Chapter 935. Crank Up 4
The salmon salad she had in her mouth couldn’t be more tasty. Ever since she regained her appet.i.te, she regretted looking out at the sea from her room throughout the entire vacation. Had she gotten the news just one day earlier, she would’ve gone to a nearby famous restaurant and eaten cla.s.sily. Lee Miyoon gathered the salad together in one spot and shoved it in her mouth by lifting up the plate. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate to her heart’s content. She ate not to survive but to savor the taste. She was already thinking about what she should eat once she returned to Korea.
She looked around while savoring the carbonated water in her mouth. The drama production staff and the actors were all paying attention to her like deer who came across a leopard in the middle of the gra.s.sland. Miyoon enjoyed those gazes; gazes of fear, wariness, and jealousy were all directed at her. They were signs that the human Lee Miyoon had not died yet. Miyoon looked at Kang Giwoo, who was sitting two tables across. He must be feeling extremely uncomfortable right now. After all, she had interrupted his scheme against Han Gaeul. While Han Gaeul was bad enough that she would chew on her to death, she was even more bothered by Kang Giwoo right now. She had been humiliated, so she had to return the favor. Although she couldn’t do anything directly with him being the grandson of the chairman, scattering dirt on his path should be fine.
Kang Giwoo stood up after moving his jaws around. Two of the female staff immediately walked up to him like they were his loyal guards. He went to the hotel lounge and met Han Gaeul, who was on the way. Kang Giwoo waved at her, but Han Gaeul didn’t even give him a glance. Miyoon covered her mouth and laughed. The pride of the grandson of the chairman was utterly crushed. Miyoon originally thought that he had chosen Han Gaeul as someone to play around with for a brief time, but from his actions until now and his current figure, he seemed to be pretty serious. Perhaps he was even considering her as a marriage partner. He seemed uneasy because the woman didn’t fall for him as he even used those around him. However, his methods were terrible. He seemed to be planning to lend Han Gaeul his shoulder once she ran into difficulties due to him spreading bad rumors around, but there was no way a girl like her would be shaken by rumors like that, was there?
“Senior.”
Hoseon and the actresses stood in a line with their hands neatly folded in front of them. Miyoon raised her gla.s.s and asked what.
“I just wanted to apologize to you again. It looks like we must have misunderstood something about Gaeul. We really didn’t have any intentions to talk bad about her.”
“You know you did that out of jealousy because she’s younger, more popular, and received acknowledgment from others.”
“It’s really not like that. Moreover, we didn’t know that you doted on her so much, and that"s why we made a mistake.”
“Me, dote on her? So there comes a day when I hear that from someone, huh.”
Lee Miyoon put her gla.s.s down with a tap. The actresses lined up in front of her all flinched at once.
“Let me ask while I’m at it. Kang Giwoo is the one who ordered you to do it, right? No, wait, there’s no way he ordered you to do it. He must have said things that made you girls talk like that. I have to admit his skill is quite something when it comes to that.”
“It’s not like that at all.”
Hoseon denied it, even going as far as to wave her hands in the air. Miyoon flicked her finger. Hoseon flinched before walking in front of her. She flicked her finger again. Hoseon’s face was right in front of her.
“Are you playing with words with me? Or are you lying in front of me?”
Hoseon’s lips trembled. Miyoon saw emotions drain from Hoseon’s face. If she pushed her a little more, she might even turn blue and faint on the spot.
“Girlie, you should’ve acted more modestly. You put so much effort into me, didn’t you? You prepared my meals while the others were s.h.i.+vering in fear and notified me of the schedule. I’m someone who repays what I’m given, whether it’s grace or something else.”
“I will never do that again, senior.”
Being able to control other people at a whim like this gave her pleasure bigger than any form of entertainment. This was why power was a necessity, Miyoon spoke to the other actresses standing neatly,
“I get that you want to look good in front of Kang GIwoo. On the outside, he’s quite something after all. But think about it a little. Do you think you have any chances with the grandson of the YM Group? I’m sure it isn’t just sympathy towards him when you badmouth someone just based on his words. It’s because of your fantasies of ‘what if things go well with him.’ I’ll tell you this straight: it’s not happening. I’m sure you know best. So think about it. Should you continue following a pretty boy like that who has no substance? Or would you prefer me, who has real power in this industry?”
Actors with guts wouldn’t even be here. Those who were busy preparing what they needed to do for the sake of the future didn’t even have the time to be shaken by other people’s words. They should be busy fulfilling what they’re lacking. However, the actresses standing in front of her right now were cheap ones who would change their actions based on other people’s words. Just as people had their uses, trash like them had their uses as well.
“We’ll listen to your words from now on, senior,” Hoseon said as their representative.
It was a satisfactory answer. Miyoon gave them a simple order to put Kang Giwoo on the chopping table just as they did Han Gaeul until moments ago.
“Giwoo doesn’t have any flaws to ta….”
“Don’t you get why Kang Giwoo wanted you to badmouth that kid Gaeul? Do you really think Han Gaeul did something that deserves your insults? No, you don’t. You know it perfectly well. You just kept watching her, who was more popular than you, because there was nothing on her, and then Kang Giwoo’s push triggered you to joyfully start badmouthing her, didn’t it?”
Miyoon picked up her fork and pointed at Han Gaeul, who was sitting a little away from her.
“Kang Giwoo got rejected by that girl. That’s why he went to you all to complain. I’m sure his plan was to help her out and get some points from her once you badmouth her and attack her. I’m sure you all must have realized that but intentionally ignored it. That’s because it’ll hurt your pride if you admit it. It will feel like your worth as a woman is degraded. Heck, it’s clear to see from how there’s not a single boy who’s been talking bad about her since last night.”
The actresses did not say anything. Miyoon thought that there were no fools in this world. Most of the time, people just do not want to admit it and cause big trouble. The same was true for Miyoon herself.
“You girls should all spread around that Kang Giwoo started spreading bad rumors about Han Gaeul as a form of revenge. I need to ruin that polite image of his. I don’t care what he does, but he needs to be punished if he crosses the line.”
Threats were much stronger than any sweet words. The actresses should be expecting that they would receive big losses if they did not do what they were tasked with. Consequentially, Miyoon would be helping Han Gaeul, but she didn’t care. She was feeling merciful today.
When she went to the hotel lounge, Kang Giwoo blocked her path. It seemed that he had been waiting for the moment when there would be fewer eyes on them.
“Just what are you thinking?”
“What?”
“Senior Lee, I can’t have you do this to me. Why are you meddling in my business unnecessarily and ruining my plans? You’re putting me in a fix.”
“Seeing as how you’re showing your true nature just because you got kicked away by a girl, it makes me wonder if you’re really the grandson of the chairman. I guess this is why the chairman’s so overprotective of you?”
Kang Giwoo’s right foot flipped up and down. His sandal made flapping noises. Miyoon smiled when she saw him react so nervously.
“I must have been an idiot for clinging onto a brat like this even for a moment.”
“Senior Lee, you’ll regret this, you know?”
“Regret? And what are you going to do to me?”
“It looks like you must’ve forgotten that you will never reach grandfather unless you go through me.”
“There’s no way I’ll forget since that’s your only worth. But it’s fine now. I’ve found a way out.”
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to do, but you know that everything will be over for you the moment I put in a word with my grandfather, right? Regardless of what you’re preparing, you’ll be finished the moment grandfather rejects you,” Giwoo said as he stepped right up to her, making a smile befitting of his t.i.tle, the ‘smiling prince.’
Other people watching from afar might think that they were a close senior and junior pair. Miyoon found the boy rather impressive for his efforts. She found it cute, and even a little pitiful.
“The fact that you’re the grandson of the chairman is a privilege greater than anything, but you must’ve forgotten one thing. You’re the one who told me that I should grasp where power comes from. That’s the only way someone leeching off power can live longer.”
“You seem to be mistaken about something as I’m the grandson of the YM Group’s leader, not some kind of parasite.”
“Giwoo, let me tell you one thing. While you were going to school without a clue in the world, I was seeing your grandfather and was the one working closest to him. While you grew up under the limitless love of the chairman, I kept pa.s.sing through his tests and survived. You probably don’t know yet what it means for that person to give power to a woman when he extremely looks down on them. This time, I’ve committed a blunder and he lost sight of me, but I am well aware that there is no one who’s more sensitive to achievements than him. The chairman is someone who will pull someone to his side if he finds them useful even if that person tried to stab him in the back the day before. Conversely, he will more than willingly abandon his blood kin if he deems them useless. Giwoo, has the chairman ever told you that you will be inheriting the YM Group?”
Giwoo, who was armed with a firm smile, flinched backwards in an instant. Miyoon waved at him once as his face twitched before going back up to her room. The call she had been waiting for had just arrived.
“I was just about to call you. Looks like we have something in common, journalist Kim, eh?”
Miyoon sat down on the sofa and continued her call.