CHAPTER 040:- The Afterglow of the Drama
CHAPTER 040:- The Afterglow of the Drama
“……!”
The person standing there was nothing like the Ryu Sunho they’d seen before.
The fresh, boyish vibe he used to give off—always dressed plainly—was nowhere to be found.
He looked like a refined adult.
And yet it wasn’t overdone.
A calm-toned blouson jacket, moderately wide brown slacks, and loafers that anchored the whole look with weight.
It wasn’t him trying to dress older than his age—just trendy, restrained beauty that stood out.
The reporters each murmured in admiration.
“I thought he just had that pure look, but wow… he’s seriously handsome.”
“This mature vibe suits him so well.”
“Right? Later, if he takes a professional role that gives off a real grown-up aura, he’ll be incredible.”
“Today’s buzz is basically all going to Sunho.”
Watching the scene, a thrilling smile spread across Seo Jiyeon’s lips.
‘Yeah… that’s it. That’s exactly what I saw.’
Not a rookie who sparkles for a moment,
but the beginning of a star who would take the entire spotlight.
She felt a shiver of exhilaration as she sensed, once again, the potential of the rookie she’d “discovered.”
‘Mm. That dopamine hit is insane!’
Even the cheers of the fans crowding in front of the restaurant erupted.
“You’re so handsome!”
“Sunho!”
“I’ll only love Sunho forever!”
“Today’s styling needs to be preserved for life!!”
Ryu Sunho waved back at the fans.
Then one reporter seized the chance and asked,
“Your look today is totally different from usual, and you look amazing. Did you pick it yourself?”
“Ah, thank you. My hyungs and noonas picked it out and bought it for me.”
“Hyungs and noonas?”
“The lead seniors from our drama. They bought it as a birthday gift. I’d like to take this chance to thank them again.”
He bowed deeply, and laughter—like they found him adorable—bubbled up among the reporters.
“Haha, hearing ‘hyung’ and ‘noona’ come out of that face really reminds you he’s young.”
“He must get doted on a lot by seniors at his agency.”
“Of course. He’s a lucky treasure that rolled in out of nowhere.”
“But isn’t he bowing a little too long?”
“Sunho, you can get up now!”
When he finally straightened, his cheeks were slightly red.
“Everyone, you all worked reeeeally hard!”
“You too, Writer!”
“All of us!”
The wrap party dinner was a full-on festival.
In the loud, hyped-up atmosphere, Director Chae Wongi took the mic.
“Ahem—looks like everyone’s eaten a bit, so I should run the program. First of all, let’s all clap for our drama’s successful ratings!”
“Woooooo!”
Everyone patted each other’s shoulders and celebrated warmly.
“And this—man, I’m only giving this now.”
Director Chae pulled out ten crumpled 50,000-won bills from his pocket.
“What’s that?”
“The prize money for the first-episode ratings bet!”
“Ah! Right!”
“I got it wrong, so I totally forgot.”
“Who was it? Who got it right?”
As everyone tried to remember, Director Chae shouted,
“The main character—Actor Ryu, who nailed 10% exactly!”
“Woooooo!”
“Wait, Sunho guessed it?”
While everyone clapped, some people started heckling.
Of course, not me—him.
“No, but the first episode aired over two months ago!”
“You weren’t trying to pretend you forgot and swallow it, were you?”
“What do you take me for!”
“Since you’re late, pay interest!”
“Yeah. Pay him interest!”
At someone’s shout, Director Chae glanced around and eventually pulled two more 50,000-won bills from his pocket.
“Ah, whatever! I’m feeling it! Add 100,000 won interest—600,000 won!”
“Woooooo!”
I’d forgotten too.
Nice assist.
It was way more money than what I spent buying gifts for the team.
I’d been dieting because of my role in ‘ ’, so it was a shame I couldn’t eat the free beef—
but having unexpected cash made the hunger feel like it eased a little.
After the writer and director shared their thoughts, they called the actors up to the front.
“Alright, alright—actors, come up to the front.”
That’s probably just for the leads, right?
“Actor Ryu, you too—come on!”
Nope.
Since they called me, I hurried up.
It was time to give brief remarks one by one in front of all the staff.
“Alright, then—Juwon first.”
“A few months ago, someone died. And that someone was the lazy Park Juwon—”
“Just the first verse, man. How long are you going to milk it?”
“Heh heh… To all the actors and staff we worked with, you all worked so hard. Thank you!”
Laughter and applause burst out.
Then—
“Thanks to this project, I even went to a shaman academy and had lots of new experiences. Thank you, everyone.”
Seo Yoonha gave her light remarks too.
After the other actors each said a word, it was my turn.
No need to make it grand.
No need to drag it out and cry.
Short and strong.
Just say thank you in a way that fit this place.
I recalled a line Kang Seoho had said in episode one—
before he “darkened,” when he met Detective Han Jaeyoon as a firefighter.
“Do you know what kind of person the one I respect is?”
Among the people looking confused, Writer Park Eunju recognized the line and shouted,
“A person who stands in front of the fire?!”
“That’s right. But now, stepping away from Kang Seoho and speaking as actor Ryu Sunho…”
I looked at the staff in front of me and said,
“The person I respect is the production crew who always stands in front of us for the sake of a good drama. Thanks to you, I could be part of a great project as an actor. Thank you.”
【Trait: Wave of Sincerity (B-Rank) activates.】
【Sincerity is amplified by 20% and conveyed.】
“Yeeaah!”
“Great line!”
“Better than the director!”
“Who just said that?!”
“Hahaha!”
Clap clap clap clap.
Applause and cheers exploded,
and some staff even wiped at their eyes like they were choked up.
Then came the cake-cutting.
Worthy of the drama’s record-breaking success, a massive three-tier cake appeared.
Twenty-five candles were stuck in it, symbolizing the peak rating of 25%.
And just as they were about to light them—
“Fire, fire!”
“Our Seoho’s the fire expert!”
The staff called for me with teasing faces.
Then I had to play along.
I took the lighter and gave a chilling smile.
Click—
“Even the cake has to burn.”
“Kahahahaha!”
Laughter filled the restaurant.
Meanwhile, around the same time.
In a shabby old spot in Jongno, Seoul,
Director Baek Junbong and Bae Seonggeon were clinking glasses.
They’d clashed countless times while making films, but with stubborn dedication to their work and similar values, they’d become close friends.
“Man, it’s this hard just to see your face once. You been well?”
“You should’ve called first, Director. I’m always the same.”
“Of course. You’re always holed up on a theater stage, hah!”
As they caught up after a long time, Bae Seonggeon abruptly brought something up.
“Recently, I saw a friend who really shines.”
Baek Junbong’s eyes lit with curiosity.
It was unprecedented for praise of another actor to come out of Bae Seonggeon’s mouth.
“This is the first time I’ve heard you say that. What kind of kid is he?”
“Truly, he didn’t feel like the young actors these days. He let his emotions burst without exaggeration—no, he emptied it out and still filled the space completely. It was depth you don’t see at that age.”
“Hearing you talk like that, he must be young. A born talent, then!”
“Talent, yes—but he also didn’t seem like someone who neglects effort.”
Baek Junbong nodded, intrigued.
Then, suddenly, one face crossed his mind.
His mouth itched to talk about a memorable rookie he’d seen recently too.
“I saw an interesting kid on a drama set not long ago. A rookie, they said, but his eyes were alive. He looked empty, but inside he carried hell. He changed the air on set in an instant.”
“There’s a rookie like that?”
“There is. Looks gentle on the outside, but you can’t tell what’s inside him. A handsome kid doing chilling acting. He debuted only a few months ago, but rumors are already spreading everywhere. They said he delivered a truly impressive villain.”
Bae Seonggeon set down his glass.
For some reason, Baek Junbong’s words felt strangely familiar.
“What’s the title of that drama, by any chance?”
“Since when do you care about dramas? It’s called ‘ ’.”
Bae Seonggeon’s eyes narrowed.
With absolute certainty, he asked,
“…Is that actor’s name Ryu Sunho?”
This time, Baek Junbong’s eyes widened.
“Oh? How do you know that kid?”
“He’s the kid I was talking about.”
“Huh? Does Ryu Sunho show his face in the theater world too?”
“No. I saw him on a film set.”
“What? A film? You’re acting in a film?”
Only then did Bae Seonggeon explain how he’d come to join ‘ ’.
He owed Director Ji Seongwoo a debt, and he liked the script, so he decided to do it.
“Man, Ji Seongwoo is my disciple.”
“Ah, is that so? Then you should’ve told me earlier.”
“I didn’t even know you were acting in it—how would I tell you?”
They stared at each other for a beat, then burst out laughing.
“Seriously—people say the world’s small! And we were talking about the same kid like blind men feeling an elephant.”
“Exactly. I almost retired thinking there were two monster rookies like that.”
“And I almost ran straight to the theater to watch you perform.”
After laughing and clinking glasses for a while, Baek Junbong suddenly asked with a serious face,
“But Ryu Sunho is starring in ‘ ’?”
“Yes. As the lead.”
Baek Junbong’s eyes gleamed with interest.
He’d heard another disciple of his, Director Yoon Gyeonghwan, had also offered Ryu Sunho a lead role.
But Ryu Sunho rejected that and chose Ji Seongwoo’s project instead?
He turned down a proven box-office director’s offer and picked a rookie director who hadn’t even made his debut?
‘This kid is really interesting.’
Baek Junbong had read both Ji Seongwoo’s ‘ ’ and Yoon Gyeonghwan’s ‘ ’.
As their teacher, he’d given script feedback.
In his judgment, Yoon Gyeonghwan’s film was stable and a perfectly decent commercial movie.
Ji Seongwoo’s, on the other hand, carried risk.
If it hit, it had explosive potential—but the acting difficulty was too high.
Especially for the protagonist, “Jeong Dogyun.”
With multiple genre shifts and a black comedy tone, if the actor couldn’t anchor the center, the whole film could become confusing and childish.
So he thought casting was the biggest key point—
and now he was hearing that the hard role had gone to Ryu Sunho.
‘That kid is playing that demanding role?’
A rare deep smile formed at the corner of Baek Junbong’s mouth.
And along with it, a vague sense of anticipation.
If that kid pulled it off—
maybe he could even be entrusted with that role in the script Baek had left unfinished for so long.
“Heh. I’m really looking forward to that film.”
The next day,
online communities were on fire with wrap party talk.
People who still couldn’t shake off the drama’s afterglow were hunting for traces of it.
And even for non-fans, since it had been the biggest hit of the year, the public’s attention was still on ‘ ’.
Among the popular posts, the one with the most views and comments was the actors’ wrap party photos.
And the photo of Ryu Sunho standing between the two lead actors got an explosive response.
“Holy shit… insane.”
“His face is literally glowing.”
“That’s a face that snaps your eyes wide open.”
“Preserve today’s styling for life, please.”
“Honestly, the styling before wasn’t bad, but this kind of grown-up vibe is really good sometimes.”
└Not too often—just sometimes dress him like this.
└Yeah, for real. Ryu Sunho should milk the fresh, clean image while he can. You can’t do that when you get older.
While the praise continued,
a photo of him warmly posing with Actress Park Dusim also became a hot topic.
“LOL they’re basically like mother and son.”
“Looks like Park Dusim gave birth to Ryu Sunho, lol.”
“In the drama they were mortal enemies, but here it’s just wholesome and nice.”
“Park Dusim in casual clothes—I wouldn’t recognize her at all. She’s so hip.”
“But Park Dusim really seems to cherish him.”
└Makes sense. They both acted their hearts out and made a legendary scene.
└He’s definitely going on Park Dusim’s list of cherished juniors, lol.
People had fun with the gap between the drama relationship and real life.
They kept sniffing around for wrap party “fuel” like hyenas.
And eventually, some netizen found and shared a video clip from the wrap party that a drama staff member had posted on Instagram.
[Possessed Investigation wrap party video lolㅋㅋㅋ Ryu Sunho is hilarious]
“LOL he’s using the drama lines so well.”
“Ryu Sunho must really love the dramaㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ You can tell because he still remembers all the lines.”
“When he gives his remarks to the staff, he moves people with the pre-darkening version, then when he lights the cake he does the darkened expressionㅋㅋㅋㅋ so playful.”
“So much senseㅋㅋㅋㅋ the other actors are all smiling warmly watching him too.”
“If I were there, I’d be watching with a mom smile tooㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“But he’s seriously a good kid. Not arrogant at all, and he sensibly says it’s thanks to the staff.”
“Watched this and fell for Ryu Sunho… I’m completely hooked.”
└Sunho-ism is open to you.
└There is no exit.
Ryu Sunho’s favorability was steadily piling up.
A few days later.
I headed to the TvM broadcasting station.
It was the day of my variety show meeting with PD Yeom Jaeho’s team.
While riding in the car,
a notification suddenly popped up.
【Goal achieved: Favorability 30 achieved!】
【Reward granted: Stat Point +1】
Oh?
Favorability 30, achieved all of a sudden.
I hadn’t really done anything.
Was it because of the wrap party?
Then—
【Favorability 30 achieved, ripple effect is unlocked】
【Achievement unlocked: Ripple Effect 10 achieved!】
With the message that ripple effect had been unlocked, another notification said I’d reached ripple effect 10.
And a new reward appeared.
【Aura Formation: LV.1 Aura That Stops Eyes】
【Captures people’s gaze for a brief moment】
…Huh?
An actor’s aura was born.