When it came to the dinner arranged by Lee Fu-jin, Luke knew there was an ulterior motive, but it still felt way more comfortable than that meal in Japan.
He could still vividly recall the time in Japan when JNTO set him up with three old guys as dining companions, and they even had a kendo match. Talk about awkward.
Tonight was much better by comparison.
As the three of them sat down, a dazzling spread of food was brought out, filling the table with what looked like a pretty lavish feast.
When you think of Korean cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind is probably budae jjigae, or "army stew."
The name comes from the fact that American soldiers in Korea would toss out uneaten canned meats, wilted veggies, and other scraps into the trash.
Back then, Koreans, often struggling to get enough to eat, would scavenge those ingredients from near the bases and cook them up at home.
Since the ingredients weren't exactly fresh, they had to use bold, heavy flavors to mask any off tastes.
Who would've thought that mess of a dish would end up becoming a staple of Korean cuisine? It's kind of a humiliating origin story, but Koreans embraced it without a second thought. Talk about dark humor.
What's even more ironic is that years later, this dish made its way to America as "authentic Korean cuisine," and people here actually love it.
Imagine throwing out your garbage, someone turning it into a delicacy, and then selling it back to you…
It's almost too absurd to wrap your head around.
Tonight's menu, of course, included budae jjigae, along with familiar dishes like seaweed tofu rice, ginseng chicken soup, cheesy tteokbokki, fried chicken, and Kaesong cold noodles.
But this was the Shilla Hotel, so everything was an ultra-upgraded version.
The recipes weren't much different, but the ingredients? We're talking French blue lobster, Hanwoo beef, yellow-lipped fish maw, white truffles, Canadian goose barnacles—top-tier stuff.
Luke wasn't sure if using ingredients this fancy was a bit of a waste, but they were undeniably delicious.
As the three of them dug into the pricey dishes, they chatted away.
"So, Mr. Luke, you're Asian-American, right? Does New York's water or something make people grow so tall and strong?" Lee Fu-jin asked with a smile.
Luke grinned, knowing full well he was stretching the truth. "Probably not New York's doing. I'd say it's because I've been practicing martial arts since I was a kid."
In reality, he hadn't trained a day in his past life and still grew this tall. And "since he was a kid"? Total nonsense—the system had just dumped those skills into him. But he had to say something to explain his abilities without raising eyebrows.
Hearing this, Jun Ji-hyun's eyes sparkled as she leaned in. "Mr. Luke, with all your skills, you must've trained hard for years, right? I've heard staying… you know, pure makes martial arts training more effective. Is that true?"
Luke chuckled. "Nah, that's a myth. Martial arts is about aligning with the natural way of things to go far. Holding onto some unnatural 'pure' state like that? It's not sustainable, and it doesn't make you stronger."
Jun Ji-hyun grinned. "I kinda want to learn martial arts. Could you show me a move or two?"
Luke shook his head with a laugh. "You don't even know martial arts, and you're already a 'savage girlfriend.' If you learned a few moves, you'd probably turn into my 'killer girlfriend'!"
"Hey!" Jun Ji-hyun pouted, playfully nudging his leg under the table. "If you don't want to teach me, just say so. No need to tease!"
It was less a kick and more a light brush of her foot against his leg. Man, entertainment industry folks sure know how to turn on the charm to get ahead.
Luke smirked. "It's not that I won't teach you, but fancy moves are kind of useless. And getting serious about martial arts? That's not really your thing. If you bulked up with muscles, how would you keep acting?"
"Speaking of muscles…" Jun Ji-hyun chimed in, "I saw your match against the New England Patriots. You were so intense out there. You took those hits without even flinching. Is that because your leg muscles are so strong that you've got, like, a super stable base?"
Luke laughed. "You guys know I'm really into martial arts. For a martial artist, having a solid foundation is just the basics."
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The three of them kept eating, drinking, and chatting in the private room, the mood light and lively.
Luke quickly noticed that the conversation revolved around him. Not too surprising, but the topics were oddly specific: they kept praising his strength, his physique, how he gave off a vibe of security for women.
If that was all, it wouldn't be a big deal. But the fact that they completely avoided talking about his movies or career? That was weird.
In normal small talk, his films would've come up naturally. But they didn't. Not once.
It was pretty clear: this conversation was carefully orchestrated.
The goal was obvious, too. When women focus on a guy's physical strength and shower him with compliments about his body, it's way easier to stroke his ego and get him to like them.
Think about it—what makes a guy happier? A woman saying, "I love how successful your career is," or "You're so strong and powerful"?
The answer's a no-brainer.
Plus, talking about physical stuff feels more intimate than work talk. It's a fast track to making the vibe flirty.
As the atmosphere got more and more charged, Luke's guard went up. He had a feeling they were about to pull out the big guns.
"Mr. Luke, you've made tonight so fun. I've gotta toast you again!" Jun Ji-hyun was already a bit tipsy, her wine glass wobbling in her hand.
Here it comes, Luke thought.
He raised his glass, clinking it lightly against hers.
"Whoops!" Jun Ji-hyun's glass tilted, and it looked like it was about to slip from her hand.
From where she was sitting, if that glass fell, the wine would definitely splash right onto Luke's lap.
Then would come the apologies, the "let me help you clean that up," the offer to take him to change clothes, and… well, you know how that playbook goes.
But was Luke about to fall for it?
With a quick flick of his wrist, he caught the glass, spinning it back toward her in one smooth motion.
"Oh!" Jun Ji-hyun gasped as the wine splashed all over her instead.
Her pale yellow dress was soaked, clinging to her body and faintly outlining her undergarments. Her wet stockings? Let's just say they'd have some guys losing their minds, ready to call it "fine wine feet."
But Luke wasn't falling for this calculated move. He put on an apologetic look. "Oh no, Ms. Jun, I'm so sorry! I got your clothes all wet. Let me get the hotel staff to help you change."
Before she could protest, he hit the service button on the table.
Jun Ji-hyun bit her lip, clearly frustrated, but had no choice but to follow the staff to change.
Now, it was just Luke and Lee Fu-jin in the room.
Lee Fu-jin was quietly exasperated. Their carefully planned scheme had been effortlessly sidestepped by Luke.
What now?
Just give up?
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belamy20