Wish Coupon
My remaining scenes for the day were almost wrapped. All that was left was the final sequence with the two newly added rookies. The sun had already gone down, and a dark night had settled over the set.
"Hitting the lights!"
A sharp pop rang out as the lights blazed to life, flooding the darkened set and signaling, at last, the start of the final shoot.
"Hahh... hahh..."
A deep, shaky breathing had been coming from beside me for a while now. Yuwol was trembling with nerves before her first real take. I gave her shoulder a reassuring pat.
"Don't tense up so much. Just think of it like going live. Pretend that thing's a cam, and everyone here is your chat. Easy."
"If it were as easy as you make it sound, I wouldn't be shaking like this."
Was that so? I had shaken just as badly at the start, swallowed up by the same anxiety. What if I mess up? What if I NG? They won't tear into me for being a rookie... right? In the end, though, that tension was what made me stronger.
"Then how about this?"
"H-how about what?"
I met the eyes of a woman shaking harder than she ever had before an exam, and took her hand.
"If you can wrap this shoot in three NGs, I'll grant you any wish you want."
"A w-wish? You know what you're saying, right?"
Of course I did. A Wish Coupon was the ultimate gift you could give a streamer — something they could cash in anytime for a collab hook, or something deeply personal. The best present the recipient could receive, and the worst the giver could offer.
"You're offering a Wish Coupon even knowing that? What if I wish for something weird?"
People who were actually close never wished for anything weird. Most of the time it was a collab, or covering for someone in a pinch, that sort of thing.
"If it were Tsuki, she'd ask me to marry her, right?"
"If you know that—"
"Exactly. So all you have to do is go over three NGs. Honestly, I racked up a ton of them on my first shoot. A first-timer who never properly studied acting, finishing in under three NGs? That would mean..."
I didn't even need to think about it.
"You'd have to quit streaming and walk the actor's path."
I said it firmly.
"It's that serious? Hahh... All right. I'll put a Wish Coupon on the line and give it a shot."
Yuwol clenched her fist a little and set her expression.
Meanwhile, Choi Wooseok, who had been staring straight at us, tapped Kim Woojin on the arm.
"Why don't you ask her for a Wish Coupon too?"
"A Wish Coupon? Why would I?"
"Why do you think..."
Choi Wooseok looked at his closest friend and let out a quiet sigh.
What am I supposed to do with this dense, hopeless mortal.
Anyone with eyes could tell Jiwoo had zero interest in dating. At school, on stream, and probably in every place they didn't know about either. Her head was packed so full of work, streaming, work, streaming that there was barely a sliver of room left for anything else.
Still, if Woojin never made a move, that oblivious Jiwoo would never realize he had feelings for her at all.
Should I just step in myself?
Choi Wooseok shook his head. One wrong move and he could lose a friend. No — both of them. Too risky.
"Guess there's no helping it."
He decided to leave it alone. The situation was entertaining enough as it was, and he was curious who would catch on first.
"Hey. Hang in there."
Choi Wooseok patted Kim Woojin on the shoulder.
"??"
The shoot began with Yuwol bursting onto the set and running straight toward me.
"High~ Cue!"
Footsteps pounded from the far end of the set as Yuwol, dressed in a nun's habit, came running in.
"Sister Teresa! I... I can do it too. So please, give me a chance this time. Let me be the one."
"A chance? I don't follow. Explain yourself properly."
"I... I want to remove society's trash, the way you do, Sister Teresa."
Teresa looked at the little lamb standing before her and let out a faint sigh. She could see only what was in front of her eyes. She had no idea how to look at what lay inside. That would not do.
"The work I do is not simply taking out the trash. It is guiding them to God so they may walk the right path next time. Your spiritual training is still lacking."
"I can too!"
"If you raise your voice, you will startle the Lord."
The novice nun clenched a small fist and widened her eyes.
Ah... this was bad. The novice nun was not supposed to widen her eyes here. She was supposed to pretend she understood. To accept the moment as it was. And sure enough, as if to prove me right—
"Cut! You can't widen your eyes there! We'll go again!"
Director Shin Yeomyeong had thought the same thing I had.
"Ah..."
Just like that, one of her chances was gone. Yuwol's face darkened for only a second.
Smack!
"Still two left."
She reset her thoughts and pulled herself together.
"Going again!"
The second take started from the running entrance. And once again, without fail, she widened her eyes.
"Cut!"
The NG call rang out.
"You're too worked up right now. I think you need to loosen your heart a little."
"Loosen it? How?"
"Hmm... start by taking a really big breath. Think about nothing except breathing, as big as you can, and forget everything else."
"I'll try."
Yuwol drew in a huge breath and let it out, over and over. This was a night scene anyway — as long as they finished before sunrise, they were fine.
While she settled her breathing, I glanced over at Kim Woojin. He'd been standing there in a daze for a while, like his mind had gone somewhere else entirely.
"What are you doing? We're about to roll again. Get your head in the game."
"Already? She doesn't look recovered yet."
"No, she's almost there."
The words were barely out of my mouth when Yuwol finished pulling herself together.
"I'm ready. Let's go one more time!"
I hadn't spent the last few months living with the members for nothing. I'd mapped out everything they liked, their styles, even their personalities, and by now I could calculate exactly which action would come at which moment. Thanks to that, I should have been able to sneak midnight snacks while reading the room. And yet lately I kept getting caught eating cookies at night.
Did someone install a CCTV in my room?
I still had no idea that just as I had figured out the members, they had figured me out too.
"She looks ready, so you give it your all too. Once this is over, I'll buy you a meal."
"...A meal?"
"What, you don't like food? Then something else—"
"No, I mean you don't have to buy me food. And I've been dieting lately, so I can't even eat properly."
"...What?"
How could a person not eat? Even when you were sick, you had to eat if you wanted to get better fast. He was already skinny enough that if he dieted any further, there'd be nothing left but bones.
"You're going to die."
"I'm not going to die. And I'm not trying to lose weight. I'm managing my body so I photograph well on camera."
"So you'll look good on camera? Why would you do that?"
Click.
I pulled out my phone and snapped a selfie.
"See? I just snapped this and it still looks great."
"That's because you're..."
Kim Woojin started to say something and shut his mouth.
"I'm what? Why'd you stop halfway?"
"I-it's nothing. Let's just shoot."
"You're no fun. Anyway, we can just go somewhere you can eat, right? There's a good salad place near the dorm. Let's get that. Salad's fine, isn't it? Okay, that settles it. See you then!"
If I gave him a choice, he'd bounce again. I talked fast, never giving Kim Woojin a chance to answer, and locked in the promise.
Watching me walk away, Kim Woojin sank into thought.
"This is... a date, isn't it?"
"What are you doing?"
The voice came from right beside him. Kim Woojin furrowed his brow.
"What, you weren't just thinking that? More importantly — she asked you out? Don't tell me Jiwoo actually—"
"Cut the crap. I've got to go shoot. Watch the stream from here or something."
"You sulking? Your voice just went all stiff."
"Who's sulking."
He was totally sulking. Choi Wooseok watched his friend's sulk and let out a little snort. Lately he kept getting to see sides of his friend that never would have shown themselves before, and he was having way too much fun.
"So you're not going on the date?"
"...Who said I wasn't. And it's not a date."
"Sure. Think whatever you want."
Kim Woojin let Choi Wooseok's words go in one ear and out the other and stepped onto the set.
"Okay! Cut!"
An okay on the third take. I genuinely had not dreamed she would get one within three NGs. Maybe Yuwol actually had a talent for acting. So I asked.
"Have you ever thought about acting?"
"Acting? I don't know. Streaming keeps me busy enough. Though shooting this has been fun... Yeah. Streaming's still what I love most. Even if I did act."
Yuwol looked straight at me and went on.
"I think I'd like to pop in now and then, whenever you're playing the lead."
The way she wanted to stay by my side even on set made me smile. The members really liked me too much for their own good.
"You worked hard too. Tomorrow... no, the day after tomorrow, I'll call you. Come out. I'll buy you salad."
"You really don't have to."
"Forget it. Without your help, who knows when today's shoot would've wrapped. We finished early thanks to you, so this is the least I can do. And earlier the director gave me a gift card to thank you and Yuwol. I'm planning to take her out for something good with it."
Kim Woojin felt a twinge of unease at that.
"Is she... coming with us too?"
"Huh? Of course she is."
Why would he ask something so obvious? I tilted my head.
"Ah..."
Kim Woojin let out a sigh.
Meanwhile, somewhere else.
"Oh... so that's how it is."
"Right. Think you could help out a little?"
"Hmm... Jiwoo's feelings come first for me. But if she doesn't mind, I'll help."
"That's more than enough."
Choi Wooseok and Lee Yuwol. The two of them were cooking up something strange.