Chapter 46 I truly think the two of you are a perfect match.

"Hello everyone, I am actor Kim Ji-won."

After entering, Kim Ji-won turned in a small circle and bowed, very much in her signature style.

Myung-yeon looked at the girl whose face was slightly flushed from rushing. That damned sense of familiarity washed over him, making time instantly feel as though it had rolled back to the days when the two of them filmed The Heirs together.

Back then, he was a rookie, and Kim Ji-won didn't have much seniority either.

Never did he expect that in the blink of an eye, one would become the male lead and the other the female lead.

Krystal Jung: Yah, wasn't your on-screen couple back then supposed to be me?

If he wanted to get sentimental, the timeline would have to be pushed back a bit further.

"Kim Ji-won-ssi, hello." Kim Na-jung held a very favorable impression of Kim Ji-won. Low-key, earnest, she was the type of actor directors truly loved.

With Myung-yeon and Kim Ji-won on board, she felt confident about making Fight for My Way a success.

Kim Ji-won acted as if she hadn't even noticed Myung-yeon: "Director-nim, hello."

She repeated the exact same routine she had just performed with Myung-yeon—greeting the directing team, the writer team, and the other cast members. The only difference was probably that a certain someone was left hanging out to dry on the side.

No one else felt like anything was amiss.

The two of them had collaborated several times before, so they must be very familiar with each other; there was simply no rush to exchange greetings.

Jung Won-long felt a bit awkward on behalf of his artist, but he decided to play dumb and act like he saw nothing. Matters of the heart could only be resolved by the individuals involved, and outsiders were utterly powerless to help.

"Then... let's officially begin the first script reading for the Fight for My Way crew."

Both Kim Na-jung and Lim Sang-chun gave short speeches before finally announcing the start of the reading.

Myung-yeon attempted to observe the expression on Kim Ji-won's face, but he came away empty-handed. The girl simply refused to make eye contact with him, focusing instead on preparing her script with a gentle smile.

Logically speaking, being ignored by one's ex-girlfriend should be considered a pretty favorable outcome. It was certainly better than running into some dramatic, makjang-style plot twist.

However, a playboy always possessed a near-instinctive intuition; every pore on his body warned him of approaching danger.

No, something wasn't right.

...

Kim Ji-won's palms were slick with sweat.

She firmly kept Krystal Jung's words etched in her heart: she had to maintain her aura and steadfastly avoid showing any signs of weakness.

That younger sister was right. Regarding the breakup, the fault lay entirely with Myung-yeon, and that guy owed her an explanation.

Kim Ji-won had put herself through a great deal of mental preparation before coming in, almost making herself late as a result.

She had imagined numerous scenarios for their reunion. After all, even when they broke up, the man had merely made a casual phone call. Yet, upon truly seeing him, the girl felt a dizzying sense of displacement in time and space.

Had everything that happened truly occurred?

However, Kim Ji-won quickly snapped back to her senses, continuing to put effort into playing the role of the cool and unbothered party.

"This guy seems to be staring right at me..."

Kim Ji-won muttered inwardly.

She could sense his gaze. Back when the two of them were passionately in love, Myung-yeon would often look at her with an intense and curious warmth.

Right now, though, the warmth was gone, replaced mostly by curiosity.

"Ji-won-ssi, it's your turn." Song Ha-yoon, who was playing the female lead's best friend, gently reminded Kim Ji-won, noticing the lead actress seemed somewhat spaced out.

"Oh, right."

...

Kim Na-jung was thoroughly satisfied with the results of the first script reading.

The people sitting before her were actors she had meticulously handpicked, especially Myung-yeon and Kim Ji-won. Just sitting there together, the two of them looked exceptionally well-matched, exuding boundless on-screen chemistry.

The chemical reaction between a male and female lead was exceptionally crucial, especially in romantic light comedies.

Sometimes, you couldn't say an actor's acting skills were poor or that they weren't good-looking, yet the two sides simply failed to spark any electricity, utterly unable to rouse the audience's enthusiasm. In the end, the attraction between the main leads ended up feeling weaker than that of the second male lead.

Myung-yeon and Kim Ji-won were different. The golden value of their pairing had been rigorously tested by both the market and the audience.

Most importantly, both of them were exceptionally talented.

Take just now during the script reading; Myung-yeon's grasp of Ko Dong-man was clearly meticulous. Just listening to his line delivery offered a glimpse into the immense effort he had poured into the role.

And then there was Kim Ji-won. Choi Ae-ra's personality differed vastly from Yoon Myung-joo's. Compared to her previous character's cold elegance, this role required her to emphasize straightforwardness and a fiery temper, yet she still digested it brilliantly.

Although filming hadn't commenced yet, the line delivery alone certainly spoke volumes.

The situation was looking remarkably bright—not just somewhat bright, but overwhelmingly bright.

Following the conclusion of the first script reading, Kim Na-jung pulled Myung-yeon and Kim Ji-won aside.

"You two are old friends, so I suppose I don't need to introduce you."

Kim Na-jung looked at the golden boy and jade girl before her, her face beaming with gratification and satisfaction.

These weren't merely a male and female lead; they were practically walking, breathing viewership ratings right there.

Myung-yeon glanced at Kim Ji-won, whose eyes were darting away evasively. The director wasn't wrong—they were indeed intimate friends who knew everything about each other, though what kind of relationship they currently held was hard to say.

"We—"

"Director-nim, regarding our performance just now, do you think there's anything that needs improvement?" Kim Ji-won cut Myung-yeon off, proactively steering the topic in another direction.

Everyone had gathered here to discuss work; there was no need to catch up on personal feelings.

Krystal Jung's advice had been entirely correct.

Kim Na-jung laughed, "None at all. Both of you performed exceptionally well."

Myung-yeon and Kim Ji-won belonged to the tier of mature actors; they had both climbed their way up from supporting roles step by step, and they were even capable of delivering unexpected surprises.

"Director-nim, then why did you keep the two of us behind..."

Myung-yeon felt an itch in his heart.

He had a lingering intuition that Kim Ji-won was plotting something, and he wouldn't feel at ease until he figured out what it was.

"I just wanted to give you a few instructions." Kim Na-jung gathered her thoughts. "This isn't your first time collaborating, so you both know that male and female leads need to do promotional service, right?"

Aside from its inherent quality, the success of a television drama depended heavily on its marketing strategies.

As the main leads, Myung-yeon and Kim Ji-won had the obligation to cooperate with the relevant parties to promote the series during its filming and broadcast periods. To put it simply, they had to sell the ship.

For instance, dropping ambiguous remarks during interviews or showering excessive praise on each other.

As for whether the two of them would continue or make a clean, lightning-fast cut after the drama ended, that would be a separate matter entirely.

Everything was for the sake of hype, after all.

"Director-nim, I understand." Kim Ji-won couldn't quite tell whether she felt happy or pleased inside, but she certainly didn't resist. She could slowly settle accounts with this guy later on.

Myung-yeon narrowed his eyes slightly, though his tongue didn't miss a beat: "Director-nim, I'm fine with it. As long as Ji-won noona agrees."

Noona—the affectionate term of endearment from their dating days.

Kim Ji-won lost her composure slightly. How could he still say that word so smoothly?

Kim Na-jung wore a look of profound satisfaction.

"Actually, I truly think you two are a wonderful match. Even if I were just a viewer, I'd ship you guys."