Chapter 17

The filming of "Extraordinary You" was nearing its end. Recently, online viewers had been fiercely debating the direction of the ending. At the set, the writer and director had spent a long time discussing the audience’s reactions and had revised the script multiple times. Because of these repeated changes, the lead actors, Yoon Hee-woo and Kim Roo-yoon, found themselves waiting around on set for longer periods. Among the leads, Yoon Hee-woo was slightly older, but her lively personality made her quite popular with the other cast members, and she almost daily updated her Instagram with new photos or videos.

Another scene wrapped up, and before the director gave the next instructions, Yoon Hee-woo and Kim Roo-yoon obediently sat in the library. The tall, handsome young man’s gaze kept drifting to the girl who was quietly looking at her phone. After much hesitation, he finally gathered his courage.

“Uh... um, about the egg tart last time, thank you.”

The egg tart was a name he had given to the kitten he had recently adopted. The kitten had lost its appetite for some reason. As a first-time cat owner, Kim Roo-yoon was at a loss, and even after taking the kitten to the vet, the doctor couldn’t find anything wrong. He was grateful for Yoon Hee-woo’s advice; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known what to do.

“Oh, that? No need to mention it,” Yoon Hee-woo waved her hand casually, clearly not making a big deal out of it.

“How’s Egg Tart doing lately?” she asked casually, not noticing that Kim Roo-yoon straightened his shoulders a bit and answered seriously.

“Uh! Doing pretty well recently.”

Sometimes Kim Roo-yoon was annoyed by his own awkwardness in conversation. But seeing that the drama was almost finished filming, he thought if he hesitated any longer...

His gaze grew firmer, and he summoned his courage: “Uh, are you free tonight? I’d like to take you out for dinner.”

Meeting Yoon Hee-woo’s puzzled look, Kim Roo-yoon hurriedly explained, “It’s also to thank you for last time...”

Dinner was no big deal in itself, but thinking of how Jung Ki-si had recently been making sarcastic remarks about Kim Roo-yoon whenever Yoon Hee-woo was around, she felt that if she accepted the invitation, Ki-si would probably get furious again.

“Let’s skip the dinner. It’s really no big deal,” Yoon Hee-woo smiled and gently declined.

Kim Roo-yoon’s hard-earned courage deflated like a punctured balloon with that refusal. He vaguely sensed some clues—like how Simon D had been picking up Yoon Hee-woo from set after filming, and how she had been chatting on her phone more often during breaks.

He sighed quietly, not exactly heartbroken but a little disappointed.

The final two episodes of "Extraordinary You" achieved a viewership rating exceeding 14%. For a low-budget school drama, especially with a mostly young and inexperienced cast, this was a remarkable accomplishment. More importantly, the show showcased Yoon Hee-woo’s talent for character portrayal and her keen script selection.

“Thank you so much! What a perfect finale—I really adore our Dragon Boat Festival princess.”

“Fortunately, it didn’t end poorly. A high-quality school drama, worth watching again.”

“Hee-woo is amazing! Wishing her a bright future ahead~”

“Only two works so far, but the results are impressive. Can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.”

“It feels like she’s a natural for pairing—she has great chemistry with every actor in the show~”

“I’m firmly Team End-Haru! No cults allowed!”

“Actually, a girl-girl pairing would be great too (not really).”

“The drama’s over, and ‘Transfer’ is wrapping up soon. I’ll really cry if I can’t see Hee-woo on TV anymore.”

“Speaking of ‘Transfer,’ have you noticed Simon D teasing our little sister a lot lately?”

“I’ve been wanting to say this! His eyes during the recent show recordings are clearly fixed on Hee-woo! And he loves joking with her...”

“When it comes to wooing, he’s super direct. I’m calling it now: he’s definitely pursuing Hee-woo.”

“But I feel like she might be into that too...”

“Don’t say more! I’ve been holding back, but although Hee-woo is usually a happy-go-lucky little dog, lately she’s been closer to Simon D than even to Yura. And haven’t they been dining together way too often this season? Almost every week!”

“And in all the group photos, Simon D always sits next to Hee-woo. It’s hard not to read into it...”

“Honestly, aside from being a bit short and older, Simon D isn’t so bad (whispers).”

Jung Ki-si was definitely in love.

Park Jae-beom, Lee Seong-ho, and Kwon Hyuk-woo exchanged messages in their group chat, arriving at a shared conclusion.

Park Jae-beom: “If they’re really dating, shouldn’t he introduce her to us? After all, we’re brothers.”

Kwon Hyuk-woo, frustrated, spammed dozens of reaction emojis to express his envy, jealousy, and resentment that his goddess had been taken by a good guy.

Gray: “Maybe... he thinks I’m too handsome?”

Among them, Gray was the only one who hadn’t officially met Yoon Hee-woo yet.

Though Lee Seong-ho was undeniably handsome, both Kwon Hyuk-woo and Park Jae-beom rolled their eyes in unison.

Kwon Hyuk-woo: “I knew it! This guy used to come over to my place late at night, but now you can’t even see his shadow.”

In the past, during the filming of “I Alone,” Jung Ki-si had stayed at Loco’s place for a while due to his lease expiring and the new apartment contract not starting yet. Even after he had his own place, he still dropped by occasionally to keep things lively.

Park Jae-beom: “If I were Ki-si, I wouldn’t come either.”

Park Jae-beom: “Who would choose you over your girlfriend, idiot?”

Kwon Hyuk-woo, harshly scolded by the CEO, angrily flooded the chat with more emojis. Lee Seong-ho winced at the sight and reluctantly tried to mediate.

Gray: “It’s true, but Jae-beom, you’re way too blunt.”

Kwon Hyuk-woo scowled at the new chatroom he secretly formed after being kicked out by Ki-si, named “Long Live Single,” which seemed to mock him.

Kwon Hyuk-woo: “Do I look like someone easy to bully?”

This time, the two older brothers responded enthusiastically.

Park Jae-beom: “You just realized this now?”

Gray: “Actually, it’s because you’re kinder, Co.”

Jung Ki-si hadn’t introduced Yoon Hee-woo to his friends partly out of consideration. She had been busy filming lately, and he didn’t want to add extra pressure. Also, he felt his friends weren’t the most reliable bunch, and he didn’t want to drag such a beautiful and innocent girl into a group of rowdy men.

However, Park Jae-beom, Loco, and others seemed to have strong opinions about this...

Jung Ki-si gently poked a piece of cantaloupe with a fork and fed it to the girl in his arms, casually brushing her hair away from her ear. His voice was low.

“Want to have dinner with Jae-beom and the others tonight?”

Yoon Hee-woo paused her phone game, where her long, chubby little snake had just collided with her body, splitting into small dots quickly eaten by other snakes.

She pouted, chewing the cantaloupe fiercely, and focused on Jung Ki-si’s words.

“Dinner?”

Jung Ki-si nodded. “They... really want to meet you. You’ve met Loco and Jae-beom before.”

His tone carried a hint of testing: “Do you... want to go?”

Though they had been dating for a while, they hadn’t officially introduced each other to their circles. Jung Ki-si had his own reasons, but putting himself in the picture, he was a bit self-conscious about it.

Yoon Hee-woo, unaware of all his thoughts, was unbothered and nodded cheerfully.

“Sure.”

What mattered more to her was: “What are we eating?”

She turned around, eyes sparkling with anticipation, and Jung Ki-si smiled at her clear gaze, amused by how ridiculous his own insecurities seemed in that moment.

Confidently, he promised like a devoted boyfriend: “Whatever you want to eat.”

“Asa!! Really?!” Yoon Hee-woo cheered, her eyebrows arching. Then she hesitated slightly, “What if they don’t like what I pick?”

Jung Ki-si, proudly showing off his Busan accent: “They don’t matter. What you like is what matters.”

The moment he finished, the girl hugged him and planted several affectionate kisses on his cheek, her voice as sweet as honey.

“Ki-si, you’re the best~”

The man, with several lipstick marks on his face, felt his cheekbones nearly lift to the sky, his smile goofy and endearing.

They chose a Thai restaurant Yoon Hee-woo had recently grown fond of. She was the type to keep going back to something she liked until she grew tired of it.

On the day of the dinner, due to a commercial shoot, Jung Ki-si and his friends arrived at the restaurant first. Yoon Hee-woo went over after finishing, riding with Lim Hye-jin.

Lim Hye-jin glanced sideways at the little person in the passenger seat, whose eyes were curved from smiling, fully absorbed in her phone, oblivious to the look.

She shook her head, thinking, “Girls just can’t be kept.”

Suddenly, Lim Hye-jin spoke up: “It’s okay to be in love, but you have to protect yourself, got it?”

Yoon Hee-woo looked at her in confusion. The manager’s grip on the steering wheel resembled a sharp, capable woman from a drama, but her expression was amusing as she winked.

“You’re still young. Don’t suddenly get yourself stuck with a child.”

Yoon Hee-woo laughed helplessly. “Unni!”

“I haven’t even started dating Oppa yet...” Her muttered words were cut off by Lim Hye-jin.

The manager shook her head in exasperation, knowing this girl wasn’t the shy type.

“Stop! No need to tell me such private things, okay?”

At the restaurant, Jung Ki-si faced a similar topic.

Park Jae-beom grinned slyly: “Loco said you’ve been hard to find at your place lately. Could it be...”

“Already living together?”

Jung Ki-si was speechless, especially seeing Lee Seong-ho and Kwon Hyuk-woo leaning in eagerly, their gossiping faces unbearable.

“What are you talking about?” He raised his chin slightly, a bit prideful. “Why would I tell you guys my private stuff with Hee-woo?”

Kwon Hyuk-woo pouted, turned to Lee Seong-ho, and made a funny face, mimicking Jung Ki-si’s tone. Lee Seong-ho burst out laughing, slapping his thigh.

Park Jae-beom was bolder, sitting beside Jung Ki-si: “Bro, um...”

“Is Hee-woo an only child?”

He pretended to be shy: “I mean, does she have an older sister or something? Preferably someone as pretty and well-built as her.”

Jung Ki-si wanted to curse: “What are you saying!?”

He knew this bunch was full of perverts—none of them acted decent. He shouldn’t have agreed to bring Hee-woo to dinner.

When Jung Ki-si first joined AOMG, it was as a co-representative. Though he was a few years older than Park Jae-beom, their relationship was close, and age never made things awkward.

Because of that, seeing the usually untouchable CEO get "picked on" was a novelty for Kwon Hyuk-woo and Lee Seong-ho. Kwon Hyuk-woo especially lamented how he had once been the poor bullied one.

Indeed, what goes around comes around.

“Okay, okay, I won’t say more. Bro, bro...” Park Jae-beom grinned and begged for mercy.

A phone call interrupted the chaotic yet hilarious scene. Kwon Hyuk-woo watched Jung Ki-si answer and rush out hurriedly, puzzled.

“Whose call was that...?”

Park Jae-beom rolled his eyes: “Who else?”

“Of course, it’s his precious little treasure.”