Chapter 58: What is Mine is Yours

As the show ended, the twilight had already soaked into the streets of Seoul.

Krystal Jung walked toward the ATM holding a stack of passbooks, her fingertips tapping rapidly on the keypad.

She had originally expected the settlement amount to be a heart-pounding figure—at least tens of millions of won to match such a chaotic recording.

Yet when the itemized details popped up on the screen, those densely packed rows of zero-won and one-won entries looked like an absurd joke.

In the end, the cash spat out by the machine totaled only 3.06 million won.

Krystal Jung flipped through that thin stack of bills and handed them straight to Kang Jae-hoon:

"Take it."

"This..."

"If you had actually tried during the final name-tag ripping segment, I wouldn't have won anyway."

"Then let's split it fifty-fifty."

"Fine."

Too lazy to count carefully, Krystal Jung directly divided the stack into two and pushed the thicker one across.

"Thank you."

Kang Jae-hoon lowered his head to stuff the money into the inner pocket of his wallet, and amid the sound of friction from the fabric, he suddenly heard her ask:

"What are you planning to do with this money?"

"Just... daily expenses?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the promise made on the Han River cruise ship half a month ago suddenly flashed back into his mind.

The knuckles gripping the cash stiffened slightly:

"That buffet..."

"Cashing it in now?"

"Sure."

Before Krystal Jung's dimples could even fully emerge, her phone's ringtone pierced the twilight.

The characters [Unnie] displayed on the screen made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

She turned sideways, covering the mouthpiece, her voice dropping to a whisper:

"Unnie... hasn't finished recording yet..."

"We're really just doing reshoots..."

"I'll be back in about three hours..."

"...Turn around?"

A cold laugh suddenly came from the other end of the line.

Twenty meters away, car headlights suddenly switched on, splitting the night.

Jessica Jung rolling down her car window and waving her phone looked precisely like holding up a death warrant.

For a split second.

Krystal Jung suddenly wished the Han River would flood and wash this iron box all the way to Busan.

"Get in."

Jessica Jung's finger-crooking arc looked like she was summoning a pet:

"Or should I personally invite your 'friend' for coffee?"

Krystal Jung hung up the phone, putting on an unconcerned expression as she turned back:

"Some other time, my sister is here."

"Is that Jessica sunbaenim?"

Kang Jae-hoon looked toward the BMW and subconsciously took half a step forward:

"I should go say hello—"

"Don't!"

Krystal Jung suddenly raised a hand to press against his chest. When her palm collided with his firm muscles, her fingertips curled in sharply as if scalded, and she quickly hid her hand behind her back:

"S-She... isn't in a good mood today..."

The sound of high heels hurriedly tapping against the ground faded away.

Kang Jae-hoon stood there in a daze, lowering his head.

The tactile sensation of being pressed against and the lingering fragrance of hand cream still remained on his chest.

The BMW door popped open automatically.

The car's interior fragrance blended with overwhelming pressure hit him face-first.

"Is this what you call a reshoot?"

"The PD just asked to play up a scripted couple, but as for you, Unnie—"

Krystal Jung puffed out her cheeks: "Looking at your little sister like a paparazzi is really unappealing."

The BMW darted abruptly out of the parking space.

The G-force smashed the second half of Krystal Jung's taunt straight into the leather headrest.

The taillights melted into the neon lights of the Han River, while Kang Jae-hoon's waving hand remained suspended in mid-air.

"Are you two dating?"

Lee Kwang-soo appeared out of nowhere, his arm casually resting on Kang Jae-hoon's shoulder as he followed his gaze toward the flow of traffic.

"Huh? No! We're just friends..."

Kang Jae-hoon's hands fluttered like windshield wipers.

"Aiyoo, why so nervous~"

Lee Kwang-soo cheerfully pulled out his phone:

"Come on, let's exchange Kakao, let's get closer when we have time, I'll treat you to soju another day."

"You're too kind, Sunbaenim..."

"Call me hyung, you act like we're strangers right after ripping my name tag off?"

Kang Jae-hoon rubbed the back of his head and smiled:

"Kwang-soo-hyung."

"That's more like it!"

Lee Kwang-soo suddenly held up his phone:

"Come on, let's take a commemorative photo!"

"Click!"

The camera lens ruthlessly captured the most unflattering angle possible:

Two men looking up and grinning foolishly, their nostrils occupying the center of the frame, chins folded into triple layers of fat, alongside a moth fluttering around a streetlamp.

...

Sunday at 6:00 PM sharp.

SBS broadcast the "Heirs Special" of Running Man right on schedule.

The moment Kang Jae-hoon inserted his key into the keyhole, the sound of a fashion week commentary drifted from the living room—

"This season's pleated elements will completely reshape traditional tailoring."

Lee Sung-kyung was curled up on the sofa, her long legs casually crossed and wrapped in yoga pants.

Her fingertips held a grape, hovering in mid-air yet failing to reach her mouth for the longest time, while her gaze remained locked onto the shoulder line of the runway model like a scanner.

"I'm home!"

"Shoes."

Kang Jae-hoon's movements paused; he obediently retreated to the entryway to line up his sneakers neatly before shuffling over to the edge of the sofa to snatch the remote control.

The screen flickered.

Yoo Jae-suk's signature glasses reflection instantly replaced the supermodel's cold, sharp silhouette.

"Ya!"

"Please, this is my variety show debut."

Kang Jae-hoon pressed his palms together in a pleading gesture.

A soft snort escaped Lee Sung-kyung's nose as she pulled her long legs into the sofa and casually grabbed a throw pillow to prop under her chin.

On the television screen.

The exact moment Kim Woo-bin missed a step on the stairs, the Running Man post-production team added exaggerated slow motion and a loud "clunk" sound effect.

And the very next cut—

Kang Jae-hoon turned around and reached out toward Krystal Jung:

"Soojung, watch your step here."

The production crew applied a soft-focus filter to this segment.

In slow motion, Krystal Jung's eyelashes fluttered slightly, her fingertips hovering just above his palm.

The vague sense of distance was heightened to an exceptionally ambiguous degree by the sweet piano melody in the BGM, complete with cartoon heart special effects floating along the edges of the frame.

Kang Jae-hoon's Adam's apple rolled unconsciously as his peripheral vision stole a glance toward his side—

Lee Sung-kyung's eyebrows twitched in an imperceptible frown.

Right at that moment, a loud "pop" echoed from the television—

The screen cut to a close-up of Kang Jae-hoon pulling out the first plunger.

The editors plastered him with heavy sweat and trembling knee effects, accompanied by the tragic opening bars of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5.

When the footage transitioned to the exact moment the third plunger detached—

He bowed deeply in a standard Japanese dogeza toward Krystal Jung, while the editors superimposed a caption above his head reading: "Please spare me, Princess."

The level of embarrassment was off the charts.

"Pfft."

A very faint breath leaked from the corner of the sofa.

Kang Jae-hoon whipped his head around, catching the arc of Lee Sung-kyung's lips that she hadn't managed to flatten in time.

"That's just for the show!"

He gestured frantically:

"The instructor said you have to let go on variety shows..."

"Mhm."

Lee Sung-kyung buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled:

"Playing yourself."

On the TV, it cut to the fourth plunger—

In the frame, he was affectionately stroking a load-bearing pillar:

"Darling, do you know how charming you are..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he exerted sudden force, and the plunger popped off with a loud "pop."

The slow-motion footage of him tumbling into Kim Woo-bin's arms was paired with the BGM of I Will Always Love You.

The two men's "passionate gaze" was replayed three times, with the background music growing more exaggerated with each iteration.

Lee Sung-kyung's shoulders suddenly began to shake more violently.

Clearly, she had been thoroughly struck by the comedic timing of Kang Jae-hoon's "passionate confession."

Yet when the TV cut to the scene where Kang Jae-hoon retrieved his passbook—

He was solemnly stuffing the passbook back into Krystal Jung's hands:

"You protect the passbook, I'll protect you."

The RM editors added cherry blossom petal falling effects to this scene, and Krystal Jung's side profile, biting her lip in a hidden smile, was stamped with the words "Heart Sniper."

The smile at the corners of Lee Sung-kyung's mouth froze as if the pause button had been pressed.

The television continued to play.

The scene cut to the psychological warfare at Han River Park.

The pitiful sight of Kang Jae-hoon being tricked into the water pool by Lee Kwang-soo caused the corners of her mouth to relax once more, only for them to press back into a straight line when the camera cut to him pressing a chilled can of cola against Krystal Jung's flushed forehead.

Just as she was about to pick up the remote control to change the channel, the screen switched to Kim Woo-bin and Kang Jae-hoon chatting casually as they walked toward the car:

"Athletic wear really suits you."

"Really? Sung-kyung will probably say I look like a sentient garbage bag if she sees this."

"A sentient garbage bag?" Kim Woo-bin laughed so hard he slapped his thigh. "Her standards for you are way too strict."

"..."

Lee Sung-kyung's fingertips hovered over the remote control's pause button for two full seconds before ultimately letting the show continue playing.

The comedic beats of the next two rounds of games were fairly standard, neither particularly boring nor overly thrilling.

Until the final round of the classic name-tag ripping battle—

On the screen, a close-up of Kang Jae-hoon raising both hands in surrender filled the entire display.

"Anyway, what's mine is yours."

The RM editors paired this line with heart-thumping sound effects, and pink bubble special effects practically blurred the entire screen.

The editors even painted two red blush marks on Krystal Jung's cheeks.

Lee Sung-kyung suddenly stood up, and the throw pillow hit the sofa with a sharp thud.

"Where are you going?" Kang Jae-hoon asked, looking up.

"Juicing."

The sound of the refrigerator door being yanked open was exceptionally loud.

Kang Jae-hoon heard the rough scraping sound of celery being shoved into the juicer, the blade-spinning noise sounding precisely like it was executing some mortal enemy.

The harsh roar of the juicer instantly drowned out the jeering voices on the TV.

He leaned against the kitchen doorframe and poked his head in:

"Need any help?"

"N-No."

Kang Jae-hoon stared at the tensed lines of the back of her neck, where a stray strand of unpinned hair rested.

He reached out on an impulse—

"If you don't want your hand anymore, you can donate it to the hospital."

Kang Jae-hoon retracted his hand from mid-air, offering an awkward laugh:

"The PD said doing a scripted couple would boost the drama's ratings..."

The roar of the juicer abruptly cut off.

Lee Sung-kyung turned around holding a glass:

"What are you explaining to me for?"

"Just... felt like it should be made clear."

Lee Sung-kyung slammed the glass down onto the countertop:

"Can you tell the difference between genuine feelings and business romance or not?"

The hum of the refrigerator suddenly sounded deafening.

Kang Jae-hoon recalled the day of his birthday when Krystal Jung, egged on by Kim Ji-won on set, had tried to feed him cake, only for her trembling fingertip to end up smearing cake all over his face.

"I can tell the difference," he answered decisively.

The juicer's power cord was roughly coiled into a ball. Lee Sung-kyung suddenly softened her tone:

"What do you want to eat tomorrow morning?"

"Seafood ramen?"

"Only instant mixed rice."

"Then the mixed rice."

"It's expired."

"..."

Early the next morning.

Kang Jae-hoon stumbled out of his bedroom with a head full of messy hair.

A bowl of seafood ramen was steaming on the dining table, with shrimp arranged into a smiling face and eyebrows cut from nori garnishing the edges.

He grinned stupidly at the bowl for three seconds before snatching up his chopsticks and devouring it ravenously.

Manager Kim Dae-won's horn pierced through the glass window:

"If you don't get in the car right now, someone else is playing Yoon Chan-young!"

Swallowing his last gulp of soup, Kang Jae-hoon tossed the empty bowl into the sink, the rim spinning three times before coming to a complete stop.

The drive from Seongsu-dong to the suburban film set took little more than half an hour.

During that time, the phone calls Kim Dae-won received simply never stopped.

All sorts of collaboration offers came pouring in one after another.

"A daily necessities advertisement? May I ask what your main product is? Uh, a toilet plunger??? No, no, it's not a matter of money..."

"Hahaha, thank you for your kind offer, but a toilet plunger endorsement isn't under consideration right now... No, no, of course I don't think your brand is low-end, it's just that I'd rather viewers not associate Jae-hoon's face with unclogging toilets... Hahaha, you think it's a good fit? Thank you..."

The red light turned on, and the van braked sharply.

Kang Jae-hoon's head banged a "thud" against the back of the front seat, and Kim Dae-won seized the opportunity to hang up the phone:

"That's the seventh one! From six o'clock this morning it's all been like this..."

Before he could finish, the phone rang again.

Kim Dae-won glanced at the caller ID, instantly shifting to a flattering tone:

"Oh, Director Kim-nim! Yes, yes, yes, Jae-hoon's performance on RM was indeed... What? A fixed cast spot on Real Men?"

Upon hearing that variety show title.

Kang Jae-hoon instantly thought of Park Hyung-sik's legendary face-spitting incident on that very program.

"About that..."

Kim Dae-won wiped the sweat from his brow:

"Our kid is currently filming The Heirs, his schedule is probably... Ah? The physical test portion can be edited? No, no, you misunderstood..."

The moment the traffic light turned green, a new caller ID popped up.

"Law of the Jungle? Inviting Jae-hoon to Papua New Guinea to catch crocodiles???"

"..."

Listening on, Kang Jae-hoon's expression grew increasingly bewildered.

—He had merely appeared on a single episode of Running Man; how had he suddenly become so scorching hot?

Seeing that Kim Dae-won's phone calls were endless, Kang Jae-hoon simply took out his phone out of boredom and began scrolling through the day's entertainment news.

However, the moment he clicked open the news interface, he was stunned to find his own name plastered across the top of the Naver real-time search trends.

#RM latest episode hits 19.8% ratings#

#Krystal Jung ripping Kim Jong-kook's name tag legendary moment#

#Kang Jae-hoon, God of Toilet Plungers#

#Heirs CP variety show sweetness overload#

...

Inside The Heirs film set.

Krystal Jung was curled up in a folding chair, scrolling through her phone.

Her fingertip lingered on the like button for #Heirs CP variety show sweetness overload# on the Naver trending list, unable to press it down for the longest time.

Park Shin-hye walked past holding a coffee cup, suddenly raising both hands above her head:

"Anyway, what's mine is yours~"

Krystal Jung's phone dropped with a loud "thap" onto her knees:

"Unnie!"

Park Hyung-sik sauntered over holding his script, copying the gesture with his hands raised:

"You protect the passbook, I'll protect you."

Krystal Jung rolled her script into a cylinder and hurled it at him.

Kim Ji-won staged a surprise attack from behind, pinching Krystal Jung's cheek, which looked like it had been splashed with strawberry jam:

"Our Bona blushing looks even cuter than on the variety show~"

"This is driving me crazy!"

Krystal Jung swatted away her mischievous hand and fled in panic.

Only to run headfirst into Kim Woo-bin, who had just arrived.

The man unexpectedly raised both hands as well, striking a surrender pose.

"..."

"Hahaha—"

The entire set burst into laughter.

The moment Kang Jae-hoon stepped onto the set, he was swallowed up by the rising tide of teasing jeers.

"The real deal is here!"

Park Hyung-sik took a stride forward to block him, his face full of mischievous amusement:

"Quick, recreate the legendary moment for everyone!"

"What legendary moment?"

Kang Jae-hoon scratched his head in utter bewilderment, growing even more confused when his gaze swept over Krystal Jung hiding behind the makeup van:

"Are you guys picking on Bona again?"

"Wow—"

Kim Ji-won exaggeratedly clutched her chest:

"Such a protective tone!"

Under everyone's instigation, Kang Jae-hoon was forced to raise both hands:

"A-Anyway, what's mine is yours?"

"Wrong tone! It has to be more passionate!" Park Shin-hye egged him on.

"The posture isn't standard either."

Kim Ji-won delivered the finishing blow: "You didn't have that attitude toward Bona on the show last night."

Krystal Jung finally lost her patience, grabbing her script to chase after Kim Ji-won:

"Kim Ji-won, you're dead today!"

"They said it too!!!"