Arosam and Ruby
Arosam, the official fan club of Signature that had stood by the group since its debut, had been together for so many years.
Excluding Cast, Ryu Gang-hyeok, who had roughly half the fandom, the other members each had a similar number of dedicated fans.
But Kim Deok-su was an exception.
To them, Kim Deok-su had been nothing more than a speed-bump on the highway or a moldy spot on bread—something that had accidentally gotten in the way at the exact moment they needed to keep moving forward.
Naturally, the club members had turned him into their fiercest anti.
- What a gross edit of Deok-su! Hahaha! That soybean-paste smear! Hahaha!
- Which PD is this? Hahahaha!
- This looks like it's going to trend big time! Hahaha!
......
When Deok-su's edited clips were circulating, they were now replaced by captures from morning dramas.
Wanting to avoid the label of a washed-up actor, Deok-su had thrown himself into everything without hesitation, and thanks to that, new edit after new edit was being created every single day.
Even among the fierce anti-fans, there were voices of opposition.
- These days Deok-su is really working hard. He seems to be pushing the limits a bit.
- Ah, there he is again! Is this Deok-su's manager?
- Hey, read the room. How's he managing his social life?
- The line you crossed is the one you crossed!
......
Under the handle YoungSI, he had become famous for his endless war of words with anti-fans in the comments.
There was no logic in these anti-fan wars.
But he never backed down and kept taking on crowds.
Especially because Deok-su kept appearing in the morning dramas, the edits and the wars were happening every single day.
- If you like it so much, just quit already.
- Let's kick out all the Deok-su defenders. Deok-su isn't part of Signature!
......
In the end, a war broke out inside Arosam, and several members were forced out.
YoungSI, along with a few others who had tried to mediate and say it wasn't that kind of thing, and a few who had just been watching through the cracks.
The expelled YoungSI created a temporary chat room and gathered those people.
- Let's create a new one just for us.
That day, under the leadership of YoungSI, a new fan club was born.
Club name: Ruby.
A fan club for Kim Deok-su that had nothing to do with Signature.
Deok-su wore the clothes that Oh Ju-young had coordinated for him.
A T-shirt and suit with slacks that looked plain but somehow kept drawing the eye.
"...... It's much better than a mannequin."
Oh Ju-young and Lee Hui-yeong both nodded in satisfaction.
After the fitting, Deok-su headed straight to the company.
Today was the day he would train with Kim Hyeok-jung, so he had left earlier than usual.
Thanks to that, he arrived thirty minutes early, but Kim Hyeok-jung was already there preparing the lesson.
Deok-su scratched his head awkwardly.
"I wasn't late. There's still thirty minutes left......"
Instead of greeting him, Kim Hyeok-jung handed Deok-su a thick stack of scripts.
Deok-su blinked in confusion at what this was, and Kim Hyeok-jung smiled.
"First, look at them carefully. Seriously."
Deok-su tilted his head and examined the scripts.
Every script with fluorescent pen notes was from works that Kim Hyeok-jung had appeared in.
With so many works, it took quite a while to read them all.
After a long time, Deok-su set the scripts down.
"I've read them all. Whew."
"Good. Now, tell me. Classify the works that turned out well and those that didn't."
"Huh? Ah, yes."
Deok-su tilted his head and started sorting the scripts.
For dramas, he based it on viewership ratings. For movies, on box office draw.
Once he finished, the well-received and poorly received scripts were evenly split.
"Why were the ones you said were well-received actually well-received?"
Deok-su hesitated.
In truth, he had no time to think about it.
Right now, he was just grateful that the company had given him a chance.
Kim Hyeok-jung continued calmly.
"First assignment. Why were these works well-received? Organize it and submit it."
"Huh? Ah, I understand."
"...... Answer. Good. Then let's go."
Lee Hui-yeong, who had been in the management team, called saying she was coming down immediately, but Deok-su told her it was fine.
"You're busy because of the fan club, right?"
- Really, you'll be okay without a manager?
"It's not even a schedule. It's fine."
After that, Deok-su followed Kim Hyeok-jung to Hongdae.
While stretching in the car, Kim Hyeok-jung looked at the disguised Deok-su and sighed in admiration.
"Not bad at all. Of course, as an idol you should know how to disguise yourself."
"People don't notice when you're secretly trying too hard. It actually makes you more suspicious if you act shy."
As they talked, the two entered a small theater in Hongdae.
A few audience members were already seated, but the stage was still being prepared.
'Is that the person? Yeah, it's...... Kang Jeong-won!'
The audience members who had been sitting first recognized Kim Hyeok-jung and rushed over.
Kim Hyeok-jung signed autographs and took selfies with a relaxed smile.
Watching the fans wave goodbye, Deok-su said flatly, "He's really popular."
"Well, it has to be young people these days. Ah, it's starting."
The curtain rose on the two-woman play Mother and Daughter, and the two women appeared.
Mother and Daughter was a two-woman play about the conflict and reconciliation between a single mother and her daughter, who had been raised in extreme devotion and was now twenty and pregnant.
At first, Deok-su had felt slightly repelled by the actors' exaggerated performances, but before he knew it, he was unconsciously getting pulled into the story.
But the audience reactions were a bit different.
From viewers who looked uncomfortable, to those yawning, to those actually sleeping. The responses weren't as good as he had expected. Moreover, the proximity to the audience made him worry for the actors.
After the play ended, Kim Hyeok-jung briefly greeted his juniors and stepped outside.
"Thank you, sir."
"Then I'll be going."
Kim Hyeok-jung naturally unfolded three tickets.
One for the play, one for the musical, and one for the movie.
Deok-su's eyes widened.
That day, Deok-su had to enjoy an after-school date-like date with Kim Hyeok-jung until late.
Deok-su loved watching movies and musicals, but today the dark sky felt strangely yellow.
"Thank you for your hard work."
After all the performances, Deok-su sat in a 24-hour cafe and rested his head on the table.
After watching two plays, a musical, and a movie, he felt completely drained.
Kim Hyeok-jung looked at him and laughed.
"Did you feel anything today?"
"Honestly...... I don't really know. There weren't many people, so I was able to focus, but......"
"The content was scattered. I only picked the ones with bad reviews."
Deok-su hesitated.
Now that he thought about it, the works had been particularly hard to focus on.
They weren't fun either. In other words, they were flops.
Then a question arose.
"Why did you show only the ones that were no fun?"
"You should watch the good ones if you want to learn a lot. Probably......"
"That makes sense too. What do you think was the reason these works weren't fun?"
"That's......"
If it's not fun, then it's not fun.
He had never thought deeply about the reasons.
Kim Hyeok-jung grinned.
"This is the second assignment. Why these works weren't fun, and how to make them fun. I look forward to the results."
"Like university students, a report?"
"The format is free. The length is up to you. One line is fine. Or just say there's nothing."
The deadline was one month later.
Because of Kim Hyeok-jung's schedule, the next lesson was also pushed back a month.
"Here you are, sir."
At that moment the cafe door opened and Lee Hui-yeong walked in.
Kim Hyeok-jung and Lee Hui-yeong exchanged glances, then Deok-su's shoulder was lightly tapped.
"You're doing well. Keep it up."
Deok-su was stunned.
This was the first time he had ever heard praise.
But the hand that had patted his shoulder lightly was already gone long ago.
"...... Hyung. We should go."
"...... Ah, yeah. Let's go."
Deok-su looked back toward where Kim Hyeok-jung had disappeared several times.
"Hmm, is it the clothes or the hanger?"
Ryu Min-hye looked at Deok-su, who had just entered the fitness room, with a half-smile.
"It's sponsorship clothes. How is it? Not bad, right?"
"Quite...... It's not bad. It looks boyfriend-style. The style has changed a lot. But how long have you been with this maker?"
Clearly Kim Deok-su had changed a lot.
Before, he had given the sponsorship companies that provided his clothes a bad reputation for rudeness.
But because his visuals were so good, the companies had no choice but to keep working with him.
Deok-su shrugged and headed to the changing room.
"...... Sponsorships don't last even a month. Definitely different now. Ah, yeah. Hello."
Ryu Min-hye waved at the junior who had come over with his head bowed.
Suddenly the juniors who had never been seen in the fitness room started appearing one by one.
"Good afternoon!"
The juniors' voices from the changing room were still loud, but compared to when Kim Deok-su first appeared and they had run away, it was a huge leap.
Before starting the workout, Ryu Min-hye checked Deok-su's body condition.
After measuring his body fat and skeletal muscle, she let out a small exclamation.
"...... You can really do this? You've really gained a lot!"
His body fat had decreased and his muscle mass had clearly increased.
Clearly his body was changing more and more noticeably now.
His upper body had increased by one size.
Or because he was performing?
Deok-su had found working out fun lately.
When he felt his muscles filling out, there was a strange pleasure in knowing he had actually done something.
But for various roles, excessive training was forbidden.
"...... Good. Rest."
"Whew. Min-hye, are you really going to quit being a trainee?"
"Did Gang-hyeok oppa tell you? Yeah. I told you before. That's what I was going to do."
Ryu Min-hye showed no hesitation.
"Even if I debut now, it would only be a nuisance to the others. When I'm a little older, I'd have to hear 'auntie' from the fans. I don't want that."
"...... The fans these days are really something."
"How sensitive to age a woman is. Especially right now, girl groups are getting harder and harder. There are so many good ones. I'll find my own way too. Thanks to knowing someone, I even got a job."
"Really......? Then it must be harder to see you now."
Deok-su felt a pang of regret.
Thanks to Ryu Min-hye, he had gotten a good body and energy.
If she hadn't been there, could he have had such a good body now? Deok-su felt negative.
Seeing Deok-su's regretful expression, Ryu Min-hye laughed loudly.
"Oh? Didn't Hui-yeong unnie tell you?"
"What......?"
"I'm going to hang on to you until the end. This is my most reliable success case—I'm never letting you go."
"I'm grateful. Right now I'm empty-handed, but...... someday......"
Ryu Min-hye tilted her head.
"Strange, Mr. Kim Deok-su. When this happens, I should have left first......"
"I should grow up too."
"Well, your changed appearance isn't bad. Anyway, get ready. Rest enough. Stand up."
Deok-su's workout continued for a long time after that.
"Welcome, sir."
Writer Moon Na-young welcomed Cha Ji-yeon, who had stood up.
Cha Ji-yeon was about to take off her hat when she saw her reflection and gave a wry smile.
"I'm sorry, writer. I had to stop by the shop quickly, so I came like this. Please take a look even if it's messy."
"No, it's fine. Shall we start right away?"
Writer Moon Na-young opened her notebook.
The first page of the document read: Pre-interview for the MBC talk show Together.
Writer Moon Na-young asked Cha Ji-yeon questions and wrote the answers in detail.
"...... How many times have you been hit with soybean paste? Oh my."
"The soybean-paste smell was vibrating on the set, you know. At first I thought the one going out was the one, and I opposed PD Park's casting...... But the kid was actually pretty good."
"Is there anything related to L'Vyu?"
Writer Moon Na-young's eyes sparkled.
It was that story about L'Vyu that fed all the entertainment reporters.
Even if the recruitment was risky, such episodes were always welcome.
"...... I made a difficult request. Our daughter was a Signature fan."
Cha Ji-yeon told the episode about Ryu Gang-hyeok playing with her daughter on the set.
The one who had arranged it was Deok-su.
'...... Wasn't it an accident?'
Writer Moon Na-young wrapped up the interview while showing curiosity, regret, and amazement.
The one-hour pre-interview passed in an instant.
"Thank you, sir. Then when we record......"
"Wait, writer. Let me ask you one favor."
"What is it?"
Writer Moon Na-young tensed.
Requests from guests were usually simple.
Providing an extra chair or adjusting recording time were minor.
But among the difficult requests, this was the hardest.
A request to appear together.
"I have a friend I want to go on together with. That friend who introduced me to my daughter and Ryu Gang-hyeok."
"You mean Kim Deok-su?"
But the awkward request made Writer Moon Na-young's eyes flash for a moment.