L’Vyu and the Talk Show
“Hey, you’re heading out early today?”
“Just want to run some PT promotions.”
Ryu Min-hye’s unfamiliar phrase made Deok-su blink in surprise.
“You mean going out for PT sales?”
“Yeah, something like that. The contract’s almost up anyway. Can’t keep relying only on connections forever.”
“That makes sense.”
“Makes sense? If you just blew up faster, I wouldn’t have to do this at all.”
Min-hye playfully rolled her eyes, and Deok-su shrugged.
Success stories in this industry meant bringing cash back in your pockets.
Walking out together with Min-hye, Deok-su said,
“I heard trainers nowadays build bodies to match the idol image celebrities need… it’s interesting.”
“That’s exactly what I said. Why are you copying me?”
“It’s not a bad idea.”
Min-hye confidently laid out her plans for the future.
She had never seriously considered borrowing a massive loan to open a gym from day one. In reality, she wanted to gain more experience and build herself into a proper brand slowly.
“Surprising. I thought Ryu Gang-hyeok would help you out to some extent.”
“He actually suggested it, but I turned him down. Borrowing his name that much should be enough, right? What, are you worried?”
“If you suddenly leave, who’s going to take care of my body?”
Min-hye pouted, muttering under her breath.
“As I expected, you’re impossible. Don’t worry. Your contract period is basically the same as mine.”
After a short chat with Min-hye, they headed down to Deok-su’s dedicated training room.
In the corner that had once been the shared practice studio, now completely his, stacks of scripts were piled high.
Originally everyone’s used to belong to the actors, but they had quietly avoided Deok-su.
That was how this space became his private training area.
“Success and failure… it’s not that simple.”
The assignment Kim Hyeok-jung had given him was no joke.
Whether a work succeeds or flops, it never comes down to one reason alone.
There were films that were great but ruined by outside factors, and others that looked unremarkable yet became hits.
“People like us….”
Deok-su sprawled on the floor, set aside the crumpled script, and picked up his phone.
“The movie Daedo Dei brings in ten million viewers right in front of you.”
“Actress Oh Young-hee is going to give a kiss to the one-millionth viewer.”
“Ten million break for Daedo Dei? Positive effect of monopoly….”
……
He had read every interview, article, and editorial, but still couldn’t find a clear reason why Daedo Dei crossed ten million.
The film itself was entertaining.
The simple premise of thieves of all ages turning over gems, combined with dazzling action that kept you glued to the screen for two hours.
“That’s from the audience’s perspective.”
After staring at the screen for a while, one editorial caught his eye.
Low views, dry tone, but he read it all the way through.
“……The characters in Daedo Dei all feel alive. The writer didn’t give individual directions to the seven thieves, and the PD didn’t demand anything. The seven veteran actors completely became their characters from scratch and painted seven stories on the big screen. The result was….”
“Through an actor’s eyes…?”
Deok-su’s worry over Kim Hyeok-jung’s assignment dragged on for days.
On the fifth floor of JMT Entertainment, a special team existed.
It was the Signature dedicated management team.
A special unit made up of JMT’s best employees, created to protect Signature’s image and top the company’s revenue.
They were said to have accumulated every ounce of know-how in celebrity image management.
“It’s better to read the data in graphs like this….”
Ha Yeong-hyeon, deputy team leader of the Signature management team, carefully shielded her belly as she pointed at the monitor.
She was the ace among aces, yet she was about to go on maternity leave.
Next to her sat Lee Hui-yeong, the manager who had been showing up every day lately.
“It’s not just numbers. There are graphs….”
“Yeah. Hui-yeong, you’re handling everything alone right now, but who knows when collaboration will kick in. Right?”
Deputy Team Leader Ha Yeong-hyeon liked Hui-yeong.
After the My Hwarang withdrawal issue, the rookie manager she had paired with Deok-su had proven surprisingly diligent.
She personally went to Dongmyo Market for clothes, shuttled business cards on location, and worked nonstop.
At first she had been seen as the poor newbie stuck with a scandalous artist, but that view was slowly changing.
“……All this data equals money.”
“Exactly. Remember this, Hui-yeong. Data is like a child.”
“Yes, Deputy Team Leader. But the baby might get jealous.”
Deputy Team Leader Ha Yeong-hyeon swept her belly and smiled awkwardly.
They headed to the break room, and she handed Hui-yeong a drink.
“What do you think of Kim Deok-su? From the data alone he looks great, but the field is different.”
“He’s doing wonderfully. He works hard every day….”
Confidence shone in Hui-yeong’s voice.
Deputy Team Leader Ha Yeong-hyeon studied her with a doubtful gaze.
Too much of the past misbehavior remained for her to fully trust Kim Deok-su.
“It’s good to believe your artists, but still be careful. I want to keep seeing you here for a long time, Hui-yeong.”
“Yes, Deputy Team Leader. I won’t let anything worry you.”
The deputy team leader was puzzled but dropped the subject and changed it.
“All right, let’s hear your opinion. How do you feel about the Arosam incident?”
Hui-yeong shrugged.
Every day in Arosam’s fan club, hot debates raged.
At the center of every argument stood Kim Deok-su.
After the fights, some of the people who had supported him left and formed a new fan club.
“Oh, that Ruby thing? The leader said there are only twenty people, so don’t worry about it.”
“That’s from the leader’s view. From Kim Deok-su’s perspective, it’s different.”
Hui-yeong hesitated.
Thinking about it, the people who had left after supporting him were former anti-Deok-su members of Arosam.
Deputy Team Leader Ha Yeong-hyeon continued,
“Kim Deok-su was indifferent even with a hundred thousand anti-fans. Still, Hui-yeong wanted to try it. Twenty people, but we don’t know how explosive they’ll be.”
The deputy’s words left Hui-yeong troubled.
After that, Hui-yeong headed to the training room.
Just like always, Deok-su sat clutching scripts, sweating profusely.
“Today there are unusually many scripts?”
“The professor’s homework is tough. I don’t know, I don’t know.”
He grumbled, but the scripts never slipped from his hands.
When Hui-yeong watched Deok-su with a warm smile, her phone suddenly rang.
“Hello, are you Kim Deok-su’s manager?”
“Yes. Excuse me, who is this?”
“This is Mun Na-young, writer for OBC’s Two Together.”
Hui-yeong’s eyes widened.
Two Together had been airing steadily on OBC for seven years, a talk variety show.
Hosted by stable national MC Yoon Min-seok, it featured weekly different guests in the talk box format.
Viewership had dipped slightly lately, but seven years of continuous broadcast was no small feat.
“……I’d like to book Mr. L’Vyu for next recording. Could you check if it’s possible?”
“Oh, let me check the schedule and call you right back.”
She really wanted to accept on the spot, but she held back.
No matter how eager, she couldn’t give the impression that her artist was free anytime.
After pressing down her excitement and telling Deok-su the news, his eyes widened too.
“……Two Together? The one with national MC Yoon Min-seok?”
“Yes! It’s a national talk show! Finally, you’ll get to talk about yourself.”
The power of a talk variety show was immense.
It was a chance to completely reshape the image if the topic exploded.
There was no reason to refuse.
“Let’s go. When’s the recording?”
“Next week. Anyway….”
In high spirits, he was about to call back when Deok-su’s phone rang.
Checking the screen, it was Cha Ji-yeon.
Deok-su tilted his head and tapped the call button.
“……You just received a call?”
“A call? Is it about Two Together?”
“What else would it be? Come prepared thoroughly. If you’re sloppy, I won’t be able to show my face either.”
Deok-su and Hui-yeong finally understood what had happened.
Cha Ji-yeon had pushed him into it.
“Thank you. I owe you one….”
“Thanks to you, I’ve gotten close to my daughter too. Let’s make it even.”
The next day, at a café near JMT, Deok-su attended the pre-interview.
The guest for the pre-interview was Mun Na-young, main writer of Two Together.
“Thank you for accepting the role.”
“No, thank you. You came to our neighborhood, so I should be grateful.”
After a brief greeting, the pre-interview began.
“What was the hardest part during filming?”
“The pressure, I guess. Everyone is a senior, and I’m just a beginner actor. I practiced a little more than usual so I wouldn’t let them down.”
“How much do you practice your acting?”
“Just, when I go to work… I mostly end up in the practice room. I build my body a bit….”
Deok-su answered casually, but Mun Na-young’s eyes were sharp.
His role-specific voice, compliments on set, the contrast with his past reputation — these were perfect broadcast material.
Thanks to that, the fired-up writer conducted a four-hour pre-interview.
“Aha, sorry. I got carried away… I must have talked too much.”
“No. But not all of this will air….”
“It might even run the next week’s segment. There are so many interesting stories. I’ll pass it on to PD and Min-seok. Let me know if anything changes.”
After a long pre-interview, Deok-su finally returned home early.
At a quiet intersection near JMT, Hui-yeong stopped her small car and cautiously opened her mouth.
“I’m worried you dumped everything out in one talk show.”
“It’s better to let the things that weren’t there before be exposed now, isn’t it? Who knows when the next opportunity will come.”
“That too… yes. Still, it’s a bit sad.”
“I know. Let’s not do it again in the future,” Hui-yeong had decided several times.
The light turned green, and the small car drove smoothly again.
“Oppa, did you check out the new fan club?”
“The name was Ruby, right? I went in. I even chatted with them.”
Hui-yeong was momentarily stunned.
She had no idea when she had become so involved… It was shocking.
“The fan club was noisy because of you. The people who came out were those who defended you before they got kicked out. Of course the cameras should capture your face.”
“Anyway… you’re fast.”
“A star needs fans. Now that it’s come up, should we hold a fan meeting?”
Deok-su tossed out a joke, and Hui-yeong’s eyes sparkled.
“That sounds good.”
“Hold on a second. If no one comes, I’ll get hurt.”
“I’m here, me. Oh, and Mom is here too.”
Deok-su had no choice but to smile.
For the suddenly booked talk show, he separately applied for an entertainment variety lesson.
He would have loved daily lessons, but the professor’s schedule made it impossible.
After replaying one lesson over and over, Deok-su practiced reactions and talk techniques needed for variety shows.
Time passed, and the day of the Two Together recording arrived.
Arriving at OBC early, Deok-su and Hui-yeong headed to the waiting room.
Names of the other guests were posted outside — Cha Ji-yeon and Im Jeong-hae, who had appeared together in the morning drama.
“Oh, you’re here.”
Cha Ji-yeon, the one who had invited him, greeted Deok-su warmly.
Next to her, Im Jeong-hae who had once slapped red bean paste on her face, and Yoo Sun-hwa who played her younger sister Dan-hee waved at him.
“Deok-su, what about the shop? Did you not get your hair done?”
At Yoo Sun-hwa’s remark, Deok-su nodded awkwardly.
Now that he thought about it, he still didn’t have a sponsor shop.
Idols say they build relationships and hear industry gossip at shops….
“It’s fine,” Deok-su said quietly, but Hui-yeong blushed.
“Sun-hwa. Deok-su is embarrassed. Tone it down a bit.”
“Yes, unnie. But Deok-su’s skin is amazingly good today. Where exactly do you manage it?”
The moment skin was mentioned, the actresses excitedly chattered as if breaking a plate.
For Deok-su, it was fascinating.
After greetings, Deok-su headed to the waiting room labeled “L’Vyu.”
Since all the co-guests were women, he ended up using the room alone.
This was his first taste of luxury at the studio.
But the moment he sat in the chair, the tension suddenly melted away, and he felt the urge to go to the bathroom.
Standing in the nearby restroom, he was washing his hands when a presence appeared beside him.
He turned around. It was Yoon Min-seok, the national MC.
“Oh, hello, senior.”
“Yeah, L’Vyu.”
The national MC’s voice was low yet pleasant, warm with familiarity. There was a mysterious weight to it.
“His voice is really good….”
While still dazed by the male voice, Yoon Min-seok said,
“My wife really likes Deok-su. She says he doesn’t just build his body but acts well too. I’ll be looking forward to the recording.”
Yoon Min-seok washed his hands and left first.
“He’s amazing. That was the national MC….”
Deok-su stared at his retreating back for a long time.
A person who instantly relaxed the cast with just a few words.
The impact of the national MC was short but strong, leaving a mark on Deok-su’s chest.
About an hour later, the recording began.