A Favor to Ask
"Haha..."
After checking his phone, Park Geon-woo let out a soft chuckle.
Han Se-rin looked at him, curious.
"Writer-nim, who is it? You can answer it if you need to."
"No, it's fine. It's just a close junior writer. I'll call him back later."
Bzzz. Bzzz. The phone vibrated relentlessly.
"Go ahead and take it."
"Just a moment."
Unable to ignore the persistence, Geon-woo reluctantly lifted his phone.
"Hyung-nim! How's it going? Is the filming over?!"
It was Yeong-jae.
To make matters worse, the call suddenly switched to a video call.
One by one, the faces of his fellow writers began to pop up on the screen.
"Wait... are you guys all gathered together again?"
"Of course! You're filming a major network variety show, Hyung-nim! How could we just sit still?"
"Yeong-jae hyung is right! Park Geon hyung-nim!"
"Geon-woo-ssi! How is it going? Is the filming done?"
Starting with Yeong-jae, Seong-do, and Writer Ha-jeong, a barrage of voices erupted from the phone.
They were all shoving their faces into the camera, trying to get on screen.
"Sigh... Seriously, you guys?"
Geon-woo shook his head in disbelief, but a smile slipped through anyway.
"Are those your fellow writers?" Han Se-rin asked from beside him.
"..."
A sudden silence fell over the video call.
The writers had recognized Han Se-rin's voice.
And then...
"Whoa! It's Han Se-rin! That's Han Se-rin, right?!"
"Oh my god! Is it really Han Se-rin?!"
The writers went absolutely wild.
"Hyung-nim! Please, I beg of you! Just let us see Han Se-rin-ssi on video call once!"
Yeong-jae pleaded desperately. The other writers chimed in, begging for the same thing.
"Shouldn't you guys be writing instead? This is rude," Geon-woo chided.
"Ah...! Hyung-nim...!"
"Aren't you guys going to meet your deadlines? Any of you?"
"You're so mean!"
Complaints poured out from the speaker.
"Complaining won't work. No means no."
Geon-woo remained firm. He had already received far too many favors from Han Se-rin. He couldn't impose on her any further.
"Could you hand me the phone?" Han Se-rin asked, reaching out a pale hand.
"Se-rin-ssi, are you sure you're okay with this?" Geon-woo asked, unable to hide his apologetic look.
"If they're Writer-nim's friends, they're my friends too. Besides, I'm curious about your colleagues. Hand it over."
Se-rin took the phone, looking rather amused by the situation. Of course, she didn't forget to quickly check her bangs and adjust her clothes before showing her face on camera.
"Hello! I'm Han Se-rin! You must be the close colleagues of our Writer Park Geon, right?"
Her eyes curved into lovely crescents, and a radiant, flower-like beauty instantly filled the screen. She had deliberately switched on her top-idol charm—all for Geon-woo's sake.
"..."
The effect was instantaneous. The writers staring at the screen went completely blank, stunned by her beauty.
Geon-woo was no exception.
He had always known she was beautiful, but seeing her turn on her idol persona felt like watching the ending fairy of a music broadcast.
A few seconds of silence passed.
"Whoa! Se-rin-ssi! I'm a huge fan! A fan!"
"I love Serazade so much! I'm a fan too!"
"Oh my gosh! You're so pretty, Se-rin-ssi!"
"Is she a doll? A literal doll?"
"She looks even more gorgeous in real life...!"
Yeong-jae and Seong-do practically had a fit, while the female writers couldn't stop marveling at her appearance.
"Hehe. Thank you for the kind words, everyone. Please take good care of our Writer Park Geon in the future too, okay?"
"Yes! Yes! I will pledge my lifelong loyalty! You can trust us!"
Yeong-jae declared, standing at attention. The other writers chimed in to reassure her.
"Don't worry! We're the ones who dressed Geon-woo-ssi up and sent him out today!"
"That's right! We take very good care of Geon-woo-ssi!"
"Writer Park Geon can be a bit high-maintenance, but he's worth looking after."
The female writers eagerly spoke up, telling her not to worry.
"Ah, so you all take such good care of him... I see..."
The corners of Se-rin's mouth twitched slightly as she replied.
So the female writers usually take good care of Writer Park Geon?
It bothered her for some reason. Of course, no one on the call noticed her subtle shift in mood.
"By any chance, if you have time, would you like to join our writers' gathering...?"
"That sounds so fun! Se-rin-ssi! I hope we can meet up sometime!"
"Yeong-jae? Writer Yu-yu?" Geon-woo quickly tried to cut them off.
It was bad enough they were on a video call, but now they were inviting her to their gathering.
"Writer Park Geon, it actually would be pretty fun if Han Se-rin-ssi came to our gathering."
"Hyung-nim? Why are you joining in too?" Geon-woo asked, looking at Writer December 32nd, who had been quiet until now but was now casually supporting the idea.
"Should I?"
On the other hand, Se-rin's smile only grew wider. Her eyes even sparkled.
She was curious about the writers Geon-woo hung out with, and since those female writers were lingering in the back of her mind, the invitation to join their gathering sounded highly appealing.
"Sure. If the opportunity arises, I'd love to attend."
A collective cheer erupted from the phone. Han Se-rin, the top idol of top idols, attending a web novel writers' gathering? It was an unprecedented event.
"Se-rin-ssi! You must! You promise, right?"
"Yes, I promise." Se-rin smiled, giving Yeong-jae the reassurance he wanted.
"We'll hang up now, Hyung-nim!"
"Geon-woo-ssi, have a delicious dinner!"
Yeong-jae and the others waved at the camera before the call abruptly ended with a click.
"So they just hang up once they got what they wanted? Unbelievable," Geon-woo muttered with a wry laugh.
Still, he was relieved that the unexpected video call had ended without any major issues.
"Are you sure you're okay with that? If it's too much pressure, I can tell them later. You don't actually have to come," Geon-woo said, worried she might feel obligated.
"No, it's fine. They seem like fun people. And they're your friends, Writer-nim. That makes me happy too."
"Thank you."
Geon-woo felt deeply grateful to her. But at the same time, a heavy sigh escaped him. I feel like I'm always on the receiving end...
He had always felt bad about taking so much from her, and that feeling reached its peak today.
Se-rin shook her head.
"What do you mean you haven't done anything for me? You've done so much."
Three years ago, during her trainee days, it was Geon-woo who had stopped her when she tried to run away from home. And after her debut, it was Geon-woo who had given her the strength to endure the grueling life of a girl group member.
"In that case, Writer-nim."
"Yes, Se-rin-ssi?"
"Um... there is something I want to ask of you."
"A favor?" Geon-woo looked at her, waiting.
"...Can I call you Oppa? Like I did back at the convenience store. And I'd like it if you spoke casually to me too. Hehe..."
Se-rin couldn't hide her embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed red, and her slender fingers fidgeted nervously.
"Oppa...?"
Geon-woo was taken aback. Although there was a significant age difference, to him, Han Se-rin was a benefactor and someone he felt he had to treat with utmost respect. Yet, he couldn't help but find her adorable. To think that this was all she wanted.
"Hmm..."
As Geon-woo fell into thought, Se-rin grew visibly tense, waiting for his answer.
"Alright. Next time we meet, you can call me Oppa."
"Wow...! Really?"
A bright, sun-like smile spread across Se-rin's small face.
"Is it really something to be this happy about, Se-rin-ssi?"
"Yes, to me it is."
Because it felt like she had taken another step closer to him. Because it meant they would definitely see each other again. Se-rin's face lit up like a child's.
She's cute. Geon-woo smiled warmly.
Even though she had returned to his life as a top idol and a member of the ultra-popular girl group Serazade, she hadn't changed at all. She was still the same innocent girl he had met at the convenience store three winters ago.
"Thank you, driver. Happy New Year."
Stepping out of the taxi, Geon-woo took in the sights of Hapjeong.
"What a strange feeling. I didn't know the world could look this beautiful."
It wasn't that long ago when he had visited Hapjeong for a writers' gathering at the end of the year. Back then, the crowded streets and the flashing lights of Hapjeong had seemed entirely gray to him.
But today was different.
It was December 30th, with only two days left in the year. Geon-woo could now see the diverse expressions and rich emotions of the people walking through Hapjeong. The vibrant colors of the bustling streets finally registered in his eyes.
"It was here, right?"
Coincidentally, the venue for this gathering was the exact same party room as before. Geon-woo took the elevator up and stepped inside without much thought.
"Park Geon hyung-nim is here!"
"Hyung-nim, you're here?"
Starting with the two younger writers, Yeong-jae and Seong-do, the writers from their group chat welcomed him in unison.
"Am I a bit late? The traffic was terrible," Geon-woo said, looking around the room.
"W-Writer Park Geon! I'm a huge fan!"
"I'm a fan too! Congratulations on your success!"
"Oh! You're Writer Park Geon, right?!"
There were several writers he was meeting for the first time today.
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I'm Park Geon. And... I just got lucky, really."
"You're so humble too. You're truly my role model!"
"A role model? You flatter me."
Geon-woo simply smiled, though he felt quite bewildered. Most of the writers he was meeting for the first time were looking at him with eyes full of admiration. They were treating him with the kind of caution reserved for a superstar author.
"Writer Park Geon. A lot of writers wanted to meet you, so I invited them over. Well? Now that you see him in person, he's a great guy, right?"
Writer December 32nd boasted proudly about Geon-woo to the newcomers. Then, he turned to Geon-woo.
"How are you feeling? Nervous, Writer Park Geon?"
"I didn't feel it during the filming, but now it's starting to hit me, Hyung-nim."
"Of course you are. We're not celebrities. Who would have ever imagined that web novel writers like us would appear on a major network show?"
Writer December 32nd patted Geon-woo on the shoulder reassuringly.
"Let's sit down first, Hyung-nim."
"Sure. Thanks, Yeong-jae."
Geon-woo took a seat with the other writers. The party room was already decorated with banners and balloons celebrating his appearance on the variety show. Snacks and light drinks were set up on every table.
"Only about an hour left until the broadcast, Hyung-nim."
"Yeah. Phew."
The broadcast of I Live Alone was scheduled for 9:50 PM. With less than an hour remaining, Geon-woo's nervousness grew by the minute.
"Um, Hyung-nim. Is Han Se-rin-ssi by any chance coming today?"
"..."
The room fell dead silent. Every writer who had been eavesdropping on Geon-woo and Yeong-jae's conversation froze.
Han Se-rin of Serazade? That Han Se-rin might actually come here?
"..."
An intense, burning curiosity focused entirely on Geon-woo.