The Famous Millionaire

Instantly, Hyunwoo felt he was gooseflesh all over. He seemed to find the perfect way to persuade Soyun.

That was to let Soyun put on a mask.

Why was she so opposed to appearing in the music video? It was because she didn’t want to reveal her face to the people. She might not oppose if she could hide her face with a mask.

Hyunwoo cautiously suggested to the principal, “How about persuading Soyun like this? Along with several back dancers, let her participate. There is no reason she can reject if she hides her face with a mask, right?”

“Mask? That sounds good to me. Let me ask her about it,” said the principal.

Of course, she might reject his suggestion at the drop of a hat, but Hyunwoo wanted to open the possibility.

“Hope you can make it, sir. Maybe this music video can be a good occasion for her to overcome her personal suffering in the past.”

“I hope so. Let me try my best.”

***

In the late afternoon, the students came back to the office for practice.

As if he had been waiting for them, Hyunwoo pulled down a projector screen and played the music video ‘Temptation’ featuring Jiah’s dancing.

Their jaws dropped at Jiah’s colorful and dynamic dancing.

In particular, the male students continued to utter exclamations. They felt good about her dancing but felt more attractive to her figure and sexy clothes, but all of them let out a sigh at her plain face.

“Wow, how pitiful she is! She would be a perfect dancer if it wasn’t for her face.”

Pretending not to have overheard them, Hyunwoo asked them to make their own music video based on Temptation.

As soon as he gave the direction, they instantly gathered at one corner of the office and began to discuss their own strategy.

Then Hyunwoo waited until it got dark, so he could call Yu Zuung in Vietnam. Given the two hour time difference between Korea and Vietnam, she must have finished her class for the day by now.

“I sent you a music video a while ago.”

“I saw that. Who is this lady, by the way? She is a really good dancer,” said Yu Zuung.

“Well, I’m thinking of making a music video by using animation like Duckling Fly.”

“What kind of animation characters do you have in mind? I guess sexy characters fit the music,” said Yu Zuung.

“You know that already. Just draw as you feel it. That’s your strength.”

“Oh, I feel some pressure. Let me try my best, hohoho.”

She made a pleasant laugh when he praised her strength.

“Draw a mask fitting the dancer appearing in the music video, too. You have to hide the shortcomings of the dancer while maximizing their strength.”

“Wow, that’s a difficult task! Let me emphasize her beautiful jawline. How soon do you want it?”

“Well, there is no timeline. Just do your best. Let me start producing the music video as soon as you’re done,” said Hyunwoo.

“Got it. By the way, what is the picture you sent me with the video…?”

Yu Zuung stopped at that because there was some cautionary note with that, which said Yu Zuung should not ask about the girl in the picture, nor tell anybody about her.

Hyunwoo wanted to hide Soyun, and at the same time persuade her by all means.

The plausible way for him to persuade her was to promise to her that her real face would never be revealed.

If Soyun went along with Hyunwoo’s idea, he would keep the promise to the end. And he had to make sure all those involved in the music video, including Yu Zuung, should keep it to themselves.

“As I told you in the email, you just draw the mask and send it to me. Please make sure you hide the real identity of the dancer but show her beauty fully. Can you do it?”

“Let me give it a try. By the way, what happened to Tuti & Angelica? Are you making season two of that?”

“I’ve already completed several storyboards, and we’re almost done with the facial expressions of the characters.”

“Wow, that sounds good! I hope you can give me a big bonus if the animation work becomes a hit.”

“Of course, I will. Hahaha.”

When he hung up the phone, he felt his staff were looking at him for a while as if they were envious of his call with Yu Zuung.

Looking at Hyunwoo, Yujong Suh asked jokingly, “Do you like her so much?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“It looked like you smiled from ear to ear while you’re on the phone with her.”

Hyunwoo was more than surprised at that moment. He was smiling all along in spite of himself.

He laughed as if he thought of it as trivial stuff and said, “As you know, Yu Zuung is such a beauty. Hahaha.”

“Yea, you’re right,” seconded the staff, nodding their heads.

“Wow, if she participates in the music video, I think it can hit the jackpot!”

Hearing that, Hyunwoo opened his eyes wider instantly.

“Yea, Yu Zuung! Why didn’t I think of her in advance?” he murmured.

And he imagined her and Soyun making a duet in the video, along with Jiah.

With Soyun performing as the main dancer, and Yu Zuung and Jiah in between, the music video would be fantastic!

To realize his vision Hyunwoo wanted to find out Yu Zuung’s dancing skills.

Even if she appeared in the video, Hyunwoo planned to hide her real identity, too.

Of course, Jiah was an exception. No matter how hard he tried to hide her, the teachers and students of Todolyipyo would be able to find her.

Hyunwoo slipped out of the office and then called Yu Zuung again.

As soon as she answered the phone, Hyunwoo asked abruptly, “Can you dance?”

“Dance? I learned a bit in high school, but I can’t dance as well as the lady in the music video.”

Hyunwoo was surprised at her reaction.

Actually, Jiah was a competent dance who won a bronze medal in the national dance contest. The fact that Yu Zuung compared herself with Jiah suggested that her dancing was much better than Hyunwoo expected.

“Can you dance like her in the video?”

“Well, I think I can with some practice, but not as good as this lady. Looks like she is a marvelous dancer.”

“Of course, she is a fantastic dancer. Why don’t you try to learn her style then? Just shoot yourself dancing with a camcorder and send it to me. Let me include you in the music video if I like your dancing.”

“Really?” asked Yu Zuung with a surprising tone.

She knew that the Duckling Fly music video gained worldwide popularity, and she could seize the chance if she tried. She could go on a world tour like Jinhon and Angela someday.

“I’ve got one condition, though. You have to put on a mask. And you should keep it to yourself that you’re a masked dancer until I tell you you can reveal your identity. You know mysticism, right? That’s the core theme of the upcoming music video.”

“Hohoho. It must be very interesting. Let me film myself and send it to you as soon as possible.”

“Keep it in mind! If you appear in the music video, you should keep it secret. You should not tell it even to your family.”

“Got it. I promise you.”

Several days later, Jonghyon Yuk wrapped up his living situation in Seoul and moved to Ansan with his parents. Hyunwoo had already prepared an apartment unit for them.

When they arrived at the apartment, Hyunwoo rushed there to help them with moving. Not only Jonghyon but also his parents stopped him.

“Oh, no! How come we can expect you to help us like this?”

“No problem, this is my specialty. Hahaha. Where should I move this stuff?”

Thanks to Hyunwoo’s help, Jonghyon’s moving was done quickly.

Though the apartment was not that large, it was still spacious enough for his family.

With a satisfied smile, Jonghyon said, “Thanks so much. This apartment is pretty clean and nice.”

“Isn’t it rather small?”

“What the hell are you talking about? This is more than enough for a family of three like ours. It’s sunny, so my parents like it very much.”

“I’m glad you like it. Hope you can move to a big house after making lots of money.”

“Of course, I can’t count on you forever. By the way, what kind of work do you expect me to do?”

Hyunwoo planned to add him to the warehouse team of KOVE DREAM. Raymon and his friends were also supposed to join them. As the sales of KOVE DREAM were rising so rapidly, they were short of hands all the time.

But Jonghyon’s assignment at the KOVE DREAM was nothing compared with his real job that Hyunwoo had in mind.

“Shall we drop by KOVE DREAM tomorrow? We can stop by the office of Ani & Funny today.”

“Sounds good.”

They headed to the Ani & Funny’s office.

Actually, the staff there were already aware of the name Pilgaek because of his famous stories on Story Mecca. Everybody welcomed him.

“In fact, this is the place you will work. You know what I mean, do you?”

“Of course, I know that,” said Jonghyon, nodding with a pleasant smile.

What Hyunwoo expected of him was his creation of story material. Once he created the material of a short story, the staff of Ani & Funny would expand the story and create a finished work from it. They had been having a hard time finding the right material for stories, and finally, they found the perfect candidate to carry out the job.

Hyunwoo arranged a dinner get-together so that Jonghyon could get close to the staff as soon as possible. As he announced the get-together in advance, every staff member attended it.

Hyunwoo slipped out of it after staying with them briefly because of Jonghyon.

Even though they tried to get close to him, Jonghyon was pretty shy and tried to sit beside Hyunwoo all along. If Hyunwoo left the place, he had no choice but to rely on Kyungsu or Sanggyu and mingle with the staff more easily.

While he was on his way back home, Hyunwoo had a call from Yu Zuung.

“What’s up, Yu Zuung?”

“I drew several pictures of the mask. And I sent a video clip of my dancing, too.”

Hyunwoo’s eyes opened wider. He was very curious about the drawings.

And he really had a great expectation for her dancing.