After finishing their makeup, Yu Ji-hyun and Shin Hye-won headed to the filming location.

After finishing their makeup, Deok-su and Shin Hye-won headed for the set.

While Shin Hye-won talked with the cinematographer about blocking, Deok-su exchanged words with Director Park Ji-ha.

“Your face has definitely become more ordinary. I feel sorry. Don’t you regret it yourself?”

“It’s not a movie where the face matters, is it?”

“Oh? Look at this guy.”

Director Park Ji-ha burst out laughing and clapped a hand on Deok-su’s shoulder.

“True. This film isn’t one that lives or dies by faces anyway.”

Though he never said it aloud, a thread of guilt still lingered in Director Park Ji-ha’s heart toward Deok-su.

For an entertainer, visuals were life itself. The law even protected them under portrait rights.

Yet Kim Deok-su had willingly sacrificed his outstanding looks for this movie.

The image of Deok-su chatting with the crew and running through rehearsals etched itself deeply into the director’s mind.

“The two of you enter the classroom. That means you run into classmates and seniors, right? To their eyes, what kind of relationship do Hyeon-o and Ji-an seem to have?”

“They’re a college couple. They’d be jealous, saying we’re dripping with honey, wouldn’t they?”

Director Park Ji-ha nodded at Shin Hye-won’s answer.

“Hye-won will be fine without any special notes from me. Deok-su. A male classmate approaches while Hyeon-o and Ji-an are together. What does Hyeon-o feel?”

Deok-su, who had been matching movements with the background actors, answered.

“He’d be very anxious. The fear that he might get rejected again, and how that anxiety later ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turns into obsession and violence toward Ji-an.”

“Okay. Looks like Deok-su has the character nailed too.”

When Deok-su nodded, Director Park Ji-ha returned to his seat.

“Action.”

The slate clapped and filming began.

Deok-su as Hyeon-o and Shin Hye-won as Ji-an entered the main building arm in arm, the picture of affection.

In the noisy hall Deok-su let a flicker of anxiety show as he wrapped an arm around Shin Hye-won’s shoulders, and she blushed faintly.

The camera angle tightened from the entire building down to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠two of them.

“Okay. Next.”

After the camera reset, they continued in front of the lockers.

When the actor playing their classmate approached, Deok-su’s eyes narrowed in an instant. His mouth twisted, crafting a grotesque expression.

Director Park Ji-ha, watching the monitor, gave a silent nod.

Oh? Not bad at all.

Cinematographer Moon Tae-yang was visibly surprised as well.

Deok-su’s facial muscles twitched, perfectly painting the displeasure hidden inside the smile.

Shin Hye-won continued her performance, layering both delight and unease at the same time.

“Hey. You like him?”

The moment the classmate left, Deok-su’s youthful voice rose with agitation.

Shin Hye-won’s eyes trembled at his altered tone, revealing her anxiety.

“That’s not it at all. You know there’s only you…”

“Ji-an, do it right. Before my heart changes.”

“Cut. Okay.”

Deok-su, who had been twitching with obsession, soothed Shin Hye-won as if nothing had happened.

Shin Hye-won stuck her tongue out at him.

“Kim Deok-su, that was brutal. You don’t act like that in real life, do you?”

“You’re hilarious. We read the script together. Why the sudden surprise…”

Laughter kept spilling from Director Park Ji-ha’s lips.

Especially when he looked at Kim Deok-su, genuine affection shone in his eyes.

It was a performance that could stand shoulder to shoulder with Shin Hye-won, who had sharpened her craft across many projects.

Of course, he still had worries.

“Deok-su, that voice you just used. You can reproduce it exactly tomorrow, right?”

“Yes. No problem.”

“You can’t switch it just because your throat hurts, understand? We don’t have the budget for ADR.”

It was half a joke, but the lack of money was real.

Deok-su knew it well.

The shoot continued at a breathless pace.

With only two days total, Director Park Ji-ha captured only the essential scenes, and Deok-su and Shin Hye-won’s flawless chemistry kept everything running smoothly.

“Ha… ha…”

Late at night in an empty classroom, Deok-su took deep breaths, pulling his emotions to the surface.

He was about to film the most dangerous and important scene in the entire film.

Shin Hye-won’s face across from him was covered in bruises and wounds between the torn edges of her clothes.

Before the take, none of the staff made a sound.

Even the smallest noise could shatter an actor’s concentration.

In the heavy silence, Director Park Ji-ha gave the signal.

“Going straight in. Action.”

Crash!

Deok-su’s eyes rolled back as he overturned the desk.

Shin Hye-won, who had fallen while trying to stop him, looked up with pitiful eyes.

“I was wrong… I’m the bad one… Aack!”

“You XX bitch! You slept with that bastard, didn’t you? Did you like it?!”

“There was nothing like that! You know how much I love you… Aack!”

Deok-su’s kicks trampling Shin Hye-won held nothing back.

Protective padding had been installed in advance, but the power behind a 185-centimeter frame was no joke.

“Cut, cut! Deok-su! Are you going to grab Hye-won too?”

“Someone like you… Ah…”

Still half-lost in the role, Deok-su snapped back a beat late and draped his jacket over Shin Hye-won.

She accepted the garment, stood, and brushed it off with a calm expression.

“Ouch, that actually hurts. Guess you didn’t slack on the workouts.”

“Are you all right?”

“As long as the shot looked good.”

The pair moved to the monitor.

On screen were Deok-su with his eyes rolled back, kicking wildly, and Shin Hye-won begging pitifully.

Watching herself get mercilessly beaten, Shin Hye-won clicked her tongue.

“Wow, look at that framing… Kim Deok-su, you’re terrifying.”

“I must have gotten too deep into it. I’ll ease up a little…”

“I can take it. Director, let’s do one more take.”

The sudden burst of girl-crush energy left Deok-su and Director Park Ji-ha staring at each other with wide eyes.

And it wasn’t over.

Rip—

“This should make the shot look even better, right?”

“…”

When Shin Hye-won tore her clothes further, even Director Park Ji-ha was left speechless by her passion.

That day the campus shoot continued deep into the night.

Filming resumed the next day.

The chemistry between Deok-su and Shin Hye-won was impeccable, yet a problem remained.

“Deok-su. Look at Hye-won with a little more love.”

It was the final scene, the one Ji-an imagines right before dying.

The imagined Hyeon-o was not a man stained by violence and obsession, but an ordinary man who understood love.

It was a scene of dating that Hyeon-o, doing assignments together, and spending happy time.

Holding Shin Hye-won’s hand, Deok-su gazed down at her with tender eyes.

“Cut. Deok-su, give me a sweeter look. Understand?”

“Yes. I’ll try again.”

“You handled all the hard parts perfectly. Once more.”

Take after take continued, but Director Park Ji-ha remained unsatisfied.

Yesterday Deok-su had shown flawless loving eyes; today he kept missing the mark.

“Pfft! Kim Deok-su. What is that ridiculous look?”

At Deok-su’s awkward gaze, Shin Hye-won’s laughter finally exploded.

Whether Kim Deok-su’s affectionate expression was awkward or simply strange, once Shin Hye-won started laughing she couldn’t stop.

Must be cursed.

Director Park Ji-ha shook his head.

Continuing the shoot now would only sour the mood.

“Everyone, let’s take a smoke break.”

The directors headed for the smoking area while Deok-su slipped into an empty classroom used as a waiting room.

He emptied the water bottle Lee Hui-yeong had brought him in one gulp.

“Oppa, you seem really nervous.”

“Is my condition off today…? My focus keeps breaking. Ha…”

Deok-su walked to the neighboring classroom where Shin Hye-won was resting.

She sent her manager out of the room and sat facing him.

“So we’re syncing up a little more?”

“Sorry for bothering you during your break. I just really want to get it right.”

While Deok-su and Shin Hye-won worked on their rhythm, Lee Hui-yeong handed out coffee to every member of the crew.

From the main staff and directors down to the day-hire extras, no one was missed.

Even for such a small team, the expense was considerable.

After thirty minutes, when Deok-su emerged, every staff member raised a hand in thanks.

“Hey, Deok-su. The coffee was great.”

At Cinematographer Moon Tae-yang’s words, Deok-su glanced at Lee Hui-yeong.

She stood behind the lights, flashing him a V sign.

I need to nail this too.

Filming resumed.

“What were you doing?”

Deok-su brushed Shin Hye-won’s hair back and asked in a voice full of affection. The earlier awkwardness in his eyes had softened beautifully, and Shin Hye-won blushed in response.

Good expression. Director Moon, frame a little tighter on Kim Deok-su.

With fresh momentum the shoot sped forward.

Deok-su handled every scene with newfound ease, and Shin Hye-won responded naturally.

At eleven that night, Director Park Ji-ha rose from his chair after checking the monitor.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the crew’s farewells, the two-day shoot wrapped up safely.

“Only five participants. Ha… Should we have just canceled?”

Lee Hui-yeong was worried.

She had prepared ambitiously, calling it Luvy’s solo fan meeting, yet only five people were coming.

Having expected around fifteen, her disappointment was huge.

But Deok-su showed no particular reaction.

“Even five is something to be grateful for.”

“Is that… how you see it?”

“It means we can treat the ones who do come even better. If today goes well, word of mouth will spread and things will improve, right?”

Lee Hui-yeong nodded and looked around the restaurant.

After begging the company, she had managed to rent the space.

Director Lee Gwang-yong had even demanded a PPT, forcing her to pull several all-nighters.

Thanks to that effort they had secured even this modest venue.

About ten minutes before start time, the guests arrived.

Club president YoungSI and the five members who joined the chat daily.

Aside from YoungSI they were all women, ranging from teenage students to women in their thirties, a pleasantly varied group.

While Lee Hui-yeong made small talk, Deok-su got to work in earnest.

“Is Luvy oppa really cooking today?”

“I’m excited… but also nervous.”

Everyone felt roughly the same.

The Kim Deok-su they remembered cared more about fashion than food.

Yet here he was cooking.

That anxiety melted away the moment Deok-su began handling the cleaver.

“This is insane. Luvy oppa knew how to cook?”

“I picked up a little back in the day.”

Deok-su’s knife work on the vegetables was masterful.

Anyone could tell it wasn’t beginner skill.

The fans couldn’t tear their eyes from his hands, from the precise slices to the veins standing out on his forearms and the backs of his hands.

No one could look away.

So this is what a natural-born star looks like.

A person who drew every eye without even trying.

Kim Deok-su was exactly that.

“It’s delicious!”

“So good!”

Deok-su served stir-fried noodles, tteokbokki, sweet-and-sour pork, and more. Every fan gave a thumbs-up.

The dishes were all crowd-pleasers with almost no polarizing flavors.

Seeing their happy faces, Deok-su breathed easier.

I learned this back when I was Yu Ji-hyun. Thank goodness.

In his previous life he had done every kind of work imaginable.

The experience of prepping countless meals in a cafeteria and the skills sharpened by living alone proved invaluable. He had needed practice on knife work at first, but there were no real problems.

“When did you actually learn to cook?”

The fans’ eyes sparkled.

No matter how they looked at it, he didn’t resemble the Luvy they thought they knew.

Deok-su shrugged casually.

“Just as a hobby, watching videos online. I like good food too.”

“A guy who cooks… I love it. Can I have more of this?”

“As much as you like.”

The delicious meal and Deok-su’s courteous manners pried open the fans’ guarded hearts without mercy.

After taking final photos and uploading them to their personal SNS and the fan club, the guests left.

In the now-empty restaurant, Lee Hui-yeong washed dishes alongside Deok-su.

“I’m probably the only manager who ends up doing dishes with her artist.”

“I wanted to keep your hands from touching a single drop of water…”

The work was tiring, yet a smile never left Lee Hui-yeong’s face.

Above all, she had completely won over the half-skeptical fan-club members.

Everyone having a good time was simply the cherry on top.

“Oh, right. The movie releases tomorrow, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. I’m nervous.”

“Still, it’s fortunate. An indie film usually struggles to secure theaters…”

Korea was not a country with high demand for independent cinema.

It counted as good experience in the industry, but most ordinary viewers never even noticed such films existed.

That was why Lee Hui-yeong had originally pushed for morning dramas.

“Well, we’ll need to do commercial films soon.”

“We will.”

The next day, Director Park Ji-ha’s film Let’s Go to Your House opened.

Perhaps because it tackled the uncomfortable subject of date violence.

Despite Director Park Ji-ha’s recently rising name value, they had not secured many screens.

Since the number of theaters directly affected audience size, everyone involved in the production felt disappointed.

But a variable appeared.

Even as an indie film, Let’s Go to Your House drew attention on many fronts and ultimately surpassed 80,000 total admissions.

“Deok-su! Eighty thousand! Did you hear?”

“Yes, it’s all thanks to you, Director.”

“You have to speak accurately. It’s because your chemistry was so outstanding! Let’s grab a drink soon and talk properly.”

After ending the call with Director Park Ji-ha, Deok-su stepped back into the restaurant.

Following the employee’s guidance, he found JMT Entertainment’s president, Kang Sang-mi, sitting with elegant poise, one leg crossed over the other.

“Oh my? Tteok-su! You’re here? As expected, you came without your little manager shadow.”

She greeted him like a child, but cold sweat ran down Deok-su’s back.

She had ordered him to come alone, even leaving Lee Hui-yeong behind.

It was obvious an important conversation was coming.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s embarrassing.”

“Right now, President, you’re the one who should feel embarrassed.”

“Hahaha! As expected, our Tteok-su! Your sense has improved. Good, good. Let’s not drag this out boringly, shall we?”

President Kang Sang-mi slid a single document across the table.

It was an exclusive contract termination agreement.

Deok-su set the paper down with a sigh.

“The president herself delivering the termination notice. Should I consider this an honor?”

“Ah, that’s right. There’s one more…”

She smiled as if it were nothing and handed over another document.