Chapter 271 - Dancing With The Devils

"—And cut! Alright, let's take a break."

Yeo Ri got up from her position, politely congratulating her castmates for their job well done. Secretary Kwon was right by her side as soon as she went off-camera, holding a bottle of water and a warm towel.

"Wonderful performance, Miss Yeo Ri."

The star investor, Mr. Woo Jin, approached her right before she could take a seat.

Secretary Kwon did not hide his distaste for the man as he stepped forward, a deep frown on his face. "Miss Yeo Ri needs her rest. If you want to say anything to her, you can tell me."

"Protective as always, Mr. Kwon. I mean no harm; I just wanted to tell her that she's doing great."

The perfect smile was on Woo Jin's face again, but Kwon Tae Yang knew better than to believe him. He had spent a lot of time with Yeo Ri, the queen of fake smiling herself, after all. This Mr. Woo was good, but he had seen the way Yeo Ri kept her smile as she tortured others, physically or with her sharp words.

"Noted. Mr. Woo, please, don't let us hold you back and go on your way," Kwon Tae Yang responded dryly.

Woo Jin chuckled, flexing his jaw in an attempt to hide his annoyance. It had been a few days since he tried to approach the girl while she was on set, but this d*mned b*stard was like a brick wall, constantly blocking his way. He wanted to at least get her number personally, but all his attempts were either thwarted by the man's expert blocking or by the girl's punctuality. She appeared on set like clockwork, but left just as quickly! He couldn't even ask her to come to the after-work drinking sessions since she was a minor.

"Mr. Woo, thank you for taking your time out of your busy schedule to see me," Yeo Ri spoke, her long lashes batting shyly over her flushed cheeks. "You didn't have to bother checking up on me, but... thank you, hehe."

Kwon Tae Yang supressed a shudder at her soft demeanour and sweet laugh.

Woo Jin felt an indescribable feeling of excitement rush up his spine at the sound of her voice. Smiling wildly, he replied, "Oh, no! It's not a problem at all. It's just, I am such a big fan and I don't know if I could ever see you again, so I just... I hope I'm not bothering you instead."

"Hehe," Yeo Ri covered her face coyly, her blush deepening as though she felt flattered by his words. Woo Jin shook in delight, thinking that he was one step closer to getting her in the palm of his hand.

"..." Kwon Tae Yang felt caught. He was standing between two Oscar-worthy actors, and both seemed intent on playing a game with the other. He could only hope that his Yeo Ri wouldn't get burned from this.

"Miss Yeo Ri, if you could spare me some of your time, will you be willing to meet me some other time? For business, of course. I think a talent like you deserves plenty of support and I, as an investor, cannot help but want to nurture your potential—"

"—As I've said, if you have any business with MY miss, you can run it through me," Secretary Kwon cut him off in irritation. This man really didn't know how to back off, did he? As a fellow entitled rich brat, Kwon Tae Yang could tell that this Mr. Woo was cut from the same cloth—once upon a time, he, too, could not take no for an answer and was not used to rejection. He could only hope that he was enough to shield Yeo Ri from this b*stard.

Woo Jin smiled tightly. This f*cker...

He really needed to do something about this annoying b*tch. It was obvious that the girl was responding positively to his actions, but this Kwon or whatever b*stard was getting in his way. If he wanted to get the girl to his bed, he had to get rid of this b*stard first.

"There is really no need to be so aggressive, Manager Kwon. My interest in Miss Yeo Ri is strictly business, I swear."

Kwon Tae Yang frowned.

"Just business?" Yeo Ri whimpered, looking seemingly disappointed by his words. She pouted, looking away as if to hide her dissatisfaction.

Woo Jin, noticing her reaction, could not help but grin. He had done his research—before she was scouted by Hope Entertainment, she was only a normal girl. A fragile, naive girl who had spent some time in a hospital due to an injury and some psychological issues, and before that, she had lived a life of poverty. Certainly, a rich and handsome man like him showing an interest her would seem like the beginning of a Cinderella story. It would be so easy to manipulate her—if only her d*mned manager wasn't around. He wondered what went through the agency's head when they hired the b*tch. Couldn't they have gotten someone more malleable?

"Well, I won't bother you anymore." He took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her, "This is my number. Call me whenever you want—I'll be waiting." Woo Jin flashed a charming smile, inducing the girl to flush a deep red colour, then bade his farewell.

Once he was out of sight, Yeo Ri's expression returned to normal. "Dumb*ss," she muttered under her breath.

Her legs were killing her and it was only now that she could finally sit down. There wasn't much time left until the next scene either, thanks to the b*stard who took so much of her time.

"Don't get too close to him, miss. He seems shady."

Yeo Ri scoffed as she closed her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know. Did you find some dirt on him?"

"Not yet. His records are clean, but I doubt it's the truth. The team is trying to hack into his personal accounts as we speak. It's taking quite a while since he's pretty good at covering his tracks."

"How do you know he has dirt?" Yeo Ri sighed. It was annoying when she was on the more vulnerable side.

"He's a chaebol—I just know it," Secretary Kwon replied firmly. He himself had some dark history and he barely counted as a rich second-generation. A rich third-generation? He was probably swimming in unreported crimes. He didn't want to generalise, but a good-looking, rich guy showing interest in a minor? That was already a big ol' red flag. Not even Kwon Tae Yang could proudly say that he was on Yeo Ri's side without any hidden intentions.

"It's really about time to amp up the security..."

"Shut it."

"Yes, miss..."

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Woo Jin pulled out his phone and dialled a familiar number.

"Get some guys together. I have a job for you," he says to the receiver without any greetings.

"Anything for you, sir," the person replied.

The corner of his lips warped into a twisted smile.

It was finally time to make a move.