

“…You should ice your face.”

So she ran away.

“Cut!”

Seong Hyun-woo stared at Lee Seo-eun’s back as she ran away. And he gazed at the door she left for a long time. When the director’s cut sign was heard, Yoo Yeon-seo closed his tired eyes.

Hyun-woo (sitting in front of Seo-eun and looking up at her face) Because I like you, Your Highness?

It might sound cheesy if you just read the script. But it was the actor’s role to make the dialogue and the situation appealing. When he delivered this line, he had to mix half of it with playfulness and half of it with seriousness.

The director and Shin Ye-won, who were watching the monitor, looked satisfied, but Yoo Yeon-seo furrowed his brow. It didn’t come out as he intended, and he thought he could do better if he filmed it one more time.

“Should we do it again?”

The assistant director looked at his watch. It was a pre-produced drama, so the schedule was relaxed, and there was still time left for filming. The director looked at Shin Ye-won.

“It’s really good now… But if Ye-won and Yeon-seo want to, let’s do it one more time.”

“I’m sorry. Sister, let’s do it one more time.”

Shin Ye-won nodded agreeably.

And Lee Seo-eun, along with Choi Sang-gung, investigated the scene of the incident early in the morning to clear her name.

“That car… It was on the CCTV, right?”

“Yes, oh! The black box!”

After pleading with the car owner, Lee Seo-eun and Choi Sang-gung secured the video and uploaded it to the video platform.

(Who is responsible for the malicious public opinion manipulation against Princess Lee Seo-eun?)

(Princess Lee Seo-eun’s assault was not true. It was just a good intention to catch her from falling)

The victim, who had threatened to sue the princess through the media until yesterday, disappeared. And public opinion changed.

Criticism of those who instigated the assault, sympathy for Lee Seo-eun, and favorable reactions to Seong Hyun-woo, who had believed in her until the end.

After solving all the problems, Lee Seo-eun answered the phone that rang for the first time in a long time.

“What? You didn’t answer my calls.”

(Oh, I’m sorry. I was busy with something urgent. But wasn’t it you who didn’t answer after that?)

Lee Seo-eun’s face turned red as she ran out of words.

“So, what happened to that woman?”

(Are you jealous?)

“······What do you mean?”

Seong Hyun-woo was surprised by the unexpected answer and soon smiled pleasantly.

(Oh······ did you?)

“Why are you laughing?”

(······Actually, I was busy with that matter.)

“Don’t worry if it’s a false accusation. I’ve solved everything.”

(Did you find out who ordered it? I found out something interesting.)

While they were out of touch, Seong Hyun-woo investigated the person who claimed to be the victim, the reporter who wrote malicious articles, and the relationship with Lee Kang. Lee Seo-eun didn’t hesitate to reveal the truth.

(The prince Lee Kang was behind the malicious public opinion against the princess.)

(Who is Lee Kang? The notorious playboy of the royal family···his approval rating plummeted to the 10% range)

“Did you have to do that to Lee Kang?”

“I hate being insulted for something I didn’t do.”

“Seo-eun······ he’s your brother.”

“So you want me to ignore him attacking me?”

And the confrontation between the emperor and Lee Seo-eun begins.

When Lee Seo-eun and Seong Hyun-woo confirmed their feelings and started a real relationship instead of a contract, another crisis came.

“Wow, our sister. Your face is blooming since you’re dating.”

“Nothing more to say? I’m leaving.”

“Seong Hyun-woo, don’t trust that bastard too much.”

“What?”

Lee Kang, who succeeded in distracting Lee Seo-eun’s attention, smirked and stabbed a wedge.

“Didn’t you know that our dad and Seong Hyun-woo made a contract for your marriage?”