Surrender to Me [Showbiz]

“Of course I love you, my stepping stone to success.”

Bae Rui-jin is determined to become Asia's number-one curator, then break out of Asia and onto the international stage, making sure the whole world remembers her name.

But before she can even get started, she runs into trouble. After returning home with her Yale degree, she is promptly given a cold dose of reality: she has no connections, and her past experience counts for little. She can only start from the very bottom as an assistant. Bae Rui-jin knows that to establish herself in South Korea's curatorial scene, she needs the fashion world's elite to recognize her skill and taste, then promote her.

The wheels of fate begin to turn. At an exhibition, she spots top-tier star Kwon Ji-yong looking at a painting in the gallery.

Bae Rui-jin knows her chance has arrived.

Kwon Ji-yong can't help being drawn to her gaze. When he meets a girl he likes, he politely plays the good boy, then pretends to be sick. Just as he's preparing to play hard to get, Bae Rui-jin beats him to it and leaves him hanging. Ask what she's doing, and she's curating an exhibition. Ask again, and she's still curating. Ask a third time, and she's on her way to curate.

Kwon Ji-yong gets bored and thinks about giving up, but then Bae Rui-jin appears before him again and says, “The moment I saw this painting, I imagined you looking at it. I bought it especially for you. Do you like it?”

“I like it.” Kwon Ji-yong thinks: It's not just the painting. He's fascinated by her, addicted to her.

Bae Yul-ji keeps appearing on trending searches, and her “Yulji Project” gradually makes a name for itself in the art world. It's time to turn down the heat on their romance. During an interview, a microphone is shoved in her face and she's asked whether she's broken up with top-tier star Kwon Ji-yong.

Bae Rui-jin smiles calmly. “We won't break up, because we're friends, forever.”

Kwon, who failed to become her boyfriend but still considers himself first in line: “...”

The trending searches heat up again. The shippers declare victory, the solo stans are in hell, and the latest drama beloved by onlookers is back.

#This couple just can't keep things quiet#

#Everyone knows you're playing hard to get again#

#I'll never believe you two are breaking up again#

Hot and cold, secretly thrilled yet unsatisfied, Kwon Ji-yong is the first to surrender. In private, he clings to her and pouts, “Can we stop playing games with our feelings?”

[Tips]

1. Equally matched illnesses. The focus is on romantic push and pull, a battle to claim the upper hand in love.

2. Neither is a saint. Expect top-tier-star-level tabloid frenzy and a streak of dark humor. Don't blame me if the melodrama catches you off guard

3. The timeline is chaotic. Everything serves the plot.

Theme: Love can overcome every obstacle.