69novels 51, jealousy
51, jealousy
After the lesson, the four walked out of the rehearsal building side by side, surrounded by the clamor of chatter from those around them. The conversation, from beginning to end, revolved entirely around Li Jingcheng's impromptu villainous performance. Everyone was still savoring his chilling, self-answering lines, the scene that had dominated the entire audience in just a few dozen seconds.
Park Bo-young and Choi Si-won are both discussing practical techniques for quickly getting into character and creating a strong sense of presence. After all, this kind of solid stage presence is a valuable skill that can directly boost your reputation on any film or television set or during a script reading—practical and eye-catching.
Surrounded by the crowd, Li Jingcheng felt somewhat helpless and could only share some professional film and television performance theory he remembered. He mainly relied on his unique ability to replicate empathy, effortlessly explaining concepts like rhythm and emotional anchoring points using formal training.
The moment he immersed himself in portraying DIO, completely letting go of all constraints and unleashing his arrogant and aloof aura, was incredibly exhilarating. He felt completely relaxed and thoroughly satisfied. At that moment, he truly regarded Yoona and Jisoo standing side by side with him as his two personal loaves of bread.
The group slowly descended the stairs, each heading towards their parked vehicles outside, preparing to leave. Just as the crowd gradually dispersed and the atmosphere relaxed,
Kim Jisoo, who had accompanied him quietly without uttering a single word, suddenly clenched her fist, summoning all the courage she had ever known, and quickly stepped forward to gently grasp the corner of Lee Kyung-sung's sleeve. The touch was light, her fingertips trembling slightly, revealing obvious tension and apprehension.
She seemed to have been secretly struggling with this for a long time, her eyes shimmering with a subtle light, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she tentatively asked in a soft, delicate voice, "Oppa... if it's convenient, could we exchange contact information?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the footsteps in front of him paused slightly. Hearing this, Lin Yoona stopped what she was doing, turned her head, and glanced at him indifferently. A faint smile played on her lips, her emotions were impassive, yet there was a hint of unhappiness in her expression.
Lee Kyung-sung accurately caught her gaze, understanding perfectly, yet he didn't reject Kim Ji-soo, this young girl whose heart and eyes were filled with admiration and adoration for his acting skills—still the Kim Ji-soo of April, albeit a youthful version.
But he simply couldn't bring himself to refuse and extinguish the other person's hard-won courage.
"Of course." Li Jingcheng said gently, calmly taking out his phone and exchanging contact information.
The moment she received the contact information, Kim Jisoo's eyes crinkled into a smile, all the anxiety and unease in her eyes vanished, and she instantly returned to her usual energetic and lively self. She obediently bowed her head to say goodbye, then turned and skipped happily towards the company's van.
Just before getting into the car, she paused slightly, subconsciously turned around, and glanced at Yoona with a seemingly casual look before lightly getting into the car and taking her seat.
That glance was fleeting, quick, and almost imperceptible to others. But Yoona seemed to sense it; when she looked over, Jisoo was already in the car.
"He's just a junior fan, simply asking for acting advice." Li Jingcheng shrugged slightly and smiled.
Yoona hadn't taken Jisoo seriously at all. In her eyes, Jisoo posed no threat whatsoever and couldn't cause any trouble.
The moment she saw Li Jingcheng, she knew that his outstanding appearance would inevitably attract attention wherever he went. She understood the reason, but seeing other girls approaching him and asking for his contact information still made her feel inexplicably annoyed, a vague and inexplicable unease passing through her heart.
Lee Kyung-sung, with his keen senses, instantly caught the fleeting awkwardness in her eyes. Instead of feigning ignorance, he took a half-step closer, lowered his voice, and gently coaxed her in his naturally husky, magnetic voice, "What's wrong? Our Yoon-ah, are you jealous?"
A warm breath brushed against her ear, the tone slightly teasing yet gentle. Yoona's initial awkwardness vanished instantly. She rolled her eyes dramatically, "I have a lot of admirers too, you know."
"Of course! Yoona-ssi is a national goddess. The line of men chasing after you could stretch from Cheongdam-dong to Jamsil Stadium." Lee Kyung-sung went on to praise her.
Yoona then gave up, smiled with her eyes crinkling, her mood visibly improved, and casually invited, "Then... how about we go have lunch together?"
A flicker of hesitation crossed Lee Kyung-sung's eyes. To be honest, he still wanted to get to know Lim Yoon-a better; it was crucial for building a stronger rapport. However, things were different now. As a CJ artist, he couldn't be as casual about many things as before.
"It should be fine. I don't have many activities today. I'll go ask my agent."
He took out his phone, preparing to make a call to inquire.
Yoona's smile seemed more genuine; he cared about her feelings. Her skin was fair in the sunlight, and shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks. With a hint of coquettishness and apology, she said, "Ani, I forgot I have to go back to the set to film later. Maybe next time."
Lee Kyung-sung put down his phone and looked at Lim Yoon-a's fair face, radiating youthful energy and spirit. Her doe eyes blinked brightly. He knew perfectly well that this girl was just teasing him, but he wasn't angry at all.
"Then you'll have to treat me next time."
"That depends on my mood." Im Yoona neither agreed nor refused, casually tossing a strand of long hair behind her ear.
It depends on my mood.
Li Jingcheng suddenly remembered that Lin Yoona's nickname was "ratings poison." If "Love Rain" flopped, it would be a blow to this guy behind the screen. It seemed he would have to spend time comforting and accompanying her, using this opportunity to win her over.
Yoona raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp and unfathomable as she scrutinized Lee Kyung-sung, her face full of suspicion as she questioned, "Aren't you thinking about something strange?"
Lee Kyung-sung immediately made a gesture of surrender, raising his hands, "How could I dare? I was just thinking about whether we'd have a chance to work together on our next project."
Upon hearing about the collaboration, Yoona's eyes softened instantly, her tone became gentle, and she expressed her anticipation, saying, "It will definitely happen, and I wish our drama a huge ratings success."
"Thanks for your kind words." Li Jingcheng smiled, but silently added in his heart, "The moon embracing the sun is definitely no problem, but as for the ratings of 'Love Rain'..."
"Okay, let's make the call," Yoona said, waving as she strode towards her van after receiving a text message from her assistant urging her to leave.
Li Jingcheng watched her leave, not even having time for a few ambiguous words, until her slender figure disappeared around the corner, before turning back to walk away.
"It seems that winning over Lim Yoona is much more difficult than winning over Bae Joo-hyun..." he thought to himself. He decided to slowly build up his favorability first, since he wasn't alone anyway.
Back in the car,
Manager Luo Yonghao didn't say anything. After all, it was normal communication within the academy; even if someone took pictures, it could be said that Jingcheng and Lin Yun'er were discussing acting techniques. Besides, he had been watching the whole time and hadn't noticed anything intimate between the two.
"Let's go eat first, then head to MBC to sign the contract."
Li Jingcheng had no objections, but as he got into the car, he glanced around habitually and noticed that the driver wasn't in the car today.
Luo Yonghao glanced at him through the rearview mirror and explained, "Zi Lu had some family matters to attend to today and took the day off."
"I see." Li Jingcheng nodded, didn't ask any more questions, and picked up his phone.
The screen lit up, and a barrage of notification sounds rang out—51 messages from Bae Joo-hyun.
Li Jingcheng smiled helplessly. They'd only been apart for a few hours, yet he wasn't annoyed by his girlfriend's barrage of text messages. On the contrary, he felt his importance in her heart was growing.
That's good, the more attached you are, the harder it is to let go.