Seo Jung-woo asked Lee Seon-hwa, who had been caught pretending to be sulking.

“If I pretend to fall for it, will you believe it?”

Lee Seon-hwa quickly answered.

“Then I can pretend to believe it too…”

She suddenly sniffed the air.

“Oh my. Is that the smell of grilled beef?”

“How do you know that just by smelling it?”

“I ate a lot of beef when I was little, you know? And this spring, the film company bought beef for the actors because the movie did well! I’m a woman who has tasted beef!”

“Oh. Is that so?”

She now had something more important to do than acting in front of Seo Jung-woo. Pushing him aside, she rushed into the house.

“Move! I’m eating too!”

Seo Jung-woo followed her inside.

He and Seo Sora had stored all the food he brought from the other world in the underground storage.

Since they had just moved in, other daily necessities were also still kept in the underground shelter.

Among the food they had taken out to eat immediately, it was impossible to tell where the vegetables had been grown just by looking at them.

The same went for the beef.

The only thing distinguishable was the ssamjang. The container holding it was from the other world.

However, Seo Sora had transferred the ssamjang to another bowl before serving it.

Seo Sora warmly greeted Lee Seon-hwa.

“Unni!”

Lee Seon-hwa was also delighted.

“Sora, how have you been? Did you miss me?”

“Of course!”

Back when a massive gate opened in Yeouido, turning the area into a war zone, Lee Seon-hwa had been trapped inside a broadcasting station.

At first, she endured hunger and fear, hoping to survive. But as Yeouido became completely overrun by monsters, her chances of rescue dwindled.

Then, one day, Seo Jung-woo suddenly appeared before her.

He had fought his way through monster-infested territory alone, carrying her—exhausted from days without even a sip of water—on his back to escape.

At the time, Seo Jung-woo had just enlisted in the military.

Lee Seon-hwa was not yet twenty, a rising actress just beginning to gain recognition.

From that day on, their connection began.

Since then, Lee Seon-hwa had also become as close as sisters with Seo Sora.

Seo Jung-woo spoke.

“I guess Sora told you we moved.”

It was obvious. Seo Sora had deliberately transferred the ssamjang to another dish and hadn’t left any snack bags out.

Lee Seon-hwa pouted.

“Of course! If Sora hadn’t told me, I would’ve been really upset!”

Seo Sora explained her reasoning.

“Seon-hwa unni always shows up unannounced. It would’ve been a problem if you had gone to the old house by yourself.”

There were simple traps set up there now. They wouldn’t cause serious harm, but resetting them would be a hassle.

Lee Seon-hwa asked,

“But you didn’t say anything about eating beef today?”

Seo Sora smiled.

“I wanted it to be a surprise. You said your schedule was free now that your project was over. If I told you we moved, I knew you’d come right away. Oh, and there’s plenty of meat.”

Lee Seon-hwa’s eyes widened when she saw the amount of meat in the separate container.

“Oh my. Why is there so much beef? How much is all this?”

“Two geun.”

“Wow!”

Seo Jung-woo started grilling the meat.

Unlike before, Seo Sora didn’t eat as if she were holding her breath. Nowadays, she ate well and enjoyed her food.

On the other hand, Lee Seon-hwa devoured the beef the way Seo Jung-woo and Seo Sora once had.

This world wasn’t lacking in food, thanks to beast-type monsters and chlorella-based synthetic products. But they didn’t taste good.

Real meat tasted amazing. The only problem was the price.

After eating for a while, Lee Seon-hwa finally regained her senses and spoke to Seo Jung-woo.

“Oppa, if you keep spending like this, you’ll go broke in no time. What are you going to do then?”

“You sure talk big for someone who’s eating so well.”

“You have to eat this kind of stuff while you can.”

“Hey, pay up.”

Lee Seon-hwa scoffed.

“Yeah, right. As if an actress has any money.”

Seo Jung-woo compared her to the top star Lee Seon-hwa from the other world.

‘I thought they were exactly the same, but this is definitely different.’

It wasn’t the person that was different—it was their circumstances.

‘The other Lee Seon-hwa lives like a real rich person, but our Seon-hwa…’

She was eating as if the world would end if she didn’t finish all the meat.

And it wasn’t just the meat.

“Sora, I want soju.”

“I already got it ready.”

Seo Sora brought out the alcohol. This soju was also called soju, but it was chemically synthesized in a factory by mixing ethyl alcohol with water.

After taking a sip, Lee Seon-hwa said,

“Whew. It’s good, but…”

She smacked her lips.

“Eating beef makes me want the real soju.”

Real soju did exist in this world. But it was expensive.

Watching her drink, Seo Jung-woo thought to himself.

‘Actors here don’t make nearly as much money as in the other world.’

In this world, commercials rarely featured actors. And when they did, they usually hired top stars.

Most movies and dramas are produced on a low budget, so the cast fees are also cheap.

Lee Seon-hwa was recognized as a talented actress in both worlds. She was exceptionally beautiful and had a keen eye for scripts.

That was why the Lee Seon-hwa in the other world became a top star.

However, the Lee Seon-hwa in this world did not. Despite having the same acting skills and the same face, she was never cast as the lead in movies or dramas. She frequently took on supporting roles, but the lead always went to someone else.

It was because she had not awakened a skill.

Just as nonromance dramas were rare in the other world, action-free dramas were nonexistent in this one.

Production companies preferred actors with skills that could save on action scene production costs.

If an actor possessed a skill that enhanced their physical abilities, they could perform spectacular action scenes without needing wires.

If they had even a shooting skill, they could take realistic gunfight scenes to the next level with live ammunition.

In this world, most viewers knew how to shoot. Using live rounds during filming produced better reactions.

Expensive CG effects were avoided unless absolutely necessary.

For Lee Seon-hwa to film a grand action scene in this world, she would have to use wires or rely on post-production effects. That would significantly increase the production cost.

Without a physical enhancement skill, landing a role was even harder than for an actor in the other world who couldn’t do romance scenes.

Despite that, Lee Seon-hwa continued to secure significant supporting roles. Her acting skills far surpassed those who relied on skills, and her looks only added to her appeal.

‘With that talent, she became a wealthy top star over there, but here she can't even drink soju as she pleases. Life is harder for everyone in this world compared to the other, but the difference in the same profession is just too extreme.’

Even if you gathered ten top stars from this world, they wouldn’t earn as much as the Lee Seon-hwa of the other world.

Compared to the other world, Lee Seon-hwa, a supporting actress in this world, made a mere pittance.

Seo Jung-woo, having seen the other world, felt even worse about it.

He didn’t know the other world’s Lee Seon-hwa well, but he knew this one. He wanted her to succeed, but in this world’s entertainment industry, that was no easy feat.

Lee Seon-hwa, still eating her meat, asked,

“What? Why are you just staring at my face? Because I’m too pretty?”

“Eat well. Oh, do you want some chocolate later?”

Lee Seon-hwa slammed her chopsticks down with a loud clack and glared at Seo Jung-woo.

“Are you insane? Have you decided to live recklessly? I'm telling you nicely—stop it.”

“Don't eat if you don't want to.”

She picked up her chopsticks again.

“I mean, since you already bought it, I might as well eat it. Beef and chocolate. Wow, you're really spoiling me today. But don't buy such expensive things next time.”

That night, Lee Seon-hwa slept in the same room as Seo Sora. Their late-night chatter leaked into the living room.

Seo Jung-woo sat in the living room, meticulously disassembling and cleaning Lee Seon-hwa’s pink handgun.

“I told her to practice shooting more often, but there’s no sign she’s used it recently. Huh? She didn’t even unload the magazine? No wonder the spring is in bad shape.”

He took a new magazine and filled it with armor-piercing rounds.

The next morning, Lee Seon-hwa had another hearty meal before leaving.

Seo Jung-woo walked her to the bus stop.

As soon as she sat down in the bus, she rolled down the window and shouted,

“There’s an extra room! Make my curtains pink!”

Seo Jung-woo waved.

“I'm not taking in boarders. Get home safe.”

Seo Jung-woo crossed dimensions and returned to this world.

That evening, after finishing work, he went to see Lee Seon-hwa and handed her the smart key to her car.

“It drove well.”

Lee Seon-hwa smiled as she took the key.

“If you're not busy, would you like to have dinner together?”

Her words, “If you're not busy,” weren’t meant literally. If he was busy, he should still come. It was just a formality.

She was top star Lee Seon-hwa. She almost never initiated dinner invitations, and she had never once been turned down.

Flashing a beautiful smile, she thought about her schedule.

‘Since we met earlier than expected, I should check if Chef Woo can move up my reservation.’

Seo Jung-woo said,

“I'm busy.”

“I'm familiar with a che— Wait, what?”

“I promised to help some younger friends today. I need to go there.”

“Y-younger friends?”

“My younger sister and her friends. They asked for some help.”

Lee Seon-hwa was taken aback.

‘He’s not going to catch a murderer. He’s not going to rescue a hostage. He’s turning down my dinner invitation to help his sister’s friends?’

She never expected to be rejected. This was a first.

As Seo Jung-woo turned to leave, he said,

“See you around.”

Seeing his back, Lee Seon-hwa suddenly came to her senses. If she let him go like this, she would lose her connection to Seo Jung-woo.

“T-take the car back! You’ll need it to get wherever you’re going!”

What she really meant was, "Tell me where that place is," and, "Let’s meet again tomorrow."

Seo Jung-woo didn’t reveal the location and instead asked,

“Wouldn’t it be inconvenient for you if I keep using your car?”

Lee Seon-hwa’s expression brightened.

“Not at all! It’s not inconvenient in the slightest. I have three cars. One sports car, one sedan, and one SUV with a modified interior for comfort.”

She usually used the SUV for long trips, the sedan for driving around Seoul, and the sports car—well, she bought it because it was pretty, but it turned out to be harder to drive than expected, so she almost never used it. Instead, she just carried the key around.

Seo Jung-woo once again felt the stark difference between the Lee Seon-hwa of this world and the one from the other.

‘Seon-hwa takes the bus over there, but here she owns three cars. And they’re all expensive ones.’

He first met the other world’s Lee Seon-hwa in the 21st century, after the world split into two parallel dimensions.

When he met her and how long he had known her were incredibly important matters.

Seo Sora, born in the 20th century, was his younger sister in both worlds, but the Lee Seon-hwa of this world was not the Seon-hwa he knew.

“It’s fine. The subway will get me there quickly.”

After Seo Jung-woo left, Lee Seon-hwa let out a deep sigh.

“That reservation was so hard to get.”

She had barely managed to secure tonight’s dinner reservation by urgently asking a famous chef she had recently worked with on a broadcast. Canceling now would make her look foolish.

She called a friend.

“I guess I’ll just say I was planning to treat Gyeong-mi to dinner tonight. Act like it was totally natural, like I always intended to.”

ES Entertainment had temporarily rented the facilities of a recently closed yoga academy. The practice space wasn’t particularly large, but the mirrored walls allowed for dance rehearsals.

When Seo Jung-woo entered, Seo Sora casually raised a hand.

“You’re here?”

Park Ha-yeon and Park Da-yeon threw their hands up excitedly.

“Detective D is here!”

“He’s come to bestow upon us the gift of dance!”

“How many times should we bow in gratitude?”

“Just do it a lot!”

Yoon Nana gave a slight bow.

“Thank you for helping us again.”

Seo Jung-woo said,

“Don’t get your hopes up too much. It’s a really simple dance, so you might be disappointed once you try it.”

Her eyes sparkled.

“If you made it, there’s no way it could be disappointing.”

“Uh… yeah, well… let’s just give it a try.”

He demonstrated a dance that had been wildly popular in the other world. It was easy to learn, easy to perform, and visually appealing. However, compared to the intricate and precisely synchronized dances of this world, it was simple.

The four members of 4cats hadn’t just been idle trainees for years. They had once trained rigorously in singing and dancing. Though they had been unable to practice recently due to lack of space, their previous training remained.

For them, who were used to imitating the complex and flashy moves of other girl groups, the dance Seo Jung-woo taught was not difficult at all.

They picked up the moves immediately. They weren’t perfect on the first try, but they got the general feel of it.

Seo Sora remarked,

“The dance is nice, but it’s a bit simple.”

Yoon Nana shook her head.

“We’re going on TV in three days. If the dance is too complicated, we won’t be able to master it in time. This level of difficulty is just right.”

Seo Jung-woo asked,

“Three days? Why the rush?”

“We wanted to delay it, but the pressure was too much. The president said that if we keep rejecting appearances, the network will blacklist us. Apparently, a rival company is even spreading rumors that we’re being arrogant—to keep us in check.”

“Really? Then you have to crush them. Keep practicing. With your skills, three days is enough.”

Park Ha-yeon and Park Da-yeon shouted,

“Detective D has analyzed us and declared that we can do it!”

“Trust in Detective D’s eyes, the same eyes that catch criminals!”

Seo Jung-woo was slightly taken aback by the twins’ enthusiasm.

“No, that’s not quite—”

During dinner, Lee Seon-hwa’s friend Kim Gyeong-mi went to the restroom and came back in a flurry.

“Seon-hwa! Big news!”

“What?”

“You’re in an article.”

Lee Seon-hwa remained indifferent.

“Like that’s anything new. My name pops up in the news all the time.”

“Last night….”

Last night, she had helped Seo Jung-woo catch the stalker Choi Sun-hyung.

“Oh, the stalker? They said they’d keep it under wraps, but I guess it’s already out. Whatever. That guy got arrested, and I didn’t even get a scratch. It’s over.”

“No, it’s not that! Someone took pictures of you on a date at the café in front of your house last night! A dating scandal just broke! You idiot!”

Lee Seon-hwa’s eyes widened.

“What?”