Chapter 51: Montblanc and Hermès

On the closing day of the Seoul Fashion Week.
In the afternoon.
In front of the open-air cafe set.
"Scene 37, Take 5, getting ready!"
The assistant director's bullhorn pierced through the filming site.
"One, two, three, Action!"
The rhombic light spots cast by the parasol drifted along the rim of the coffee cup.
Kang Jae-hyun, following the script, pushed the iced Americano toward Park Shin-hye:
"The ice is going to melt."
"Click, clack, tap—"
The ripples stirred by the silver spoon reflected the blue silk hem suddenly entering the frame.
Krystal Jung propped her arm, wrapped in a black short-sleeved top, against the back of the chair, her deliberately lowered voice coated with honeyed malice:
"So the white-hat hacker little Yoon was you—"
The camera cut to a close-up of Kang Jae-hyun as he was pushed in: his pupils suddenly constricted at the mention of the "white-hat hacker."
"Let's sit together, my treat."
Without waiting for a reply, she sat down directly.
Park Shin-hye looked at the suddenly frozen Kang Jae-hyun, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two as she hesitated:
"You two... know each other?"
"Same school, not close."
"I'm Kim Tan's fiancée—"
Kim Ji-won lifted her chin with an arc of innate arrogance: "And what is your relationship?"
"Friends."
"Friends?"
She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kang Jae-hyun's phone, which was vibrating with an incoming call from Bona:
"Leaving Lee Bo-na behind in Seoul to fend for herself, and bringing a 'friend' across the Pacific for a date?"
The sound of a tray slamming onto the table and the sharp screech of metal chair legs scraping against the floor broke through the air.
"Don't you want to eat the pancakes?"
Lee Min-ho tugged at his collar and slumped into his seat, barely concealing his annoyance in his words:
"Then shut up and eat."
"A man with a fiancée and a man who's already taken, both appearing within a two-meter radius of you—"
Kim Ji-won suddenly turned her head and sneered at Park Shin-hye: "A Cinderella's charm really is something else."
As her voice trailed off, in the medium shot—
Kang Jae-hyun pressed his lips tightly together, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Park Shin-hye's lowered eyelashes cast shadows beneath her eyes, the fingertips holding the coffee cup trembling slightly.
Lee Min-ho tilted his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing with the motion, the taut shoulder lines beneath his suit betraying his irritation.
This scene appeared to be an ensemble for four.
In reality, it was Kim Ji-won's solo performance—using her sharp tongue to shatter the emotional defenses of all three.
"Cut!"
After reviewing the playback, the director nodded in satisfaction:
"This take is good. Rachel Yoo's micro-expressions were handled brilliantly; that jealousy hidden beneath her elegant demeanor was practically like a razor blade soaked in red wine."
"Thank you, director."
"Rachel's acting just now was so good, I almost—"
Before Kang Jae-hyun could finish his compliment, a birthday hat was suddenly placed on his head.
Park Hyung-sik darted out from somewhere and sprayed colorful streamers over his head.
"Happy Birthday to You—"
The entire crew's applause was three times more enthusiastic than during mealtime.
Krystal Jung walked out from behind the monitor, holding a flickering candlelight.
The sweet scent of cream mingled with the fragrance of lily-of-the-valley in her hair, rushing toward Kang Jae-hyun's nose. Out of the corner of his eye, he precisely captured three black-box cameras currently recording.
"Surprise!"
Krystal held the cake up to his eyes, the candlelight flickering like stars in the depths of her eyes.
Kang Jae-hyun's long-studied "emotional acting" learned from Hwang Jung-min finally came in handy—
The triple combo of wide eyes, covering his mouth, and a bobbing Adam's apple; even the detail of taking half a step back and knocking over the folding chair looked like it had been rehearsed a hundred times.
"I'm so moved..."
When he bowed ninety degrees, he almost plunged headfirst into the cake.
"Three-second limit for making a wish."
Krystal shook the candle, whose cream was about to drip: "Three, two..."
The exact moment Kang Jae-hyun closed his eyes, the floor staff very cooperatively turned off the fill lights.
In the darkness, someone accidentally knocked over a prop, and the wish he silently recited to the twenty-four candles was swallowed up by the rustling laughter and chatter.
"Your gift."
Park Hyung-sik took the cake away to share with everyone, and Krystal seized the opportunity to press a dark blue gift box into his palm.
"This is..."
Kang Jae-hyun pulled the butterfly ribbon loose, and the cold light reflected off the Montblanc cap illuminated the engraved lettering.
He brushed his fingers over the groove reading [To the next scene——From K.G], and read in broken Korean-style English:
"Nex-ter... scene?"
"Scene."
Krystal immediately corrected him with textbook American pronunciation.
"Seen?"
"Scene!"
"See-un?"
"Yah!"
The hidden snickers bursting from the onlookers were cut short by Krystal's glare.
Once the hallway returned to silence, Krystal stomped on his shadow:
"Last time! Tip of the tongue against the upper gum ridge—scene!"
Kang Jae-hyun was forced to roll his tongue and mimic her like a parrot: "S-c-e-n-e!"
"Barely passing..."
"......Thank you, I really like this gift."
Kang Jae-hyun pointed to the end of the engraving: "What does this K.G mean?"
"Initials of the engraver."
Krystal crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow: "Otherwise, what did you think it was, Krystal and Gang's..."
The moment the words left her mouth, she could have bitten her tongue off in regret.
Fortunately, Kang Jae-hyun performed as consistently as ever:
"Oh, the craftsman is quite skilled. Could you recommend the shop to me? I want to get one engraved that says 'Thank you, Teacher Hwang Jung-min'."
"It went out of business."
"Then recommending another shop works too..."
Krystal's hurried retreat in high heels pulverized Kang Jae-hyun's lingering questions into the sweltering September heat.
Filming wrapped for the day.
Watching Kang Jae-hyun grab his backpack and sprint toward the parking lot, Park Hyung-sik muttered:
"Are you in such a rush to go get reincarnated?"
"Today is his birthday. Of course he has to go home to eat seaweed soup cooked by Sung-kyung unnie."
Kim Ji-won and Park Hyung-sik suddenly fell silent, turning their heads in unison to look at Krystal Jung, who was organizing her script.
"Why are you looking at me?"
She leisurely arranged her highlighters by color code, the corners of her lips curving upward with an imperceptible trace of a smile:
"Isn't it normal to spend a birthday with family?"
Kim Ji-won's eyebrow suddenly arched—
Krystal chewed on the word "family" with exceptional crispness, as if it were a get-out-of-jail-free card capable of choking out any ambiguity.
...
The moment the van door closed, Kim Dae-won handed over a deep blue velvet box from the front seat.
"I picked it up on my way back to the company at noon."
Kang Jae-hyun pulled the ribbon off the gift box, revealing a navy blue twill tie resting amidst tissue paper.
Inside was also a pink card:
[To Mr. Gru:
Compared to that pilling synthetic fiber tie from your real estate internship days, this one suits you much better.
From Yoon-a]
"Hermes?"
Twisting his neck like an owl, Kim Dae-won snatched the label: "Who sent this?"
"Im Yoon-a."
"Your romantic luck has been blooming quite brightly lately, hasn't it, kid?"
"Has it?"
"Krystal Jung sends a fountain pen, Im Yoon-a sends a tie..."
Kim Dae-won eyed him sideways: "Don't get your head blown off by these sugar-coated bullets."
Kang Jae-hyun scratched the back of his head and gave a foolish smile:
"It's just polite courtesy among colleagues."
The Kakao notification sound interrupted Kim Dae-won's eye roll.
Kang Jae-hyun tapped open his chat window with Im Yoon-a:
[Yoon-a]: Did you receive the gift?
[Jae-hyun]: Received it, I really like it, thank you.
[Yoon-a]: Glad you like it, don't feel burdened at all. Think of it as tuition fees for filming a vomiting scene~
[Jae-hyun]: The day I lose my job, I'll go to Dongdaemun to open an acting cram school, with a sign that reads "Im Yoon-a Certified Instructor."
[Yoon-a]: Then I must reserve a VVVIP seat.
[Yoon-a]: If that day really comes, how about hiring you as my private acting coach?
[Yoon-a]: Room and board included (^_−)☆
[Jae-hyun]: If room and board are included, can I bring a family member?
Inside the dressing room.
Im Yoon-a narrowed her eyes as she stared at the word "family member" in Kang Jae-hyun's latest reply—
Turns out, the thing that needed tearing down wasn't the city wall, but the moat.
With that thought, she chuckled softly, and instead typed out:
[Of course~ But Lee Sung-kyung-xi's room and board fees will have to be deducted from your salary, though.]