The Price of Fame
In front of the model home where MG Construction’s apartment commercial was being filmed, a vehicle slowly eased to a stop at the entrance drive.
Through the tinted windows, the glass-walled model home and its meticulously trimmed landscaping came into view at a glance.
A staff member waiting beside a parking sign signaled into a walkie-talkie, and the car turned slowly, gliding into the lot.
The area around the building was already packed with people.
Men and women in ordinary clothes stood in small clusters, and when they were in conversation, their attention all at once shifted toward our car.
Even though they couldn’t possibly see inside, they reacted immediately.
“Uh, hyung. Didn’t they say today’s schedule wouldn’t leave the studio?”
“Yeah. Not exactly. I heard all those people are MG Construction staff. They’re also doing a family invitation event.”
From the driver’s seat, Hwang Dong-jun spoke as he steered into the designated parking spot.
From the back seat, Team Leader Ju Tae-hwan nudged my shoulder.
“Wow, Seo-jun really is something. They all came out here just to see our actor shoot an ad, didn’t they? This is practically a fan meeting.”
“But maybe they came to see Hong Yoon-hwa.”
At my words, Hwang Dong-jun gave a short snort.
Still holding the door handle, Ju Tae-hwan shook his head lightly.
“No way. This is Hong Yoon-hwa’s first commercial. In terms of name value, you’re definitely way above her.”
I turned away from Ju Tae-hwan as he opened the car door and stepped out.
I’d just reached for the passenger-side handle when the door opened smoothly before my fingers could even touch it.
Looking outside, I saw a man standing there in a suit.
As if he were keeping to proper etiquette, he had stepped aside politely beside the door and bowed his head.
Wow… the service here really is good.
So this was what it meant to be treated according to your name value.
From now on, this sort of reception would only become more natural.
Standing before me as I got out of the car was a middle-aged woman wearing a flamboyant floral dress.
A glittering necklace and the heavy scent of perfume changed the air in an instant.
“Actor Han Seo-jun, welcome.”
The woman smiled brightly and held out her hand.
I dipped my head briefly and took it.
“Hello.”
“You’re really dazzlingly handsome~. But you don’t take after your father at all, do you?”
For a moment, the smile at the corner of her lips felt strange.
It sounded like a joke, but there was something subtle buried in the tone.
“I heard you had an ad shoot today, so I came in place of our busy chairman.”
“...It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Don’t take after my father at all?
It sounded like a casual remark, but for some reason it left a cold feeling behind it.
A red runner had been laid from the parking area to the model home entrance.
It reminded me of the red carpet on the steps at Cannes.
As she walked ahead of me, the people split to either side like the Red Sea, bowing their upper bodies ninety degrees toward her in greeting.
She climbed the steps and entered the model home.
When she looked back at me, a faint smile spread across her lips.
So that was it. I’d thought the crowd had gathered to see me.
But it seemed the company had mobilized employees on behalf of the chairman’s wife.
“Well then...”
As she turned her elegant gaze away, the man who had been waiting hurried over and said in a low voice, “Madam, this way, please.”
Following him, she settled comfortably onto a luxurious sofa.
In an instant, four cameramen surrounded her, and one of them pointed at me as he said, “Please stand behind Madam and give us one soft smile... Yes, just like that.”
“....!”
“And this time, let’s do a shot where you hand the bouquet to Madam.”
A staff member waiting nearby placed a bouquet in my hands.
Ha…!
Right. Well, this was a major corporation’s ad shoot, so this sort of thing was probably standard practice.
In the end, under the name of “commercial filming,” a mini pictorial for the chairman’s wife wrapped up first.
A woman who had been quietly observing the situation from the side approached and said in a low voice, “Madam, for this advertisement interview...”
“Is it really necessary?”
Her gaze shifted slightly.
“....!”
“Let’s do it the way we did last time. Something dignified for the article. Nobody reads it anyway, but still—make it look good.”
“Understood, Madam.”
As she rose from her seat, her entourage moved in unison with practiced precision.
Just like that, as if the ritual had come to an end, the madam left the model home and gave me a light wave.
Only then did the shoot team’s leader check the time.
“Good. What we just filmed is for the article. Hong Yoon-hwa should be arriving any minute now. Once she’s inside, we’ll start the rehearsal right away.”
As if it were only a routine process, he glanced at me.
Wow…
Even when I was gaining popularity as Do Hyun-woo, I filmed a few commercials, but nothing like this had ever happened.
My head felt oddly light and dizzy.
Even Ju Tae-hwan, who’d turned to leave, looked like he was taking it all in stride.
Still, this came with an initial contract fee of 400 million won, plus extras, and it was my first commercial since becoming Han Seo-jun, so I swallowed my shock with good grace.
And that line about me not taking after my father at all—didn’t that mean they had at least some sort of connection?
I should probably find out what that was about.
A faint commotion drifted in from outside the model home.
Then a man came in and shouted to us, “Hong Yoon-hwa has arrived.”
4th Floor, Studio 402, at the MBS headquarters.
It was a huge studio in Sangam-dong that was used exclusively for entertainment programs.
What brushed the tip of Shin Yeon-ho’s nose as he entered was the studio’s familiar heat from the lights and the faint smell of electricity.
Above his head, a black camera monorail slid past between the long rows of rigging, making a soft shhh sound as it moved.
He had arrived an hour earlier than his scheduled call time.
That was because, before the main rehearsal, he was supposed to run through things with Lee Hwa-young first.
“Haah...”
Looking around the studio, Shin Yeon-ho let out a deep sigh.
No matter how hard he struggled, he knew he had to shed the shell of being a “singer” now.
From here on out, he had no choice but to take his first steps as an actor.
After the incident in the practice room, he had been driven even further into a corner.
The company had gone beyond a warning and made it clear that if he caused anything similar again, he would be out immediately.
Which meant the penalty he’d have to pay back would be of a level he could hardly even imagine.
In the end, he had realized it again.
He was nothing more than a dog trained to obey.
Thanks to that, he’d gotten a crystal-clear understanding of his place.
President Han Gwang-cheol would secure the role for the drama he’d been assigned.
And he would have to make that role work, one way or another.
Cold sweat dampened his palms.
He had spent years at the height of popularity as an idol to the young, so getting cast shouldn’t be all that difficult.
Setting his acting ability aside, just his appearance alone would draw a crowd.
That kind of publicity effect was enormous, so even if he wasn’t the lead, he figured a decent supporting role would come easily enough.
He had started private acting lessons with Kim Hyun-taek, whom the company had arranged for him.
But was acting really something that simple?
If it were, the phrase “terrible acting” wouldn’t exist in the first place.
One of the variety show questions required him to do an impromptu skit.
For that, he had prepared a short bit of acting, just under a minute long, and he had already sent the script to Lee Hwa-young, who would be playing the other part.
The problem came after that.
Throwing away his own self and becoming someone else entirely.
Not only was that impossible, but even memorizing the lines was a struggle right now.
He had practiced like a madman, but the anxiety remained.
So he had contacted Lee Hwa-young.
He wanted to match their timing at least once before the main rehearsal.
He would give it his all as if his life depended on it, so please treat him like a pitiful junior and push him as hard as she liked.
Lost in those helpless thoughts, he turned around, and at the far end of the hallway opposite him, Lee Hwa-young came into view.
She carried herself with a proud, self-assured expression, and her catwalk-like stride seemed to radiate pure charisma.
If this were the music industry, he would have been the top dog, but now she was such a distant senior that he could barely bring himself to look at her properly.
The murderous glare that brushed past him was enough to make Shin Yeon-ho bow his head automatically.
“...Hello.”
“I’m glad you didn’t keep me waiting.”
Lee Hwa-young’s lips curled crookedly.
“Come with me. We’ll rehearse the parts we need to match before we go in.”
“Yes!”
She gave a signal to the manager following behind her.
It meant to go back and wait.
When he looked away from the manager turning back, all Shin Yeon-ho could see was Lee Hwa-young’s retreating back as she moved farther away.
Almost at a run, he hurried after her so he wouldn’t lose sight of her.
Inside a modest waiting room.
Lee Hwa-young threw off her coat and turned around.
Shin Yeon-ho, standing by the door and looking at a loss, entered her line of sight.
Seeing his rigid expression, the corner of her mouth slowly lifted.
“Have you memorized all your lines?”
“...Yes. Like a madman. I didn’t miss a single word.”
“Oh, I’ll give you that much. The passion’s there.”
Lee Hwa-young let out a dry laugh.
In truth, from the moment she had received the short script he’d sent, she had already been speechless.
Most of the dialogue was hers.
Shin Yeon-ho only had short responses like “yes,” “no,” and “is that so?”
There was no way Lee Hwa-young would just let that pass.
She had completely rewritten the story line.
Still, not enough to be beyond his ability to handle.
It was easy enough to predict that his fandom would not sit still if they could claim she’d “taken all the easy parts for herself and burdened the rookie Shin Yeon-ho with the rest.”
Watching him rub his palms together with both hands, Lee Hwa-young spoke.
“You’re pretty nervous, aren’t you?”
“...Yes. Having to act in front of a camera is really putting pressure on me. Hehe.”
“Everyone is at first.”
With a slight lift at one corner of her mouth, she pointed to his right hand.
What caught her attention was the black half-glove of leather he wore on only one hand.
“What’s that supposed to be? A costume concept?”
“Ah, this? Well... I’ve been learning a bit of boxing lately, and I got a very slight injury.”
“Boxing?”
“Yeah. I figured learning anything might help, so. Hehe.”
At his grinning expression, Lee Hwa-young’s brow twitched slightly.
“Hmm... Fine. Let’s start by matching the acting.”
“Yes!”
His grin only deepened, and Lee Hwa-young’s brow furrowed a little more.
After nodding, Shin Yeon-ho quietly turned his back to her and stood there.
Then, slowly turning his head over his shoulder to look back at Lee Hwa-young, he opened his mouth.
“Dun’t huhld me bck. You think I’ll just walk away?”
“....!”
Lee Hwa-young’s face twisted at once.
Arms crossed, she stared at him fixedly, and the corner of her lips twitched.
“Shin Yeon-ho.”
“Yes?”
“I haven’t grabbed you yet. You’re supposed to grab my elbow before you say that line.”
“Ah…! Ah, yes. Sorry.”
“And what is that pronunciation? You speak normally just fine.”
“Well... when I try to act, I get n-nervous.”
“Oh, I see.”
Lee Hwa-young uncrossed her arms and walked over to her bag.
“Want a calming pill? I’ve got a spare one with me...”
“No. Actually, I already took one before coming up here. But...”
He hesitated, and Lee Hwa-young raised an eyebrow.
“But what?”
“You don’t seem like you’d need one, senior, but you said you carry them around...”
“That? It’s not for me.”
“....?”
“The actors I work with tend to get too nervous. I keep one around to give them when that happens.”
“Ah, yes...”
“All right, then. Again. Take a deep breath, and let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
But no matter how many times they repeated it, the result was equally disastrous.
His pronunciation tangled the moment they began, his gaze wavered, and his body movements turned clumsy and panicked.
Lee Hwa-young bit down on her lip over and over before finally letting out a sigh.
“Haaah... honestly.”
Turning around, she rummaged through her bag while grumbling to herself.
Shin Yeon-ho watched her blankly.
“Shin Yeon-ho.”
“Yes?”
“The program we’re going on is a variety show, right?”
“W-well, yes.”
“Then let’s just have fun with it. It’s only rehearsal—what’s the big deal?”
She pulled out a small bottle from her hand.
Inside the transparent container, a black liquid sloshed about.
“Take just one sip. Let’s loosen up a little.”
“What... is that?”
“It’s a secret.”
Lee Hwa-young gave him a playful wink.