I Appeared on the Show
“Why do you look so surprised? Isn’t it more reliable if I say it myself?”
“That’s true, but… don’t you usually avoid filming things like this?”
Among all actors, Cha Soyeon was one of the hardest to see on variety shows. With her sharp eye for scripts and an almost flawless record of hits, she had no need to appear on entertainment programs just to promote herself. If Cha Soyeon joined a project, both ratings and box office success were practically guaranteed, so neither her agency nor production companies bothered pushing her. And yet here she was, agreeing to appear in a failing idol group’s YouTube video.
Once it aired, the buzz would be enormous, but I couldn’t help wondering if this was really okay. The company might hate this more than exposing their shabby dorm.
“I just don’t want to waste the energy I could be using for acting. It’s not that I dislike variety shows.”
“So it’s okay to waste it here?”
“It’ll satisfy my curiosity, so this much is fine.”
“Curiosity?”
“It’s personal, so don’t bother trying to figure it out. Are you going to tell me the moving date or not?”
It didn’t seem wise to press further, so I gave her the date. I added that if she insisted on coming, even the chairman wouldn’t be able to stop her, so there was no need to worry. It felt like she could read my mind.
The day of the move—
The place was undeniably old and cramped, but it didn’t feel dirty. Yeoreum had packed up their belongings exactly as I’d asked, making sure it didn’t look too staged.
“You might think, ‘What kind of girl group dorm is this?’ but this is pretty normal for Red Blossom. Still, we tried to keep it clean, so it shouldn’t be too unpleasant to look at. The layout makes it narrow no matter what…”
Yeoreum and Lina walked around like they were hosting a home tour show while the camera followed their every move. Just like the senior manager had said, the PD and cameraman looked completely used to this kind of situation.
“It’s a shame. I really thought the second album would do well…”
I caught the PD muttering to himself and chimed in from behind.
“It will with the next one. I’ll keep asking for your help, so please make this video turn out great.”
“Wait, Red Blossom is making a comeback?”
“Within three months.”
I had ears too. I’d heard all the rumors floating around the company. Word was that a major reorganization—including the disbandment of several teams—was only three months away. That was the time we’d been given.
It took about an hour to gather everyone’s luggage, pack up their clothes, and load everything into the truck. The real estate agent said he’d handle the rest, so all we had to do was show up. After texting Cha Soyeon, we headed toward the new dorm.
I didn’t tell the girls she was coming. I wanted to capture their genuine reactions.
*
“Kyaaaaah! Unnie! I’m a huge fan of yours!”
Lina let out a dolphin-like shriek and sprinted toward Cha Soyeon.
“C-Cha Soyeon…”
Even Sera, who rarely got surprised, stood there with her mouth wide open, pointing at her.
“No… way.”
Yeoreum dropped the bag she was holding and froze on the spot.
“Holy crap, it really is Cha Soyeon!”
The friend holding the camera got even more excited. Well, opportunities to film Cha Soyeon this close up didn’t come often. She was wearing a casual shirt, jeans, and a loosely draped trench coat, yet she still glowed. Her inherently luxurious image made her look like a goddess no matter what she wore. So this was why everyone kept saying her name.
“Your jaw’s gonna drop.”
Yeoreum, back to her usual self, came over and pouted.
“You’re not falling behind at all, so stop it.”
“Pfft, sure, whatever.”
She had started off treating me very professionally, but now the distance between us had almost completely vanished. She seemed to believe that I was truly sincere about Red Blossom.
Cha Soyeon, having spotted us, walked over.
“Ah, hello.”
A flustered Yeoreum stepped back and bowed.
“You really are beautiful.”
“Pardon?”
“Can I speak casually with you?”
Cha Soyeon was two years younger than me and three years older than Yeoreum.
“O-Of course.”
“Call me unnie. Let’s get along well from now on.”
With that, she gave her a light hug. Yeoreum’s eyes went perfectly round and she froze again.
*
The PD and cameraman followed the four girls with looks of admiration. The initial awkwardness at the entrance vanished completely, and the four of them chattered away like sisters as they toured the place. The Red Blossom members had always been expressive, but Cha Soyeon’s transformation in front of the camera was so dramatic that I was left speechless.
What was that expressionless face I saw back then? She’s someone who can smile and talk like this?
[It's fascinating.]
'What is?'
[That child is acting out every single emotion.]
'Acting out... emotions?'
[When God created humans and granted them emotions, He established ideal standards. Joy, sorrow, anger, despair, jealousy, compassion... He created the most perfect benchmarks and then distributed appropriate portions to humanity. The emotions that child displays are the closest to those perfect standards.]
I couldn’t understand it. Weren’t emotions something you felt yourself? Actors simply amplified those feelings through performance.
[That child's emotions are empty. Right now, that smiling face is the result of her will to feel joy, so she is performing it. But that performance... is simply too perfect.]
I looked at Cha Soyeon again. She was laughing brightly, and just watching her made me feel joy by association. But that was all acting?
*
“Unnie, can I ask you something?”
Yeoreum took Cha Soyeon’s hand and spoke.
“Sure.”
“When our manager asked you to help with our dorm, why did you agree?”
“What do you mean?”
“You have no connection to us. Yet you went out of your way to find us such a nice place just because our manager asked… I just don’t understand why.”
“You might not know this, but I felt like I could trust what Juwon said.”
“Our manager?”
“You know he saved me in the parking lot, right?”
“Yes.”
“I was so out of it that I couldn’t even thank him properly at the time, but when I watched the CCTV later, I realized how incredibly dangerous it was. Some man came running at me with a knife this big, and Juwon stopped him with his bare body.”
Cha Soyeon gestured with her hands to show the size of the knife.
“Really?”
“You girls haven’t seen the CCTV footage? I’ll show you.”
She manipulated the tablet and played the video. It was the CCTV footage the Divine Spirit had edited to look like an action movie. Lina kept saying “unbelievable,” Sera covered her mouth, and Yeoreum stared back and forth between the screen and me with a dazed expression. It wasn’t a broadcast reaction—it was genuine shock.
The cameraman moved in close, alternating between the tablet screen and the girls’ faces. Everything lined up perfectly, as if the movements had been choreographed in advance. Come to think of it, Cha Soyeon had never discussed how she wanted it filmed.
The directing feels way too heavy-handed.
I had asked her to reveal that she was the one who got us the new dorm. That way, once the video was released, there wouldn’t be any backlash. But right now, she was going further—showing the CCTV and emphasizing my heroic act. The fact that I had saved her was true, but this extra flair was completely unnecessary.
I was about to stop the filming when the PD came over and whispered in my ear.
“Soyeon asked us to film it this way.”
“There’s no need to show the CCTV. The reactions are too exaggerated too. Let’s pause and reshoot.”
“Soyeon specifically told us to film it exactly like this. She said not to cut in the middle.”
“You keep talking about Soyeon this, Soyeon that—who exactly is in charge of this project? I’m the one paying.”
“We don’t need your money anymore. Earlier, Soyeon offered five times as much.”
This bastard. He switched clients just like that?
“Please step aside. From now on, the client is Soyeon.”
Just like that, control of the camera had completely shifted to Cha Soyeon.
“So I told him I’d give him a sports car or a luxury apartment. Compared to the value of my life, that was pocket change, right?”
“Right.”
“Then he asked me to change your dorm instead. No matter how much of a failure the group is, a girl group shouldn’t be living in a place like that. When I heard that, I was moved. I thought, ‘So there really are managers like this.’”
This was the same woman who said she didn’t want to waste energy she could use for acting and therefore refused variety shows. Yet here she was, appearing on a random YouTube video and pouring every ounce of that energy into hyping me up. I had no idea what kind of sorcery this was.
Every time the nation’s beloved actress testified to my heroic deeds, the three girl group members clapped like seals in pure. The camera captured the scene from every angle like it was filming a documentary. I didn’t know what orders Cha Soyeon had given, but the crew was clearly putting in extra effort. And so the four beautiful women created a stage where they praised me without noticing how much time had passed.
*
“This is completely different from what you said yesterday. Why are you going so overboard?”
“Did I lie? I told you I would speak the truth.”
I was at a loss for words. I had pointed out the exaggerated reactions, but Cha Soyeon had zeroed in on the facts. She hadn’t lied.
“You even said you’d cover the filming costs yourself? Juwon, are you some kind of philanthropist?”
“No, that’s not…”
“How much does a manager even make that you’re so eager to give it all away? Did you make some kind of deal to get something from them later?”
I didn’t mind her criticizing my meddling, but I couldn’t let the implication that I had ulterior motives slide. My goodwill should never come with strings attached.
“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. The reason I’m doing this is to make the artists I’m in charge of shine. I’m not asking them to pay me back with interest later. Both you, Soyeon, and the company people keep saying there’s no such thing as unconditional goodwill, so listen carefully from now on.”
My voice had grown louder without me realizing it, fueled by emotion.
“What I want in return is for Red Blossom to succeed. I want them to stop being called failures, make a dazzling comeback, climb the music charts, win trophies on music shows, and cry while giving their acceptance speeches. That’s what I want.”
“Then what about you, Juwon?”
“What about me?”
“Let’s say Red Blossom makes a successful resurgence. What do you get out of it?”
“I told you in the conference room. Being able to watch them shine from the closest spot possible is reward enough.”
Me passionately declaring that was enough, Cha Soyeon staring at me with an expression that said she couldn’t believe it, the three girls sobbing as they listened from the side—it created a strange atmosphere that was hard to describe. The cameraman captured the entire scene from behind. Without me even noticing.
*
One week later, a video was finally uploaded to Red Blossom’s official channel after what felt like an eternity. Since the channel barely had any subscribers, I hadn’t expected an immediate reaction. I’d simply hoped it would ride the algorithm well and spread through word of mouth.
But the channel literally exploded in less than a day.
It was because of a single post on Cha Soyeon’s Instagram—an account with more followers than the entire population of South Korea.