Luke looked across at Lee Fu-jin, her eyes sparkling as if she was deep in thought.
After a few drinks, her cheeks were flushed, making her look even more radiant.
What was that saying about alcohol being a matchmaker?
Luke knew how attractive he was to women. His looks alone could make most women's hearts skip a beat.
Not to mention his killer personality and the [Life's a Stage] boost from the system—given enough time, hardly any woman could resist his charm.
He was practically a human heartthrob.
But Lee Fu-jin was married, a wife no less, and Luke wasn't about to cross that line. Getting involved would only complicate the upcoming negotiations.
So, with a smile, he took the lead and said, "I'm full and satisfied. Thanks for your hospitality tonight, Ms. Lee. I'm pretty beat, though."
Hearing his words, Lee Fu-jin snapped out of her thoughts and quickly replied, "I'll have the staff take you to rest, then. After your press conference tomorrow, we can sit down and talk business."
"Sounds good. See you tomorrow."
They both stood up and said their goodbyes.
After seeing Luke out of the private room, Lee Fu-jin returned to her seat.
Her face was still red, a mix of regret for what might've been and relief that nothing happened.
…
…
Luke woke up on the hotel's plush bed a little past 7 a.m.
He pulled back the curtains, revealing a stunning view: lush green hills in the distance, a sparkling blue pool nearby, surrounded by vibrant flowers and trees, with crisp, fresh air.
While getting ready, he flipped through the local newspapers the staff had just delivered.
To his surprise, the front-page headlines were all about him.
First up was The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's most influential newspaper, with the longest history and largest circulation.
Though Luke couldn't read Korean, Lee Fu-jin had thoughtfully arranged for a translated version.
"An Unexpectedly Beautiful Fan Meet-Up"
True to The Chosun Ilbo's style, the article told the story from the beginning.
It explained that Luke was in South Korea at the invitation of Samsung Group.
It described how he was already in a car leaving the airport when he learned that a huge crowd of fans had come to see him.
Luke immediately turned back to meet their expectations.
"In that moment, Luke put his fans first. His business partners might've been annoyed, and he might've lost a fortune, but he valued his fans' genuine love above all else!"
"This fan meet-up was an accident, but that accident made it all the more beautiful!"
Even with its restrained tone, The Chosun Ilbo was clearly singing Luke's praises.
After finishing that article, Luke moved on to the second paper.
It was The JoongAng Ilbo, another of South Korea's top three newspapers, with its own take:
"Seeing the Big Picture Through Small Details: A Drink Reveals Luke's Heart"
This article zoomed in on a detail from the impromptu press conference.
It vividly described how Luke, facing over 800 fans, kept a warm smile the entire time, engaging with each one and signing autographs.
Two hours of constant smiling and intense signing left even the robust Luke exhausted, yet he remained professional, giving every fan his full attention.
The article also highlighted how Luke thoughtfully provided drinks for all the fans, emphasizing that it was his idea and he paid for them out of his own pocket.
"Many chase stars blindly, wasting time and energy on someone unworthy. Has your idol ever given anything back?"
"Luke gives back with a passionate, genuine heart. From small gestures, you see the truth—you can't ignore his sincerity."
"Years from now, that signed piece of paper might be lost, but the warmth of that drink will stay heavy in every fan's heart."
Reading this, Luke felt a bit embarrassed.
Koreans sure loved to go overboard with praise, laying it on thick.
He didn't think a few hundred signatures and drinks warranted such glowing reviews.
Sure, the Korean public's love for him played a part, but Samsung Group was definitely behind this media push.
Having read two of the three major papers, Luke opened the last one, The Dong-A Ilbo, and paused.
"An Idol Flawless in Both Heart and Appearance"
Another front-page headline, another article praising Luke.
But this one took a different angle, focusing on something smaller and more personal: the gifts fans prepared for their idol.
"We noticed Luke received many gifts from his fans.
Unlike other idols who pick out the expensive gifts to keep and give the rest to staff or toss them in the trash, Luke didn't do that."
"If you don't believe it, check the trash bins near celebrities' hotels—they're filled with discarded fan gifts."
"To many artists, a crookedly knitted scarf might seem worthless, something they'd never wear."
"But they don't see the teenage girl who scrimped and saved to buy the yarn, staying up late for nights to knit that imperfect scarf."
"Every gift carries a fan's deep love. But in the hands of someone who doesn't care, that love is easily betrayed."
"Luke has an empathetic heart. He knows fans want their feelings to be received.
In his hotel, he carefully read every letter included with the gifts and wrote back to every fan who left an address, thanking them for their effort."
"Luke's appearance is perfect, but I believe his heart is just as flawless."
The Dong-A Ilbo wasn't exaggerating. After Lee Fu-jin's dinner last night, Luke had asked hotel staff to help him sort through the gifts and write replies to fans, working past midnight.
As for the gifts, he kept the ones he could use now and had the rest shipped back to New York.
There, he'd bought a house just to store the gifts from his fans.
To him, these were tokens of their love, not something to be judged by monetary value. He cherished and preserved them carefully.
Luke gathered his thoughts. Thanks to the three major newspapers' coverage, his popularity among the Korean public had surely skyrocketed.
This put him halfway toward his goal of breaking into the Korean market.
After today's press conference, he'd be most of the way there.
Luke had high hopes for this press conference—it was one of the main reasons for his trip to South Korea.
It wasn't just about connecting with the Korean media or helping Koreans get to know him better. Luke wanted this press conference to leave a trail of evidence.
He expected it to go down in history.
In the future, it would be referenced countless times to slap the faces of certain shameless Koreans.