On the third day after their marriage, Lisa officially started filming for "Love at First Sight", a movie Big Hit Entertainment had previously arranged for her.
"Love at First Sight" wasn't a movie with a big budget, and so the celebrities cast weren't major stars. Lisa was cast as the female lead, and the male lead was an older celebrity, who had been in the industry for a long time and was never able to catch a break. The supporting female actress was an old acquaintance, Tzuyu.
Ever since being blocked after "Alluring Times", Tzuyu wasn't cast in any movies for several months. It was not until in November, when she jumped between different men that she incidentally hooked a film investor. The investor seemed to have really fallen for her, as he actually injected a large sum into the "Love at First Sight" and helped her snag the supporting female role.
Because of the investment, Tzuyu was bolder than when she filmed "Alluring Times". Even the director and screenwriter had to let her be to some degree, not to mention the other staff members and actors. Whoever saw her would always treat her with respect.
Honestly speaking, if it weren't for Jisoo's reminder, Lisa would have completely forgotten about Tzuyu.
Tzuyu's personality was overbearing. The two of them had argued on so many occasions, and every time, Tzuyu would never get anywhere. Now that she had bounced back, Lisa's first instinct was that this movie won't be that easy to film.
However, in truth, the situation was much better than she had imagined. At the very least, she and Tzuyu didn't have to see one another for a week before shooting, so things between them seemed calm and peaceful.
Lisa and Jisoo sat in the break room, waiting to shoot the next scene, but as there were so many outtakes during the current scenes being shot, Jisoo yawned in boredom. Suddenly, she came over to Lisa to gossip. "Lisa, how is life after getting remarried to Mr Jeon?"
Lisa, who was looking at the script at the time, was a little stunned by Jisoo's question.
Actually, she couldn't quite describe life after her and Jungkook's marriage. He had been back in Korea for some time now, but since returning, he hadn't gone back to the office, and yet whilst she was working, he seemed to be busy as well. All in all, it was like he was busy with something that she didn't know and wouldn't tell her about.
Jungkook treated her well. After their marriage, there hadn't been a single night when he didn't come home. Two days ago, Jisoo was busy with something and had to take the car. When she made her way back to the set, she came across traffic, so Lisa had to wait for quite a long time. Perhaps it was because it was winter and she had to wait so long in the cold wind, Lisa had a fever in the middle of the night. Jungkook then personally ran out to get her some medicine. Since then, he would come by every day to the set.
Now that she thought about it, there was really little to complain about her husband. If she had to find something, then she would say that since they got married over ten days ago, they had slept together every night, but he would never touch her. Not once.
It was not like she was thirsty to start something between them but since he hadn't touched her on the second day after marriage either, she couldn't make an excuse. She couldn't tell herself that Jungkook had done it too many times in America and so he was just recovering from that now since it's been so many days now. Even if she was being optimistic, she knew that there was a big problem between them.
At that thought, Lisa couldn't help but get a little irritated.
She closed the script, turned her head to the white sky out the window, and furrowed her brows even harder.
She thought that after marriage, the two of them would slowly get closer, but from what she saw, that wasn't the case. She had to think of a plan to fix the situation, but who could tell her what would be effective?
"Lisa, why are you daydreaming? You've been ignoring my questions for half a day. They're starting to film now. Hurry!" Jisoo sat on the side. She couldn't help but pull her arms out and slap Lisa on the shoulders.
Lisa's entire body shivered for a moment, and she suddenly snapped back to reality. She first let out an "Oh!", then hastily stood up and walked over to the set.
•°. 🌻 •°.
After Lisa finished filming the scene, the entire crew took a mid-shoot break.
It was already four in the afternoon, so they only had her and Tzuyu's scene to shoot at half past four.
As Tzuyu's current boyfriend was rich, she got her assistant to use a large sum of money to order afternoon tea in advance. It arrived during the mid-shoot break, so she gave everyone on set a portion.
Tzuyu didn't use the fact her and Lisa were not on good terms to exclude her. Instead, she personally brought over two boxes of take out to Lisa and Jisoo. She gave an unusually friendly smile and said, "Here's a little something. You're welcome."
Lisa knew full well that Tzuyu only did this to appear superior because she had an investor backing her.
Jisoo's personality was rather frank and she didn't like Tzuyu for past events. Seeing how sickly sweet she was acting, Jisoo felt sickened, and when Tzuyu came to especially hand her a box, she didn't take it and turned her head, pretending to talk to Lisa.
As for Lisa, she smiled brighter than Tzuyu and said "Thank you" as she took it.
Naturally, the only reason why Tzuyu was so generous whilst everyone was watching her was because she couldn't lose to Lisa and let people see her as a joke.
Lisa maintained a smile until Tzuyu left, then she put the two lunch boxes on the corner of the table. She turned her head and rehearsed the lines for the upcoming scene with Jisoo.
Since Tzuyu had joined the crew, she often treated everyone to afternoon tea, to dinner, or to karaoke. Above all else, she had an investor backing her, so she had a group of members of staff an actors to feed, who respected her and surrounded her with compliments.
"Miss Tzuyu, your ring is so pretty! Is that Tiffany & Co's latest model?"
"Also, that dress Miss Tzuyu wore this morning looked like a limited edition."
"Did you guys see the car Miss Tzuyu drove yesterday?"
With everyone's compliments, Tzuyu could only keep smiling. Every now and then, she drank her coffee through a straw. From the very start, her assistant by her side spoke on her behalf. "They were all gifts Miss Tzuyu received from her boyfriend."
Tzuyu's assistant's words drew a roar of admiration.
Jisoo, who was rehearsing lines with Lisa, couldn't help but roll her eyes, and complain in a quiet voice. "That's enough... There's always something to brag about every day on set. I can't take it anymore. Lisa, shall we go take a walk?"
Lisa turned her head and glanced over at Tzuyu, who was crowded by everyone not too far away. Every now and then, laughter could be heard from the group, and so they got all the scripts together and chucked them onto the table.
But just as Lisa got ready to get up, the director's assistant suddenly ran over. He brought over a new script for her and said, "Apologies, Miss Lisa. The director instructed that I give this to you. He says that there were some inadequate areas, and so they made some readjustments. Later, when we shoot, follow this new draft."
On set, it was quite normal for there to be amendments to script to improve the story, and so Lisa didn't see anything to fret about. She calmly took the script and nodded at the director's assistant.
The assistant bowed a little, then ran over to Tzuyu and handed her the script.
"Did the script change for the upcoming scene?"
As Jisoo asked, she took the script from Lisa's hands. She randomly flipped through it with furrowed brows and an increasingly dark expression on her face. When she reached the end, she suddenly threw the script hard onto the table.
"What is the meaning of this? It's the first time I've ever seen a script change like this during filming. The next scene was clearly meant to be the female lead slapping the second female. How did it end up being the other way round? Also, how did the second female end up with the male lead in the end? They dare make us film for half a day, then turn you into the supporting actress?"
Lisa furrowed her brows when she heard Jisoo complain and looked at the script.
This wasn't an amendment; they were clearly writing a new script altogether!
Jisoo was fuming as she flipped through another few pages. Because she was so angry, she ended up severely creasing the script. She said, "Also, Lisa, look! Every couple of scenes, you have to get slapped by the supporting actress. What bullshit is this?!"
"What's wrong? Why are you so mad?" asked Tzuyu, who was just surrounded by compliments, in a sweet voice.
When Lisa heard Tzuyu's voice, she lowered her head for a moment, then curved the corner of her lips to reveal a cold smile.
The instant Tzuyu spoke, Jisoo realized why the script was amended like this. The rim of her eyes turned red, for she couldn't contain her anger the same way as Lisa.
"Is it because of the script?" Tzuyu didn't mind how Lisa and Jisoo ignored her at all, speaking while flicking through the script in her hands. Then she put on a stunned expression. "Ah, how did the script change like this..."
Jisoo, who had already thought that Tzuyu was an eyesore, couldn't listen to her fake words any longer, especially since she changed the script to be so unrecognizable. At that moment, she erupted. Without even thinking twice, she retaliated.. "The only reason the script changed like this was because some people have no shame and messed with it behind the scenes!"
When Jisoo said this, Tzuyu, who was calm and composed, instantly looked annoyed. "Who are you calling 'shameless'?"
"Of all people, YOU should know best just who I'm calling 'shameless'!" scoffed Jisoo, immediately turning her head and staring straight at Tzuyu. Without holding back at all, she exposed the truth, "What's wrong? You dared to use your private ties with the investor to change the script, and yet you're too cowardly to let me talk about it? Come on then. Tell everyone just how much you spent to amend the script like this?"
During university, Jisoo's mouth was extraordinary. Right now, the few words she said forced Tzuyu to be at a loss for words, before she eventually let out a soft chuckle and threw the script in her hands on the table. She didn't even bother with Jisoo. Instead, she stared at Lisa.
"Lisa, is it worth it to get mad? The industry has always ran like this. Rich people call the shots. If you really can't take the loss, then why don't you find a several thousand million investment and change it back? Don't go getting upset because you're incapable of something like this, and don't go ordering your assistant to randomly curse people!"
"Tzuyu, with what eyes did you see Lisa ever order me to curse you out? So you are blind after all! You must've been blind when you got with your man too!" Jisoo was so pissed at Tzuyu, the words spewed thoughtlessly from her mouth. "Let me tell you, Tzuyu! It's enough for you to go round parading that blind boyfriend of yours, you have to go and do it in front of Lisa. Aren't you afraid of getting slapped? That man of yours can't even compare to a single strand of Lisa's boyfriend's hair!
"Also, do you feel proud for treating the entire crew to afternoon tea? I'll leave it at that. Let's not even talk about afternoon tea, with Lisa's man's single word, he could have everyone on set receive a paid leave!
"Of course, there's the script. Let's not even talk about the script, he can cut out your entire role! Cutting your role is nothing, he can stop the filming at any minute!"
When Tzuyu heard this, she laughed like it was a really funny joke. She snorted disdainfully and let out a snicker. "If you're really capable of that, Lisa, then may we ask you to please call him? Call him to come over and let everyone get to know him."
Jisoo really hadn't thought before she spoke. Anger alone had turned her eyes red.
At Tzuyu's suggestion, Jisoo suddenly snapped back to her senses, and she turned her head and looked over at Lisa.
Actually, she didn't lie. Lisa was officially Jungkook's wife, and Jungkook really was capable of the things she said, but... to make her ramble like that just now, if she wasn't able to call Jungkook, then it would really sound like she was just bragging.
What's more, the whole crew was here taking a break at the time, so they saw everything unfold.
Maybe she might had made it easier for Tzuyu to make fun of Lisa...
In actual fact, Jisoo knew full well that she was too impulsive just now, but since she had pushed it to this point, it was impossible for her to stop here. All she could do was nudge Lisa and say in such a low voice only the two of them could hear, "Lisa, you'd better call Mr Jeon or else it's going to be hella embarrassing for us."
Lisa silently swept her eyes across the people around them, then whispered to Jisoo in the same low voice, "I don't know Jungkook's number."
She didn't, in fact, know Jungkook's number.
His previous number was cancelled. There hadn't been a way to contact him ever since he came back to the country.
"It can't be?" Jisoo, who was extremely confident at first, instantly deflated like a withered ball. "Then, this time, we're really finished..."
Lisa's background was good, but even so, Tzuyu still didn't believe that she could produce the man from Jisoo's description; someone who could invest over a billion and stop filming at any given moment.
Seeing Lisa and Jisoo now whispering among themselves, she was even more certain that Jisoo had just been bluffing. In that instant, she became sufficiently confident, smiled, and spoke with obvious pretentiousness. "What's wrong? Your bluff didn't play right? Did you dig your own grave with that bluff?"
Jisoo instinctively shut her eyes. She just had had to say what was on her mind. Later, who knows how Tzuyu would insult them.
"His car isn't bad at all. He drives Lisa to and from the set everyday. But, nowadays, there are so many people who can afford to buy a good car. It doesn't necessarily mean that he's someone amazing." At that thought, Tzuyu suddenly curved her red lips into a smile. "Miss Lisa, the man inside your car is not someone who's old enough to be your father is he? Are you too ashamed to let him meet everyone?"
With that, the many people, who were trying to impress Tzuyu, started to laugh quietly with her.
"Tzuyu, stop trying to push your nasty misconducts on other people..." When Jisoo heard this, she instantly erupted, but then, when she had only finished saying half of what she had in mind, her arm was suddenly pulled back. It was Lisa, who had reached out to stop her.
"Lisa?" Jisoo turned her head towards her friend.
Lisa smiled at Jisoo, and pointed at her bag, as she softly and gently said, "Give me my phone."
"Lisa, you do know Mr Jeon's number, right?" whispered Jisoo into her ear, as she handed her friend's phone to her.
Lisa didn't say anything, she just dialled "Home" from her Contacts.
It was the mansion's home phone number.
Though Jisoo had gotten them both into this mess, nevertheless, it was for her.
Furthermore, that script... She really couldn't do it.
Tzuyu had clearly paid to change the script to mess with her. If she agreed to shoot the face slapping scene, who knows what else Tzuyu would do to embarrass her!
Lisa made a call to simply try her luck. She wasn't sure that Jungkook would definitely be home.
However, as it turned out, her luck wasn't too bad. After three rings, she heard Jungkook's clear voice through the phone. "Lisa?"
"Yea," she responded.
"What's up?" said Jungkook asked.
Lisa could hear the faint sounds of the chair skidding across the floor, and she suddenly became a little nervous. If she told Jungkook that she was using him to show off in front of other people, then wouldn't he think of her as a vain woman and look down on her?
Jungkook waited for a while but hearing nothing spoke up himself. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"I..." Lisa's words caught in her throat, only a single word escaping.
Jungkook was actually more patient that she imagined. To make sure that she knew he was listening, he gently said, "Hmm?".
Lisa bit her bottom lip, shut her eyes, and took a deep breath. To hell with it! Let's lay the cards out on the table! Jungkook was her husband and she was being picked on by someone. If she didn't look for him, who would she look for? What's more, having him look down on her was better than having the whole crew look down on her. Even if it was embarrassing, she could leave it behind closed doors.
At that thought, Lisa opened her mouth to speak with some confidence. "Do you have some free time right now?"
"Uh huh, yeah." Jungkook didn't pause when he answered.
"Then could... you come to the set?"
Lisa was afraid that Jungkook wouldn't come. She paused for a while, and thought about what she had just said.
In the end, who would have known that Jungkook would answer instantly over the phone, "Alright, wait for me. Twenty minutes."
Lisa heard the ruffling of clothes through the phone. She felt a little uneasy, but at the same time, her insides warmed. He didn't even ask her why she wanted him to come over to the set?
Lisa, who had let her imagination run wild, heard Jungkook's voice again through the phone. "I'm hanging up, have to leave now."
"Okay," responded Lisa. With that, Jungkook hung up.
•°. 🌻 •°.
Jungkook grabbed the keys and said in fluent English into the video conference on the computer, "Apologies, my wife is in a little trouble, I have to go check it out. As for our launch proposal, let's look into it when I come back tonight. If it's possible, I'll make some time for us to talk more about it in detail."
One of the middle-aged foreign men wore a shocked expression. "Mr Jeon, you're married?"
"Yes." Jungkook didn't even notice admitting it. With his brows gently furrowed, he said, "Next time you guys come to Korea, my wife and I will look after you both."
Then Jungkook cut the video conference short, quickly closed the laptop, and turned out to walk out of the study room.
•°. 🌻 •°.
Around ten minutes after he hung up, the director came over to rush Lisa and Tzuyu to get their make-up retouched to start shooting.
Lisa calmly sat in her seat, waving for her make-up artist to be still.
The make-up artist didn't quite understand what Lisa meant, but stood by the column beside her.
Nearby, Tzuyu wore a cold smile, as she watched what had just happened. She calmly raised her chin to let her make-up artist retouch her make up.
After checking the set, the director walked back into the make-up room to check if the two of them had finished preparing yet. He couldn't help but furrow his brows when he saw that Lisa sat relaxed and hadn't even started yet. "Lisa, why haven't you started getting your make up retouched?"
Lisa looked towards the two scripts in front of her. Without leaving any space for negotiations, she pointed at the earlier script and said, "If we're shooting this script, then I'll get my make-up retouched. If we're shooting this script, then I'm not shooting."
"Not shooting? Then my make-up was all for nothing?" asked Tzuyu angrily, suddenly turning her head towards the director.
On set, the investor was always the person who called the shots. Even the director had to listen to Tzuyu, as she brought the investment to their drama, so when he heard her words, he immediately glared at Lisa. "Miss Lisa, don't forget that you signed the contract. Do you think if you say you're not shooting, then you really aren't going to shoot?"
He then shot the make-up artist that stood to a side a fierce look and said, "Hurry up and retouch her make up. What are you doing just standing there?"
With that, he also mumbled to himself, "Acting so big... out here being so picky with the script? If you've got the balls then why don't you invest in the drama yourself and be the boss?"
On hearing the director's complaint, Tzuyu burst out laughing, and used Jisoo's words to mock her enigmatically, "Director, you must be careful! Lisa has someone big backing her. He has so much power, he can not only give us all paid leave, he could also cut my role at any time. Oh! If that wasn't enough, he could stop production at any time..."
Before Tzuyu could finish, the make-up room doors opened and a surprised voice cried, "Mr Jeon!"
Just then, everyone in the make-up room looked over at the entrance to find Jungkook dressed in a long black coat. His tall handsome figure stood there radiating a bright, majestic, and benevolent aura.
Jungkook's appearance silenced the entire make up room in an instant.
Everyone wore an astonished expression on their faces, feeling a little lost. This man was the best screen actor for six consecutive years, the CEO of Big Hit Entertainment, and the man who recently acquired Park enterprises. Why would such a legendary man like him appear here?
Jungkook's face still wore a cold expression as though he were thousands of meters away from others. However, it was cold in its own unique way.
He stood at the door, staring to his left and right in a callous pose, as though he was looking for something. Eventually, his eyes fell on Lisa. Then, in front of everyone in the make-up room, he didn't hold back as he called her with her nickname, "Lisa."
The entire make up room instantly fell silent. The make-up artist who was retouching her make up stopped moving.
All eyes were on Jungkook, then they shifted onto Lisa.
She sluggishly got up from her seat. Under everyone's stares, she walked around the dressing table and towards Jungkook.
Even if Lisa had remained calm while being mocked by Tzuyu and the director, their words still had an affect of her mood.
When she walked closer, Jungkook saw that between her brows, the hint of annoyance. His own brows instinctively started to crease up. "What happened?"
On a normal day, it would take at least half an hour to the set, even without traffic.
On the phone, he told her to wait for twenty minutes, which she thought was him speaking casually. She never thought that he'd come in fourteen minutes flat!
Perhaps because he had ran out of the house in a hurry, the inside of his shirt's collar was a little creased up.
All of a sudden, Lisa felt like she was being a little unreasonable. Wasn't someone just looking down on her? Was it worth her making it such a big deal, to even calling him over?
Seeing as Lisa just stared at him, hesitant to talk, Jungkook furrowed his brows even harder. He then lifted his head and scanned the room full of people with an intense look. When he saw that some people looked uncomfortable, he vaguely understood something. He lowered his head again and asked again in a quiet and good-natured tone of voice, "Just what happened? Did someone pick on you?"
Well she wasn't completely being picked on per say... Tzuyu was trying to trouble her, but Jisoo's sharp tongue had forced her to retaliate, so she didn't really lose out.
What's more, when she called, he didn't even ask her for a reason and rushed over here in a hurry.
Even if she was severely wronged, in that very moment, she felt that it wasn't even worth bringing up. She gently shook her head at Jungkook.
No matter how smart Jungkook was, he could only guess that someone had upset Lisa. As for what made her so upset, he didn't have a clue. For a moment, he was worried that she was in a physical fight, where she lost out, so he looked her up and down. When he was sure that she was fine, he reached his arm out and brushed a stand of hair behind her ears, and said in soft voice, "Tell me, who picked on you?"
In that moment, the director snapped back to reality, and immediately wore a smile on his face to suck up to him. He hurriedly walked over to Jungkook, speaking in a friendly tone, "Mr Jeon, well actually, nobody bullied Miss Lisa, it's all just a misunderstanding..."
Before the director could finish, Jungkook, who was staring at Lisa with gentle eyes, suddenly lifted his head and swiftly swept his sharp eyes towards the director. The expression on his face was frighteningly arctic. When he spoke, his voice was distant and quiet, with the power to stop someone in their tracks. "Did I ask you?"
The director froze when he saw Jungkook's expression when saying those four words. He stopped walking, too afraid to draw any closer, and his smiling face had become a little awkward.
Even though Lisa was prepared to embarrass herself in front of Jungkook, when it came time to ask him, she still lowered her head, feeling a little ashamed.
Jungkook quickly turned his eyes back to Lisa, and waited patiently for her to speak.
Because his attitude towards the director just now had been overly terrifying, nobody dared to speak recklessly. They could only quietly wait as well.
In that instant, the make-up room fell completely silent.
Lisa's silence made Jungkook feel that the situation was more serious than he had imagined. A hint of hostility emerged from the usual cold expression he wore on his face, and he suddenly lifted his head and told Jisoo, "You, tell me what happened."
Jisoo was someone who never lost out to anyone. Even though Jungkook wasn't backing her but Lisa's, she stared at Tzuyu, who sat restlessly in her chair, and then let out a chuckle. Without concealing anything, she went straight to the point, "It's Tzuyu. She's bullying Lisa."
Tzuyu... When Jungkook heard that name, a flash of bewilderment crossed his eyes, as though he didn't know who she was. His eyes then scanned the make-up room, before finally falling on Tzuyu's face. Suddenly he remembered.
Wasn't this the woman he banned, and the woman who had targeted Lisa all the time during last year's shooting of "Alluring Times"? Who would have thought that after so much time had passed, they would actually bump into each other again! It's truly inevitable for you to bump into your enemies.
Jungkook's eyes suddenly turned cold, and his brows creased, as though something had clicked in his mind. He abruptly lowered his head and said to the little lady next to him without much thought, a little helplessness and fondness in his voice, "How are you so stupid to get picked on by the same person every time?"
He was clearly calling her stupid, but Lisa felt an obvious sense of warmth in her heart. She pouted at him and finally spoke the first words since he arrived. Her voice was quiet, with a slight spoiled tone, "Well it couldn't really count as bullying."
"Does it or does it not count as bullying? What on earth happened? Tell me."
Women were always argumentative but sweet creatures, and this nature would amplify to no end especially when they encountered someone they relied on.
Perhaps it was because Lisa had kept her silence after debating to herself on whether or not to tell Jungkook about everything and have him look down on her, or if it was his absolutely patience, or perhaps it was how he called her stupid, or further yet, his question "Does it or does it not count as bullying?"... Those words were overly permissive.
Anyways, Lisa's heart softened up. She decided it couldn't be called telling on Tzuyu, but more like complaining, so then, as though no one else were around, she told Jungkook, "The company prepared this drama for me last year. At the time, the director was chosen and Tzuyu didn't have a part, but when time came for the shoot, she found a rich boyfriend who invested a lot of money, so he cast her into the movie and gave her the role of the supporting female character."
"Hmm," responded Jungkook to signify that he was listening.
His reaction made Lisa feel a little more comfortable. After stuttering earlier, she now spoke more fluidly, regaining her usual voice and attitude. "I already didn't like her, but she would even show off her boyfriend every day. If that wasn't annoying enough, she then changed my script so that..."
After so long, she finally got to the main point. She was unhappy because the script was changed...
Jungkook didn't interrupt Lisa, just staring at her with a serious face as he waited for her to continue.
"The script clearly said that I was meant to slap her in the scene, but in end, it was all changed and she had to slap me. Not only once, but..."
When Lisa said that, a tinge of annoyance emerged in Jungkook's eyes. "And then?"
Lisa bit her bottom lip and thought about what Tzuyu and Jisoo had said in their argument.
She wasn't sure if Jungkook would be fine with Jisoo using him to compare and argue with other people.
If he really was unhappy, then what if Jisoo got dragged into this?
Even though Lisa didn't do it, she racked her brain over it and ended up blaming it on herself. "So I was so miserable, I started arguing with her..."
She may have been complaining, but besides putting Jisoo words onto herself, she explained everything else truthfully. "I cursed her out first..."
In reality, it was Jisoo who had first called Tzuyu 'shameless'.
As she said that, Lisa, who wasn't very confident, sneakily raised her eyes to look at Jungkook. Seeing that he wasn't mad at her for shouting at someone else first, she continued to recount what happened. "She then told me that whoever has money calls the shots..."
Jungkook furrowed his brows.
"She also said that if I was so big, then I should invest several thousand millions and change the script back to how it was before..."
Jungkook furrowed his brows even tighter.
"In the end, she even said I had no power, which irritated me..." After talking for so long, Lisa finally got to the point once again. She didn't dare look at Jungkook, keeping her head down when she said in a little voice, "I couldn't take it, so I told her to stop showing off her man every day. My man is better than hers by far. Don't even mention treating everyone to afternoon tea, he could give everyone paid leave. Don't even mention changing the script, he could cut her role at any time..."
The entire make up room fell extremely silent. Lisa was there just rambling at Jungkook, and in his eyes, he was facing the woman talking to him as though nothing existed around him.
The more Lisa spoke. In her mind, she resisted, but then her little face reddened. 'I'm done for!' Jungkook was going to definitely see her as a vain and boastful woman, thought Lisa, saying as quietly as a fly, "I also said that you could stop production at any time."
Oh god. How could Jisoo put such a big lie out there?
It wasn't enough for her to put such a big lie on the open, she actually made it happen by really calling Jungkook over...
Don't even mention Jungkook looking down on her, she now even looked down on herself a little. He must be so disappointed in her, right?
Lisa was about to stick to his chest, like a kid who had done something naughty. She nervously grabbed his sleeve, and continued to honestly say, "Tzuyu didn't believe me and said I was just bluffing, so I called you..."
When Lisa said that, it was all finally crystal clear now.
She didn't dare imagine how Jungkook looked at that moment, even more so lift her head to check.
The make-up room was deadly silent, which made Lisa feel even more uneasy. She still felt that Jungkook would probably be unhappy, so she tried to make him feel better by adding, "Actually, I don't even want to compare my man with hers. I was just so mad that she said my man was so old he could be my father and I was ashamed to show his face, I... I..."
No matter how she explained it, it sounded weak...
Eventually, Lisa simply fell silent. She lowered her head and stood there for a while, ready to honestly admit that she was immature and wrong to Jungkook, when suddenly, he opened his mouth. "So, the real reason why you called me over was to actually tell other people that your man was as powerful as you said he was?"
When Lisa, who was already apprehensive, heard Jungkook's words, she instantly felt like she could die right then. Crap crap crap! Did that mean Jungkook was getting angry? In front of so many people, if he flipped out...
This time, Lisa didn't even dare speak. She just gave an especially quick nod and instinctively prepared herself to say in a pitiful voice, "I was wrong". But then, his hand suddenly rubbed her head.
Lisa was so shocked in that instant, the words immediately got stuck in her throat. She hurriedly shut her eyes, Jungkook must have gotten extremely mad this time. Did this mean that he was just going to hit her straight away?
Before the thought could settle in her mind, Lisa suddenly blanked out. Jungkook was stroking her head. Not only that, but he was so gentle...
She silently raised her head with a little disbelief, sneakily looking over at Jungkook. To her astonishment, there wasn't even a hint of gloomy coldness on his face. Instead, she saw a neutral smirk, which brought warmth to his usual frosty and handsome complexion.
Lisa thought that she was seeing things. After two hard blinks, she realized that Jungkook still had that warm and affectionate expression. In that instant, she stared at him with her big, eyes in a daze, a little shocked by his affection.
Jungkook looked as though... Not only was he not angry, he seemed so delighted...
Lisa's cute, silly, blank look amused Jungkook so much, his eyes became soft. Then, he took her hand and held it.
Honestly speaking, Jungkook didn't really understand what was going through Lisa's mind. In truth, she couldn't have called him over because she was angry about the script being amended, right? How could they argue half a day just to compare their men?
All right, he admitted it. For Lisa to compare guys, it was like a little student competing if she had the most sweets. It was immature and absurd of everyone involved, but he couldn't help but admit just how much he enjoyed every time the words 'my man' came from her mouth. In that instant, he decided that he didn't mind being immature and absurd with her at all.
Since she was the one who started comparing, she couldn't give up half way.
What's more, he only had one wife. If he didn't protect her, then who would?
Jungkook first pushed Lisa back into her make up chair, and then looked over at several multi-coloured bottles placed to one side. He was very familiar with those bottles, because every time he opened the fridge at home, he'd find those same bottles lined up row by row.
She must have personally grabbed a few of them to drink on set, and so Jungkook casually grabbed for a pink bottle. He removed the lid and placed it in front of Lisa to signal for her to first take a sip of fruit juice. He then reached over to the table and grabbed a script, "Is this the amended script?"
"No, it's this one." Jisoo hastily brought over the other script, and swapped it with the one in Jungkook's hands.
When Jisoo said this, Jungkook was a little annoyed, but because he didn't know how the script was changed, he maintained his composure.
When he was filming, he would often memorize the script which resulted in him learning to go through a script really quickly. He practically flipped through a page, then another soon after.
As he went through the script page by page, his face grew increasingly more arctic.
Usually, Jungkook barely wore any emotions on his face, which would stress people out very much. Right then, the atmosphere in the make-up room started growing tenser due to the change of his expression. Practically no one dared to take a deep breath, besides Lisa of course, who sat cool and collected by Jungkook's side. She bit her straw and drank her juice every now and then, making sucking noises at times.
Suddenly, Jungkook slammed the script shut, and let out a dull sound, which made Lisa feel a little curious, and she lifted her head up from the straw. But before she could take a clear look at what happened to Jungkook, the abrupt sound of the man's arrogantly cold voice was heard. "Now, in the next scene to be shot, she has to..."
While saying that Jungkook first pointed at Tzuyu, then raised his hand to pat Lisa's head, which was at hip height whilst she was sitting. "Hit her?"
In the make-up room, no one dared to speak.
Jungkook was clearly there to help Jisoo and Lisa put up a front. Yet, when Jisoo saw Jungkook's stance, she was still a little afraid, though she tried to stay calm, hastily nodding at him. "Yes."
"Yes?"
Suddenly, Jungkook let out a cold laugh, and gave a sharp glare to everyone in the room. He ruthlessly smashed the script onto the table with a thud, scaring quite a few people in the make-up room to shivers. Then he said in an emotionless voice, "All right. Then start shooting. I want to see who dares to hurt a single hair of Lisa's under my watch!"
In that moment, not just Jisoo, but even Lisa was so frightened by Jungkook's brimming anger that she bit her straw, not daring to drink her juice. She didn't even dare look at his face, just silently snuck a glance from the corner of her eyes.
The director was so frightened by Jungkook's stance, his legs were a little numb. In that moment, he couldn't care less about Tzuyu and the investment she brought to their crew. All he wanted to do was not get dragged down by Jungkook's anger. His voice trembled when he said, "No... No... Mr Jeon, this isn't the next scene to be shot. That script... script, was just something we made to joke with Miss Lisa... we're going with the earlier script..."
"Joke?"
This joke was such a joke in itself. He already made her so upset, and yet he said he was just joking with her?
Jungkook suddenly grabbed the two scripts from the table and thrust them towards the director, smacking him directly on the head. "Who gave you the power to randomly joke around with her?"
The director lowered his head without saying a word, as he felt his legs start to shiver.
"Also, don't tell me that you'll go by the earlier script. Write me a new script just how you rewrote the original!"
"My only request is that I get paid back tenfold for the amount of slaps she has written in the script you gave Lisa!"
Jungkook only used a single "she" to replace Tzuyu. His expression spoke that it wasn't even worth calling her by the name.
Pay back tenfold... implied that he had to think of a way for Lisa's character to slap Tzuyu several times over, because she had thrown money away to change the script just to slap Lisa's character.
So to speak... Jungkook didn't cut her screen time at all?
Tzuyu sat in her own seat with her chin slightly raised, and thought about that.
She couldn't mess with Jungkook. In fact, he had previously made her suffer enough, but no matter how bad it got, she would just be cast out. She didn't need to be like the others, in a sense that she needn't kiss up to Jungkook to survive in the industry.
Since that was the case, then she didn't need to embarrass herself in front of Jungkook with so many people around, and chose to suffer in silence.
What's more, she had her investor to back her. Jungkook wouldn't want to get on someone's wrong side over a woman, right...
At that thought, Tzuyu let out a chuckle, for she wasn't the least bit afraid, and said, "Didn't you say that you could cut my screen time at any moment? Why haven't you cut it? So as it turns out, Mr Jeon isn't as good as Lisa was boasting?"
When Tzuyu said that, everyone in the room broke a sweat for her.
Everyone assumed that Jungkook would direct his anger towards her, but who knew, he treated her as though she didn't exist. He completely ignored her words and continued to stare at the director menacingly. "Since Lisa said to stop production, then this drama is going to stop shooting for three months."
He really was going to halt production... that would be such a big loss... the director instinctively opened his mouth to beg, "Mr Jeon..."
Jungkook didn't even give the director a chance to speak, as though it wasn't up for negotiation. He said, "Five months."
The director naturally looked over at Lisa for help. "Miss Li-..."
"Eight months." Jungkook didn't even think twice as he threw out those two words. "If you dare say another word, I'll stop production for a year."
The director didn't dare to make even a sound.
Lisa, who sat to one side, bit down hard onto her straw, her emotions going up again after she had calmed herself down when she saw Jungkook not angry. Wasn't he taking this a little too far?
Jungkook neutrally pulled his eyes away from the director and slowly landed them on Tzuyu, who sat to one side. "Miss Chou, your boyfriend is so rich, the several thousand million investment could stretch for seven to eight months and he shouldn't mind at all, right?"
Tzuyu pursed her lips, but didn't say a word.
Jungkook continued to calmly and slowly say, "If you really want to kick off production, that's isn't impossible, you can just return my investment and let your boyfriend cover it all. By then, don't even talk about the script, you can change it from a modern drama to a period drama."
Tzuyu balled her hands into fists, but still didn't say a word.
Jungkook raised a hand and placed it sluggishly on the back of Lisa's chair. He then asked again, as if in afterthought, "Oh right. What did you just say? That I didn't have the power to cut your part at any time?"
Jungkook lowered his eyes and chuckled as though he'd heard a really funny joke.
Then, in an instant, his expression suddenly became cold. "I don't have the power to do this? Tzuyu, didn't you learn from filming 'Alluring Times'?
"I thought that you would have learned your lesson from back then. I never thought that you had such a cockroach-like imperishable attitude, that on the road to disaster you would choose to walk further and further down it. At this point, I'm quite impressed."
Jungkook's words were as sincere as they could be. So sincere, in fact, that Tzuyu's complexion looked worse for wear, as though she couldn't hold in her anger anymore.
It seemed like Jungkook had nothing more to say, as he put on a face as though he couldn't be bothered to talk with Tzuyu. He turned his head and glanced at Lisa, who was biting her straw, then patted her head with his outstretched hand and said, "Get changed, let's go home."
"Okay."
Lisa hurriedly put the bottle in her hand down, stood up, and just before she left her spot, Jungkook, who stood beside her, suddenly saw two boxes on the table. He remembered how Lisa had told him that Tzuyu had treated everyone to afternoon tea, and so, as though he had just realized something, he suddenly picked up the two paper lunch boxes. Without so much as a blink of an eye, he immediately threw them into the bin to one side.
Everyone there ate Tzuyu's afternoon tea, and so naturally they knew it was Tzuyu who had especially ordered them. Yet Jungkook went and threw them directly into the bin like that, with a face of extreme disgust. He was really something...
Someone sneaked a cheeky glance over at Tzuyu to find that her face was pale, then suddenly red.
Even though Lisa loathed Tzuyu, she felt that Jungkook had helped her to completely vent her anger. Just when she thought that the situation was over, who knew that after she had stepped no more than five steps towards the changing rooms, Jungkook's voice could be heard from behind her again. It was like he would never end.
He said in a light hearted tone of voice, "Oh, that's right. I have something else to tell you. If your boyfriend pulls his investment from "Love at First Sight" because of what happened today and breaks up with you, then don't worry. I'll pay for you to continue as the supporting female role."
Jungkook paused for a moment, then gave a light laugh and added, "The only reason why I haven't cut your screen time is not because I can't, but because I want to see your face as you cannot bare to see Lisa yet have to put up with her!"
The highest point of torturing her was not to completely erase her from the eyes, but to make it so that she had no choice but to face you and see as you outdo her in every area.
Since Lisa really wanted to compete with her, all right then... let's go all out until she completely gives in. From here on out, she'll never dare to compete with Lisa again!
Tzuyu suddenly grabbed the phone of the table and stormed out of the make-up room.
•°. 🌻 •°.
Lisa changed her clothes, removed her make up, and when she went to the bathroom to wash her face, she quickly went to the toilet as well.
When she came out of her cubicle, she saw Tzuyu standing in front of the sink, wiping her tears. She noticed that someone was behind her, so she quickly lowered her head, turned the tap on, and washed her face.
Lisa stood in front of the furthest tap from Tzuyu. She washed her hands and just when she pulled out some tissue to wipe them, Tzuyu coincidentally turned her head. Her eyes were full of resentment.
Lisa pretended as though she saw nothing, nonchalantly wiped her hands clean. She pulled the door open and walked out.
It was not until Tzuyu heard the door close that the angry expression on her face disappeared, replaced with rolling tears down her face.
In the past, she had never accepted losing to Lisa because Jungkook was always there. Every time she collided with her, she'd end up in the worst situation. Every time! Now she and Lisa were on the same set again, and she only dared to treat Lisa like that because she had heard that Jungkook had left Korea. However, who would have thought... it was just the same as before. She moved a boulder again to only smash it on her own foot.
Didn't they say that Jungkook had disappeared? How did he suddenly reappear again?
Tzuyu's brows suddenly furrowed. She remembered how she saw a figure as cool as Jungkook with a tall foreign woman go into a room, just when she was with her boyfriend at the Four Seasons hotel last night... At the time, she'd thought that the back of the man looked like Jungkook's but dismissed it since he was missing. Now, though, it seemed like it really could have been him...
•°. 🌻 •°.
When Lisa left the bathroom and returned to the make-up room, Jungkook was already gone. Just as she picked up her bag, ready to look for him, an eighteen year old woman curiously raised her head and cried, "Miss Lisa". She nosily asked, "Is Mr Jeon really Miss Lisa's boyfriend?"
•°. 🌻 •°.
Since Jungkook had to wait for quite some time for Lisa, he went out to light up a cigarette. Just when he headed back to the make-up room and pushed the door half-way open, he heard someone ask Lisa this question. He didn't know why, but at that moment, his footsteps paused at the entrance and his eyes locked onto Lisa's face.
Today, it was originally Jisoo and Tzuyu who had started arguing, and so Lisa had called Jungkook to come over. At the very least, she could tell everyone that their relationship wasn't normal.
She and Jungkook has been married for over ten days, yet he had never announced their relationship, and so she didn't dare to announce it either.
Suddenly, for someone to ask that question, how was she going to answer?
Lisa thought deeply about it for a moment, and eventually shook her head slowly. "No."
Jungkook, who stood outside the door, balled his hands into tight fists. His heart unexpectedly fell to the lowest pit.
In the room, Lisa gently smiled at the young woman and said in a soft voice, "Jungkook isn't my boyfriend, he's my husband."
It was clearly the truth, so why was she so guilty? Would Jungkook be angry with her?
Jungkook, who was disappointed and hurt, suddenly felt his heart tremble.
He really didn't think that she would say such a thing.
The only reason why he didn't announce their relationship was because he wasn't sure about the feelings they shared. But today, she called him to show off, and openly admitted that he was her husband... Could she really like him?
Jungkook felt his heart race like crazy as he watched Lisa talking to a young girl through the crack of the doors. He didn't disturb her, but waited for her outside.
•°. 🌻 •°.
Lisa was afraid that Jungkook was waiting for her, and so she hurriedly said goodbye to the young girl, then rushed over to the entrance. However, just as she walked a few steps forward, she suddenly heard the voice of someone crying.
"Lisa."
She halted for a moment. Why was Tzuyu calling her?
She thought about Jungkook, who was still waiting for her outside, and didn't felt like being held back by Tzuyu, so she just ignored her and continued to walk away.
"Lisa!" Tzuyu shouted out even louder. After that, Lisa heard the hurried sound of high heels emerge behind her. Before her hand could pull the door open, Tzuyu was one step ahead, stopping in front to block her way.
Because she'd just been crying, her face didn't look so good, the rims of her eyes still red.
Lisa was a little annoyed by Tzuyu's pestering, so her tone of voice was hostile when she said, "Tzuyu, just what do you want? Perhaps you don't think that you were embarrassed enough..."
"Lisa, save your patronizing ways in front of me!" Tzuyu briskly interrupted Lisa's words. She curved her red lips into a mocking smirk, then said in a voice only the two of them could hear, clearly explaining the very reason why she had called her name. "Relax. I didn't call you to argue with you. I called you to tell you that your man, who just stood up for you - Jungkook - do you think that he would really be devoted to you alone?"
Lisa's eyes slightly froze. Her lips moved, wanting to fight back with words, but Tzuyu didn't give the slightest chance. She continued to say in a low voice by her ear, "I'll tell you the truth. Last night at twelve at the Four Seasons hotel, I saw Jungkook drive a beautiful foreign woman into the hotel. What's more, he entered the hotel room with her and stayed there for a really long time...
"Lisa, a man and a woman alone in a room together... in the middle of the night... what do you think happened between the two of them in the room? Most importantly, why was your man not spending the night with you, but with that woman?"
Tzuyu let out a chuckle. "Lisa, you can only be this arrogant because you've got Jungkook in the palm of your hands, isn't that right? If you didn't have him, then what are you even? Yet, from what I see, you don't even really have any pull on that man!"
With those words, Tzuyu swept a glance towards Lisa's delicate white hands and said, "You just told someone that Jungkook was your husband? You both got married? After marriage, he didn't even buy you a wedding ring?"
When Tzuyu said this, Lisa instinctively hid her hands behind her handbag. She tried hard to maintain a calm expression on her face. "Are you done? If you are, then please do move aside."
Tzuyu seemed like she hadn't imagined that Lisa would have that kind of response, as she was stunned for a second there before asking, "You don't believe what I said?"
"Tzuyu, don't you find your own question funny?" Lisa looked like she had just heard a hilarious joke, suddenly laughing out loud. She turned her head around and scanned Tzuyu up and down. "From head to toe, what part of you exactly is worth believing?"
When Lisa finished speaking, she walked right around Tzuyu, and pulled open the make-up room door.
Her words drained the blood from Tzuyu's face. She slowly lifted her chin, turned around, and faced Lisa, who was eager to leave. She purposefully opened her mouth again to speak in a serious tone, "Oh, that's right. Lisa, I forgot to tell you just now... The room they booked at the Four Seasons is room 1002, the presidential suite."
The hand Lisa used to hold the door trembled slightly, but from behind, she looked incredibly calm. She leisurely stomped out with a crisp sound of her high heels, as though Tzuyu wasn't talking to her at all.
•°. 🌻 •°.
When they left the set, it was already time to have dinner. On their way back home, they coincidentally passed a Cantonese restaurant, so Jungkook turned the car towards it.
He ordered the food, choosing only light dishes.
The restaurant served the food very quickly. Before they started eating, Jungkook personally handed Lisa a wet towel. Throughout their meal, he would pick up some food and place it onto her plate, but he didn't really eat himself at all. From the start, it seemed like he was at Lisa's beck and call, circling her.
When she put down her chopsticks, he immediately handed her a napkin. When she almost finished drinking her cup of tea, he immediately filled it up for her. When she sneaked a glance at a plate, he immediately grabbed food from that plate for her. When there was a dish with fish or shrimp, he would debone or deshell it and hand her the soft meaty flesh.
In the days since Lisa and Jungkook had gotten married, they'd spent three meals a day together. It wasn't like Jungkook had never pulled out a chair for her, handed her a napkin, or poured tea for her, but he was never as attentive and enthusiastic as tonight.
Just as Lisa chewed the shrimp Jungkook had just peeled, she couldn't help but raise her eyes. She observed him, who was pouring her tea, to find that he still had the same cold expression on his face. However, his relaxed brows told her that his mood was particularly good after leaving the set tonight.
But on the set, she clearly caused him trouble...
At that thought, Lisa remembered Jisoo's boastful words, causing her face to immediately heat up.
If it wasn't enough for Jisoo to not think before speaking when she randomly gloated, Lisa then had relayed it all to him. And after that, he actually went along and carried out every word.
Especially the part where he stopped production of "Love at First Sight" for eight months! Also, for Tzuyu's boyfriend to contribute such a big investment, he must be someone with a powerful background... Before Jungkook even asked who the investor was, he stopped production just like that, with her single word... Her momentary unruliness and impulse... will it cause Jungkook trouble?
At that moment, Lisa became a little shy. She couldn't help but lower her head, from which she discovered that there were two peeled shrimps and a piece of deboned fish already in her bowl.
She felt even more uneasy and guilty. She pouted and picked up a shrimp and put it into her mouth, then raised her head and stared at Jungkook in front of her, carefully asking, "This afternoon on set... did I cause you trouble?"
Compared to Lisa's genuine restlessness, Jungkook appeared calm and composed. So much so that he seemed like he didn't care at all. "How much trouble could you have caused me?"
With Jungkook's vague and light hearted question back, another peeled shrimp fell into Lisa's bowl.
"After all, Tzuyu's boyfriend invested so much money, which goes to say, he must be quite a big deal..."
"Whether her boyfriend is a big deal or not, is that something you should be worrying about?" Jungkook picked up a piece of fish. As he deboned it, he interrupted Lisa in a nonchalant voice, cutting off her words. "What if I caused you to have an enemy in the business industry? Then what?"
Lisa's words were left stuck in her throat, and she gulped, staring at Jungkook for about five seconds. She then realized what he had meant. Her eyes suddenly twinkled, and she drew her face closer. "Jungkook, are you acting jealous?"
Jungkook turned his gaze from the fish to Lisa's face, and stared at her with a neutral look. "Do you really think that a man who set his eyes on Miss Tzuyu is worthy of my jealousy?"
Ayah... She was clearly being looked down on, so why did it make her feel so good?
(A/N Girl it's your dormant degrading kink finally rising from its deep sleep )
Lisa's eyes were curved as she pouted her plump bright red lips from the hot chillis. "You're clearly jealous... It's because I said that her boyfriend was a big deal that you're acting jea..."
Before she could say her final word 'jealous', Jungkook suddenly picked up the deboned fish and shoved it into her mouth, stopping her from talking once again.
When Lisa swallowed the fish, she clearly saw Jungkook's pale face gain a slight tinge of pink. She couldn't help but laugh whilst eating, which made him glare at her even more intensely. She hurriedly bit her lip and held her laughter in.
Her eyes curved into a crescent moon shape. Like this, she looked the most charming and attractive self. Jungkook couldn't help but turn his head towards the window, and the tint of red on his face grew even more evident.
However, even with Jungkook's nonchalant words as guarantee, Lisa still felt uncertain. She was afraid that he would judge her for what she'd said, and so after eating the last shrimp, she asked in a hesitant voice, "Jungkook, did I go a little overboard this afternoon?"
Jungkook took the last peeled shrimp and shoved it into Lisa's mouth. Then, he grabbed a napkin and slowly wiped his fingers. When he spoke, his tone of voice was rather flat but there was also a mix of infinite affection and pampering. "I wouldn't mind if you'd went even more overboard."
I really don't mind if you went a little overboard.
On the contrary, I really like it when you go overboard.
It gave me a sense that in your world, I am someone who you can't be without.
I love you, I like you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you... Those were the world's most sentimental terms of endearment. To randomly spit any one of those lines would touch someone.
But, Jungkook had said "I don't mind if you went a little overboard".
Lisa thought that those words were the most beautiful words she'd heard in the world. The warmest of sweet words couldn't even compare.
Even though she didn't believe Tzuyu's words, her one line of "after marriage, he hadn't even bought you a wedding ring?" had prodded the softest part of her heart.
On their way off set, she had told herself over and over again that Tzuyu was just saying it to upset her. She mustn't get upset, or she'd fall for her trap.
What's more, wasn't it just a wedding ring?
What's the big deal? Who said that you needed a ring to be married!
She and Jungkook wanted to be special!
However, even if she found infinite ways to comfort herself, she knew deep down in her heart that she was still a little upset.
Yet, at that very moment, she felt so warm and so happy because of his words.
"Jungkook, was I a little overboard this afternoon?"
"I wouldn't mind if you'd went even more overboard."
How beautiful were those words...
•°. 🌻 •°.
(That was one long ass chapter help 🙃)