Ch.295To teach them a lesson.

After Kim Donghu appeared.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Wow, we absolutely have to have a team dinner today, right?”

“The broadcast was amazing! We don’t even need to see the edited version to know it’s a hit!”

“Man, Donghu’s personality is so refreshingly straightforward. He just video called right away and agreed to come to the dinner.”

“That’s how fighters are. No beating around the bush. They just go for it.”

“There you go again! He’s a martial artist too, huh?”

“In Korea, Kim Donghu is seen as an actor, but in the West, his primary image is still…”

The atmosphere on set remained incredibly cheerful.

It couldn’t be otherwise.

At present,

Kim Donghu, considered the highest-paid actor in South Korea.

He had participated in the broadcast so willingly.

And now he was coming to the team dinner.

How could the mood be anything but upbeat?

“By the way, Sujin and Donghu are childhood friends, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. We’ve known each other since kindergarten.”

“Really! What an incredible connection. It feels like you two were destined for each other.”

“Ah, well… hehe. It’s not quite like that. But that’s how the news articles portrayed it.”

As filming wrapped up,

Dong-yeop noticed Kim Sujin blushing as she answered.

‘The currently most sought-after male and female actors… calling each other so casually…’

Having been an MC for so long,

Picking up on these kinds of vibes was second nature to him.

‘She stumbles over her words whenever Kim Donghu comes up, but speaks just fine otherwise.’

Great looks.

Great character.

Popularity goes without saying.

Personality? Well, that’s already been proven.

Her filmography already proves she’s the top actress in her 20s.

‘And that’s without doing any romance films.’

During the height of the romantic comedy trend,

Kim Sujin somehow rejected all project offers that came her way.

‘Yet she worked with Kim Donghu… Wait, could it be? Is that why?’

No, that’s too much of a stretch.

Just speculation.

Dong-yeop put his thoughts aside.

“But doesn’t Donghu eat a lot? What should we have for the team dinner?”

“Something that can be served quickly… How about a Korean pancake place?”

“Pancakes? That sounds good. Perfect for summer with some makgeolli!”

“Sounds good, sounds good!”

Just like that, the dinner venue was decided.

The filming and production crew of “Burning Saturday” quickly moved to the restaurant.

If one had to describe it, it was like preparing to welcome a superstar.

With the great Kim Donghu coming,

Everyone wanted to get to the meeting place quickly and wait.

“Everyone knows not to try to recruit him, right?”

“Of course. We’re not even going to approach the cast.”

“Right, we producers will just get permission to set up cameras and stay out of the way.”

It might not be used for the main broadcast,

But it could be used for YouTube, so they were preparing to film the unaired dinner footage just in case.

Of course, if permission wasn’t granted, they wouldn’t film.

But they were ready to make full use of it if allowed.

‘The “Tasty Guys” episode with Kim Donghu as a guest got 10 million views in 24 hours…’

10 million in 24 hours.

That’s no small number.

Funny enough, it was 1,000 times more than their usual video views.

A channel that barely got 10,000 views

Was saved by Kim Donghu in one go.

A channel that used to upload clips in segments

Suddenly uploaded a full one-hour video.

The power of Kim Donghu that even broke established rules.

The “Burning Saturday” production team wanted to experience that power, even indirectly.

“I’m not too late, am I?”

Just as they finished setting up all the cameras,

Kim Donghu appeared.

The first thought that crossed the production team’s minds was:

‘Wow… his good looks are just… how do I put it? He really seems like he’s from another world.’

‘Did he step out of a manga? Why does he look like a different art style?’

‘People always say Kim Donghu is handsome, and I knew that, but now I see why they emphasize it so much.’

‘He’s dressed casually for the dinner… but even in just sweatpants and a white t-shirt, he’s unreal.’

‘He’s just different. He could never have a secret relationship. His very existence announces who he is.’

Now they understood why entertainment PDs were always after “Kim Donghu, Kim Donghu.”

Actually, seeing him in person, how could they not want him?

It made sense.

There was no need for fancy effects when this celebrity guest appeared.

Just Kim Donghu.

Game over.

“Come on, you’re not late at all! You arrived right on time.”

Anyway.

Dong-yeop naturally welcomed Kim Donghu as he appeared.

“Oh, is it okay if we set up cameras? The production team wants to capture this.”

“Sure, that’s fine. Should I wear a mic too?”

“No, no, it’s not that formal. Haha, we’re just recording us hanging out.”

“No problem with me.”

“As expected! Being a fighter makes you so easygoing!”

Right as Dong-yeop mentioned the fighter comment:

“Oh, right. Senior Kim Hyundong! Hello sir!”

Kim Donghu immediately greeted Kim Hyundong.

With such force that “bowed deeply” would be the accurate description.

“Ah, Kim Donghu is just being polite. We’re not… I mean, we haven’t even trained together or anything. You don’t need to be so formal.”

“I’d love to work out with you sometime! And appear on your YouTube channel too!”

“Oh, r-really?! Ha ha ha! Then you’re my junior! Yes! I mean, not junior, but like a younger brother!”

And from there:

“Hyung! We meet again here!”

“My, my, our Donghu, what a tasty coincidence this is?”

Confirming his friendship with Moon Yunse from “Tasty Guys.”

“I’ve been a fan of Girl’s World since the beginning. My favorite song was ‘Lion Heart’!”

“Oh my, r-really?”

“Of course. I also liked ‘Run Devil Run,’ and I can even dance a bit of the choreography.”

Mentioning being a fan of singer Kim Taeyeon to build rapport.

“I really enjoy watching ‘I Live Alone.'”

“I love your songs! ‘Villain’s Entrance’ and ‘Filament’ are absolutely my favorites.”

“I often watch your mukbang videos while eating. I’m a fan of Short-tongued Moon too. I sometimes chat in the comments. MSMM haha!”

Throwing out comments that established clear internal connections with the members:

“Ah, hahaha! We had no idea Donghu liked us so much!”

“Sit down! Sit down! My goodness!”

“How can we welcome you even more? Hahaha!”

The potentially awkward atmosphere dissolved immediately.

Adding to this:

“I’d love to appear on one of your shows someday, Senior Yeop!”

“Really?!”

With a final comment that won Dong-yeop’s heart,

The dinner atmosphere couldn’t have been better.

Like a late guest who sings a song to liven up the mood.

Creating a flow that could only lead to excitement.

As everyone was happily chatting:

“Don’t drink too much. You can’t handle it well.”

Kim Donghu naturally sat next to Kim Sujin and said that.

Hearing those words, Kim Sujin smiled.

“Hmph, I can drink just fine.”

Her face turning red from his concern was just a bonus.

++++++

In the midst of the cheerful dinner atmosphere,

As the mood had sufficiently mellowed:

“Sujin seems too drunk, so I’ll take her home quickly and come back.”

“Whaaa? Ah ahiaeho.”

“You’re drunk. I’ll be back soon.”

“Oh, oh, ohhhh yes! You should.”

I carried Sujin, whose face was flushed red.

I told her not to drink too much.

What was she so happy about?

She kept drinking eagerly even when no one offered, and now she’s in this state.

“Bamboo liquor is deceptive, just like makgeolli.”

“Mooah, aeah eoeo aaa.”

“How do I know? I told you before. They sell bamboo liquor here, and it tastes so good you get drunk before you know it.”

She can’t even pronounce words properly.

Who would think she’s the nation’s top actress?

Heave-ho.

I lifted her up again with a bit of strength.

I quickly put Kim Sujin in the van where her manager was waiting.

“It’s been a while, Donghu.”

“Oh? Director? You were waiting here?”

“When I heard you were coming, I came right over. I’m one of the people crossing over anyway.”

“Crossing over.”

Referring to people who will be moving from ST Entertainment to Veritas.

It’s better to have the whole team come over rather than just the actor.

It seems the entertainment industry is approaching a time of great change.

“But will you be okay? Even though she’s light, she’s drunk…”

“Oh my, what are you saying? I used to do weightlifting. Won the high school women’s division.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Reassured by this belated information,

I put Sujin in the van and was about to leave when:

Grab!

Suddenly, Sujin caught my wrist.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“I have to go. I can still hang out more. But do you usually drink like this at company dinners?”

“No way, she usually doesn’t even touch alcohol. She rarely attends company dinners. But when she heard someone was coming, she came and drank it all up.”

I asked Sujin,

But the director answered.

Well, as long as she doesn’t do this elsewhere.

“Still, you shouldn’t feel safe just because I’m around. Drinking like this.”

“Ieoueoaa.”

“Even if I’m here to protect you, you should control yourself.”

Even though she can’t speak properly, her eyes are looking straight at me.

It’s really cute.

“You’re going to regret this tomorrow.”

After saying that, I quickly checked our surroundings.

Confirming no one was watching,

I gave her a quick kiss and left the van.

“Kyaaa…!”

With Sujin’s reaction as the finale,

I headed back to the dinner venue.

Since everyone else was still there.

‘I’ll just eat 20 more pancakes and stop.’

Gotta know how to control my food intake too.

+++++

Two weeks later.

While they were still considering how to release the “Burning Saturday” dinner video,

And how to discuss this matter with Veritas,

Whoooosh.

At an airport in America.

“Let’s go check out Donghu Kim’s stunt skills, shall we?”

“Being good at martial arts and doing movie action, especially combat-related scenes, are different things.”

“No matter how good he is in Korean action movies, this is Hollywood.”

“Sigh, it’s a sad thing to crush the pride of actors who overestimate their abilities.”

America’s specialized action stunt team,

America Calamity, headed toward immigration.

To test, no.

To teach a lesson to the Korean actor,

Kim Donghu.