No Rest for the Busy
Busy. So busy.
Under normal circumstances, I would have spent this weekend—the one right after episode six aired—visiting Yoo Seul-ho's family home.
But thanks to the drama doing so ridiculously well, offers for variety shows and interviews had come flooding in like a tsunami. It wasn't anything to be surprised about; it was only natural for a lead actor to hit the ground running without a single day off after a drama's release. Still, the fact that those offers had made their way to me was honestly impressive.
No, it went beyond merely reaching me.
Apparently, every single offer came attached with one non-negotiable condition: bring Yoo Seul-ho.
Huh.
Live long enough, and you'll see everything.
I couldn't exactly brush off PD Jang, who'd personally come asking for a favor, and more to the point, I couldn't refuse because of Choi Ran. If I weren't there, she'd have to deal with Woo Jun-seo's toxic bullshit all on her own.
So the moment I agreed to appear, I contacted Yoo Seul-ho's parents. Using the number saved as 'Mother,' I sent word that it would be hard to visit this week because of my schedule, but that I'd come the following week. Since I was the one breaking a promise I'd made first, I attached a proper apology, of course.
Half of me expected the phone to blow up with calls again, but there was no reaction at all.
Surprising.
But that night, late in the evening, a single text arrived.
Short, and stripped of anything resembling warmth.
Reading it, a laugh slipped out of me before I knew it.
Fair enough.
I was pretty funny too.
And what exactly would you do if the door stayed shut?
I wasn't the real Yoo Seul-ho, and I had zero intention of fasting for three days while standing outside that door waiting. I hadn't expected anything to begin with, but that frosty little message still left a bitter taste in my mouth.
The son who got cursed out everywhere he went is finally getting some attention, and now he's 'too busy.'
Shouldn't normal parents say something like, have a safe trip, do your best, our son?
Have I been watching too many dramas lately?
I concluded that parents were simply something I'd never get used to. My head was already full enough just dealing with the schedule staring me down in the present.
"Seul-ho, we're almost there. Get ready."
"Got it."
At my manager's words, I slipped my phone into my pocket. Through the window, a massive building loomed into view—the place where today's shoot would take place.
And a whole forest of cameras... wait. Huh?
"What the hell."
The words were out before I realized it, and Hyun Jin-gae turned his head.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"Hyung, eyes front. What's the point of driving if you keep looking back?"
"Aigoo, you nag in one-second increments, you know that? What. What's got you worked up."
"See those staff members over there with the cameras? Looks like they're already fully set up—no, wait. Yeah, they are."
I'd spoken half in doubt, but I confirmed it immediately. The camera was already pointed straight at us the second it spotted our car. With the camera director's eyes burning that fiercely, there was no mistaking it—filming had already started.
"They're probably going to shoot the second we open the door, huh?"
"Yeah. Seems like it. No prep time for us, apparently. Hey, you know the drill, right? Get out fast so I don't end up on camera."
Look at this guy, so utterly indifferent when it's not his problem.
I glared at Hyun Jin-gae, then swung the car door open without further ado.
"Seul-ho-ssi~! Welcome, welcome!"
Just as predicted, a camera swung right up into my face.
"Hello."
"Wow, you're tall in person. Ooh, your face is glowing. Glowing, I tell you!"
"Thank you."
"And you arrived earlier than the time we gave you! You're first place among today's guests. Oh! Well then, shall we shoot the opening together?"
The MC of I'm a Freshman Again Today, the variety show we'd be filming, rattled off lines in a dizzying torrent. At the same time, a staff member I'd never met in my life thrust a microphone into my clothes without so much as a by-your-leave.
Hah.
The unprompted physical contact grated on me, but I gave up on thinking about it any further. Making a sour face while cameras were rolling would only cost me.
"I'd love that, of course."
"Yes~! Then let's shoot the opening with one of today's guests, actor Yoo Seul-ho! Ah, but I've been spoiled already~! Just by looking at our guest, I can tell which department we're at today. Architecture! Right?! Nobody's NOT watching Space of You and Me these days~!"
The male variety host genuinely never stopped moving his mouth.
Is this what variety shows are normally like?
It was honestly soul-sucking. The only variety show I'd done since entering Yoo Seul-ho's body was Wise Hot & Cold Baths with Lee Seul-gi as the MC, and that had been a healing talk show built on sincerity and warmth. Today's show leaned much harder into comedy. I'd anticipated a different atmosphere, but the difference was far more intense than I'd expected, and it left my head spinning.
Not exactly easy, is it.
The concept of today's program had the MC accompanying guests to a different school and department each episode to sit in on classes. Hence the title—every visit, he was a freshman all over again. Which meant the filming location was, of course, a university campus.
Being a celebrity really isn't for just anyone.
Since we were shooting the opening in front of the university, college students had naturally gathered in a dense clump nearby. Undaunted by the crowd of students staring at him like he was a monkey in a zoo exhibit, the MC kept his patter going without a hitch. If I'd fidgeted awkwardly here, I'd have thrown him off his rhythm, so I focused on the MC as much as possible, doing my best not to register the eyes on me. Apparently, I focused a little too hard.
"Wh... why are you staring at me like that?"
"Sorry?"
"No, it's just, Seul-ho-ssi keeps looking at me so intently. Ooh, this is embarrassing. So this is what it feels like when a handsome man looks at you~. It's like being in a movie!"
The variety persona he'd adopted was a bit much, but the man himself didn't seem like a bad person.
If anything, people like this tend to be quieter off-camera.
And for all his brimming confidence, I noticed his eyes flickering with a nervous tremor.
Exactly the kind of guy who makes a perfect customer.
Built to be conned, in other words. Somewhere in that idle musing, my nerves loosened up all on their own.
After that, Choi Ran and Woo Jun-seo arrived in order, and with no time for extended conversation, we moved straight on to the next segment.
"Excuse me~! Are you a student here?"
"Oh, yes."
"What would you say is the best thing about your school? Just pick one thing!"
While the MC skillfully snagged passersby for interviews, the guests stood politely to the side. Choi Ran, true to her image, economized on words, and Woo Jun-seo was too busy striking poses to actually respond—so I was the only one there to field anything the MC threw out. He seemed to find that convenient, because before long he was unconsciously looking only at me.
"So you're an architecture student~. Just one question. Do you have any students like Suzy?"
"Nope. Movies are movies. And there's no guy who looks like this in real life either."
The student pointed at me and answered with total conviction. When the MC immediately chimed in with, "Ah, Seul-ho-ssi~. Guess there's no one like us anywhere," the student cut him off flat: "No, I was only talking about Yoo Seul-ho." The crowd erupted in laughter.
Everyone was laughing together in cheerful warmth... except for one person standing there radiating pure menace.
Is that idiot about to start cursing people out?
Woo Jun-seo, naturally. Unlike Choi Ran, who refrained from speaking only because of her agency's pressure but still gave her reactions her all, he contributed nothing but gloom. His stormy presence made the interviewed students shrink back. It's hard enough to speak comfortably on camera to begin with, and when a pack of celebrities is ringed around you, it's bound to be worse. With Woo Jun-seo pulling a face like that on top of it all, the interviews weren't flowing at all.
"Whew, shall we take a quick break? Just a few more interviews and then... no, actually, let's just head into the school!"
The MC finally threw his hands up. When he asked for five minutes in a drained voice, the staff lowered their cameras in unison.
"Oppa."
Choi Ran came over at the same time.
"Your popularity is no joke these days. Everyone around me talks about nothing but you."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes. Even the salon director who did my makeup today asked what you're like in person. She's someone who never asks things like that. I think you really are the trend right now."
Choi Ran's eyes sparkled as she chattered on, uncharacteristically soft. Oddly enough, she didn't seem the least bit miffed that I—a supporting player while she was the female lead—was hogging all the attention. It reminded me of the old days, when Hwang Tae-jun, the youngest of my crew, would babble, "Boss! You looked so damn cool this time! You hear what the staff at that place were whispering after yesterday's meeting? Man, I was proud!"
"Thanks."
I was smiling at Choi Ran without thinking when the MC sidled up to us.
"Plenty of people around me want to see you too, Seul-ho-ssi! Ah, though I never got to greet you properly earlier. Looking forward to working with you today."
"Likewise."
Into this perfectly cordial exchange, a voice cut in.
"Ah, I squeezed this in by carving time out of a drama shoot, and you're all so relaxed..."
A mutter steeped in unmistakable displeasure. The students farther away couldn't hear it, but everyone in the immediate vicinity couldn't not hear it.
Born to be an entertainer, that one.
His volume control was simply masterful. Choi Ran and I were so accustomed to his whining that our faces didn't change at all, but the MC's expression soured. Then he turned to us and asked:
"Are you two by any chance heading off to film the drama after today's shoot?"
"Nope. Nothing for me."
"Mine's a daytime shoot tomorrow. But as far as I know, Woo Jun-seo-ssi has a night shoot."
At Choi Ran's words, the MC beamed like he'd just been handed a gift. He strode over to the variety PD and hollered, "PD-nim, the weather's so nice today! Let's take our time with the shoot. Feels like we're on a picnic—love it!" The PD froze for a beat, then caught on fast: "Sounds good, the vibe's great!"
Nobody spared a glance for Woo Jun-seo, whose face had twisted up even further.
Tsk.
That's why you only throw your weight around on your own home turf. This wasn't a drama set where filming collapsed if Woo Jun-seo walked away. Above all, we were merely guests here to promote the drama—external staff had no reason whatsoever to tiptoe around a man they weren't obligated to coddle.
Woo Jun-seo must have run the same math without much difficulty, because from that point on he threw himself into the filming in silence. Whether he'd given up on grabbing more screen time or whatever else his reason was, he barely said a word—but at least the murderous expression eased off.
Campus buildings are huge.
It was my first time on a university campus, and everything felt novel. Word must have spread that celebrities had shown up, because an enormous crowd had gathered well beyond the camera's frame.
"Now, let's move to the practice room!"
The moment I was about to comply docilely with the MC's direction—
Splat!
"Die already, you little shit!"
A sharp pang hit my head, and something wet began sliding down my face. The shell I found in my hand told me instantly—someone had thrown an egg.
"Gasp!!"
"Everybody move! Get back!"
"There! That's him! Grab him!!"
The staff scrambled in a panic to clear the area. While someone subdued the person who'd thrown the egg at me, Choi Ran wiped my face with tissues from who knows where.
"Wow, she's insane."
"Is this real? This isn't part of the show? Unbelievable."
"Uh, sir! No photos over there, please!"
It was absolute chaos. Amid the square gone completely haywire—staff and civilians tangled together—I heaved a long sigh.
Hah.
Couldn't you have waited until the shoot was OVER to throw it?
Now I have to get my makeup redone.