Chapter 102: I’ve Been Waiting for This Day
TL: Aniea
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Looks like they’re doing some kind of theater?”
“Is that Kang Woo-ju by any chance?”
“Yeah, that’s him. Seo Jun-woo is next to him too!”
People walking by stopped in their tracks as they looked at the promotional poster displayed on the department store’s electronic billboard.
Originally, it was only Seo Jun-woo’s images in a suit that had been up there, but at some point, Kang Woo-ju dressed in medieval-style clothing started appearing with him.
Though it had lost some of its buzz, the lingering warmth of <Peaceful Chaebol Life> still remained, so the poster quickly became a topic of conversation.
- What’s with the sudden medieval theater?
- What's with that lightsaber? ㅋㅋㅋ
- I have no clue what genre this is;;
The initial reaction from most was one of bewilderment. While actors doing theater wasn’t surprising in itself, the lightsaber was the real issue.
It was a random combination that drew massive attention, but the content was hard to grasp just from the poster alone.
- Oh? An announcement’s up.
- Where? Share the link.
- TvM homepage [link]
- ??? It’s a theater, right? What’s a broadcasting station doing here?
- They said they’re filming a documentary?
- ???
Theater, documentary, medieval, lightsaber. It was a combination of words that didn’t really add up by conventional standards, so netizens all rushed to check the announcement.
There was so much traffic that the homepage crashed for a bit, but people quickly spread the contents around, so it didn’t become a major issue.
- Seo Jun-woo and Kang Woo-ju are acting together!
- First-ever orphanage collaboration theater in the universe;
- Is that why they’re using a lightsaber, because it’s the first-ever in the universe? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Thankfully, the response wasn’t bad.
It was clearly stated that the event was for the children of the orphanage, and more importantly, all profits were to be donated to underprivileged children.
- Has the pre-release video dropped!?
- They said it’ll be out in 10 minutes. Damn;
- Alright, let’s gooo~
- Bastards, at least drop the link before you go!
└ Where did everyone go, fuck
└ I found it myself [link]
From the poster to the pre-release video, everything had already been coordinated in advance between Kim Eun-ha and PD Kang In-ho, so it all proceeded without a hitch.
Thanks to that, the netizens followed the massive wave they had created themselves and arrived at the pre-release video.
- What, is that really an orphanage?
- Why does it look better than my house?
- No matter how you look at it, that’s just a showy pension.
Everyone who watched the video tilted their heads in confusion. The orphanage facilities shown in the video looked far too good.
Starting with an outdoor swimming pool, then a large auditorium, and a state-of-the-art cafeteria appeared one after another.
Given the average perception of orphanages, suspicion was naturally inevitable.
Anticipating such reactions, PD Kang In-ho, like the veteran he was, quickly cleared up the viewers’ questions.
“Hello. I am Sister Francisca, currently the head of the orphanage. It’s lovely to meet you all.”
In summary, it was revealed that Kim Eun-ha had funded a complete remodeling and donated a huge amount of money.
During the interview, a cross-edit of the previously poor conditions and the current state was shown to maximize the visual impact.
- Mirae Group’s scale, what the hell;
- Not Mirae Group, it was Kim Eun-ha personally
- Damn! This is the class of our goddess!
- Kim Eun-ha! Kim Eun-ha! Kim Eun-ha!
Since Kim Eun-ha had consistently built a positive image through her steady donations and volunteer work, the response was even better than expected.
There was even a fan cafe recently calling her a goddess. It was called “Milky Way” or something like that.
Kim Eun-ha herself didn’t pay much attention to it, but apparently, the number of members was increasing rapidly.
“Now then, shall we talk about the theater play? I think this is the part people are most curious about.”
“It originally started out as just an ordinary coming-of-age event. As you know, children from orphanages have to become independent once they turn adults.”
“…But how did it turn into this?”
“This was also something CEO-nim Kim Eun-ha suggested first. She said she wanted to give the kids a special memory and support those preparing to live on their own.”
Tap- tap-
While speaking, Sister Francisca became overwhelmed with emotion and took out a handkerchief to gently dab the corners of her eyes.
“To be honest, it's never easy for kids who have just become adults to live independently. Every time I had to see one of them leave, it broke my heart... But thanks to CEO-nim, I’ve finally been able to breathe a little easier.”
“I heard that all the proceeds from this play will be donated. That’s certainly a priceless gift for the orphanage children.”
“Absolutely. On top of that, actor Kang Woo-ju, actor Seo Jun-woo, and even the production staff here have all come together with one heart and one mind. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them once again.”
“It’s us who should be grateful that you willingly allowed us to film. Just the fact that we get to shoot a collaborative work between Seo Jun-woo and Kang Woo-ju, the hottest topic right now, is an incredible opportunity. But how did the two of them end up participating in the event?”
“I don’t know the full details, but I heard CEO-nim Kim Eun-ha first brought in actor Kang Woo-ju. Then, actor Seo Jun-woo willingly agreed to join afterwards.”
“Ah, I see. Speaking of which, Kang Woo-ju and Kim Eun-ha as a couple! That was a hot topic on social media not long ago. Are they really dating?”
“Well, who knows? Relationships between men and women are always a mystery. Hehe.”
The two continued to toss in intriguing topics like gossip to keep the viewers engaged.
Thanks to their well-structured conversation, people didn’t find it boring despite being a pre-recorded broadcast.
Especially when “Kim Kaelin” was mentioned, the chat window practically froze due to the overwhelming heat of interest.
- Did they say Kim Kaelin?
- Is it the person I’m thinking of?
- Crazy... How far is this going?
It was already impressive enough that they combined a choir and theater. Then came the reveal that they even rebuilt the stage for 2.5D effects, which sent people’s expectations soaring.
“Wow, actor Seo Jun-woo, actor Kang Woo-ju, and even teacher Kim Kaelin. Viewers are going to think this is an independent film or something, the scale is massive.”
“There’s one more person.”
“Sorry? Who would that be?”
“I can guarantee this, it's someone you’d never imagine even in your dreams. Among the cast, this person commands the highest appearance fee.”
With Sister Francisca’s words, the chat exploded with question marks. In just a short time, people began throwing out all sorts of guesses.
- Who? Who is it?
- Looking at the lineup, maybe Park Soo-bin?
- Come on, be serious. Do you know how much Seo Jun-woo is worth? Some mid-level rookie actor won’t cut it.
- Could it be Choi Kang-hee?
- Nah, Choi Kang-hee flew out of the country yesterday.
The chat room froze from the traffic, then thawed, then froze again, repeating several times.
Just as netizens were starting to reach their limit of patience, Sister Francisca spoke again at just the right moment.
“CEO-nim Kim Eun-ha.”
With a gentle smile, she revealed the actor’s name. And once again, the chat froze.
This time, it wasn’t because of traffic overload, but because people were genuinely stunned into silence. That’s how unexpected the name was.
- What the hell???
- CEO-nim Kim Eun-ha?
- You mean that Kim Eun-ha?
- CEO of Mirae Department Store?
- The goddess is appearing herself?!
The chat window paused for only a moment.
Then, as if the fingers that had stopped typing were loaded with extra momentum, netizens exploded with their reactions.
As a result, the chat completely crashed. But people quickly turned to social media to spread the news across all of South Korea.
- Breaking! Breaking news!
- Kim Eun-ha making surprise appearance on broadcast!
- The goddess descends from the heavens!
Ever since she was first caught on camera with Kang Woo-ju, people had speculated whether Kim Eun-ha was actually an actress.
There were surprisingly many who were disappointed when they learned she wouldn’t be appearing in the production.
Not to mention, Kim Eun-ha was the granddaughter of the Mirae Group, the undisputed top chaebol family in South Korea.
A third-generation chaebol with nothing to envy in life was personally performing on stage in a play, so even those who had no prior interest couldn’t help but prick up their ears.
“The story was adapted by Writer Jung Ha-rin, who based it on existing fairy tales and infused it with the children’s wishes.”
“No way. Even Writer Jung Ha-rin!?”
“Yes. No matter how many times we thank her, it won’t be enough. The children are practicing just as hard, so I hope everyone will cheer them on.”
“If you want to check the ticketing info or find more details, please look at the pinned link in the comments below the video! There’s a post-credits scene too!”
With the production team’s closing remarks, the screen went dark. Just as the still-excited netizens rushed toward the comment section.
Dum-dum– dum-dum–
A grand background score began playing from the video. As if under a spell, people stopped moving their mouse and fixed their eyes on the monitor.
Juwaaaang–!
A flash suddenly lit up the black screen. Two lightsabers appeared, piercing the darkness and drawing everyone’s attention.
- I’ve been waiting for this day.
Gulp–!
As a familiar voice echoed from the video, viewers swallowed dryly.
No one had imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that there would be an actual trailer for the play.
The screen was still dark, and only the silhouettes of the two men were visible, but people instantly knew who they were.
- Evil sorcerer. Things will not go as you intend.
A low voice followed.
Kang Woo-ju’s deep voice, which had just recently seized the hearts of countless women, intensified the mood even further.
A heavy tension flowed between the two men standing face-to-face with swords drawn. Viewers watching couldn’t take their eyes off them.
- Did the princess order you to do this?
- No, I stand here today by my own will.
- Laughable. Do you think the princess will be with you just because you defeat me? A filthy beast like you, raised among monsters…
- I see. A sorcerer indeed.
- What?
- Your tongue is uselessly long.
Pop–!
Kang Woo-ju sprang forward toward his opponent. A direct sword strike aiming straight for Seo Jun-woo’s neck.
- So you truly are no more than a wild beast!
With a scoff, Seo Jun-woo stepped back effortlessly and dodged the attack.
However, Kang Woo-ju continued his assault as if he had never expected to land the strike. Seo Jun-woo calmly accepted the clash with a relaxed smile.
Vwoong– Vwoong–
Blades of light slashed through the darkness. Every time their swords clashed, sparks flew and the camera briefly caught glimpses of their faces.
Ziiing–!
Suddenly, the two lightsabers collided at the center. The intense burst of light revealed both Kang Woo-ju and Seo Jun-woo’s faces.
- Not bad.
- You too.
Paah–!
Without any clear signal, the two pushed each other back simultaneously. Just as they kicked off the ground again to clash once more, the video ended.
- …Uhh?
- …Hey, what was that?
- …What did I just watch?
Even though the video had long ended, the chat window remained in a state of confusion. No rather, it grew increasingly heated, and eventually…
- Uwoaaaaah–!!
- Aren’t both of them actually insane?!
- Please, just open the ticketing now!! At this rate, we’re all gonna die–!!!
The event performance tickets sold out in just 2 minutes after opening, achieving a spectacular record.
*****
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