Chapter 27: A Woman Is a Complex Book

"I am exhausted, but at least we have a few hours to rest. Cha Lun-hoo, you have really worked hard!"

The long journey had taken its toll even on Suzy, who was usually in excellent physical condition. Fortunately, Tangier is six hours behind South Korea, and after a thirty-hour trek, they finally arrived at their destination late in the local night.

Suzy had completely footed the bill for this trip. The production crew would never provide extra food and lodging for a female lead’s bodyguard, even if she had recently been in trouble and received death threats. But this small sum was a drop in the bucket for Suzy. She had even arranged for a better room for Cha Lun-hoo than the one provided for herself, which filled the bodyguard with a sense of gratitude.

Before leaving, she had promised Sejeong and Somi that she would bring back some souvenirs, so she had exchanged some local dirhams early on. Prices here were not cheap, but thankfully, she had earned quite a bit from her time working at the nightclub, so her savings were still relatively healthy.

That older "Director Xu" from China, who was studying for her MBA, had messaged her again. She expressed great admiration for Suzy's bravery and indomitable spirit and said she desperately wanted to meet her again. However, her family had made her take an internship at a Chinese company called JD, and she promised that once she made her triumphant return, she would lead Suzy to achieve great things. It seemed her condition hadn't improved at all; to be honest, Suzy was quite worried. After all, this older sister had been truly kind to her. She was decent-looking and usually quite sharp, but she would occasionally act foolish—delusional disorders were truly a troublesome thing.

The plane landed in the middle of the night. Since Tangier is a port city located on the Strait of Gibraltar, she didn't get to see the beautiful sunset dunes described in Sanmao's "Stories of the Sahara." Instead, the coastline here was far longer than she had imagined.

The thirty-hour trip had left everyone physically and mentally exhausted. Suzy hadn't replied to his messages for a long time; it seemed she had gone straight to sleep after taking a shower. To save money, the production team kept the filming schedule incredibly tight—after all, saving a single day of shooting could cut significant costs. Even the wealthy landlord has no surplus grain these days.

Despite this, the overseas production cycle was remarkably extensive, a rare "big-budget" move for a Korean drama. Besides this exotic port city of Tangier, they were reportedly headed to the ancient city of Fes and then on to the vast Sahara Desert.

In the drama, Suzy played Go Hae-ri, a secret agent for the National Intelligence Service (NIS). She was ordered to host the families of the victims of the Moroccan plane crash, but she was actually working undercover at the South Korean Embassy in Morocco, tasked with investigating corruption related to the crash.

She would work with the male lead, played by Lee Seung-gi, to uncover the truth behind the disaster, all while gathering intelligence and maneuvering against external forces within the embassy.

What struck him as very strange, however, was that both director Yoo In-sik and screenwriter Jang Young-chul wanted him to offer suggestions for the drama. They knew he had served in the Defense Security Command (DSC)—a military intelligence unit with close ties to and similar operations to the NIS—and assumed he must know how these things worked.

Cha Lun-hoo couldn't help but feel wronged. After all, he was just a low-level leader in a tactical support unit. Did entering the DSC automatically make one a "dog spy"? His protests were interpreted by the others as mere modesty. In their eyes, no one from the DSC was ordinary; they assumed he was not only skilled at espionage but likely proficient in interrogation as well.

They assured him he didn't need to reveal any classified details; he only needed to provide minor corrections during filming. Their persistent requests made it hard for him to refuse. They promised to add him to the final production credits as a consultant and provide appropriate compensation.

Whether he was a consultant or not didn't really matter to him, but if he could help Suzy, then the trip hadn't been in vain. However, according to the director, even with the schedule compressed as much as possible, filming would take nearly a month. Such a long cycle disrupted his own rhythm.

It wasn't that the Blue House had already made arrangements for him so quickly. Since the meeting with his group wasn't scheduled until December, any job placement would have to wait until next year. He had expressed his thoughts to those who approached him, and they clearly viewed him as the leader of the group, treating him with significant respect.

"What do I want to do next? I want to contribute to the seven million reservists in our country and to the veterans living in hardship."

The sentiments Cha Lun-hoo expressed through *Sports Seoul* had drawn admiration from the public. This noble spirit of not seeking office or titles was highly praised. His upright and honest appearance made many women feel that this was exactly the kind of man they should look for in a boyfriend.

Male netizens held him in even higher regard. Because of the universal conscription system, everyone was a potential reservist, and it was rare to see a young officer with such accolades who didn't try to claw his way up in other departments.

Most people, regardless of gender, were ordinary folks who had fought their way through mountains of books and seas of exams, just like Cha Lun-hoo. These stories of ordinary people resonated more deeply, and for a time, the discourse surrounding him and Suzy began to shift.

"This guy, Bae Suzy, is definitely just playing around! Don't you know how people in the entertainment industry are? I give it three to five months before they break up."

"One is a wealthy actress, the other is a civil servant who can't even earn a few tens of millions a year regardless of where he works. Do you really believe they’ll have a future?"

"By that time, this guy's annual salary probably won't even cover Suzy's beauty salon and cosmetic expenses. Maybe she’s just enjoying the thrill for now, but she'll leave without looking back once time passes."

"A guy who worked in nightclubs is being painted by you lot as a pure-hearted boy; give me a break. For all you know, he’s been with more women than you’ve ever seen."

"That’s not necessarily true. Didn't someone leak it last time? This guy has a strange personality, and he actually 'reverse-selects' his clients—many of them are wealthy young ladies. Damn him!"

Although many believed that even a regular civil servant wouldn't care for an idol, reality was not a game of animal chess; more often than not, it was a case of mutual disdain.

A meager income makes it incredibly difficult to support an idol, and the expenses of an artist are hard to bring down. For example, for high-profile artists, the brands they wear are significant; if a piece of clothing appears too often, they are considered "out of fashion" or "washed up."

Suzy's current status was that of an actress, and the "idol" label had basically been washed away. But none of this had much to do with him. Perhaps after this month, he would start his busy work, and his connection with this beautiful employer would gradually fade until it disappeared—an almost inevitable outcome.

He felt there was nothing wrong with that. He even felt a bit ashamed when faced with someone like Sejeong, a poor girl who couldn't even afford to pay rent. Although Suzy’s habitual way of speaking sometimes caused small misunderstandings, his long experience in nightclubs allowed him to see that it was all just a facade.

This behavior could be classified as a form of "technique," and he lacked the ability to see through the surface to the essence. This woman was a very complex book, but he simply didn't need to read it.