Kim Seong-jun, the president of AKX Pictures, grinned and spoke to the CF director.

“I've already been working on multiple fronts. If things go well and Detective Seo Jung-woo appears in a drama or a movie, it absolutely has to be one of our productions first.”

Though he addressed the CF director, his real intention was for Seo Sora to hear.

‘I hope this proposal reaches Detective Seo naturally.’

The CF director, thinking the words were meant for him, got excited and suggested,

“I also direct music videos! How about casting Detective Seo Jung-woo in 4cats’ music video? A detective starring in the music video of a singer he saved—this is bound to be a hit!”

Yoon Nana’s cheeks flushed slightly.

‘If something like that were to happen…’

Scenes of kissing and bed scenes flashed through her mind.

Her cheeks turned even redder.

Seo Sora whispered to Yoon Nana.

“Nana, snap out of it. I just texted him, and he said no.”

“Ah. Why!”

“Shh. Your voice is too loud.”

“Tch.”

At that moment, Seo Jung-woo was placing 50 million won in cash into a locked briefcase.

The briefcase was something he had brought from the other world today. The exterior was made from processed monster hide, making it highly resistant to cuts, even with a knife.

Moreover, it had an extremely sturdy locking mechanism.

“This way, no one will open it by mistake.”

A strange feeling crept over him.

“My side earnings are now greater than my annual salary in this world.”

The money came from the raid on the transaction between So Sang-hyun, who had stolen the relics of a high monk, and Kim Jung-deuk, a cultural artifact smuggler. Seo Jung-woo’s original target had been the relics of the high monk, not the money.

But now that he had taken it, it turned out to be quite a nice bonus.

“I’d probably earn less than this even if I shot a CF or a music video.”

Lee Seon-hwa sat on a chair, rapidly swinging her legs up and down in frustration.

“Ah! Seriously, why won’t he give me the necklace I picked out?!”

When Seo Jung-woo was investigating the case of the stolen relics from the Goryeo-era high monk, he had visited a jewelry store with Lee Seon-hwa. She had chosen a necklace, assuming it was meant for her.

However, that necklace was now around the neck of the Lee Seon-hwa from the other world. Because the relic inside the necklace was a sacred object, it had become a legendary-grade item, strong enough to withstand even disaster-level mental attacks.

“He definitely picked it out for me. That’s why he told me to choose a necklace that suited my taste. Did he really forget? Should I ask him? But that would be too humiliating.”

At the moment, she was drinking with her friend Kim Gyeong-mi at her house.

Kim Gyeong-mi scolded her.

“Why are you mumbling to yourself like some drenched monk? What’s going on?”

“It’s about Jung-woo.”

“Detective Seo Jung-woo?”

“Don’t you think he’s getting too popular?”

“He was already famous, wasn’t he?”

“Before we started dating, he was only known among certain circles—reporters, the police, that kind of thing. But now, so many people know his name.”

“But not many people know his face, right? Even I don’t remember seeing any photos of him.”

“That’s because he really hates being photographed. There’s only one weird-looking interview video floating around. If a proper photo ever starts circulating, that’d be a big problem.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know… I just have this feeling that I already have rivals or something. Which is impossible. I mean, I’m Lee Seon-hwa.”

Kim Gyeong-mi smirked.

“Don’t worry, you arrogant girl. Like you always say, there’s no one prettier than you. Seo Jung-woo is a man—he’ll eventually fall for you.”

“Right?”

Feeling a little tipsy, Lee Seon-hwa took another sip and texted Seo Jung-woo.

– I’m drinking with a friend right now.

A reply came back.

– ㅇㅇ

She started shaking her legs furiously again.

“Ah, what the hell! What kind of response is that?! Just two circles! How am I supposed to get him to ask me to drink together if that’s all he says?! Ugh! More alcohol!”

“Hey, don’t you have a shoot tomorrow?”

“It’s fine. Just a little more.”

In the other world, the other Lee Seon-hwa raised her glass.

“It’s fine! Just a little more!”

Seo Jung-woo scolded her.

“You’ve only just recovered from the curse, and you’re already drinking this much?”

Lee Seon-hwa stroked the necklace, which contained the legendary sacred relic, and replied,

“I’m completely fine now.”

“You’ve already had two bottles of soju. If you drink any more, what are you going to do tomorrow?”

“What’s the big deal? I don’t have a shoot tomorrow anyway.”

“Didn’t you say you’re going to an audition?”

“Ah, right. Then, will you take me there tomorrow, oppa?”

“You’re drunk. Do you really think I would?”

“Tch. Then I’ll just drink a little more and sleep in my room.”

“You don’t have a room here!”

“You greedy man! There’s an extra room! Give me my own room! With pink curtains! Pink blankets! And a king-size bed!”

“That’s it. No more drinking.”

“My drink! My draaank!”

The next day, the Lee Seon-hwa from this world sat in the car, pressing her hand against her head.

“Ugh, my head. It feels like it’s going to split.”

Her manager, sitting beside her, asked,

“Unnie, just how much did you drink?”

“Not that much, but weirdly, my head hurts like I drank about two more bottles of soju.”

“Here’s a hangover drink.”

“Thank you.”

The drama The Princess’s Redemption was already doing well in ratings, but the stalker incident ended up serving as unexpected publicity, boosting them even higher.

The broadcasting station, AKX Pictures—the drama’s production company—and Lee Seon-hwa’s agency decided to capitalize on the rising popularity by scheduling her for a variety show appearance. It wasn’t an outdoor variety show but one filmed indoors.

There, she greeted the production staff and met other invited guests.

Since the variety show was meant to promote the drama, the male lead Kang Seo-jun and supporting actor Kwon Kyung-chul were also appearing.

However, there were some unexpected faces as well.

“Huh? Aren’t those 4cats?”

Not long ago, in Yeouido, she had run into Seo Jung-woo and ended up having fried chicken and beer with them.

The twins spotted her and shouted,

“Wow! Lee Seon-hwa!”

“Wow! She’s still so pretty even after seeing her again!”

Seo Sora, flustered, nudged the twins. They quickly came to their senses and bowed their heads.

“Hello!”

Seo Sora also greeted her.

“Hello!”

Yoon Nana, standing with them, simply bowed her head slightly.

Lee Seon-hwa smiled warmly.

“Oh my, we meet again? Nice to see you. Your new song is really good.”

The twins beamed at the compliment.

“Ehehe. We sang it.”

“Dimension-nim made the song just for the two of us.”

The filming soon began.

The show involved cooking simple dishes and having casual conversations over a meal.

Seo Sora made a soup with bean sprouts and dried pollack, and it suited Lee Seon-hwa’s taste perfectly. It also worked as a great hangover cure, making it even more delicious.

When the cameras were off for a moment, Lee Seon-hwa spoke to Seo Sora.

“This soup is really good.”

“It’s probably because you drank yesterday. This is the best for a hangover. That’s why I made it.”

Lee Seon-hwa was slightly taken aback.

“Oh my, how did you know I drank yesterday? Do I smell like alcohol? I shouldn’t, though.”

“Huh? No, um… my oppa must be a fan. I heard it from him.”

This morning, Seo Jung-woo had grumbled while making a soup with bean sprouts and dried pollack.

‘Since Seon-hwa drank so much yesterday, she needs this… but there’s no way to get it to her.’

Seo Sora, who overheard him, had assumed that the "Seon-hwa" he was talking about was Lee Seon-hwa.

Lee Seon-hwa tilted her head.

“I drank with just a friend yesterday. How would a fan know that?”

Seo Sora was shocked.

‘What? Not a company dinner or something? Just a friend? Did oppa become friends with Lee Seon-hwa? No way!’

“Was that friend a gu—”

“A girl. Gyeong-mi. We drink together often.”

“Ahh, I see. So it wasn’t that.”

‘Of course. No way oppa could possibly… with Lee Seon-hwa.’

“Then someone probably posted it on social media. Oppa must have seen it there.”

“Did Gyeong-mi post it? That makes sense. She does sometimes.”

Lee Seon-hwa turned her gaze to Yoon Nana. Yoon Nana had been glaring at Seo Sora but quickly looked away.

Lee Seon-hwa thought to herself.

‘That girl is going to turn into my anti-fan at this rate.’

The filming resumed.

4cats had been invited to the variety show because of their connection to Lee Seon-hwa. As the conversation neared the latter half, the host carefully brought up the topic.

“So, I heard that Lee Seon-hwa and Yoon Nana both know the same person?”

There was only one person they could be referring to in this context.

Lee Seon-hwa spoke first.

“Detective Seo Jung-woo? I know him a little.”

Not wanting to be outdone, Yoon Nana quickly interjected.

“I know him too! He lives in my neighborhood!”

“I even ate grilled pork belly with him. I posted a photo on social media.”

“I had chicken!”

“Oh my. Chicken? The one we ate together in Yeouido?”

“We ate it another time too, you know?”

“And where and how did you end up eating that? I had it with all the detectives who helped with the filming.”

Yoon Nana struggled to defend herself against Lee Seon-hwa's swift attack. But as she tried not to lose, she suddenly realized she had said too much.

“T-That is…”

Seo Sora quickly jumped in to smooth things over.

“All four of us ate together. We just wanted to say thanks.”

“Oh, I see…”

Lee Seon-hwa hesitated. A suspicion arose in her mind.

‘Why do they keep eating with a local detective?’

She suddenly recalled something she had brushed off earlier.

‘How did Seo Sora know I drank last night? Did Gyeong-mi really post it on social media? If not…?’

During the break, Lee Seon-hwa called Kim Gyeong-mi.

– “Hey. I'm busy. Later.”

Lee Seon-hwa quickly asked,

“Just answer one thing. Did you post about us drinking last night?”

– “If I posted every time we drank, my entire feed would be full of your drunk photos.”

“Did you post it or not?”

– “I didn’t, you idiot. I’m busy. Bye.”

Lee Seon-hwa pieced the situation together.

‘The people who know I drank last night…? It wasn’t Gyeong-mi. The manager and road manager? They only found out this morning in the car. Seo Sora said she knew since morning, so it wasn’t them either. Then who else…? Jung-woo?’

She suddenly remembered that she had texted Seo Jung-woo while drunk last night.

The reason she even found this suspicious was because of Yoon Nana and Seo Sora’s reaction just now. The way Seo Sora tried to cover for Yoon Nana had been oddly unnatural.

She aligned the situation with a new hypothesis.

‘Yoon Nana just said Jung-woo lives in the same neighborhood. Those two are neighborhood friends, so Seo Sora must live there too. And her last name is Seo.’

Lee Seon-hwa stared at Seo Sora.

And then she realized something.

‘Oh my! She looks like Jung-woo!’

The puzzle pieces snapped into place.

‘The person who knew I drank last night? Jung-woo. Yoon Nana, Seo Sora, and Jung-woo all live in the same neighborhood. Seo Sora has an older brother. And that brother knew I drank last night. On top of that, they look alike. That’s it. They’re siblings. Or at the very least, they live together as relatives.’

She had her answer. A bright smile spread across her face.

‘Gotcha.’

Lee Seon-hwa changed her victorious smile into a friendly one and approached Seo Sora.

“Sora, I really enjoyed your soup today. Next time, I’ll treat you to something delicious.”

Seo Sora, unaware of anything, beamed with excitement.

“Oh my, really? Thank you!”

Filming resumed.

From that moment on, Lee Seon-hwa made sure to give Seo Sora more screen time.

After all, she hadn’t risen to the top just by starring in movies and dramas. She had also appeared in plenty of variety shows. She used all the skills she had gathered over the years to actively highlight Seo Sora.

Seo Sora, with little broadcasting experience, simply assumed this was how things went. But the producer was beyond thrilled.

He turned to the assistant director and said,

“Lee Seon-hwa is amazing. She completely dominates the show.”

“She dominates it, but she doesn’t overshadow everyone else. She’s bringing attention to Seo Sora and even looking out for the twins. She really is the best. No wonder people keep praising her.”

“It’d be nice if Yoon Nana got more screen time too. Originally, we planned for Seon-hwa and Nana to exchange stories about the incidents they each went through.”

“Well, does it really matter? As long as it’s entertaining.”

The producer grinned widely.

“True. As long as the ratings are good, that’s all that matters.”